‘When the time of the poor man’s hanging approachit, and that the
[hangman] was coming to the gibbet with the ladder, upon which the
said cordiner should have been hangit, the craftsmen’s childer[9] and
servants past to armour; and first they housit Alexander Guthrie and
the provost and bailies in the said Alexander’s writing booth, and
syne came down again to the Cross, and dang down the gibbet, and brake
it in pieces, and thereafter passed to the Tolbooth, whilk was then
steekit [shut]; and when they could not apprehend the keys thereof,
they brought fore-hammers and dang up the same Tolbooth door perforce,
the provost, bailies, and others looking thereupon; and when the
said door was broken up, ane part of them past in the same, and not
allenarly [only] brought the same condemnit cordiner forth of the said
Tolbooth, but also all the remanent persons being thereintill; and this
done they past down the Hie Gait [High Street], to have past forth at
the Nether Bow, whilk was then steekit, and because they could not get
furth thereat, they past up the Hie Gait again; and in the meantime
the provost, bailies, and their assisters being in the writing-booth
of Alexander Guthrie, past to the Tolbooth; and in their passing up
the said gait, they being in the Tolbooth, as said is, shot forth at
the said servants ane dag, and hurt ane servant of the craftsmen’s.
That being done, there was naething but tak and slay; that is, the
ane part shooting forth and casting stanes, the other part shooting
hagbuts in again; and sae the craftsmen’s servants held them [conducted
themselves] continually fra three hours afternoon while [till] aucht
at even, and never ane man of the town steirit to defend their provost
and bailies. And then they sent to the masters of the craftsmen to
cause them, gif they might, to stay the said servants; wha purposed to
stay the same, but they could not come to pass, but the servants said
they wald have ane revenge for the man whilk was hurt. And thereafter
the provost sent ane messenger to the constable of the Castle to come
to stay the matter, wha came; and he with the masters of the craftsmen
treated on this manner, that the provost and bailies should discharge
all manner of actions whilk they had against the said craftschilder
in ony time bygane, and charged all their masters to receive them in
service as they did of before, and promittit never to pursue them in
time to come for the same. And this being done and proclaimit, they
skaled [disbanded], and the provost and bailies came furth of the
Tolbooth.’--_D. O._
[Illustration: An Edinburgh Hammerman, 1555.[10]]
[Sidenote: 1561.]
This was altogether an unprotestant movement, though springing only
from a thoughtless love of sport. We may see in the attack on the
Tolbooth a foreshadow of the doings of the Porteous mob in a later age.
It appears that the magistrates, though reformers, were unpopular;
hence the neutrality of the citizens, who, when solicited to interfere
for the defence of the city-rulers, went to their four hours penny,[11]
and returned for answer: ‘They will be magistrates alone; let them rule
the multitude alone.’--_Cal._ Thirteen persons were afterwards ‘fylit’
by an assize for refusing to help the magistrates.--_Pit._
* * * * *
On its being known that Queen Mary was about to arrive in Scotland
from France, there was a great flocking of the upper class of people
from all parts of the country to Edinburgh, ‘as it were to a common
spectacle.’
[Sidenote: AUG. 19.]
The queen arrived with her two vessels in Leith Road, at seven in the
morning of a dull autumn-day. She was accompanied by her three uncles
of the House of Guise--the Duc d’Aumale, the Grand Prior, and the
Marquis d’Elbeuf; besides Monsieur d’Amville, son of the constable of
France, her four gentlewomen, called the _Maries_, and many persons of
inferior note. To pursue the narrative of one who looked on the scene
with an evil eye: ‘The very face of heaven, the time of her arrival,
did manifestly speak what comfort was brought unto this country with
her;’ to wit, sorrow, dolour, darkness, and all impiety; for in the
memory of man, that day of the year, was never seen a more dolorous
face of the heaven, than was at her arrival, which two days after did
so continue; for beside the surface weet and corruption of the air, the
mist was so thick and so dark, that scarce might any man espy ane other
the length of twa butts. The sun was not seen to shine two days before
nor two days after. That forewarning gave God unto us; but, alas, the
most part were blind.
[Sidenote: 1561.]
