misdeeds was _Willie of Westburnflat_. It is said that a gentleman of
property, having lost twelve cows in one night, raised the country of
Teviotdale, and traced the robbers into Liddesdale, as far as the house of
Westburnflat. Fortunately, perhaps, for his pursuers, Willie was asleep
when they came, and consequently without much difficulty they secured him,
and nine of his friends. They were tried in Selkirk, and though the jury
did not discover any direct evidence against them to convict them of the
special fact, they did not hesitate to bring in a verdict of guilty, on
the ground of their general character as "notour thieves and limmers."
When sentence was pronounced, Willie sprang to his feet, and laying hold
of the oaken chair on which he had been sitting, broke it in pieces, and
called on his companions who were involved in the same doom, to stand
behind him and he would fight his way out of Selkirk with these weapons.
But, strange to relate, they held his hands, and besought him to let them
_die like Christians_. They were accordingly executed in due form of law.
This incident is said to have happened at the last circuit court held in
Selkirk.[107]
Willie Armstrong, as he stood under the gallows-tree, might appropriately
have sung the lines composed by _Ringan's Sandi_, a relative of his own,
who was executed for the murder of Sir John Carmichael, the warden of the
Middle Marches--
This night is my departing night,
For here nae langer must I stay;
There's neither friend nor foe o' mine,
But wishes me away.
What I have done through lack of wit,
I never, never can recall;
I hope ye're a' my friends as yet;
Good night, and joy be with you all!
XIV.
UNDER THE BAN.
The Cardinal rose with a dignified look,
He called for his candle, his bell, and his book!
In holy anger, and pious grief,
He solemnly cursed that rascally thief!
He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed;
From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head;
He cursed him in sleeping, that every night
He should dream of the devil, and wake in a fright;
He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking,
He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking;
He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying;
He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying;
He cursed him in living, he cursed him in dying!
Never was heard such a terrible curse!
But what gave rise to no little surprise,
Nobody seemed one penny the worse.
THE JACKDAW OF RHEIMS.
As might be expected, the existence of such an extraordinary phenomenon as
Border reiving did not escape the attention of the Church. Such a peculiar
state of affairs could not be regarded with favour, or treated with
indifference. It may be said, no doubt, that the continued existence of
such an abnormally lawless and chaotic condition of society on the Borders
indicated that the ecclesiastical authorities were either singularly
inept, or reprehensibly careless. Why was some attempt not made long
before to curb the lawless spirit of the Border reivers? With the
exception of the "monition of cursing" by Gavin Dunbar, Archbishop of
Glasgow, little or nothing seems to have been done by the Church to stem
the tide of Border lawlessness.
In dealing, however, with this phase of the question, there are several
considerations which ought to be borne in mind. First of all, it ought to
be remembered that while Border reiving was carried on with more or less
persistence for some hundreds of years it did not attain really portentous
dimensions till well on towards the close of the fifteenth century. Prior
to the time of the Jameses, the two countries may be said to have been
almost constantly at war. Invasion followed invasion, on the one side and
on the other, with a kind of periodic regularity. From the time of James
I., onwards to the union of the Crowns in 1603, such invasions, at least
on the same large and destructive scale, became less frequent; though, in
the intervals of peace, the Borderers kept themselves busy harassing and
despoiling each other. This period of comparative calm, it may be
remarked, is also synchronous with the decadence of Romanism. From the
time of Queen Margaret, of pious memory, to the death of Robert III., the
Romish Church enjoyed a period of signal prosperity. Abbeys and
monasteries, many of them buildings of great architectural beauty, were
erected in different parts of the country, and became important centres of
moral and religious authority and influence. Whatever opinion may be
entertained regarding Romanism, whether regarded from an ecclesiastical or
theological standpoint, the majority of fairly unprejudiced students will
be ready to admit that the system was, in many respects, admirably adapted
to the circumstances of the country at that particular stage of its
development. A strong hand was needed to curb and guide the lawless and
turbulent factions of which the nation was composed. It is more than
doubtful if, under any other ecclesiastical system--bad as things
were--the same beneficent results would have been attained.
