106 Death of De la BeauU. By George Muirhead. 



every step with a drawn sword. De la Bastie with threats and 

 orders to retire, defended himself actively, until he arrived at 

 the stony ground which lies between Dunse and the village of 

 Preston. There, whilst more intent upon his pursuer than on the 

 road, his horse striking his foot against a stone, fell ; then start- 

 ing to his feet he defended himself very vigourously from the 

 attacks of the young man, until John and Patrick Home, the 

 brothers of David came up and slew him. His head was cut off 

 and publicly exposed for sometime in Dunse, from whence it was 

 intended to be carried to the Castle of Hume when it should be 

 recaptured ; his body was buried in the place where he fell, which 

 was named after him, and the grave of De la Bastie is still 

 [25th July, 1611] pointed out by the inhabitants. Historians 

 relate that this slaughter took place on the 20th of September, 

 1517, yet the same writers narrate the death of Alexander on the 

 12th of October of the same year, through carelessness either of 

 the transcribers or of the printers. We have laboured in vain, 

 on this and similar points."*' 



The same author in his poems, which were published at Paris 

 iu 1639, thus alludes to the above event : — 



"DAUID, AUUS. 



• Externi iuga seruitii dum Darsius vrget 



Exterus ; idque scdcns plebsque patresque fremunt 

 Amission decus imperii, viiescere gentem : 



Virtntem, priscos et cecidisse animos : 

 Agmine turgentemque ; irasque, minasque vomentem. 



Ingressu parua, prselia magna mauu : 

 Efc verti, et fudi, et vici : caedemque piaui 



Csede ilia, efc manes, Humie magne, tues 

 Patria, quid debes mihi, quid domus Humia, vestri 



Arbitrii est ; non est dicere velle meum, 



" Darsius erat nobilis Gallus ex Prouincia vulgo De la Basti, dictus : 

 cuius consilliis Prorex Alexandrum Humium familiae Principem, capite 

 multuerat. Hunc postea Dauid Humius Vvedderburnius ad vleiscendani 

 Alexandri coedem interfecit, caputque abcissum supra Humium arcem, loco 

 conspicno, affixit. xn. Kal. Octob. 1517. Post ad. xm. Cal. Aug. capita Alex- 

 andri et Guillielmi fratrum portae inferiori Edinburgensi vbi affixa erant, 

 detraxit. Vide Buch. lib. 14." f 



* MS. History of die Homes of Wedderburn, by David Hume of Gods- 

 croft. Dated 25th July, 1611. 



f Davidis Humii Wedderburnensis Poemata omnia, Parisiis, 1G39. 



