good and advantageous. He soon learned, however, that this step had thrown him completely out of favour at Court. The Queen considered all her courtiers as admirers; and matrimony became thus an act of infidelity to herself. Cary, who knew whom he had to deal with, having, after a long period of disgrace, found access to her, was careful not to act the penitent, but reproached her in his turn, with a coldness which alone had driven him to the step that so grievously offended her; declaring, "that if she had but graced him with the least of her favours, he had never left her, nor her Court." This mode of defence, leaving her still room to suppose that she was the object of his passion, pacified her Majesty, and restored him to favour.

It would appear that the Queen ruled over her courtiers with a very high hand, and that, in her treatment of them, she did not much pique her

self on an adherence to the most com- .

mon principles of faith or honesty. She had occasion for a trusty messenger to send to the King of Scot land; and though in the height of her resentment against Cary, prudence so far got the better of resentment, that she determined to employ him on this delicate commission. The following is his account of the manner in which

she set about it:

My father shewed the letter to the Queen. She was not willing that my bro.her should stir out of the town*; but knowing, though she would not know, that I was in court, she said, “ I hear your fine son, that has lately mar ried so worthily, is hereabouts; send him, if you will, to know the king's pleasure." My father answered, he knew I would be glad to obey her commands. "No," said she, "do you bid him go, for I have nothing to do with

*The town of Berwick, from whence the Queen would not have him stir, be cause she did not deem him to be a proper messenger, knowing there was a better within call.

I

him *" My father came and told me what had passed between them. thought it hard to be sent, and not to see her; but my father told me plainly, that she would neither speak with me, nor see me. "Sir, said I, "if she be on such hard terms with me, I had need be wary what I do. If I go to the King without her license, it were in her power to hang met at my return; and, her." My father mer.ily went to the for any thing I see, t were ill trusting, Queen, and told her what I said. She answered, "if the gentleman be so mistrustful, let the Secretary make a safe conduct to go and come, and I will sign it." P. 58.

The account given by the Author of the Queen's last moments, of which he was a witness, will interest our readers.

After that all things were quieted, and the Border in safety, towards the end of five years that I had been warden there, having little to do, I resolved upon a journey to court, to see my friends, and renew my acquaintance of the year t. When I came to court, there. I took my journey about the end I found the Queen ill disposed, and she kept her inner lodging; yet she, hearing of my arrival, sent for me. I found her in one of her withdrawing chambers, sitting low upon her cushions. She called me to her; I kissed her hand, and see her in safety, and in health, which told her it was my chiefest happiness to I wished might long continue. She took

me by the hand, and wrung it hard, and said," No, Robin, I am not well," and then discoursed with me of her indisposition, and that her heart had been sad and heavy for ten or twelve days; and in her discourse, she fetched not so few as forty or fifty great sighs. I was grieved at the first to see her in this plight; for in all my lifetime before, I never knew

knew her fetch a sigh, but when the Queen of Scots was beheaded. Then, upon my knowledge, she shed many tears and sighs, manifesting her innocence, that she never gave consent to the death of that Queen.

I used the best words I could, to persuade her from this melancholy humour; but I found by her it was too deep rooted in her heart, and hardly to be removed. This was upon a Saturday night, and she gave command, that the great closet should be prepared for her to go to chapel next morning. The next day, all things being in a readiness," we long expected her coming. After eleven o' clock, one of the grooms came out, and bade make ready for the private closet, she would not go to the great. There we stayed long for her coming, but at the last she had cushions laid for her in the privy chamber hard by the closet door, and there she heard service.

From that day forwards, she grew worse and worse. She remained upon her cushions four days and nights at the beast. All about her could not persuade her either to take any sustenance, or go to bed.

P. 115 The Queen grew worse and worse, because she would be so, none about her being able to persuade her to go to bed. My Lord Admiral was sent for, (who, by reason of my sister's death, that was his wife, had absented himself some fortnight from court ;) what by fair means, what by force, he got her to bed. There was no hope of her recovery, because she refused all remedies.

On Wednesday, the 23d of March, she grew speechless. That afternoon, by signs, she called for her council, and by putting her hand to her head, when the king of Scots was named to succeed her, they all knew he was the man she desired should reign after her.

