Volume Iii Part 15 (1/2)
The two parties met at Earlston, but the royal party was nothing in point of bearing and splendour to that of the Dougla.s.ses. The King and Queen travelled each in a litter borne by two gallant steeds. These carriages were very splendid in their decorations, and constructed in the same way as a sedan chair, and it was truly wonderful with what velocity they were borne along. They were contrived for the King's use, who had a halt, and could not travel on horseback; and they suited the state of the roads in Scotland at that period exceedingly.
Two heralds rode before his Majesty, who introduced the various chiefs to him as he pa.s.sed, and those others of whose names he enquired, among whom Sir Charles Scott was the first. The Queen and her Maries also saluted him along with the Warden. The whole procession then drew up in files until their Majesties pa.s.sed, after which they fell all into their places, the order of precedency being then reversed, and the Dougla.s.ses next to the Sovereign. There was no time for delay, considering the season, the darkness of the night, and the shortness of the day; so they posted on with all manner of expedition, and yet it was dark before they reached the abbey of Kelso. But all the way, by the cloisters, the bridge, and up the High-street of the city of Roxburgh, there were tiers of torches raised above one another that made it lighter than the noon-day. Never was there such a scene of splendour witnessed in that ancient and n.o.ble city; to which the darkness of the canopy above, and the glare of torch-light below, added inconceivable grandeur. It seemed as if all the light and beauty of the universe had been confined within that narrow s.p.a.ce, for without all was blackness impervious to the eye, but within there was nothing but brilliancy, activity, and joy. Seven score musical instruments, and as many trilling but discordant voices, yelled forth, from the one end of the street to the other, that old song beginning,
”The King came to our town; Ca' Cuddie, ca' Cuddie!
The King came to our town, Low on the Border.”
The trumpets sounded before, and the bugles behind; and the Border youths and maidens were filled with enthusiastic delight at the novelty of the spectacle. They followed with shouts to the castle gate, and then returned to talk of what they had seen, and what they should see on the morrow.
The royal party was conducted to the citadel, where every thing was in readiness for a grand entertainment; and there the Douglas delivered into the King's hands the keys of the castle of Roxburgh. His Majesty received them most graciously, and thanked him for all the cost, pains, and trouble that he had taken for the good of the realm; and added, that he came prepared in heart and mind to fulfil his engagements to him in return. There was now a manifest embarra.s.sment on the part of the Douglas; his countenance changed, and he looked as he would have asked for the Princess, or, at least, as if some one were wanting that ought to have been there; but after an agitated pause, he could only stammer out, that ”he was much beholden to his Majesty, who might at all times command his utmost services without bounty or reward.”
”I trust that is not as much as to say that you now decline the stipulated reward for this high service,” said the King.
”Sire, I see none either for your Majesty to give, or your servant to receive,” said the Douglas; and at the same time he cast a hasty and perturbed glance at the courtiers and warriors ranged around the hall.
The king nodded by way of a.s.sent to his hint; and at the same time said to him, aside, ”I understand you, Lord Douglas. You will explain this gallantry of yours, in keeping your sovereign's daughter in concealment from her natural guardians, in private to-morrow. But, pray, can we not see our darling to-night?”
”Alas, my liege lord and sovereign,” said Douglas, pa.s.sionately, ”sure you jest with your servant, thus to tax him with that of which he is innocent.”
The King smiled, and waving his hand jocularly, by way of intimating that he thought his affected secrecy prudence at that time, left him, and forthwith went halting up among the Borderers, to converse with them about the affairs of the English marches. The stately and commanding figure of Charlie Scott, who was like Saul among the people, again attracted the King's eyes, and he went familiarly up to him, and said at once, ”Well, gallant knight, how have accounts balanced between you and your southern neighbours since last Lammas-tide?”
”Gude faith, my liege lord and king, I can hardly tell you,” said Sir Charles, without hesitation: ”There hae been some hard yerks gaun; but the last quarter stands rather aboon an average wi' us. It is a kittle bauk that hings o'er the Border, my liege; it is often nae sooner down to the yird than it is up to the starns again.”
