Читать книгу Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromartie, Knight - John Willcock - Страница 5

[1] System of Heraldry, ii, 274.

[2] Wyntown's narrative is as follows (quoted in Sir William Fraser's Earls of Cromartie):—

"A nycht he thowcht in hys dreming,

Dat syttand he wes besyd þe Kyng

At a Sete in hwnting; swà

Intil his Leisch had Grewhundys twà.

He thowcht, quhile he wes swà syttand,

He sawe thre wemen by gangand;

And þai wemen þan thowcht he

Thre werd Systrys mást lyk to be.

De fyrst he hard say gangand by,

'Lo yhondyr þe Thayne of Crwmbawchty.'

De toyir woman sayd agayne,

'Of Morave yhondyre I se þe Thayne.'

De thryd þan sayd, 'I se þe Kyng.'

All þis he herd in hys dreming."

Wyntown's Cronykil, i. 225.

Wyntown's date is about A.D. 1395. Macbeth was killed at Lumphanan by Macduff, 5th December A.D. 1056.

[3] A charter of lands in Cromartie granted by William de Monte Alto, between 1252 and 1272, is still in existence. The granter of the charter, having been owner of Cromartie, was claimed by Sir Thomas Urquhart as one of his Urquhart ancestors, but with no better authority than the earlier ancestors who figure in our author's Pedigree. See Earls of Cromartie, by Sir William Fraser.

[4] It would seem from this that Urquhart was originally a place-name, probably Gaelic. There were two parishes of Urquhart in the old province of Moray—one with a priory near Elgin, and the other with a castle in what is now Inverness-shire.

[5] "Tutor" here simply means "legal guardian"—for boys until fourteen years of age, and for girls until twelve. After these ages and before that of twenty-one such wards are in the charge of "Curators." Owing to our author's having the same Christian name as his father, the mistake is often made of asserting that John Urquhart was his tutor.

[6] Works, p. 172. In a MS. volume of unpublished poems by Sir Thomas, which is described on p. 116, there is the following:—"Upon the tutor of Cromarty, my great-grandfather's younger brother, and my father's tutor:

"The present tyme, the preterit, nor futur

T' ourselves, our fathers, nor posteritie,

Do now, have yet, nor will produce a tutor,

For's Pupils weil of more dexteritie,

For he left free th' estate he had in charge:

And by meer industrie did's own enlarge" (iii. 7).

We are sorry to quote a poem of Sir Thomas's at this early stage, before the atmosphere has been created which is needed for perceiving and appreciating its true value. The judicious reader will, however, return to it with interest when that process has been completed.

[7] John Urquhart, "the Tutor of Cromartie," died in 1631, at the age of eighty-four, and was buried in the old church of King-Edward, Aberdeenshire, where there is a marble monument to his memory.

[8] Works, p. 340.

[9] Another erroneous date is in the edition of the Tracts of 1774, where 1613 is given as the year of our author's birth.

[10] This is now amongst the Gardenston papers, having been formerly in the possession of Mr. Dunbar. All account of its contents is given in Antiquarian Notes, by C. Fraser Mackintosh, p. 195. An independent corroboration of the above date of the marriage is by a document now in the Register House in Edinburgh (Aberdeen Sasines), in which Sir Thomas Urquhart, senior, gives sasine of the barony of Fisherie to Lady Christian Elphinstone. The "precept," or clause in the marriage-contract, which directs the notary to give sasine of the estate settled on the bride, is also dated the 9th of July, 1606, and in it she is described as being in suâ purâ virginitate. Probably the marriage took place either on that day or very soon afterwards. The bridegroom was just of age, while Lady Christian was under sixteen, the date of her birth being 19th December, 1590 (The Lords Elphinstone, Fraser, i. 167).

The issue of this marriage were at least the following sons and daughters:—(l) Thomas; (2) Alexander; (3) George; (4) John; (5) [name unknown]; (6) Henry; and (7) Jane, m. Sir Alexander Abercromby of Birkenbog; (8) Helen, m. Sir James Gordon of Lesmoir; (9) Annas, m. Alexander Strachan of Glenkindie; (10) Margaret, m. John Irving of Brucklay; (11) [name unknown], m.—— Campbell of Calder.

[11] Fisherie is about six miles from Banff.

[12] It is quite possible, however, that, in the parish school of King-Edward, our author could have got the rudiments of a classical education. In 1649 (15th Nov.), Mr. James Petrie, who was school-master there, applied for the school of Banff and, as a test of his power, "was ordeined to teache the sext satyr of Persius to-morrow in the school of Banf be nyne hours in presence of the bailyies and others in the toune who wer scholars." He passed through the test successfully, and was appointed to the office (Annals of Banff, ii. 30, New Spalding Club).

[13] The entry of his name as a student on the roll is in the following terms: "In Academiam regiam Aberdonensem recepti sunt adolescentes quorum nomina sequuntur, præceptore Alexandro Lunano, Anno 1622.

…

…

Thomas Urquhardus de Cromartie.

… …

Fasti Aberdonenses, 1854."

[14] King's College: Officers and Graduates, by P. J. Anderson, M.A., pp. 347, 348.

[15] An "eminent Yorkshire educationist" introduced the same rules into the establishment under his charge. It is probable, however, that in Mr. Squeers's case the arrangement was the result of independent research into methods of education, rather than a hint borrowed from Andrew Melville. "No holidays—none of those ill-judged comings home twice a year that unsettle children's minds so!" (Nicholas Nickleby, chap. iv.).

