[Sidenote: 1620.]
While the struggle was going on between the Episcopalian and
Presbyterian principles, there was a small group of Edinburgh citizens,
including the booksellers Cathkin and Lawson, who took a lead in
opposing the new practices, and standing up against the dictates of
the High Commission. Deeply impressed with evangelical doctrine, and
viewing all ceremonies as tending to the corruption of pure religion,
they were disposed to venture a good way in the course they entered
upon. Their wranglings in the kirk-session against ministers of the
court fashion, and their earnest private exercises, were fully known
to the king; but he bore with them till they began to lend countenance
and active help to the few refractory ministers who fell under the
ban of the bishops. He then, at the date noted, ordered them to be
removed as ‘evil weeds’ from Edinburgh--William Rig, merchant, and
James Cathkin, bookseller, to Caithness; Richard Lawson, to Aberdeen;
Robert Meiklejohn, skinner, to Dunkeld; John Mean, to Wigton in
Galloway; and Thomas Inglis, skinner, to Montrose. This was a great
stretch of power in a country professedly under regular laws; and
even the state-officers felt it to be so. After some dealings, in the
course of which the clergy were eager to negative a suspicion of their
having sent the names of the men to the king, the archbishop of St
Andrews said he would intercede for them, and meanwhile stayed further
proceedings. In the end, the offence of the Edinburgh patriots was
passed over for this occasion.--_Cal._
The Edinburgh pulpits were at this time filled with men wholly devoted
to the Episcopalian system, and such of the people as were strenuous
for the Presbyterian model, had to act not merely without clerical
leaders, but in despite of clerical opposition. As a specimen of the
spirit of these metropolitan clergy--‘Mr William Struthers (January
9, 1619) made a sermon in the Little East Kirk, whilk, by all the
holy divines in Scotland, was judged rather to have been a discourse
of hateful passion nor a sermon of a charitable divine or loving
theologue. For the most part of his haill discourse consisted in
calling Christ’s flock of Edinburgh a pack of cruel people, seeking
the overthrow of their ministry; calling them also the authors of the
_Seventeenth of December_.[392]... He also alleged the doings of the
good town of that day till be in all histories a foul blot to them
for ever. He alleged the people were bund to follow him and the rest
of his brethren the ministers, and to do all things that they bade
them do, calling the ministers the heid, and the people the tail, and
whatever the ministers as the heid spak, it was good and savoury, and
whatever the tail or the people spak was unsavoury, adding thereto that
the language of the tail was deir of the hearing.... This sermon made
me and all the hearers thereof tremble for fear to behold fit untruth
spoken in the chair of verity....’--_Jo. H._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: MAY 3.]
[Sidenote: 1620.]
It has been seen that horse-racing was, from an early time, practised
as a public amusement at various places in Scotland. One of these,
not formerly noticed, was Paisley. A silver bell of four ounce weight
was made in 1608 to serve as a prize for the Paisley race: such was
in those days the accustomed prize at a race, giving rise to the
proverbial expression--‘He bore off the bell.’ It may be remarked,
however, that the winner of a silver bell at a race did not obtain it
as permanent property, but only for a year’s keeping, as is customary
with the silver arrows and silver clubs now played for by archery and
golfing societies.
At the date noted, the Town Council of Paisley, under the guidance
of their provost, the Earl of Abercorn, arranged that their annual
horse-race should be run on the 6th of May, ‘to be start at the gray
stane called St Cormel’s Stane, and frae that richt east to the little
house at the causeyend of Renfrew, and frae that the king’s highway
to the Wall-neuk of Paisley; and what horse first comes over the
score at ... Renfrew, sall have ane double angel; and the horse and
master thereof that first comes over the score at the Wall-neuk of
Paisley, sall have the said bell with the said burgh’s arms thereon,
for that year, together with the rest of the gold that sall be given
with the said bell ... except ane double angel that sall be given to
the second horse and his master that comes next over the score to the
foremost....’ The horses and their owners to gather at Paisley in good
time before the race, and the riders to be weighed at the Tron of the
burgh. It was also arranged that there should be ‘an aftershot race
... frae ane score at the slates of Ellerslie to ane other score at
the causey-head of the burgh of Paisley, by horse of the price of ane
hundred merks ... for ane furnished saddle, whilk sall be presented by
the said bailies of Paisley present and to come at the score of the
said causey-head.’[393]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1620.]
