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94 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. manner. They deprived and excommunicated the whole body of Archbishops and Bishops, abolished Episcopacy, and all that pertained to it, and required every one to subscribe the Covenant, under pain of excommunication. Leslie was appointed General of their forces ; and on the 21st of March 1639, they proceeded’to assault Edinburgh Castle. No provision had been made against such an attack, and its Governor surrendered at the first summons. Early in 1648, Oliver Cromwell paid his first visit to Edinburgh, after having defeated the army of the Duke of Hamilton. He took up his residence at Moray House, in the Canongate, and entered into communication with “ the Lord Marquis of Argyle, and the rest of the well affected Lords.” There he was visited by the Earl of Loudon, the Chancellor, the Earl of Lothian, and numerous others of the nobility and leading men.’ The visit was a peaceable one, and his stay brief. On the death‘of his father, Charles 11. was proclaimed King at the Cross of Edinburgh; but the terms on which he was offered the Scottish Crown proved little to his satisfaction, and the Marquis of Montrose sought to win it for him without such unpalatable conditions. He completely failed, however, in the attempt, and was seized, while escaping in the disguise of a peasant, and brought to Edinburgh on the 18th of May 1650. He was received at the Water Gate by the magistrates and an armed body of the citizens, and was from thence conducted in a common cart, through the Canongate and High Street, to the Tolbooth; the hangman riding on the horse before him. He was condemned to be hanged and quartered, and the sentence was executed, three days after, with the most savage barbarity, at the Cross of Edinburgh. His head was affixed to the Tolbooth, and his severed members sent to be exposed in the chief towns of the kingdom.’ The annals of this period abound with beheadings, hangings, and cruelties of every kind. Nicol, at the very commencement of his minute and interesting Diary, records that (‘ thair we8 daylie hanging, skurging, nailling of luggis, and binding of pepill to the Trone, and booring of tongues I ” The King at length agreed to subscribe the Covenant, finding no other terms could be had. He was surrounded with a numerous body of nobles, and attended by a life-guard provided by the city of Edinburgh. The procession entered at the Water Gate, and rode up the Canongate and High Street to the Castle, where he was received with a royal salute. On his return from thence, he walked on foot to the Parliament House, where a magnificent banquet had been prepared for him by the Magistrates. (( Thereafter he went down to Leith, to ane ludging belonging to the Lord Balmarinoch, appointed for his resait during his abyding at Leitl~.”~T he fine old mansion of this family still stands at the corner of Coatfield Lane, in the Kirkgate. It has a handsome front to the east, ornamented with some curious specimens of the debased style of Gothic, prevalent in the reign of James VI. The arrival of the parliamentary forces in Scotland, and the march of Cromwell to Edinburgh, produced a rapid change in affairs. ‘‘ The enemy,” says Nicol, ‘( placed their whole horse in and about the town of Restalrig, the foot at that place called Jokis Lodge, and the cannon at the foot of Salisbury Hill, within the park dyke, and played with their cannon against the Scottish leaguer, lying in Saint Leonard’s Craigs.” The English army, They now had recourse to arms. On the 2nd of August, he landed at Leith, and rode in state to the capital. Guthrie’s Memoirs, p, 298. 2 Nicol’s Diary, p. 12. a Ibid, p. 21.. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. manner. They deprived and excommunicated the whole body of Archbishops and ...

Book 10  p. 102
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252 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHEX. He was diffident to follow one so greatly endowed ; and he said-" It is well lkown, I believe, to all your lordships, that I did long and earnestly decline this office. But, as it is a fixed principle of my life, that a public man, when he has no intirmitiea of age or sickness to excuse him, is bound to serve his country in any station to which his Sovereign may call him, I did not think myself ultimately justified in disobeying the gracious conimands of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent." The ability with which Lord President Hope filled the high station to which he was appointed is well known to all who are capable of appreciating his character. In Peter's Lefters to his Kinsfolk, the eloquence and dignified bearing of his lordship are portrayed with the author's usual felicity and power ; and the scene described is interesting, the more so that it is happily one of rare occurrence. The writer has just been speaking of the Second Division of the Court of Session, and he continues- " In the other Division of the Court, I yesterday heard, without exception, the finest piece of judicial eloquence delivered in the finest possible way by the Lord President Hope. The requisites for this kind of eloquence are, of course, totally different from those of accomplished barristership-and I think they are in the present clever age infinitely more uncommon. When possessed in the degree of perfection in which this Judge possesses them, they are calculated assuredly to produce a yet nobler species of effect than even the finest display of the eloquence of the bar ever can command. They produce this effect the more powerfully, because there are comparatively very few occasions on which they can be called upon to attempt producing it ; but besides this adventitious circumstance, they are essentially higher in their quality, and the feelings which they excite are proportionally deeper in their whole character and complexion. " I confess I was struck with the whole scene, the more because I had not heard anything which might have prepared me to expect a scene of so much interest, or a display of so much power. But it is impossible that the presence and air of any judge should grace the judgmentseat more than those of the Lord President did upon this occasion. When I entered, the Court was completely crowded in every part of its area and galleries, and even the avenues and steps of the bench were covered with persons who could not find accommodation for sitting. I looked to the bar, naturally expecting to see it filled with some of the most favourite advocates ; but was astonished to perceive, that not one gentleman in a gown was there ; and, indeed, that the whole of the first row, commonly occupied by the barristers, was entirely deserted. An air of intense expectation, notwithstanding, was stamped upon all the innumerable faces around me ; and from the direction in rrhich most of them were turned, I soon gathered that the eloquence they had come to hear, was to proceed from the bench. The Judges, when I looked towards them, had none of those huge piles of paper before them, with which their desk is usually covered in ali its breadth and in all its length. Neither did they appear to be occupied among themselves with arranging the order or substance of opinions about to be delivered. Each Judge crat in silence, wrapt up in himself, but calm, and with the air of sharing in the general expectation of the audience, rather than that of meditating on anything which he himself might be about to utter. In the countenance of the President alone, I fancied I could perceive the workings of anxious thought. He leaned back in his chair ; his eyes were cast downwards ; and his face seemed to be covered with a deadly paleness, which I had never before seen its masculine and commanding lines exhibit. " At length he lifted up his eyes, and, at a signal from his hand, a man clad respectably in black rose from the second row of seats behind the bar. I could not at first see his face ; but from his air, I perceived at once that he was there in the capacity of an offender, A minute or more elapsed before a word was said ; and I heard it whispered behind me that he was a wellknown solicitor or agent of the Court, who had been detected in some piece of mean chicanery, and I comprehended that the President was about to rebuke him for his transgression. A painful struggle of feelings seemed to keep the Judge silent, after he had put himself into the ' ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHEX. He was diffident to follow one so greatly endowed ; and he said-" It is ...

Book 9  p. 334
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LUCKENBOUTHS AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. 205 to the grave: the Regent Morton pronouncing over him his brief, but just and memorable requiem, and before the generation had passed away that witnessed and joined in his funeral service, the churchyard in which they laid him had been converted into a public thoroughfare. We fear this want of veneration must be regarded as a national characteristic, which Knox assisted to call into existence, and to which we owe much of the reckless demolition of time-honoured monuments of the past, which it is now thought a weakness to deplore.’ on the authority of “ the then Recorder of Edinburgh, that many of the tombstones were removed from St Giles’s to the Greyfriars, where they still exist; ” but we do not know of a single inscription remaining that gives probability to this assertion. All the monuments in the Greyfriars’ Churchyard are of a later date than Queen Mary’s gift of the gardens of the ancient monastery, though even were it otherwise, it would not be conclusive, as the royal grant was in all probability only an extension of an ancient burial-ground attached to the monastery in the Grassmarket. It is mentioned almost immediately thereafter as a place of burial during the dreadful plague of 1568, when a huge pit is ordered to be dug in the (‘ Greyfriars’ Kirkzaird.” * Bailie Macmorran’s monument is, we believe, the only one in the old cemetery which dates so early as the sixteenth century ; we are therefore forced to conclude that, in the same spirit that led to the abandonment of St Giles’s burial-ground, its ancient monuments were converted to a similar purpose with the old chapel of the Holy Rood, that stood in the lower yard. A few of the most important changes that have taken place on this interesting spot, in the heart of the ancient capital, arranged in the order of their occurrence, will best illustrate the rapidity with which it passed through successive transitions. In the year 1496, the provost of St Giles’s Church granted to the citizens the northern part of his manse, with the glebe, for augmenting the cemetery. In 1528 Walter Chepman, the celebrated printer, founded and endowed a chaplainry in the chapel of the Holy Rood, in the nether kirkyard; in 1559 the chapel was deqolished and left in ruins; and in 1562 its materials helped to build a new Tolbooth at the north-west corner of the churchyard. On the Protestant clergy being finally established in the stead of their Catholic predecessors, the prebendal buildings became the residence of the tom ministers, and thither, in the year 1580, the nucleus of the present University Library was removed, until a suitable building should be procured for it. From this clerical college the ministers were ejected in 1597 by the incensed King, who trusted thereby to weaken their power and influence, by compelling them to live apart from one another. The substantial forfeit thus wrung from the reclaiming clergy seems to have been regarded by him as a peculiarly acceptable trophy ; no doubt, in part at least, from the evidence it furnished of his having come off victorious in a contest with those who, until then, had always proved his most untractable opponents. It is mentioned in the “ Traditions,” 1 hte, p. 83. ’ Prdbably the annals of no other town could exhibit the Hame indifference to ita ancient cemeteries, which even the rude Indian holds sacred. Before the Reformation there were the Blackfriars kirkyard, where the Surgical Hospital or old High. School stands ; the Kirk of Field,-now occupied by the College,-Trinity College, Holyrood Abbey, St Roque’s and St Leonard’a kikyards. In all these places human bona are still found on digging to any depth. In thia respect Edinburgh exhibita 8 striking contrast to the more crowded English capital. a Chambers’s Traditions, vol. ii. p. 196. “ Statuta for the Pest.,’’ Maitland, p. 32. ... AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. 205 to the grave: the Regent Morton pronouncing over him his brief, but just ...

