made; and her father, taking hold of her right hand, urged her to make an exertion to move it. She began to move first the thumb, then the rest of the fingers in succession, and next her toes in like manner. He then opened her eye-lids, and presenting a candle, desired her to look at it, and asked, whether she saw it. She answered, "Yes," in a low and feeble voice. She now proceeded gradually, and in a very few minutes, to regain all her faculties; but was so weak as scarcely to be able to move. Upon being interrogated respecting her extraordinary state, she mentioned, that she had no knowledge of any thing that had happened; that she remembered, indeed, having conversed with her friends at her former awakening, (Friday afternoon, 30th of June) but felt it a great exertion then to speak to them; that she recollected also having heard the voice of Mr Cowie, minister of Montrose, (the person who spoke to her on the forenoon of Tuesday the 8th of August,) but did not hear the persons who spoke to her on the afternoon of the same day; that she had never been conscious of having either needed or received food, of having been lifted to make evacuations, or of any other circumstance in her case. She had no idea of her having been blistered; and expressed great surprise, upon discovering that her head was shaved. She continued in a very feeble state for a few days, but took her food nearly as usual, and improved in strength so rapidly, that on the last day of August she began to work as a reaper in the service of Mr Arkley of Dunninald; and continued to perform the regular labour of the harvest for three weeks, with out any inconvenience, except being extremely fatigued the first day.

After the conclusion of the harvest, she went into Mr Arkley's family, as a servant; and on the 27th day of September, was found in the morning by her fellow-servants in her former state of profound sleep, from which they were unable to rouse her. She was conveyed immediately to her father's house, (little more than a quarter of a mile distant), and remained exactly fifty hours in a gentle, but deep sleep, without making any kind of evacuation, or taking any kind of nourishment. Upon awakening, she arose apparently in perfect health,

took her breakfast, and resumed her work as usual at Dunninald. On the 11th of October, she was again found in the morning, in the same lethargic state; was removed to the house of her father, where she awoke as before, after the same period of fifty hours sleep; and returned to her service, without seeming to have experienced any inconvenience. At both of these times her menses were obstructed. Dr Henderson, physician in Dundee, who happened to be on a visit to his friends at Dunninald, prescribed some medicines suited to that complaint; and she has ever since been in good health, and able to continue in service.*

(Signed) JAS. BREWSTER,

Minister of Craig.

act.

On the morning of September 21, 1816, Margaret Lyall, whose case is described above, was found in an out-house at Dunninald, hanged by her own hands. No cause could be assigned for this unhappy Her health had been good since the month of October 1815; and she had been comfortable in her situation. It was thought by the family, that a day or two preceding her death, her eyes had the appearance of rolling rather wildly; but she had assisted the day before in serving the table, and been in good spirits that evening. On the following morning she was seen to bring in the milk as usual, and was heard to say, in passing rather hurriedly through a room, where the other maids were at work, that something had gone wrong about her dairy; but was not seen again till she was found dead about half an hour after. She is known to have had a strong abhorrence of the idea of her former distress recurring; and to have occasionally mani fested, especially before her first long sleep, the greatest depression of spirits, and even disgust of life.

thame, and is bundin and oblist to bring hame with him all thame of his cumpany that ar on live, and ane testimoniale of thame that ar deid; And als the said Johnne hes the said Sebastianis obligatioun, maid in Dunfermling befor oure Maister Houssald, that he and his cumpany suld remane with him, and on na wyse depart fra him, as the samyn beris; In contrar the tenor of the quhilk, the said Sebastiane, be sinister and wrang informatioun, fals relatioun, and circumventioun of ws, hes purchest our writingis, dischargeing him, and the remanent of the personis abone written, his complicis and part takeris of the said Johnis cumpany, and with his gudis takin be thame fra him, causis certane our liegis assist to thame and thair opinionis, and to fortify and tak thair part aganis the said Johnne, thair lord and maister; Sua that he on na wyse can apprehend nor get thame, to haue thame hame agane within thair awin cuntre, eftir the tenour of his said band, to his hevy dampnage and skaith, and in grete perrell of tynsell of his heretage, and expres aganis justice: OURE will is heirfor, and we charge yow straitlie, and commandis, that incontynent, thir our lettres sene, ye, and ilkane of yow, within the boundis of your offices, command and charge all our liegis, that nane of thame tak upon hand to resett, assist, fortify, supplie, manteine, defend, or tak part with the said Sebastiane and his complices abone written, for na buddis, nor uthir way, aganis the said Johnne Faw, thair lord and maister; Bot that thai, and ye, in likewyse, tak and lay handis upoun thame quhaireuir thay may be apprehendit, and bring thaim to him, to be punist for thair demeritis, conforme to his lawis; and help and fortify him to puniss and do justice upoun thame for thair trespasses; and to that effect len to him youre presonis stokis, fetteris, and all uther things necessar thereto, as ye and ilk ane of yow, and all utheris owre liegis, will ansuer to ws thairupon, and under all hieast pane and charge that efter may follow; Sua that the said Johnne haue na caus of complaynt heirupoun in tyme cuming, nor to resort agane to us to that effect, notwithstanding ony our writingis, sinisterly purchest, or to be purchest, be the said Sebastiane in the contrar; And als charge all our liegis, that nane of thaim molest, vex, inquiet, or trouble the said Johnne Faw

