thereafter to be hanged, and their bodies gibbetted on the Borough Moor; which sentence was executed 14th November, 1601. "This Pecket, (saith Birrel in his Diary,) was ane of the most notalrie thieffes that ever raid ;" he calls his name Steill, which appears, from the record, to be a mistake. Four years afterwards, an Armstrong, called Sandy of Rowanburn, and several others of that tribe, were executed for this and other excesses.-Books of Adjournal of these dates.

And the Laird's Wat, that worthie man.-P. 164. v. 2.

The Chief who led out the sirname of Scott upon this occasion, was (saith Satchells) Walter Scott of Ancrum, a natural son of Walter of Buccleuch. The Laird of Buccleuch was then a minor. The ballad seems to have been popular in Satchells' days, for he quotes it literally. He must, however, have been mistaken in this particular; for the family of Scott of Ancrum, in all our books of genealogy, deduce their descent from the Scotts of Balwearie, in Fife, whom they represent. The first of this family, settled in Roxburghshire, is stated in Douglas' Baronage to have been Patrick Scott, who purchased the lands of Ancrum in the reign of James VI. He therefore could not be the Laird's Wat of the ballad; indeed, from the list of Border families in 1597, Kerr appears to have been proprietor of Ancrum at the date of the ballad. It is plainly written in the MS. the Laird's Wat, i. e. the Laird's son Wat; notwithstanding which, it has always hitherto been printed the Laird Wat. If Douglas be accurate in his genealogy, the person meant must be the young Laird of Buccleuch, afterwards distinguished for his surprise of Carlisle Castle.-See Kinmont Willie. I am the more confirmed in this opinion, because Kerr of Ancrum was at this time a fugitive, for slaying one of the Rutherfords, and the tower of Ancrum given in keeping to the Turnbulls, his hereditary enemies. His mother, however, a daughter of Home of Wedderburn, contrived to turn out the Turnbulls, and possess herself of the place by surprise.— GODSCROFT, Vol. II. p. 250.

The Armestranges that aye hae been.-P. 165. v. 1. This clan are here mentioned as not being hail, or whole, because they were outlawed or broken men. Indeed, many of them had become Englishmen, as the phrase then went. Accordingly, we find, from Patten, that forty of them, under the Laird of Mangertoun, joined Somerset, upon his expedition into Scotland.-PATTEN, in Dalyell's Fragments, p. 1. There was an old alliance betwixt the Elliots and Armstrongs, here alluded to. For the enterprizes of the Armstrongs, against their native country, when under English assurance, see MURDIN'S Stute Papers, vol. I. p. 43. From which it appears, that, by command of Sir Ralph Evers, this clan ravaged almost the whole West Border of Scotland.

The Sheriffe brought the Douglas down.—P. 165. v. 2. Douglas of Cavers, hereditary Sheriff of Teviotdale, descended from Black Archibald, who carried the standard of his father, the Earl of Douglas, at the battle of Otterbourne.-See the Ballad of that name.

Wi Cranstane, Gladstane, good at need.-P. 165. v. 2. Cranstoun of that ilk, ancestor to Lord Cranstoun; and Gladstain of Gladstains.

Wi' a' the Trumbills, stronge and stout;

The Rutherfoords with grit renown.—P. 165. v. 2. These were ancient and powerful Border clans, residing Hence, they naturally convoyed Although notorious freebooters,

chiefly upon the river Jed. the town of Jedburgh out. they were specially patronized by Morton, who, by their means, endeavoured to counterpoise the power of Buccleuch and Ferniherst, during the civil wars attached to the Queen's faction.

The following fragment of an old ballad is quoted in a letter from an aged gentleman of this name, residing at New-York,

to a friend in Scotland:

"Bauld Rutherfurd, he was fow stout,
"Wi'a' his nine sons him round about;
"He led the town o' Jedburgh out,

"All bravely fought that day."

Wi Sir John Foster for their guyde.—P. 165. v. 3. Sir John Foster, or, more properly, Forrester, of Balmbrough Abbey, warden of the Middle Marches in 1561, was deputy-governor of Berwick, and governor of Balmbrough Castle. He made a great figure on the Borders, and is said, on his monument at Balmborough church, to have possessed the office of warden of the Mid Marches for thirty-seven years; indeed, if we can trust his successor, Carey, he retained the situation until he became rather unfit for its active duties. His family ended in the unfortunate Thomas Foster, one of the generals of the Northumbrian insurgents in 1715; and the estate, being forfeited, was purchased by his uncle, Lord Crewe, and devised for the support of his magnificent charity.