About six at night she made signs for the archbishop and her chaplains to come to her, at which time I went in with them, and sat upon my knees full of tears to see that heavy sight. Her" Majesty lay upon her back, with one hand in the bed, and the other without. The bishop kneeled down, by her, and examined her first of her faith; and she so punctually answered all his several questions, by lifting up her eyes, and holding up her hand, as it was a comfort to all the bebolders. Then the

good man told her plainly what she way, and what she was to come to; and though she had been long a great Queen here upon earth, yet shortly she was to yield an account of her stewardship to the King of kings. After this he began to pray, and all that were by did answer him. After he had continued long in prayer, till the old man's knees were weary, he blessed her, and meant to rise and leave her. The Queen made a siga with her hand. My sister Scroop knowing her meaning, told the bishop the Queen desired he would pray still. He did so for a long half hour after, and then thought to leave her, The second time she made signs to have him continue in prayer. He did so for half an hour more, with earnest cries to God for her soul's health, which he uttered with that fervency of spirit, as the Queen, to all our sight, much rejoiced thereat, and gave testimony to us all of her Christian and comfortable end. By this time, it grew late, and every one departed, all but her women that attended her. P. 119.

No grief, however, which Sir Robert might feel upon the occasion, diverted him from his usual occupa tion; or from setting off, the moment the scene was over, at full gallop, and being the first to announce to James this, to him, joyful intelligence,

The next part of Cary's memoirs, which is really curious and amusing, is his account of the affairs of the Borders, and of the turbulent and distracted state of society which at that time still continued to prevail there. Our Author was employed, first in the East, and then in the West March, and seems to have exerted an unusual

degree of activity in repressing the inroads of his turbulent neighbours. Among other narratives the following may serve to give an idea of the sort of rencounters which took place :

I had private intelligence given me, that there were two Scottishmen that had killed a churchman in Scotland, and were by one of the Greenes* relieved.

This Greene dwelt within five miles of Carlisle he had a pretty house, and close by it a strong tower for his own defence in time of need. I thought to surprise the Scots on a sudden, and

clan of Borderers thus described in a note on the Lay of the Last Minstrel,

John Grahame, second son of Malice, Earl of Monteith, commonly surnamed Jobe with the Bright Sword, upon some displeasure risen against him at court, retired with many of his clan and kindred into the English Borders in the reign of king Henry the Fourth, where they seated themselves; and many of their posterity have continued there ever since. Mr Sandford, speaking of them, says (which indeed was applicacable to most of the Borderers on both sides,)" They were all stark moss-troupers, and arrant thieves: Both to Eng. land and Scotland outlawed; yet sometimes connived at, because they gave intelligence forth of Scotland, and would raise 400 horse at any time upon a raid of the English into Scotland. A saying is recorded of a mother to her son (which is now become proverbial) Ride, Rowlie, bough's i' the pot: that is, the last piece of beef was in the pot, and therefore it was high time for him to go and fetch more." Introduction to the History of

Cumberland.

"The residence of the Græmes being chiefly in the Debateable Land, so called because it was claimed by both kingdums, their depredations extended both to England and Scotland, with impunity; for as both wardens accounted them the proper subjects of their own prince, neither inclined to demand reparation for their excesses from the opposite of ficers, which would have been an ac knowledgement of his jurisdiction over them. See a long correspondence on this subject betwixt Lord Dacre and the English Privy Council, in Introduction to History of Cumberland. The Debateable Land was finally divided betwixt England and Scotland by commissioners appointed by both nations." The Græmes, after the accession of James VI. to the English throne, were by a very summary exertion of power transported to Ireland. E.

*This was probably Netherby Tower, which is still standing, E.

about two o'clock in the morning I took horse in Carlisle, and not above twentyfive in my company, thinking to surprise the house on a sudden. Before I could surround the house, the two Scots were gotten into the strong tower, and I might see a boy riding from the house as fast as his horse could carry him; I little suspecting what it meant. But Thomas Carleton came to me presently, and told me, that if I did not presently prevent it, both myself and all my company would be either slain or taken prisoners. It was strange to me to hear this language. He then said to me, "Do you see that boy that rideth away so fast? He will be in Scotland within this half hour; and he is gone to let them know, that you are here, and to what end you are come, and the small number you have with you; and that if they will make haste, on a sudden they may surprise us, and do with us what they please." Hereupon we took advice what was best to be done. We sent notice presently to all parts to raise the country, and to come to us with all the speed they could; and withal we sent to Carlisle to raise the townsmen; for without foot we could ds no good against the tower. There we staid some hours, expecting more company; and within short time after, the country came in on all sides, so that we were quickly between three and four hundred horse; and, after some little longer stay, the foot of Carlisle came to us, to the number of three or four hundred men; whom we set presently at work, to get up to the top of the tower, and to uncover the roof; and then some twenty of them to fall down together, and by that means to win the tower.The Scots, seeing their present danger, offered to parley, and yielded themselves to my mercy. They had no sooner opened the iron gate, and yielded themselves my prisoners, but we might see four hundred horse within a quarter of a mile coming to their rescue, and to surprise me and my small company; but of a sudden they stayed, and stood at gaze. Then had I more to do than ever; for all our Borderers came crying with full mouths, "Sir, give us leave to set upon them; for these are they that have killed our fathers, our brothers, our uncles, and our cousins; and they

