Drury insisted that justice demanded an example being made of
Linlithgow; but ‘the people of all sorts so pressed about him, and
made such pitiful cries and sorrowful noise, with children sucking
of their mothers’ breasts, that he, taking ruth of their miserable
estates, at this their lamentable suit, especially at the great
instance of the Earl of Morton, _who came bareheaded to speak for
them_, the general was content to save the town and people therein.’ He
took assurance from them, however, that the chief inhabitants should
follow his camp to Berwick, and there wait the clemency of the queen of
England.--_Holinshed._
‘... at 10 hours at night, there was ane earthquake in the city of
Glasgow, and lastit but ane short space; but it causit the inhabitants
of the said city to be in great terror and fear.’--_D. O._
* * * * *
‘In this time there was ane monstrous fish seen in Loch Fyne, having
great een in the head thereof, and at some times wald stand aboon the
water as high as the mast of a ship; and the said [creature] had upon
the head thereof [twa crowns, ane] aboon little, and the downmaist
crown meikle; whilk was reportit by wise men, that the same was ane
sign and taiken of ane sudden alteration within this realm.’--_D. O._
The low intelligence of the age is seen in nothing more conspicuously
than in the numerous tales of animals alleged to have been seen, with
peculiarities impossible in nature, and believed to be ominous of
public calamity. The appearance of a similar animal in another of the
Argyleshire lochs in 1510 is noted by Hector Boece, on the information
of Duncan Campbell, a noble knight. This ‘terrible beast’ was ‘of the
bigness of a greyhound, and footed like a gander. Issuing out of the
water early in the morning about midsummer,’ he ‘did very easily and
without any force or straining of himself overthrow huge oaks with his
tail, and therewith killed outright three men that hunted him with
three strokes of his said tail, the rest of them saving themselves in
trees thereabouts, whilst the aforesaid monster returned to the water.
Those that are given to the observation of rare and uncouth sights,
believe that this beast is never seen but against some great trouble
and mischief to come upon the realm of Scotland.’[70]
In Holinshed’s _Chronicle_ (1577), the Firth of Forth is said
occasionally to contain ‘sundry fishes of a monstrous shape, with cowls
hanging over their heads like unto monks, and in the rest resembling
the body of man. They shew themselves above the water to the navel,
howbeit they never appear but against some great pestilence of men or
murrain of cattle; wherefore their only sight doth breed great terror
to the Scottish nation, who are very great observers of uncouth signs
and tokens.’
On the whole, it is most likely that some species of the _cetacea_ or
_phocidæ_ was concerned in giving rise to these tales of sea-monsters.
[Sidenote: 1570.]
Sir William Sinclair of Roslin, who was living at this time, thus
notes the appearance of an extraordinary animal in the year 1500:
‘Hutcheon Frizell in Glenconie, the best and maist in estimation of the
Lord Lovat’s kin, he and ane servand with him, being at the hunting
on ane hie land amang very rank heather, twa arrow-draught frae him
he heard like the call of ane ratch approaching near and near, while
[till] at the last he saw it, and shot at it ane dead straik with
ane arrow; where it lap and welterit up and down ane spear length of
breadth and length. The heather and bent being mair nor ane foot of
height, it being in the deid-thraw, brint all to the eird [earth], as
it had been muirburn. It was mair nor twa eln of length, as great as
the coist of ane man, without feet, having ane mickle fin on ilk side,
with ane tail and ane terrible head. His great deer-dogs wald not come
near it. It had great speed. They callit it ane dragon.’[71]
He commemorates a sea-animal not less wonderful, which was thrown upon
the coast of Northumberland in 1544. ‘At the sea-side at Bamburgh,
there was nae kind of fish ta’en by the space of twa year; but the sea
made ane great routing and horrible noise, which was by [beside] custom
and use. So it chancit, at the hie spring [tide], that ane terrible
beast was casten in dead, of the quantity [bulk] of ane man. Nae man
could devise ane thing mair terrible, with horns on the head of it, red
een, with misshapen face, with lucken [webbed] hands and feet, and ane
great rumple hinging to the eird. It consumit and stinkit sae, that in
short time nae man nor beast might come near it; but all the country
about saw it before, and sundry took great fear and dreadour for the
sicht of it a lang space after. It was callit a Sea-devil. Witness the
Laird of Mow.’[72]
* * * * *
‘The summer right guid, and all victuals guid cheap; the August right
fair and guid weather.’--_C. F._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: SEP. 1.