Wi Sir George Hearoune of Schipsydehouse.-P. 166. v. 1. George Heron Miles of Chipchase castle, probably the same who was slain at the Reidswair, was Sheriff of Northumberland, 13th Elizabeth.

Had Tindaill, Reedsdaill at his hand.-P. 166. v. 2. These are districts, or dales, on the English Border.

And Hebsrime.-P. 166. v. 2.

Mr Ellis suggests, with great probability, that this is a mistake, not for Hebburne, as the editor stated in an earlier edition, but for Hexham, which, with its territory, formed a county independent of Northumberland, with which it is here ranked.

Five hundred Fennicks in a flock.-P. 166. v. 3. The Fenwicks ; a powerful and numerous Northumberland clan. The original seat of this ancient family was at Fen

wick-tower, long since ruinous; but, from the time of Henry IV., their principal mansion was Wallington. Sir John Fenwick, attainted and executed for treason in the reign of William III., represented the chieftain of this clan.

Then raise the slogan with ane shout.—P. 168. v. 3. The gathering word, peculiar to a certain name, or set of people, was termed slogan or slughorn, and was always repeated at an onset, as well as on many other occasions, as appears from the following passage of an old author, whom this custom seems to have offended-for he complains,

"That whereas alweys, both in al tounes of war, and in al campes of armies, quietnes and stilnes without nois is principally in the night, after the watch is set, observed (I need "not reason why.) Yet, our northern prikkers, the Borderers, notwithstanding, with great enormitie, (as thought me) "and not unlyke (to be playn) unto a masterless hounde houyling in a hie way, when he hath lost him he wayted upon, sum hoopyng, sum whistelyng, and most with crying, a Berwyke! a Berwyke! a Fenwyke! a Fenwyke! a Bulmer! a Bulmer! or so ootherwise as theyr captein's names "wear, never linnde those troublous and daungerous noyses "all the night long. They sayd they did it to fynd out their captein and fellowes; but if the soldiours of our oother "countries and sheres had used the same maner, in that case 66 we shoold have oftymes had the state of our campe more "lyke the outrage of a dissolute huntyng, than the quiet of a wel ordred army."-PATTEN'S Account of Somerset's Expedition, p. 76.-Apud DALYELL's Fragments.

Honest Patten proceeds, with great prolixity, to prove, that this was a custom more honoured in the breach than in the observance; and, like Fluellen, declares," that such idle pribble "prabbles were contrary to all the good customs and disciplines "of war." Nevertheless, the custom of crying the slogan, or ensenzie, is often alluded to in all our ancient histories and poems. It was usually the name of the clan, or place of rendezvous, or leader. In 1335, the English, led by Thomas of

Rosslyne, and William Moubray, assaulted Aberdeen. The former was mortally wounded in the onset; and, as his followers were pressing forward, shouting Rosslyne! Rosslyne! Cry Moubray," said the expiring chieftain; "Rosslyne is gone!" The Highland clans had also their appropriate slogans. The Macdonalds cried Frich, (heather ;) the Macphersons, Craig-Ubh; the Grants, Craig-Elachie; and the Macfarlanes, Loch-Sloy.

The swallow taill frae tackles flew.-P. 169. v. 2.

The Scots, on this occasion, seem to have had chiefly firearms; the English retaining still their partiality for their ancient weapon, the long-bow. It also appears, by a letter from the Duke of Norfolk to Cecil, that the English Borderers were unskilful in fire-arms, or, as he says, 66 our countrymen be not so commyng with shots as I woolde wishe."-See MURDEN'S State Papers, vol. I. p. 319.

And had not been the merchant packs.-P. 169. v. 3. The ballad-maker here ascribes the victory to the real cause; for the English Borderers, dispersing to plunder the merchandise, gave the opposite party time to recover from their surprise. It seems to have been usual for travelling merchants to attend Border meetings, although one would have thought the kind of company, usually assembled there, might have deterred them.

Sir Francis Russel ta'en was there.-P. 170. v. 1. This gentleman was son to the Earl of Bedford, and warden of the East Marches. He was, at this time, chamberlain of Berwick. He was afterwards killed in a fray of a similar nature, at a Border meeting between the same Sir John Forster (father-in-law to Russell,) and Thomas Kerr of Fairnihurst, A. D. 1585.

Proud Wallinton was wounded sair.-P. 170. v. 1. Fenwick of Wallington, à powerful Northumbrian chief.