The stream runs furiously among huge rocks, which was no second meanes. Then I told them my inhas occasioned a popular saying-

"Was ne'er ane drown'd in Tarras, nor yet in doubt, For ere the head can win down, the harms (brains) are out." The morass itself is so deep, that, according to an old historian, two spears tied together would not reach the bottom. In this retreat, the Armstrongs, anno 1588, baffled the Earl of Angus, when lieutenant on the Border, although he reckoned himself so skilful in winding a thief, that he declared, "he had the same pleasure in it, as others in hunting a hare." On this occasion he was totally unsuccessful, and nearly lost his relation, Douglas of Ively, whom the freebooters made prisoner.-GODSCROFT, vol. ü. p. 411.

tention what I meant to do, which was, that myself, with two deputies, and the forty horse that I was allowed, would, with what speed we could, make ourselves ready to go up to the Wastes, and there wee would entrench ourselves, and lye as near as we could to the outlawes: and if there were any brave spirits among them that would go with us, they should be very wellcome, and fare and lye as well as myselfe and I did not doubt, before the summer ended, to do something that should abate the pride of these outlawes. Those that were unwilling to hazard themselves, liked not this motion. They said, that, in so doing, I might keep the country quiet the time I lay there, but, when the winter approached, I could stay there no longer, and that was the theeves' time to do all their mischiefe. But there were divers young gentlemen that offered to go with mee, some with three, some with four horses, and to stay with mee as long as I would there continue. I took a list of those that offered to go with mee, and found, that, with myselfe, my officers, the gentlemen, and our servants, wee should be about two hundred good men and horse; a competent

Upon another occasion the Armstrongs were less fortunate. They had, in one of their incursions, plundered the town of Haltwhistle, on the borders of Cumberland. Sir Robert Carey, Warden of the West Marches, demanded satisfaction from the King of Scotland, and received for answer, that the offenders were no subjects of his, and that he might take his own revenge. The English Warden accordingly entered Liddesdale, and ravaged the lands of the outlaws; on which occasion, Sim of the Cat-number, as I thought, for such a service. hill (an Armstrong) was killed by one of the Ridleys of Haltwhistle. This incident procured Haltwhistle another visit from the Armstrongs, in which they burnt great part of the town, but not without losing one of their leaders, by a shot from a window.

"The death of this young man," says Sir Robert Carey, "wrote [wrought] so deep an impression upon them (the outlaws,] as many vowes were made, that before the end of next winter, they would lay the whole Border waste. This [the murcer] was done about the end of May [1598.] The chiefe of all these outlaws was old Sim of Whitram. He had five or six sonnes, as able men as the Borders had. This old man and his sonnes had not so few as two hundred at their commands, that were ever ready to ride with them to all actions, at their beck.

"The day and place was appointed for our meeting in the Wastes, and, by the help of the foot of Liddisdalet and Risdale, wee had soone built a pretty fort, and within it we had all cabines made to lye in, and every one brought beds or mattresses to lye on. There wee stayed from the middest of June, till almost the end of August. We were betweene fifty and sixty gentlemen, besides their servants and my horsemen; so that we were not so few as two hundred horse. Wee wanted no provi sions for ourselves nor our horses, for the countrey people were well paid for any thing they brought us; so that wee had a good market every day, before our fort, to buy what we lacked. The chiefe outlawes, at our coming, fled their houses where they dwelt, and betooke themselves to a large and great forest (with all their goodes,) which was called the Tarras. It was of that strength, and so surrounded The high parts of the marsh [march] towards with bogges and marish grounds, and thicke bushes Scotlande were put in a mighty fear, and the chiefe and shrubbes, as they feared not the force nor of them, for themselves and the rest, petitioned to power of England nor Scotland, so long as they mee, and did assure mee, that unless I did take some were there. They sent me word, that I was like course with them by the end of that summer, there the first puffe of a haggasse,§ hottest at the first, was none of the inhabitants durst, or would, stay and bade me stay there as long as the weather m their dwellings the next winter, but they would would give me leave. They would stay in the Tarras fley the countrey, and leave their houses and lands Wood till I was weary of lying in the Waste; and to the fury of the outlawes. Upon this complaint, I when I had had my time, and they no whit the called the gentlemen of the countrey together, and worse, they would play their parts, which should acquainted them with the misery that the highest keep me waking the next winter. Those gentleparts of the marsh towards Scotland were likely to men of the country that came not with mee, were endure, if there were not timely prevention to avoid of the same minde; for they knew (or thought at it, and desired them to give mee their best advice least) that my force was not sufficient to withstand what course were fitt to be taken. They all showed the furey of the outlawes. The time I staid at the themselves willing to give mee their best counsailes, fort I was not idle, but cast, by all means I could, and most of them were of opinion, that I was not how to take them in the great strength they were well advised to refuse the hundred horse that my in. I found a meanes to send a hundred and fifty Lord Euerst had; and that now my best way was horsemen into Scotland (conveighed by a muffled speedily to acquaint the Quene and counsaille with man, not known to one of the company,) thirty the necessity of having more soldiers, and that there miles within Scotland, and the businesse was carshould not be less than a hundred horse sent down ried so, that none in the countrey tooke any alarm for the defence of the countrey, besides the forty I at this passage. They were quietly brought to the had already in pay, and that there was nothing but backside of the Tarras, to Scotland-ward. There force of soldiers could keep them in awe; and to they divided themselves into three parts, and took let the counsaile plainly understand, that the marsh, up three passages which the outlawes made themof themselves, were not able to subsist, whenever selves secure of, if from England side they should at the winter and long nights came in, unlesse present any time be put at They had their scoutes on the cure and remedy were provided for them. I desired tops of hills, on the English side, to give them warnthem to advise better of it, and see if they could finding if at any time any power of men should come to out any other means to prevent their mischievous intentions, without putting the Quene and countrey to any further charge. They all resolved that there Whitram is a place in Liddesdale. It is mistaken by the no-race") is an olio, composed of the liver, heart, &c. of a sheep, ble editor for Whithern, in Galloway, as is Hartwessel (Haltwhistle, on the Borders of Cumberland) for Twisel, a village on the English side of the Tweed, near Wark.

