L UCKENBOOTNS AND PARLIAMENT CLOSE. 215
appropriately suspended on the walls, and mentioned in a MS. volume of last century,
as ‘‘ taken down when the Court was repaired.” These ancient decorations have since
been replaced by statues of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, Lord President Blair, son of
the poet, Lord Melville, Lord Chief Baron Dundas, Lord Jeffrey, Lord President Boyle,
Lord Cockburn, &c.; and by portraits of Lord Abercromby, Professor Bell, Lord
Brougham, Lord Justice-clerk Hope, Lord Colonsay, &c. There are also specimens by
.the celebrated Jamesone, the earliest Scottish painter, who studied under Rubens at
Antwerp. This great hall is now used as a waiting-room and promenade by the advocates
and the various other practitioners connected with the Supreme Courts, and during
the sitting of the courts presents a very attractive and animated scene.
To a stranger visiting the Scottish capital, no one of its public buildings is so
calculated to excite a lively interest as the scene of its latest legislative assemblies ; for
while it shares with the deserted palace, and the degraded mansions of the Old Town, in
many grand and stirring associations, it still forms the Hallaf the College of Justice,
founded by James V.,-at once the arena of the leading Scottish nobles and statesmen
of the last two centuries, and the scene of action of many of the most eminent men of
Beneath the old roof, thus consecrated by sacred historic memories, the first great
movements of the civil war took place, and the successive steps in that eventful crisis
were debated with a zeal commensurate to the important results involved in them, and
with as fiery ardour as characterised the bloody struggles which they heralded. Here
Montrose united with Rothes, Lindsay, Loudon, and others of the Covenanting leaders,
in maturing the bold measures that formed the basis of our national liberties; and
within the same hall, only a few years later, he sat with the calmness of despair, to
receive from the lips of his old compatriot, Loudon, the barbarous sentence which was
executed with such savage rigour.
When the fatal overthrow of the Scottish army at Dunbar at length laid the capital at
the mercy of Cromwell, new scenes were enacted within the Parliament House-“ witness
sindry Englisch trouperis quha oppinlie taught there.” ’ If Pinkerton ’ is to be believed,
even the General, Cromwell himself, occasionally laid aside the temporal for the spiritual
sword, within the same august arena, to the great scandal of the Presbyterian citizens,
who were horrified to find that ‘‘ men war not aschamed to tak upone thame the functione
of the ministrie, without a lauchfull calling.” But while such novelties were being
enacted in the great hall, the laich Parliament Hous ” was crowded with Scottish
prisoners, and the building strictly guarded by bands of the same English troopers,
equally ready to relieve guard on the outer parade, or to take their turn within, where
. our own day.
Pulpit drum Ecclesiastic
Was beat with fist instead of a stick.
The Scottish strongholds, however, proved insufficient for the detention of their old
masters, under the care of foreign jailers. On the 17th of May 1654, the whole number
of prisoners in the “ laich Parliament House,” effected their escape by cutting a hole in
the floor of the great hall above, and all but two got clear OK Only ten days afterwards,
Supplement to Court of Session Garland, p. 4. * Nicoll’s Diary, p. 94. Ante, p. 96.