Book 10  p. 224
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THE CA S TL E. 125 the initials H. and M. inwrought, for HENRaYid MARY,a nd the date 1566,' commemorates the birth of James VI., on the 19th June of that year. The small room, which was the scene of this important event, forms the south-east angle of the building. It is singularly irregular in form and circumscribed in its dimensions, its greatest length being little more than eigh't feet. The room was formerly neatly panelled with wainscot, but, after being abandoned for years aiit a drinking-room to the -canteen, much of this has been renewed in a very rude and inelegant fashion. The original ceiling, however, is preserved, wrought in ornamental wooden panels, with the initials I. R. and M. R surmounted with the royd crown, in alternate compartments ; and, on the wall, the commemorative inscription, in black letter, mentioned by Maitland, still remains, with the Scottish arms over it :- Z o t t ~fn edu &brg& tbat crounit mad mitb 6IOornde, pree'elzle tbe girth, qubais Dabgie heir i$'b orne, Xnb $en& @ip aonee Bucrelilione, to meignr $tin, Xaug in tbig Iliealme, if tbat it be mbg miH Et$ Grant, 0 Porb, qubat eber of @It profleeb %e to @Ibp @oner Rnb VraiB, pobieb. 19th IFNII, 1566. At the back of the fireplace was formerly shown a hole, said to have served as the communication'fhrough which a wire was conveyed to a house in the Grassmarket, and there attached to a bell, to advise the Queen's Catholic friends of the birth of her son. The use of bells, however, except in church steeples, is of a much more modern date; and '-equally apocryphal is another story of the infant Prince having been secretly let down over the rock in a basket, into the hands of these same'adherents of the Queen, to be educated in the Catholic religion. A considerable part of the east and north fronts of the ancient Royal Palace seem, from the dates on them, as well as from the general style of the building, to have been erected in the year 1616. The appearance, however, of many portions of the interior leave no room to doubt that tlie works of that date were only a partial remodelling of a more ancient fabric. Some of the stone panels on the east front are wrought in remarkably beautiful Eliaabethan.ornaments, and on one of them the regalia have been sculptured in high relief, though some chance shot, in one of the later sieges of the Castle, has broken away the larger portion of the figures. The turrets at the angles of the building, as well as the clock tower in the quadrangle, were originally covered with ogee lead roofs, similar ta that still remaining on the turret staircase at the north end. Immediately below the grand hall, are two tiers of large and strongly-vaulted bombproof vaults, extending below the paved court of the quadrangle, communicating with a wide arched passage, entered from the west side. The small loop-hole that admits light into each of these huge vaults is strongly secured by three ranges of iron bars, and a massive iron gate closes the entrance to the steep flight of steps that give admission to the dreary dungeons. Within these gloomy abodes the French prisoners were confined during the late war, above forty of them sleeping in a single vault. We furnish a view Ante. p. 77. From the style of ornament, it appears to have been put up at 8 later period, probably by James VI. on his visit to Scotlaud in 1617. ... CA S TL E. 125 the initials H. and M. inwrought, for HENRaYid MARY,a nd the date 1566,' commemorates the ...

Book 10  p. 136
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THE HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 265 man, the Regent Morton, and an associate with him in the murder of Riazio ; so that, if the sculpture over the doorway be a device adopted by the Morton family, the corresponding one, already described in the Castle Hill, may be considered as affording considerable probability of that house having been the mansion of the Regent. William Douglas, Lord Whittinghame, resigned his office as a judge in 1590, and was succeeded by his son Archibald, the granter of the disposition referred to, a special favourite of James VI., who accompanied him on his matrimonial voyage to Norway, and was rewarded for his “ lovable service ” soon after his return by this judicial appointment. The portion of the wynd below this old mansion included, along with the building of 1564, recently swept away to make room for an extensive printing-office, another which was long used as a Roman Catholic Chapel. This was an antique stone fabric, from which a curiously-projecting timber front was removed only a few years before its desertion as a place of worship. On the fifth flat of this tenement, approached by a steep and narrow turnpike stair, a large chamber was consecrated to the worship of the Roman Catholic Church during the greater part of last century, and probably earlier. When we last visited this primitive retreat of “ Old Giant Pope, after the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger daya,” there still remained painted, in .simple fashion, on one of the doors immediately below the chapel, the name of the old Bishop, Mr Hay. This was the once celebrated opponent of Bishop Wm. Abernethy Drummond, of the Scottish Episcopal Church, under the initials G. H., and well worthy of note in the history of the locality as the last of the Bishops of Blackfriars’ Wynd, where the proudest nobles of Scotland were wont of old to give place to the dignitaries of the Church. Nearly opposite to this, a large and ancient tenement stood entire in the midst of ruins, the upper story of which was also used as a chapel. It was dedicated to St Andrew, and formed the chief Roman Catholic place of worship in Edinburgh, until it was abandoned in the year 1813 for the ecclesiastical edifice at Broughton Street, dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary. The interior of the chapel retained much of its original state till its demolition. The frame-work of the simple altarpiece still remained, though the rude painting of the Patron Saint of Scotland, which originally flled it, had disappeared. Humble as must have been the appearance of this chapel, even when furnished with every adjunct of Catholic ceremonid for Christmas or Easter festivals, aided by the imposing habits of the officiating priests that gathered around its little altar, yet men of ancient lineage were wont to assemble among the worshippers; and during the abode of the royal exiles at Holyrood Palace, Count d’Artois, the future occupant of the French throne, with the princes and their attendants, usually formed part of the congregation. An internal staircase formed a private entrance for the priests and other officials from the floor below, where the straitened accommodations it afforded sufficed for the humble residence of these successors of the Cardinals and Archbishops who once dwelt in the same neighbourhood. The public accesa was by a projecting stone staircase, which formed the approach to the different floors of the building. Over this doorway was a sculptured lintel, with a shield of arm6 in the centre, bearing three stars in chief, with a plain cross, and over it two swords saltier ways. On either side of this was cut, in large antique characters, the inscription MISERERE 2 L ... HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 265 man, the Regent Morton, and an associate with him in the murder of Riazio ; so ...

Book 10  p. 288
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 3 29 the British court. Accordingly he and his family arrived in London, by the way of France, in 1782. Amongst his recommendatory letters, those to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire procured him their kind and powerful patronage. He was subsequently introduced to the Royal family, from whom he received several distinguished favours. Presents and benefactions being, however, no certain provision for his permanent and comfortable maintenance, the Count naturally became anxious, and at last reluctantly yielded to the representation of his friends, by adopting the resolution of exhibiting himself. This he did, first at one guinea-then at five shillings-and afterwards at half-a-crown.’ The acute and sensitive mind of Boruwlaski felt extremely mortified at this humiliating mode of life, although the curiosity of the public proved for several years a source of ample revenue. At the time he published his Memoirs, the novelty had considerably abated ; and the fears he entertained of the future were feelingly alluded to in the concluding part of his narrative. Amongst other evils of which he complained, his servant had eloped with trinkets and valuables to a large amount ; and the small pension which he enjoyed from the King of Poland had been stopped, in consequence of a report having reached that monarch‘s ears that he was accumulating a fortune in this country. When Boruwlaski came to Edinburgh in 1788,’ he was considered an object of great curiosity, and the peculiar circumstances of his case having excited general sympathy, he was taken notice of by several respectable gentlemen, and among others by Mr. Fergusson, who generously endeavoured by their attentions to sweeten the bitter cup of life to the unfortunate gentleman. It was soon discovered that the Count was a person of cultivated mind, and possessed of high conversational powers. The opportunities of seeing men and manners which his mode of life afforded, and the acuteness which he displayed in the perception of character, rendered the little foreigner an object of peculiar estimation. After undergoing the annoyance of “ receiving company,” he used The Count did not, at least in Edinburgh, exhibit himself as a dwarf-indeed his feelings would not have allowed of such a thing-he merely received company. He gave a public breakfast, to participate at which the small charge of 3s. 6d. was demanded. The following is a copy of one of his advertisements :-‘I Dun’s Hotel, St. Andrew’s Square. On Saturday next, the 1st of August (17SS), at twelve o’clock, there will be a public breakfast, for the benefit of Count Bornwlaski; in the course of which the Count will perform some select pieces on the guitar,-Tickets (at 3s. 6d. each) may be had at the hotel, or at the Count’s lodgings, No. 4 St. Andrew’s Street, where he continues to receive company every day from ten in the morning till three, and from five till nine. Admittance One Shilling-*,’ The Count will positively quit this place on Friday the 7th of August.” In 1784 the Scottish metropolis was honoured by the presence of a lady, who, from the description of her in the subjoined advertisement, would have been an admirable companion for Boruwlaski : -“ The Author of Natim is wonderful, even in the least of his works. Just arrived, and to be seen by any number of persons, in a commodious room within the head of Forrester’s Wynd, first door and right hand, from eleven o’clock in the morning till eight at night, THEA YAZINWU OMANIN MII?IATUF~, from Magor in Monmouthshire ; who is, beyond contradiction, the most astonishing curiosity sportive nature ever held out to be the admiration of mankind. She is now in the 26th year of her age, and not eighteen pounds weight. A child of two years of age has larger hands and feet ; and in fact she is the most extraordinary cnriosity ever known, or even heard of in history. We shall say no mow of this wonder of nature-let those who may honour her with their visita judge for themselves.-May 26, 1784.” 2 u ... SKETCHES. 3 29 the British court. Accordingly he and his family arrived in London, by the way of ...

