tent judge. But the privilege of being answerable only to the chief of their own clan, was, to the descendants of Macduff, almost equivalent to an absolute indemnity. Macduff's Cross was situated near Lindores, on the march dividing Fife from Strathern. The form of this venerable monument unfortunately offended the zeal of the reformer, Knox, and it was totally demolished by his followers. The pedestal, a solid block of stone, alone escaped the besom of destruction. It bore an inscription, which, according to the apocryphal account of Sir Robert Sibbald, was a mixture of Latin, Saxon, Danish, and old French. Skene has preserved two lines : Propter Makgridim et hoc oblatum, Skene, de verb. sig. voce Clan Macduff. The full inscription, real or pretended, may be found in Sir Robert Sibbald's History of Fife, and in James Cunninghame's Essay upon Macduff's Cross, together with what is called a translation, or rather paraphrase, of the piebald jargon which composes it. In Gough's edition of Camden's Britannia, a different and more intelligible version is given, on the authority of a Mr Douglas of Newburgh. The cross was dedicated to a St Macgider. Around the pedestal are tumuli, said to be the graves of those, who, having claimed the privilege of the law, failed in proving their consanguinity to the thane of Fife. Such persons were instantly executed. The people of Newburgh believe, that the spectres of these criminals still haunt the ruined cross, and claim that mercy for their souls, which they had failed to obtain for their mortal existence. The late Lord Hailes gives it as his opinion, that the indulgence was only to last till the tenth generation from Macduff. Fordun and Wintoun state, that the fine, to be paid by the person taking sanctuary, was twenty-four merks for a gentleman, and twelve merks for a yeoman. Skene affirms it to be nine cows, and a colpindach (i. e. a quey, or cow of one or two years old).- Fordun, lib. 5, cap. 9.; Wintoun's Cronykel, b. 6, ch. 19.; Skene, ut supra. The last cited author avers, that he has seen an old evident, bearing, that Spens of Wormestoun, being of Macduff's kin, enjoyed this privilege for the slaughter of one Kinnermonth. The following deed, of a like nature, is published from a copy, accurately transcribed from an original deed, in the hands of the late Mr Cuming, of the Herald-Office, Edinburgh, by Messrs Brown and Gibb, librarians to the Faculty of Advocates. The blanks are occasioned by some parts of the deed having been obliterated. " "In nomine domini amen. Per presens publicum instru"mentum, cunctis pateat evidenter quod anno ejusdem domini mo. cco. nonagesimo primo, indictione quinta decima Pontifi"catus sanctissimi in Christo Patris, ac domini nostri Clemen" tis divina providentia Papæ septimi anno quarto decimo men"sis Decembris die septimo. In mei notarii publici et testium " subscriptorum presentia personaliter constitutus, nobilis et po" tens vir dominus Alexander de Moravia, miles, cum prolucu"toribus suis, domino Bernardo de Howden, milite, et Johanne " de Logie, vocatus per rotulos indictamentorum super inter"fectione Willielmi de Spalden coram Justiciariis; viz. Johanne "de Drummond milite, Mauricio de Drummond. "Filium Willielmi in judicio sedentibus apud Foulis et po" testatus erat, quod ex quo semel pro interfectione dicti homi"nis antea fuit per indictamentum judicio vo"catus et replegiatus ad legem de clan Macduff, per dominum "Robertum comitem de Fyfe non tenebatur coram quocunque "alio de dicta interfectione judiciari, quos " que dicta lex de clan Macduff suo intemerata privilegio de ipso ut prædicitur ad ipsam legem atto. Pe" tens ipsum legaliter deliberari, et per ipsos vel eorum indic"tamentis sic indebite ulterius non vexari. Quiquidem judi" cis nolle dictum dominum Alexandrum "deliberarie si ipsum bene vellent respectuare eousque quod "dominus de Brochepen justiciarius capitalis "dicta actione ordinaverunt quod sibi et suo "concilio expedientius videretur, quiquidem dominus Alexan" der et sui prolucutores eorum petitione et prestatione et pre acta fuerunt hæc " dictorum judicum responsione, petierunt a me notario publico " infra scripto præsentium "apud Foulis in itinere justiciario ibidem tento anno mense " die et pontificatu prescriptis per nobilibus et discretis viris do"minis Mauricio archidiacono Dumblan, Willielmo de Grame, "Vinfrido de Cunyngham, David de Mi "litibus, Moritio de Drummond, Waltero de Drummond, Wal"ter de Moravia, Scutiferis testibus ad præmissa vocatis speci"aliter et rogatis. "Et ego Johannes Symonis Clericus Dunkeldensis publicus " imperial notarius prædicti domini Alexandri comparitione ip" sius petitione et protestatione desuper justiciariorum re" sponsione omnibusque aliis et singulis dum sic ut priusquam et agerentur una cum prenominatis testibus pre"sens interfui eaque sic fieri vidi " forman publicam, redegi manuque mea propria scripsi requi" situs et roga om omnium premissorum signo Alas! that e'er thou raised'st thine eyes, et in hanc The idea of Lord Soulis' familiar seems to be derived from the curious story of the spirit Orthone and the lord of Corasse, which, I think, the reader will be pleased to see, in all its Gothic