[See the Ballad of Lord Ewrie, p. 64.]

1 The foot of Liddesdale was the garrison of King James in the Castle of Hermitage, who assisted Carey on this occasion, as the Armstrongs were outlaws to both nations.

A haggis (according to Burns, "the chieftain of the pudding

surprise them. The three ambushes were safely laid, without being discovered, and, about four o'clock in the morning, there were three hundred

minced down with oatmeal, onions, and spices, and boiled in the stomach of the animal, by way of bag. When this bag is cut, the contents (if this savoury dish be well made) should spout out with the heated air. This will explain the allusion.

A Muffled Man means a person in disguise; a very necessary

precaution for the guide's safety for, could the outlaws have learned who played them this trick, beyond all doubt it must have cost him dear.

horse, and a thousand foot, that came directly to the place where the scoutes lay. They gave the alarm; our men brake down as fast as they could into the wood. The outlawes thought themselves safe, assuring themselves at any time to escape; but they were so strongly set upon, on the English side, as they were forced to leave their goodes, and be-age water. Fortunately for the pursuers, he was take themselves to their passages towards Scotland. There was presently five taken of the principal of them. The rest, seeing themselves, as they thought, betrayed, retired into the thicke woodes and bogges,t that our men durst not follow them, for fear of loosing themselves. The principall of the five that were taken, were two of the eldest sonnes of Sim of Whitram. These five they brought to mee to the fort, and a number of goodes, both of sheep and kine, which satisfied most part of the country that they had stolen them from.

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The five, that were taken, were of great worth and value amongst them; insomuch, that for their liberty, I should have what conditions I should demand or desire. First, all English prisoners were set at liberty. Then had I themselves, and most part of the gentlemen of the Scottish side, so strictly bound in bondes to enter to mee, in fifteen dayes warning, any offendour, that they durst not for their lives break any covenant that I made with them; and so, upon these conditions, I set them at liberty, and was never after troubled with these kind of people. Thus God blessed me in bringing this great trouble to so quiet an end; wee brake up our fort, and every man retired to his own house."-CAREY'S Memoirs, p. 151.

lowing end :-One- a man of large property, having lost twelve cows in one night, raised the country of Teviotdale, and traced the robbers into Liddesdale, as far as the house of this Armstrong, commonly called Willie of Westburn flat, from the place of his residence, on the banks of the Hermitthen asleep; so that he was secured, along with nine of his friends, without much resistance. He was brought to trial at Selkirk; and, although no precise evidence was adduced to convict him of the special fact, (the cattle never having been recovered,) yet the jury brought him in guilty on his gene ral character, or, as it is called in our law, on habit and repute. When sentence was pronounced, Willie arose; and, seizing the oaken chair in which he was placed, broke it into pieces by main strength, and offered to his companions, who were involved in the same doom, that, if they would stand behind him, he would fight his way out of Selkirk with these weapons. But they held his hands, and besought him to let them die like Christians. They were accordingly executed in form of law. This incident is said to have happened at the last Circuit Court held at Selkirk. The people of Liddesdale, who (perhaps not erroneously) still consider the sentence as iniquitous, remarked, that —, the prosecutor, never throve afterwards, but came to beggary and ruin, with his whole family.

