Adventure stories; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
On the morrow, from the justices’ private room, where none could see
me, I heard the verdict given in and judgment rendered upon James. The
Duke’s words I am quite sure I have correctly; and since that famous
passage has been made a subject of dispute, I may as well commemorate
my version. Having referred to the year ’45, the chief of the
Campbells, sitting as Justice-General upon the bench, thus addressed
the unfortunate Stewart before him: “If you had been successful in that
rebellion, you might have been giving the law where you have now
received the judgment of it; we, who are this day your judges, might
have been tried before one of your mock courts of judicature; and then
you might have been satiated with the blood of any name or clan to
which you had an aversion.”
“This is to let the cat out of the bag, indeed,” thought I. And that
was the general impression. It was extraordinary how the young advocate
lads took hold and made a mock of this speech, and how scarce a meal
passed but what someone would get in the words: “And then you might
have been satiated.” Many songs were made in time for the hour’s
diversion, and are near all forgot. I remember one began:
“What do ye want the bluid of, bluid of?
Is it a name, or is it a clan,
Or is it an aefauld Hielandman,
That ye want the bluid of, bluid of?”
Another went to my old favourite air, _The House of Airlie_, and began
thus:
“It fell on a day when Argyle was on the bench,
That they served him a Stewart for his denner.”
And one of the verses ran:
“Then up and spak’ the Duke, and flyted on his cook,
I regard it as a sensible aspersion,
That I would sup ava’, an’ satiate my maw,
With the bluid of ony clan of my aversion.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account