pletely destroyed. Mutual trust, the primary condition of social life,
was rendered practically impossible. And, as might be expected, the most
trivial circumstances often gave rise to the most implacable hostility. A
singular instance of this is referred to by John Cary in one of his
communications to Burghley. He says:--"Your honour remembers hearing long
since of the great road by the Scotts 'as Will Haskottes and his fellowes'
made in Tynedale and Redesdale, taking up the whole country and nearly
beggaring them for ever. On complaint to the Queen and Council, there was
some redress made with much ado and many meetings. Buccleuch and the
Scotts made some 'bragges and crackes' as that the country durst not take
its own; but the Charletons being the 'sufficientest and ablest' men on
the borders, not only took their own goods again, but encouraged their
neighbours to do the like and not be afraid--'which hath ever since stuck
in Buccleuch's stomack.'... Mary! he makes another quarrell, that long
since in a war tyme, the Tynedale men should goe into his countrey, and
there they took his grandfather and killed divers of his countrye, _and
that they took away his grandfather's shworde_, and never let him have it
yet synce. This sayeth he is the quarrell."[51]

Nor did lapse of time tend to soften the animosities. The feud was
inherited along with the rest of the family property. It was handed down
from generation to generation. The son and grandson maintained it with a
bitterness which, in some cases, seemed year by year to grow more intense.
It affected more or less a man's whole social relationships, and gave rise
to endless animosities and heart-burnings. Feuds were not unknown in other
districts of the country, but owing to the feeble and ineffective manner
in which the law was generally administered, they prevailed to a greater
extent on the Borders,--and were characterised by a more vengeful
spirit,--than in any other part of the kingdom.

Hence it was found that the existence of such feuds made the
administration of the law, such as it was, a matter of supreme difficulty.
It is said that it was hardly possible for any gentleman of the country to
be of a jury of life and death if any of those at feud were indicted, "as
they were grown so to seek blood that they would make a quarrel about the
death of their grandfather, and kill any of the name." It was, therefore,
found necessary to appoint special nobles and barons b