149 Discharged.

150 Maitland Club Miscellany, i. 276.

151 Transverse.

152 It is to be feared that Abacuck was a person of a litigious and troublesome temper. A complaint was made against him before the Privy Council by Kenneth M‘Kenzie of Kintail, to the effect that Bisset had purchased letters to force Kenneth to produce a clansman named Rory M‘Allister M‘Kenzie, alleged to be at the horn for default in a civil cause. It was alleged that, knowing that on the case being called, he (Kenneth) could shew many good arguments for exonerating himself of this responsibility, Bisset had delayed the calling, in hopes of being able to do it when Kenneth should not be at hand to make his own defence. The matter being brought fully before the Lords in the presence of parties, it was decreed that Kenneth should be absolved from the duty implied in Bisset’s letters.—P. C. R.

In July 1608, Abacuck was involved in a still worse-looking affair. He was charged before the Privy Council with having prosecuted Mr William Reid, of Aberdeen, in a malicious manner at law, from no cause but that of ‘some little eleist’ fallen out between him and Andrew Reid, brother of William, in which the said William had no interest. He had also traduced William Hay in regard to the propriety of his marriage, though it was well known to be ‘an honest and famous marriage.’ The Council found the charge just, and commanded Abacuck’s proceedings to be stopped.

153 Melville Diary, 291.

154 The conduct of the clergy on this occasion is defended, but in rather subdued terms, by Dr M‘Crie, Life of Andrew Melville, i. 395.

155 Statistical Acc. of Scot. ed. 1845, v. 258.

156 A leek (Fr. cibolle).

157 Maitland Club Mis., i. 278.

158 See the entire letter in Blackwood’s Magazine, ii. 313.

159 Chronicle Kings of Scotland.

160 Moysie’s Memoirs.

161 Act of Privy Council, Notes to Waverley Novels (Legend of Montrose).

162 James Melville’s Diary.

163 In this article, both editions of Moysie are used.

164 Birrel’s Diary.

165 Latterly called the West Bow.

166 A public weighing-machine at the head of the West Bow.

167 Johnston’s Hist. Scot. MS.

168 From the reprint of a rare contemporary tract, in Papers relative to the Marriage of James VI. (Bannatyne Club), 1828.

169 Regals, or rigols, an ancient musical instrument, composed of a series of reeded tubes resting on a bellows, which the player worked with his left hand. See Dalyell’s Musical Memoirs of Scotland, 1849, p. 117.

One is at a loss to understand how the poet thought of expressing his admiration of the strings of the organ and regals.

170 Burel’s Description of the Queen’s Entry, &c., 1590, in Watson’s Collection of Scottish Poetry, 1712.

171 Johnston’s Hist. Scot. MS.

172 Edin. Council Record.

173 Maitland Club Misc., i. 280.

174 The entire letter is printed in Blackwood’s Magazine, ii. 628, and in the Caldwell Papers.

175 Calderwood.

176 ‘Wha were lately pardonit by his majesty for slaughter of the Laird of Dawick’s son.’

177 Mr C. Innes’s preface to Black Book of Taymouth, xxv.

178 Anderson’s Hist. of the Frasers, p. 102.

179 See onward, under May 1600.

180 See onward, under August 1618.

181 Britain’s Distemper, by Patrick Gordon, Spald. Club.

182 Tytler’s History, quoting letters in the State-paper Office.

183 This lady did not long enjoy the position of a duchess. She died on the 11th of May 1592, and was ‘buried in the Trinity College, in the east end thereof, very solemnly.’—Jo. Hist. When the Trinity College Church was taken down, that its site might form part of a railway station, the remains of a female, believed to be those of the royal foundress, Mary de Gueldres, were found in a side-aisle, and duly re-interred in the royal sepulchre at Holyrood. Afterwards, the remains of another female, who had apparently been buried under circumstances of distinction, were found in the east end of the church, and suspected by some to be the remains of the queen. The probability is, that these latter remains were those of the youthful Sophia Ruthven, Duchess of Lennox.