Book 8  p. 461
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106 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. contriver, after much waste of time and money, in 1785, obtained an Act of Parliament securing the patent of his invention to him and his heirs for twenty years. In the meantime, the idea of sheathing the bottom of vessels with copper beginning to be entertained, and a hint of the intention of Government having been privately communicated to Mr. Forbest he immediately speculated in the purchase of that article to ail immense extent. A great demand almost immediately followed, the Admiralty having resolved, instead of using the coal-tar of Lord Dundonald, to have the ships of the line sheathed with copper. In consequence of this, Mr. Forbes not only reaped the benefit of greatly increased prices, but was almost the only one able to undertake the orders of Government. Another unforeseen circumstance tended still farther to increase his good fortune. The copper having been fastened with iron nails, a speedy corrosion was the result ; and the whole expensive experiments being hurriedly abandoned, Mr. Forbes is understood to have purchased the copper, which he had previously furnished, for one farthing per Ib.! Soon after this, nails of the sitme material having been suggested, the project was resumed with greater energy than before. The workmen in the dockyards at first refused to go on, alleging that such nails would not drive ; but, by a little finesse and a liberal supply of porter, RSr. Forbes got over all difficulties, and ultimately obtained the exclusive right of coppering the royal navy and the East India Company's ships for twenty years. At this period the domestic establishment of Mr. Forbes was limited to one private room; and he is said to have frankly admitted, before the committee, that his cash did not exceed &1600! His securities, however, one of whom was his good friend Admiral Byron, were unexceptionable. Having realised a handsome fortune, Mr. Forbes began to look about him for an eligible landed investment; and by the sale of the Callendar estates, about 17 86, a favourable opportunity presented itself. This property, forfeited in 1715, was in the hands of the York Buildings Company, and let to the Earl of Errol, for the annual rent, we believe, of $870. Here the Earl of Kilmarnock resided till the fatal crisis of 174La His lady, who was a daughter of the His discovery, however, wailed him 'notEiing.1 Lord Dundonald was a most unfortunate speculator. The coal-tar, instead of enriching, completely ruined him ; and he was compelled to part with his estates, including Culross Abbey, which was bought by the late Sir Robert Preston. At one period he was offered, by an English company, an annuity of between tive and six thousand a year to surrender his patent to them ; but, unluckily for himself, he rejected the offer. communicated the information; and not only tendered him his advice, but enabled him in an effectual manner to complete his extensive purchases, On the testimony of one of the domestics, it is recorded that on the 17th of January 1746 (the day on which the battle of Falkirk waa fought), General Hawley was entertained at dinner by the Earl and Countess of Kilmarnock ; and that the Earl, leaving the dining-room on some slight excuse, put on hiu military dress, and mounting his horse, left the Conntess to do the honours of the table. The female upon whose authority this circumstance is related described the panic which seized her, when she saw the Earl put on his waistcoat of bull's hide, and grasp his sword. He left Callendar wood by the white yett, whence a gallop of a few hundred yards placed him on the field of battle. * Admiral Byron, who happened to be one of his employers, is Aaid to have been the person who , ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. contriver, after much waste of time and money, in 1785, obtained an Act of Parliament ...

Book 9  p. 142
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XOTES TO VOL. I. Page 196, IIOPETOFUANM ILY. John de Hope came to Edinburgh in the retinue of the Princess Magdalen, the first Queen of James V., in 1537. His house stood-possibly still stands-in Bailie Fife’s Close, near Knox’s house, with the name Johne Hope cut in bold characters over the doorway, and his shield and initials on the lowest crowstep. His son Edward’s mansion stood in Todd’s Close, adjoining that of the Queen Regent Mary de Guise, till its deniolition in 1845. The late Mr. C. K. Sharpe had some fine carved oaken sareen-work from this house. Page 208, BUFFONAN D SYELLIE. It is said that upon Buffon and Smellie meeting, they found to their mutual surprise that they were unintelligible to each other. Srnellie had mastered the French language for himself, and pronounced it according to its orthography, with all the amplitude of Scottish gutturals and broad vowels, to the astonishment of the great naturalist, who could not guess in what strange language he was addressed ! Page 208, MUGEWO F NATURAHLI STORY. It was the fashion at that date to mingle with the legitimate contents of an archao- It may possibly be worth noticing that all Lectures on Natural History, logical museum, objects of natural history, .such were subsequently handed over to the Royal Society. delivered at the request of the Society of Antiquaries, would now seem ridiculous. Page 213, Right Hon. LORDA DABGXO RDON. The song ‘‘ For Lack of Gold” was composed by Dr. Austin, the fashionable physician in Edinburgh about a century ago. He was the accepted lover of Miss Jane Drummond, and had celebrated her charms in a song, beginning, “ Bonnie Jeannie Drummond, she towers aboon them a.”’ But the rank and title of Duchess, though secured by wedding a Duke, old and unattractive, tempted the fickle beauty. She is said to have given him a hint that she remembered her old troth on the death of the Duke, but the Doctor made no response, and soon after wedded a daughter of Lord SempilL Page 223, ORLANDHOA RTA ND KINGC RISPIN. . It was long the annual custom for the Corporation of Cordiners or Shoemakers to inaugurate a king of the craft, and escort him through the town in grand procession on the 25th of October, St. Crispin’s Day. It was got up in imposing style, and attracted spectators from all the surrounding villages. The hall of the Canongate shoemakers was latterly the favourite place of rendezvous. It stood in Little Jack’s Close, with their arms and the date 1682 over the entrance. William Sawem, bootmaker, was actually crowned as King Crispin on the 25th October 1820, in the Picture Gallery of Holyrood Palace ! The cost of such regal displays finally brought the corporation to bewry. Page 231, THOMANS EIL and the Song “ Sweet sir, for your courtesie.” This well-known song is to be found in Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum. The tune is more ancient, and occurs in the Skene RfS., cir. 1630. The song itself was introduced by Ranisay into his Tea-Table Miscellany, 1724. The song, in its present version, is probably of Aberdeen origin. Dr. Robert Chambers supposes the Bass of Inverury to be referred to in the first stanza. It cannot refer to the Bass Rock, Stanza three should read ‘‘ a pair of sheen ”-the true Aberdonian pronimciation, and there meant to rhyme with Aberdeen. ... TO VOL. I. Page 196, IIOPETOFUANM ILY. John de Hope came to Edinburgh in the retinue of the Princess ...

Book 8  p. 602
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THE HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 267 separated only by very narrow uprights. It is decorated with string courses and rich mouldings, and forms a fine specimen of an Old-Town mansion of the sixteenth century. It is stated by Chambers to be entailed with the estate of the Clerks of Pennycuik, and to have formed the town residence of their ancestors. This we presume to have been the later residence of Alexander, fifth Lord Home; the same who entertained Queen Mary and Lord Darnley in his lodging near the Tron in 1565, and who afterwards turned the fortune of the field at the Battle of Langside, at the head of his border spearmen. He was one of the noble captives who surrendered to Sir William Durie on the taking of Edinburgh Castle in 1573. He was detained a prisoner, while his brave companions perished on the scaffold; a.nd was only released at last after a tedious captivity, to die a prisoner at large in his own house-the same, we believe, which stood in Blackfriars’ Wynd. A contemporary writer remarks :-“ Wpoun the secund day of Junij [1575], Alexander Lord Home wes relevit out of the Castell of Edinburgh, and wardit in his awne lugeing in the heid of the Frier Wynd, quha wes carijt thairto in ane bed, be ressone of his great infirmitie of seiknes.”’ Scarcely another portion of the Old Town of Edinburgh was calculated to impress the thoughtful visitor with the same melancholy feelings of a departed glory, replaced by squalor and decay, which he experienced after exploring the antiquities of the Blackfriars’ Wynd. There stood the deserted and desecrated fane ; the desolate mansions of proud and powerful nobles and senators ; and the degraded Palace of the Primate and Cardinal, where even Scottish monarchs have been fitly entertained; and it seemed for long as if the ground which Alexander 11. bestowed on the Dominican Monks, as a, special act of regal munificence, was not possessed of value enough to tempt the labours of the builder. Emerging again through the archway at the head of the wynd, which the royal masterprinter jitted at his pleasure above three centuries ago, an ancient., though greatly modernised, tenement in the High Street to the east of the wynd attracted the notice of the local historian as the mansion of Lord President Fentonbarn!, a man of humble origin, the son of a baker in Edinburgh, whose eminent abilities won him the esteem and the suffrages of its contemporaries. He owed his fortunes to the favour of James VI., by whom he was nominated to fill the office of a Lord of Session, and afterwards knighted. We are inclined to think that it is to him Montgomerie alludes in his satirical sonnets addressed to M. J. Sharpe-in all probability au epithet of similar origin and signilicance to that conferred by the Jacobite8 on the favourite advocate of William 111. The poet had failed in a suit before the Court of Session, seemingly with James Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow, and he takes his revenge against “ his Adversars Lawyers,” like other poets, in satiric rhyme. The lack of ‘‘ gentle blude ” is a special handle against the plebeian judge in the eyes of the high-born poet ; and his second sonnet, which is sufEcientlp vituperative, begins :- A Baxter’s bird, a bluiter beggar borne ! ’ This old mansion was the last survivor of all the long and unbroken range of buildings between St Giles’s Church and the Nether Bow. In its original state it was one of l Diurnal of Occurrenta, p. 348. Alexander Montgornerie’s Poems ; complete edition, by Dr Irving, p. 74. ... HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 267 separated only by very narrow uprights. It is decorated with string courses ...

