The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-03-21
The Castle of Edinburgh

The Castle OF EdlnDurgn
Is perched on the summit of steep hill 443
feet above the level of the sea. The rock on
which it stands was the site of fortress long
before the authentic records of Scottish his
tory began, but none of the present buildings,
with the exception of the little Norman chapel
of Queen Margaret, date further back than
the fifteenth century. The fierce storms OF
conflict which have SO often swept around Its
grim battlements, and the murderous TRACE
dies which have so frequently been enacted
within its crumbling walls have left the
shadow of chilly gloom resting upon this
ancient citadel 1t has had most checkered
history. 1t has served both as a residence
and as a prison for Scottish royalty. King
James, the wearer of two crowns, was born III
a dark room within its gates. 1t has been re-
peatedly demolished and rebuilt 1t has
been taken by surprise, by stratagen and
treason, but while the generations have come,
stormed around it's walls and then crumbled
into dust this grim old fort still stands,
maintaining an English garrison within its
gates. From the esplanade already spoken of
we cross the moat by heavy draw-bridge,
passing through the old portculis gate,
underneath the ancient state prison Gin which
the Marquis and Earl of Argyle and many
other noblemen were confined previous to
their trial and execution) we finally reach the
old palace yard. Here we find great null
titude of visitors. After much crowding and
hard climb up a Steep narrow, corkscrew
stairway we squeeze into the crown room.
magnificent apartment? Oh, no. This
celebrated room is only low, white-washed,
dark, stone foored little cell, in the middle of
which we find an iron cage containing the
cheap-looking insignia of Scottish royalty,
consisting of the crown of Robert the Bruce
(14th century, arched over by James V in
1886. 1t was last used by Charles Ii in 1851,
and afterwards deposited in the crown room
after the treaty of the union on the Goth of
March, 1907 where it remained concealed in
the great chest now lying at the east end of
the room until discovered by STATE commits
sion on the 4th of February 1918. Besides
the crown there is the sceptre, the sword of
state and the lord high treasurer of Scotland's
mace of Office. From this sombre crown
room, with it's cheap John " looking jewelry,
we visit Queen Mary's room with an adjoin-
ing apartment about ten feet square, in which
her son James | was born, and from the win
dow of which he was lowered when but eight
days old in basket. Both of these apart
ments are dark and cherries. In the smaller
of these rooms photographs and trinkets are
exposed for sale. On the wall is an inscrip-
ton surmounted by the Scotch arms and the
date, 18th IV.NII., 1866.
Having visited Queen Margaret's chapel,
situated on the highest point of the castle
rock, Mons Meg, gigantic old gun made at
Mons, Belgium, in 1476, composed of thick
iron bars hoped together and about twenty
inches diameter in bore, the bomb battery
and other points of interest, we leave the cas-
tie and walk down High street to Holyrood
Palace. On reaching Parliament square we
visit old st. Giles church, in which grand
John Knox preached, and behind which he is
inferred His grave is marked by small
brass plate not over six inches square, in
serted in the pavement near the statue of
Charles H. and inscribed j. K, 1872 Near
by stood the old Tolbooth gaol, commonly
called the "Heart of Midlothian, F." rendered
famous by SCOTS novel of that name. The
figure of a heart in the pavement indicates the
place where it once stood Further down is
John Knox's house. 1t partly juts out into
the street, and is four-story, antique, many
gabled edihce. cigar store is on the first
floor. Here the great reformer wrote his
history of the reformation. Here, too, he
narrowly escaped the bullet of an assassin,
which struck candlestick standing on a
table at his side, and here, at IL o'clock on
the evening of the Oath of November 1872,
he died. at the age of sixty-seven, "not SO
much oppressed with years as worn out and
exhausted by his extraordinary labor of body
and anxiety of mind"
Extending over nearly the entire frontabove
the ground floor are inscribed in large Roman
letters the first and great commandment and
the second, which is like unto it, "Lute.
God. ab4te. al. and. yi. Nyclt6oar. as. W
SELF" On an angle of the building, near a
window from which Knox is said to have fire.
quently addressed the people, is small efigy
of Moses kneeling, with one hand resting on
table while with the other, he points to the
name of God emblazoned above his head.
Near the reformer's house there is massive
box shaped pump, which was the author of
an incident supposed to be characteristic of