YAMES V. TO ABDICA TION OF QUEEN MAR Y. 55
In the beginning of October, in this same year, the Scottish forces were mustered on
the Borough Muir of Edinburgh, to the number of ten thousand men ; the English having
been-at length fairly starved out of the country, For the pest and hungar was rycht evil1
amangis tham, quha mycht remayne na langer thairin ; ” * and so, having no -enemy to
contend with, they and their allies immediately quarrelled. “ There chanced,” says Bishop
Leslie (who has furnished the most detailed account of the transaction), “ to fall out not
a little piece of trouble in Edinburgh, betwixt the Scotch and Frenchmen, by reason that
a French soldier fell at quarelling with a Scotsman upon the High Street, and after words
they came to blows, so that divers Scotsmen coming to the fray, would have had the
Frenchman to prison; but divers of the French soldiers being also present, would not
suffer them to take him with them ; whereupon the captains being advertised, come with all
speed to the highway. The Laird of Stenhouse (James Hamilton), being the Captain of
the Castle and Provost of the town, comes likewise with a company to put order thereto.
The French soldiers being so furious that they shot their harquebusses indiferently at all
men, wherewith there were sundry slain, both men, weomen, and children ; among the
which the foresaid Provost of Edinburgh was slayn, and Master William Stewart, a gentleman
of good reputation, with sundry others ; whereby the whole people conceived B great
grudge and hatred against the Frenchmen, and for revenge thereof there was many Frenchmen
slain at Edinburgh at sundry times thereafter.” * Calderwood further states, that
the Frenchmen were driven by the citizens from the Cross to Niddry’s Wynd-head, where
they rallied and were joined by a number of their fellow-soldiers ; they were again compelled
to retreat, however, till on their reaching the Nether Bow, the whole body of French
troops encountered the Provost and citizens; and there the Provost, and his son, and
various other citizens, women as well as men, were slain. The French troops kept possession
of the town from five to seven at night, when they retired to the Canongate.* To
appease the matter, the Frenchman, chief beginner of the business, was hanged the same
day at the market place of Edinburgh, where the quarrel first began. A very unpropitious
state of things, as the only alternative seemingly left to the Scots from another English
harrying.
In the month of April 1550, a final peace was concluded with England, the latter
abandoning all those unjustifiable projects of forced alliance, which had been attempted to
he enforced with such relentless barbarity during a nine years’ war.
In the year 1551, the Queen Dowager returned from a visit she had made to the
French Court, and immediately thereafter, on the 29th of May, a Parliament was held at
Edinburgh, and another in the month of February following, at both of which enactments
were passed, which furnish, at once, evidence of the state of the county at the period,
and afford curious insight into the manners of the age. One of these is <‘anent the
annuelles of landes burnt be our auld enemies of England, within the burgh of Edinburgh
and other burghs,”‘ and bears a special reference to Edinburgh, having been
enacted at the suit of the Provost and Bailies thereof, to settle disputed claims by the
clergy.
Others, again, are addressed against many prevailing vioes or extravagances of the age,
* DCiauldrenrawl ooof dO’ac Hcuirsrtoenryts,, vpo.l . 4i8. p. 258. . ’’ S Bcisohtao pA cLtaes, lvieo,l .p .i 2p1 .7 2. 71,