Book 10  p. 290
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3 d MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. though it is probable their worldly circumstances were thereby left more dependent on their own peculiar resources. We are informed by an intelligent lady who resided in the Canongate in her younger years, that one Christiau Burns, who then dwelt in Strachie’s Close, enjoyed the universal reputation of a witch ; and on one occasion within her recollection was scored adoon the breatfi-ie., had a deep cut made in her forehead by a neighbouring maltster, whose brewing, as he believed, had been spoiled by her devilish cantrips. The Water Gate has long since ceased to be a closed port, but the Canongate dues were still for some time after collected there on all goods entering the burgh. Its ancient site was marked, till a few years since, by a pointed arch constructed of wood, and surmounted with the Canongate Arms. This ornamental structure having been blown down in 1822, the fishwives of Newhaven and Musselburgh unanimously rebelled, and refused to pay the usual burghal impost levied on their burdens of fish. The warfare was unflinchingly maintained by these amazons for some time, and the Magistrates were at length compelled to restore peace to their gates, by replacing the decorated representative of the more ancient structure. This, however, has again been removed, in consequence of the demolition of an antique fabric on the east side of the gateway; and such .was the apathy of the then generation that not even a patriotic fishwife was found to lift her voice against the sacrilegious removal of this time-honoured landmark 1 A radiated arrangement of the paving in the street, directly opposite to the Water Gate, marks the site of the Girth Cross, the ancient boundary of the Abbey Sanctuary. It appears in the map of 1573, as an ornamental shaft elevated on a flight of steps ; and it existed in nearly the same state about 1750, when Maitland wrote his History of Edinburgh. Every vestige of it has since been removed, but the ancient privileges, which it was intended to guard, still survive as a curious memorial of the ecclesiastical founders of the burgh. Within the sacred enclosures that once bounded the Abbey of Holyrood, and at a later period formed the chief residence of the Scottish Court, the happy debtor is safe from the assaults of inexorable creditors, and may dwell at ease in his city of refuge, if he have been fortunate enough to bear off with him the necessary spoils.. It is, in truth, an imperium in imperio, an ancient royal burgh, with its own courts and judges and laws, its claims of watch and ward, and of fe;dal service during the presence of royalty, the election of peers, or like occasions of state, which every householder is bound to render as a sworn vassal of the Abbey. Endowed with such peculiar privileges and immunities, it :s not to be wondered at that its inhabitants regard the ancient capital and its modern rival with equal contempt, looking upon them with much the same feeling as one of the court cavaliers of Charles 11. would have regarded some staid old Presbyterian burgher or spruce city gallant in his holiday finery. In truth, it is scarcely conceivable to one who has not taken up his abode within the magic circle, how much of the fashion of our ancestors, described among the things that were in our allusions to the Cape Club and other convivial assemblies of last century, still survives in uudiminished vigour under covert of the Sanctuary’s protection. On the south side of the main street, adjoining the outer court-yard of the Palace, a series of pointed arches along the wall of the Sanctuary Court-House indicate the remains of the ancient Gothic porch and gate-house of Holyrood Abbey, beneath whose groined . ... d MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. though it is probable their worldly circumstances were thereby left more dependent ...

Book 10  p. 334
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422 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. obtained permission to relieve the Clerk of his usual duty. He commenced with great confidence, quite satisfied of the impression he would make upon the Peers assembled. His amazement and vexation may be imagined when the Chancellor (Thurlow), after endeavouring in vain to comprehend what he was uttering, exclaimed-‘‘ Mr. Col-co-hon, I will thank you to give that paper to t,he Clerk, as I do not understand Welsh.” The discomfited writer was thunderstruck- he could hardly believe his own ears; but, alas! there was no remedy. He reluctantly surrendered the paper to the Clerk ; and his feelings of mortification were not a little increased as he observed the opposite agent (who had come from Edinburgh with him) endeavouring with difficulty to suppress a strong inclination to laugh.’ He had several children, mostly daughters, whom he left well provided for, and who were all respectably married. The estates of Kincaird and Petnacree, in Perthshire, which he had purchased, were left to his son, Lieutenant Charles Grant, who, after his unfortunate duel in 1759; retired from the army, and became melancholy and unhappy. Having sat for his likeness, two excellent miniature Portraits of Mr. Colquhoun Grant were executed by Kay-one of which is possessed by Mr. Maclean, and the other by the Publisher of this work. ’&fr. Grant died at Edinburgh on the 2d December 1792. 1 During the discussion on the Scots Reform Bill in Parliament, a very eminent and accomplished Scots M.P., who, like Mr. Colquhoun Grant, had for a long series of years imagined he spoke the English language to perfection, addressed the House in a strain, as he conceived, of impassioned eloquence and convincing argument. What effect it produced upon the auditors we know not, but next day it was announced in some of the public journals that the “- - had addressed the House in a long and no doubt very able speech, which we regret we could not follow, as it was given in broad Scotch.” Itfr. Francis Foulke, of Dublin, the other party, was at the time a student in the University of Edinburgh, and one of the Presidents of the Natural History Society, aud of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh. The affair originated in a petty quarrel about a dog :- “.On Friday, December 18, Lieutenant Grant, with two companions, after having spent the evening together, were going home, when, meeting with Mr. Foulke and his party, a scuffle ensued, and next day Itfr. Foullie sent Lieutenant Grant a challenge by Mr. P--. Owing to certain reports relative to Mr. Fonlke, Lieutenant Grant did not think himself called upon to accept the challenge, but took the advice of other officers, who were of opinion that Lieutenant Grant ought not to give Mr. Foulke a meeting without satisfyiug himself of the truth of these reports. In the meantime Mr. P- had an interview with Lieuteuant Graut, who still declined to accept, on which Mr. Foulke posted him in the coffee-houses. Lieutenant Grant having upon inquiry found that Mr, Foulke’s character was eTery way unexceptionable, and that on a late occasion he had behaved with great honour, wm willing to give him every satisfaction, and was on his way for that purpose when he met Captain Lundie, who told him that a placard was posted up in the Exchange Coffee-house, couched in the following terms :-‘ That Charles Grant, of the 55th Regiment, has behaved unbecoming a man ’ of honour and a gentleman, is thus publicly asserted.-P.S. The person who makes this declaration has left his name at the bar.’ Along with this was left a slip of paper, on which was written ‘ FRANCFISO ULKE.’M r.. Grant that evening sent a message by Mr. M-, who understood that the parties were to meet on Tuesday morning at nine o’clock. From some misunderstanding, however, Mr. Foulke and his friend imagined that it wasMr. M- (who delivered the message), and not Mr. Grant, that he was to fight ; and when the gentlemen met in the King’s Park, Mr. Foulke expressed his surprise at seeing Mr. Grant, and said that he expected to meet Mr. M- (who attended as Lieutenant Grant’s second). Mr. M- expressed his willingness to meet Mr. Foulke, but thir a The following is an account of the duel. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. obtained permission to relieve the Clerk of his usual duty. He commenced with great ...

Book 8  p. 586
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JAMES l? TO ABDICATION OF QUEEN MARK 51 success on his own behalf. The Scottish nation, torn at this time by rival factions, and destitute of any leader or guide, could only submit in passive indignation to his ruthless vengeance. Yet, with their usual pertinacity, they shortly after mustered aboltt thirteen hundred men, who “raid into England and brunt and herijt certane townes on the bordouris vnto Tilmouth; ” and, on the twelfth of July following, the Earl of Angus was proclaimed lieutenant, and commanded the realm to follow him in an hour’s warning, “ with foure dayis victuall, to pass on their ald enemies of Ingland.” During the following year 1545-6, Edinburgh Castle was for a brief period the scene of Wishart’s imprisonment, after his seizure by the Earl of Bothwell, and delivery into the hands of Cardinal Beaton, at Elphinstone Tower ; an ancient keep, situated in East Lothian, about two miles from the village of Tranent. A wretched dungeon, under the great hall of Elphinstone, is fitill pointed out as the place of Wishart’s imprisonment, as well as another room, in which the Cardinal slept at the same period. The burning of Wishart immediately afterwards at St Andrews, as well as the death of the Cardinal, by the hands of Wishart’s friends, which 80 speedily followed, are facts familiar to the student of Scottish history. The death of Henry VIII. in 1547 tended to accelerate the renewal of his project for enforcing the union of the neighbouring kingdoms, by the marriage of his son with the Scottish Queen. Henry, on his deathbed, urged the prosecution of the war with Scotland; and the councillors of the young King Edward VI. lost no time in completing their arrangements for the purpose. The Scottish Court was at this time at Stirling, but the council made the most vigorouB preparations for the defence of the kingdom. A proclamation was issued on the 19th of March, requiring all the lieges to be ready, on forty days’ warning, to muster at their summons, with victuals for one month ; and on the 25th of May, this was followed by another order for preparing beacon fires on all the high hills along the coast, to give warning of the approach of the enemy’s fleet. The more urgently to summon the people to arms, the Earl of Arran adopted an expedient seldom resorted to, except in cases of imminent peril; he caused the Kery Cross to be borne by the heralds throughout the realm, summoning all men, as well spiritual as temporal, between sixty and sixteen, to be ready to repair to the city of Edinburgh, weil bodin in feir of weir, at the first notice of the English ships.* . In the beginning of September, the Earl of Hertford, now Duke of Somerset, and Lord Protector of England, during the minority of his nephew Edward VL, again eutered Scotland at the head of a numerous army; while a fleet of about sixty sail co-operated with him, by a descent on the Scottish coast. At his advance, he found the Scottish army assembled in great force to oppose him, whereupon he wrote to the Governor of Scotland, offering for the sake of peace, that while he still insisted on the hand of the Queen for his royal master, he would agree to conditions by which she should remain within Scotland until she were fit for marriage. The Scottish leaders, however, were resolute in rejecting this alliance with England at. whatever cost ; and in proof of the strong feeling of opposition that existed, it may be mentioned, that the Scottish army included a large body of priests and monks, who Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 33. ’ Keith’e History, vol. i. p. 1% Tytler, vol. vi. p. 23. ... l? TO ABDICATION OF QUEEN MARK 51 success on his own behalf. The Scottish nation, torn at this time by rival ...

