urbed by the noise; and he was confident in the strength of the
outward gate, upon which he resolved they should beat till they tired
themselves, or till the tone of their drunken humour should change. The
revellers accordingly seemed likely to exhaust themselves in the noise
they made by shouting and beating the door, when their mock prince
(alas! too really such) upbraided them as lazy and dull followers of the
god of wine and of mirth.

"Bring forward," he said, "our key, yonder it lies, and apply it to this
rebellious gate."

The key he pointed at was a large beam of wood, left on one side of the
street, with the usual neglect of order characteristic of a Scottish
borough of the period.

The shouting men of Ind instantly raised it in their arms, and,
supporting it by their united strength, ran against the door with such
force, that hasp, hinge, and staple jingled, and gave fair promise of
yielding. Eviot did not choose to wait the extremity of this battery: he
came forth into the court, and after some momentary questions for form's
sake, caused the porter to undo the gate, as if he had for the first
time recognised the midnight visitors.

"False slave of an unfaithful master," said the Prince, "where is our
disloyal subject, Sir John Ramorny, who has proved recreant to our
summons?"

"My lord," said Eviot, bowing at once to the real and to the assumed
dignity of the leader, "my master is just now very much indisposed: he
has taken an opiate--and--your Highness must excuse me if I do my duty
to him in saying, he cannot be spoken with without danger of his life."

"Tush! tell me not of danger, Master Teviot--Cheviot--Eviot--what is it
they call thee? But show me thy master's chamber, or rather undo me the
door of his lodging, and I will make a good guess at it myself. Bear
high the calabash, my brave followers, and see that you spill not a drop
of the liquor, which Dan Bacchus has sent for the cure of all diseases
of the body and cares of the mind. Advance it, I say, and let us see the
holy rind which incloses such precious liquor."

The Prince made his way into the house accordingly, and, acquainted
with its interior, ran upstairs, followed by Eviot, in vain imploring
silence, and, with the rest of the rabble rout, burst into the room of
the wounded master of the lodging.

He who has experienced the sensation of being compelled to sleep in
spite of racking bodily pains by the administration of a strong opiat