We have at this date a peculiar proceeding recorded, regarding a
dyvour or bankrupt. ‘In presence of the provost, bailies, council,
and community of the burgh of Edinburgh, Patrick Lindsay, tailor, was
sworn in judgment that he was not worth five ...., sworn in judgment,
divour and _bare man_. This was because he was reteinit in ward at the
instance of John Anderson, burgess of the said burgh, for the sum of
eighty pounds, by the space of sax ouks. After[wards], he was brought
to the Cross, convoyit with the provost, bailies, and officers; and
thereupon, after three _Oyez_’es, the said aith was published by
Bartilmo Uchiltree, officer, wha cut the said Patrick’s belt in three
pieces in presence of the haill people. This form of law was never
practised in Edinburgh on the first erection thereof, and therefore I
thought necessary to put [it] in memory.’--_Jo. Hist._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: JUNE (?)]
[Sidenote: 1592.]
‘There came from Aberdeen a young woman, called Helen Guthry, daughter
to John Guthry, saddler, to admonish the king of his duty. She was so
disquieted with the sins reigning in the country--swearing, filthy
speaking, profanation of the Sabbath, &c.--that she could find no rest
till she came to the king. She presented a letter to him when he was
going to see his hounds. After he had read a little of it, he fell a
laughing that he could scarce stand on his feet, and swore so horribly
that the woman could not spare to reprove him. He asked if she was a
prophetess. She answered she was a poor simple servant of God, that
prayed to make him a servant of God also; that was desirous vice should
be punished, and specially murder, which was chiefly craved at his
hands; that she could find no rest till she put him in mind of his
duty. After the king and courtiers had stormed a while, she was sent
to the queen, whom she found more courteous and humane. So great and
many were the enormities in the country, through impunity and want of
justice, that the minds of simple and poor young women were disquieted,
as ye may see; but the king and court had deaf ears to the crying
sins.’--_Cal._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: JUNE 28.]
Half a year had now elapsed since Bothwell’s fruitless attempt on
Holyroodhouse. The king was living his usual free-and-easy life in his
little hunting-seat or palace of Falkland in Fife, when the forfeited
lord thought proper to make a new attempt in his peculiar style at
a change of administration, or restoration of himself to power and
favour. A little after midnight, he suddenly appeared before the royal
residence with three hundred men, and tried, but in vain, to obtain
entrance. James had been forewarned; and, throwing himself into the
tower of the palace, which he had had time to furnish with provisions,
he set the assailants at defiance. Bothwell, baffled, and fearing
to meet the friends who he knew would speedily rally to the king’s
assistance, left the place at seven in the morning, carrying off all
the horses, in order to check pursuit.
‘Thereafter his majesty came over the water, and made ane oration in
the Great Kirk of Edinburgh. Immediately after the fray, Bothwell and
his men came over the water, and there were eighteen of them taken in
Calder Muir, and in other parts near Calder Muir, lying sleeping for
want of rest and enterteenment; and, immediately after their taking,
they were all brought to Edinburgh, and [five of them] hangit.
[Sidenote: 1592.]
‘At the same time [July 1] the Lairds of Niddry and Samuelston
[friends of Bothwell][192] were taken by Lord John Hamilton [lying
sleeping in the meadow of Lesmahago], and warded in the Castle of
Draphane.... Lord Hamilton] came to Edinburgh, thinking to have got
grace to them from his majesty. He came down to his majesty’s lodgings
at the Nether Bow, and going into Mr John Laing’s house, where his
majesty lodgit, the guard standing above the [Nether Bow] port, with
their hagbuts, guns, and other weapons ... seeing my Lord Hamilton, for
the honour of his lordship, shot ane volley at my lord. There was ane
man [James Sinclair of Earstone] speaking to his lordship, shot through
the head; ane other by him shot through the leg; and ane bullet struck
the lintel of the gate just above my lord’s head where he stood, yet no
more harm done. So that, by mere accident, the said Lord Hamilton had
[al]most have been slain, and not through any evil will.
