few outstanding events in national history were overlooked. There were
publications dealing with _The Battle of Otterburn_, _The Battle of
Bothwell Bridge_, _The Battle of Drumclog_, _Executions in Scotland from
the Year 1600_, _The Battle of Killiecrankie_, _The Massacre of Glencoe_,
and _The Rebellion of 1745-6_. Then there were others that dealt with
such subjects as _Scotland_, _Edinburgh_, and _Glasgow and the High
Church_.
Three of these chapbooks have the merit of being written by eye-witnesses
of the actions they describe. The account of _The Battle of Bothwell
Bridge_ was composed “by the Laird of Torfoot, an Officer in the
Presbyterian Army.” It forms a 16 page chapbook, and is written, as
will be readily understood, from the Presbyterian point of view. A
later editor of this work, in an undated edition issued by G. Caldwell
of Paisley, added a footnote which strangely confuses the author of
the _Scots Worthies_—John Howie of Lochgoin—with Old Mortality of the
_Waverley Novels_. Referring to the John Howie of the Covenant days, the
editor says,
“The grandson of this person (John Howie) was the person whom
the Great Unknown calls Old Mortality. I have been from infancy
familiar with the history of this author of the epitaphs, this
repairer of the tombs of the martyrs; but I never heard him
called Old Mortality. Everybody in the west of Scotland is
familiar with the name of John Howie—Old Mortality is the name
in romance.”
It is quite apparent that the editor confused Robert Paterson with John
Howie. An abridgement of this narrative, together with an account of
_The Battle of Drumclog_, was issued as another chapbook. That portion
relating to Drumclog was also from the Laird of Torfoot’s pen. It was
extracted, a prefatory note explains, “from an American Newspaper
entitled, the _National Gazette_.” Like that which chronicles the doings
at Bothwell Bridge, it is written in sympathy with the Covenanters.
For the author of the most important of all the Scottish historical
chapbooks, we must return to Dougal Graham. If the _Caledonian Mercury_
is correct in its statement that Prince Charlie was the first to plunge
into the Forth at the Ford of Frew, it may have been that courageous
incident which impelled the little hunchback to throw in his lot with
the Jacobite army. He followed the Young Chevalier in his triumphant
march into England, returned with him in his hasty retreat northwards,
and witnessed the sun of the Stuarts set in blood on Culloden Moor. It
is not improbable that he took notes of the incidents he witnessed, and,
like the war-correspondent of a later day, set about their extension
with all possible speed. Culloden was fought on the 16th of April, 1746.
By September of the same year Graham was in a position to announce the
publication of his _History_. The following advertisement appeared in the
columns of the _Glasgow Courant_ for September 29, 1746:—
“That there is to be sold by James Duncan, Printer in Glasgow,
in the Saltmercat, the 2nd Shop below Gibson’s Wynd, a Book
intituled A full, particular, and true Account of the late
Rebellion in the Year 1745 and 1746, beginning with the
Pretender’s Embarking for Scotland, and then an Account of
every Battle, Siege, and Skirmish that has happened in either
Scotland or England.
“To which is added, several Addresses and Epistles to the Pope,
Pagans, Poets, and the Pretender: all in Metre. Price Four
Pence. But any Bookseller or Pack-men may have them easier from
the said James Duncan, or the Author, D. Graham.
“The like has not been done in Scotland since the days of Sir
David Lindsay.”
That last exclamation shews that Graham had faith in his work (what poet
has not?), and there is little doubt that it became at once extremely
popular. It dealt with a subject in which there was the most intense
interest; it appeared ere Scotland had recovered from the effects of
the shock of the Rebellion; and in the pedlars’ wallets it was carried
over the length and breadth of the land. It would seem that, with
the exception of two copies, the first edition has been read out of
existence. Graham’s _History_ is scarcer than the Shakespeare folios or
the “Kilmarnock” Burns! The title-page of his book contained the couplet—
“Composed by the poet, D. Graham,
In Stirlingshire he lives at hame”—
which is at once a biographical note and a specimen of the author’s
doggerel. But, its rough and frequently infelicitous rhymes
notwithstanding, the work affords good reading. Dougal’s information was
received at first hand, and he paints his pictures with the baldness of
reality. Here, for example, is his description of the arms of the men who
went forth to battle for the White Rose:—
“Old scythes, with their rumples even,
Into a tree they had been driven;
And some with batons of good oak
Vow’d to kill at every stroke;
Some had hatchets upon a pole,
Mischievous weapons, antick and droll.”
