Ossian Collection > Romance of the Highlands

12 THE ROMANCE OF THE HIGHLANDS.
CHAPTER II.
The Coronation Stone.
Allusion has already been made to the famous stone
known as "Lia Fail," or the "Stone of Destiny," and the
story is so interesting that its salient points may be given
here.
It is not pretended that there are no fabulous beliefs
in connection with it. Indeed, the probability is that it
rests under a considerable amount of dubiety, but as
this cannot be proved, patriotic Scots are quite willing to
remain in doubt over its strange history.
Ancient writers argue that the stone was the one
which Jacob set up on the memorable night in the land
of Luz, and which served him as a pillow. In the
morning he sanctified it by an oil oblation, and said it
"shall be God's house." The story is related in the 29th
Chapter of Genesis.
It was now looked upon as particularly sacred, and
when the Israelites went down into Egypt for corn, they
carried it with them, thinking it too valuable to be left
behind. The strange feature is that they should have left
it in the land of Goshen when they made an exodus
hence. One could imagine that it would be of greater
value in the Promised Land than the jewels of silver and
jewels of gold, of which they spoiled the Egyptians.
There was a Greek prince named Gayelglas fighting
in Pharaoh's army at this time, and he appears to have
been of much assistance to that tyrant. In any case he
was rewarded with the hand of Pharaoh's daughter, the