The Abbot

THE ABBOT by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) in 1820, a sequel to The Monastery. The history is concerned with that period of the life of Mary Queen of Scots which she spent in imprisonment at Lochleven Castle, her escape, the rally of her supporters and their defeat at the battle of Langside. With these historical events is woven the romantic story of Roland Avenel, over whose parentage hangs a certain mystery. He is sent by the Regent Murray to act as page to Mary Stuart in her imprisonment, with directions to watch and report any attempt at escape. Instead, he becomes an active agent in devising the queen´s flight. The Introductory Epistle to the First Edition informs the reader that the narrative is the continuation of the Benedictine manuscript from which Scott purported to have drawn his preceding novel The Monastery.