being closely grasped by the farmer, he was unable to thrust the weapon home, and it only struck against his ribs. With some difficulty the thieves were both secured. They were tried for the crime before the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh,-convicted, and condemned to be hanged,-but afterwards, to the great surprise and disappointment of their Berwickshire neighbours, obtained a pardon-a piece of unmerited and ill-bestowed clemency, for which it was generally understood they were indebted to the interest of a noble northern family of their own name. We recollect hearing a sort of ballad upon Tam's exploits, and his deliverance from the gallows through the intercession of a celebrated duchess, but do not recollect any of the words. Tam died only a few years ago, at a very advanced age. The following observations respecting the continental gypsies are communicated by a distinguished writer, who, on a former occasion, enriched our Miscellany with much interesting and valuable information respecting this wild and wayward race: "The gypsies everywhere pretend to skill in fortune-telling and sorcery; but in Germany they are supposed to have some particular spells for stopping the progress of conflagration. I have somewhere a German ballad on this subject, which, if I find, I will translate for you. Seven gypsies are unjustly doomed to death; the town takes fire; and the magistrates are obliged to release them, that they may arrest the flames by their incantations. Our Scottish gypsies are more ceiebrated for raising fire wilfully, than for extinguishing it. This is their most frequent mode of vengeance when offended; and being a crime at once easily executed and difficult of detection, the apprehension of it makes the country people glad to keep on fair terms with them. "They are greatly averse to employment of a regular kind, but, when forced to serve, make good soldiers. On the Continent, I believe, they are received into no service but that of Prussia, which, according to the rules of Frederic, still enrolls bon gré mal gré, whatever can carry a musket. But they detest the occupation. A nd was passing a Prussian sentinel is post at Paris last year. The man, as is usual abroad, was ing as he walked; and it is a point of etiquette, that, in passing a sentinel, you take the pipe from your mouth. But as my friend was about to comply with this uniform custom, the sentinel said, to his no small surprise," Rauchen sie, immer fort: verdamt sey der Preussiche dienst"— "Smoke away, sir: d-n the Prussian service." My friend looked at him with surprise, and the marked gypsey features at once shewed who he was, and why dissatisfied with the service, the duties of which he seemed to take pleasure in neglecting. "In Hungary the gypsies are very numerous, and travel in great bands, like Arabs, gaily dressed in red and green, and often well armed and mounted. A friend of mine met a troop of them last year in this gallant guise, and was not a little astonished at their splendour. But their courage in actual battle is always held in low esteem. I cannot refer to the book, but I have somewhere read, that a pass or fort was defended by some of them, during a whole night, with such bravery and skill, that the Austrians, who were the assailants, supposed it to be held by regular troops, and were about to abandon their enterprise. But when day dawned, and shewed the quality of the defenders, the attack was immediately renewed, and the place carried with great ease; as if the courage of the gypsies had only lasted till their character was made known." Neither our limits nor our leisure allow of farther observation: nor is it of much importance. We trust we have succeeded in giving our readers more information and livelier entertainment by the mode we have adopted, than we could have conveyed in any other shape on the same subject. Nothing, indeed, like regularity in the arrangement of our materials has been practicable; and they have been generally given to the public very much in the form and order in which we obtained them. Such a plan, no doubt, would require a summary at its conclusion, to bind together the loose materials, and draw general deductions from the crowd of unconnected facts and observations. This task, however, we must for the present leave to our readers themselves: the subject is far from being exhausted, but it must necessarily, so far as relates to the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, be now brought to a hasty close. ANTIQUARIAN REPERTORY. DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE HIS- [THE following documents, relative to the early history of printing in Scotland, have been taken from the original records in the Register House, and have not, so far as we know, been previously given to the public. One of them, however, (No I.) has been already printed as a note in one of the very learned and interesting official reports of the present Deputy Clerk Register, which we have accidentally met with. It is a grant under the Privy Seal, dated in the year 1507, soon after the first introduction of this invaluable art into Scotland, under the reign of King James IV.,-conferring upon Walter Chepman and Andrew Millar the exclusive privilege of printing Books of Law, Acts of Parliament, Chronicles, Massbooks, and other works therein specified; with a penalty against any other persons who should print the same in foreign countries, for the purpose of being " brocht and sauld agane within our Realme, to cause the said Walter and Androu tyne thair gret labour and expens."