simplicity, as translated from Froissart, by the lord of Ber ners. "It is great marveyle to consyder one thynge, the whiche was shewed to me in the earl of Foix house at Ortayse, of "hym that enfourmed me of the busynesse at Juberothe (Al"jubarota, where the Spaniards, with their French allies, were "defeated by the Portugueze, A. D. 1385). He shewed me one "thyng that I have oftentymes thought on sithe, and shall do as longe as I live. As thys squyer told me that of trouthe "the next day after the battayl was thus fought, at Juberoth, "the crle of Foiz knewe it, whereof I had gret marveyle; for "the said Sonday, Monday, and Tuesday, the erle was very pen"syf, and so sadde of chere, that po man could have a worde " of hym. And all the same three days he wold nat issue out " of his chambre, nor speke to any man, though they were ne"ver so nere about hym. And, on the Tuesday night, he cal" led to him his brother Arnault Guyllyam, and sayd to hym, " with a soft voice, Our men hath had to do, whereof I am "sorrie; for it is come of them, by their voyage, as I sayd or "they departed.' Arnault Guyllyam, who was a sage knight, "and knewe right well his brother's condicions (i. e. temper), "stode still and gave none answere. And than the erle, who "thought to declare his mind more plainlye, for long he had "borne the trouble thereof in his herte, spake agayn more "higher than he dyd before, and sayd, 'By God, Sir Arnault, "it is as I saye, and shortely ye shall here tidynges thereof; but "the countrey of Byerne, this hundred yere, never lost such a "losse, at no journey, as they have done now in Portugal.'"Dyvers knyghtes and squyers, that were there present, and "herde hym say so, stode styll, and durst nat speke, but they " remembered his wordes. And within a ten days after, they "knewe the trouthe thereof, by such as had been at the busy nesse, and there they shewed every thinge as it was fortuned "at Juberoth. Than the erle renewed agayn his dolour, and "all the countreye were in sorrowe, for they had lost their parentes, brethren, chyldren, and frendes. 'Saint Mary!" "quod I to the squyer that shewed me thys tale, 'how is it, " that the earl of Foiz could know, on one daye, what was done, "within a day or two before, beyng so farre off?'-' By my "faythe, Sir, quod he, 'as it appeared well, he knewe it.'"Than he is a diviner, quod I, ' or els he hath messangers, "that flyethe with the wynde, or he must needs have some "craft.' The squyer began to laugh, and sayd, " Surely he "must know it, by some art of negromansye or otherwyse. To saye the trouthe, we cannot tell how it is, but by our ymagi"nacions.'' Sir,' quod I, ' suche ymaginacions as ye have "therein, if it please you to shew me, I wold be gladde ther" of; and if it be suche a thynge as ought to be secrete, I shall "nat publysshe it, nor as long as I am in thys countrey 1 shall never speke worde thereof.'-' I praye you therof,' quod the squyer, for I wolde nat it shulde be knowen, that I shulde "speke thereof. But I shall shewe you, as dyvers men spe"keth secretelye, whan they be togyder as frendes.' Than he "drew me aparte into a corner of the chapell at Ortayse, and "then began his tale, and sayd: "It is well a twenty yeares paste, that there was, in this coun"tre, a barone, called Raymond, lorde of Corasse, whyche is a "sevyn leagues from this towne of Ortayse. Thys lord of Co rasse had that same tyme, a plee at Avygnon before the Pope, " for the dysmes (i. e. tithes) of his churche, against a clerk, cu"rate there; the whiche priest was of Catelogne. He was a "grete clerk, and claymed to have ryghte of the dysmes, in the "towne of Corasse, which was valued to a hundred florens by "the yere, and the ryghte that he had, he shewed and proved "it; and, by sentence diffynitive, Pope Urbane the fythe, in "consistory generall, condempned the knighte, and gave judge"ment wyth the preest, and of this last judgment he had letters " of the Pope, for his possession, and so rode tyll he came into "Berne, and there shewed his letters and bulles of the Popes " for his possession of his dysmes. The lord of Corasse had gret "indignacion at this preest, and came to hym, and said, 'Mais"ter Pers, or Maister Martin (as his name was) thinkest thou, "that by reason of thy letters I will lose mine herytage-be "nat so hardy, that thou take any thynge that is myne; if thou "do, it shall cost thee thy life. Go thy waye into some other " place to get thee a benefyce, for of myne herytage thou get" test no parte, and ones for alwayes, I defende thee.' The " clerk douted the knight, for he was a cruell man, therefore he " durst nat parceyver.-Than he thoughte to return to Avignon, "as he dyde; but, whan he departed, he came to the knight, "the lord of Corasse, and sayd, 'Sir, by force, and nat by " ryght, ye take away from me the ryght of my churche, where" in you greatly hurt your conscience. I am not so strong in "this countrey as ye be; but, sir, knowe, for trouthe, that as soon as I maye, I shall sende to you suche a champyon, whom "ye shall doubte more than me.' The knight, who doubted "nothyng his thretynges, said, 'God be with thee; do what "thou mayst; I doute no more dethe than lyfe; for all thy |