Читать книгу The Raiders: Being Some Passages In The Life Of John Faa, Lord And Earl Of Little Egypt - Samuel R. Crockett - Страница 6

I, Patrick Heron of Isle Rathan in Galloway, begin the writing of my book with thanks to God, the Giver of all good, for the early and bountiful harvest which He has been pleased to give us here in little Scotland, in this year of His Grace, 17––. It is not the least of the Lord’s mercies that throughout all this realm, both hill-land and valley-land, the crops of corn, Merse wheat, Lowden oats, and Galloway bear, should be in the stackyards under thack and rape by the second day of September.

So, with a long back-end before me, the mind running easy about the corn, and prices rising, I am not likely to get a better season of quiet to write down the things that befell us in those strange years when the hill outlaws collogued with the wild freetraders of the Holland traffic, and fell upon us to the destruction of the life of man, the carrying away of much bestial, besides the putting of many of His Majesty’s lieges in fear.

Now it will appear that there are many things in this long story which I shall have to tell concerning myself which are far from doing me credit, but let it not be forgotten that it was with me the time of wild oat sowing when the blood ran warm. Also these were the graceless, unhallowed days after the Great Killing, when the saints of God had disappeared from the hills of Galloway and Carrick, and when the fastnesses of the utmost hills were held by a set of wild cairds – cattle reivers and murderers, worse than the painted savages of whom navigators to the far seas bring us word.

It was with May Mischief that all the terrible blast of storm began (as indeed most storms among men ever do begin with a bonny lass, like that concerning Helen of Troy, which lasted ten year and of which men speak to this day). The tale began with May Mischief, as you shall hear. I keep the old name still, though the years have gone by, and though now in any talks of the old days and of all our ancient ploys, there are the bairns to be considered. But it is necessary that ere the memory quite die out, some one of us who saw these things should write them down. Some, it is true, were deeper in than I, but none saw more or clearer, being so to speak at both the inception and the conclusion of the matter.

James, be the grace of God, King of Scottis: To our Schereffis of Edinburghe, principall … and to all otheris Schereffis, Stewartis, provestis, auldermenne, and bailleis within our realme, greting. FORSAMEKILL as it is huimlie menit and schewin to us be our louvit JOHNNE FAA, LORD AND EARLE OF LITTLE EGYPT: I charge you to assist him in punessing all that rebellis againis him, and in the execution of justice upon his company and folkis, conforme to the lawes of Egypt.

Subscrivit with our hand and under our Prive Seile, AT FALKLAND the fiveteine day of Februar, and of our reigne the xxviij year.

Subscrivit. per Regem

James K.