Bannatyne Club > Criminal trials in Scotland, from A.D. M.CCCC.LXXXVIII to A.D. M.DC.XXIV, embracing the entire reigns of James IV. and V., Mary Queen of Scots and James VI > Volume 3
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604 APPENDIX.
pifh again ; and we put boofomes' in our beds with our hufbandis, till ve return again to them. We
wer in the Earle of Murrey es- hous in Deriivay, and ve gott anewgb tlier, and did eat and drink of
the heft, and browght pairt with wa. We went in at the windowes. I haid a little horfe, and wold
fay, ' Horse and Hattock, in the Divellis name !'^ And than ve void flie away, quhair ve void,
be ewin^ as ilrawes wold flie wpon an hie-way. We will flie lyk ftrawes quhan we pleas ; wild-ltrawes
and corne-ftrawes wilbe horfes to ws, an'' ve put thaim betwixt our foot, and lay, ' Horse and Hat-
TOK, IX THE Divellis nam !' An quhan any lies thes ftrawes in a whirlewind, and doe not fanc-
tifie them felues,^ we may Ihoot them dead at owr pleafour. Any that ar fliot be vs, their fovvell
will goe to Hevin, hot ther bodies remains with ws, and will flie as herds to ws, als fmall as ftrawes.'
I was in the Doicnie-hiUis, and got meat ther from the Qwein of Fearrie, mor than I could eat.
The Qivein of Fearrie is brawlie clothed in whyt linens, and in whyt and browne cloatlies, 8cc. ; and
the King of Fearrie is a braw man, weill favoured, and broad faced, &c.' Ther wes elf-bullis
rowtting and (loylling wp and downe thair, and aflrighted itie.^
' Bfsoms ; brooms. ® Alexander Stewart, ybur^A Earl of Moray, ^ The following remarkable circum-
stances were communicated to the ingenious John Aubrey^ Esq., F. R. S., by one Stewtnt, a tutor in tlie family of
James, second Lord Dl-ffus; from wiiose recital, Stewart states, he had it, and that his lordsliip had it from his
father, Alexander, first Lord Duffus, who had, in like manner, heard the tradition from ^^'illiam Sutherland of
Duffus, grandfather of James, Lord Duffus, who died about the year 1626. It closely corresponds with the particu-
lars contained in the Depositions of Isohel Gowdie and Janet Breadhead, in reference to this branch of Fairy super-
stition. As Aubrey's work is now exceedingly scarce, little apology is required for quoting the interesting commu-
nication, which he has, fortunately, preserved at length : —
' As soon as I read your letter of May 24', ( 1694,) I called to mind a story which I heard long ago, concerning one
of the Lord Duffus (in the shire of Murray) liis predecessors; of whom it is reported that, upon a time, when he
■was walking abroad in the lields, near to his own house, he was suddenly cal'ried away, and found the next day at
Paris, in the French King's cellar, with a silver cup in his hand. That, being brought into the King's presence,
and questioned by him, '* Who he was?" — and " how he came thither?" He told his name, his country, and the
place of his residence; and that on such a day of the month (which proved to be the day immediately preceding),
being in the fields, he heard the noise of a whirlwind, and of voices crying " Horse and Hattock 1" (this is the
word which the Fairies are said to use when they remove from any place ;) whereupon he cried " Horse and
Hattock !" also ; and was immediately caught up and transported tlirough the air, by the Fairies, to that place :
Where, after he had drank heartily, he fell asleep, and before he awoke, the rest of the company were gone, and had
left him in the posture wherein he was found. It is said the King gave him the cup which was found in his hand,
and dismissed him.
* This story (if it could be sufficiently attested) would be a noble instance for your purpose; for which cause I was
at some pains to enquire into the truth of it, and found the means to get the present Lord Duffus's opinion thereof;
which shortly is, that there has been and is such a tradition ; but he thinks it fabulous. This account of it his
Lordship had from his father, who told him that he had it from his father, the present Lord's grandfather. There
is yet an old silver cup in his lordship's possession still, which is called " the Fairy Cup," — but has nothing engraven
upon it except the arms of the Family.
