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I.
SCOTLAND and France were for many
centuries firm friends and close allies, and the intercourse between them
was constant and important. These bonds of friendship were ratified and
increased by numerous treaties of alliance; contracts of marriage between
the Royal Houses of France and Scotland; privileges and exemptions in favour
of Scottish merchants; honours and dignities conferred on distinguished
Scots; and last, but not least, the formation of the famous Scots Guards to
protect and defend the person of the French King.
Some of the older historians have stated
that this friendly alliance existed between the two nations as far back as
the reign of Charlemagne, and in 1579 David Chambers, one of the Lords of
Council and Session in Edinburgh, published a history, dedicated to Henry
III. of France, in which he quotes treaties of alliance between Philip I. of
France and Malcolm III. of Scotland; between Louis VII. and Malcolm IV.;
between Philip II. and Alexander IL; and between St Louis and Alexander
III., all of which he stated were taken from ancient Scottish historians no
longer to be found. However this may be, there is no doubt that the alliance
was of a very ancient date, for Eginhardus, who was Secretary to
Charlemagne, gives an account of the assistance the Scots gave to that King
in his wars, and the origin of the alliance is stated by Buchanan, Lesley,
David Chambers, and others to have been, that, during the reign of
Charlemagne, the English Saxons had invaded France and plundered the sea
coast, while the King was absent in Palestine fighting the Saracens. In his
extremity Charlemagne applied for help to the Scots, who, by their proximity
and animosity to England, were the most suitable to make a diversion, and
draw the enemy from his shores.
Achalus, the King of Scotland, glad
to secure the friendship of such a powerful and near neighbour, cheerfully
responded to Charlemagne's application, and a perpetual alliance was entered
into between the two nations. Some time after this Charlemagne was engaged
in a war with Italy, and Achajus sent his brother William with four thousand
men to help his ally. The historian Corneus, who lived a long time in Italy,
says that many of these Scots settled there, and founded several families,
such as the Barones, the Mariscottie in Bononia and Siena, and the Scoti in
Placentia and Mantua. This statement seems to be verified by the fact that
Sausovino and other genealogists state that all these families began in the
reign of Charlemagne.
Some writers say that as a memorial
of this alliance the crown of Scotland, which before consisted only of a
plain circle of gold, had now another circle of fleur de us added to it.
This statement has been contradicted by other historians. Mabillon says that
no French king used the fleur de us on his crown before Philip I., and the
same writer denies the statement that on account of this league the arms of
Scotland, as used on seals, were inclosed in a double tressure, flowered
with fleurs de lis. He says that Philip the August, who died about 1223, was
the first who had one fleur de us in his counter seal: Louis VIII. and IX.
used seals with sometimes one fleur de us, and sometimes several on them;
this custom continued until the time of Charles V., who finally reduced the
number of fleur de us to three. Besides, according to the learned antiquary,
Mr Anderson, in his "Independency of Scotland," the Scottish kings did not
use their arms on their seals until a long time after this period.
Whatever weight may be laid on the
evidence regarding these first treaties, it is unquestionable that,
beginning at the reign of Philip the Fair, there runs an uninterrupted
series of alliances between the Kings of France and Scotland, down to the
time of Henry IV. of France and James VI. of Scotland.
The following is a list of the
names of the sovereigns, and the dates of the different treaties :-
Treaty of Alliance between Philip
the Fair, King of France, and John Baliol, King of Scotland, concluded at
Paris, the 23rd of October 1295.
Treaty of Alliance between Charles
IV., surnamed the Fair, King of France, and and Robert I., King of Scotland,
concluded in 1326.
Renewal of the Treaty of Alliance
of France and Scotland, between Charles Dauphin of-France (King John, his
father, being prisoner in England), and David IL, King of Scotland, at
Paris, June 29th, 1359.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between the Kings, Charles V. of France and Robert II. of Scotland, at
Vincennes, June 3rd, 1371.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between Charles VI., King of France, and Robert III., King of Scotland,
March 3rd, 1390.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between the said Charles VI., King of France, and Robert, Duke of Albany,
Regent of Scotland during the captivity of King James I., in 1407.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between Charles VII., King of France, and Murdoch, Duke of Albany, Regent of
Scotland, in 1423.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between Charles VII., King of France, and James I., King of Scotland, in
1428.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between the said Charles VII., King of France, and James II., King of
Scotland, in 1448.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between Charles VIII., King of France, and James IV., King of Scotland, in
1491.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between Louis XII., King of France, and the same James IV., King of
Scotland, in 1512.
Renewal of the said Alliance
between Francis I., King of France, and Mary, Queen of Scotland, in 1543.
This same Alliance was again renewed between Henry II., King of France, and
Mary, Queen of Scotland, and between the succeeding Kings.
