It is known that King James
I. called together more Parliaments than all the prior Kings of Scotland
put together. During the first fourteen years of his reign, he assembled
no fewer than thirteen Parliaments. When these were assembled, it was of
course necessary that the legislators, who had come from all parts of the
kingdom to make and mend laws, should have something to do; as a
legislative assembly, without some new law to make, or improvement to
suggest, is in a much worse position than an artisan without work. The
shoemaker who has no shoe to cobble, may conceal his want of work from
everybody but his wife, who feels the want of the fees; but a great number
of lords and prelates, collected from all parts of the kingdom to make
laws, and without any subject on which to exercise their legislative
functions, must sit and look each other in the face, experiencing and
acknowledging a want of trade, which it is at all times very unpleasant to
make known. The king who assembles them, is even in a worse predicament;
because he is in the situation of a master who has no work to give his
journeymen.
When, therefore, the
Parliament of James fell out of work—after having exhausted such recondite
subjects as the regulation of cruives, which were measured by the length
of a pig three years old, from the point of the snout to the tip of the
tail, and other equally subtle points—the King found them work in
regulating the dress of the women, who, in those early days, began to
decorate their fair persons with the most costly habiliments. As it was
plain that their reason had no control over their desire to appear gay, it
was thought a legitimate subject of Parliamentary enactment to regulate
what kind of dresses ladies of a certain rank should wear.
It was, accordingly,
enacted by a Parliament held in 1427—that "neither commoners’ wives, nor
their servants, should wear long trains, rich hoods or ruffs, purfled
sleeves, or costly curches of lawn;" and, "that all gentlemen’s wives take
care that their array do not exceed the personal estate of their husband."
At a time when the rage for
dress was a new passion, which had broken out from the powers and chains
of feudal depreciation and bondage, an act of parliament, of the kind now
mentioned, could not fail to be a grievous calamity to those who felt that
their charms required embellishment. Even in these days it may be easily
figured what would be the consequence of binding down the ladies to common
mankies, or Aberdeen sey; and every kind-hearted individual, who
sympathises in the misfortunes of her fellow creatures, must feel for the
ladies of the fifteenth century, whose toilette was put under the
legislative authority of a Hume or a Roebuck.
When the enactment we have
mentioned was published on the kirk-doors of Scotland, the effect was just
such as may, by a comparison of states and feelings, be conceived. The
wife of the Provost of Peebles was, in a particular degree, aggrieved, in
consequence of a rivalship she had long carried on in dress, with the lady
of a knight, Sir George Cockburn, who sat in the same place of worship.
Lady Cockburn had been annoyed by the exact imitation which the Provost’s
lady had observed in her mode of dressing; and accordingly, she rejoiced
in the provisions of the act of parliament, which allowed a knight’s lady
to wear "purfled sleeves." and denied that exquisite privilege to the wife
of a commoner. The triumph was decided; it was sealed by the seals of the
members of the Scottish parliament, it was impossible to touch it. All
competition between Mrs Purves and Lady Cockburn, was for ever at an end.
There was nothing that the former could wear, that the other.could not
wear; but she was, by act of parliament, prevented from wearing what the
other was entitled to wear.
It will come very far short
of the truth to look at this matter with the eye of a cold calculating
reason, applied for the purpose of ascertaining the precise amount of
disadvantage, which, in a utilitarian point of view, was suffered by those
in Mrs Purves’ condition, in consequence of this famous statute. There is
no ordained optimum for all people. The question is, how much relative
unhappiness did this occasion to Mrs Purves? Unquestionably much—perhaps
as much as if her husband had lost one thousand merks. But there was
really justice in the lady’s case. The tyranny of drawing a line of
demarcation between God’s creatures by act of Parliament, is admitted. If
anything of the kind were attempted in our day, it would produce a
rebellion, and perhaps the loss of a million of lives. Justice is the same
goddess, whether she puts in her scales the fates of kingdoms, or the
bijouterie of the toilette.
The competition between the
two ladies having amounted at least on the part of Mrs Purves, to a
passion, the act of Parliament rendered her miserable. The husband had no
powers of consolation for her. She gave up going to the church, mourned
over her discomfiture at home; became peevish, sick, and heart-broken, and
denied all remedies which were suggested for her relief. One thing only
could cure her, and that was, an exemption from the decree which had
passed against the liberty of her toilette. The husband knew that this
would be attended with the greatest difficulty. The king, who had covered
with blood the "heading hill" of Stirling for the sake of justice, would
care but little for the griefs of the wife of the Provost of Peebles.