Book 10  p. 56
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224 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The next figure, in the centre, represents MR. WILLIAM JAMIESON, mason and architect, whose father, Mr. Patrick Jamieson, built the Royal Exchange,’ which was begun in 1753. He was elected one of the Deacons of Mary’s Chapel in 1767 j and, like his friend Mr. Orlando Hart, was very successful in avoiding those political quicksands which, in the good old days of corporate omnipotence, were so dangerous to individual prosperity. As a reward for his steadily having “shoulder kept to shoulder,” he possessed for many years the sinecure office of Engraver to the Mint in Scotland, with a salary of $50 a year,-in which appointment he succeeded Convener Simpson. This sinecure is now abolished ; and no wonder, when the duties of the office could be sufficiently performed by a stone-mason. The most memorable public performance of Mr. Jamieson was the renovation of the Tron Kirk, which he accomplished much to the satisfaction of the public. The steeple was built principally of wood, and existed until the great fire in November 1824, when some of the embers from $he burning houses having lodged in it, and the wind blowing hard, the steeple was set on fire and destroyed, along with the bell, which had been hung in 1673, and cost 1490 merks. The steeple was rebuilt in 1828, and the bell recast and placed in its old situation, where it now again performs its usual functions. Mr. Jamieson was also contractor for making the public drains of the city, at an estimate of no less than 3100,00O,-the rubbish from the excavations of which was to be carted to Portobello, without being subject to the dues leviable at the toll of Jock‘s Lodge, the bar being partly under the management of the Town Council. The toll-keeper, however, having taken it into his head that he ought to be paid the regular dues, on one occasion closed the gate against the carts ‘of the contractor. The circumstance being made known to Mr. Jamieson, “ Weel, weel,” said he to the carters, “just coup the carts at the toll-bar ;” which was accordingly done, to the grievous annoyance of the toll-keeper, who never afterwards refused the right of egress and ingress. The greater part of Portobello was the Deacon’s property at one period, and feued out by him. He himself latterly resided there, although, when this print was done, his house was in Turk’s Close. Mr. Jamieson married, about the year 1759, Miss Christian Nicholson, sister of the late Sir William Nicholson of Jarvieswood, by whom he had six sons and six daughters. The eldest daughter married James Cargyll, Esq., W. S. ; The parties in the agreement for erecting this building wer+the Right Honourable William Alexander, Lord Provost ; David Inglis, John Carmichael, Andrew Simpson, and John Walker, Bailies ; David Inglis, Dean of Guild ; Adam Fairholm, Treasurer, etc., on the part of the City,- and Patrick Jamieson, mason ; Alexander Peter, George Stevenson, and John Moubray, wrights ; John Fergus, architect-all burgesses, freemen, members of Mary’s Chapel of Edinbnrgh-undertakers. In the contract, the sum to be laid out in purchasing houses and grounds whereon to erect the Exchange is stated at f11,749 : 6 : 8, and the cost of erection at f19,707 : 16 : 4,-amounting, in all, to 231,457 : 3s. sterling. The first stone was laid in 1753, by George Drnmmond, Esq., at that time Grand Master of the Freemasons. A triumphal arch, and theatres for the Magistrates, and galleries for the spectators, were erected on the occasion. The work, however, was not fully entered upon till the year following, and WBS Wished in 1761. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The next figure, in the centre, represents MR. WILLIAM JAMIESON, mason and architect, ...

Book 8  p. 316
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YAMES V. TO ABDICATlON OF QUEEN MARK 57 entire nobility, and most influential leaders among the clergy; the Primate of St Andrews, brother of the Regent, being almost the only man of any weight still adhering to him. Moved alike by promises and threats, the imbecile Regent at length resigned the government, and a Parliament thereupon assembled at Edinburgh on the 12th of April 1554, in which the transference of the government was ratified, and a commission produced from Queen Mary, then in her twelfth year, appointing her mother, Mary of Guise, Regent of the realm, which the estates of Parliament confirmed by their subscriptions and seals. The Earl of Arran, or as he was now styled, Duke of Chatelherault, then rose, and delivered up the royal crown, sword, and sceptre, into the hands of Monsieur D’Oysel, the French ambassador, who received them in the name of Queen Mary, by the authority of the King of France, and others, her chosen curators ; and immediately thereafter he produced a mandate from the Queen, in obedience to which he delivered them to the Queen Do~ager.~T he new Regent acknowledged her acceptance of the office, and received the homage and congratulations of the assembled nobility. She was then conducted iu public procession, with great pomp and acclamation, through the city to the Palace of Holyrood, and immediately entered upon the administration of the government. The uncertainty of the government, previous to this settlement, and the enfeebled power of the nominal Regent, exposed the capital as usual to disorders and tumults. From the Council Register of this year 1554, we learn, that owing to the frequent robberies and assaults committed in the streets of Edinburgh at night, the Council ordered “ lanterns or bowets to be -hung out in the streets and closes, by such persons and in such places as the magistrates should appoint, to continue burning from five o’clock in the evening till nine, which was judged a proper time for people to repair to their respective habitations.” a The account is curious and interesting, as furnishing the earliest notice of lighting up the public streets of the Scottish capital. The narratives of these disorders, furnishkd by contemporary authors, exhibit a state of lawless violence that demanded of the magistrates no measured zeal to suppress. The occasion was made available by rival factions to rencw their ancient feuds, “and to quyt querrellis, thinking this to be tyme mod convenient.’’ Various deadly combats took place; the Laird of Buccleuch was slain on the public streets by a party of the Kerrs, and this was followed as usual by sworn strife between the rival clans. “ About the same time,” says Bishop Leslie, “ the Master of Ruthven slew a valiant gentleman, called John C%arteris of Kinclevin, in Edinburgh, upon occasion of old feud, and for staying of a decret of ane proces which the said John pursued against him before the Lords of Session,” which led to the passin’g of an Act by the next Parliament, that whosoever should slay a man for pursuing an action against him, should forfeit the right of judgment in h i action, in addition to his liability to the laws for the crime. This author further records, that the Lord Semple slew the Lord Crichtoun of Sanquhar, in the governor’s own house in Edinburgh; and by the interest of the Archbishop of St Andrews and other friends, escaped free from all consequences of the crime.5 A state of things that must have made the people at large rejoice in seeing the reins of government transferred to vigorous Bishop Leslie, p. 245. Keith’a Hi&, vol. i. p. 142. a Maitland, p. 14. H ’ Bishop Leslie’s Hiatory, p. 217. Ibid, p. 248. ... V. TO ABDICATlON OF QUEEN MARK 57 entire nobility, and most influential leaders among the clergy; the ...

Book 10  p. 62
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ECCLESIA S TICA L ANTIQUITIES. 419 rials of the olden time. An unpicturesque fragment of the ruins of the Convent of St Katherine de Sienna still remains, and serves as a sheep-fold for the flocks that pasture in the neighbouring meadow ; and the name of the Sciennes, by which the ancient Mure-burgh is now known, preserves some slight remembrance of the abode of I‘ the Sisters of the Schenis,” where Chastitie found hospitable welcome, at a time when the bold Scottish satirist represents her as spurned from every other door. A few notes, in reference to more recent ecclesiastical erections, are reserved for the Appendix ; but there is something in the flimsy and superficial character of our modern religious edifices, which, altogether apart from the sacred or historical associations attached to them, deprives them of that interest with which we view the architectural remains of the Middle Ages. Instead of stuccoed ceilings and plaster walls, we h d , in the old fabrics, solid ribs of stone, and the arched vaulting adorned with intricate mouldings and richly sculptured bosses. The clustered piers below, that range along the solemn aisles, are like the huge oaks of the forest, and their fan-like groinings like the spreading boughs, from whence their old builders have been supposed to have drawn the first idea of these massive columns and the o’erarching roof. After all, the olden time with which we have dealt is a comparatively modern one. ‘She relics even of St Margaret’s Chapel, and St David‘a Monastery, and the Maiden Castle, which Chalmera ranks only as “ first of modern antiques,” mould possess but poor claims to our interest, as mere antiquities, beside the temples of Egypt or the marble columns of the Acropolis. The Castle, indeed, is found to have been occupied as a stronghold as far back as any trustworthy record extends ; and beyond this our older British chroniclers relate, as authentic, traditions which assip to it an origin nearly coeval with the Temple of Solomon, and centuries before the founding of Rome I Wyntoun records of the renowned Kyng Ebrawce,” who flourished 989 years before the Christian era :- “ He byggsd EDYNBWBwGyEth t-alle, And gert thaim Allynclowd it calle, The Maydyn castell, in Bum place The sorowful Hil it callyd waa.” Coming down a little nearer our own day, we arrive at the era of Fergus the First, the famed progenitor of one hundred and eighteen sovereigns, ‘( of the same unspotted blood and royal line,” who began his reign 330 years before Christ. Fergus, however, was no plebeian upstart. He again traced his descent from Mileaius, who reigned in Ireland 1300 years before. the Christian era, and “ who makes the twenty-sixth degree inclusively from Noe ; the twenty-first from Niul, a son of Fenius-farsa, king of Scythia, a prince very knowing in all the languages then spoken ; the twentieth from Gaedhal-Glass, a contemporary with Moses and Pharaoh ; the seventeenth inclusively from Heber-Scot, an excellent bow-man I ” a Upon the whole, we are put in the fair way of tracing King Fergus’s genealogy back to Adam,-a very satisfactory and credible beginning, in case anyeof its more recent steps should be thought to stand in need of additional proof. Leaving such famous worthies of the olden time, we come thereafter to Edwin, king of Northumbria, of whom we possess trustworthy historic account, and who, there seems no reason to doubt, gave his Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 669. ’ Dr Matthew Remedy, Ahercromby’a Martial Achievements, voL i p. 4. ... S TICA L ANTIQUITIES. 419 rials of the olden time. An unpicturesque fragment of the ruins of the Convent ...