184 May 19, 1591, the town-council of Aberdeen made arrangements for the support of one Robert Abell, who was ‘visited with leprosy, and thereby unable to win his living or frequent honest men’s society.’ He was placed in the house here described.—Ab. C. R. In 1612, the magistrates made the like provision for Agnes Jameson, spouse to Patrick Jack, ‘vexed and diseased with the sickness of leprosy,’ although she was not born and bred in the burgh.

185 Edin. Council Record. See Professor Simpson’s curious Notices of Leprosy in Scotland, Edin. Med. and Surg. Journal, No. 149.

186 Now La Mancha.

187 It will be found that the body of the Bonny Earl remained above ground for six years, probably with a view to keeping up the popular indignation against his murderers. (See under February 16, 1597-8.)

188 It is necessary to distinguish this from the murder of another Laird of Brackla in 1667, on which a ballad has been composed. See Jamieson’s Northern Ballads.

189 In a memoir of the family of Grant, written by Mr James Chapman, minister of Cromdale, in 1729, and preserved in the Macfarlane Collections in the Advocates’ Library, there is a curious traditionary anecdote, which the writer connects with the murder of the Laird of Brackla, and yet dates in 1540. It is given in the following terms: ‘[James Laird of Grant, called Shemus nan Creagh, or James the Ravager] distinguished himself in assisting the Earl of Huntly, his cousin, against the insults of several enemies, and particularly in revenging the murder of Gordon Baron of Brackla, on Dee water-side, who was murdered by the countrymen there. The revenge went such a length, that above sixscore orphans were left in the desolate country on Deeside, nobody knowing who their parents were. These miserable orphans were, out of pity and commiseration, carried by the Earl of Huntly into his castle, where they were maintained and fed thus. A long trough of wood was made, wherein was put pottage or any other kind of food allowed them; and the young ones, sitting round about the trough, did eat their meat out of it as well as they could. The Laird of Grant visiting the earl, was, for diversion’s sake, brought to see the orphans slabbing at the trough; which comical sight so surprised him, that he proposed to carry one-half of them to Balcastle, alleging that, having a hand in destroying their parents, he was bound in justice to take a concern in their preservation and maintenance. Those of them that were brought to Castle-Grant are to this day called Slioch Namor—that is, the Posterity of the Trough.’ As Shemus nan Creagh died in 1553, and the Grants were not engaged on the Earl of Huntly’s side on this occasion, but participated with their relatives and allies the Mackintoshes in suffering from his vengeance, it may be presumed that this barbarous tale refers to the date assigned for it by Chapman—namely, a period fully fifty years earlier than the murder of the Laird of Brackla. It has nevertheless been introduced by Sir Walter Scott in his Tales of a Grandfather, as applicable to the reign of James VI.; and the reader who turns it up there, may experience some amusement in contrasting its ample and picturesque details with the simple original anecdote as above narrated.

190 The Earl of Angus in this anecdote was a Protestant, and succeeded by the earl noticed in the preceding article, who was of the ancient faith.

191 Fairnyear, the last year: the phrase means, formerly a lord.

192 Andrew Wauchope of Niddry, and John Hamilton, younger, of Samuelston.

193 The king, probably from recollection of some incident of their early school-days, used to recognise the grave earl by the name of Jock o’ Sklaitts.

194 The above anecdote was communicated to me by Sir Walter Scott in 1827, immediately after he had derived it from the Earl of Haddington (Earl Charles), to whom, I suppose, it had come through his predecessors, the descendants of Lord Mar’s brother-statesman, Thomas, first Earl of Haddington.

195 Letters and State Papers of the Reign of James VI. Abbotsford Club Series. 1838. P. 16.

196 Calderwood. History of James VI. Pitcairn’s Criminal Trials. Gregory’s History of the Western Highlands and Isles.

197 This interlined in the manuscript in a different hand. Another report is, that Lord Maxwell was slain by Willie Johnston, nephew of the Galliard, mentioned under July 22, 1593.

