impartiality brings up into the light of day, and shows us for a
moment, in the jury-box or on the gallows, the creeping things of
the past. By these broken glimpses we are able to trace the
existence of many other and more inglorious Stevensons, picking a
private way through the brawl that makes Scots history. They were
members of Parliament for Peebles, Stirling, Pittenweem, Kilrenny,
and Inverurie. We find them burgesses of Edinburgh; indwellers in
Biggar, Perth, and Dalkeith. Thomas was the forester of Newbattle
Park, Gavin was a baker, John a maltman, Francis a chirurgeon, and
'Schir William' a priest. In the feuds of Humes and Heatleys,
Cunninghams, Montgomeries, Mures, Ogilvies, and Turnbulls, we find
them inconspicuously involved, and apparently getting rather better
than they gave. Schir William (reverend gentleman) was cruellie
slaughtered on the Links of Kincraig in 1582; James ('in the mill-
town of Roberton'), murdered in 1590; Archibald ('in
Gallowfarren'), killed with shots of pistols and hagbuts in 1608.
Three violent deaths in about seventy years, against which we can
only put the case of Thomas, servant to Hume of Cowden Knowes, who
was arraigned with his two young masters for the death of the
Bastard of Mellerstanes in 1569. John ('in Dalkeith') stood sentry
without Holyrood while the banded lords were despatching Rizzio
within. William, at the ringing of Perth bell, ran before Gowrie
House 'with ane sword, and, entering to the yearde, saw George
Craiggingilt with ane twa-handit sword and utheris nychtbouris; at
quilk time James Boig cryit ower ane wynds, "Awa hame! ye will all
be hangit"'--a piece of advice which William took, and immediately
'depairtit.' John got a maid with child to him in Biggar, and
seemingly deserted her; she was hanged on the Castle Hill for
infanticide, June 1614; and Martin, elder in Dalkeith, eternally
disgraced the name by signing witness in a witch trial, 1661.