Domestic Annals of Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution, Volume 1 (of 2)Chambers, Robert
History
Domestic Annals of Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution, Volume 1 (of 2)
Chambers, Robert
Scotland -- History -- 16th century; Scotland -- History -- 17th century
Bessie, being asked how she knew that her visitor was Tom Reid who had
died at Pinkie, answered: ‘That she never knew him when he was in life,
but that she should not doubt that it was he bade her gang to Tom Reid
his son, now officer in his place to the Laird of Blair, and to certain
others his kinsmen and friends there, whom he named, and bade them
restore certain goods and mend other offences that they had done....
Interrogate gif Tom, at his awn hand, had sent her to ony person to
shaw them things to come, declarit that he sent her to nae creature in
middle-eard but to William Blair of the Strand, and his eldest dochter,
wha was contractit and shortly to be married with .... Crawford, young
Laird of Baidland, and declare unto them, “That gif she married that
man she should either die ane shameful death, slay herself, or gae
red-wod [mad];” whereby the said marriage was stayit, and the laird
foresaid married her youngest sister.’
Bessie denied any further advances on Tom’s part than his taking her
once by the apron, and asking her to go with him to Elfame, that
is, Fairyland. He used to come chiefly to her at noon. She had seen
him walking among the people in the kirk-yard of Dalry; also once
in the High Street of Edinburgh, on a market-day, where he laughed
to her. Having once ridden with her husband to Leith to bring home
meal--‘ganging afield to tether her horse at Restalrig Loch, there came
ane company of riders bye, that made sic ane din as heaven and eard
had gane together; and incontinent they rade into the loch, with mony
hideous rumble. Tom tauld it was the gude wights that were riding in
middle-eard.’
Being found guilty of the sorcery and other evil arts laid to her
charge, Bessie Dunlop was consigned to the flames.--_Pit._
The modern student of insanity can have no difficulty with this
case: it is simply one of hallucination, the consequence of diseased
conditions.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1576.?]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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