Book 10  p. 459
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L UCKENBOOTHS AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. . 213 custom, part of the bride’s plenishing ; but the brooch and wedding-ring no doubt demanded a similar errand to the goldsmiths’ booths, and would form a still readier introduction to the whole secrets of courtship. On such occasions the customer paid for the refreshments when giving the order, and the trader returned the compliment on his second visit to receive and pay for the goods, which were then rarely to be found on hand ready for sale. The external appearance of the old Parliament House has been. rendered familiar to thousands who never saw it in its original state by the view of it on the notes of Sir William Forbes and Co.’s Bank. Tradition pointed to Inigo Jones as the designer, not without some coniirmation Gom its general style. It was no model of architectural beauty certainly, yet it presented a highly picturesque appearance and individuality of character, which, with its thorough accordance with the age in which it wits erected, ought to have secured the careful preservation of its antique turrets and sculptures, as a national monument associated with great historical events. There was a quaint stateliness about its irregular pinnacles and towers, and the rude elaborateness of its decorations, that seemed to link it with the courtiers of Holyrood, in the times of the Charleses, and its last gala days under the Duke of York’s vice-regency. Nothing can possibly be conceived more meaningless and utterly absurd than the thing that superseded it. The demolition of the adjoining buildings, and the extension of the Court Houses, so as to make the older part form only a subsidiary wing of the whole, have given some consistency to what is, at best, a very commonplace design ; but the original screen of stone, now forming the west wing of the Court Houses, which was built to hide the antique faqade of 1636, had neither relation to the building it was attached to, nor meaning of its own. Over the main entrance of the old fabric were the royal arms of Scotland, boldly sculptured, supported on the right by Mercy holding a crown wreathed with laurel, and on the left by Justice having the balance in one hand, and a palm-branch in the other, with the appropriate inscription, Stunt his felieia regna, and immediately underneath the national arms this motto, Uni unionum. This entrance, which stood facing the east, is now completely blocked up. Over the smaller doorway which forms the present main access to the Parliament Hall, the city arms occupied an ornamental tablet, placed between two sculptured obelisks, and underneath this inscription, on a festooned scroll,-Dominus custodit introitum nostrum. The general effect of the whole will be best understood by a reference to the view on page 99. An amusing anecdote is told of one of the old frequenters of the Parliament Close, regarding the ancient doorway we have described. James bbertson, Esq. of Kincraigie, an insane Jacobite laird, on being pressed on one occasion by the Honourable Henry Erskine to accompany him into the Parliament House, somewhat abruptly declined the invitation,--(-( But I’ll tell you what, Harry,” added he, pointing to the statue that stood over the porch, ‘‘ tak’ in Justice wi’ ye, for she has stood lang at the door, and We have the authority of an experienced matron for the following as a complete inventory of the bride‘s plenishing, according to old Scottish notion#, and which is often still regarded asindispensable:-1. A cheat of drawers, “split new,” and ordered for the occasion ; 2, Bed and table linen,-or nai.;cl aa it is styled,-with a supply of blankets j 3. The silver spoons; and, in wme districts, 4. An eight-day clock. But the Sine pecd m of all waa-5. A LADLE ! ... UCKENBOOTHS AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. . 213 custom, part of the bride’s plenishing ; but the brooch and ...

Book 10  p. 232
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274 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The peace, however, which had brought them this happy relaxation was not of long duration. The regiment marched to England next year5 and in 1805 ‘embarked for Gibraltar. From thence removed to Portugal, it served in the memorable campaign under Sir John Moore in 1808 ; next in the fatal expedition to Walcheren ; and returned for a short time to Scotland in 1810. From England, in 1812, the 42d Regiment again embarked for Portugal; and, joining the army of the Duke of Wellington immediately after the capt,ure of Badajoz, was consolidated with the second battalion of the corps, which had been two years previously in the Peninsula. The share of the united corps in the engagements which followed from that period till the short peace in 1814 is too well known to require repetition. The gallant band then returned to Ireland, but speedily re-embarked for Flanders, where, as every one knows, it was present at the decisive fields of Quatre Bras and .Waterloo. The glory there acquired by the various Scots regiments is matter of history, and interwoven with many a (‘tale of Waterloo.” The warm reception with which the Royal Highlanders were greeted on their return to England, after the peace of Paris; at once demonstrated how their conduct was appreciated by our neighbours of the south ; and in Edinburgh, where they arrived in the spring of 1816, their welcome was most enthusiastic. The following account of their reception is interesting :- “Arrival of the 42d Beyi~neati n Edidury?b.-h the 19th and 20th March the 42d Rcgiment marched in two divisions into Edinburgh Castle from Haddington. Colonel Dick rode at the head of the first division, accompanied by I\lajor General Hope, of the North British Staff, and Colonel David Stewart of Garth,’ who formerly belonged to the regiment, and who was wounded under their colours in Egypt. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm with which these gallant veterans were welcomed in every town and village through which their route lay. Early on the 19th vast crowds were collected on the streets of this city, in expectation of their arrival. The road as far as Musselburgh was crowded with people ; and as they approached the city, so much was their progress impeded by the multitude, that their march from Piershill to the Castle (less than two miles) occupied nearly two hours. House-tops and windows were also crowded with spectaiors ; and as they passed along the streets, amidst the ringing of bells, waying of flags, and the acclamations of thousands, their red and white plumes, tattered colours (emblems of their well-earned fame in fight), and glittering bayonets, were all that could be seen of these heroes, except by the few who were fortunate in obtaining elevated situations. The scene, viewed from the windows and house-tops, was the most extraordinary ever witnessed in this city. The crowds were wedged together across the whole breadth of the street, and extended in length as far as the eye could reach ; and this motley throng appeared to move like a solid body, slowly along, till the gallant Highlanders were safely lodged in the Castle.” The non-commissioned officers and privates were sumptuously entertained at dinner in the evening in the Assembly Rooms. Sir Walter Scott was amongst the gentlemen who superintended the entertainment. Each soldier was also presented with a free ticket to the Theatre. The 78th, ‘( another of our gallant Scots regiments,” having arrived in Edinburgh a few days after, a splendid fkte, in “honour of the heroes,” was given in.Corri’s Rooms, on the Author of the “Sketches of the Character, Manners, and present state of the Highlanders of Scotland ; with details of the Military Service of the Highland Regiments.” Afterwards Governor of St. Lucie, where he died. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The peace, however, which had brought them this happy relaxation was not of long ...

Book 9  p. 364
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208 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. was he in his attachment to Presbyterianism, that he relinquished his profession as an advocate in 1681 rather than take the !Pest. Nevertheless, he learned soon after to hold the favour of royalty in greater esteem. By a special dispensation from the King. he was restored to his rank as an advocate j and on the removal of Lord Edmonston from the Bench, in consequence of his opposition to the royal inclinations in one of his votes as a judge, Swinton, the once resolute declaimer against the encroachments of royalty, was selected as the most pliant successor that could be found. The poor King, James VII., displayed at all times little judgment in the choice of his friends, and in this case his selection appears to have been peculiarly unfortunate. The Revolution ensued immediately after Swinton’s elevation to the Bench, and if Lord Balcarras’s account is to be believed, the new judge took a leading share in some of the strangest proceedings that followed. The mob signalised the dethronement of the King by an assault on the Abbey Chapel, in which several of them were killed and wounded by the guard who were stationed to defend it. On the following day Lord Mersington headed a rabble, accompanied by the Provost and Magistrates, and renewed the attack on Captain Wallace and his men. The guards were speedily put to flight, and my lord and the rest of the rioters completely gutted the chapel, which had been fitted up in the most gorgeous and costly style. Balcarras styles Lord Mersington “ the fanatical judge,” and, according to his description, he figures on the occasion girt with a broad buff-belt, with ‘( a halbert in his hand, and as drunk as ale and brandy could make him.”l He was the only judge on the Bench at the Revolution that was reappointed by the new government. On the third floor in the eastern turnpike of the back land, Sir David Home, Lord Crossrig, resided,-one of the first judges nominated after the Revolution, and shortly afterwards knighted by King William. The judicial report of tenants and valuations exhibits a curious assemblage of occupants, from the renters of garrets, and laigh houses ‘‘ beneath the grund,” at the annual rate of twelve pound Scots, to my Lord Crossrig, who pays three hundred pounds Scots for his flat, and share of the common stair 1 The Laird of Merchistoun, Lady Hartfield, Sir James Mackenzie, Sir Patrick Aikenhead, Commissar Clerk, Lady Harviston, Lady Colston, with Bailies, Merchants, and humble craftsmen, all figure in the impartial articles of sale ; sharing together at their several elevations, above and below ground, the numerous lodgings of this populous neighbourhood. While the sale of%his property was going on, the “ Great Fire ” suddenly took place, and made a settlement of all valuations and purchases by reducing the whole lofty range to a heap of ruins. “ The fire broke out in the lodgeing immediately under the Lord Crossrig’s lodgeing, in the Meal Mercat of Edinburgh, while part of his family were in bed, and his Lordship going to bed; and the allarum was so sudden, that he was forced to retire in his night cloaths, with his children half naked; and that when people were sent into his closet to help out with his cabinet and papers, the smoke was Brunton 8; Haig’s Senators of the College of Justice, p. 432. In contrast to this account, we may add the notice of his death, by.Sir James Stewart, Lord Advocate, in a letter to Carataira. ‘‘ On TueBday last the Lord Mersington dined well with a friend in the Merse, and went well to bed, but was found dead before four io the morning, his lady in bed with him, who knew nothiog of his dying. He waa a good mau, and is much regretted” A warning stroke. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. was he in his attachment to Presbyterianism, that he relinquished his profession as ...

