THE WYFE OF AUCHTERMUCHTIE. " [This poem (as Lord Hailes remarks) is a favourite among the Scots. It af fords a very good specimen of the native and rustic humour with which our grave forefathers loved to relax the usual austerity of their deportment. It has been well preserved both by writing and tradition. In Fife and some other parts of the country, it is still current as a popular ballad; and it has been twice edited from the Bannatyne MS., first by Allan Ramsay in his evergreen, and afterwards by Lord Hailes. The former published it, according to his usual practice, with additions and alterations of his own; the latter adhered correctly to his original. The present edition is taken from the same MS. but collated with another, and apparently, an older copy, in the Advocates' Library, from which several alterations, and the whole of the 11th stanza, have been supplied.] 1 IN Auchtermuchtie thair wond ane man, He lousit the pleuch at the landis end, Quoth he, Quhair is my horsis corne? Gudeman, quoth, scho, content am I Sa 4 But sen that ye will hussyskep ken, The wyfe shco sat vp late at evin, And priend als meikle in hir lap Says-Jok, will thou be maister of wark, 7 He cawd the gaizlines furth to feid, The calfes and ky met in the lone, 9 Then to the kirn he next did stoure, 10 Then ben thair cam ane greidie sow, He set his foot vpon the spyre, 12 Than he laid kindling to the kill, Thocht to have fund thame fair and clene; 13 The first that he gat in his armis, It was all dirt up to the eyne; The de'il cut aff thair hands, quo he, Than Quoth he, My office I forsaik, Than up scho gat ane meikle rung, For this house and I will nevir do weill. ACCOUNT OF THE HIGHLAND HOST. [In the beginning of the year 1678, (about eighteen months before the breaking out of 6 the memorable insurrection which led to the battles of Drumclog and BothwellBridge), ten thousand Highlanders were brought down from their mountains and quartered upon the Western Counties, for the purpose of suppressing the field meetings and conventicles of the presbyterians. This Highland Host, as it was called, after committing many disorders, and, eating up' the disaffected, was ordered home again by the government, the undisciplined Gael being found too ignorant and rapacious to observe on all occasions the proper distinction between the loyal and lovable' supporters of prelacy, and the contumacious and uncourtly covenanters. The following account is extracted from the Woodrow MSS. in the Advocates' Library: It appears to have been written by an eye-witness, but has no signature. "A Copie of a Letter from the Host about Glasgow. We arrived here about 8 or 9 dayes agoe: At our first coming we observed that the countrey had been much terrified with the report of it, and .therefore had carried and conveyed away much of their goods; nor were we less surprised to finde them so peaceable and submissive. At Stirling and about it, our Highlanders were somewhat disorderly in their quarters, particularly by raising fire in two or three places. Vpon our way hither such of them as went with us took their free quarters liberally; and the rest who took another way to Kilpatrick, have been yet ruder in killing sheep and other cattel, and also in robing any loose thing they found in their way. We are now all quartered in and about this town, the Highlanders only in free quarters. It would be truely a pleasant sight, were it at an ordinary weaponshaw, to see this Highland crew. You know the fashion of their wild apparel, not one of ten of them had breaches, yet hose and shoes are their greatest need and most clever prey, and they spare not to take them every where: In so much that the committee here, and the councel with you (as it is said) have ordered some thousands of pairs of shoes to be made to stanch this great spoil. As for their armes and other militaire accoutrements, it is not possible for me to describe them in writing; here you may see head pieces and steel-bonnets raised like pyramides, and such as a man would affirme, they had only found in chamber boxes; targets and shields of the most odde and anticque forme, and pouder hornes hung in strings, garnished with beaten nails and plates of burnished brass. And truely I doubt not but a man, curious in our antiquities, might in this host finde explications of the strange pieces of armour mentioned in our old lawes, such as bosnet, iron-hat, gorget, pesane, wambrassers and reerbrassers, panns, legsplents, and the like, above what any occasion in the lowlands would have afforded for several hundreds of yeers. Among their ensigns also, beside other singularities, the Glencow men were very remarkable, who had for their ensigne a faire bush of heath, wel spred and displayed on the head of a staff, such as might have affrighted a Roman eagle. But, sir, the pleasantness of this shew is indeed sadly mixed and marred; for this unhallowed, and many of them unchristened, rabble, beside their free quarters, wherein they kill and destroy bestial at their pleasure, without regaird to the commands of some of their discreeter officers, rob all that comes to hand, whi 1 ty ther in houses or in the highwayes; so that no man maye passe saifly from house to house; and their insolencie in the houses where they are quartered fills poor women and children with terror, and both men and women with great vexation. They