The chief article in these
alliances was to provide assistance to each other in their frequent wars
with their mutual enemy, England. The following is an extract from one of
these treaties. It would be tedious to quote it in full :-
"We have made alliance in manner
following, to wit, that we, our heirs, our successors, Kings of France, our
kingdom, and our whole community, are bound and obliged to the said King of
Scotland, his heirs, his successors, Kings of Scotland, his kingdom, and his
whole community, in good faith, as loyal allies, whenever they shall have
occasion for aid or advice in time of peace or war, against the King of
England and his subjects: that we shall aid and advise them, whereinsoever
we honestly can as loyal allies ; and if we, our heirs, our successors,
Kings of France, our kingdom, or our community, shall make peace or truce
with the King of England, his heirs, Kings of England, or his subjects, that
the King of Scotland, his heirs, his successors, Kings of Scotland, his
kingdom, and his community, shall be excepted; so that such peace or truce
shall be null, whensoever war is waged between the aforesaid Kings of
Scotland and of England."
The Kings of Scotland promised to
support the Kings of France in their extremity, and nobly did they fulfil
their part of the treaty. Thousands of the bravest and best blood of
Scotland cheerfully gave their lives to aid their French ally, and dearly
they sometimes paid for their friendship. Take, for instance, when, in 1346,
the English were attacking the French, and had just gained the victory of
Cressy, David II. of Scotland, in order to divert the attention of the
English from France, made a descent into England, where, after ravaging
nearly all the northern counties, he was defeated and taken prisoner, and
after lingering ten weary years in captivity, only secured his liberty by
paying a heavy ransom. Again, in 1420, when the English were masters of
nearly all France, and their King, Henry VI., was crowned King in Paris,
Robert, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, sent his own son, John, Earl of
Buchan, with many more of the nobility of Scotland, at the head of a large
army, who did good service against the English in France. Again, in 1422,
the Earl of Douglas, at the head of a new reinforcement of five thousand
Scots, went to the aid of Charles VII. Two years after, in 1424 still fresh
troops, under the command of a famous captain of that time, named Robert
Petilloch or Pattulloch, went to help the same king. Again, only four years
had elapsed when the French King was begging once more for aid from his
staunch allies, who readily responded, and passed again into France with
fresh troops.
In 1507, James IV. of Scotland,
seeing his friend the King of France engaged in a war with Italy, did not
wait to be asked for his assistance, but nobly offered to go to the succour
of the French King in person with an army of twenty thousand men. And this
same chivalrous James, when the French were attacked by the English, in
addition to their continental enemies, at once made a descent into England
with the flower of his nobility and of his army, although the English King,
Henry VIII., was his brother-in-law. And dearly, indeed, did Scotland pay
then for her fealty to her French ally; for the English, hastily recalling
some of their troops from France, moved to repel this more dangerous enemy,
and the result is summed up in one fatal word, "Flodden."
"Tradition, legend, tune, and song,
Shall many an age that wail prolong:
Still from the sue the son shall
hear
Of the stern strife and carnage drear
Of Flodden's fatal field,
Where shivered was fair Scotland's spear,
And broken was her shield!"
Nor were these valuable services
unacknowledged by the French, for in the different letters-patent granted
from time to time in favour of the Scots in France, their bravery and
loyalty is done full justice to by the French Kings.
Although, from motives of policy,
the Royal House of Scotland occasionally intermarried with that of England,
such marriages were never so popular as those with the French Court, and
this preference often increased the ill-feeling between England and
Scotland. For instance, the preference shown to France over England in the
choice of a husband for the young and beautiful Mary Queen of Scots involved
Scotland in trouble and war for twenty years, and cost Mary her life.
The following are the contracts of
marriage between the Royal Houses of France and Scotland, which served still
further to draw the two nations to each other, and cement their friendship.
Contract of Marriage between Edward
Baliol, son and heir to John, King of Scotland, and Joan, daughter to
Charles de Valois, brother of King Philip the Fair, in 1235.
Contract of Marriage between Lewis,
Dauphin of France, afterwards Lewis XI., and Margaret, daughter of James I.,
King of Scotland, in 1436.
Contract of Marriage between James
V., King of Scotland, and Magdalen, daughter to King Francis I., in 1536.
Contract of Marriage between
Francis, Dauphin, afterwards Francis IL, King of France, and Mary, Queen
Heiress of Scotland, in 1558.
Several of the highest families in
Scotland devoted themselves altogether to the French service, and rose high
in favour and influence. Take for instance the following:—John Stewart of
Darnly was Constable of the Scots in France, and rose so much in the French
King's favour that in 1424 he made him Lord of Aubigny, afterwards giving
him the county of Dreux, and making him a Marshal of France. His
descendants, John, Robert, Bernard or Berald, and others, continued high in
favour, and served their adopted country well and faithfully, under Charles
VIII., Louis XII., and following sovereigns, in the wars of Italy, where
they particularly distinguished themselves at the battle of Fornova, as well
as in the Kingdom of Naples; and in 1495 the then lord was made Governor of
Calabria by Charles VIII. These Lords of Aubigny were the hereditary
Captains of the Scots Guards. This gallant family founded the Dukedom of
Lennox, but the title of Lords of Aubigny was kept up until the extinction
of the family.