' The gentleman by whose means I came to know the Lord Duffus's sentiment of the foregtting story, being tutor
to his lordship's eldest son, told me another little passage of the same nature, whereof he was an eye-witness. He
reports, that when he was a boy at school, in the town cf Forb.es, yet not so young but that he had years and capa-
city both to observe and remember that which fell out, he and his school-fellows were, upon a time, whipping their
tops in the Churchyard, before the door of the Church. Though the day was calm, they heard a noise of a wind, and,
at some distance, saw the sm.all dust begin to arise and turn round; which motion continued advancing till it came
to the place where they were : Whereupon they began to bless themselves. But one of their number (being, it seems,
a little more bold and confident than his companions) said, " Horse and Hattock with my top!" And imme-
diately they saw the top lifted up from the ground, but could not see what way it was carried, by reason of a cloud of
dust which was raised at the same time. They sought for the top all about the place where it was taken up, but in
vain ; and it was found afterwards in the Churchyard, on the other side of the Church. Mr Steward (so is the
gentleman called) declared to me that he had a perfect remembrance of this matter.' — Aubrey's Miscellanies, p, 209.
' Like ; even as; in like manner as. ' And; if. « The children in the kirkyard of Forres (see the
preceding Note on Horse and Hattock) appear to have been adepts in this branch of the Fairy creed ; which was, no
doubt, familiar to all classes of the peasantry of Scotland, as numerous traces of it are to be found in vai'ious districts,
at the remotest distance from each other. ' The above details are, perhaps, in all respects, the most extraordinary
in the history of Witchcraft of this or of any other country. Any comment would only weaken the effect of such
veiy remarkable descriptions. » It is a thousand pities that the learned Examinators have so piously declined indul-
ging the world with the detailed description of these illustrious personages. Lender the singularly descriptive powers
of Issobel Gowdie, much might have been learned of Fairyland and its Jlythology. ' It is evident that Issobets
gossipping had again been cut short here, as irrelevant. Not so the more objectionable parts other Confession, which
were obviously drawn out of her, and listened to with the utmost complacency by her reverend inquisitors.
pifh again ; and we put boofomes' in our beds with our hufbandis, till ve return again to them. We
wer in the Earle of Murrey es- hous in Deriivay, and ve gott anewgb tlier, and did eat and drink of
the heft, and browght pairt with wa. We went in at the windowes. I haid a little horfe, and wold
fay, ' Horse and Hattock, in the Divellis name !'^ And than ve void flie away, quhair ve void,
be ewin^ as ilrawes wold flie wpon an hie-way. We will flie lyk ftrawes quhan we pleas ; wild-ltrawes
and corne-ftrawes wilbe horfes to ws, an'' ve put thaim betwixt our foot, and lay, ' Horse and Hat-
TOK, IX THE Divellis nam !' An quhan any lies thes ftrawes in a whirlewind, and doe not fanc-
tifie them felues,^ we may Ihoot them dead at owr pleafour. Any that ar fliot be vs, their fovvell
will goe to Hevin, hot ther bodies remains with ws, and will flie as herds to ws, als fmall as ftrawes.'
I was in the Doicnie-hiUis, and got meat ther from the Qwein of Fearrie, mor than I could eat.
