lf
surrounded by his enemies. In attempting, by the speed of his horse,
to gain the castle of Dunbar, the warden plunged into a morass, where
he was overtaken and cruelly butchered. Wedderburn himself cut off his
head; and, in savage triumph, knitted it to his saddle-bow by the
long flowing hair, which had been admired by the dames of
France.--_Pitscottie, Edit_. 1728, p. 130. _Pinkerton's History of
Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 169 [6].

[Footnote 5: The statute 1594, cap. 231, ascribes the disorders on the
border in a great measure to the "counselles, directions, receipt,
and partaking, of chieftains principalles of the branches, and
househalders of the saides surnames, and clannes, quhilkis bears
quarrel, and seeks revenge for the least hurting or slauchter of ony
ane of their unhappy race, although it were ardour of justice, or in
rescuing and following of trew mens geares stollen or reft."]

[Footnote 6: This tragedy, or, perhaps, the preceding execution of
Lord Home, must have been the subject of the song, the first two lines
of which are preserved in the _Complaynt of Scotland_;

God sen' the Duc hed byddin in France,
And de la Baute had never come hame.

P, 100, Edin. 1801.]

The Earl of Arran, head of the house of Hamilton was appointed to
succeed De la Bastie in his perilous office. But the Douglasses, the
Homes, and the Kerrs, proved too strong for him upon the [Sidenote:
1520] border. He was routed by these clans, at Kelso, and afterwards
in a sharp skirmish, fought betwixt his faction and that of Angus, in
the high-street of the metropolis[7].

[Footnote 7: The particulars of this encounter are interesting. The
Hamiltons were the most numerous party, drawn chiefly from the western
counties. Their leaders met in the palace of Archbishop Beaton, and
resolved to apprehend Angus, who was come to the city to attend the
convention of estates. Gawain Douglas, bishop of Dunkeld, a near
relation of Angus, in vain endeavoured to mediate betwixt the
factions. He appealed to Beaton, and invoked his assistance to prevent
bloodshed. "On my conscience," answered the archbishop, "I cannot
help what is to happen." As he laid his hand upon his breast, at this
solemn declaration, the hauberk, concealed by his rocket, was heard
to clatter: "Ah! my lord!" retorted Douglas, "your conscience sounds
hollow." He then expostulated with the secular leaders, and
Sir Patrick Hamilton, brother to Arran, was convinced by his
remon