These were the weapons that cleared the way to the Scottish capital and
routed Cope’s army at Prestonpans! The expedition into England is duly
set down in the historian’s halting numbers, and he does not hesitate to
chronicle the chagrin of those
“to plunder London that were keen”
when the order went forth at Derby to retreat. The incidents of the
homeward march are narrated. This is how he speaks of the eight days’
sojourn at Glasgow:—
“Eight days they did in Glasgow rest,
Until they were all cloth’d and drest;
And tho’ they on the best o’t fed,
The town they under tribute laid.
Ten thousand sterling made it pay,
For being of the Georgian way,
Given in goods and ready cash,
Or else to stand a plundering lash.”
Those “to plunder London that were keen” having been baulked of their
aims on the capital, did their best to recoup themselves at the expense
of Glasgow. The thrilling scenes on Culloden Moor are graphically
described. Here is what he says of Cumberland’s artillery:—
“It hew’d them down, ay, score by score,
As grass doth fall before the mower;
Breaches it made as large and broad
As avenues in through a wood.”
The subsequent wanderings of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” in the western isles
are duly set forth, although much of what is said must be imaginary so
far as Graham is concerned, or told at second-hand. Many editions of
the book were published, and some of them differed widely from others,
for Dougal found it necessary on occasion to express himself as a
good Hanoverian rather than as a discredited Jacobite. It is usual to
characterise the work as “Hudibrastic,” and from the extracts given it
will be seen that the criticism is not unjust. In point of literary
workmanship, it has small claim to distinction, but it is not without
merit as the record of an eye-witness. “It contains,” says Chambers,
“and in this consists the chief value of all such productions, many
minute facts which a work of more pretensions would not admit.” Dougal
wrote with a graphic pen, and had his facility in verse been equal to his
power of description, the metrical _History of the Rebellion_ had not now
been a forgotten volume.[34]
Under the heading “Historical,” may be included those broadsides and
chapbooks which referred to topical events. Frequently the matters
dealt with were too local or too trivial to be regarded as history in
the proper acceptation of the word, but a passing sentence at least may
be awarded them. There was one, for example (and it certainly rises to
the dignity of history), which provided “An Account of the Massacre of
Captain Porteous of the City Guard,” and another which set forth “A
Particular Account of the Great Mob at Glasgow that happened on Tuesday,
9th of February, 1779; with an account of the Magistrates’ and Trades’
activity in assisting to suppress the same.” Occasionally, when an
important event was to take place, a chapbook in connection therewith
was put in circulation. “Hawkie” tells us that he published an account
of _Ancient King Crispin_, which was sold in Edinburgh on the day of a
Crispin procession in that town. Sometimes rivals in trade sought the
help of the flying-stationer. Cameron says that he sold, for a newspaper
office, a broadside entitled, _The Expiring Groans, Death, and Funeral
Procession of the “Beacon” Newspaper_. It is safe to say that the
erewhile proprietors of the extinguished _Beacon_ did not engage “Hawkie”
to spread the news of their disaster. Sometimes these topical chapbooks
consisted of the last speeches of condemned criminals. At a time when
public executions were in force, and when great crowds of all classes
assembled to see a fellow-mortal dance into eternity, such literature
commanded a ready sale. The last speeches were usually supplied to the
“flying-stationers” on the day before the execution, and “pattered” among
the assembling multitude. When no speech was forthcoming, the chapman,
recognising that the opportunity was too good to be lost, invented
something that would sell. A case in point may be mentioned, and the
pedlar’s own words quoted[35]:—
“There was a man named Robertson under sentence of death in
Glasgow for housebreaking and theft, and the execution, which
took place 7th April, 1819, brought ‘flying-stationers’ from
every quarter.... The day before Robertson’s execution, Jamie
[Blue] and I were in Wilson Street, and in a bookseller’s
shop saw a tract entitled, ‘A Reprieve from the Punishment of
Death.’ As a reprieve was expected for Robertson, we considered
that this tract was likely to sell.