‘The Lord Hamilton, seeing he could get no grace to the said two
gentlemen, sent word to his bastard son Sir John, who convoyit the
said two gentlemen away, and went with them himself for their more
safety.’--_Bir._
Early in August, a plan was devised by two courtiers, Wemyss of Logie
and the Laird of Burleigh, to bring Bothwell privately into the
royal presence at Dalkeith Castle. On this occasion also, the king
was forewarned, and Bothwell had to retire without being introduced.
Burleigh confessed his fault; but Logie either stood out, or at the
utmost admitted that he engaged in the plot for a good end, desiring to
learn what was the purpose of the enemy. ‘The king said: “That was too
much, not making him privy.” Logie said: “God forbid I should have told
you anything, who can keep nothing close!” The king regretted to the
queen that he had none about him who were sure.’--_Cal._ Logie was put
into confinement.
‘Because the event of this matter had sic a success, it sall also be
praised by my pen, as a worthy turn, proceeding from honesty, chaste
love and charity, whilk should on nae ways be obscurit from the
posterity for the guid example: and therefore I have thought guid to
insert the same for a perpetual memory.
[Sidenote: 1592.]
‘Queen Anne, our noble princess, was served with divers gentlewomen of
her awn country, and namely with ane called Mrs Margaret Twinstoun,
to whom this gentleman, Wemyss of Logie, bure great honest affection,
tending to the godly band of marriage; the whilk was honestly requited
by the said gentlewoman, yea even in his greatest mister [trouble].
For, howsoon she understood the said gentleman to be in distress, and
apparently by his confession to be punished to the death; and she,
having privilege to lie in the queen’s chalmer, that same very night of
his accusation, where the king was also reposing that same night, she
came furth of the door privily, baith the princes being then at quiet
rest, and passed to the chalmer where the said gentleman was put in
custody to certain of the guard, and commanded them that immediately
he should be brought to the king and queen; whereunto they giving sure
credence, obeyed. But howsoon she was come back to the chalmer door,
she desired the watches to stay till he should come forth again; and
so she closed the door, and convoyed the gentleman to a window, where
she ministrat a lang cord unto him to convoy himself down upon; and
sae by her guid charitable help he happily escaped by the subtlety of
love.’--_H. K. J._
‘Logie married the gentlewoman after, when he was received into the
king’s favour again.’--_Cal._
This incident has been made the subject of a popular ballad.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: AUG. (?)]
[Sidenote: 1592.
About this time, Bothwell was understood to be retired to his great
estate in Liddesdale, and to be there engaged in a kind of work which
is usually the privilege of royalty. ‘His majesty was informed that
Bothwell had ane that cunyied false cunyie in the house of Row in
Liddesdale.... His majesty wrate to the Lord Ochiltree, desiring him
to go to the said house, and to bring sic men to his majesty as he
fand there, together with all sic instruments as could be there had
for cunying, with power to raise the haill country if need were....
The Lord Ochiltree gathered to the number of seven or aucht score
horse, all in armour, and rade first to Jedburgh, where they stayit
that night, and refreshit himself and his company; and Ferniehirst,
his brother-in-law, sent with him three score horse upon the morn at
night. [They] rade to the house of the Row at Liddesdale, and there
took the twa men out of the house beside the tower, and thereafter
strake up the doors of the tower, and brought the irons that prentit
the cunyie, with all the instruments, together with ane number of
thirty-shilling [half-crown] pieces, whilk were cunyied there, and
delivered the same to his majesty in the Abbey. The false cunyier was
gone in England, and was not to be had; to seek metal to cunyie more,
as was reported.’--_Moy._
On the high ground which skirts the Carse of Gowrie to the north, near
the village of Rait, once stood a fortified house called Gaskenhall.
Only a bit of broken garden-wall and a few trees now indicate the
site. Here lived, at the end of the sixteenth century, Robert Bruce
of Clackmannan, chief of the family which had given Scotland a king
three centuries before, and described in the grave pages of Douglas’s
_Baronage_ as a most respectable person, ‘in high favour with King
James VI., who conferred on him the honour of knighthood at the baptism
of his son Prince Henry.’ Let us see, from the actual doings of this
knight, what sort of person he was.
