Owing to the fame of Andrew Melville, the university of St Andrews was
this year attended by a considerable number of foreign youth, Poles,
Danes, Belgians, and Frenchmen: ‘whilk crabbit the king mickle,’ Andrew
being no favourite of his.--_Ja. Mel._
‘Much about this time, there was a great number of witches tried to
be in Scotland, as the like was never heard tell of in this realm,
specially in Athole, both of men and women. There was in May at ane
convention upon a hill in Athole, to the number of twenty-three
hundred, and the devil amongst them. A great witch of Balwery told all
this, and said she knew them all well enough, and what mark the devil
had given severally to every one of them. There was many of them tried
by swimming in the water, by binding of their two thumbs and their
great toes together, for, being thus casten in the water, they floated
ay aboon.’--_Pa. And._
This ‘great witch of Balwery’ was one Margaret Aiken, who, being
tortured on suspicion, not only confessed her guilt, but, for the
saving of her own life, informed upon others, stating that they had a
secret mark in their eyes, by which she could at once tell that they
were witches. For three or four months, she was carried about the
country detecting witches. At Glasgow, owing to the credulity of the
minister John Cowper, several old women suffered in consequence of her
accusations. In time it was found that she was a deceiver; for the
same persons whom one day she declared to be guilty, she would next
day, when they appeared before her in different clothes, affirm to be
innocent. ‘At her trial, she affirmed all to be false that she had
confessed, either of herself or others, and persisted in this till her
death; which made many forthink their too great forwardness that way,
and moved the king to recall the commissions given out against such
persons.’--_Spot._
In November we find the presbytery of Glasgow taking notice of ‘divers
persons wha traduces and slanders the ministry of the city, as the
authors of putting to death the persons lately execute for witchcraft;’
and it ordains that any person hereafter uttering this slander ‘shall
be put in the branks at the judges’ will.’[229]
[Sidenote: 1597.]
As a natural consequence of the deceptions of Margaret Aiken, there
was now in some quarters an apprehension that, in the late proceedings
against witches throughout the provinces, some injustice had been done.
Some had complained ‘that grit danger may ensue to honest and famous
persons, gif commissions grantit to particular men beiring particulars
[that is, having anger] again’ them, sall stand and be authorised.’ The
king professed to see the reality of this danger, and although it was
his purpose to persevere in his efforts to extirpate that ‘maist odious
and abominable crime,’ the Council (August 12) revoked all the lately
granted commissions, certifying to such as hereafter ‘proceeds to the
execution of persons to the deid, or melling with their guids or geir,
that the same sall be repute slauchter upon forethocht, felony, and
spulyie.’
At this time, the enthusiastic section of the church was in a state of
discouragement; otherwise the king might not have been able to concede
to the representations made to him against witch-commissions. It is too
remarkable to be overlooked, that the heat of persecution against these
unfortunates was generally in some proportion to the influence of the
more zealous clergy, either through their direct agency or through the
fear for their reproaches in others.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: JULY 23.]
‘Between eight and nine in the morning, there was an earthquake which
made all the north parts of Scotland to tremble; Kintail, Ross,
Cromarty, Mar, Breadalbane, &c. A man in St Johnston [Perth] laying
compts with his compters, the compts lap off the buird; the man’s
thighs trembled; one leg went up, and another down.’--_Cal._
This earthquake happening at the time when King James ‘interrupted Mr
Robert Wallace and undid the ministry of St Andrews,’ James Melville
likens it to that which God sent to punish Uzziah, king of Judah, for
usurping the priestly office--which rent the Temple of Jerusalem, and
caused a beam to hurt the king in the face, the beginning of a leprosy
with which he was afflicted. He adds what he calls a _Dix-huitaine_ on
the subject, concluding in the following strain:
‘King James the Saxt, this year thou fast aspires
O’er Christ his kirk to compass thy desires.
Oh, weigh this weel, and here exemple tak;
Lest Christ, wha this year shook thy north-wast parts,
And with eclipsed sun amazed the hearts
For kings to come thee just exemple mak.’
* * * * *
[Sidenote: AUG. 6.
1597.]
‘The pest began in Leith’ (_Bir._), and soon ‘infected sundry parts
about Edinburgh, so that many fled out of the town.’--_Cal._ It raged
during this year in England, 17,890 persons being carried off in London
alone. A fast was held in Edinburgh on account of this visit of the
pestilence, from the 7th of August till the end of harvest, when it
ceased. Notwithstanding the scarcity of food from October 1595 down
almost to this time, the mortality in Scotland does not appear to have
been great--a result probably owing in the main part to the abundant
harvest of the present year.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: AUG. 27.]