Patrick Anderson, a native of Ross-shire, and nephew of the celebrated
Bishop Lesly, had risen by learning and talent to be head of the
Scots College at Rome. This situation he left in order to add his
exertions to those which a number of his co-religionists were making,
at the hazard of their lives, for the recovery of Scotland from
what they called the Calvinistic heresy. Dempster speaks of him as
‘moribus innocens ac fide integer,’ and tells us he had no superior in
mathematics and theology. Such as he was, he threw himself into this
mission with a zeal and gallantry which no generous opponent could now
dispute, but which was regarded in the Scotland of his own day as only
a diabolic mania for the turning of living souls to death and perdition.
[Sidenote: MAY 18.]
Poor Patrick had not practised long, when he was apprehended with
his mass-clothes, books, and papers, and committed to prison as
a trafficking Romish priest. He owned to the fact of his having
performed mass sundry times, but would not tell in whose houses. In
the ensuing October, a brother-missionary, an Irishman, named Edmund
Cana, was apprehended, along with a younger brother, ‘who carried his
mass-clothes, a portable altar, a flagon of wine, and other requisites
necessar for the mass.’--_Cal._
Possibly, King James had heard of the merits of Father Anderson as a
man of learning, and felt some sympathy for him; perhaps the French
ambassador made friendly intercession in his behalf. However it was,
after the Father had suffered nine months’ imprisonment, the king came
to the resolution to shew him some mercy. At his command, the Privy
Council liberated the Father from prison, with a suit of good clothes,
and some money in his pocket, on condition that he should leave
Scotland, and return no more; otherwise, he would be liable to capital
punishment. It was enjoined upon the provost and bailies of Edinburgh
that they should ‘try and speir out some ship bown from the port of
Leith towards France or Flanders; and when the ship is ready to lowse,
that they tak the said Patrick Anderson furth of their Tolbooth, carry
him to the ship, and deliver him to the skipper, and see him put aboard
of the ship; and that they give a strait command and direction to the
skipper that the said Anderson be not sufferit to come ashore again
till their arrival at their port in France or Flanders, where they sall
put him a-land, and sall report a certificate from the magistrates of
the town or port where they land, that the said Anderson was set ashore
there.’[394]--_P. C. R._
[Sidenote: 1620.]
The Catholic Church was at this time anxiously set upon the recovery
of Scotland; and many were they who devoted themselves to the work. We
are now disposed to wonder, not merely how so many men were induced to
risk their lives in this mission, but how they should have expected
to produce conversions in a field so inveterately Protestant. There
were, however, some encouraging precedents. It was but recently that St
Francis of Sales had brought thousands of the Swiss Calvinists back to
the bosom of the church. He and his cousin, Lewis de Sales, entered a
Protestant canton in September 1594, amidst the tears and remonstrances
of their friends, who believed their task impracticable, as well as
dangerous. In the course of a very few years, says Alban Butler, ‘his
patience, zeal, and eminent virtue wrought upon the most obdurate, and
insensibly wore away their prejudices. It is incredible what fatigues
and hardships he underwent in this mission; with what devotion and
tears he daily recommended the work of God; with what invincible
courage he braved the greatest dangers; with what meekness and patience
he bore all manner of affronts and calumnies. In 1596, he celebrated
mass on Christmas-day in the church of St Hippolytus at Thonon, and
had then made seven or eight hundred converts. In 1598, the public
exercise of the Catholic religion was restored, and Calvinism banished
by the duke’s orders, over all Chablais and the two bailiwicks of Terni
and Guillard.’ At the same time, ‘his extraordinary sweetness, in
conjunction with his eminent piety, reclaimed as many vicious Catholics
as it converted heretics. The Calvinists ascribe principally to his
meekness the wonderful conversions he made amongst them. They were
certainly the most obstinate of people at that time near Geneva; yet
St Francis converted no fewer than seventy-two thousand of them.’[395]
Such success in the great stronghold of Calvinism might well engender
hopes regarding Scotland, whose determined adherence to the reformed
faith had not then been so much tried as we now know it to have been.
[Sidenote: JUNE.]
The tanning of leather may be said to have been introduced into
Scotland at this time. About a dozen tanners from Durham, Morpeth, and
Chester-le-Street, were brought in, under royal patronage, in order
‘to instruct the tanners and barkers of the kingdom in the true and
perfect form of tanning.’ They were invested with certain privileges,
and distributed to various parts of the kingdom. It was hoped through
this means that much money, which was usually spent on foreign leather,
would now be kept within the kingdom.
[Sidenote: 1620.]
