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His death, like his life, has formed the source of many ballads 

 and songs in the Border Poetry, and has been related in many 

 different ways. King James of Scotland is said to have decoyed 

 him to his court with fair promises ; and when he went into his 

 presence with his armed retinue, in all the pomp and splendour of 

 Border magnificence, the king cried out, " What wants this knave 

 with an equipment fit only for a king ? Away with him ! away 

 with him ! " Johnnie and his followers were accordingly con- 

 demned to instant execution ; — and tradition says that the trees 

 upon which they were hung, between Langholm and Hawick, 

 shortly afterwards withered away. Another ballad, however, gives 

 a different version of the story ; it makes Johnnie and his men 

 fight it out with the king, till the king was so hard pressed that all 

 Edinburgh had to turn out and help him ; then Johnnie got the 

 worst of it. He and his followers were all killed, except one — one 

 generally escapes on such occasions. 



So there they fought courageously. 



Till most of them lay dead and slain ; 

 But little Musgrave, that was his foot page, 



With his bonny horse Grizzel got away untain. 



He made for home as fast as possible ; and when he had told 

 the sad news, Armstrong's son, who was evidently a chip off the 

 old block, resolved upon a future revenge : — 



Oh then up spake his little son. 



Who sat upon his nurse's knee — 

 "If ever I live to be a man, 



My father's death avenged shall be !" 



I have to remark in passing, that he is spoken of throughout 

 this ballad, and other ballads, as Johnnie Armstrong of Westmor- 

 land ; and the question was asked in one of the local papers not 

 long ago — who he was ? and why he should be associated with 

 Westmorland. The reply is obvious enough. Langholm and the 

 Cumberland Borders consist in a great measure of moss and moor- 

 land ; it lies towards the west of the island, and was hence in 

 general terms called west-moor-land. Such I believe to have 



