He might have said with Malvolio, '"I do not now fool
myself, to let imagination jade me!" I am actually in the land of
military and romantic adventures, and it only remains to be seen what
will be my own share in them.'
The whole circumstances now detailed concerning the state of the
country, seemed equally novel and extraordinary. He had indeed often
heard of Highland thieves, but had no idea of the systematic mode in
which their depredations were conducted; and that the practice was
connived at, and even encouraged, by many of the Highland chieftains,
who not only found the creaghs, or forays, useful for the purpose of
training individuals of their clan to the practice of arms, but also
of maintaining a wholesome terror among their Lowland neighbours,
and levying, as we have seen, a tribute from them, under colour of
protection-money.
Bailie Macwheeble, who soon afterwards entered, expatiated still more at
length upon the same topic. This honest gentleman's conversation was so
formed upon his professional practice, that Davie Gellatley once said
his discourse was like 'a charge of horning.' He assured our hero, that
'from the maist ancient times of record, the lawless thieves, limmers,
and broken men of the Highlands, had been in fellowship together by
reason of their surnames, for the committing of divers thefts, reifs,
and herships upon the honest men of the Low Country, when they not only
intromitted with their whole goods and gear, corn, cattle, horse, nolt,
sheep, outsight and insight plenishing, at their wicked pleasure, but
moreover made prisoners, ransomed them, or concussed them into giving
borrows (pledges) to enter into captivity again: all which was directly
prohibited in divers parts of the Statute Book, both by the act one
thousand five hundred and sixty-seven, and various others; the whilk
statutes, with all that had followed and might follow thereupon, were
shamefully broken and vilipended by the said sornars, limmers, and
broken men, associated into fellowships, for the aforesaid purposes of
theft, stouthreef, fire-raising, murther, RAPTUS MULIERUM, or forcible
abduction of women, and such like as aforesaid.
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