-Not long afterwards, as appears from the subjoined paper (No II.) this privilege had been invaded by certain individuals, against whom a complaint is made to the Lords of Council, in the name of Walter Chepman; and his exclusive right is accordingly again re-enforced by their decision. The only publications known to have is sued from the press of Millar and Chepman, are a collection of pamphlets, chiefly metrical romances and ballads, in 1508, of which an imperfect copy is preserved in the Advocates' Library (and of which we understand a reprint is now in a state of forwardness for publication), and the Scottish Service Book, including the Legends of the Scottish Saints, commonly called the Bre viary of Aberdeen, in 1509, of which the copies are exceedingly rare.] No I. JAMES, &c. To al and sindrj our officiaris liegis and subdittis quham it efferis, quhais knawlage thir our lettres salcam, greting; Wit ye that forsamekill as our lovittis servitouris Walter Chepman and Andro Millar burgessis of our burgh of Edinburgh, has, at our instance and request, for our plesour, the honour and proffit of our Realme and liegis, takin on thame to furnis and bring hame ane prent, with all stuf belangand tharto, and expert men to use the samyne,* for imprenting within our Realme of the bukis of our Lawis, actis of parliament, croniclis, mess bukis, and poraddicions and legendis of Scottis sanctuus efter the use of our Realme, with tis, now gaderit to be ekit tharto, and al utheris bukis that salbe sene necessar, and to sel the sammyn for competent pricis, be our avis and discrecioun, thair labouris and expens being considerit; And becaus we wnderstand that this cannot be perfurnist without rycht greit cost labour and expens, we have granted and promittit to thame that thai sall nocht be hurt nor prevenit tharon be ony utheris to tak copyis of ony bukis furtht of our Realme, to ger imprent the samyne in utheris cuntreis, to be brocht and sauld said Walter and Androu tyne thair agane within our Realme, to cause the is divisit and thocht expedient be us gret labour and expens; And als It and our consall, that in tyme cuming mess bukis, manualis, matyne bukis, and portuus bukis, efter our awin scottis use, and with legendis of Scottis sanctis, as is now gaderit and ekit be ane Reverend fader in god, and our abirdene and utheris, be usit generaly traist consalour Williame bischope of within al our Realme alssone as the sammyn may be imprentit and providit, and that no maner of sic bukis of Salusbery use be brocht to be sauld within our Realme in tym cuming; and gif ony dois in the contrar, that thai sal tyne the sammyne; Quharfor we charge straitlie and commandis yow al and sindrj our officiaris, liegis, and subdittis, that nane of yow tak The head of Blackfriars Wynd, High upon for carrying on this printing establishStreet, seems to have been the place fixed ment; for there is preserved, in the Records of Privy Seal, a "Licence to Walter Chepman, burges of Edinburgh, to haif staris towart the hie strete and calsay, with bak staris and turngres in the frere wynd, or on the foregait, of sic breid and lenth as he sall his land and tenement, and to flit the pend think expedient for entre and asiamentis to of the said frere wynd for making of neid full asiamentes in the samyn," &c. Feb. 5. 1510. hand to do ony thing incontrar apon this our promitt, devise, and ordinance, in tyme cuming, under the pane of escheting of the bukis, and punising of thair persons bringaris tharof within our Realme, in contrar this our statut, with al vigour as efferis. Geven under our prive Sel at Edinburgh, the xv day of September, and of our Regne the xxti yer. (Registrum, Sec. Sig. iii. 129.) No II. JAN. 14, 1509. ANENT the complaint maid be Walter Chepman, that quhar he, at the desyre of our soverane lord, furnist and brocht hame ane prent and prentaris, for prenting of croniclis, missalis, portuuss, and utheris buikis within this realme, and to seclude salisberyis use; And to that effect thair wes lettres under our said soverane lordis priue sele direct, till command and charge oure soverane lordis liegis, that nain of thaim suld Inbring or sell ony bukis of the said use of salusbery under the pane of escheting of the samyn; Neuirtheless, Wilyam Frost, Francis Frost, William Sym, Andro Ross, and diuers utheris, merchandis within the burgh of Edinburgh, hes brocht haim, and sellis daly, diuers bukis of the said use sikas mess bukis, mannualis, portuiss, matinbukis, and diuers uther bukis, in the dissobeing of the said command and lettres lik as at mar lentht, Is contenit in the said complaint: The saidis Walter, William, Francis, William, and Andro, being personaly present, And thair Richtis ressons and allegacions herd sene and understand, and thairwith being Riply avisit, The Lordis of Counsale forsaidis commandit and chargit the saidis William Frost, Francis Frost, William Sym, and Andro Ros, personaly, that nain of thaim, in tyme to cum, bring hame, nor sell within this Realme, ony missale bukis, mannualis, portuiss, or matinbukis, of the said use of salusbery, under the payn of escheting of the samyn; And that lettres be writtin in dew forme to the provest and balyies of Ed and to officeris of the kingis Sheriffes in that pairt, to command and charge be oppin proclamation, all utheris merchandis and persons, that nain of thaim bring haim, nor sell within this Realme, ony of (Acta Dom. Conc. xxi. 70.) [The following is the Copy of an Author's Apud Edinburgum, vigessimo sexto die THE lords of his Majestie's privy (Regist. Sec. Sig.) H ORIGINAL POETRY. Than that it weeps hath suffered! Yet it springs, Fervent and firm in faith, to Him whose love, Brightest when clouds and darkness gather round, Calls, in his own appointed time, the purified To Him, the only Pure,-whose wisdom leads Each in his several way through this dim world, Snaps the frail thread of life at once for some, STANZAS On the Custom in Switzerland, &c. of planting Flowers on the Graves of departed Friends. (The thought taken from DELILLE'S L'Homme de Champs.) To 'scape from chill Misfortune's gloom, From helpless age and joyless years; To sleep where flowerets round us bloom; Can such a fate deserve our tears? Since in the tomb our cares, our woes, In figures painful to the eye? The wiser Greeks, with chaste design, Pourtrayed a Nymph in airy flight; Who, hovering o'er the marble shrine, Reversed a flambeau's trembling light. To die!--what is in Death to fear? "Twill decompose my lifeless frame! A Power unseen still watches near, To light it with a purer flame. And when anew that flame shall burn, How would the gentle bosom beat, That sighs at Death's resistless power, A faithful friend again to meet, Fresh blooming in a fragrant flower! It sure would thrill the Lover's heart, When kneeling on his Fair One's grave, To feel the Lily's breath impart The 'raptured kiss his Myra gave. |