Chapter XXII The Song of the Outlaw Murray
“Word is gone to our noble king,
In Edinburgh where that he lay,
That there was an Outlaw in Ettrick Forest
Counted him nought, nor all his Court so gay.”
The King mentioned in the ballad is supposed to have been either James IV. or James V. This places the date somewhere in the early part of the sixteenth century.
The Outlaw Murray and his lady kept royal state in Ettrick Forest. Here he lived with five hundred men, all gaily clad in livery of Lincoln green. His castle, built of lime and stone, stood fair and pleasantly in the midst of the Forest, surrounded by pine trees under which wandered many a hart and hind, many a doe and roe and other wild creatures. In the forefront of the castle stood two unicorns, with the picture of a knight and lady with green holly above their brows.
The King in Edinburgh heard of all this royal state and that the Outlaw in Ettrick Forest cared nought for the King of Scotland and his court.
“I make a vow,” said the King, “that either I shall be King of Ettrick Forest, or the Outlaw shall be King of Scotland.”
Then up spoke Lord Hamilton to the noble King, “my sovereign prince, take counsel of your nobles and of me. I counsel ye to send to the fine Outlaw and see if he will come and be your man and hold the Forest in fee from you. If he refuse, we will conquer both him and his lands, throw his castle down, and make a widow of his gay lady.”
Then the King called to him James Boyd, son of the Earl of Arran, and when Boyd came and knelt before him, “Welcome, James Boyd,” said the noble King; “you must go for me to Ettrick Forest where bides yonder Outlaw, ask him of whom he holds his lands, and who is his master, and desire him to come and be my man, and hold the Forest free from me. I will give him safe warrant to and from Edinburgh, and if he refuse we will conquer him and his lands, and throw down his castle, and make a widow of his gay lady; and hang his merry men pair by pair wherever we see them.”
James Boyd took leave of the King and went blithely on his way, until he came to the fair Ettrick Forest, the first view of which he got coming down Birkendale Brae. He saw the doe and roe, the hart and hind and wild beasts in plenty, and heard blows ringing boldly, and arrows whizzing near by him.
He saw, too, the fair castle, the like of which he had never seen before, with the two gay unicorns on the forefront, and the picture of the knight and lady with the green holly above their brow.
Then he spied the five hundred men, all clad in livery of Lincoln green, and shooting with their bows on Newark Lee. In the midst of them was a knight armed from head to foot, mounted on a milk-white steed, with bended bow, all fine to look upon; whom Boyd knew at once to be the Outlaw himself.
“God save thee, brave Outlaw Murray, thy lady, and all thy chivalry!”
“Marry, thou art welcome, gentleman; thou seemst to be a King’s messenger.”
“The King of Scotland sent me here, good Outlaw, to know of whom you hold your lands, and who is your master.”
“These lands are mine. I know no King in Christendom. I won this Forest from the English when neither the King nor his knights were there to see.”
“The King desires that you come to Edinburgh, and hold the Forest then of him. If you refuse, he will conquer your lands and you, and he has vowed to throw down your castle, make a widow of your gay lady, and hang your knights pair by pair wherever he finds them.”
“Ay, by my troth! I should indeed be far behind. Before the King should get my fair native land, many of his nobles would be cold, and their ladies right weary.”
Then spoke the lady of the Outlaw, fair of face. “That an Outlaw should come before the King without my consent makes me fear much that there is treason. Bid him be good to his lords at home, for my lord shall ne’er see Edinburgh.”
James Boyd took leave of the bold Outlaw and went back to Edinburgh, and when he came to the King, knelt lowly on his knee.
“Welcome, James Boyd,” said the noble King, “of whom is Ettrick Forest held?”
“Ettrick Forest is the fairest forest that ever man saw. There are doe and roe and hart and hind and wild beasts in plenty; there’s a fine castle of lime and stone standing there pleasantly, and in the forefront of the castle two unicorns all fine to see, with a picture of a knight and a lady, and the green holly above their brows. There the Outlaw keeps a royal company—five hundred merry men, all gaily clad in Lincoln green, and the Outlaw and his lady in purple. Surely they live right royally. He says that the forest is his own, that he won it from the English, and that as he won it, so will he keep it against all the Kings in Christendom.”
“Go warn me Perthshire and Angus,” cried the King, “go warn Fife up and down and the three Lothians, and harness my own horse, for I will myself to Ettrick Forest.”
When the Outlaw heard that the King was coming to his country to conquer him and his lands:
“I make a vow,” said he. “I make a vow, and that truly, that the King’s coming shall be a dear one.”
Then he called messengers and sent them in haste hither and thither.
“One of you go to Halliday, Laird of Corehead, my sister’s son. Tell him to come quickly to my aid, for that the King comes to Ettrick Forest, and we shall all be landless.”
“What news? What news, man, from thy master?” said Halliday.
