in the same chapter, "Captaines to the companies of the saidis Parochines, sall learne them to gang in ordoure, and beare their weapons, and sall conveene their cumpanies twise at the leaste in everie moneth, of the moneths of Maij, Iune, and Iulij, at quhát dayes they sall thinke maist expedient, vpon Halie-daies before noone: And als in all vthers moneths, gif they may gudlie, and there exerce them in maner foresaid. And that man dis-obey the saidis persones, Captaines, to be depute and chosen, as said is, vnder the paine to bee punished at the Kingis will."

S. 3. V.3. Stanza seventh illustrates this verse.At Paisley Son-James'-day Race, the horses run for silver bells, and the horse which is so fortunate as to win the race, is led to the town in triumph, with the bells, he has so meritoriously gained, hung round his neck: afterwards, the bells are sold back again for a fixed value which was set on them. It is very probable that something similar was the case here: that Habby proudly playing on his pipes would usher the victorious horse with the bells into the town.

S. 3. V. 4. In tyme of neid] has a reference to each of the last three verses.

S.3.1.5. The last part of this verse reminds the Editor of a similar expression in an Epitaph, written in the form of a dialogue, between the person interred, and the visitor of the tomb. "Wha lies here?" "Me John Weir, what need ye speir?" "O John! is this you?" "Ay! but I'm dead now."

S. 4. V. 1. & 2. If we consider the superiority of Habby's genius, as a musical performer, the general observation of Beltan-day, at that time, all over Scotland, and in consequence of that, the numerous applications that would be made to Habby to perform then, we need not wonder at his neighbours taking it as a kindness, his preferring their application to every other.

S. 4. V. 2. The feast of Beltan, and the feast of St. Barchan, are synonymous terms for Beltan-day, and St. Barchan's day.

S. 4. V.2. Beitane] A superstitious custom formerly

square

observed in Scotland. It was a kind of rural sacrifice, performed by the herdsmen of every village on the first of May. They cut a square trench on the ground, leaving a turf in the middle: on that they made a fire of wood, on which they dressed a large caudle of eggs, butter, oatmeal, and milk; and brought, besides the ingredients of the caudle, plenty of beer and whisky; for each of the company contributed something. The rites began with spilling some of the caudle on the ground, by way of libation: on that, every one took a cake of oatmeal, upon which were raised nine knobs, each dedicated to some particular being, the supposed preserver of their flocks or herds, or to some particular animal, the real destroyer of them: each person then turned his face to the fire, broke off. a knob, and flinging it over his shoulder, said, This I give to thee, preserve thou my horses; this to thee, preserve thou my sheep; and so on. After that, they used the same ceremony to the noxious animal: This I give to thee, O fox! spare thou my lambs; this to thee, O hooded crow! this to thee, O eagle! When the ceremony was over, they dined on the caudle; and after the feast was finished, what was left was hid by two persons deputed for that purpose; but on the next Sunday they re-assembled and finished the reliques of the first entertainment.

S. 4. V. 4. Weid] Furious, synonymous with wid, wd, wede, wood, and wud. In Dunbar, Maitland Poems, p. 77. the word appears in the same sense.

He girnt, he glourt, he gapt as he war weid,
And quhylum sat still in ane studying,
And quhylum on his buik he was reyding."

Burns in his Tam o' Shanter exhibits an instance of nearly the same kind.

The mirth and fun grew fast and furious,

The Piper loud and louder blew."

S. 5. V. 2. & 3. In the 6th Parliament of James V. 1540. cap. 87. runs, "And as to the maner of harnesse and weapones, and how everie man suld be armed and weaponed: It is statute and ordained, that al! OVR SOVERAINE LORDIS Lieges haue wea

pones and harnesse, as after followis: IN The first, that everie Nobleman, sik as Earle, Lorde, Knicht, and Barronne, and everie greate landed-man. havand ane hundreth pounde of zeirlie rente, bee an-armed in quhite harnesse, licht or heavie as they please, and weaponed effeirand to his honour: And that all vthers of lawer rent and degree in the law-land, haue jack of plate, halkrik, or brigitanes, gorget or pesane, with splentes, panse of mailzie, with glooues of plate or mailzie: And that all vthers OVR SOVERAINE LORDIS Lieges, Gentlemen, vnlanded, and zeamen, haue jackes of plate, halkrikes, splentes, salate, or steil-bonet, with pesane or gorget, and everie man with sworde. And that na maner of weapons be admitted in weapon-schawings, bot speares, pikes, starke and lang, of sex eines of length, Leith axes, halbardes, hand-bowes and arrowes, croce-bowes. culverings, twa handed swordes: And everie man to be anarmed, as said is, vnder the paine of fiuc pound, to be tane of everie landed man, fiftie shillinges, of everie Gentle-man, and xx. shillings of every zcaman: als oft as they be foundin faltous in the premisses."