and his company, in doing of thair lefull besynes, or utherwayes, within our realme, and in their passing, remanyng, or away-ganging furth of the samyn, under the pane abone written; And siclike, that ye command and charge all skipparis, maisteris, and marinaris, of all schippis within our realme, at all portis and havynnis quhair the said Johnne and his cumpany sall happen to resort and cum, to ressave him and thame thairin, upoun thair expensis, for furing of thame furth of our realme to the partis beyon sey; as yow, and ilk ane of thame siclike, will ansuer to ws thairupoun, and under the pane forsaid. Subscruit with oure hand, and under oure privie seile, at Falkland, the fivetene day of Februar, and of oure regne the xxviii yeir. Subscript. per Regem. (Ex Registro Secreti Sigilli, vol. xiv. fol. 59.)

ACT OF PRIVY COUNCIL

"Anent some Egyptianis.'
(Referred to at page 48.)

Apud Ed. 10 Novembris 1636. FORSAMEIKLE as Sir Arthure Douglas of Quhittinghame haveing latelie tane and apprehendit some of the vagabound and counterfut thieves and limmars, callit the Egyptians, he presentit and deliverit thame to the Shireff principall of the shirefdome of Edinburgh, within the constabularie of Hadinton, quhair they have remained this month or thereby; And quhairas the keeping of thame longer, within the said tolbuith, is troublesome, and burdenable to the toune of Hadinton, and fosters the saids theives in ane opinion of impunitie, to the incourageing of the rest of that infamous byke of lawles limmars to continow in thair theivish trade; Thairfore the Lords of Secret Counsell ordans the Sheriff of Hadinton, or his deputs, to pronunce doome and sentence of death aganis so manie of thir counterfoot theives as are men, and aganis so manie of the weomen as wants children; Ordaning the men to be hangit, and the weomen to be drowned; and that suche of the weomen as hes children to be scourgit throw the burgh of Hadinton, and brunt in the cheeke; and ordans and commands the provest and baillies of Hadinton to caus this doome be execute vpon the saids persons accordinglie.

(Ex Registro Secreti Concilii.)

THE WYFE OF AUCHTERMUCHTIE.

[This poem (as Lord Hailes remarks) is" a favourite among the Scots." It af fords a very good specimen of the native and rustic humour with which our grave forefathers loved to relax the usual austerity of their deportment. It has been well preserved both by writing and tradition. In Fife and some other parts of the country, it is still current as a popular ballad; and it has been twice edited from the Bannatyne MS., first by Allan Ramsay in his evergreen, and afterwards by Lord Hailes. The former published it, according to his usual practice, with additions and alterations of his own; the latter adhered correctly to his original. The present edition is taken from the same MS. but collated with another, and apparently, an older copy, in the Advocates' Library, from which several alterations, and the whole of the 11th stanza, have been supplied.]

1

IN Auchtermuchtie thair wond ane man,
A rach husband, as I hard tauld,
Quha weill could tippill out a can,
And naither luvit hungir nor cauld:
Quhill ance it fell upon a day,
He yokkit his pleuch vpon the plaine;
Gif it be true, as I heard say,
The day was foull for wind and raine.

2

He lousit the pleuch at the landis end,
And draife his oxin hame at evin ;
Quhen he cam in he lukit ben,
And saw the wif baith dry and clene
Sittand at ane fyre beik and bauld,
With ane fat sowp, as I hard say:
The man being verry weit and cauld,
Betwein thay twa it was na play.

3
Quoth he, Quhair is my horsis corne?
My ox hes naithir hay nor stray;
Dame, ye maun to the pleuch the morn,
I sall be hussy, gif 1 may.
Gudeman, quoth scho, content am I
To take the pleuch my day about,
Sa ye will rewll baith calvis and ky,
And all the house baith in and out.

4

But sen that ye will hussyskep ken,
First ye maun sift and syne maun kned;
And ay as ye gang but and ben,
Luk that the bairnis fyle not the bed;
And ay as ye gang furth and in,
Keip weill the gaizlines fra the gled;
And lay ane saft wysp to the kill;
We haif ane deir ferme on our heid.

5

The wyfe shco sat vp late at evin,
(I pray God gif hir evill to fare),
Scho kirnd the kirne, and skumd it clene,
And left the gudeman but the bledoch baire:
Than in the morning vp scho gat,
And on hir hairt laid hir disjune.

And priend als meikle in hir lap
Micht serve thrie honest men at nune.
6

Says Jok, will thou be maister of wark,
And thou sall haud, and I sall kall;
I'se promise thé ane gude new sark,
Outhir of round claith or of small.
Scho lowsit the oxin aught or nine,
And hynt ane gad-staff in hir hand :
Vp the gudeman raise aftir syne,
And saw the wyf had done command.