Unfortunately for the success of this reformation, a tax was put upon
the leather--four shillings Scots per hide for the first twenty-one
years, and thereafter one penny. The consequence was a grievous
discontent among the cordwainers, who everywhere did what in them lay
to thwart his majesty’s design. ‘To steir the people up to exclaim
against it, they have very extraordinarily raised the prices of boots
and shoon, to twenty shillings or thereby the pair of boots, and six
shillings or thereby the pair of shoon, more nor was paid before;’
thus oppressing the whole country, and particularly the poorer sort of
people, besides slandering the king and his Council. In January 1622,
the Privy Council dealt with a complaint that many of the tanners
throughout the country, disregarding the obvious benefit to themselves
and the commonwealth from the new modes, continued the old practice of
letting their leather remain but a short time in the pots, and then
bringing it to market in a raw state. By way of a stimulus to these
persons, a certain number of them were proclaimed rebels.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: OCT.]
At this time, the Earl of Sutherland being a minor, and the family
resources much reduced, the inhabitants of the district ‘did shew
themselves exceeding loving and thankful to their Master and superior;
for not only did they give a general contribution--every one according
to his estate and ability--for defraying of his sister’s portion, who
was now to be married to the Laird of Pitfoddels, but also they yielded
a voluntary yearly support to the earl and his two brothers’ fitter
maintenance at the university for the space of five years.... So much
did they value and regard the education and good-breeding of him who
was to govern and command them, knowing how much it doth concern every
state and country to have weel-bred and wise superiors; which good-will
and course of theirs was exceedingly weel thought of by the Earl of
Sutherland and his greatest friends.’--_G. H. S._
* * * * *
We find it noted that in this year a pearl was found in the burn
of Kellie, a tributary of the Ythan, Aberdeenshire, so large and
beautiful that it was esteemed the best that had at any time been
found in Scotland. Sir Thomas Menzies, provost of Aberdeen, obtaining
this precious jewel, went to London to present it to the king, who,
in requital, ‘gave him twelve or fourteen chalder of victual about
Dunfermline, and the custom of merchant goods in Aberdeen during his
life.’[396] It has been reported that this pearl was inserted in the
apex of the crown of Scotland.
[Sidenote: 1620.]
Apparently this circumstance called the king’s attention to the old
repute of certain Scottish rivers for the production of pearls. In
January 1621, we find the Privy Council adverting to the fact, that
the seeking for pearls had for many years been left to interlopers,
who pursued their vocation at unseasonable times, and thus damaged
the fishery, to the hurt of his majesty’s interest, he having an
undoubted right to all pearls, as he had to all precious metals found
in his dominions. Being now inclined to take up pearl-seeking on his
own account, he issued a proclamation for the preservation of ‘the
waters wherein the pearls do breed;’ and, took measures to have the
fishery conducted on a regular plan ‘no pearls to be socht or taken
but at such times and seasons of the year when they are at their chief
perfection both of colour and quality, whilk will be in the months of
July and August yearly.’ The Privy Council commissioned three gentlemen
to protect the rivers, and ‘nominat expert and skilful men to fish
for pearls at convenient seasons;’ one gentleman for the rivers of
Sutherland, another for those of Ross, and another (Mr Patrick Maitland
of Auchincroch) for the waters Ythan and Don. The gentleman just named
was further made commissioner ‘for receiving to his majesty’s use, of
the haill pearls that sall be gotten in the waters within the bounds
above written, and who will give reasonable prices for the same; the
best of the whilk pearls for bigness and colour he sall reserve to his
majesty’s awn use.’
Patrick Maitland gave up his commission in July 1622, and it was then
conferred on Robert Buchan, merchant in Aberdeen, who was reputed to
be skilful in fishing for pearls, and ‘hath not only taken divers of
good value, but hath found some to be in divers waters where none were
expected.’--_P. C. R._
Among the acts of the first parliament of Charles I. was one for
the ‘discharge of Robert Buchan’s patent of the pearl and other
monopolies.’ Since then, there has occasionally been successful fishing
for pearls in this river; it is said that ‘about the middle of the last
century, a gentleman in Aberdeen got £100 for a lot of pearls found
in the Ythan.’ The mouth of the river has a great muscle and cockle
fishery, and is accordingly the haunt of an extraordinary variety and
quantity of sea-fowl. In summer, when the water is low, school-boys
often amuse themselves by going in search of pearls, feeling with
their toes for the shell, which is distinguished by its curved shape,
and griping it when found with a kind of forceps at the end of a long
stick.[397]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1621.