Jack] A kind of coat of mail, composed of a number of small plates of iron, sewed upon quilted linen through a small hote in the centre of each plate, their edges laid over each other like tiles, or the scales of a fish; these scales are covered with cloth, so as to have the appearance of quilting; it is proof against the push of a spear or the stroke of a sword, and yet it is extremely pliable to every motion of the body. This kind of armour is called plate armour; it came into general use about the middle of the 14th century. In an Act of Parliament, passed 1481, King James III. "It is ordained, that all persones that sall weare Jackes for the defense of their bodie, that they gar make them side to the knee, they that wantis leg harnes, and they that hes leg harnes, that their lackis be maid sa lang, as to cover the over part of their leg harnes.". For a more particular account, see Knox, Pittscottic, and other writers, who flourished between the middle of the 14th century, and the year 1600. See cap. 80.

S. 6. V. 1. Clark-playis, so called, to distinguish them from Jugglery, fast and loose, and such like, which are termed crafty, subtile, and unlawful Plays, in an Act of Parliament passed 1579, cap. 54. Whether they are called Clark-plays, from authors being in these days styled Clarks, and sometimes learned Clarks, or from the circumstance of the Parish Clerks first acting Dramatic Pieces, I shall not determine: perhaps the name may be derived from both of these circumstances. In the Evangelical Magazine for Aug. 1809, it is said, that Clerkenwell, London, derives its name from the Parish Clerks first acting Dramatic Compositions there. At Skinner's Well, near Clerkenwell, in 1391, as we learn from Stowe, "A Play was playde by the Parish Clerks of London, which continued three days together, the King, Quene, and Nobles of the realme, being present: and another was plaide in 1409, which lasted eight daies, and was of matter, from the creation of the worlde, whereat was present most of the nobilitie and gentrie of England." These pieces were of a religious kind, and denominated mysteries, and the Players at first were Priests and Scholars. Dr. McKenzie observes, that Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, "has the honour of being the first who introduced Dramatic Poetry into Scotland." He says, "He not only composed several Tragedies and Comedies, but himself was a principal actor in them. The idea of Tragedy and Comedy was at first very bare. Comedia, a Pley, that begynnethe with sorrow, and endyth with gladnesse. After the Mysteries, came a species of the Drama, named Moralities, of which kind, the Satyre of the Three Estates, is the most remarkable of all Lindsay's productions. A Morality is a Dramatic Composition, intended for the commendation of vertue, and vituperation of vyce. Lindsay's Satyre of the Three Estates, was acted at Cupar in Fife, in 1535, and at Linlithgow, in 1539. In 1545, Mr. George Wishart, when preaching at Haddington, said, "I have heard of thee, Haddington, that in thee would have been, at any vain Clerk-play, two or three thousand people: and now, to hear the Messenger of

the Eternal God, of all the town or parish, cannot be numbered one hundred persons." Henry Charteris, the Bookseller, speaking of Lindsay's Satyre of the Three Estates, says, "He saw this Play, playit beside Edinburgh in 1554, In presence of the Quene Regent: lestand fra nyne houris aforenone, till sex houris at evin." Plays in these days were acted in the fields, for want of proper houses to act them in. In the Bannatyne MS. are some fragments of Plays, acted on the Castlehill Coupar, and between Leith and Edinburgh, on the Play Green, which were written by Mr. Lindsay of the Mount. One of Lindsay's Plays occurs at page 164, of the Bannatyne MS. Here begins the proclamation of the Play, made by Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, knight, in the Play Field, in the year of God, 1515. Another, in page 168, Here begins Sir David Lindsay's Play, made in the Greenside, beside Edinburgh.

S. 8. V. 7. Fute Ball.] This game has long been an amusement of the active sons of Caledonia, though it is now superceded by the game of the Shinty in Renfrewshire. The ball was usually about 7 or 8 inches in diameter. At times it was composed of different materials; but they most commonly

For Fute Ba' had a muckle bladder,

Weel fill't wi' air, and co'ert wi' leather.

Different acts of the Scots Parliament have appear ed prohibiting the game of Foot-ball, as being useless and unprofitable to the public, in order to encourage Archery, which was of more use to the state. After that fire arms came to be universally used, these laws were relaxed; then this ancient divertisement again became a favourite game with people of all ranks.

S. 9. V. 1 & 2. Allan Ramsay for a motto to the Elegy of Patie Birnie, the famous Fidler of Kinghorn, quotes these verses out of Habby's Epitaph.

Bridalis] Weddings. For a description of these bridals, see the Songs of Willy was a wanton wag.The Blythsome Bridal, and, As Patie cam up frae the glen. which were written in the 17th century.

Plakis Twa bodles are equal to one plack, three