7

He cawd the gaizlines furth to feid, Thair wes bot sevensum of them all;

And by thair cumis the greedie gled,
And cleiket vp fyve, left him bot twa:

Than out he ran in all his mane,
Sune as he hard the gaizles cry;
Bot than, or he came in againe,
The calfes brak luse and soukit the ky.

8

The calfes and ky met in the lone,
The man ran with ane rung to red;
Than thair comes ane ill-willie kow
And brodit his buttok quhill that it bled,
Than up he tuik ane rok of tow,
And he satt down to sey the spinning;
I trow he loutit owre neir the lowe;
Quo he, this wark hes an ill beginning.

9

Then to the kirn he next did stoure,
And jumlit at it quhill he swat:
Quhen he had rumblit a full lang hour,
The sorrow scrap of butter he gatt.
Albeit na butter he could gett,
Yet he wes cummerit with the kirne;
And syne he het the milk owre het,
And sorrow a drap of it wald yirne.
10

Then ben thair cam ane greidie sow,
I trow he kund hir littil thank,
For in scho schot hir ill-fard mow,
And ay scho winkit and ay scho drank.
He cleikit vp ane crukit club,
And thocht to hit her on the snout;
The twa gaizlines the glaidis had left,
That straik dang baith their harnis out.

The de'il cut aff thair hands, quo he,
That filld yow all sa fou yestrein.
He traillit the foull sheetis down the gait,
Thocht to haif wascht thame on ane stane;
The burne was risin grit of spait,
Away fra him the sheetis hes tane.
14

Than up he gat on ane know head,
On the gudewyfe to cry and schout;
Scho hard him as she hard him nocht,
But stoutlie steird the stottis about.
Scho draif the day unto the nicht,
Scho lowsit the pleuch and syne cam hame;
Scho fand all wrang that sould bene richt,
I trow the man thocht richt grit schame.
15

Quoth he, My office I forsaik,
For all the dayis of my lyfe;
For I wald put ane house to wraik
Gin I war twentie dayis gudewyfe,
Quoth scho, Weill mot ye bruke your place,
For trewlie I sall neir accept it;
Quoth he, Feind fall tha lyaris face,
Bot yit ye may be blyth to gett it.

16

Than up scho gat ane meikle rung,
And the gudeman maid to the doir;
Quoth he, Deme, I sall hald my tung,
For an we fecht I'll gett the waur.
Quoth he, quhan I forsuik my pleuch,
I trow I bot forsuik my seill,
Sa I will to my pleuch agane,

For this house and I will nevir do weill.

ACCOUNT OF THE HIGHLAND HOST.

[In the beginning of the year 1678, (about eighteen months before the breaking out of

the memorable insurrection which led to

the battles of Drumclog and BothwellBridge), ten thousand Highlanders were brought down from their mountains and quartered upon the Western Counties, for the purpose of suppressing the field meetings and conventicles of the presbyterians. This Highland Host, as it was called, after committing many disorders, and, eating up' the disaffected, was ordered home again by the government, the undisciplined Gael being found too ignorant and rapacious to observe on all occasions the proper distinction between the loyal and lovable' supporters of prelacy, and the contumacious and uncourtly covenanters. The following account is extracted from the Woodrow

MSS. in the Advocates' Library: It appears to have been written by an eye-witness, but has no signature.

we less surprised to finde them so peaceable and submissive. At Stirling and about it, our Highlanders were somewhat disorderly in their quarters, particularly by raising fire in two or three places. Vpon our way hither such of them as went with us took their free quarters liberally; and the rest who took another way to Kilpatrick, have been yet ruder in killing sheep and other cattel, and also in robing any loose thing they found in their way. We are now all quartered in and about this town, the Highlanders only in free quarters. It would be truely a pleasant sight, were it at an ordinary weaponshaw, to see this Highland crew. You know the fashion of their wild apparel, not one of ten of them had breaches, yet hose and shoes are their greatest need and most clever prey, and they spare not to take them every where: In so much that the committee here, and the councel with you (as it is said) have ordered some thousands of pairs of shoes to be made to stanch this great spoil. As for their armes and other militaire accoutrements, it is not possible for me to describe them in writing; here you may see head pieces and steel-bonnets raised like pyramides, and such as a man would affirme, they had only found in chamber boxes; targets and shields of the most odde and anticque forme, and pouder hornes hung in strings, garnished with beaten nails and plates of burnished brass. And truely I doubt not but a man, curious in our antiquities, might in this host finde explications of the strange pieces of armour mentioned in our old lawes, such as bosnet, iron-hat, gorget, pesane, wambrassers and reerbrassers, panns, legsplents, and the like, above what any occasion in the lowlands would have afforded for several hundreds of yeers. Among their ensigns also, beside other singularities, the Glencow men their ensigne a faire bush of heath, were very remarkable, who had for wel spred and displayed on the head of a staff, such as might have affrighted a Roman eagle. But, sir, the pleasantness of this shew is indeed sadly mixed and marred; for this unhallowed, and many of them unchristened, rabble, beside their free quarters, wherein they kill and destroy bestial at their pleasure, without regaird to the commands of some of their discreeter officers, rob all that comes to hand, whi