“We asked the price, and were told ‘three half-pence.’ We took
four dozen each, and started, Jamie in the Candleriggs, and I
in Bell’s Wynd. I had scarcely reached Albion Street before I
had sold the four dozen, and turning back for more I met Jamie,
who had sold about three dozen. On the head of our good luck we
proposed a ‘dram,’ to which Jamie agreed, on condition that we
would go to one Millar’s cellar in the Saltmarket.
“I would not consent to this as it was too far, and we might
be dogged by other speech-criers, who would find out the shop
where we got the tracts; but Jamie, who was naturally of a
cringing disposition, would go there, as they had given him a
dram in the morning _on pledging his spectacles_. We went, got
the glass, and started again; at night I had nine shillings.
“Next morning we started it again, although the apparatus
of death was now fixed in front of the jail. We continued
pattering the ‘Reprieve’ till one o’clock, when the people were
collecting for the execution. By this time we were both drunk,
and had come as far as ‘The Cross.’ Jamie ‘took’ down the High
Street, and I the Saltmarket.
“I had not gone far, when a boy came and told me to ‘stop, as
Jamie had been taken to the police office.’ A policeman came
down the Saltmarket, and I was sure he was in search of me, but
at that time there were no less than seven speech-criers who
used stilts, and not being so well known I escaped. I went to
the printers to get some more books, and found there dozens of
speech-criers in as deep sorrow as if they had been friends of
the unfortunate man, on account of being prohibited crying the
speeches, and thereby deprived of a fuddle.”
Having sold the fictitious _Reprieve_ for all he was worth, Cameron
turned his attention to the _Last Speech_. A continuation of the above
extract gives us an interesting glimpse of the business.
“Thomas Duncan,” he writes, “would sell no speeches to be cried
in Glasgow. John Muir also printed speeches, and the criers
went to him to try to get some. When the criers left, Duncan
told me he would give me half-a-ream if I would go and sell
them in Paisley; I took them, and had got to the foot of the
Saltmarket when they were bringing the unfortunate man out to
the scaffold. I went through the Briggate, started on the old
bridge, and sold them all in one hour.
“I could have sold more, but was afraid to go back, as I had
not kept my promise. I went to Muir’s and got seven quires,
intending to go to Paisley; but by this time Muir had sold his
speeches, and the criers were out on the street.
“When they began to cry, they were all apprehended and taken
to the ‘Old Guard House’ in Montrose Street, where upwards
of fifty were kept over the Fast Day.... I ... started for
Paisley. After I passed through Tradeston I changed my mind,
and took the road by Renfrew for Greenock.
“When I got to Renfrew there were two ‘patterers’ there
before me; when I saw them I was aware they were for Greenock
also. A dram was proposed. They were as ‘kittle’ neighbours
as Glasgow could produce. One of them, William Anderson, had
been three times transported for seven years; he and the other
man, James Johnston, could never meet without a fight.” In this
case they did fight. “Anderson got Johnston down, and when
down put Johnston’s books in the fire, and held them till they
were burned. Johnston got an opportunity and burned Anderson’s
books.” Later on Cameron’s stock received the same treatment,
“and,” he adds, “we were all without a book.”
The extract is interesting as affording an illustration of life in the
days of spectacular executions, and as showing the character of the
men who “pattered” the speeches of the criminals. Fifty or sixty of
these ruffians—hardly more respectable than the central figure in the
tragedy—moving through the dense throng and shouting their wares, did
nothing to dignify a public hanging.
Last Speeches and Confessions were, as a rule, melancholy productions,
chiefly notable for their bad grammar and the spirit of lamentation in
which they were written. Sometimes they were accompanied by a short
history of the crime for which the extreme penalty was being exacted,
or by some “Verses” called forth by the incident. In these days, when
public executions are no longer carried out, and when the populace
cannot even indulge its morbid curiosity so far as to hail the hoisting
of the black flag, the chapbook has been superseded by the newspaper.
In the public prints the revolting details are duly served up, and a
confession—where one is made and supplied to the reporters—awarded due
prominence and set out with all the blandishments of expressive headlines
and effective type. The relish and avidity with which such news is read
prove that human nature has not changed much since the days when fifty
flying-stationers found it worth their while to risk being laid by the
heels for vending literature of a similarly sensational kind.[36]
(_b_) BIOGRAPHICAL.—In many instances the biographical chapbook was
closely allied to the historical. The _History of Sir William Wallace,
the Renowned Scottish Champion_, _The History of the Life and Death of
the Great Warrior, Robert Bruce, King of Scotland_, and _The History of
the Black Douglas_, really comprise a narrative of the wars of Scottish
independence. Again, _The Life and History of Mary, Queen of Scots_, and
_The Life and Meritorious Transactions of John Knox, the Great Scottish
Reformer_, supply an account of Scotland during the troublous Reformation
days. _The History of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, commonly called the
Pretender_, is largely and naturally a resumé of the rebellion of 1745.