In August 1592, some goods belonging to Bruce, having to pass through
Perth, were subjected to payment of custom by the magistrates, who,
on payment being refused, seized them. Clackmannan sent a letter of
remonstrance, threatening, if his goods were not restored, to make the
Perth citizens suffer for it when they chanced to pass his house. This
not being attended to, he attacked a party of citizens on their way
from Dundee, and despoiled them of their weapons; for in those days
a party of quiet burghers passing through twenty miles of even this
central and comparatively civilised district of Scotland, could not go
unarmed. The only reply the laird got to a message offering the weapons
back in exchange for his goods, was a visit from a company of Perth
citizens, who destroyed a good deal of his growing corn with their
horses. He came out to remonstrate, and an altercation ensuing, he was
provoked to strike one of the aggressors with a pistol. He then seized
the two chief men of the party, William Inglis and John Balsillie, and
took them as prisoners into his house of Gaskenhall.
That same night, a large party of the citizens of Perth, headed by the
bailies and council, came out in arms to Gaskenhall, where, upon the
morrow, before daylight, they sounded their drum, besieged the laird
in his house, and discharged hagbuts and pistols in at the doors and
windows, whereby a servant of his was wounded. At last setting fire
to the house, they entered at the roof, set free their friends, and
seized the laird, whom they ‘transportit away with them ane certain
space, barefooted and barelegged, not suffering him to put on his
awn claithes.’ They likewise ‘spulyit and took away with them his
haill silver-wark, bedding, claithes, and all the plenishing of his
house.’--_P. C. R._
[Sidenote: 1592.]
This affair came before the king, who seems to have taken no step in
the case beyond declaring both parties in the wrong, and ordering
the laird and the magistrates into divers prisons, there to lie at
their own respective costs, until they should be subjected to an
assize. A Perth chronicler states: ‘They were thereafter agreed upon
the town’s large charges.’ The agreement, however, does not seem to
have been effectual, for, on the 28th of April 1593, as John Wilson
and John Niven, with other citizens of Perth, were passing the Coble
of Rhynd on their way to the market of St Andrews, they were beset by
the laird, accompanied with nine horsemen and footmen, all well armed.
‘The said John Wilson and John Niven, being baith hurt and wounded in
divers parts of their bodies, to the effusion of their blood in great
quantity, the said laird and his accomplices maist shamefully tirrit
them baith naked, and in maist barbarous and shameful manner scourgit
them with horse bridles through the town of Abernethy, as gif they had
been thieves or heinous malefactors; [then] left the said John Niven
lying there for dead, and took the said John Wilson, naked, as captive
and prisoner away with them.’
On the complaint of the magistrates of Perth, among whom was the
afterwards famous Earl of Gowrie, acting as provost, the Laird of
Clackmannan was charged to appear before the king, on pain of being
denounced as a rebel in case of failure.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: OCT.]
‘The ministry of Edinburgh devised twa purposes, which they had baith
in head at a time; either thinking to prevail in ane or else in baith,
as tending to the glory of God, as they pretended. The ane was to
discharge the merchants of Edinburgh from haunting and resorting to
Spain; the other was, that nae mercat-day should be halden in Edinburgh
for selling of wool and sheep’s skins; whereat baith merchants and
craftsmen were grieved.... The ministers at nae time proponit thir
matters to be reasoned or disputed by the provost of the town and his
council, to whom it specially apperteinit; but, as they did, thought
it mair expedient to divulgate the matter openly in the kirk, in
presence of the haill people, alleging that the merchants could not
make voyage to Spain without danger of their sauls, and therefore
willit them in the name of God to abstein.... At divers times this was
openly required, while at last, finding that the merchants continued in
their trade as before, they cried out that unless they wald forbear,
they should expreme their names to the people, and therefore cited
divers merchants before their session, and there commanded them to
abstein. The merchants, seeing this, gave in their complaint to the
king, and tauld how they were discharged [forbidden] by the ministers,
but wald disobey thereunto, if his majesty wald grant them liberty to
pass, whilk was granted; whereat the ministers were sae grieved, that
they boasted [threatened] the merchants with excommunication. But the
provost and council interceded, and stayed that purpose, because that
to the merchants divers Spanyards were addebted, whilk wald never be
repaid unless they went themselves to make count and reckoning with
them; and siclike divers of them were awing to creditors there, and in
that respect till their counts were perfyted and ended, they could not
abstein from travelling.... Sae the ministers had patience for that
time, otherwise this matter had turned to a great popular scism.