1570.]
An extraordinary act of Gilbert, Earl of Cassillis, sometimes called
KING OF CARRICK, on account of the great power which he possessed in
that district.
The revenues of the abbey of Crossraguel, in Carrick, had been
bestowed upon Master Allan Stewart. The earl had got a feu of the abbey
from a predecessor of Stewart, but it never was confirmed. After some
fruitless endeavours to obtain a confirmation from Stewart, the earl
inveigled him to the castle of Dunure, a strong fortalice situated on a
rocky part of the coast overlooking the Atlantic.
Here the Commendator was honourably entertained--‘gif a prisoner can
think ony entertainment pleasing. But after that certain days were
spent, and that the earl could not obtain the feus of Crossraguel
according to his awn appetite, he determined to prove gif a collation
could work that which neither dinner nor supper could do of a long
time. And so the said Master was carried to a secret chalmer [according
to Stewart’s own account, to a house called the _Black Voute_ (Vault)
of Dunure; there is something horribly suitable in the name]. With
him passit the honourable earl, his worshipful brother, and sic as
was appointed to be servants at that banquet. In the chalmer there
was a great iron chimney, under it a fire; other great provision was
not seen. The first course was: “My lord abbot (said the earl), it
will please you confess here, that with your awn consent ye remain in
my company, because ye dare not commit you to the hands of others.”
The abbot answered: “Wald ye, my lord, that I should make a manifest
leasing for your pleasure? The truth is, my lord, it is against my will
that I am here; neither yet have I ony pleasure in your company.” “But
ye sall remain with me at this time,” said the earl. “I am not able to
resist your will and pleasure,” said the abbot, “in this place.” “Ye
maun then obey me,” said the earl. And with that were presented unto
him certain letters to subscrive, amongst which there was a five-year
tack [lease] and a nineteen-year tack, and a charter of feu of all the
lands of Crossraguel, with all the clauses necessar for the earl to
haste him to hell! For gif adultery, sacrilege, oppression, barbarous
cruelty, and theft heaped upon theft, deserve hell, the great King of
Carrick can no more escape hell, for ever, nor the imprudent abbot
escaped the fire for a season, as follows.
[Sidenote: 1570.]
‘After that the earl espied repugnance, and that he could not come
to his purpose by fair means, he commandit his cooks to prepare the
banquet. And so first they flayit the sheep, that is, they took off
the abbot’s claithes, even to his skin; and next they band him to the
chimney, his legs to the one end and his arms to the other; and so they
began to beet the fire, sometimes to his buttocks, sometimes to his
legs, sometimes to his shoulders and arms. And that the roast should
not burn, but that it might roast in sop, they spared not flamming
with oil. (Lord, look thou to sic cruelty!) And, that the crying of the
miserable man sould not be heard, they closed his mouth.... In that
torment they held the poor man, while that ofttimes he cried “for God’s
sake to dispatch him; he had as meikle gold in his awn purse as wald
buy powder eneugh to shorten his pain.”
‘The famous King of Carrick and his cooks, perceiving the roast to be
eneugh, commandit it to be tane from the fire, and the earl himself
began the grace in this manner: “_Benedicite, Jesus, Maria!_ you are
the most obstinate man that ever I saw! Gif I had known that ye had
been so stubborn, I wold not for a thousand crowns handled you so. I
never did so to man, before you.”‘--_Ban._
The abbot’s own account, in the complaint which he afterwards rendered
to the privy-council, is different, in as far as it describes him as
now yielding to the earl’s desire, in order to save his life and free
himself from the pain he was suffering. He also says that he at this
time subscribed the papers presented by the earl, though, it would
appear, in an incomplete manner. He goes on--‘which being done, the
earl causit the tormentors of me sweir upon ane bible never to reveal
ane word of this my unmerciful handling to ony person or persons.
‘Yet he, not being satisfied with their proceedings, came again upon
the 7 day of the month, bringing with him the same charter and tack,
which he compellit me to subscrive, and required me to ratify and
approve the same before notar and witnesses; which alluterly I refused.