It happened that King James
took a tour along the Borders and, in his way, as was customary in those
times, he made certain grants, by way of favour, or largess, to the
corporations through whose liberties he passed. To various of the towns he
gave exclusive rights of pasturage over certain of the crown lands; to
some a right of fishing; to some a right of levying petty customs; to some
a right to hold fairs and markets, and so forth. Indeed, it is known that
the greater part of the privileges and immunities of the towns of Scotland
were granted in this way. When James came to Peebles, it became the talk
of the inhabitants what was to be their guerdon. The members of the
council deliberated upon it in their chamber; and some proposed a right of
pasturage—some of levying petty customs—some one thing and some another—as
suited their views of public or private policy. The charge of the petition
was committed to the Provost. There was, however, a stronger power at
home. Mrs Purves had a petition; and it was clear that her husband had
little prospect of any further domestic bliss unless the prayer of that
petition was granted.
Though an honest man,
Purves knew the value of domestic happiness in competing with public
principle. A man may sacrifice much to public duty, as witness the case of
Brutus; but it may be doubted if any man, however much a lover of justice,
ever sacrificed for a smile of the stern goddess, the loves, the happiness
of his domestic life—the comfort of his "ain fireside." The Provost felt
the delicacy of his position. He owed something to the town, and something
to himself, who had done much for his fellow citizens, and got not even
thanks for his pains. When the council made their suggestions to him, he
said he would think of the various boons that were proposed to be asked;
and, the matter being thus left in his hands, when the King arrived, he
repaired to the royal presence to present his request at the feet of his
sovereign.
"Well, our worthy and
well-beloved servant," said the King, "who hath the charge of our loyal
town of Peebles, what is the request that thou hast to make for the
exercise of our royal bounty, which, thanks to the approaching termination
of our journey, hath few more draughts to be made upon it, at this time?
We have always loved thy ancient burgh, for its steadiness in the royal
cause, and its peaceable attitudes in times of commotion, and shall be
well pleased to redress any grievances that may press upon the
inhabitants, or grant such privileges as may be consistent with the
principles of our government."
"Richt illustrious Sire,"
replied the Provost, on his knees, "it is weel kenned, in these parts,
that the royal bounty has been drawn upon by the Border towns, to an
extent beyond what was anticipated, even by thy most liberal
anticipations, and we would be richt laith to put the guid opinion that
your Majesty has been pleased to entertain o’ us by ony unreasonable
request, at a time, especially, when your Majesty is about to join your
richt fair and weel-beloved Queen, Joanna, whase image is nae doot mair in
your Majesty’s mind, than the sma’ concerns o’ an insignificant though
faithfu’ toun. The prayer I hae to mak is, therefore, that, when you
return to your palace, ye may enjoy that domestic peace and happiness,
whilk is denied to your Majesty’s servant, wha noo sues at your Majesty’s
feet."
"We do not see," replied
the monarch, "what our heppiness in our palace has to do with the
prosperity of Peebles, or thy own individual benefit and distinction. Thy
prayer is, besides—thanks to our good Queen—unnecessary, seeing we have
that which thou prayest for already; and it is not in the power even of
the good town of Peebles to wish us a more faithful consort, or greater
domestic happiness, than we at present enjoy. But thou hast contrasted thy
own domestic condition with ours, and stated that thou has not peace at
‘yer ain fireside,’ a calamity which we—sovereign of Scotland though we
are—have no power, we fear, either to remove or to assuage. We can grant
thee a right to levy petty customs, to cast feal and divot, and we might
even extend to thee some exemption from public burdens; but we cannot
interfere between our subjects and their wives; for, in our opinion, it
would be unseemly in a royal crown to be visited with the ‘reddin’ straik.’"
As the monarch finished his
speech, he laughed at his own attempt at wit; but the subject was not one
of laughter to the Provost, who adhered to his point.
"Yer Majesty," he replied,
"has mair power in this matter than yer modesty allows ye to think; and
since ye hae condescended to smile on the occasion, wharby my boldness is
greatly countenanced, I wad say that my domestic peace and comfort is
entirely in yer Majesty’s hands."
"Then we have more power
than we thought we had." Said the King, "Canst thou unriddle this
mystery?"
"If yer Majesty," said the
Provost, "would tak the trouble to read this sma’ petition, ye wad maybe
there find whar the riddle lies; and, also, the way to unriddle it to the
satisfaction o’ yer humble servant, and the bringing back o’ his domestic
peace, without which a’ his honours as Provost are o’ nae avail to his
happiness."
The King having read the
petition, smiled, and gave orders to his chamberlain to draw out the grant
we have submitted to our readers.
These are the circumstances
attending that extraordinary relic. The inhabitants felt disappointed; but
Mrs. Purves vied with Lady Cockburn, and outshone her. The grant was
constructed generally to imply, that all Provosts’ wives of Peebles might
wear purfled sleeves—a privilege of which the inhabitants were as proud as
if they had got the power of casting feal and divot on the surrounding
muirs.