198 G. L. Meason’s preface to Discoverie and Historie of the Gold Mynes of Scotland. Bannatyne Club. 1825.

199 Archæologia Scotica, iv. 404.

200 Napier’s Life of Napier of Merchiston.

201 Another writer represents the Master of Montrose as setting upon Sir James Sandilands.

202 The writer of this curious story speaks of the form of the funeral as rare.

203 Council Register in Maitland.

204 Patrick Anderson’s History MS. He adds: ‘I was at the time by chance an eye-witness myself.’

205 Hist. K. Ja. 6.

206 March 16, 1575-6, John Macmoran, messenger, reported to the Privy Council, that in January last, when using his office in execution of letters upon Patrick M‘Kie, burgess of Wigton, he had been set upon by Alexander M‘Kie of Myreton and his two brothers, who cruelly struck and chased him, giving him despiteful words, and threatening him with worse if he ever again came there in a professional capacity. The offenders, failing to appear on call to answer for this outrage, were put to the horn.—P. C. R.

207 See ante, p. 143.

208 Lady Yester in her widowhood founded a church in Edinburgh, which has perpetuated her name. Her ladyship, after the above date, brought Lord Yester two sons, the elder of whom earned on the line of the family, and was the first Earl of Tweeddale.

209 Patrick Anderson’s Hist. MS. Genealogy of the Hays of Tweeddale.

210 Thrown down.

211 For the ballad of Kinmont Willie, and many particulars of the affair, see Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.

212 Napier’s Life of Napier, 4to, p. 247.

213 Wood’s Peerage, quoting Urquhart.

214 Cockalane—Fr. coq-à-l’âne, defined in the dictionary of the Academy, ‘Discours qui n’a point de suite, de liaison, de raison.’ Equivalent to the English phrase, a cock-and-bull story. The word occurs in at least one English author—Etheridge.

215 Through his connection with the Lovat family, his wife being the mother of the present Lord Lovat, he was sheltered for some time in a small island in the lake of Bruiach, a few miles from Beaufort Castle.—Anderson’s Hist. Acc. Fraser Family, p. 90, note.

216 Spottiswoode, iii. 40. Johnston’s Hist. Scot. MS. Scott’s Staggering State of Scots Statesmen.

217 He was put to the horn, and an edict of Privy Council denounced those who should ‘reset’ him.

218 Letter of Sir Thomas Hamilton, king’s advocate, Pitcairn, iii. 162.

219 History of the Kennedies, 27.

220 Letter above cited.

221 The resemblance of this case to the phenomena of what is called electro-biology will be apparent.

222 The original documents regarding these trials are given in full in the Spalding Club Miscellany, vol. i. Aberdeen. 1841.

223 William Shakspere, a Biography. 1843.

224 Chronicle of the Cid, translated by Robert Southey, pp. 75-83.

225 Near Cramond Island.

226 Fr. Bon aller, an entertainment at the commencement of a journey.

227 Genealogical Deduction of Kilravock Family, written in 1683-4.

228 Letter of Thomas Mallison, Aberdeen, June 28, 1597. Spalding Club Misc., ii. lx.

229 Mait. Club Misc., i. 89.

230 He held a privy-council on the 4th November, and occasionally during the month till the 29th, at Dumfries.

231 Calderwood.

232 ‘... that fearful eclipse of the sun which continued the space of two hours, so fearful that that Saturday is yet called by the people the Black Saturday; a prognostic, as the times give occasion to interpret, of that darkness which was to fall upon the kirk.’—Scot’s Narration.

233 The house of Bailie Macmoran, who was killed by a boy at the High School in 1595. This house still exists (see p. 263), and the room where the duke was banqueted is now used as the Mechanics’ Library.

234 Fynes Moryson’s Itinerary, folio, 1617.

235 For an anecdote of this lady, see under October 1590.

236 Pitcairn’s Crim. Trials, iii. 116.

237 Gordon’s Hist. House of Sutherland. Phillips’s Geology. New Stat. Acc. Scot. H. Miller’s Testimony of the Rocks, p. 496.

