s
the source, the author, the giver of all beautiful things and qualities.
All the beauties of earth and sea and sky, of life and mind and spirit,
are rays from His beauty. The powers by which they are perceived are
conferred by Him. The light in which they are seen is His light."[239]

_Roslin (Mid-Lothian)._--The church was founded in 1450 by Sir William
St. Clair, Baron of Roslin and third Earl of Orkney. It was dedicated to
St. Matthew, and founded for a provost, six prebendaries, and two
choristers. In the quaint language of Father Hay:--

"His adge creeping on him, to the end that he might not seem
altogither unthankfull to God for the benefices he receaved from
Him, it came in his mind to build a house for God's service, of
most curious worke: the which that it might be done with greater
glory and splendor, he caused artificers to be brought from other
regions and forraigne kingdomes, and caused dayly to be abundance of
all kinde of workmen present: as masons, carpenters, smiths,
barrowmen, and quarriers, with others. The foundation of this rare
worke he caused to be laid in the year of our Lord 1446: and to the
end the worke might be the more rare: first he caused the draughts
to be drawn upon Eastland boords, and made the carpenters to carve
them according to the draughts thereon, and then gave them for
patterns to the masons that they might thereby cut the like in
stone."

He was probably himself the source of the design, and his enlightened
liberality attracted to the place the best workmen in Scotland, as well
as from parts of the Continent. It has been said by the most recent
authorities:--

"The church, so far as erected, is in perfect preservation, and is a
charming portion of an incomplete design. It is, in some respects,
the most remarkable piece of architecture in Scotland; and had the
church been finished in the same spirit as that in which it has been
so far carried out, it would have gone far to have realised a poet's
dream in stone. When looked at from a strictly architectural point
of view, the design may be considered faulty in many respects, much
of the detail being extremely rude and debased, while as regards
construction many of the principles wrought out during the
development of Gothic architecture are ignored. But notwithstanding
these faults, the profusion of design so abundantly shown