‘At the sound of the cannons which the galleys shot, the multitude
being advertised, happy was he and she that first might have presence
of the queen.... [At ten hours her hieness landed upon the shore of
Leith.] Because the palace of Holyroodhouse was not thoroughly put in
order ... she remained [in Andrew Lamb’s house] in Leith till towards
the evening, and then repaired thither. In the way betwixt Leith and
the Abbey, met her the rebels of the crafts ... that had violated the
authority of the magistrates and had besieged the provost; but because
she was sufficiently instructed that all they did was done in despite
of the religion, they were easily appardoned. Fires of joy were set
forth all night, and a company of the most honest, with instruments
of music, and with musicians, gave their salutations at her chalmer
window. The melody, as she alleged, liked her weel; and she willed the
same to be continued some nichts after.’--_Knox._
The magistrates of Edinburgh, although all of them zealous for the
reformed religion, resolved to give their young sovereign a gallant
reception, taxing the community for the expenses. It was likewise
thought good that, ‘for the honour and pleasure of our sovereign,
ane banquet sould be made upon Sunday next, to the princes, our said
sovereign’s kinsmen.’
[Sidenote: SEP. 2.]
The queen ‘made her entres in the burgh of Edinburgh in this manner.
Her hieness departed of Holyroodhouse, and rade by the Lang Gate[12]
on the north side of the burgh, unto the time she came to the Castle,
where was ane yett [gate] made to her, at the whilk she, accompanied
by the maist part of the nobility of Scotland, came in and rade up the
castle-bank to the Castle, and dined therein.’
[Sidenote: 1561.]
‘When she had dined at twelve hours, her hieness came furth of
the Castle ..., at whilk departing the artillery shot vehemently.
Thereafter, when she was ridand down the Castle Hill, there met her
hieness ane convoy of the young men of the burgh, to the number of
fifty or thereby, their bodies and thies covered with yellow taffetas,
their arms and legs frae the knee down bare, coloured with black,
in manner of Moors; upon their heads black hats, and on their faces
black visors; in their mouths rings garnished with untellable precious
stanes; about their necks, legs, and arms, infinite of chains of gold:
together with saxteen of the maist honest men of the town, clad in
velvet gowns and velvet bonnets, bearand and gangand about the pall
under whilk her hieness rade; whilk pall was of fine purpour velvet,
lined with red taffetas, fringed with gold and silk. After them was
ane cart with certain bairns, together with ane coffer wherein was the
cupboard and propine [gift] whilk should be propinit to her hieness.
When her grace came forward to the Butter Tron, the nobility and convoy
procedand, there was ane port made of timber in maist honourable
manner, coloured with fine colours, hung with sundry arms; upon whilk
port was singand certain bairns in the maist heavenly wise; under the
whilk port there was ane cloud opening with four leaves, in the whilk
was put ane bonnie bairn. When the queen’s hieness was coming through
the said port, the cloud openit, and the bairn descended down as it
had been ane angel, and deliverit to her hieness the keys of the town,
together with ane Bible and ane Psalm-buik coverit with fine purpour
velvet.[13] After the said bairn had spoken some small speeches, he
delivered also to her hieness three writings, the tenour whereof is
uncertain. That being done, the bairn ascended in the cloud, and the
said cloud steekit.’
‘Thereafter the queen’s grace came down to the Tolbooth, at the whilk
was ... twa scaffats, ane aboon, and ane under that. Upon the under was
situate ane fair virgin called Fortune, under the whilk was three fair
virgins, all clad in maist precious attirement, called ... , Justice,
and Policy. And after ane little speech made there, the queen’s grace
came to the Cross, where there was standand four fair virgins, clad in
the maist heavenly claithing, and frae the whilk Cross the wine ran out
at the spouts in great abundance. There was the noise of people casting
the glasses with wine.’
‘This being done, our lady came to the Salt Tron, where there was
some speakers; and after ane little speech, they burnt upon the
scaffat made at the said Tron the manner of ane sacrifice. Sae that
being done, she departed to the Nether Bow, where there was ane other
scaffat made, having ane dragon in the same, with some speeches; and
after the dragon was burnt, and the queen’s grace heard ane psalm
sung, her hieness passed to the abbey of Holyroodhouse, with the said
convoy and nobilities. There the bairns whilk was in the cart with the
propine made some speech concerning the putting away of the mass, and
thereafter sang ane psalm. And this being done, the ... honest men
remained in her outer chalmer, and desired her grace to receive the
said cupboard, whilk was double over-gilt; the price thereof was 2000
merks; wha received the same and thankit them thereof. And sae the
honest men and convoy come to Edinburgh.’--_D. O._
The Sunday banquet to the queen’s uncles duly took place in the
cardinal’s lodging in Blackfriars’ Wynd. The entire expenses on the
occasion of this royal reception were 4000 merks.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1561.