But powerful as the Romish Church was in the country, in the heyday of its
prosperity, it never attained the same undisputed sway in Scotland which
marked its history in other countries, especially on the Continent. The
reason of this is not difficult to discover, though it must be sought for
far back in the religious history of the people. The Celtic Church,
founded by St. Columba, was neither in doctrine nor polity exactly on
Roman Catholic lines. It sought in the East rather than in the West, in
Ephesus rather than Rome, its ideals of worship and doctrine. Romanism
succeeded in establishing itself only after a long and arduous struggle.
And when at last victory had been achieved, and the Church in Scotland
had been Romanized, it was discovered that while the form had changed, the
spirit of the older Church still survived, and when occasion arose, made
itself felt in no uncertain manner. There can be no question that the
influence of the Celtic Church continued long after the Church itself had
passed away. It is a noteworthy fact that neither the rulers of the
people, nor those over whom they exercised authority, were prepared to
submit implicitly to the dictation of the Romish see. Their obedience to
the great temporal head of the Catholic religion was never either servile
or unlimited. They were prepared to take their own way in many things,
treating often with much indifference the fulminations of their spiritual
superiors. Many illustrations of this tendency may be found in the history
of the country. On one occasion, for example, William the Lion appointed
his chaplain to the Bishopric of St. Andrews. An English monk was chosen
by the Chapter to the same office, and thus a complete deadlock was
brought about. What was to be done? The ecclesiastical authorities
appealed to the Pope, who was indignant when he learned that the authority
of the Church was being thus rudely trampled upon. He conferred legatine
powers on the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of Durham, to "direct the
thunder of excommunication" against the King in the event of contumacy.
But notwithstanding the extreme gravity of the situation the King
stubbornly refused to yield. He not only set the papal authority at
defiance, but he banished from the country those who dared to yield to the
papal favourite.
This is not, by any means, an isolated instance of stubborn and successful
resistance to the authority of the Church. The same thing, in other
circumstances, occurred again and again, with the result that the terrors
of excommunication ceased to be dreaded.
This, of course, was especially the case during the decadent period of the
Catholic _regime_. There are numerous indications in the literature of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of this weakening of the ecclesiastical
authority. The picture which Sir David Lindsay has drawn of the condition
of the Church at this period is no mere spiteful exaggeration, but may be
accepted as substantially accurate. Nothing could well more clearly
indicate how thoroughly the Church had failed to keep in touch with the
intellectual life of the nation, or guide and control its moral and
spiritual activities.
It was during this period of weakness, almost of total moral collapse,
that the Archbishop of Glasgow took it upon him to excommunicate the
Border thieves. Had the same vigorous measure been adopted at an earlier
period, the result might have been more favourable. As it was, the
launching of this ecclesiastical thunderbolt really created more
amusement than consternation. It was regarded simply as the growl of a
toothless lion. In no circumstances were the Border reivers easily
intimidated. Their calling had made them more or less indifferent to the
claims alike of Church and State. They had never had much affection for
the king, and they had, perhaps, still less for the priest. Having shaken
themselves free, to a large extent at least, from the control of the
State, they were not prepared to put their neck under the yoke of an
ecclesiastical authority which even the best men of the age had ceased to
venerate. But the Archbishop felt that he had a duty to discharge, and he
applied himself to the task with commendable vigour. It may be well to
explain that there are two forms of excommunication--_excommunicatio
major_ and _excommunicatio minor_. The former mode of excommunication is
one of which we in these days happily know nothing, as it can only be
effectively carried out with the approval and assistance of the State,
which in modern times would never be granted. But the latter form is still
common. It has been retained in the Church as a point of discipline, or,
to use a well known and significant theological phrase, as a _poena
medicinalis_. The major excommunication was a frightful weapon, and might
well be dreaded. Those who suffered the greater excommunication were
excluded from the Mass, from burial in consecrated ground, from
ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and practically from all intercourse with
their fellow Christians. They were, in short, handed over body and soul to
the devil.
