hewed them the charter. "To horse, lads!" cried the savage warrior,
"and let us take possession! the lands of Gilmanscleuch are well worth
a dead son." The property, thus obtained, continued in the family
till the beginning of last century, when it was sold, by John Scott of
Harden, to Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch.

_John o' Brigham there was slane_.--P. 147. v. 3.

Perhaps one of the ancient family of Brougham, in Cumberland. The
editor has used some freedom with the original in the subsequent
verse. The account of the captain's disaster _(tests laeva vulnerata_)
is rather too _naive_ for literal publication.

_Cried--"On for his house in Stanegirthside_.--P. 148. v. 3.

A house belonging to the Foresters, situated on the English side of
the Liddel.

An article in the list of attempts upon England, fouled by the
commissioners ar Berwick, in the year 1587, may relate to the subject
of the foregoing ballad.

October, 1582.

Thomas Musgrave, deputy {Walter Scott, laird } 200 kine and
of Bewcastle, and {of Buckluth, and his} oxen,300 gait the
tenants, against {complices; for } and sheep.

_Introduction, to History of Westmoreland and Cumberland_, p. 31.

THE RAID OF THE REIDSWIRE.

* * * * *

This poem is published from a copy in the Bannatyne MS. in the
hand-writing of the Hon. Mr. Carmichael, advocate. It first appeared
in _Allan Ramsay's Evergreen_, but some liberties have been taken by
him in transcribing it; and, what is altogether unpardonable, the MS.,
which is itself rather inaccurate, has been interpolated to favour his
readings; of which there remain obvious marks.

The skirmish of the Reidswire happened upon the 7th of June, 1575,
at one of the meetings, held by the wardens of the marches, for
arrangements necessary upon the border. Sir John Carmichael, ancestor
of the present Earl of Hyndford, was the Scottish warden, and Sir John
Forster held that office on the English middle march.--In the course
of the day, which was employed, as usual, in redressing wrongs, a
bill, or indictment, at the instance of a Scottish complainer, was
fouled (_i.e._ found a true bill) against one Farnstein, a notorious
English freebooter. Forster alleged that he had fled from justice:
Carmichael considering this as a pretext to avoid making compensation
for the felony, bade him "play fair!" to which the haughty English
warden retorted, by some injurious expressio