In 1422, John Stewart, Earl of
Buchan, was made Constable of France, after the battle of Baugé, by King
Charles VII., and lost his life in his service at the battle of Verneuill.
In 1423, Archibald, Earl of Douglas, was created Duke of Touraine by the
same king, and sacrificed his life in the same battle. In 1428, Charles VII.
gave to King James I. of Scotland the county of Xaintonge and Rochfort in
peerage. About the same time this King made the Laird of Monypenny his
Chamberlain, and gave him the Lordship of Concressant. In 1524, John
Stewart, Duke of Albany, had a seat in the Parliament of Paris, by command
of Francis I. He was also appointed Viceroy of Naples, General of the
Galleys of France, and Governor of the Bourbonese, of Auvergne, and of other
provinces. In 1548, King Henry I. gave the Duchy of Chateiherault to James
Hamilton, Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, and presented him with the
collar of his order, which decoration was also sent to the Earls of Huntly,
Argyll, and Angus.
While Scotsmen in France were thus
placed high on the roll of fame as soldiers and politicians, the scholars
and churchmen were not overlooked, for we find that Andrew Foreman was
Archbishop of Bourges, David Bethune, Bishop of Mirepoix, David Panter or
Panton, and after him James Bethune, Bishop of Glasgow, were successively
abbots of L'Absie. Besides these high dignities, there were a whole host of
Scots as priors, canons, curates, and other positions in the service of the
Church in France. In 1586, the cure of St Come, at Paris, was conferred by
the University upon one John Hamilton. This election was disputed by a
French ecclesiastic, who wished to secure the place for himself, as being
illegal, through Hamilton being a Scotsman and an alien. The case was tried,
and Hamilton's cause defended by a Mr Servien, an able advocate, who proved
by the letters- patent granted in favour of the Scots that any of that
nation living in France enjoyed equal privileges with the natives, and were
eligible to hold any office, secular or spiritual. The decision was
accordingly given in Hamilton's favour.
In the University of Paris,
Scotsmen held an important place. The records show there have been no less
than thirty of them who at different times held the high position of Rector
of the University of Paris, and this, too, at a time when the office was of
far more importance, both in Church and State, than it afterwards became.
The first letters of naturalisation
to the Scots were granted by Louis XII., at the instance of Andrew Foreman,
Bishop of Moray, in Scotland, and Archbishop of Bourges in France. They were
given at Amiens in the month of September 15 13. In 1547, Henry II. granted
letters of naturalisation to the Scots Guards in particular, given at
Fountainebleau in November, and at the Exchequer Chamber on the 12th of
February 1548. This same king, Henry II., granted new letters-patent of
naturalisation for all Scotsmen, at the instance of James Bethune,
archbishop of Glasgow, and other deputies of the States of Scotland, for the
marriage of Queen Mary and the Dauphin. These letters were given at
Villiers-Couterets, in June 1558, registered, with some modifications, in
the Parliament of Paris July the i ith, at the Exchequer-Chamber on the 13th
of July, and in the Grand Council on the 19th of the same month. The charter
was also printed in the Scots Acts of Parliament. King Henry IV. confirmed
the right of naturalisation to all Scots by letters-patent, given at
Fountainebleau in March 1599, registered in the Parliament of Paris, with
some modifications, on the 31st of July in the same year. In 1612 the same
privileges were confirmed to the Scots by Louis XIII. in his letters-patent,
given at Paris in October of that year, registered in Parliament, with some
modifications, on 5th December, and in the Treasury-books on the 20th of the
same month. And again, on the 19th of September 1646, Louis XIV., by an Act
passed by the Council of State, confirmed all the ancient privileges of the
Scots, and discharged them of the taxes imposed upon foreigners.
It would take up too much space to
quote these letters- patent in full, but the following extracts will give an
idea of their scope and aim:-
"Lewis, by the grace of God, King
of France, be it known to all present and to come, that as, in all time and
antiquity, between the Kings of France and Scotland, and the princes and
subjects of the two kingdoms, a most strict friendship, confederacy, and
perpetual alliance, have subsisted .....And forasmuch wt our beloved and
trusty counsellor, the Archbishop of Bourges, Bishop of Moray, now
ambassador with us, from our most dear and most beloved brother, cousin, and
ally the King of Scotland still reigning, and our beloved and trusty
counsellor and Chamberlain, Sir Robert Stewart, Lord of Aubigny, Captain of
our Scottish Guard, and of the hundred lances of our said ancient ordinances
of the said nation, have remonstrated to us bow much it hath been always
desired, that the Scots, when called to our said kingdom of France, and our
subjects who might go to live in that of Scotland,.... should be enabled to
testate and dispose of their effects to their respective heirs.
