The monastery; The abbot.

THE MONASTERY. 239
braes of Doune, where he had securely traded under the safe-conduct of the
Laird of Buchanan. lie also set an example to Halbert, by devoutly emptying the cup " to the speedy downfall of Anti-Christ."
Their conviviality was scarce ended, ere a rising dust was seen on the
road of which they commanded the prospect, and half a score of horsemen
were dimly descried advancing at considerable speed, their casques glancing,
and the points of their spears twinkling as they caught a glimpse of the sun.
"These," said the pedlar, "must be the out-scourers of Murray's party;
let us lie down in the peat-hag, and keep ourselves out of sight."
"And why so?" said Halbert; " let us rather go down and make a signal
to them."
" God forbid i" replied the pedlar; " do you ken so ill the customs of our
Scottish nation? That plump of spears that are spurring on so fast are
doubtless commanded by some wild kinsman of Morton, or some such daring
fear-nothing as neither regards God nor man. It is their business, if they
meet with any enemies, to pick quarrels and'clear the way of them; and the
chief knows nothing of what happens, coming up with his more discreet
and moderate friends, it may be a full mile in the rear. Were we to go
near these lads of the laird's belt, your letter would do you little gdod, and
my pack would do me muckle black ill; they would tirl every steek of
claithes from our back, fling us into a moss-hag with a stone at our heels,
naked as the hour that brought us into this cumbered and sinful world, and
neither Murray nor any other man ever the wiser. But if he did come to
ken of it, what might he help it?- it would be accounted a mere mistake,
and there were all the moan made. O credit me, youth, that when men
draw cold steel on each other in their native country, they neither can nor
may dwell deeply on the offences of those whose swords are useful to them."
They suffered, therefore, the vanguard, as it might be termed, of the Earl
of Murray's host to pass forward; and it was not long until a denser cloud
of dust began to arise to the northward.
" Now," said the pedlar, " let us hurry down the hill; for to tell the truth,"
said he, dragging Halbert along earnestly, " a Scottish noble's march is like
a serpent -the head is furnished with fangs, and the tail hath its sting;
the only harmless point of access is the main body."
"I will hasten as fast as you," said the youth; " but tell me why the rearward of such an army should be as dangerous as the van?"
"Because, as the vanguard consists of their picked wild desperates, resolute for mischief, such as neither fear God nor regard their fellow-creatures,
but understand themselves bound to hurry from the road whatever is displeasing to themselves, so the rear-guard consists of misproud serving-men,
who, being in charge of the baggage, take care to amend by their exactions
upon travelling-merchants and others, their own thefts on their master's
property. You will hear the advanced enfans perdus, as the French call
them, and so they are indeed. namely, children of the fall, singing unclean
and fulsome ballads of sin and harlotrie. And then will come on the middle-ward, when you will hear the canticles and psalms sung by the reforming
nobles, and the gentry, and honest and pious clergy, by whom they are
accompanied. And last of all, you will find in the rear a legend of godless
lackies, palfreniers, and horse-boys, talking of nothing but dicing, drinking,
and drabbing."
As the pedlar spoke, they had reached the side of the high-road, and Murray's main body was in sight, consisting of about three hundred horse,
marching with great regularity, and in a closely compacted body. Some
of the troopers wore the liveries of their masters, but this was not common.
Most of them were dressed in such colours as chance dictated. But the
majority, being clad in blue cloth, and the whole armed with cuirass and
back-plate, with sleeves of mail, gauntlets, and poldroons, and either mailed
hose or strong jack-boots, they had something of a uniform appearance.