More distinctly biographical are the chapbooks which deal with Michael
Scott and John Welch, Alexander Peden and Donald Cargill, Thomas the
Rhymer and Robert Burns, William Lithgow and Peter Williamson, Paul
Jones and Rob Roy. None of these is remarkable for literary excellence.
They are, as a rule, bald narratives of incidents in the lives of the
subjects with whom they deal, and, without exception, they may be said to
present the traditional view of the person they describe. The craze of
modern historical writers to alter the conventional colours of certain
portraits was undreamt of by these old-world authors. Wallace is not in
these badly-printed pages the beer-stealing thief of Sir Herbert Maxwell,
and there is no suggestion that in digging the pits at Bannockburn Bruce
was treacherous rather than strategical. The Good Lord James is “the
Black Douglas” of the tender heart, and Knox is the stout Reformer “who
never feared the face of man.” Mary Queen of Scots and Prince Charlie
come in for not unfriendly treatment, and a good deal is forgiven them on
account of the circumstances in which they found themselves. The “Lives”
of John Welch and John Knox, Alexander Peden and Donald Cargill, are
drawn either wholly or in part from Howie’s _Scots Worthies_, and are
written in the sympathetic style of the Foxe of the Scottish Reformation
and Covenant Days. A notable biographical chapbook was the _History of
the Kings and Queens of England and Scotland from the Reign of James the
First to Victoria the First_. This, which must have been published during
the later forties of the nineteenth century, is “Part II.” of an earlier
book, which dealt with the English sovereigns from William the Conqueror
to Elizabeth. Each monarch is represented by a woodcut and a short
biography.
[Illustration: _Bruce and de Boune—from the “History of the Life and
Death of the Great Warrior, Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.”_]
The two outstanding literary portraits in the gallery of chapbook
literature are Thomas the Rhymer and Robert Burns. Here Thomas of
Ercildoune is Thomas of “the east corner of Fife.” He was born near
Crail, according to this chapbook writer, and much credit was given
to his prophecies, although “they are hard to be understood.”[37] The
chapbook on the national poet, which is entitled _An Interesting Account
of Robert Burns, the Ayrshire Bard_, is largely made up of extracts from
letters of the poet and of his brother Gilbert. The salient points of
Burns’s life are narrated in a simple manner, and occasionally a word
of apology is offered for his misdeeds. But there is no enthusiasm; the
author is not even a “common Burnsite,” and if a stranger chanced on
this booklet for a knowledge of the “peasant poet,” he would doubtless
conclude that Mr. Henley’s “half-read M.P.’s and sheriffs, and divines
and provosts flushed with literary patriotism” had a poor excuse for
drinking oceans of whisky and eating mountains of haggis, and belching
forth be-fuddled speeches every 25th of January. The pen-portrait is
about as indistinct as the woodcut which forms the frontispiece.
[Illustration: _The Wreck of Robinson Crusoe—from “The Surprizing Life
and most Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.”_]
_Rob Roy, the Celebrated Highland Freebooter, or Memoirs of the
Osbaldistone Family_, and the _History of Paul Jones, the Pirate_, may
be mentioned as typical examples of the Scottish chapbook literature
which dealt with _Notorious Characters, Highwaymen, and Burglars_. _Rob
Roy_ is nothing more than a fictitious account of the Highland cateran
written up from Scott’s novel. We meet the creations of the Author of
_Waverley_—Die Vernon, Bailie Nicol Jarvie, Dougal Craitur, Rasleigh,
Andrew Fairservice, and all the others—but they are mere skeletons, not
the living beings that move in the pages of Scott. The _Life of Paul
Jones_ would not be wanting in readers. It presents in small compass the
life-story of one who for a considerable time “kept the coasts of the
United Kingdom in a constant state of alarm,” and disputed Britannia’s
right to rule the waves.