The "Monition of Cursing," issued by the Archbishop of Glasgow against the
Border thieves, was ordered to be read from every pulpit in the diocese,
and circulated throughout the length and breadth of the Borders. It is a
curious document, and will, doubtless, be read with interest, if not with
profit. It was expressed in the following terms:--
"GUDE FOLKS, heir at my Lord Archibischop of Glasgwis letters under his
round sele, direct to me or any uther chapellane, makand mensioun, with
greit regrait, how hevy he beris the pietous, lamentabill, and dolorous
complaint that pass our all realme and cummis to his eris, be oppin voce
and fame, how our souverane lordis trew liegis, men, wiffis and barnys,
bocht and redemit be the precious blude of our Salviour Jhesu Crist, and
levand in his lawis, ar saikleslie[108] part murdrist, part slayne, brynt,
heryit, spulzeit and reft, oppinly on day licht and under silens of the
nicht, and thair takis[109] and landis laid waist, and thair self banyst
therfra, als wele kirklandis as utheris, be commoun tratouris,
revaris,[110] theiffis, duelland in the south part of this realme, sic as
Tevidale, Esdale, Liddisdale, Ewisdale, Nedisdale, and Annanderdaill;
quhilkis hes bene diverse ways persewit and punist be the temperale swerd
and our Soverane Lordis auctorite, and dredis nocht the samyn.
"And thairfoir my said Lord Archibischop of Glasgw hes thocht expedient to
strike thame with the terribill swerd of halykirk, quhilk thai may nocht
lang endur and resist; and hes chargeit me, or any uther chapellane, to
denounce, declair and proclame thaim oppinly and generalie cursit, at this
marketcroce, and all utheris public places.
"Heirfor throw the auctorite of Almichty God, the Fader of hevin, his Son,
our Salviour, Jhesu Crist, and of the Halygaist; throw the auctorite of
the Blissit Virgin Sanct Mary, Sanct Michael, Sanct Gabriell, and all the
angellis; Sanct John the Baptist, and all the haly patriarkis and
prophets; Sanct Peter, Sanct Paull, Sanct Andro, and all haly appostillis;
Sanct Stephin, Sanct Laurence, and all haly mertheris[111]; Sanct Gile,
Sanct Martyn, and all haly confessouris; Sanct Anne, Sanct Katherin, and
all haly virginis and matronis; and of all the sanctis and haly cumpany of
hevin; be the auctorite of our Haly Fader the Paip and his cardinalis, and
of my said Lord Archibischop of Glasgw, be the avise and assistance of my
lordis, archibischop, bischopis, abbotis, priouris, and utheris prelatis
and ministeris of halykirk, I DENOUNCE, PROCLAMIS, and DECLARIS all and
sindry the committaris of the said saikles murthris, slauchteris,
brinying, heirschippes, reiffis, thiftis, and spulezeis, oppinly apon day
licht and under silence of nicht, alswele within temporale landis as
kirklandis; togither with thair part takaris, assistaris, supplearis,
wittandlie resettaris of thair personis, the gudes reft and stollen be
thaim, art or part thereof, and their counsalouris and defendouris, of
thair evil dedis generalie cursit, waryit,[112] aggregeite, and
reaggregeite, with the greit cursing.
"I CURSE thair heid and all the haris of thair heid; I CURSE thair face,
thair ene, thair mouth, thair neise, thair toung, thair teith, thair crag,
thair schulderis, thair breist, thair hert, thair stomok, thair bak, thair
wame, thair armes, thair leggis, thair handis, thair feit, and everilk
part of thair body, frae the top of thair heid to the soill of thair feit,
befoir and behind, within and without. I CURSE thaim gangand, and I CURSE
thaim rydand; I CURSE thaim standand, and I CURSE thaim sittand; I CURSE
thaim etand, I CURSE thaim drinkand; I CURSE thaim walkand,[113] I CURSE
thaim sleepand; I CURSE thaim rysand, I CURSE thaim lyand; I CURSE thaim
at hame, I CURSE thaim fra hame; I CURSE thaim within the house, I CURSE
thaim without the house; I CURSE thair wiffis, thair banris, and thair
servandis participand with thaim in thair deides. I WARY[114] thair
cornys, thair catales, thair woll, thair scheip, thair horse, thair swyne,
thair geise, thair hennys, and all thair quyk gude.[115] I WARY thair
hallis, thair chalmeris, thair kechingis, thair stabillis, thair barnys,
thair biris, thair bernyardis, thair cailyardis, thair plewis, thair
harrowis, and the gudis and housis that is necessair for thair
sustentatioun and weilfair. All the malesouns and waresouns[116] that ever
