and it required many and strict regulations, on both sides, to prevent them from forming intermarriages, and from cultivating too close a degree of intimacy.—­Scottish Acts, 1587, c. 105; Wharton’s Regulations, 6th Edward VI. The custom, also, of paying black-mail, or protection-rent, introduced a connection betwixt the countries; for, a Scottish borderer, taking black-mail from an English inhabitant, was not only himself bound to abstain from injuring such person, but also to maintain his quarrel, and recover his property, if carried off by others.  Hence, an union arose betwixt the parties, founded upon mutual interest, which counteracted, in many instances, the effects of national prejudice.  The similarity of their manners may be inferred from that of their language.  In an old mystery, imprinted at London, 1654, a mendicant borderer is introduced, soliciting alms of a citizen and his wife.  To a question of the latter he replies, “Savying your honour, good maistress, I was born in Redesdale, in Northomberlande, and come of a wight riding sirname, call’d the Robsons:  gude honeste men, and true, savyng a little shiftynge for theyr livyng; God help them, silly pure men.”  The wife answers, “What doest thou here, in this countrie? me thinke thou art a Scot by thy tongue.” Beggar—­“Trowe me never mair then, good deam; I had rather be hanged in a withie of a cow-taile, for thei are ever fare and fase.”—­Appendix to Johnstone’s Sad Shepherd, 1783. p. 188.  From the wife’s observation, as well as from the dialect of the beggar, we may infer, that there was little difference between the Northumbrian and the border Scottish; a circumstance interesting in itself, and decisive of the occasional friendly intercourse among the marchmen.  From all those combining circumstances arose the lenity of the borderers in their incursions and the equivocal moderation which they sometimes observed towards each other, in open war[36].

[Footnote 36:  This practice of the marchmen was observed and reprobated by Patten.  “Anoother maner have they (the English borderers) amoong them, of wearyng handkerchers roll’d about their armes, and letters brouder’d (embroidered) upon their cappes:  they said themselves, the use thearof was that ech of them might knowe his fellowe, and thearbye the sooner assemble, or in nede to ayd one another, and such lyke respectes; howbeit, thear wear of the army amoong us (sum suspicious men perchaunce), that thought thei used them for collusion, and rather bycaus thei might be knowen to the enemie, as the enemies are knowen to them (for thei have their markes too), and so in conflict either ech to spare oother, or gently eche to take oother.  Indede men have been mooved the rather to thinke so, bycaus sum of their crosses (the English red cross) were so narrowe, and so singly set on, that a puff of wynde might blowed them from their breastes, and that thei wear found right often talking with the Skottish prikkers