238 Calderwood, iii. 76.

239 Notes to James Melville’s Diary, Wodrow edition.

240 See in Deliciæ Literariæ (Edin. 1840), the title of the rare tract printed by Waldegrave in 1599, announcing this disputation.

241 Gregory’s History of the Western Highlands and Isles.

242 This James Learmont of Balcomie had, nearly twenty years before, fixed on the college-gate at St Andrews a placard offensive to Andrew Melville, who consequently broke out upon him as he sat in church, to this effect: ‘Thou Frenchiest, Italianest jolly gentleman, wha has defiled the bed of sae many married [men], and now boasts with thy bastinadoes to defile this kirk and put hands on His servants, thou sall never enjoy the fruits of marriage, by having lawful succession of thy body; and God shall baston thee in His righteous judgments!’ ‘This,’ says James Melville, ‘was remembered when the said James lived many years in marriage without child, and taken by the Highlandmen coming out of Lewis, was siccarly bastoned, and sae hardly used, that soon thereafter he died in Orkney.’

243 A. P. R. Pit. Wood’s Peerage.

244 Gordon Papers, Spalding Club Misc., iv. 123-319.

245 Stat. Acc. Scotland, xi. 477.

246 Published in the Scots Magazine, January 1807.

247 Brazil fowls; that is, turkeys.

248 Macfarlane’s Genealogical Collections, Adv. Lib.

249 Butler’s Lives of the Saints.

250 Extracts from Presbytery Book of Strathbogie (Spald. Club), xxiv.

251 Father Blackhall’s Narrative.

252 Shaw’s History of the Province of Moray, p. 326.

253 Winzet, remarking how John Knox had put down festival-days as unsanctioned in Scripture, says: ‘I misknow not some of you to object the command, charging sex days to labour, and the sevint to sanctify the Lord; therefore I desire the doubtsome man to cause his doctor and prophet aforesaid [John Knox], with all the assistance of his best learned scholars, to answer in writ, what Scripture has he, or other authority, by [besides] the consent of the haly kirk universal, to sanctify the Sunday to be the sevint day. And gif he abolishes with us the Saturday, as ceremonial and not requirit in the law of the evangel, what has he by [besides] the consent of God’s kirk to sanctify ony day of the seven, and not to labour all the seven days.... Why abolishes he not the Sunday, as he does Yule, Pasch, and the rest, &c.?‘—Tractates, 1563, reprinted for Maitland Club, 1835.

254 Privy Council Record.

255 Extracts from Reg. Kirk-session of Rothiemay, Spal. Club.

256 See extracts from their Register, Maitland Club Miscellany, i. 67.

257 Extracts from Register of General Kirk of Edinburgh, same book, p. 111.

258 Niel’s edition of Zachary Boyd’s poems (1855), p. xli.

259 Extracts from the Council Registers of Aberdeen, p. 71.

260 Maitland Club Misc., i. 135.

261 Ibid. p. 431.

262 ‘... in that church excommunication is so terrible, that few will have any manner of conversation with one excommunicated; and the generality of the people, when they see a man whom their ministers declare to be excluded from heaven, are easily induced to think him unworthy to live on earth.’—Ed. Phillips’s Cont. of Baker’s Chronicle, 1670, p. 617.

263 Tubs.

264 Boxes.

265 Supposed to be a kind of sweetmeats.

266 To hold stob and stake in a place, is an old periphrasis for making it one’s permanent residence.

267 The flet was the inside of a house.

268 A neighbouring hamlet.

269 January 12, 1591-2, the king repossessed David Hamilton of Bothwell-haugh, Isobel Sinclair and Alison Sinclair, heretrices-portioners of the lands of Woodhouselee, of ‘their lands, houses, tacks, steadings, and possessions, wherefra they were dispossest upon occasion of the late troubles.’—P. C. R.

