Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
History
Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
Wallace, William, Sir, -1305
[72] Respecting the armour and sword of Wallace, Doctor Jamieson has
the following note. “In the Castle of Dunbarton, they pretend to show
the mail, and, if I mistake not, also the sword of Wallace. If he was
confined in that fortress by Monteith, before being sent into England,
as some have supposed, it is not improbable that his armour might be
left there. The popular belief on this head, however, is very strong;
of which I recollect a singular proof, which took place many years ago,
and of which I was an eye-witness. In the procession of King Crispin,
at Glasgow, his majesty was always preceded by one on horseback,
appearing as his _champion_. In former times, this champion of the
awl thought it enough to wear a leathern jerkin, formed like one of
mail. One fellow, however, was appointed, of a more aspiring genius
than his predecessors, who was determined to appear in real mail; and
who, having sent to Dunbarton Castle, and hired the use of Wallace’s
armour for a day, made his perambulations with it through the streets
of Glasgow. I can never forget the ghastly appearance of this poor
man, who was so chilled and overburdened by the armour, that, as the
procession moved, he was under the necessity of frequently supporting
himself with a cordial. It was said that he took to bed immediately
after the termination of this procession, and never rose from it.
From that time forward, his successors in office were content to wear
the proper badge of their profession.”--_Dr Jamieson’s Notes on Blind
Harry._
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