The Qivein of Fearrie is brawlie clothed in whyt linens, and in whyt and browne cloatlies, 8cc. ; and
the King of Fearrie is a braw man, weill favoured, and broad faced, &c.' Ther wes elf-bullis
rowtting and (loylling wp and downe thair, and aflrighted itie.^
' Bfsoms ; brooms. ® Alexander Stewart, ybur^A Earl of Moray, ^ The following remarkable circum-
stances were communicated to the ingenious John Aubrey^ Esq., F. R. S., by one Stewtnt, a tutor in tlie family of
James, second Lord Dl-ffus; from wiiose recital, Stewart states, he had it, and that his lordsliip had it from his
father, Alexander, first Lord Duffus, who had, in like manner, heard the tradition from ^^'illiam Sutherland of
Duffus, grandfather of James, Lord Duffus, who died about the year 1626. It closely corresponds with the particu-
lars contained in the Depositions of Isohel Gowdie and Janet Breadhead, in reference to this branch of Fairy super-
stition. As Aubrey's work is now exceedingly scarce, little apology is required for quoting the interesting commu-
nication, which he has, fortunately, preserved at length : —
' As soon as I read your letter of May 24', ( 1694,) I called to mind a story which I heard long ago, concerning one
of the Lord Duffus (in the shire of Murray) liis predecessors; of whom it is reported that, upon a time, when he
■was walking abroad in the lields, near to his own house, he was suddenly cal'ried away, and found the next day at
Paris, in the French King's cellar, with a silver cup in his hand. That, being brought into the King's presence,
and questioned by him, '* Who he was?" — and " how he came thither?" He told his name, his country, and the
place of his residence; and that on such a day of the month (which proved to be the day immediately preceding),
being in the fields, he heard the noise of a whirlwind, and of voices crying " Horse and Hattock 1" (this is the
word which the Fairies are said to use when they remove from any place ;) whereupon he cried " Horse and
Hattock !" also ; and was immediately caught up and transported tlirough the air, by the Fairies, to that place :
Where, after he had drank heartily, he fell asleep, and before he awoke, the rest of the company were gone, and had
left him in the posture wherein he was found. It is said the King gave him the cup which was found in his hand,
and dismissed him.
* This story (if it could be sufficiently attested) would be a noble instance for your purpose; for which cause I was
at some pains to enquire into the truth of it, and found the means to get the present Lord Duffus's opinion thereof;
which shortly is, that there has been and is such a tradition ; but he thinks it fabulous. This account of it his
Lordship had from his father, who told him that he had it from his father, the present Lord's grandfather. There
is yet an old silver cup in his lordship's possession still, which is called " the Fairy Cup," — but has nothing engraven
upon it except the arms of the Family.
' The gentleman by whose means I came to know the Lord Duffus's sentiment of the foregtting story, being tutor
to his lordship's eldest son, told me another little passage of the same nature, whereof he was an eye-witness. He
reports, that when he was a boy at school, in the town cf Forb.es, yet not so young but that he had years and capa-
city both to observe and remember that which fell out, he and his school-fellows were, upon a time, whipping their
tops in the Churchyard, before the door of the Church. Though the day was calm, they heard a noise of a wind, and,
at some distance, saw the sm.all dust begin to arise and turn round; which motion continued advancing till it came
to the place where they were : Whereupon they began to bless themselves. But one of their number (being, it seems,
a little more bold and confident than his companions) said, " Horse and Hattock with my top!" And imme-
diately they saw the top lifted up from the ground, but could not see what way it was carried, by reason of a cloud of
dust which was raised at the same time. They sought for the top all about the place where it was taken up, but in
vain ; and it was found afterwards in the Churchyard, on the other side of the Church. Mr Steward (so is the
gentleman called) declared to me that he had a perfect remembrance of this matter.' — Aubrey's Miscellanies, p, 209.
' Like ; even as; in like manner as. ' And; if. « The children in the kirkyard of Forres (see the
preceding Note on Horse and Hattock) appear to have been adepts in this branch of the Fairy creed ; which was, no
doubt, familiar to all classes of the peasantry of Scotland, as numerous traces of it are to be found in vai'ious districts,
at the remotest distance from each other. ' The above details are, perhaps, in all respects, the most extraordinary
in the history of Witchcraft of this or of any other country. Any comment would only weaken the effect of such
veiy remarkable descriptions. » It is a thousand pities that the learned Examinators have so piously declined indul-
ging the world with the detailed description of these illustrious personages. Lender the singularly descriptive powers
of Issobel Gowdie, much might have been learned of Fairyland and its Jlythology. ' It is evident that Issobets
gossipping had again been cut short here, as irrelevant. Not so the more objectionable parts other Confession, which
were obviously drawn out of her, and listened to with the utmost complacency by her reverend inquisitors.
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