[Sidenote: 1592.]
‘... the other conceit had almaist have made a worse end; because
it was sae prejudicial to the commonwealth and estate of the haill
merchants and craftsmen, to wit, the abolition of the Monday’s mercat,
whilk was the only special mercat-day of all the week in respect of the
rest. The reason that the ministers had for them was, that all men that
came to the Monday’s mercat did address him to his journey on Sunday,
whilk day sould be sanctified and keepit holy; but amang many great
infallible reasons, it was funden that the maist part of the mercat
folks did never address themselves to journey while Monday morning, and
therefore the mercat should not cease; and as to these that came far
off, it became the pastors of their parochin to hinder them. Besides
all this, that mercat-day was authorised to the town by the princes
of ancient time, and therefore it became not a subject to consent to
the abolition thereof, unless the matter was moved in presence of
the three estates of parliament.’--_H. K. J._ The people in general
murmured at these interferences with their secular affairs, well meant
as they undoubtedly were. Calderwood speaks bitterly of the satirical
rhymes vented on the occasion against the clergy, adding: ‘Such has
always been the religion of Edinburgh, when they are touched in their
particular.’ At length, in April 1593, the affair of the market came
to a head. ‘The shoemakers, who were most interested in that business,
hearing that the same was to be put in execution, tumultuously
gathering themselves together, came to the ministers’ houses, menacing
to chase them furth of the town if they did urge that matter any more.
After which the motion ceased, the market continuing as before. This
did minister great occasions of sport at that time in court, where it
was said, “that rascals and souters could obtain at the ministers’
hands what the king could not in matters more reasonable.”’--_Spot._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: NOV. 17.]
‘Dame Margaret Douglas, sometime Countess of Bothwell, met the king
at the Castle-yett of Edinburgh on her knees, having up her hood,
crying for Christ’s sake that died on the cross, for mercy to her and
her spouse, with mony tears piteous to behold. The king putting out
his hand to have tane her up, she kissed the back of his hand thrice.
Then he passed into the castle, and the lady came down the street. The
same day, ere the king came out of the palace, the Lairds of Niddry
and Samuelston, with sundry others forfaultit of before, came on
their knees in the outward close of the palace, wha were received in
favours.’--_Jo. Hist._
[Sidenote: NOV. 23.]
‘Ane proclamation that no man shall receipt the Countess of Bothwell,
give her entertainment, or have any commerce or society with her in any
case, wha had been so lately received in his majesty’s favour before.
Behold the changes of court!‘--_Bir._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: DEC. 25.]
A few days before this date, the Earl of Mar was married at Alloa to
Mary, the second daughter of the late Duke of Lennox and sister of the
Countess of Huntly. The king honoured the marriage with his presence,
and spent his Christmas with the newly wedded pair. It is rather
surprising to find Mar, who had always been on the ultra-Protestant
side, allying himself to a daughter of the papist Lennox; but tradition
informs us that the god of love had in this case overcome that of
politics--if there be such a deity. There were also some natural
obstructions, for the earl was a widower of five-and-thirty, while the
bride was little more than a girl. The story is, that his lordship,
finding the young lady scornful, became low-spirited to such a degree
as to alarm his old school-fellow, the king, for his life. Learning
what was the matter, James told him in his characteristic familiar
style: ‘By ----, ye shanna die, Jock,[193] for ony lass in a’ the
land!’ He then used his influence as virtual guardian of the Lennox
family, and soon brought about the match. From this pair have descended
some of the most remarkable patriots, lawyers, statesmen, and divines,
to which our country has given birth.[194]
[Sidenote: 1592.]
In the midst of the festivities at Alloa, the king was unpleasantly
disturbed by intelligence of the capture of George Ker, adverted to in
the next article.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: DEC. 27.]
[Sidenote: 1592-3.]