"Your slaughter'd quarry proudly trode, At dawning morn, o'er dale and down, But prouder base-born Murray rode Through old Linlithgow's crowded town. "From the wild Border's humbled side,' In haughty triumph, marched he, While Knox relax'd his bigot pride, And smiled, the traitorous pomp to see. "But can stern Power, with all his vaunt, "With hackbut bent,' my secret stand, "Dark Morton, girt with many a spear, 'Murray's death took place shortly after an expedition to the Borders; which is thus commemorated by the author of his Elegy: "So having stablischt all thing in this sort, To Lisdisdaill again he did resort, Throw Ewisdail, and Eskdail, and all the daills rode he, And also lay three nights in Cannabie, Whair na prince lay thir hundred yeiris before. Nae thief durst stir, they did him feir sa sair; And, that they suld na mair thair thift allege, Scottish Poems, 16th century, p. 232. 2 Hackbut bent-Gun cock'd. The carbine, with which the Regent was shot, is preserved at Hamilton Palace. It is a brass piece, of a middling length, very small in the bore, and, what is rather extraordinary, appears to have been rifled or indented in the barrel. It had a match-lock, for which a modern firelock has been injudiciously substituted. " Of this noted person, it is enough to say, that he was active in the murder of David Rizzio, and at least privy to that of Darnley. And clash'd their broadswords in the rear "Glencairn and stout Parkhead2 were nigh, "'Mid pennon'd spears, a steely grove, This clan of Lennox Highlanders were attached to the Regent Murray Hollinshed, speaking of the battle of Langside, says, "In this batayle the valiancie of an Heiland gentleman, named Macfarlane, stood the Regent's part in great steede; for, in the hottest brunte of the fighte, he came up with two hundred of his friendes and countrymen, and so manfully gave in upon the flankes of the Queen's people, that he was a great cause of the disordering of them. This Macfarlane had been lately before, as I have heard, condemned to die, for some outrage by him committed, and obtayning pardon through suyte of the Countess of Murray, he recompensed that clemencie by this piece of service now at this batayle." Calderwood's account is less favourable to the Macfarlanes. He states that "Macfarlane, with his Highlandmen, fled from the wing where they were set. The Lord Lindsay, who stood nearest to them in the Regent's battle, said, ‘Let them go! I shall fill their place better:' and so, stepping forward, with a company of fresh men, charged the enemy, whose spears were now spent, with long weapons, so that they were driven back by force, being before almost overthrown by the avaunt-guard and harquebusiers, and so were turned to flight."-CALDERWOOD's MS. apud KEITH, p. 480. Melville mentions the flight of the vanguard, but states it to have been commanded by Morton, and composed chiefly of commoners of the barony of Renfrew. 2 The Earl of Glencairn was a steady adherent of the Regent. George Douglas, of Parkhead, was a natural brother of the Earl of Morton, whose horse was killed by the same ball by which Murray fell. 3 Lord Lindsay, of the Byres, was the most ferocious and brutal of the Regent's faction, and, as such, was employed to extort Mary's signature to the deed of resignation presented to her in Lochleven castle. He discharged his commission with the most savage rigour; and it is even said, that when the weeping captive, in the act of signing, averted her eyes from the fatal deed, he pinched her arm with the grasp of his iron glove. 4 Not only had the Regent notice of the intended attempt upon his life but even of the very house from which it was threatened. With that infatuation at which men wonder, after such events have happened, he "From the raised vizor's shade, his eye, "But yet his saddened brow confess'd 6 Beware of injured Bothwellhaugh!' "The death-shot parts — the charger springs — And Murray's plumy helmet rings- "What joy the raptured youth can feel, Or he, who broaches on his steel "But dearer to my injured eye To see in dust proud Murray roll; "My Margaret's spectre glided near; With pride her bleeding victim saw; And shriek'd in his death-deafen'd ear, 'Remember injured Bothwellhaugh!' "Then speed thee, noble Chatlerault ! deemed it would be a sufficient precaution to ride briskly past the danger. ous spot. But even this was prevented by the crowd: so that Bothwell haugh had time to take a deliberate aim.-SPOTTISWOODE, p. 223. BUCH ANAN. 1 An oak, half-sawn, with the motto through, is an ancient cognizance of the family of Hamilton. mmm Vaults every warrior to his steed; Loud bugles join their wild acclaim "Murray is fall'n, and Scotland freed! Couch, Arran! couch thy spear of flame!" But, see! the minstrel vision fails The glimmering spears are seen no more; For the loud bugle, pealing high, The banner'd towers of Evandale. For Chiefs, intent on bloody deed, And long may Peace and Pleasure own The maids who list the minstrel's tale; Nor e'er a ruder guest be known THE GREY BROTHER. A FRAGMENT. THE imperfect state of this ballad, which was written several years ago, is not a circumstance affected for the purpose of giving it that peculiar interest, which is often found to arise from ungratified curiosity. On the contrary, it was the Editor's intention to have completed the tale, if he had found himself able to succeed to his own satisfaction. Yielding to the opinions of persons, whose judgment, if not biassed by the partiality of friendship, is entitled to deference, he has preferred inserting these verses as a fragment, to his intention of entirely suppressing them. The tradition upon which the tale is founded, regards a house upon the barony of Gilmerton, near Lasswade, in Mid-Lothian. This building, now called Gilmerton Grange, was originally named Burndale, from the following tragic adventure. The barony of Gilmerton belonged, of yore, to a gentleman named Heron, who had one beautiful daughter. This young lady was seduced by the Abbot of Newbattle, a richly endowed abbey, upon the bank of the South Esk, now a seat of the Marquis of Lothian. Heron came to the knowledge of this circumstance, and learned also, that the lovers carried on their guilty intercourse by the connivance of the lady's nurse, who lived at this house of Gilmerton Grange, or Burndale. He formed a resolution of bloody vengeance, undeterred by the supposed sanctity of the clerical character, or by the stronger claims of natural affection. Choosing, therefore, a dark and windy night, when the objects of his vengeance were engaged in a stolen interview, he set fire to a stack of dried thorns, and other combustibles, which he had caused to be piled against the house, and reduced to a pile of glowing ashes the dwelling, with all its inmates.1 The scene with which the ballad opens, was suggested by the following curious passage, extracted from the Life of Alexander Peden, one of the wandering and persecuted teachers of the sect of Cameronians, during the reign of Charles II. and his successor, James. This person was supposed by his followers, and, perhaps, really believed himself, to be possessed of supernatural gifts; for the wild scenes which they frequented, and the constant dangers which were incurred through their proscription, deepened upon their minds the gloom of superstition, so general in that age. “About the same time he [Peden] came to Andrew Normand's house, in the parish of Alloway, in the shire of Ayr, being to preach at night in his barn. After he came in, he halted a little, leaning upon a chair-back, with his face covered; when he lifted 1 This tradition was communicated to me by John Clerk, Esq. of Eldin, author of an Essay upon Naval Tactics, who will be remembered by posterity, as having taught the Genius of Britain to concentrate her thunders, and to lanch them against her foes with an unerring aim. |