Anniversary Address. 41 



Bothwell, on the same day that the queen left Edinburgh, 

 rode over to Park,* a distance of about eight miles, to induce 

 him to come in. What occurred is told in the words of 

 a cotemporary annalist : — 



" Upoun the samyn day, James erle Bothwell, lord Hailis 

 of Crychtoun, being send be our soverenis to bring in certane 

 thevis and malefactouris of Liddisdaill to the justice air, to 

 be puneist for thair demeritis, and he being serchand the 

 feildis about the Hermitage, eftir that he had takin certane 

 of the saidis thevis and had put thame in the place of the said 

 Hermitage, in presoun, chancit upon ane theif callit Johne 

 Eluat of the Park. And eftir he had takin him, the said 

 Johne speirits gif he wald saif his lyff; the said erle Both- 

 will said, gif ane assyiss wald mak him clene, he was hertlie 

 contentit, hot he behuvit to pas to the quenis grace. The 

 said Johne heirand thay wordis, slipis fra his horse to have rin 

 away ; bot in the lychting, the said erle schot him with ane 

 dagf in the body and lychtit doun to have taken him agane; 

 and followand feirselie upon the said theif, the said erle slipit 

 owre ane souch and tomblit doun the same, quhair throw he 

 was sa hurt that he swownit. The said Johne persaveand 

 himself schot and the erle fallin, he geid to him quhair he lay 

 and gaif him thrie woundis, ane in the bodie, ane in the heid, 

 and ane in the hand ; and my lord gaif him twa straikis with 

 ane quhingar at the paip and the said theif depairtit ; and my 

 lord lay in a swoun. quhill his servantes come and caryit him 

 to the Hermitage. At his cuming thairto, the saidis thevis 

 quhilk was in presoune in the said Hermitage, had gotten 

 furth thairof and was maisteris of the said place, and wald 

 not let my lord Bothwill in, quhill ane callit Robert Eliot of 

 the Schaw come and said, that gif thay wald let in my lord 

 Bothwill, he wold saif all thair lyvis, and let thame gang 

 hame ; and sua thay leit my lord in ; and gif he had not 

 gottin in at that tyme, he and all his company haid bene 



* The peel of Park stood on the site now occupied by the Railway station at 

 Newcastleton.j 

 f Pistol. 

 B.N.C. — VOL. VII. NO. I. F 