Whereby we, the aforesaid things
considered, . do will, declare, ordain, and please, from our own knowledge,
proper motion, special grace, full power and royal authority, that
henceforth, perpetually, and for ever, all those of the said kingdom of
Scotland, who shall reside, or shall come to reside,....shall be capable of
acquiring therein all estates, seignories and possessions which they may
lawfully acquire; and of them together with these which they may have
already acquired to testate and dispose, by testament and order of
latter-will, living donation, or otherwise, at their will and pleasure; and
that their wives and children, if they have any, or other their heirs, in
what place.soever they be residing, whether in our kingdom or elsewhere may,
by testament or otherwise, take and inherit their estates and succession, as
if they were natives of our said kingdom; and to those of the said nation,
disposed to the church, shall be open all benefices and dignities, secular
or regular, with which they may be justly and canonically invested, by
titles, collations, or provisions."
Henry II. confirmed these
privileges by letters-patent, in 1558, just after the marriage of Queen Mary
of Scots to his son. The following is an extract :-
"Henry, by the grace of God, King
of France, unto all present and to come, greeting. Whereas, since the
marriage between our most dear and most beloved son the King Dauphin, and
our most dear and most beloved daughter the Queen of Scotland, Dauphiness,
his consort, the deputies of the states of the said kingdom have, taken to
our said son the oath of fidelity . . - in virtue whereof, being subjects of
both kingdoms by the union of the houses of France and Scotland, so closely
connected that we esteem them as one and the same, and desire, for this
cause, the better to establish, entertain, and invigorate this friendship
between our said subjects, and those of the said kingdom of Scotland, and to
give the said inhabitants of the latter kingdom the more opportunity of
visiting their King and Queen, when they shall be on this side, of residing
near them, attending and serving them; be it known that we, these things
considered, and for several other great and reasonable causes thereunto as
moving, have to all the inhabitants of the said kingdom of Scotland,
permitted, granted, and vouchsafed, and do, by these presents, permit,
grant, and vouchsafe, that they may at their ease, as oft as to them shall
seem good, come, inhabit, and abide in this our kingdom, and therein accept,
hold, and possess all and every the benefices, dignities, and offices
ecclesiastical, with which they may be justly and canonically invested by
due title, and thereof to take and seize possession and enjoyment, and to
reap and ceceive the fruits, profits, and revenues, unto what sum soever
they do or may amount; and, moreover, to acquire in this kingdom, country,
lands, and seignories in our allegiance, and that their heirs may be able to
succeed to them, to take and seize possession and enjoyment of their said
estates, just as if they would and might do if they were originally natives
of our said kingdom and country, without our Solicitor-General, or other our
officers, having power henceforth to claim the estates as acquired to us by
right of escheat, or the subjects of the said kingdom of Scotland. being in
the enjoyment of those estates, brought to any molestation or trouble."
This paper having extended farther
than we anticipated, the account of the privileges granted to Scottish
merchants in France, and of the formation and constitution of the Garde
Eccossais, must be left over for the next issue.
II.
FRANCE having become, as shown in
our previous paper, a sort of second home for the aspiring Scots both as
soldiers and churchmen, it followed as a matter of course, that their
countrymen engaged in commerce, with that sagacity and foresight so
characteristic of the race, soon seized the opening for new enterprise, and
the foundation of a large and steadily increasing trade was laid. A great
number, availing themselves of the letters-patent of naturalisation, settled
down permanently in their adopted country; while a still larger number
engaged in the shipping trade, both export and import. The exports comprised
salmon, herring, cod, and other fish, wool, leather, and skins, while the
latter was principally composed of wine, of which large quantities were
annually imported; also silken cloths, sugar, and spices. The first
privileges that we can find granted exclusively to Scottish merchants were
by Francis I. in 1518, from which the following is an extract:-
"Francis, by the Grace of God, King
of France. Be it known to all present and to co:rie, that we mean to treat
favourably the subjects of our most dear and most beloved brother, cousin,
and ally, the King of Scotland, in favour of the great and ancient alliance
subsisting between us and him, and of the great and commendable services
which those of the Scottish nation have done to the crown of France: for
these causes, and in order to give them greater occasion to persevere
therein, and for other considerations thereunto us moving, we have all and
every the Scottish merchants, who are and shall be hereafter trading,
frequenting, and conversing in this our kingdom, freed, acquitted, exempted,
and do, of our special grace, full power, and royal authority, free, acquit,
and exempt, by these presents, signed with our own hand, in perpetuity and
for ever, from the new impost of twelve French deniers per livre, raised in
the city of Dieppe upon foreign merchandise, beside the sum of four French
deniers per livre, which hath been anciently collected and raised upon the
said foreign merchandise."
