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and had several sons, of whom the eldest is now the representative of theConheath family; another was lately a merchant in Havre.

II. A daughter, who is still alive in the town of Dumfries. It is a curious fact that the Empress of the French has a grandaunt residing in a small house in a third-rate Scottish county-town!

III. William Kirkpatrick, a merchant in Malaga, who married a lady of, it is stated, noble family, and had by her three daughters, of whom the second married her cousin-german, Thomas Kirkpatrick, and the third was the wife of the Count de Cabarus, of Malaga. The eldest daughter wedded the Count de Theba, a younger son of the great family of Montijo, Grandees of Spain of the first class. The husband of Miss Kirkpatrick eventually inherited the titles and estates of his brother, the Count de Montijo, and left two daughters, of whom the elder espoused the Duke of Berwick and Alva, representative of the Marechal Duc de Berwick, natural son of King James II.; and the younger is EUGENIE, EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH.

213

THE LEGEND OF THE LAMBTONS.

AMONGST the many celebrated individuals to be found in the records of the Lambton family, one of the most remarkable was Sir John Lambton, a Knight of Rhodes, who flourished in the time of the Crusades. In his early years, he lived on indifferent terms with holy Mother Church, paying very little regard to her ordinances, and giving great scandal to the more pious part of the community. He was, however, a man of wealth, and of too bold a spirit to be lightly meddled with, being, as the old chronicler tells us, "so brave that he feared neither man nor God." His neighbours, therefore, both priest and layman, contented themselves with shrugging up their shoulders, in intimation of the grievous offence done to them in the spirit, but without presuming

upon any of those measures for his reform which they certainly would have adopted in the case of one less favoured by fortune.

It was a fine Sunday morning, and the bells were ringing out cheerily for mass, when the Knight, according to his usual profane custom, stood fishing in the Wear; the spot he had chosen, whether by chance or of purpose, being right in the way of the people who were then trooping in their holyday clothes to the next chapel. Now it so chanced that the fishing was by no means prosperous. The float swam passively upon the stream without giving the slightest indication, whereat he began to curse and swear in such a fashion that the mass-goers, one and all, hurried on at their utmost speed to escape the profanation. In a few minutes the field, which before had swarmed with people, was as still and as empty as if the world had died out. Just then the float began to dip, there was a violent tugging at the line, and the slender rod bent as it had been a piece of green willow.

"This must be a noble fellow," said the Knight, exerting himself with equal vigour and dexterity to secure his prize. The resistance was no less pertinacious; and when, at length, he managed to land the supposed fish, it turned out to be a serpent, or, as they called it in those days, a

worm. Highly wroth at this disappointment of his expectations, he tore the creature from the hook, and having flung it into a near well, resumed his fishing. While he was thus employed, a stranger of a grave and venerable aspect came that way, and stopping, inquired "What sport, Sir?" Why, truly," replied the Knight, "I think I must have caught the devil. Look at that strange creature in the well."

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The stranger did as he had been desired, and having peered earnestly in the water for several minutes, he shook his head, and exclaimed, "The like of this I have never seen before. It has something the appearance of an eft; but then it has nine holes at each side of the mouth, and I much fear me it tokens no good."

We are not told what share this singular affair had in the reformation of Sir John, or whether indeed it had any; but shortly afterwards he was seized with remorse for his sins, and, by way of expiation, he took the cross, like so many others, and set out for Palestine. There we must leave him, beating, of course, and being beaten most Saracenically, for his adventures in the Holy Land have no necessary connexion with the story in hand.

In the meanwhile the eft, or serpent rather, grew rapidly to an enormous size, till at length he

became too large for his well. It hereupon betook itself to the Wear, and would lie in the river for a considerable part of the day, coiled about a rock in the middle of the river. At night it frequented a neighbouring hill, and, still continuing to increase in bulk, it could at last twine itself nine times round the base of the hill which stands on the north bank of the Weir, about a mile and a half from old Lambton Hall. It is an artificial mound of an oval shape, about three hundred and fifty yards in circumference, composed of river earth and common gravel.

The serpent now became the terror of the adjacent country, devouring lambs, sucking the cows' milk, and not scrupling to feast upon men, women, and children, if they had the misfortune to come in his way at any time when there was any lack of cattle to satisfy his appetite. At length the north side of the river could no longer supply him with sufficient means of sustenance, although his forages had extended to a considerable distance; upon which he crossed over to Lambton Hall, where the old Lord was mourning the absence of his son, who, as we have already seen, had gone to wage war against the Infidels. Greatly was the whole household alarmed at the appearance. of this unpleasant visitor; and having assembled in council to debate the matter, it was proposed by the steward,

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