The "Covin-Tree."

In Sir Walter Scott's novel, "Quentin Durward," the hero makes (during his first interview with the disguised monarch, Louis XI.), a humorous allusion to the questionable sight of the body of a man hanging to the limb of a tree in front of the castle. "Besides, to speak the truth, I love not the castle where the covin-tree bears such acorns as I see yonder." The use of the word "covin-tree" seems to have been rare and but little known, as Scott himself gives a foot-note explanatory of it: "The large tree in front of a Scottish castle was sometimes called so. It is difficult to trace the derivation; but at that distance from the castle the laird received guests of rank, and thither he conveyed them on their departure."

The most probable conjecture seems to be that the word meant to be used was covyne--the lowland Scottish pronunciation of convene. This latter word is still much used in Scotland in the sense of meeting or calling a meeting--convener, the chairman or officer of a society or committee who calls together his associates. The word was derived from the French, convenir, and that from the Latin, convenire, to meet. The old French has the word "convine" or "couvine," and when we remember that there was considerable intercourse with the court of France during the time of the Stuarts, giving rise to the introduction of many French words into Scotland, we can easily understand that the "covin-tree" or "covyne-tree" was meant the place of meeting, as Scott describes it, between the Lord of the castle and his distinguished guests.