n Certain Delusions of the North Britons 319 



any way connected with Scottish manufacture, 

 armament, or nationality in the old time.^ Andrea 

 Ferrara, though by his name we might write him 

 down an Italian, was a famous sword cutler of Zara- 

 goza, in Spain, circa 1500, who, as far as I know, 

 was the only one who in those times stamped his 

 name on his blades, thus showing his own high con- 

 fidence in his own handiwork, the other masters 

 bemg content with trade-marks, the most famous of 

 which in England was the ' Fox,' from whence, in 

 the older English authors, the sword is often called 

 a ' Fox,' as Pistol sayeth, ' or else thou diest at point 

 of Fox.' So high was the reputation of Andrea 

 Ferrara, that among many other things in the 

 dowry of Catharine of Arragon were swords of his 

 make. ' Particularmente (sayeth Ponzi) cspadas de 

 grande estimacion, entSnces, con la niarca de la Oso el 

 pernio, y con el novibre de Andreas Ferrara, ceiebre 

 artifice, de Zaragoza: This is simple evidence, and 

 surely no man would be vain enough to suppose that 

 so great a master would leave the sweet civilisation 

 of Zaragoza to hammer swords in half-barbarous 

 North Britain. There were certainly swords forged 

 in the North by base varlets, and not only swords 

 but trade-marks; and I have seen many blades' 



c: \?T. °f ^^^ """'^ wonderful absurdities connected with this 

 Scottish Andrea Ferrara legend may be seen at Savernake Park, in 

 Wiltshire, where IS a broadsword with his name on it, but also- 

 ' This is the sword that once was borne 

 By Robert Bruce at Bannockburn ' • 

 that is to say in 13 14, some two hundred years before the Italian was born. 