gat warldlie creatur sen the begynnyng of the warlde to this hour mot
licht apon thaim. The maledictioun of God, that lichtit apon Lucifer and
all his fallowis, that strak thaim frae the hie hevin to the deip hell,
mot licht apon thaim. The fire and the swerd that stoppit Adam fra the
yettis of Paradise, mot stop thaim frae the gloir of Hevin, quhill[117]
thai forbere and mak amendis. The malesoun that lichtit on cursit Cayein,
quhen he slew his bruther just Abell saiklessly, mot licht on thaim for
the saikles slauchter that thai commit dailie. The maledictioun that
lichtit apon all the warlde, man and beist, and all that ever tuk life,
quhen all wes drownit be the flude of Noye, except Noye and his ark, mot
licht apon thame and droune thame, man and beist, and mak this realm
cummirles[118] of thame for thair wicket synnys. The thunnour and
fireflauchtis[119] that [Greek: x]et doun as rane apon the cities of
Zodoma and Gomora, with all the landis about, and brynt thame for thair
vile synnys, mot rane apon thame, and birne thaim for oppin synnys. The
malesoun and confusioun that lichtit on the Gigantis for thair oppressioun
and pride, biggand the tour of Babiloun, mot confound thaim and all thair
werkis, for thair oppin reiffs and oppressioun. All the plagis that fell
apon Pharao and his pepill of Egipt, thair landis, corne and cataill, mot
fall apon thaim, thair takkis, rowmys[120] and stedingis, cornys and
beistis. The watter of Tweid and utheris watteris quhair thai ride mot
droun thaim, as the Reid Sey drownit King Pharao and his pepil of Egipt,
persewing Godis pepill of Israell. The erd mot oppin, riffe and
cleiff,[121] and swelly thaim quyk[122] to hell, as it swellyit cursit
Dathan and Abiron, that ganestude Moeses and the command of God. The wyld
fyre that byrnt Thore and his fallowis to the nowmer of twa hundreth and
fyty, and utheris 14,000 and 700 at anys, usurpand aganis Moyses and
Araon, servandis of God, mot suddanely birne and consume thaim dailie
ganestandand the commandis of God and halykirk. The maledictioun that
lichtit suddanely upon fair Absolon, rydand contrair his fader, King
David, servand of God, throw the wod, quhen the branchis of ane tre
fred[123] him of his horse and hangit him be the hair, mot licht apon
thaim, rydand agane trewe Scottis men, and hang thaim siclike that all the
warld may se. The maledictioun that lichtit apon Olifernus, lieutenant to
Nabogodonoser, makand weir and heirschippis apon trew cristin [_sic_] men;
the maledictioun that lichtit apon Judas, Pylot, Herod, and the Jowis that
crucifyit Our Lord, and all the plagis and trublis that lichtit on the
citte of Jherusalem thairfor, and upon Symon Magus for his symony, bludy
Nero, cursit Ditius Makcensius, Olibruis, Julianus, Apostita and the laiff
of the cruell tirrannis that slew and murthirit Cristis haly servandis,
mot licht apon thame for thair cruell tiranny and murthirdome of cristin
pepill. And all the vengeance that ever wes takin sen the warlde began for
oppin synnys, and all the plagis and pestilence that ever fell on man or
beist, mot fall on thaim for thair oppin reiff, saiklesse slauchter and
schedding of innocent blude. I DISSEVER and PAIRTIS thaim fra the kirk of
God, and deliveris thaim quyk to the devill of hell, as the Apostill Sanct
Paull deliverit Corinthion. I INTERDITE the places thay cum in fra divine
service, ministracioun of the sacramentis of halykirk, except the
sacrament of baptissing allanerllie;[124] and forbiddis all kirkmen to
schriffe or absolve thaim of thaire synnys, quhill[125] they be first
absolyeit of this cursing. I FORBID all cristin man or woman till have
ony cumpany with thaime, etand, drynkand, spekand, prayand, lyand,
gangand, standand, or in any uther deid doand, under the paine of deidly
syn. I DISCHARGE all bandis, actis, contractis, athis, and obligatiounis
made to thaim be ony persounis, outher of lawte,[126] kyndenes or manrent,
salang as thai susteine this cursing; sua that na man be bundin to thaim,
and that thai be bundin till all men. I TAK fra thame and cryis doune all
the gude dedis that ever thai did or sall do, quhill thai ryse frae this
cursing. I DECLARE thaim partles[127] of all matynys, messis, evinsangis,
dirigeis or utheris prayeris, on buke or beid; of all pilgrimagis and
almouse dedis done or to be done in halykirk or be cristin pepill,
enduring this cursing.
