Kenmure Castle. 185 



burgh from the threatened invasion by Somerset. The contend- 

 ing armies met near Inveresk (Pinkie Cleuch), and an eye-witness 

 thus writes of the stricken field : — " The dead bodies lay as thick 

 as a man may notte cattell grazing in a full plenished pasture." 

 The Sheriff of Galloway was slain, and near him lay his uncle, 

 the Knight of Lochinvar, the Lairds of Garthland and French, 

 the Laird of Bennane and his son, Vaux of Barnbarroch, and 

 George Master of Angus. 



An Old Time Curse. 



Referring to these Border raids, I think the following 

 "Curse," issued in a pastoral by Gavin Dunbar, Archbishop of 

 Glasgow, and directed to be read by all the priests of the Border 

 parishes is interesting : — 



I curse thair heid and all the hairs of their held; I 

 curse thair face, thair ene, thair mouth, thair neise, thair 

 toung, thair teith, thair crag, thair schulderis, thair breist, 

 thair hert, thair stomok, thair bak, thair wame, thair amies, 

 thair leggis, thair handis, thair feit, and e\'erie ilk part of 

 thair bodv, fra the top of thair heid to the soill of their feit, 

 befour and behind, within and without. I curse thaim gan- 

 gand, and I curse thaim rydand; I curse thaim standand and 

 I curse thaim sittand ; I curse thaim etand, I curse thaim 

 drinkand, I curse thaim walkand, I curse thaim slepand; I 

 curse thaim rysand, I curse thaim lyand ; I curse thaim at 

 hame, I curse thaim fra hame, I curse thaim within the 

 house, I curse thaim without the house; I curse thair wiffis, 

 thair barnis, and thair servandis, participand with thaim in 

 thair deides. 



Not satisfied with such a detailed and effectual cursing, he 

 finishes up with the following condemnation: — 



And finally I condemn thaim perpetuale to the deip pit 

 of hell, to remain with Lucifer and all his fallowis, and thair 

 bodeis to the gallowis of the Burrow Mure, first to be hangit, 

 syne revin and ruggit with doggis, swyne, and utheris wyld 

 beists, abominable to all the warld. And thir candillis 

 gangis fra your sicht as mot thair saulis gang fra the visage 

 of God, and thar gude fame fra the warld quhill thai for- 

 beir thair opin synnys, foirbaidis, and ryse fra this terribill 

 cursing, and mak satisfaction and pennance. 