And therefore he, as of before, band me, and put me to the same manner
of tormenting, and I said, notwithstanding, “he should first get my
life ere ever I agreed to his desire;” and being in so great pain as
I trust never man was in, with his life, I cried: “Fye upon you! will
ye ding whingers in me, and put me out of this world! Or else put a
barrel of powder under me, rather nor be demeaned in this unmerciful
manner!” The earl hearing me cry, bade his servant, Alexander Richard,
put ane serviette [towel] in my throat, which he obeyed; the same being
performed at 11 hours at night; wha then seeing that I was in danger of
my life, my flesh consumed and burnt to the bones, and that I wald not
condescend to their purpose, I was releivit of that pain; wherethrough
I will never be able nor well in my life time.’
[Sidenote: 1570.]
The abbot was relieved from Dunure by the Laird of Bargeny, an enemy
of Cassillis. The government was too weak and in too much trouble to
avenge his cause against the earl, who thenceforth continued to draw
the revenues of Crossraguel. But ‘my lord gave the abbot some money to
live upon, whilk contentit him all his days.’--_Hist. Ken._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: SEP. 7.]
Robert Hepburn, second son of the Laird of Waughton, was a partisan of
the queen. Travelling to visit his friends in Lothian, he was betrayed
by a companion to the knowledge of a party of the king’s friends,
consisting of the Lairds of Applegarth and Carmichael, who consequently
made an attempt to lay hold of him as he was passing Bathgate. ‘He,
being alone with ane boy, fled, and they chasit him continually fra the
said place while he come to the castle of Edinburgh, wherein he was
resavit with great difficulty; for when the said Robert was passand
in at the castle-yett, his adversaries were at Patrick Edgar his
house-end. Ane thing to be wonderit at that he could escape the hands
of the said persons, considering their multitude and [their being]
as weel horsit as he was; and he being riding upon ane brown naig,
could never have space to change off the same upon his led horse, but
continually rade while he come to the castle foresaid; but his pursuers
not only changit horse, but also did cast from them saddles and other
gear, to mak licht for pursuing of him.’[73]--_D. O._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: OCT. 4.
1570.]
John Kello, minister of Spott, in Haddingtonshire, was executed in
Edinburgh for the murder of his wife. The confession of this wretched
man shews that he was tempted to the horrible act by a desire to marry
more advantageously, his circumstances being somewhat straitened. He
deliberated on the design for forty days; tried poison, which failed;
then accomplished it by strangulation. His confession admits the
amiable character of the victim; nay, he tells that, ‘in the verie
death, she could not believe I bure her onie evil will, but was glad,
as she then said, to depart, gif her death could do me either vantage
or pleasure.’[74] According to a contemporary recital, ‘he stranglit
her in her awn chamber, and thereafter closit the ordinar door that
was within the house for his awn passage, and sae finely seemit to
colour that purpose after he had done it, that immediately he passed
to the kirk, and in the presence of the people made sermon as if he
had done nae sic thing. And when he was returnit hame, he brought
some neighbours into his house to vissie his wife, and callit at the
ordinar door, but nae answer was made. Then he passed to another back
passage with the neighbours, and that was fund open, and she hinging
stranglit at the roof of the house. Then, with admiration, he cryit, as
though he had knawn naething of the purpose, and they for pity in like
manner cryit out. But, in [the] end, finding himself prickit with the
judgments of God, of the grievous punishment wherewith transgressors
have been plagued in time bygane, he thought gude to communicate his
fact to ane of his brether in office, wha then was schoolmaster at
Dunbar.’--_H. K. J._
To resume his own confession: ‘Mr Andrew Simson, minister of Dunbar,
did so lively rype furth the inward cogitations of my heart, and
discover my mind so plainly, that I persuaded myself God spak in him
... he remembered me of ane dream which in my great sickness did
apparently present the self. “Brother,” said he, “I do remember when I
visited you in time of your sickness, ye did expose to me this vision,
that ye were carried by ane great man before the face of ane terrible
judge, and to escape his fury, ye did precipitate yourself in ane deep
river, when his angels and messengers did follow you with two-edged
swords, and sae when they struck at you, ye did decline and jouk in the
water, while in the end, by ane way unknown to you, ye did escape. This
vision I do interpret, that ye are the author yourself of this cruel
murder then conceived in your heart, and ye were carried before the
terrible judgments of God in your awn conscience, which now stands in
God’s presence to accuse you; the messengers of God is the justice of
the country before the which ye sall be presented; the water wherein
ye stood is that vain hypocrisy of your awn, and feigned blasphemy
of God’s name, whereby ye purpose to colour your impiety; your
deliverance sall be spiritual.”... At this time did God move my heart
to acknowledge the horror of my awn offence, and how far Sathan had
obteinit victory ower me.’--_Ban. J._ ‘Briefly, by his awn confession,
being clearly convict, he was condemnit to be hangit, and his body to
be casten in the fire and brynt to ashes, and so to die without any
burial. And thus he departit this life, with an extreme penitent and
contrite heart, baith for this and all other his offences in general,
to the great gude example and comfort of all beholders.’--_H. K. J._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: OCT.
