Volume II Part 1 (2/2)

684.)

[14] John, tenth Earl of Sutherland. The Earl of Arran, and Lord James Stewart, in a letter to Sadler, dated Dysart, 19th January, make mention of the Earl of Huntly having sent ”in commission to us, his cousen the Erle of Sutherland, to offer unto us adjunction in our common actioun in his name, and all his a.s.sistance; and, at the first skirmishe, hazarding himself too farre, was shott in the left arme, and hurt very evill; for which cause he is departed home, and shall cause the Erle Huntley performe his promesse.” (Vol. i. p. 691.) ”The Lorde of Southerland, sithens he was hurte, is becom a greate enemye of the Franches.” (Letter to Sadler, 4th February 1559-60. Ib. p.

702.) His wound did not prove fatal, but he died from the effects of poison, in 1567, in the forty-second year of his age.

[15] In MS. G, ”that Bey betuix Kinghorne.”--The places here mentioned are all well known, stretching along the coast of Fife, on the north side of the Frith of Forth, to the west of Kirkaldy.

[16] In MS. 1566, ”Paule Lambett.”

[17] In MS. G, ”over the stipell of Kinghorne.”

[18] The persons here referred to, with other gentlemen of Fife, are afterwards noticed by Knox, as having been apprehended by the Earl of Arran and Lord James Stewart for the a.s.sistance they had rendered to the French. Seafield and Balmuto are in the parish of Kinghorn; Wemyss in the parish of that name; and Balweary in that of Abbotshall.

[19] Omitted in the MS.--The House of Grange is about a mile to the north-east of Kinghorn, and in that parish.

[Sidenote: THE CASTEIN DOUN OF THE HOUSE OF THE GRANGE.]

The Quene Regent, proude of this victorie, burst furth in hir blasphemous rayling, and said, ”Whair is now Johne Knox his G.o.d? My G.o.d is now stronger than his, yea even in Fyff.” Sche posted to hir freindis in France news[20] that thousandis of the heretickis war slaine, and the rest war fled; and thairfoir requyred, that some n.o.bleman of hir freindis wald c.u.m and tak the glorie of that victorye.

Upon that informatioun was the Martikkis, with tuo schippis, and sum Captanis and horse, directed to c.u.m to Scotlande; but litill to thair awin advantage, as we sall after heare.

[20] In MS. 1566, ”of new.”

[Sidenote: JOAN. 6]

The Lordis of the Congregatioun, offended at the folisheness of the rascall mult.i.tude, called to thameselfis the men of warr, and remaned certane dayes at Cowper; unto whome repaired Johne Knox, and, in our greatest disperatioun, preached unto us a most comfortable sermon. His text was, ”The danger in whiche the disciplis of Christ Jesus stude quhen thei wer in the mydest of the sea, and Jesus was upon the mountaine.” His exhortatioun was, ”That we sould not faint, but that we sould still row aganis these contrarius blastis, till that Jesus Christ sould come; for (said he,) I am as a.s.suredlie persuaded that G.o.d sall delyver us frome the extreme trowbill, as that I am a.s.sured that this is the Evangell of Jesus Christ whiche I preche unto [you]

this day. 'The fourth watche is nocht yet come;' abyde a lytill: the boit salbe saved, and Peter, whiche hes left the boit, sall not droune. I am a.s.sured, albeit I cannot a.s.sure[21] you, be reason of this present rage; G.o.d grant that ye may acknawlege his hand, after that your eyes hes seine his delyverance.”

[21] In MS. G, ”affirme.”

In that sermon he comforted manye. And yit he offended the Erle of Arrane; for, in his discourse upoun the manifald a.s.saultis that the Churche of G.o.d had sustained, he brocht for exampille the mult.i.tude of strangeris that persewed Jehosaphat after that he had reformed religioun. He entreted the fear of the pepill, yea, and of the King himself att the first; but after, he affirmed, that Jehosaphat was stout, and to declair his courage in his G.o.d, he conforted his pepile and his souldiouris; he come fourth in the mydest of thame; he spak lovinglie unto thame. He keipit not himself (said he) inclosed in his chalmer, but frequented the mult.i.tude, and rejoised thame with his presence and G.o.dlie comforte. These, and the lyik sentences, took the said Erle to be spoken in reproache of him, because he keipit himself more close and solitary then many men wald half wisshed.

After these thingis, determinatioun was tacken that the Erle of Arrane, and Lord James, with the men of warr, and sum company of hors.e.m.e.n, sould goe to Dyserte, and thair lye to wait upoun the Frenche, that they distroyed not the sea-cost, as thei intendit utterlie to have doun. The said Erle, and Lord James, did as thei war appointed, albeit thair company was very small; and yet thei did so valiantlie, that it pa.s.sed all credabilitie:[22] for twentie and ane dayis thei lay in thair clothes; thair b.u.t.tis never come of: thei had skarmissing almost everie day; yea, some dayis, from morne to evin.[23] The Frenche war foure thousand souldiouris,[24] besyde thair favoreris and factioun of the countrey. The Lordis war never togidder fyve hundreth horsmen, with a hundreth souldiouris; and yitt thai held the Frenche so busye, that for everie horse thai slew to the Congregatioun, thai lost foure Frenche souldiouris.