In 1554 King Henry II. granted
further privileges and exemptions to Scottish merchants trading to the Duchy
of Normandy, from which the following is extracted:-
And do, of our own accord, certain
knowledge, special grace, full power, and royal authority, say, declare, and
ordain, that, by our said letters hereunto annexed, as said is, we have
intended, and do intend, that the subjects of the said country of Scotland
shall not be bound to pay for the commodities which they shall take and
carry out of our country and Duchy of Norinandy, the cities, towns, and
havens thereof, whatsoever they be, if designed for the said country of
Scotland, other or greater subsidies and duties than they have heretofore
been wont to pay, and did pay in our city of Dieppe."
During the last few years of the
16th century, France was so unsettled, and in such a state of
confusion—almost approaching anarchy—that the Scottish merchants were in
danger of losing their wonted privileges and exemptions. To prevent this
they approached King Henry IV., who graciously granted them, in 1599,
letters-patent comprising all the privileges and exemptions hitherto enjoyed
by them, as shown by the following:-
"But whereas, on occasion of the
troubles which have prevailed in this kingdom, especially within these ten
or twelve years past, things have been so altered, and the privileges of the
Scottish merchants so enervated, that, if we were not pleased to continue
and confirm the same to them, they feared therein to find obstacles and
difficulties which might deprive them of the benefit of the grace that hath
been unto them granted and continued by the said Kings, our predecessors; be
it known, that we desire no less favourably to treat the said Scottish
merchants, than the said Kings our predecessors have done, as well in
consequence of the ancient alliance and confederacy which subsists between
this kingdom and that of Scotland, as for the friendship and good
correspondence which subsisteth between us and the King of Scotland, James
VI. of the name, our most dear and most beloved good brother and cousin, now
reigning in the said country; we have, of our special grace, full power and
royal authority, said, declared, and ordained it is our will and pleasure,
that the said Scottish merchants, trading, frequenting, and conversing in
this our said kingdom, enjoy for the future, in our whole said country and
Duchy of Normandy, the same franchises, privileges, and immunities, from
foreign customs and imposts, and after the same sort and manner that they
enjoyed them in the day of the Kings Francis and Henry, our most honoured
grandfather and brother-in-law."
Historians differ as to which king
first instituted the Scots Guard: some say St Louis, others Charles V. We
are inclined to think it was Charles VI. It appears strange at first sight
that a monarch should chose foreign and mercenary troops for a body guard;
but when one looks at the state of France at the time, it seems the wisest
course for him to have taken. Half of his kingdom was in revolt against him,
and even those who were ostensibly on his side were so wavering and
uncertain in their attachment that he could not trust them. In these
circumstances the Scots would naturally present themselves as the most
suitable They were the staunch allies of the French King, and the sworn
enemies of the English. They were poor, fond of adventure, daring, and
faithful, while their good descent and gentle blood made them more fit to
approach the person of the Sovereign than ordinary soldiers. And never had a
French monarch cause to regret the great trust thus placed in the hands of
the Scots. This is how a French writer—Claud Leyist, Master of Requests to
Louis the XII, and afterwards Archbishop of Turin—speaks of them:- "The
French have so ancient a friendship and alliance with the Scots, that, of
four hundred iicn appropriated for the King's Life Guard, there are an
hundred of the said nation who are the nearest to his person, and in the
night keep the keys of the apartment when he sleeps. There are, moreover, an
hundred complete lances, and two hundred yeomen of the said nation, besides
several that are dispersed through the companies; and for so long a time as
they have served in France, never hath there been one of them found that
hath committed or done any fault against the Kings or their State; and they
can make use of them as of their own subjects."
Philip de Comines, in his Memoirs,
speaking about the storming of Liege, at which both the French King, Louis
XI., and the Duke of Burgundy were present, says:- "The King was also
assaulted after the same manner by his landlord, who entered his house, but
was slain by the Scotch Guard. These Scotch troops behaved themselves
valiantly, maintained their ground, would not stir one step from the King,
and were very nimble with their bows and arrows, with which, it is said,
they wounded and killed more of the Burgundians than of the enemy." Another
French writer relates that in a contest with the Spaniards in Calabria in
1503, the banner-bearer, William Turnbull, a Scot, was found dead with the
staff in his arms and the flag gripped in his teeth, with a little cluster
of his countrymen round him, killed at their posts. These and numberless
other instances of courage and daring on the part of the Scots Guards gave
rise to the saying long prevalent in France, "Für comme un Ecossais."