Johnie Armstrong, of Gilnockie, the hero of the following ballad, is a noted personage, both in history and tradition. He was, it would seem from the ballad, a brother of the Laird of Mangertoun, chief The people of Liddesdale have retained, by tradi- of the name. His place of residence (now a roofless tion, the remembrance of Carey's Raid, as they call tower) was at the Hollows, a few miles from Langit. They tell, that while he was besieging the out- holm, where its ruins still serve to adorn a scene, laws in the Tarras, they contrived, by ways known which, in natural beauty, has few equals in Scotonly to themselves, to send a party into England, land. At the head of a desperate band of freebootwho plundered the Warden's lands. On their re-ers, this Armstrong is said to have spread the terror turn, they sent Carey one of his own cows, tell- of his name almost as far as Newcastle, and to ing him, that, fearing he might fall short of pro- have levied black-mail, or protection and forbearvision during his visit to Scotland, they had taken ance money, for many miles round. James V., of the precaution of sending him some English whom it was long remembered by his grateful peobeef. The anecdote is too characteristic to be sup-ple that he made the "rush-bush keep the cow, pressed. about 1529, undertook an expedition through the From this narrative, the power and strength of Border counties, to suppress the turbulent spirit of the Armstrongs, at this late period, appear to have the Marchmen. But before setting out upon his been very considerable. Even upon the death of journey, he took the precaution of imprisoning the Queen Elizabeth, this clan, associated with other different Border chieftains, who were the chief probanditti of the West Marches, to the number of two tectors of the marauders. The Earl of Bothwell or three hundred horse, entered England in a hos- was forfeited, and confined in Edinburgh Castle. tile manner, and extended their ravages as far as The Lords of Home and Maxwell, the Lairds of Penrith. James VI., then at Berwick, upon his Buccleuch, Fairniherst, and Johnston, with many journey to his new capital, detached a large force, others, were also committed to ward. Cockburn of under Sir William Selby, captain of Berwick, to Henderland, and Adam Scott of Tushielaw, called bring these depredators to order. Their raid, re- the King of the Border, were publicly executed. markable for being the last of any note occurring in LESLEY, p. 430. The King then marched rapidly history, was avenged in an exemplary manner. Most forward, at the head of a flying army of ten thou of the strongholds upon the Liddel were razed to sand men, through Ettrick Forest and Ewsdale. the foundation, and several of the principal leaders The evil genius of our Johnie Armstrong, or, as were executed at Carlisie; after which we find lit-others say, the private advice of some courtiers, tle mention of the Armstrongs in history. The pre-prompted him to present himself before James, at cautions adopted by the Earl of Dunbar to preserve peace on the Borders, bore peculiarly hard upon a body of men long accustomed to the most ungoverned license. They appear, in a great measure, to have fallen victims to the strictness of the new enactments.-RIDPATH, p. 703.-STOW, 819.-LAING, vol. i. The lands, possessed by them in former days, have chiefly come into the hands of the Buccleuch family, and of the Elliots; so that, with one or two exceptions, we may say, that in the country which this warlike clan once occupied, there is hardly left a landholder of the name.

One of the last Border reivers was, however, of this family, and lived within the beginning of the last century. After having made himself dreaded over the whole country, he at last came to the fol* From this it would appear, that Carey, although his constant attendants in his fort consisted only of 200 horse, had upon this occasion, by the assistance, probably, of the English and Scottish royal garrisons, collected a much greater force.

There are now no trees in Liddesdale, except on the banks of the rivers, where they are protected from the sheep. But the stumps and fallen timber, which are every where found in the mo

the head of thirty-six horse, arrayed in all the pomp of Border Chivalry. Pitscottie uses nearly the words of the ballad, in describing the splendour of his equipment, and his high expectations of favour from the king. "But James, looking upon him Sternly, said to his attendants, What wants that knave that a king should have?' and ordered him and his followers to instant execution."-" But John Armstrong," continues this minute historian, "made great offers to the king. That he should sustain himself, with forty gentlemen, ever ready at his service, on their own cost, without wronging any Scottishman: Secondly, that there was not a subject in England, duke, earl, or baron, but, within a certain day, he should bring him to his majesty, either quick or dead. At length, he seeing no hope rasses, attest how well the country must have been wooded in former days.

1 The Borderers, from their habits of life, were capable of most extraordinary exploits of this nature. In the year 1511, Sir Robert Ker of Cessford, Warden of the Middle Marches of Scotland, was murdered at a Border meeting, by the bastard Heron, Starhead, and Lilburn. The English monarch delivered up Lilburn to