‘Ane trouble betwixt certain servants of the Drummonds and Oliver
Young, then one of the bailies of Perth, within the Hie Gait [High
Street] of the said burgh; when the greatest number of the pursuers
leapt the town’s walls, and so few number of them as escapit came to
the Tolbooth. The agreement was made in the South Inch, the 1st of
September thereafter.’--_Chron. Perth._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: NOV. 3.]
‘The Earl of Cassillis marries Dame Jean Fleming, wha was wife to the
last chancellor [Lord Thirlstane], ane very unmeet match, for she was
past bairns-bearing, and he was ane young man not past twenty-three
years or thereby, and his lands unheired. The king and court mockit the
same marriage, and made sonnets in their contempt; and specially his
majesty took his pastime of that sport.’--_C. K. Sc._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: NOV. 7.]
‘... it pleased God to tak the Laird of Bargeny in his mercy; wha was
the nobillest man that ever was in that country [Carrick] in his time.
He was endued with mony guid virtues. First he fearit God, and was fra
the beginning on the right side of religion. He was wise and courteous,
and therewith stout and passing kind; and sic ane noble spender in
outings with the best-halden house at hame that ever was in the land.
He was never behind with na party, and keepit himself ever to the fore
with his living. He had ever in his household twenty-four gallant
gentlemen, double-horsit, and gallantly clad; with sic ane repair to
his house, that it was ane wonder where the same was gotten that he
spendit.’--_Ken._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: NOV.
1597.]
While so much lawless violence prevailed throughout the country at
large, it was not to be expected that the Borders should be quiet. In
truth, the greatest disorders prevailed in that district, particularly
in the west, where certain broken clans--Armstrongs, Johnstons, Bells,
Batisons, Carlyles, and Irvings--lived in a great measure by robbing
and oppressing their neighbours. Occasionally, too, they would make
predatory incursions into England, and thereby endanger the peace
existing between the two realms. The king was at length roused to
make a vigorous effort for the repression of this system of violence.
He came at the beginning of this month to Dumfries, ‘of resolution
not to return therefra till that turn was effectuate, as indeed his
majesty did meikle to it.’--_Moy._ In the course of four weeks, which
he spent in the town, ‘he hangit fourteen or fifteen limmers and
notorious thieves.’ From every branch of the guilty clans, he took one
or two of the principal men, ‘as pledges that the haill stouths and
reifs committed by them, or any of their particular branch, should
be redressed, and that they and all theirs should abstene from sic
insolency in time coming, under pain of hanging.’[230]
For the reception of such persons in general, there was a
_pledge-chalmer_--a sort of honourable jail, we presume--in Dumfries.
On this occasion, however, the pledges, thirty-six in number, were
distributed over his majesty’s houses, where it was ordained they
should each pay 13s. 4d. weekly for their maintenance.
The arrangement for the Court of Redress at Dumfries was in
characteristic terms. It was to be composed of ‘aucht special
honest gentlemen of the country, _least suspect, maist neutral and
indifferent_, and the best inclined to justice,’ with ‘twa or three of
his majesty’s council appointit to be present with them.’--_P. C. R._
Lord Ochiltree, whom the king appointed as warden of the west Border,
‘remainit five or six months at Dumfries, halding courts of redress,
and pacifying the country. He hangit and slew three score, with the
more notable thieves ... and kept the country in great quietness and
guid order all this time.’--_Moy._
There is a small silver toy at Dumfries, in the form of a fusee or
musket, which King James is represented as having gifted to the Seven
Incorporated Trades in 1598, that it might be the prize of an annual
shooting-match. ‘The siller gun,’ as it is called, has till recent
times accordingly been carried by the trades in procession to a
shooting-field near the town, whence the victor used to bring it home
stuck in his hat. Most probably, it was while spending this month in
Dumfries, and not during 1598 (when he certainly did not visit the
town), that he conferred this mark of his favour.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: DEC. 7.
1597.]
A homicide committed at this time brings out a remarkable illustration
of the exclusive rule of master over man which then prevailed. On the
first day of the sitting of parliament, Archibald Jardine, servitor
and master-stabler to the Earl of Angus, was slain negligently by
Andrew Stalker, goldsmith, at Niddry’s Wynd head. The said Andrew was
apprehendit and put in prison. The young men of the town being all in
arms, as they use to be in the time of the parliament, they came to his
majesty, and desirit grace for the young man wha had done ane reckless
deed. _The king’s majesty desirit them to go to my Lord of Angus,
the man’s master, and satisfy and pacify his wrath, and he should be
contentit to grant his life._ James Williamson, being captain to the
young men, came to my Lord of Angus, offered him their manreid to be
ready to serve him gif he had to do: upon the whilk, he grantit them
his life, and sae the said Andrew was releasit out of prison upon the
said day at even.’--_Bir._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1597-8.