”Well said, knight! I like your fair wit and free humour,” said the King. ”So, upon the whole, you judge that the balance preponderates on our side just now?”
”I should think sae, Sire, when sic a clod as this castle of Roxburgh is thrown into the bucket. It is nae witherweight this for the end of a weigh-bauk. A' the kye o' the Seven Dales winna carry the swee to the south side again.”
The Queen, hearing her lord conversing so freely and jocularly with this goodly personage, came also up with two of her ladies of honour, in order to put in a word; ”for (says Isaac, with great simplicity) women always like to be striking kemps with a handsome and proper man; and the bigger of bone, and the stronger of muscle, the more is he the object of their admiration.”
When Sir Charles had finished the last remark, therefore, the Queen smiled complacently in his face, and said, ”You must certainly acknowledge, gallant knight, that you have been much indebted to heaven for your singular success in this instance?”
Sir Charles nodded his head. ”Its a' that ye ken about it, my lady queen. But saft be the sough that says it. I trow we were mair indebted to some other place in the first instance.”
The Queen held up her hands: ”Uh! what does the knight mean? Say, my lord, What? What place?” Then turning to Sir Ringan, who was terribly in the fidgets about what had dropped from his kinsman, she added, ”I trust our right traist warden and loving cousin did not practise any of the diabolical arts, so prevalent of late, to accomplish his hard task?” And then, with a woman's natural volubility, when once her tongue is set a-going, she added, turning to Charlie, without waiting the Warden's reply, ”What place does Sir Charles mean? I hope you would not insinuate that you had any dealings with the spirits of darkness?”
”Not with h.e.l.l directly, madam,” answered Charlie, (for Isaac can never help calling him occasionally by his old t.i.tle,) ”but I canna say that we didna get a strong hint frae ane or twa of its princ.i.p.al agents. No offence, my lady queen. I ken by report, that your Majesty takes supreme delight in religious devotions; and, to tell the truth, I have always had a strong hankering that gate mysel', and hope I will hae till the day of my death. But there is ae thing in the whilk I am greatly altered. Pray, may I take the liberty to ask what is your Majesty's opinion about the deil?”
”Uh! gracious St Mary be with us! What a question, knight! Why, what can I think but that he is the great enemy of G.o.d and man, and the author of universal evil?”
”There I think differently,” said Charlie, bowing very low: ”Always begging my lady queen's gracious pardon, that's the only tenet o' my belief that is altered;--at least an it be nae fairly altered, it is considerably jumbled, and nought like sae steadfast as it was. Always begging your pardon though, madam.”
”I am quite confounded,” said the Queen. ”Pray, warrior, what do you mean?”
”Plainly this, my lady queen; that I think the old gentleman has been sair abused; and that there are some na meikle better than him wha have been a great deal better ca'd. It may sound a little odd in your ears, but I hae now seen him. I hae sat wi' him; I hae eaten, I hae drunken wi' him; and gin it hadna been for the interference of women, we wad hae part.i.t civilly. But whenever they get a finger in a pye, there will be some ane burnt in the opening o't. Always begging your Majesty's pardon, though.”
”The Queen crossed herself, and counted her beads; but at the same time bestowed a smile and look of admiration on this extraordinary hero who had accomplished such singular adventures. These encouraging Sir Charles to finish his sentence, he added: ”They hae fright.i.t me wi' him lang; and sair has my neb been hauden at the grindstane wi'
the fear o' him. I durst hardly say or think that ane of a' the members of my body was my ain wi' perfect terror. But thae days are a'
o'er. An' the bedesmen be gaun to fright me ony langer wi' a deil, they maun get a new ane; for the auld ane winna stand his ground to any extent wi' me on that score. He has doubtless some bad qualities; some wicked vagaries about him; but, upon the whole, I have met wi'
waur fellows.”