“No news thou carest to hear; I come seeking your aid; the King is his mortal enemy.”
“By my troth, I am sorry for that; if Murray lose fair Ettrick Forest, the King will take Moffatdale from me. I’ll meet him with five hundred men, and more if need be, and before he gets to Ettrick Forest, we will all die on Newark Lee.”
Another messenger went from the Outlaw to Andrew Murray of Cockpool, his dear cousin, to desire him to come and help him with all the power he could get together.
“It is hard,” said Andrew Murray, “very hard to go against a crowned King and put my lands in jeopardy; but if I come not by day I shall be there at night.”
A messenger went also to Sir James Murray of Traquair.
“What news? What news, man, from your master to me?” said James Murray.
“What need I tell? Well ye know that the King is his mortal enemy and that he is coming to Ettrick Forest to make ye all landless men.”
“By my troth,” said James Murray, “with yonder Outlaw will I live and die; the King has long ago given away my lands, so matters can be no worse for me.”
So the King came on with five thousand men through Caddon Ford. They saw the dark forest before them and thought it awesome to look upon, and Lord Hamilton begged that the King should take counsel of his nobles and should desire the Outlaw to meet him at Permanscore with four of his company and that the King should go there also accompanied by five Earls. “If he refuse to do that, we’ll conquer both him and his lands; there shall never a Murray after him hold lands free in Ettrick Forest.”
The Laird of Buckscleuth, a man stalwart and stern, thought it beneath the state and dignity of a King to go and meet an Outlaw. “The man that lives in yonder forest, lives by robbery and felony! wherefore, ride on, my liege; we will follow thee with fire and sword; or if your courtier lords fall back, our Borderers will make the onset.”
But the King spoke forth, casting a wily glance around. “Thou mayest hold thy tongue, Sir Walter Scott, nor speak more of robbery and felony, for if every honest man had his own cattle thy clan would be a poor one.”
The King then called to him a gentleman, a royal banner-bearer, James Hoppringle of Torsonse by name, who came and knelt before him. “Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse, ye must take a message for me; go to yonder Outlaw Murray, where he bideth so boldly; bid him meet me at Permanscore with four of his company, I myself will come to him with five Earls. If he refuse, bid him look for no favour from me. There shall never a Murray after him have free land in Ettrick Forest.”
So James Pringle came before the Outlaw. “Welcome James Pringle of Torsonse! What message bringst thou from the King to me?”
“He bids ye meet him at Permanscore, with four of your company, and he will go there himself with no more than five Earls. If you refuse, he will cast down your bonny castle, make a widow of your gay lady, and loose on you the bloodhound Borderers to harry you with fire and sword. Never shall a Murray after you hold free land in Ettrick Forest.”
“It goes hard with me,” said the Outlaw; “judge if it go not very hard. I mind not the losing of myself, but when I think of my offspring after me, my merry men’s lives, my widow’s tears, that is the pang that pinches me. Yonder castle will be right dreary when I am laid in bloody earth. Auld Halliday, young Halliday, ye two shall go with me, with Andrew and James Murray.”
When they came before the King they fell on their knees. “Mercy, mercy, noble King, for His sake who died on the Cross.”
“Such mercy shall ye have; ye shall be hanged on the gallows.”
“May God forbid, and may your mercy be better than that, else, when ye come to the port of Edinburgh, ye shall be thinly guarded. These lands of fair Ettrick Forest I won from the Southrons, and as I won them so will I keep them, against all the Kings in Christendom.”
The nobles round the King thought it a pity that he should die.
“Grant me mercy, sovereign prince, and extend me favour. If thou wilt make me Sheriff of Ettrick Forest, and my offspring after me, I will give thee the keys of my castle, and the blessing of my gay lady.”
“If thou wilt give me thy castle keys and the blessing of thy gay lady, I’ll make thee Sheriff of Ettrick Forest as long as the trees grow upward, and never shalt thou forfeit it, if thou be not a traitor to the King.”
“But Prince, what shall become of my men? When I go back they will call me traitor. I had rather lose both life and land than be rebuked by my merry-men.”
“I will pardon them all if they amend their lives. Name thy lands where they lie, and I will render them back to thee.”
“Philiphaugh and Lewinhope are mine by right, Newark, Foulshiells and Tinnies I won by my bow and arrow. I have farms at Newark Lee and Hangingshaw which are mine by birth, and I have many farms in the Forest whose names I do not know.” Thereupon he gave the King the key of his castle, with the blessing of his fair lady, and the King made him Sheriff of Ettrick Forest for as long as the trees should grow upward, never to be forfeited while he and his descendants remained faithful to the King. Much of this land belongs to Murray’s heirs, even to this day.
“Wha ever heard in, in ony times,
Sicken an outlaw in his degré,
Sic favour got befor a King,
As did the Outlaw Murray of the Foreste free?”