Although Charles VI. instituted the
Guards, it was Charles VII. who gave them the form in which they served for
so many generations. Out of the hundred Life Guards, there were chosen,
twenty-five who were called "Gardes de Manche," or Sleeve- Guards, and were
in constant and close attendance on the King. Two of them were always
present at mass, sermon, vespers, and ordinary meals. On State occasions,
such as the ceremony of the Royal touch, the erection of Knights of the
King's. Order, at the reception of Ambassadors, public entries into cities,
and so on, there were on all such occasions six of them close to the King—
three on each side. Whenever it was necessary for his Majesty to be carried,
only these six were allowed that honour. The twenty-five picked men—the
Gardes de Manche—kept the keys of the King's sleeping apartment, had charge
of the choir of the Royal Church, and the keeping of the boats used by the
King on the river. Whenever he entered a city the keys had to be handed to
the Captain of this band, who was also on duty on all state ceremonies, such
as coronations, marriages funerals of the Kings, baptisms and marriages of
the Royal children; and the coronation robe became his property after the
ceremony was over.
Sir Walter Scott writes:---"The
French monarchs made it their policy to conciliate the .affections of this
select band of foreigners, by allowing them honorary privileges and ample
pay, which last most of them disposed of with military profusion in
supporting their supposed rank. Each of them ranked as a gentleman in place
and honour; and their near approach to the King's person gave them a dignity
in their own eyes, as well as importance in those of the nation of France.
They were sumptuously armed, equipped, and mounted; and each was entitled to
allowance for a squire, a valet, a page, and two yeomen, one of whom was
termed coutelier, from the large knife which he wore to dispatch those whom
in the melée his master had thrown to the ground. With these followers, and
a corresponding equipage, an Archer of the Scottish Guard was a person of
quality and importance; and vacancies being generally filled up by those who
had been trained in the service as pages or valets, the cadets of the best
Scottish families were often sent to serve under some friend or relation in
those capacities, until a chance of preferment should occur. The coutelier
and his companion, not being noble or capable of this promotion, were
recruited from persons of inferior quality; but as their pay and
appointments were excellent, their masters were easily able to select from
among their wandering countrymen the strongest and most courageous to wait
upon them in these capacities." The same author thus describes the dress and
appearance of one of them in the time of Louis XI:—" His dress and arms were
splendid. He wore his national bonnet, crested with a tuft of feathers, and
with a Virgin Mary of massive silver for a brooch. These brooches had been
presented to the Scottish Guards in consequence of the King, in one of his
fits of superstitious piety, having devoted the swords of his guard to the
service of the Holy Virgin, and, as some say, carried the matter so far as
to draw out a commission to Our Lady as their Captain-General. The Archer's
gorget, arm pieces, and gauntlets were of the finest steel, curiously inlaid
with silver, and his hauberk, or shirt of mail, was as clear and bright as
the frostwork of a winter morning upon fern or brier. He wore a loose
surcoat, or cassock, of rich, blue velvet, open at the sides like that of a
herald, with a large white St Andrew's cross of embroidered silver bisecting
it both before and behind—his knees and legs were protected by hose of mail
and shoes of steel—a broad, strong poniard (called 'The Mercy of God') hung
by his right side—the baldric for his two-handed sword, richly embroidered,
hung upon his left shoulder; but, for convenience, he at present carried in
his hand that unwieldy weapon, which the rules of his service forbade him to
lay aside." The exceptional honour and privileges bestowed upon the Scots
Guard naturally made Frenchmen anxious to enter such a renowned and favoured
corps, and a few did manage to get enrolled; but the sturdy Scots would
brook no interlopers, and laid their complaint before King Henry II., who
gave a breviate, signed by his own hand, of date June the 28th, 1558,
wherein he promises that he will allow no person to enter the Scots Guards
who is not a gentleman of Scotland, and sprung from a good family. In spite
of this, however, Frenchmen did find their way by degrees, for an old writer
says—" This regulation did not hinder afterwards others than Scots from
being sometimes admitted, as appears by the remonstrances made upon that
subject from time to time by the Queen Mother, and her son, James VI., and
by the Privy Council of Scotland, in the roll of the year 1599, given in by
the Captain of the Scots Guards to the Chamber of Accounts. Three-fourths of
the yeomen, as well of the Body as of the Sleeve, was still, however, Scots.
It was but afterwards and by degrees that this Company became filled with
French, to the exclusion of Scotsmen, so that at last there remained no more
than the name, and the answer, when called, I am here."
John Hill Burton, in his Scot
Abroad, says that "Down to the time when all the pomps and vanities of the
French crown were swept away, along with its substantial power, the Scots
Guards existed as pageant of the Court of France. In that immense
conglomerate of all kinds of useful and useless knowledge, the 'Dictionnaire
de Trevoux,' it is set forth that 'la premiere cornpagnie des gardes du
corps de nos rois' is still called 'La Garde Ecossaise,' though there was
not then (1730) a single Scotsman in it Still there were preserved among the
young Court lackeys, who kept up the part of the Hundred Years' War, some of
the old formalities. Among these, when the Clerc du Guet challenged the
guard who had seen the palace gate closed, 'ii repond en Ecossois, I am
hire—c'est a dire, me voilà;' and the lexicographer informs us that, in the
mouths of the Frenchmen, totally unacquainted with the barbarous tongue in
which the regimental orders had been originally devised, the answer always
sounded, 'Ai am hire.'"
