WILSON'S TALE OF THE BORDERS, AND OF SCOTLAND - HIS - pocketboek

WILSONS TALES OF THE BORDERS, AND OF SCOTLAND. H I S T O R I C A L, TRADITIONARY, AND IAiAGIN ATIVE. - 1888 - CONTENTS . PAGE A WIFE OR THE WUDDY . ............... John Naekay Wilson 1 Loan DURIR A ND CHEISTLEWS ILL . ..... Alexander Loighton 33 RECOLLECTIO O N F S BURNS .. .......................... Hugh Mtllcr 65 THE PROFESSORTSA LE . S . ...... . P . I o fcsso T hornm Gil1qie-THE CONVIVIALI .. T .. S .. ........................................ 122 PHILIPSG REY .. ............................................. 144 DOXALDG ORM .. ................. . . .......... A ezanderC anzpbelt 155 THE SURGEONTS ALES .. ...................... Alerander Leighton THE CUREDI NGRAT . E .. ................ . . ................ 188 THE ADOPTEDS ON . ......................... J ohn Mmkay Wilson 220 TI EFO RTUNE O S F WILLIAMW IOIITON .. ........ J ohn Howell 247 MY BLACK COAT O R, THE BREAKIX O G P THE BRIDES C IN . A ... ................................ John Mockay ViVilsmt 2i6 WILSONS TALES OF THE BORDERS, ARD OF SCOTLAXD. THE WIFE OR TlIE TVUDDY. .. There was a criminal ill a cart Agoing to be hanged-Reprieve to him . as granted The crowd and cart did stalld. To sce if he would marry a wife, Or, otherw se, cl ooset o die Oh, why should I torment mJ-life The victim did reply The bargains bad in every part-But a wifes the worst- ri-e on the cat. IIONEST S ir John Falstaff tnlketli of minions of the moon and, truth to tell, two or three liundred years ago, nowhere was such an order of knighthood more prevalent than upon the Borders. Not only did the Scottish and Englisl Borderers make their forays across the Tweed and the ideal line, but rival chieftains, though of the same nation, considered themselves atliberty to make inroads upon the property of each other. The law of meum and tuum they were unable to comprehend. Theirs was the strong mans world, and with them a zjil w t as rzj. ht. But to proceed with our story. About the beginning of the seventeenth century, one of tlle boldest knights upon the Borders tvas WiIliam Scott, the young laird of Harden. His fa rouriter esidence was Oak-wood Tower, a place of great strength, situated on the banlrs of the Ettriclr. The motto of his family was Reparabit cornua Ph be, which being interpreted by his countrymen, in their vernacular idiom, ran thus-6 Well hae moonlight again. Now, the young laird was one who considered it his chief honour to give effect to both the spirit and the letter of his family motto. Permitting us again to refer to honest Balstaff, it implied that they were gentlemen of the night and he was not one who would loll upon his pillorv when his avocation called him to the foray. It was drawing towards midnight, in the month of Octo ber, when the leaves in the forest I ad become brown and yellow, and with a hard sound rustled upon each other, that young Scott called together his retainers, arid addressing them, said- Look ye, friends, is it not a crying sin znrl a national shame to see things going aglee as they are doing There seems hardly such a thing as manhood left upon the f Borders. A bit scratch with a pen upon parchment is becoming of more effect than a strolre with the sword. A bairn now stands as good a chance to hold and to have, as an armed man that has a hand to take and to defend. Such n state o things was only made for those who are ower lazy to ride by night, and ower cowardly to fight. Never shall it be saidthat I, TiVilliam Scott of Harden, was one who either submitted or conformed to it. Give me the good, old, manly law, that they shall keep who can, and wi my honest sword will I maintain my right against every enemy...