1570.]
In those days, while as yet there were not only no newspapers, but
no ready means of conveying letters, true intelligence made its way
slowly, and the most ridiculous rumours obtained circulation. For
example, on John Knox being at this time struck with apoplexy, ‘a
bruit [report] went through Scotland and England, that he was become
the most deformed creature that ever was seen; that his face was turned
awry to his neck; and that he would never preach or speak again.’ In
the ensuing year, while the venerable reformer lived at St Andrews, it
was rumoured, and very generally believed as a serious truth, that he
had been banished from the town, ‘because in his yard he had raised
some sancts, among whom came up the devil with horns; which, when his
servant, Richard Bannatyne, saw, he ran wood, and so died.’ It is
stated that Lady Hume and some others thronged round the postman of
St Andrews, with anxious inquiries whether it was true that Knox was
banished from St Andrews, and that Bannatyne had run mad in consequence
of seeing the devil raised.[75]
* * * * *
At this time, the witches of Athole are spoken of as noted personages.
In the late and present civil dissensions they sided with the
unfortunate queen, having probably too much Highland feeling to dissent
from the great man of the district, the Earl of Athole, who was one
of her majesty’s warmest friends. About the time indicated, a present
was sent to Mary, supposed to be from this uncanny portion of her late
subjects. It was ‘a pretty hart horn, not exceeding in quantity the
palm of a man’s hand, covered with gold, and artificially wrought. In
the head of it were curiously engraven the arms of Scotland; in the
nether part of it a throne, and a gentlewoman sitting in the same, in
a robe-royal, with a crown upon her head. Under her feet was a rose
environed with a thistle. Under that were two lions, the one bigger,
the other lesser. The bigger lion held his paw upon the face of the
other, as his lord and commander. Beneath all were written these words:
“Fall what may fall,
The lion shall be lord of all.”’
[Sidenote: 1570.]
This was evidently designed to convey a hope and wish that Mary should
erelong, in spite of all contrarious circumstances, be in possession of
England as well as of her native dominions.[76] In the same spirit was
a rhymed prophecy which, at the same time, came into circulation, but
which was quickly falsified:
‘The howlet shall lead the bear to his bane,
The queen of England shall die the twelfth year of her reign;
The court of England that is so wanton,
Shall shortly be brought to confusion.’--_Cal._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: NOV. 12.]
A sad picture of civil war is presented by the so-called _Harrying
of Bothwell Moor_. ‘Captain Andrew Cunningham and Captain Thomas
Crawford, accompanied with certain men of weir, departit of Glasgow,
and passed in the night to Bothwell Moor, where they reft and spulyit
all the inhabitants and tenants thereof; and because the Hamiltons was
gathering to rescue the said guids, they fearit to return again to
the said town of Glasgow, but came to Edinburgh with the same. They
brought to the said burgh of Edinburgh 400 kye and oxen, 600 sheep,
and 60 mares and staigs [colts]; this done, they passed to my Lord
Regent, he being in Dalkeith, and knew his mind, whither they should
take ane composition from the poor tenants, awners of the same, or not;
but the matter was sae unmercifully handled, that the said guids were
proclaimit by sound of drum and trumpet, to be sauld [to] whatsomever
persons wald buy the same.... To hear the lamentable crying of the said
poor tenants, for the unmerciful robbery and oppression committit upon
the said persons by the men of weir, it wald made ane stane-heartit
man to greit and bewail. But cry what they wald cry, and lament as
they pleasit, there was nane that obtainit comfort at their unmerciful
hands; for when the said poor creatures made their complaint to the
Regent, he wald not hear them, while [till] the oppression was cryit
out upon by John Craig, minister. And then the Regent and lords of
secret council ordainit that ane half of the guids be renderit again to
the said poor tenants; but ere this time, the men of weir had sparfilit
the best of them, and then the poor tenants were constrainit either to
take again the ane half of the warst of the said guids that were left
behind, or else they wald not have gotten naething.’--_D. O._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: DEC. 7.
1570.