Book 10  p. 227
(Score 0.27)

ECCLESIASTICAL ANTIQUITIES. 41 I the entrance to the churchyard, at the foot of the Candlemaker Row, the following moral distich was originally inscribed :- Remember, Man, as thou goes by, AE thou art now, 80 once was I ; As I am now, 80 shalt thou be ; Remember, Man, that thou must die.’ The principal gateway, opposite the east end of the church, is a work of more recent construction, and appears, from the records of Monteith, to have involved the destruction of the monument of no less illustrious a citizen than Alexander Miller, master tailor to King James VI., who died in the year 1616. The Old Greyfriars’ Church, as it was styled, was suddenly destroyed by a fire which broke out on the morning of Sunday the 19th of January 1845, and presented to the astonished parishioners a blazing mass of ruins as they assembled for the services of the day. It bore on the north-east pillar the date 1613, and on a panel surmounting the east gable that of 1614, underneath the city arms. It was a clumsy, inconvenient, and ungainly edifice, with few historical associations and no architectural beauties to excite any regret at its removaL It is very different, however, with the surrounding churchyard, which it disfigured with. its lumpish deformity. Its monuments and other memorials of the illustrious dead who repose there form an object of attraction no less for their interesting associations than their picturesque beauty ; while it is memorable in Scottish history as the scene of the signing of the Covenant by the enthusiastic leaguers of 1638, and the place of captivity, under circumstances of peculiar cruelty, of the insurgent Covenanters taken in arms at Bothwell Brig. Like other great cemeteries it forms the peaceful resting-place of rival statesmen and politicians, and of many strangely diverse in life and fortune. Here mingle the ashes of George Heriot, the father of the royal goldsmith ; George Buchanan, Alexander Henderson, Sir George Mackenzie, Sir James Stewart, Principal Carstairs, Sir John de Medina, the painter; Allan Ramsay, Colin Maclaurin, Thomas Ruddiman, and many others distinguished in their age for rank or genius. The Carmelites, or Whitefriars, though introduced into Scotland in the thirteenth century, did not acquire an establishment in Edinburgh till 1518, when the Provost and Bailies, conveyed, by charter dated the 13th April, “ to Jo. Malcolme, provincial of the Carmelites, and his mcceseors, y’ lands of Green-side, with the chapel1 or kirk of the Holy Cross y’of.” From this we learn that a chapel existed there in ancient times, of which no other record has been preserved, and adjoining it was a cross called the Rood of Greenside. It was the scene of martyrdom of David Stratoun and Norman Gourlay, a priest and layman, who were tried at Holyrood House, in the presence of James V. ; and on the 27th of August 1534, were led ‘‘ to a place besydis the Roode of Grepsyd, and thair thei two war boyth hanged and brunt, according to the mercy of the Papisticall Kirk.”’ The tradition has already been referred to that assigns the same locality for the burning of Major Weir. On the suppression of the order of Carmelites at the Reformation, John Robertson, a benevolent merchant, founded on the site of their convent an hospital for lepers, “pursuant Monteith’s Theatrum Mortalium, p. 1. The last word is evidently intended to be pronounced in the old broad Scottish fashion, &e. ’ Inventar of Pious Donations. Knox’s Hist., Wodrow Soc., uol i. p. 60. ... ANTIQUITIES. 41 I the entrance to the churchyard, at the foot of the Candlemaker Row, the following ...

Book 10  p. 450
(Score 0.27)

Leith Wynd.] TRINITY COLLEGE. 303 near its site stands one of the fine and spacious school houses erected for the School Board. At the foot of Leith Wynd, on the west side, there was founded on the 5th of March, 1462, by royal charter, the collegiate church of the Holy Trinity, by Mary, Queen of Scotland, daughter of Arnold Duke of Gueldres, grand-daughter of John Duke of Burgundy, and widow of James II., slain about two years before by the bursting of a cannon at Roxburgh. Her great firniness on that disastrous occasion, and during the few remaining years of her own life, proves her to have been a princess of no ordinary strength of mind. She took an active part in goyerning the stormy kingdom of her son, and died in 1463. Her early death may account for the nave never being built, though it was not unusual for devout persons in that age of church buliding, to erect as much as they could finish, and leave to the devotion of posterity the completion of the rest. Pitscottie tells us that she OLD COLLEGIATE SEALS, his office shall be adjudged vacant, and the same shall, by the Provost and Chapter, with consent of the Ordinary, be conferred upon another. If any of the said prebendaries shall keep a $ye-maker, and shall not dismiss her, after being therein admonished thereto by the Provost, his prebend shall be adjudged vacant, and conferred on another, by consent of the Ordinary as aforesaid. ? The Provost of the said college, whenever the office of provostry shall become vacant, shall by us and our successors, Kings of Scotland, be presented to the Ordinary; and the vicars belonging to the out-churches aforesaid shall be presented by the Provost and Chapter of the said college to the Ordinary, fromwhomtheyshall receive canonical institution; and no prebendary shall be instituted unless he can read and sing plainly, count and discount, and that the boys may be found docile in the premises. And we further appoint and ordain, that whenever any of the said ?RINITY COLLEGE CHURCH. prebendwies shall ?was buried in the Trinitie College, quhilk she built hirself.? Her grave was violated at the Reformation. The church was dedicated ?to the Holy Trinity, to the ever blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, to 3t. Ninian the Confessor, and to all the saints and elect people of God.? The foundation was for a provost, eight prebendaries, and two clerks, and with much minuteness several ecclesiastical benefices and portions of land were assigned for the support of the several offices ; and in the charter there are some provisions of a peculiar character, in Scotland at least, and curiously illustrative of the age and its manners :- ?Aud we appoint that none of the said preben- ,daries or clerks absent themselves from their offices without the leave of the Provost, to whom it shall not be lawful to allow any of them above the space of fifteen days at a time, unless it be on extraordiaary occasions, and then not without consent of the chapter ; and whosoever of the said prebendaries or clerks shall act contrary to this ordinance, iead mass,? he shall, after the same, in his sacerdotal habits, repair to the tomb of the foundress with hyssop, and there read the prayer Dep-ofmdis, together with that of the faithful, and exhortation to excite the people to devotion.?? . Thechoir of this church from the apse to the west enclosure of the rood tower was go feet long, and 70 feet from transept to transept window ; the north aisle was 12 feet broad, and the south g feet. It is a tradition in masonry that the north aisles of all Catholic churches were wider than the south, to commemorate the alleged circumstance of the Saviour?s head, on the cross, falling on his right shoulder. In digging the foundation of the Scott monument, an old quarry 40 feet deep was discovered, and from it the stones from which the church was built were taken. With the exception of Holyrood, it was the finest example of decorated English Gothic architecture in the city, with many of the peculiarities of the age to which it belonged. Various armorial bearings adorned different parts ... Wynd.] TRINITY COLLEGE. 303 near its site stands one of the fine and spacious school houses erected for the ...

Book 2  p. 303
(Score 0.27)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, 69 one of the French eagles was much spoken about. .Through his interest the gallant soldier was promoted to an ensigncy in a veteran corps. In 18 17 Sir John disposed of his villa near London, and returned to Edinburgh, where he afterwards continued permanently to reside, The only other political topic of paramount importance in which he took part was the renewal of the “bullion question.” He opposed Sir Robert Peel’s bill to the utmost ; and in 1526, aided by the pen of Sir Walter Scott, under the signature of Mu- Zuchi i&lagrmtheT, eucceeded in rousing an effectual resistance, in so far as his own country was concerned, to the threatened extinction of the small note circulation. In 1830, the “Scottish Patriot,” then far advanced in years, paid a last visit to his native county. He was received with the most affectionate attention ; and, on his return, his parting with old friends, many of whom accompanied him considerable distances, was in the highest degree affecting. He died at his house in George Street, in December 1835, and was interred on the 30th, in the Royal Chapel of Holyrood. From this rapid sketch of the life of Sir John Sinclair, a very imperfect idea can be formed of the multifarious labours in which he was incessantly engaged, Besides the works already mentioned, he was the author of several other extensive productions, among which may be mentioned the ‘‘ Code of Health and Longevity,” the “ Code of Agriculture,” etc., while his miscellaneous pamplets and papers, on political and other subjects, amount to nearly four hundred? In politics he was decidedly independent. His opinions were invariably the result of accurate information and of deep reflection. As a financier, his knowledge was comprehensive and sound; and his “History of the Revenue of the British Empire ” may be still looked upon as the best ‘authority that can be having killed three of his opponents before he succeeded in carrying off the trophy, he escaped without a wound. He is understood to have attributed much of his success to the superior training of the horse which he rode. This animal, in consequence of his own having taken ill, he procnred only the day before the engagement, and from its small stature, and being entirely unacquainted with its disposition, he felt a corresponding want of confidence on entering the field, The conflict had not long commenced, however, before he became sensible of the superior mettle of hi charger. Of its aptitude in attack and defence he had several striking instances. In the deadly combat maintained in capturing the standard, and at the moment the sabre of one of his opponents was poised with deadly aim, the little animal suddenly reared ; and he not only escaped the blow, but, from the advantage of position, was enabled to cut down his antagonist. For example, ‘‘ Address on the Corn Laws ”--“91an for Rewarding Discoveries for the Benefit of Society”-“On the Means of enabling a Cottager to keep a Cow ’I-“ Culture of Potatoes ’I-“ Sketch of a system of Education ”-“ On the Political State of Europe”-“On pmerving the Dress, the Language, the Music, etc., of the Ancient Inhabitants of Scotland ’I-“ Address to the Mercantile Interest ”-‘‘ On the Distresses of the Times ” (1816)--l‘ Plan for promoting Domestic Colonisation, by Agricultural Improvements (1819) “Address to the Reformers of Great Britain” (1819)--“0n the Causes of our National Diatresses” -“Letter on Mountain Dew”-“Hmts 89 to a Metallic Currency and a Free Trade”-“On the Cure and Prevention of Cholera, Fever,” etc. (1826)-“ Gretna Green Marriages ”-“Thonghts on Catholic Emancipation ”-‘‘ On infant Schools ”-“Plan for enabling Government to reduce Four Millions of Taxes ” (1830)--“ Fingal, a Tragedy, in Five Acta ”-“Hints on the Tithe Question,” etc. etc. Almost no question of any importance escaped his notice. These embrace subjects the most varied. ... SKETCHES, 69 one of the French eagles was much spoken about. .Through his interest the gallant ...