"And, finally, I CONDEMN thaim perpetualie to the deip pit of hell, to
remain with Lucifeir and all his fallowis, and thair bodeis to the
gallowis of the Burrow Mure, first to be hangit, syne revin and ruggit
with doggis, swyne and utheris wyld beists, abhominable to all the warld.
And thir candillis gangis frae your sicht, as mot[128] thair saulis gang
fra the visage of God, and thair gude fame fra the warld, quhill thai
forbeir thair oppin synnys foirsaidis and ryse frae this terribill
cursing, and mak satisfaction and pennance."[129]
XV.
THE TRIUMPH OF LAW.
'Tis clear a freebooter doth live in hazard's train,
A freebooter's a cavalier that ventures life for gain,
But since King James the Sixth to England went,
There's been no cause of grief or discontent,
And he that hath transgressed the law since then,
Is no freebooter but a thief from men.
SATCHELL.
When we turn our attention to the study of the causes which ultimately
resulted in the abolition of Border reiving, we find that this desirable
end was brought about, to a considerable extent at least, by a change of
environment. Conditions were gradually created which made the old system
not only undesirable, but unnecessary, both from a political and economic
point of view. An important step was taken when Buccleuch, at the
instigation of "the powers that be," drafted off large numbers of the
"broken men" to the Belgic wars. In the campaigns which were then being
conducted in the Low Countries, these hardy, valiant Borderers no doubt
gave a good account of themselves; but, so far as can be ascertained, few
of them ever returned to "tell the tale." Still more drastic measures
were adopted in order to get rid of the Graemes, who inhabited the
Debateable land, and whose depredations had provoked a bitter feeling of
resentment on both sides of the Border. It seemed hopeless to expect any
improvement in their habits so long as they were allowed to remain where
they were, and so they were banished from the country, shipped across the
channel to the Emerald Isle, where it is to be hoped they found a
congenial sphere, and sufficient scope for their abilities. Perhaps in
course of time they settled down to a more orderly, if less exciting, mode
of life than that to which they had hitherto been accustomed.
But, notwithstanding the removal of these lawless men from the Borders, it
was found that those who had been left at home were either unwilling or
unable to abandon their reiving habits. The disease had long been chronic,
and those responsible for the government of the country began to realise
that the cure was not to be effected in any instantaneous fashion. Time
and patience were alike necessary in order to the successful
accomplishment of the end desiderated. The task of restoring order, more
especially in the Liddesdale district, was committed to the able hands of
the "Bold Buccleuch." When he returned from abroad he was invested with
the most arbitrary powers to execute justice on the malefactors, and he
went about his work in the most resolute and business-like manner. Well
known thieves were apprehended and immediately put to death. There were no
prisons to lodge them in, and as it would have been, in most cases, a
sheer waste of time to subject them to any form of trial--most of them
being well known depredators who gloried in their crimes--they were
executed without ceremony. In this way large numbers of the worst
characters were disposed of, and a wholesome fear created in the minds of
those who were fortunate enough to escape the gallows. If Buccleuch, in
his rash and impetuous youth, was responsible for much of the mischief
done on the Borders, he amply atoned for his indiscretions by the splendid
services he now rendered to the State in suppressing lawlessness, and
inaugurating, in this distracted region, the reign of law and order. His
name will remain indissolubly associated with one of the most eventful and
stirring periods in Border history, and we feel certain that the fame of
his prowess will not suffer from a more minute acquaintance with the
varied incidents of his remarkable career.
But the main factors in the social and moral regeneration of the Borders
were--
(1) The Union of the Crowns.
(2) The Planting of Schools.
(3) The Restoration of the Church.
This order may not represent, and we do not think it does represent, the
relative value of the influences which produced the radical and
significant change which now took place in the habits and life of the
people on both sides of the Border. But it will best suit our purpose to
consider these agencies in the order stated.