It is only fair to say that there are doubts as to how far the arrangements under the Nova Fundatio, as above described, were in force in Sir Thomas Urquhart's student days. If the older system were still in operation, the Alexander Lunan, who is mentioned as his preceptor, would virtually have taught our author all the subjects contained in the curriculum through which he passed. As there is no proof that Alexander Lunan was another Admirable Crichton, the fact of his doing so would strengthen what we have said above as to the comparative slightness of the erudition imparted in a university education in those days. Sir Thomas Urquhart speaks of having "learned the elements of his philosophy" in the University of Aberdeen under William Seaton (Works, p. 263). It has been suggested that it is an error for John Seaton, and that it indicates that our author, like many other students of King's College, took a session or two at Marischal College (see Anderson's Fasti Acad. Marisc. ii. 34, 588).

[16] Works, p. 395.

[17] Dr. Lesley was successively Humanist, Regent, Sub-Principal, and Principal of King's College. In 1639 he was deprived of his office by the Covenanting party.

[18] Works, p. 262.

[19] Works, p. 263. The editor of the Book of Bon Accord gives a lower estimate of Dr. Guild's character: he says that his works are of no literary merit, and that he got fame by his wealth and ostentatious liberality. He was minister of King-Edward before he went to Aberdeen; and his widow, Catharine Rolland, founded a bursary at the university for young men belonging to that parish.

[20] Ibid. p. 263: see p. 11, note.

[21] Lord Elphinstone died 14th January, 1638. During the four preceding years his son-in-law had "made ducks and drakes" of his ancestral possessions. His portrait, which is still preserved at Carberry Tower, is engraved in Sir William Fraser's work, The Lords Elphinstone. It gives one the impression of a grave, melancholy man. He had fourteen sons and five daughters. It is to be hoped that none of his sons and no other of his sons-in-law had the faculty for getting into difficulties which Sir Thomas Urquhart, senior, displayed.

[22] Works, p. 336.

[23] The offence of forestalling consisted in buying merchandise, victuals, etc., before they appeared in a fair or market-place for sale, or in taking steps to raise the prices of such things, or in dissuading anyone coming to market from carrying his goods thither. The amount of fine for a first offence was, as above, £40 Scots (or £3, 6s. 8d. Sterling); for a second offence, 100 merks (or £5, 11s., 1d. Sterling); while for a third offence it was forfeiture of movable goods.

[24] M'Farlane's Genealogical Collections, ii. 283. MS. Advocates' Library.

[25] Records of the Court of Justiciary.

[26] It was built in the old turreted style, and defended on the south by a moat and high wall. When it was taken down, in the surrounding ground were found human skeletons, and urns containing human remains, both enclosed in graves made of flags (Old Stat. Account).

[27] Works, p. 312. "The situation appears in every view most delightful" (Pococke's Tour, 1760).

[28] Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland, pp. 78, 80.

[29] This was a fortalice-tower, with gardens, orchards, dovecots, etc., in the south part of Banff, which afterwards came into the possession of the Earl of Airlie. The bounds are thus described: "The common vennel at the north, the loch called the Saltlochs at the east, the lands called Little Guishauch at the south, and the road to Overak at the west." Shortly before its demolition it was the headquarters of the Duke of Cumberland's army on its passage to Culloden. Besides this house and the castle of Cromartie, the Urquharts occasionally occupied their mansion-house of Fisherie. This stood a few yards to the south-west of the present farmhouse of Mains of Fisherie. It was taken down some sixty years ago. Some old trees still stand near the site of the house and garden.

[30] Annals of Banff (New Spalding Club), ii. 28. The old church in which Sir Thomas had a "desk" or pew, and a "loft" or small gallery, is now in ruins. Only the south transept is standing. In the parish church of King-Edward, Aberdeenshire, the handsome silver communion cups bear an inscription to the effect that they were a joint present from Dr. William Guild, the then incumbent of the parish, Sir Thomas Urquhart, and his uncle John Urquhart of Craigfintray. That the Sir Thomas Urquhart here named is not our author but his father, is evident from the date of the incumbency of his fellow-donor, Dr. Guild, who was minister of King-Edward from 1608 to 1631. The cups bear date of 1619.

[31] Works, p. 331.

[32] Works, p. 272.

[33] History of England, chap. xiii.

[34] "Scotus est, piper in naso," Mediæval proverb.

[35] "Fier comme un Ecossais," French proverb.

[36] It may be as well to warn our readers at this point that Sir Thomas Urquhart's vanity, or what would be called vanity in any other man, was unbounded. So calm and unconscious is it, that it often seems to betray a disordered mind. Those who seek in his estimates of himself for illustrations of the grace of humility will seek in vain. They may, however, find other things, which, if not so edifying, are far more amusing.

[37] The reader who has sufficient curiosity and leisure may compare with the above the account which his contemporary, Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1581–1648), gives of his duels in his Autobiography. That nobleman was a kind of Sir Thomas Urquhart in water-colour, and his single combats are surrounded with a proportionately milder glow of romance. Indeed, they seem to have been generally undertaken in order to compel impudent young men to give back pieces of riband to charming young ladies from whom they had snatched them.

[38] Works, p. 311.

[39] Merchant of Venice, Act I. Scene ii.

[40] Essays, Civil and Moral, xviii.

[41] Works, p. 364.

[42] Ibid. p. 256.

[43] Works, p. 402.