[22] Several joint letters written by the Earl of Arran and Lord James Stewart, between the end of November 1559, and February following, communicating intelligence of their proceedings in Fife, are preserved among Sir Ralph Sadler's State Papers, (vol. i. pp. 620, _et seqq._)

[23] In MS. 1566, ”inevin.”

[24] Bishop Lesley estimates their number at about 2000.--(Hist. p.

281.)

[Sidenote: THE SLAUCHTER OF A FRENCHE CAPITANE, WITH HIS BAND.]

w.i.l.l.yeaume Kirkaldie of Grange, the day efter that his housse was ca.s.sein doun, send in his defiance to Monsieur D'Osell, and unto the rest, declaring, that to that hour had he used the Frenche favourablie: He had saved thair lyves, when that he mycht have suffered thair throttis to have been cutt.i.t; bot seing thai haid usit him with that rigor, let thame not luik for that favour in tymes to c.u.m. And unto Monsieur D'Osell he said, ”He knew that he wald not gett him in the skirmissing, becauis he knew he was bot a cowart; bot it mycht be that he sould quyte him a commoun ather in Scotland, or ellis in France.” The said w.i.l.l.yeaume Kirkaldie, and the Maister off Lyndsay, eschaped mony dangeris. The Maister had his hors slaine under him: the said w.i.l.l.yeaume was almost betrayed in his hous at Hawyairdis.[25] But yet thei never seased, bot nycht and day thai waitted upon the Frenche. Thai laid thameselves in a secreit place, with sum gentilmen befoir the day, to await upoun the Frenche, quho usit commonlie to isch in companyis, to seik thair pray; and so cam fourth ane Capitane Battu,[26] with his hundreth, and begane to spoilzie; quhom the said Maister, now Lord of Lyndsay,[27] and the said Wilyeaume, suffered, without declaratioun of thameselfis, or of thair c.u.mpany, till that thai had thame more than a myle fra Kinghorne, and then begane the horsmen to brek; whiche perceved, the Frenche altogither drew to a place callit Glenniss[28] House, and maid for debait: sum tuik the housse, and utheris deffended the close and yaird. The hasard appereth verry unliklie, for oure men had na thing bot speris, and war compellit to lycht upoun thair feit. The other war within dykis; and everie man had culverinis: the schote was feirfull to mony, and dyverse war hourt, amongis quhome war Robert Hamiltoun,[29] and David Kirkaldie, brother to the said Laird, quho both war supposed to have bein slaine. The said Laird perceving men to faynt, and begyne to recule, said, ”Fy, lett us never leive efter this day, that we sall recule for Frenche schybaldis;” and so the Maister of Lyndsay and he burst in at the yett, and so utheris followed. The Maister struik with his speir at La Battu, and glansing upoun his harness, for feirceness stamered almost upoun his kneis. But recovering suddendlie, he fessned his speir, and bare the Capitaine bakward, who, becauis he wald not be takein, was slaine, and fyftie of his c.u.mpanie with hym. Those that war into the house, with sum utheris, war saved, and [sent] to Dundye to be kept. This mischance to the Frenche men maid thame to be more circ.u.mspect in scatring abrod into the countrie; and so the poore creaturis gat sum releive. To fourness thame[30] of victuelis, was appointed Capitane Cullen,[31]

with tuo schippis, quho traveled betuix the south schoire and Kinghorne, for that purpois. For his waiges he spoilzied Kinghorne, Kirkaldie, and so muche of Dyserte as he mycht. For remedy quhairof war appoint.i.t tuo schippis from Dundye: Andro Sandis, a stout and fervent man in the cause of religioun, was the princ.i.p.all. This same tyme arrived the Martekis,[32] quho, without delay, landit himself, his cofferis, and the princ.i.p.all gentilmen that were with him at Leith,[33] leiving the rest in the schippis till better oportunitie.

But the said Andro, and his companioun, streicking saill and making as thai wald cast anker hard besyde thame, burded thame both, and carried thame to Dundye. In thame war gotten sum horse, and muche harness, with sum uther triffilis; but of money we hard nocht. Heareat the Frenche offended, avowed the distructioun of Sanctandrois and Dundye; and so, upoun a Mononday in the morning, the xxiij. day of Januare,[34] thai marchit frome Dyserte, and pa.s.sed the water of Levein;[35] ever keaping the sea-cost, be rea.s.soun of thaire schippis and victuallis, as said is. About tuelf houris thai espyed schippis, (quhiche war seine that morning by us that war upoun the land, but war not knawin.) Monsieur D'Osell affirmed thame to be Frenche schippis, and so the souldiouris triumphit, schot thair volie for salutatioun, and marchit fordward till Kincraige,[36] fearing no resistance.

[25] Or, Hallyards, in the parish of Auchtertool. It afterwards came into the possession of the Family of Skene.

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