In Knox's Tour in the Hebrides,
published in 1787, occurs the following passage---"It appears from history
that Inverlochy was anciently a place of considerable note; a resort of
French and Spaniards, probably to purchase fish, for which it was a kind of
emporium, particularly for salmon. But the place is still more noted for its
being a residence of kings, and where the memorable League, offensive and
defensive, is recorded to have been signed between Charlemain and Achaius,
King of Scotland, in 791."
In another paper it will be shown
how the Alliance was brought to a close, and how it affected the customs and
language of the Scottish people.
III.
LEAVING the vexed question of when
the Alliance originated, we proceed to note when it ended; for like all
other temporal things it came to an end at last. Several influences were at
work for many years before this was accomplished. One thing which tended to
weaken the friendly feeling between the two nations was the overbearing and
arrogant conduct of the Guises, who, under the pretence of protecting the
rights of their young relative, Mary Queen of Scots, then newly married to
the Dauphin, veiled tho most ambitious designs on Scotland. To show this,
the following abridged quotation is given from The Scot Abroad:—Scotland had
improved in wealth, yet the relative proportions of the two countries had
vastly altered. Their diplomatic relations had changed, at least on the
French side, in the assumption of a protecting and patronising nomenclature.
The papers revealed to the world by M. Teulet, show that from the time when
the heiress to the crown of Scotland came into the possession of her
ambitious kinsfolk, they were laying plans for governing Scotland in Paris,
and annexing the country to the throne of France. Dated in the year 1552 is
a "Declaration" or Memorandum of the Parliament of Paris, on the adjustment
of the Government of Scotland. In this document one can see, under official
formalities, the symptoms of an almost irritable impatience to get the
nominal government vested in the young Queen, in order that the real
government might be administered by her kinsfolk.
The Scots Lords now saw sights
calculated, as the Persians say, to open the eyes of astonishment. A clever
French statesman, M. D' Osel, was sent over as the adviser of the Regent, to
be her Prime Minister, and enable her to rule Scotland after the model of
France. A step was taken to get at the high office of Chancellor, with
possession of the Great Seal. The office of Comptroller of the Treasury was
dealt with more boldly, and put into the hands of M. Villemore.
These arbitrary proceedings
naturally alarmed the national pride of the Scots, and went far to undermine
the friendship which had so long existed; but there was yet another
influence at work equally if not more powerful. The Reformed religion,
already established by law in England, was making rapid strides among the
Scots, and when John Knox arrived in Scotland, fresh from experiencing the
horrors of a galley slave in France, and lifted his powerful voice against
the French, their religion, and their policy; the whole nation was aroused,
and the breaking of the hitherto inviolate alliance was determined upon. To
effect this, it was necessary that the leaders of the movement should
negotiate with England for sympathy, and, if need be, for substantial help.
Knox himself conducted the first embassy to England, which was one of
considerable danger, as the Queen Regent already suspected that there was
some understanding between the discontented Scots and the English Court.
Queen Elizabeth was anxious to make peace with Scotland, as is abundantly
shown from the State papers of the time; for instance, it is said—"We think
the peace with Scotland of as great moment for us as that with France, and
rather of greater;" and again— "And for our satisfaction beside the matter
of Calais, nothing in all this conclusion with the French may in surety
satisfy us, if we have not peace with Scotland," with many similar passages.
It being definitely settled to
enter into a league with England, the next question was where should the
Commissioners meet to sign the agreement It was not ta be supposed that
England should go to Scotland, and the Scots were equally determined that
they would not enter upon English ground. The dispute was amusing, as
showing the jealous care with which the Scots guarded their national honour.
One of the Commissioners, Bishop Tunstall, says—" Our first meeting was in
the midst of the river between us both; for the Scots do regard their honour
as much as any other king doth." Again, the Earl of Northumberland, writing
to Cecil, says—" They were ready to meet the Scottish Commissioners on the
first day, on the boulders that are in the mid stream; but they claimed
customs, and caused the messengers to go to and fro so often, that they
forced the English Commissioners to come over the water into Scottish
ground, or else would not have met at all." So the Scots vindicated their
independence to their own satisfaction, and a league was formed, which,
unlike the French one, was only cemented stronger as time went on, until
there was no longer any occasion for either leagues or alliances.