arc

are come, thinking to surprise you, upon weak grass nags", such as they could get on a sudden; and God hath put them into your hands, that we may take revenge of them for much blood that they have spilt of ours." I desired they would be patient awhile, and bethought myself, if I should give them their wills, there would be few, or none of them, (the Scots) that would escape unkilled, (there was so many deadly feuds among them,) and therefore I resolved with myself, to give them a fair answer, but not to give them their desire. So I told them, that if I were not there myself, they might then do what pleased themselves; but being present, if I should give them leave, the blood that should be spilt that day would lie very heavy upon my conscience, and therefore I desired them, for my sake, to forbear; and if the Scots did not presently make away with all the speed they could upon my sending to them, they should then have their wills to do what they pleased. They were ill satisfied with my answer, but durst not disobey. I sent with speed to the Scots, and bade them pack away with all the speed they could; for if they stayed the messenger's return, they should few of them return to their own home. They made no stay; but they were turned homewards before the messenger had made an end of his message. Thus, by God's mercy, I escaped a great danger; and, by my means, there were a great many men's lives saved that day.

mantic Composition in Scotland.By John Finlay, 2 vols. 14s. Print ed by Ballantyne. Edinr. 1808. the ballads which Mr Finlay has

IN

here presented to the public, he does not make pretension to originali. ty, with the exception of a few composed by himself, and which possess considerable merit. They are mostly copied from the works of former collectors; Pinkerton, Percy, Johnson and Ritson. He has said nothing as to the object of his work, or the prin ciple by which his selection was guided; and as to the latter point especi ally, we must own ourselves rather at a loss. The most eligible plan we think would have been, to select from the different collections of this kind, such poems as possess real and considerable poetical merit; and as most of them are interesting chiefly as objects of curiosity, the collection need not have been very numerous. It would not appear, however, from many instances in these volumes, that this was in the author's contemplation.

Mr Finlay has prefixed a dissertation respecting the earlier historical and romantic poetry of Scotland, which, though by no means elaborate, being merely founded upon inquiries into which he was led in preparing these ballads for the press, seems to shew ingenuity and information. He divides these relics of antiquity into romances and popular ballads. He is of opinion, that of the romances, none can be referred to a Scottish original; that they are all French, and that the only British romances are those derived from the Normans. Of Scottish ballads, he is inclined to think Sir Patrick Spens the most ancient. The allusions to a state of comparative refinement, might have been superinduced in the course of tradition.

In regard to fragments and variations collected by Mr Finlay, the following is all which he considers as deserving of preservation.

Το

There's no a bird in a' this foreste,
Will do as meikle for me,
As dip its wing in the wan water

An' straik it on my e'e-bree. Another romantic ballad, of which unfortunately one stanza only has been preserved, is the more deserving of mention, from its singular agreement with a superstition, recorded by Schott in his Physica Curiosa, and quoted by Mr Scott*. The tradition bears, that a young lady was carried away by the Fairies; and that although invisible to her friends who were in search of her, she was sometimes heard

by them lamenting her destiny in a pathetic song, of which the stanza just mentioned runs nearly thus:

O, Alva hills is benny,
Dalycoutry hills is fair,

But to think on the braes of Menstrie, It maks my heart fu' sair. There is another fragment still remaining, which appears to have belonged to a bailed of adventure, perhaps of real history. I am acquainted with no poem of which the lines, as they stand, can be supposed to have formed a part:

Saddled, and briddled,

And booted rade he;
Toom hame cam the saddle,
But never cam he.

Down cam his auld mither,
Greetin fu' sair;

And down cam his bonny wife
Wringing her hair.

Saddled, and briddled,

And booted rade he;
Toom hame cam the saddle,

But never cam he.

Pref. Vol. I. p. 34. Mr Finlay has also added to his ballads pretty large notes, on the model of those given in the Minstrelsy of the Border. The following is a list of those which he has introduced into these volumes:

ANCIENT BALLADS. Hardyknute -Sir Patrick Spens-Frennet Ha'

See Minstrelsy, II, 188. 2d. edit. December 1SOS.

The three first of the modern bal

lads are by our author himself. They support very well the reputation which he acquired by his "Wallace." They shew and as close an imitation of the anvery considerable poetical talents, cient ballad as can be expected in a writer of this day. As a specimen, we shall give "Auld Walter."

“O, many a sun,” said an auld grey carle, * "Has in my day risen an' gane down, But a redder, I trow, I never saw,

Than the ane that's settin' ahint † the