Show sanguinary BEQUESTS the hearts of great warriors left as bequests of hearts have been by no means uncommon richard coeur de leon bequeathed his heart to the canons of cathedral and in july 1838 this remarkable relic was once again brought to light after the lapse of six centuries the heart which is said to have been surprisingly large says temple bar was in boxes of lead and silver and withered as it was described to the semblance of a faded leaf braces heart was by his dying wish intrusted to douglas to fulfill a vow which he was unable to execute in per-son of visiting the sepulchre of christ douglas tender and true promised to fulfill his sovereigns last request and after braces death having re-ceived the heart iennccaasseedd in a casket of gold set upon his mission pro-cceeeding to spain however he fell in the thick of a fight with the moors having previous to his final charge cast the heart of bruce from his breast when he carried it into tho ranks of the infidels crying onward as thou wert wont douglas will follow thee heart was afterward recovered by sir simon lockhart by whom it was brought to scotland and buried along with the bones of douglas in the abbey of melrose when the remains of bruce were disinterred at line in 1819 the breastbone was found sawn through so as to permit of the re-moval of the heart photograph |