The long connection between France
and Scotland left many traces behind, in terms of every day use, as well as
in customs. According to Hill Burton, the Scottish Law system was copied
from the French. The Scots also followed the French style of pronouncing the
Classic languages, which is different to the English style. The Scotch
Bankruptcy laws also followed the French. The Scotch "cessio" being nearly
an exact parallel to the French "cession," and when, in 1533, the Court of
Session was established, it was a very distinct adaptation of a French
institution. The University of King's College, in Aberdeen, was constructed
on the model of that of Paris, and the titles and officers of Chancellor and
Rector were both taken from France. So also the term Censor, one who calls
over the roll of names to mark those absent. Deans and Faculties are French
terms still in use in Scottish Universities, and though long since
discontinued in those English ones, the former is retained still as a
dignity of the Church. "The Doyens of all sorts, lay and ecclesiastical,
were a marked feature of ancient France, as they still are of Scotland, when
there is a large body of lay deans, from the lawyer, selected for his
eminence at the bar, who presides over the Faculty of Advocates, down to 'my
feyther and deacon,' who has gathered behind a 'half-door' the gear that is
to make his son a capitalist and a magistrate. Among the Scottish
Universities the Deans of Faculty are still nearly as familiar a title as
they were at Paris or Bologna."
The term Lauration is another
French word still preserved in Scottish Universities as the classical name
for the ceremony of admission to a degree. Again, there is "Humanity," as
applied to Philology in Scotland. Hill Burton says—"The term is still as
fresh at Aberdeen as when Maimbourg spoke of Calvin making his humanities at
the College of La Mark. The "Professor of Humanity" has his place in the
almanacs and other official lists, as if there were nothing antiquated or
peculiar in the term, though jocular people have been known to state to
unsophisticated Cockneys and other simple people, that the object of the
chair is to inculcate on the young mind the virtue of exercising humanity
towards the lower animals; and it is beIjeved that more than one stranger
has conveyed away, in the title of this professorship, a standing
illustration of the elaborate kindness exercised towards the lower animals,
in Scotland." During his first year at Aberdeen, a student is called a
Bejeant; three hundred years ago, a student of the first year At Paris
University was called a Bejanne, and the name often turnçd up in old French
writers.
Presbyterianism even has retained a
relic of the o14 French League in its Church nomenclature; indeed some say
that the whole system, its doctrines and forms, were imported from France
ready-made by the Huguenots. In any case the Scotch ]Presbyterians adopted
the terms of "Moderator" from the French Moderateur, a name applied to the
President of the Huguenots' Ecclesiastical Courts; and also the word
"overture" as used when a motion is made in a presbytery "to overture" the
General Assembly. This is taken from "ceuverture," by which solemn business
was commenced in Huguenot meetings.
The architecture of the Scottish
castles bore a striking resemblance to the French Chateau, and was quite
different to the style then in vogue in England.
The same author traces at great
length the. connection between the Hogmanay of Scotland and the Eguimené of
France, and proves that while the earliest notice of Hogmanay by Scotch
writers goes no further back than the middle of the seventeenth century,
there are numerous references made to the French custom of Eguimené by old
French writers of an early date. He says :-" In two numbers of the French
paper 'Illustration,' I happen to have seen a representation of children
going about on New-Year's eve demanding their eguimené. The word had a sort
of rattling accompaniment not unlike our owe—thus Eguimené, rollet follet,
Tiri liri." Again, speaking of the etymological dictionary of Menage, he
says "Under the word Haguignéts he quotes information furnished by M. de
Grandemesuil, who says he rein mbers in his youth that, in Rouen, the word
was pronounced hoguigndtes, and he gives a specimen of the way in which he
remembers the boys in his own quarter singing it as they solicited their
New-Year's eve gifts. Menage records his correspondent's theory of the
origin of the word, without either impugning or adopting it. The root hoc in
anno—in this year—as inferring a hint that it is still time before the year
expires to do a small act of generosity to the suppliant, so that the giver
may pass into the New Year with the benefit of his gratitude."
Then there are a great numb of
words which people use every day, little thinking that they are a remnant of
the kindly old French alliance, such as Gigot (leg of mutton); Groset,
gooseberry, from Groseilk; Haggis, from Hachts, hashed meat; Kickshaws, from
Quelque chose, a made-up dish; Kimmer, from Commre, gossip; Demented, from
Dementi, deranged; jalouse, from Jalouser, to suspect; Ashet, from Assiette,
a plate or dish; Gude-brither, from Bonfrere, brother-in-law; Dour, from
Dure, obstinate. A great many more could be given, but enough has been said
to show the close connection of the two peoples.
Though the Union of Scotland to
England is in all respects the most natural, as well as the most
advantageous, still we should not be unmindful of the benefits Scotland
derived from her ancient alliance with France. Besides providing a refuge
for wandering Scots, It was instrumental in polishing the rude and somewhat
barbarous manners of Scotland in the middle ages. It also helped the Scots
to maintain their independence as a nation, against the repeated attempts of
England to subdue them, while, on the other hand, the open hospitality
extended by the French was always nobly requited by the devotion and
faithfulness of the Scots.
M. A. ROSE.
Papers relating to the Royal Guard of
Scottish Archers in France (pdf)
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