270 Miss Gordon having married Mr Byron without any ‘settlement,’ her property was seized by his creditors, and sold for £18,500, while she and her son, the future poet, were left to penury.

271 The name has been changed to Formartin—a proceeding against which every person interested in the verity of history, not to speak of considerations of taste, must protest.

272 Pitcairn’s Criminal Trials, ii. 429. See also vol. iii. 409.

273 See the ballad of Christie’s Will, with the notes, in the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 151. This ballad was composed by the editor on the traditionary story, in which the Earl of Traquair is introduced as a litigant for whose benefit the capture of the judge was made, the object being to prevent an adverse judgment in the Court of Session.

274 Alexander Gibson of Durie, commonly called Lord Durie, and author of a well-known work called Durie’s Practicks, died June 10, 1614. The story of his kidnapping was related a century after, as follows: ‘Some party in a considerable action before the Session, finding that the Lord Durie could not be persuaded to find his plea good, fell upon a stratagem to prevent the influence and weight which his lordship might have to his prejudice, by causing some strong masked men kidnap him, in the links of Leith, at his diversion on a Saturday afternoon, and transport him to some blind and obscure room in the country, where he was detained captive, without the benefit of daylight, a matter of three months (though otherwise civilly and well entertained); during which time his lady and children went in mourning for him as dead. But after the cause aforesaid was decided, the Lord Durie was carried back by incognitos, and dropt in the same place where he had been taken up.’—Forbes’s Journal of the Session, Edin. 1714.

275 Book of Bon Accord (Aberdeen, 1839), p. 246. Knight’s William Shakspere, a Biography, p. 443.

276 John, fifth Earl of Cassillis, son of the lord who roasted Allan Stewart in Dunure Castle; see pp. 65-67.

277 See under January 1, 1596-7.

278 Such is the account of a partial contemporary. In the Privy Council Record, it is stated that the conflict was provoked by Bargeny, and that his party were fully armed for the purpose with muskets, hagbuts, and pistolets, while Cassillis’s attendants wore only their swords. Cassillis’s defence, on the ground of his having commissions giving him authority over his district, was sustained.

279 Birrel, by an evident mistake, places this in 1601.

280 The names of the party, as given in the Privy Council Record, are curious as a sample of Highland nomenclature of the day. These were Donald Glas M‘Rannald, and Ronald M’Rannald, brothers of the aforesaid Alexander; Allaster M‘Ean Vich Innes, John, Angus, Donald, and Ronald, his sons; Gorie M‘Allaster Vich Gorie, and Allaster his brother; John Dow M‘Connell Vich Rannald, Allan and Angus his brothers; Gillespich M‘Ean Vich Connell, William and Angus his brothers; William M‘Connell Vich Gorie, and Angus his brother; John M‘Ean Vich Finlay Roy, and Ewen M‘Finlay Roy his brother; John Dow Vich Connell Vich Finlay; John M‘Innes Vich Connachie, and Paul M‘Connachie Vich Innes his son; Farquhar Dow M‘Connell Vich Farquhar, Allaster Dow his brother; Gilliecallum M’Farquhar Vich Connell Vich Farquhar, son to the said Farquhar; Donald M‘Innes Vich Ean Dowie; Gillespich M‘Innes his brother, &c.

281 Poniard swords.

282 Nicolson and Burn’s Hist. Westmoreland, i. 595.

283 See this singular document in Pitcairn’s Crim. Trials, iii. 622; also in Maitland Club Misc., i. p. 141, where a fac-simile of it is presented.

284 Hist. Clan Mackenzie, MS. in possession of John W. Mackenzie, Esq.

285 This Scottish Philotus is to be distinguished from the Philotas of Daniel, for which see Collier’s Annals of the Stage, iii. 350.

286 Riche his Farewell to Militaire Profession, &c. Another of the tales in the same volume is dramatised by Shakspeare in Twelfth Night.

287 See Mr J. W. Mackenzie’s edition of Philotus, presented to the Bannatyne Club in 1835.