his History of England. Cromwell, the night before the action "having refreshed his men in the Town, and above all things secured his match locks against the weather, while his enemies were careless of theirs; early in the morning, being Tuesday the third of Sept., drew out a strong party of horse, and falling on the horse guards made them retire; and if his design was formerly but to have made his way, he now altered it, by this opportunity of the supine security of his enemies. So immediately his bodies both of horse and foot advanced, and without any considerable resistance took the Scots cannon, and entered their camp, where presently there was nothing but noise, tumult and confusion, men running all ways they knew not whither, the cries and groans of dying men, shouts and loud acclamations of the conquerors, flying, blood and slaughter. All the general officers fled in time, and most of the foot souldiers left their poor souldiers to the mercy of Cromwell; and most of the horse, with the committee and ministers saved themselves, though several of the latter suffered. Three thousand were killed, and nine thousand taken prisoners; fifteen thousand arms, all the artillery and ammunition, with above two hundred colours, fell into the hands of the conquerors, and all with the loss of scarce three hundred English-The prisoners, after the wounded, weak, and those of no value, were set at liberty, were driven like turkeys to Newcastle in England, where about sixteen hundred of them were starved, having nothing to eat but green cabbage leaves and oats in small proportion the stronger persons, that outlived this diet, were condemned to the sugar mills, and by the English planters transported to the West Indies. So much kindness had Cromwell for his brethren in Scotland."

JOCKIE'S LAMENTATION.

HEN first the Scottish wars began;
The Englishman did lead the van
With musket and pike;

The bonny, blyth, and cunning Scot

Had laid a plot, but we could not,

Smell out the like.

Although he could neither write nor read,

Yet general Lesly past the Tweed,

.

Our suits and our silks did make such a smother,
That hardly next day we knew one another;
For Jockie he was wondrous fine,

And Jenny in her silks did shine;

For there I'se did get me a beaver then,
But now it is bent to a cap again;

For a red coat got every rag,

That Jockie now and Jenny must bag.

The English raised an army straight,

With meikle state, and we did wait

To charge them all:

Then every valiant musket man
Put fire in pan, that we began
Apace to fall.

For when that the powder was touched by the coal,

Then

every man did pay
for his poll;
For the red coat the battle won,

And Jockie fast to Scotland did run:
And at Dunbar fight, a weel and a neer,

For there we were put to a meikle fear :
They took our guns and silver all,

And hung up our silks in Westminster hall.

Full well I wot in Lancashire,

Our brethren dear did plunder there,

Both rich and poor :

Which caused the fury of the north,

When we set forth to be in wroth,

And were as sore;

For when that the red coats had knocked us down,
The country people in every town

Did beat Jockie over the face ;

And was not this a pitiful case :

They bid us remember our plundering tricks,

And thumpt us, and beat us with cudgels and sticks:
But the deil burn my body and wame,

If ever I'se gang to England agen.

SONNET.

On the Historian of Northumberland.

MONGST the number who for honours strive,
Throughout Northumbria's bounds, by hill or wave,
Exists there one, whose glory shall survive,
When he hath passed the portals of the grave?
Say, from before Time's scythe, with ardour brave,
Has he retrieved such trophies, that his name
Posterity shall gratefully engrave

Within the dome of all-enduring Fame?
Yes, Hodgson, such renown thy merits claim;
Northumbria's faithful chronicler art thou!

Thy page to future ages will proclaim

What can of her be known; and she thy brow
With never-fading leaves may now entwine:
Her immortality is wreathed with thine!

R. W.

TRADITIONS OF BERWICK-UPON-TWEED.

CONTRIBUTED BY MARK JAMESON, ESQ.

OME time between the years 1765 and 1770, much hostile feeling existed between the inhabitants of Berwick, and a regiment of soldiers, who at that period were stationed in the garrison. It happened that an officer belonging to the regiment, in walking down Church street* met a young lad of the town, nearly opposite to Shaw's lane, who, it was alleged, attempted to take the wall of the officer, and, some say, jostled him in a rude manner. The military gentleman feeling irritated at this insult, raised a walking cane, which he held in his hand, and struck the young man with such force, that he staggered, fell forward, and, unfortunately, never rose again. The officer was immediately taken into custody, and a coroner's inquest being held upon the body, the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against him, and he was forthwith committed to take his trial for the crime. As the law then stood, a person convicted of murder was obliged to be executed within twenty-four hours, or, in case of a Sunday intervening, within forty-eight hours after the passing of the sentence hence it followed that unless the executive government made previous provision for a case of this kind, there could be no possibility of obtaining the royal pardon.

A week or two previous to the day fixed for the trial of this case a stranger appeared in Berwick and took up his quarters at an inn, in the immediate vicinity of the Town-hall; and though his presence naturally excited much speculation, yet nothing transpired to satisfy public curiosity, until the day of the trial, when, respectably attired in a dark coloured surtout, he took his station in court, as near as he conveniently could to the prisoner's box. The trial proceeded in due form; after a full and impartial hearing of the evidence, the jury retired, and in about an hour afterwards returned into court with an unanimous verdict of "guilty " against the unfortunate prisoner. The recorder, in a very solemn and affecting manner, pronounced the awful sentence of death; and appointed it to be carried into execution between the hours of twelve and three o'clock on the following Monday.

Some expressions of surprize arose amongst the culprit's fellowofficers; but as soon as silence was obtained, our unknown visitor,

Formerly Church-gate, or Souter-gate.

Now called Chapel Street.

N

throwing aside his sad coloured surtout, and appearing respectably dressed in black, with a silver greyhound (the badge of his office) on his arm, announced himself to be a king's messenger, and produced, to the wonder of the court, to the great joy of the military part of the audience, and more especially to that of the condemned person, a free pardon under the great seal. The prisoner was forthwith discharged from the bar, and accompanied his brother officers to their quarters where a sumptuous entertainment was prepared on the occasion.

Not many years ago, the following tragical story was fresh in the recollection of some of the oldest inhabitants of Berwick, and related by them as a fact.

At a time when the walls and ramparts of the town were guarded with the most rigid care, and it was a most serious offence for a sentinel to be found asleep on his post, that Captain F going the usual round with a file of men, and coming to the post called Meg's mount, where a sentinel was placed, was somewhat astonished to find, after giving the watchword, that no answer was returned; on a nearer approach however, he soon discovered the real cause, he found the sentinel in his box closely wrapped in his great coat, and apparently fast asleep. Exasperated at this conduct and being a man of strict discipline, and of a naturally hasty temper, he ordered one of the guard to fire upon the unfortunate man; the wound was mortal, he spoke not, the pale cold hand of death had sealed his eyes! But what tongue can express or language describe the grief and horror that filled his mind when the youth that fell bleeding at his feet, was found to be none other than his own son, a lieutenant in the same regiment. This singular and unaccountable catastrophe, together with the loss of his only child, and that by his own deed, almost deprived him of reason, and he more than once attempted his own life, and would no doubt have effected his purpose, had it not been for the timely interference of the guard, who led him from the appalling scene in a state of mind not easy to describe.

It appears that this unfortunate youth, having indulged too freely in his cups, in the early part of the evening, had as it grew later strolled to this spot in quest of a female whom he expected to meet, but being disappointed, he prevailed upon the sentinel to go in search of her, which was complied with, upon the promise that he would take his post until his return; but having been overcome by inebriation had fallen asleep, and was found in that situation by his father, when this melancholy event took place.