Book 9  p. 91
(Score 0.27)

286 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. “ His celebrated ancestor, the Marquis of Montrose, scarcely exhibited more devotion to the cause of Charles I. in the field, than his descendant displayed for George the Third in the House of Commons. Nor did he want great energy, as well as activity of mind and body. During the progress of the French Revolution, when the fabric of our constitution was threatened by internal and external attacks, Lord Graham, then become Duke of Montrose, enrolled himself as a private soldier in the City Light Horse. During several successive years he did duty in that capacity, night and day, sacrificing to it his ease and his time ; thus holding out an example worthy of imitation to the British nobility.” His Grace died on December 30, 1836, being, strange to say, the third individual who had held the family honours since the accession of his grandfather to them in 1684, in the reign of Charles 11.-a period of a hundred and fifty-three years. He was twice married, and left two sons and three daughters. He was succmded by James (4th Duke), eldest son of the second marriage. THE EARL OF BUCHAN was born in 1742, and succeeded to the title and estates of the family in 1767. His course of education being completed at the University of Glasgow, he soon after entered the army, in which he rose to the rank of lieutenant ; but, disliking the profession of arms, he did not continue long in the service. In 1’766, he was appointed Secretary to the Eritish Embassy in Spain; but, on the death of his father the year following, he returned to his native land, resolved to prosecute pursuits more congenial to his strong literary bias. The first instance of the Earl’s activity was the formation of the Society of Scottish Antiquaries in 1780.’ The want of such a Society had long been felt j yet it is strange his lordship experienced illiberal oppositim from parties, who In 1792, the first volume of their transactions was published ; and the following discourses by the Earl appear in it :--“Memoirs of the Life of Sir James Stiiart Denham”-“ Account of the Parish of Uphall”-“Account of the Island of 1colmkiln”-and “A Life of Mr. James Short, optician.” Besides various fugitive pieces, in prose and verse, he printed, in conjunction with Dr. Walter Minto, “An Account of the Life, Writings, and Inventions of Napier of Merchiston.” In addition to the other objects of this Society, it was resolved to establish a mwem of natural history, for the better cultivation of that science, and of which museum Mr. Smellie wm appointed curator. He was likewise permitted to deliver the projected course of lectures on the philosophy of natural history in the hall of the museum. The Society at the time having applied for a RoyaLCharter of incorporation, an unexpected opposition arose (already alluded to in our notice of Mr. Smellie) from Dr. Walker, Professor of Natural History in the University, and also from the Senatus Academicus a8 a body, who memorialised the Lord Advocate (Mr. Henry Dundas, afterwards Lord Viscount Melville) against the proposed grant of a charter, alleging that the Society would intercept the communication of many specimens and objects of natural history which would otherwise h d their way to the College Museum, as well as documents tending to illustrate the history, antiquities, and laws of Scotland, which ought to be deposited in the Advocates’ Library. They likewise noticed that the possession of a museum of natural history might induce the Society to institute a lectureship on that science, in opposition to the professorship in the University, The Faculty of Advocates and other public bodies also joined in thia opposition ; but, after an elaborate reply on the part of the Antiquaries, the Lord Advocate signified his approval of their request ; and, on the very next day, the royal warrant passed the privy seal, in which his Majesty voluntarily declared himself Patron of the Society. 1787, 4to. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. “ His celebrated ancestor, the Marquis of Montrose, scarcely exhibited more devotion ...

Book 8  p. 401
(Score 0.27)

402 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. for the chaplain, and four poor brethren, to have their yearly food, and perpetual sustentation within the said hospital ; and for buying of their habits every twa year once, I mortify these annualrents under-written,” &c.’ After very minute directions for the appointment of the chaplain and the management of the hospital, it is provided :-‘‘ And farder, the said chaplane, every gear, once in the year, for the said hlichael and Jonet, sal1 make suffrages, which is, ‘I am pleased,’ and ‘ direct me, 0 Lord; ’ with ane Mess of rest, ‘being naked, he clothed me ; ’ with two wax candles burning on the altar. To the whilk suffrages and mess, he shall cause ring the chapel bell the space of ane quarter of an hour, and that all the foresaid poor, and others that shall be thereintill, shall be present at the foresaid mess with their habites, requesting all these that shall come in to hear the said mess to pray for the said souls. And farder, every day of the blessed Mary Magdallen, patron of the foresaid hospital, and the day of the indulgence of the said hosjital, and every other day of the yeas, the said chaplaine shall offer up all the oblations, and for every oblation . shall have twa wax candles upon the altar, and twa at the foot of the image of the patron in twa brazen candlesticks, and twa wax torches on the feast of the nativity of our Saviour, Pasch, and Whitsunday, of the dap of Mary Magdallen, and of the days of the indulgences granted to the said hospital, and doubleing at other great feasts, with twa wax candles alenerly.” Such were the provisions for the due observance of all the formulary of the services of the Church, which the chaplain on his induction was bound ‘‘ to give his great oath, by touching the sacred Evangile,” that he would neither infringe nor suffer to be altered. It is probable that the chapel was hardly built ere the whole schefke of its founders was totally overthrown. Certain evidence at least tends to show, that neither the steeple nor its fine-toned bell ever fulfilled the will of the’foundress, by summoning the bedemen and all who chose to muster at the call to pray for the repose of the founders’ souls. The chapel is adorned at its east end with the royal arms, the city arms, and the armorial bearing of twenty-two corporations, who unite to form the ancient body known as the United Incorporation of Hammermen, the guardians of the sacred banner, the Blue Blanket, on the unfurling of which every liege burgher of the kingdom is bound to answer the summons. The north and east walls of the chapel are ’almost entirely occupied with a series of tablets recording the gifts of numerous benefactors. The earliest of these is probably a daughter of the founder, “ Isobel Macquhane, spouse to Gilbt Lkuder, merchant burgess of Edin’, who bigged ye crose house, and mortified &50 yearly out of the Cousland, anno 1555.” Another records that, “John Spens, burgess of Edinburgh, bestowed 100 lods of Wesland lime for building the stipel of this chapell, anno 1621.” Here, therefore, is the date of erection of the steeple, which receives corroboration from its general features, with the old-fashioned gargoils in the form of ornamental cannons, each with a bullet ready to issue from its mouth. appears to have been the subject of still further delay, as the bell bears this legend around it, iu Roman characters:-SOLI D E 0 GLORIA * MICHAEL BURGERHUYB ME FECIT, ANKO 1632; and in smaller characters, GOD BLIS THE EIAYMEBMEN OF UGDALENE CHAPEL.” The bell is still rung according to the will of the foundress, however . different be the objects answered by its warning note ; and it was further applied, soon after its erection, to summon the inhabitants of the neighbouring district to the parish . The furnishing of the steeple with ‘‘ The Chapel Bell l Hist. of the Blue Blanket, &e., by Alexander Pennecuick, p. 46-48. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. for the chaplain, and four poor brethren, to have their yearly food, and perpetual ...

Book 10  p. 441
(Score 0.26)

144 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. last recorded noble occupants are mentioned by Chambers as ((two ancient spinsters, daughters of Lord GraF.” Over the main entrance of the next land, there is a defaced inscription, with the date 1621. The house immediately below this is worthy of notice, as a fine specimen of an old wooden fronted land, with the timbers of the gable elegantly carved. During the early part of the last century, this formed the family mansion of David, the third Earl of Leven, on whom the title devolved after being borne by two successive Countesses in their own right. He was appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle by William and Mary, on its surrender by the Duke of Gordon in 1689 ; and shortly after he headed his regiment, and distinguished himself at the battle of Killicrankie by running away! To the east of this there formerly stood, at the head of Sempill’s Close, another wooden fronted land, ornamented with a curious projecting porch at the entrance to the close, and similar in general style to those taken down in 1845, of which we furnish an engraving. It hung over the street, story above story, each projecting further the higher it rose, as if in defiance of all laws of gravitation, nntil at length it furnished unquestionable evidence of its great age by literally tumbling down about the ears of its poor inmates, happily without any of them suffering very serious injury. Immediately behind the site of this house stands a fine old mansion, at one time belonging to the Sempill family, whose name the close still retains. It is a large and substantial building, with a projecting turnpike stair, over the entrance to which is the inscription, PRAISED BE THE LORD MY GOD, MY STRENGTH, AND MY REDEEMER. ANN0 DOM. 1638, and a device like an anchor, entwined with the letter S. Over another door, which gives entrance to the lower part of the same house, there is the inscription, SEDES MANET OPTIMA CGLO, with the date and device repeated. On the left of the first inscription there is a shield, bearing party per fesse, in chief three crescents, a mullet in base. The earliest titles of the property are wanting, and we have failed to discover to whom these arms belong. The house was purchased by Hugh, twelfth Lord Sempill, in 1743, from Thomas Brown and Patrick Manderston, two merchant burgesses, who severally possessed the upper and under portions of it. By him it was converted into one large mansion, and apparently an additional story added to it, as the outline of dormer windows may be traced, built into the west wall. Lord Sempill, who had seen considerable military service, commanded the left wing of the royal army at Culloden. He was succeeded by his son John, thirteenth Lord Sempill, who, in 1755, sold the family mansion to Sir James Clerk of Pennycuik. The ancient family of the Sempills is associated in various ways with Scottish song. John, son of Robert, the third Lord, married Mary Livingston, one of ‘I the Queen’s Maries.” Their son, Sir James, a man of eminent ability and great influence in his day, was held in high estimation, and employed as ambassador to England in 1599 ; he was the author of the clever satire, entitled “ The Packman’s Paternoster.” His aon followed in his footsteps, and produced an “ Elegy on Habbie Simsou, the piper of Kilbarchan,” a poem’ of great vigour and much local celebrity; while his grandson, Francis Sempill of Beltrees, is the author both of the fine old song, “ She rose and let me in,” and of a curious poem preserved in Watson’s collection, en titled ‘‘ Banishment of Poverty,” written about Watson’8 Collection of Scots Poems, 1706, part i. p. 32. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. last recorded noble occupants are mentioned by Chambers as ((two ancient ...

Book 10  p. 155
(Score 0.26)

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