make also excursions in tens and twelves upon other places, and specially under cloud of night, and break into houses with bended pistols and naked swords, curs} ing and swearing that they shall burne and kill if all be not readily given that they demand. I hear not yet of any killed by them, but severals are grievously wounded and beaten; and in effect, the poor people's lives, goods, and chastities, are exposed to the cruelof these strange locusts. Many of the countrey people have left and abandoned their houses and all to their mercy. The other day I heard, that, at the burying of a child, the burial company was assaulted by some of these ruffians; and, after a great scuffle, the mortcloth was robbed off the coffine, and that notwithstanding all that their officers could do to hinder or recover it. They tell me also, that some of these savages, not knowing what the coffine meaned, as being a thing with them not usual, would have broken it open and searched it, if not restrained by their neighbours. In some places they beginne to exact money over and above their victuals, and also to make the people pay for dry quarters (that is, for men that they have not), and for assistant quarters (that is, where they contract and make the places they leave free pay in money, and yet the places that they lye upon do really maintain all.) I am furder told, that evil company is like to corrupt good manners; and that even many of the militia forces and Perthshire gentlemen beginne to take free quarters. But it is like that a little more time with our march westward will furnish much more matter of this kind; for the marches are indeed the sorest and most afflicting to the poor people, seeing that partly for the service, partly under pretence thereof, horses are forced, and many of them not restored; as likewise there is little order kept in the march, but they run out and spread themselves over the countrey and catch all that they can lay hold upon; for in these occasions, whatever thing they can get is clear prey, without any fear of recovery. And yet all these are said to be but whips, wherewith this country is scourged, in respect of the scorpions intended for Ayrshire; and some of the committee being spoke to about the abuse of free quarters, said, that the quarters now taken were but transient quarters, but after the returns made about the Band, there would be destructive quarters ordered against its refuisers. Yet I would not have you think that all those Highlanders behave after the same manner. No, there is a difference both among the men and leaders. And the M. of Athol's men are generally commended both as the best appointed and best behaved. Neither do I hear of any great hurt as yet done by the E. of Murray's men in Cathcart parish: but all of them take free quarters, and that at their own discretion. The standing forces have hitherto carried pretty regularly, and appear very ready on all occasions to restraine and correct the Highlanders' insolencies, of which I could give you several instances; but when these men, who were lately this people's only persecutors, are now commended by them for sobrietie, and in effect are looked on by many of them as their guardians and protectors, you may easily judge what is the others' deportment. Feb. 1, 1678. (Woodrow MSS. 4to. vol. xcix. 29.) ORIGINAL POETRY. THE DESOLATE VILLAGE. A Reverie. SWEET Village! on thy pastoral hill 'Tis not the Day to Scotia dear, Profound as fills the house of prayer, That thought is gone!the Village still In soft material beauty beaming, Is this the Day when to the mountains And bathe in sparkling pools and fountains Till far behind their town doth stand, O sure if aught of human breath What if these homes be filled with life? All nature sinks opprest,- Yet let the soul think what it will, Most dirge-like mourns that moorland rill! When with a dreamy motion gliding Like a church-yard when a friend is dying, Sweet Woodburn! like a cloud that name On a green plat, sacred to thy breeze, Of uncomplaining lifelessness, On the troops of silent shades that press Last summer, from the school-house door, When the glad play-bell was ringing, What shoals of bright-haired elves would pour, Like small waves racing on the shore, And still the green is bright with flowers, On a sudden wafted by, But where is the tiny hunter-rout Alas! the fearless linnet sings, As she was wont at eve, should go→ She stands a while-then sad and slow On-on-through woful images Death in each drooping flower she sees: So high upon the slender bough The few sheep wandering by the brook Tossing the long hair from their eyes-- From human let their course is free Invites the zephyr's breath And the beggar far away doth roam, His penury to death. On that green hedge a scattered row Now weather-stained once white as snow→→→ O blest are ye! unthinking creatures! What is it to that lovely sky On the grave where human forms decay, As o'er the dewy turf of Morn, Sweet Spire! that crown'st the house of God! To thee my spirit turns, While through a cloud the softened light On thy yellow dial burns. Ah, me! my bosom inly bleeds To see the deep-worn path that leads In silent blackness it doth tell Hath o'er the village toll'd its knell, Oft, wandering by myself at night, Methought that mid her stars so bright, For yon sweet Manse now empty stands, up in prayer. ITALY. N. |