a small horse.  They laid him down upon the ground, galloped over him with their lances in rest, and wounded him as they passed.  When slain, they cut his body in pieces, and bore the mangled gobbets, in triumph, on the points of their spears.  I cannot greatly praise the Scottish for this practice.  But the truth is, that the English tyrannized over the borders in a most barbarous manner; and I think it was but fair to repay them, according to the proverb, in their own coin.”—­

Campagnes de Beauge.

A peace, in 1551, put an end to this war; the most destructive which, for a length of time, had ravaged Scotland.  Some attention was paid by the governor and queen-mother, to the administration of justice on the border; and the chieftains, who had distinguished themselves during the late troubles, received the honour of knighthood[17]. [Sidenote:  1522] At this time, also, the Debateable Land, a tract of country, situated betwixt the Esk and Sarke, claimed by both kingdoms, was divided by royal commissioners, appointed by the two crowns.—­By their award, this land of contention was separated by a line, drawn from east to west, betwixt the rivers.  The upper half was adjudged to Scotland, and the more eastern part to England.  Yet the Debateable Land continued long after to be the residence of the thieves and banditti, to whom its dubious state had afforded a desirable refuge[18].

[Footnote 17:  These were the lairds of Buccleuch, Cessford, and Fairnihirst, Littleden, Grenehed, and Coldingknows.  Buccleuch, whose gallant exploits we have noticed, did not long enjoy his new honours.  He was murdered, in the streets of Edinburgh, by his hereditary enemies, the Kerrs, anno 1552.]

[Footnote 18:  The jest of James VI. is well known, who, when a favourite cow had found her way from London, back to her native country of Fife, observed, “that nothing surprised him so much as her passing uninterrupted through the Debateable Land!”]

In 1557, a new war broke out, in which rencounters on the borders were, as usual, numerous, and with varied success.  In some of these, the too famous Bothwell is said to have given proofs of his courage, which was at other times very questionable[19].  About this time the Scottish borderers seem to have acquired some ascendency over their southern neighbours.—­Strype, Vol.  III. p. 437—­In 1559, peace was again restored.

[Footnote 19:  He was lord of Liddesdale, and keeper of the Hermitage castle.  But he had little effective power over that country, and was twice defeated by the Armstrongs, its lawless inhabitants.—­Border History, p. 584.  Yet the unfortunate Mary, in her famous Apology, says, “that in the weiris againis Ingland, he gaif proof of his vailyentnes, courage, and gude conduct;” and praises him especially for subjugating “the rebellious subjectis inhabiting the cuntreis lying ewest the marches of Ingland.”—­Keith, p. 388.  He appears actually to have defeated Sir Henry Percy, in a skirmish, called the Raid of Haltweilswire.]