14.3 Scots language in narratives of historical events
In this section, you will find examples of the appearance of Scots in records of historical events.
In records of historical events, sometimes Scots phrases and sentences are recorded as what individuals are supposed to have said: as such they are part of ‘what happened’, but they are embedded within narratives written in English. Elsewhere, entire narratives are written in Scots. You may want to make notes about these different examples of Scots in prose-writing, focusing on, for example, the relationship between Scots as ‘dialogue’ and English as ‘narrative’. This relationship will also feature in the next section of this unit.
Below you will engage with a list of examples, where one Scots word in particular is extracted. These examples highlight how Scots language was used in context at the time, i.e. as the language of dialogue in an English language narrative. We have worked through the first example for you so that you can see what you should do in the following activity. The extracted word is sicker, used in dialogue, and in the engagement with the DSL we were looking for instances of the use of the word in citations that refer to or retell historical incidents.
Example 1
Word to search in the DSL: Sicker
The meeting of John Comyn and Robert the Bruce in the church of the Greyfriars, Dumfries, 10th February 1306, as recorded by Sir Walter Scott.
These two haughty barons came to high and abusive words, until at length Bruce… struck Comyn a blow with his dagger. Having done this rash deed, he instantly ran out of the church and called for his horse. Two gentlemen of the country, Lindesay and Kirkpatrick, friends of Bruce, were then in attendance on him. Seeing him pale, bloody, and in much agitation, they eagerly inquired what was the matter.
‘I doubt,’ said Bruce, ‘that I have slain the Red Comyn.’
‘Do you leave such a matter in doubt?’ said Kirkpatrick. ‘I will make sicker!” – that is, I will make certain.
Accordingly, he and his companion Lindesay rushed into the church, and made the matter certain with a vengeance, by dispatching the wounded Comyn with their daggers.
DSL mentions of Sicker in connection with historical events
1. meaning: safe, secure, free from danger:
s.Sc. 1897 E. Hamilton – Outlaws iii.: [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] There's nae man in Liddesdale can sickerly lead a party at night thro' the Foulbogshiel.
5. meaning: of things: certain, sure
Sc. c.1715 W. Macfarlane – Genealogical Collections (S.H.S.) II. 337: This Charter is Dated at Air 15 December 1425 And for the Mare Sickerness the Seals of these Noble and Mighty Lords with Instance have procured to be hanging to their present Letters.
7. meaning: of people: prudent, cautious
Ayr. 1822 J. Galt – The Provost xliii.:
Mr. Peevie, one of the very sickerest of all the former sederunts, came to me next morning.
8. meaning: not open to doubt
Sc. 1824 G. Chalmers – Caledonia III. 79: Roger Kirkpatrick, who despatched John Cumin after Robert de Brus had given him “a perilous gash;” and from this deed took as his motto, “I'll mak sicker.”
Language Links
The adverb sicker used by Kirkpatrick in the extract above is an example of the close relationships between the Scots, English, German and Dutch languages. Looking up the meaning of today’s German adjective and adverb (can also be used as a verb) sicher will highlight that this adjective carries the same nuances of meaning as outlined in the DSL entry for sicker.
The Scots word has common roots with Dutch, where people in the Middle Ages used sēker, and today say zeker. The north of the Netherlands is a region where people speak Frisian, and in Old Frisian people used siker with the same meaning. Old English used to have a very similar word: sicor, which has now become secure, which carries an aspect of the meaning of the Old English word.
Activity 6
Now work with more extracts in the same way as we have shown you above.
- a.First of all, listen to each extract in the examples 2 to 5. Try to listen without reading the transcript and work out what the extract reports.
- b.Then, read the extract and compare your understanding of it with what you understood listening to the extract.
- c.Finally, go to the online Dictionary of the Scots Language, enter that word in the ‘search’ box and explore the main definition, sub-definitions and citations that appear. Make notes of those citations which refer to historical incidents as you have seen in our example above.
Example 2
Extract from Bellenden’s Croniklis of Scotland (1536) reporting the murder of James I at Perth, 20th February 1437.
Transcript
Ane servant, namit Walter Straitoun, opnit the dure, and went furth to ressave wine to the Kingis collation. Als sone as he saw thaim aufully arrayit at the dure, he cryit ‘Treason!’ and maid him, with all his strenth, to return agane; nochtheles, he was sone slane. Yit, the slaing of him maid sic tary to the laif, that ane young madin, namit Katherine Douglas, quhilk was efter maryit on Alexander Lovell of Bolunny, stekit the dure: and, becaus the bar was away that suld have closit the dure, scho schot hir arme into the place quhare the bar suld have passit. Scho was bot young, and hir bonis not solide, and thairfore, hir arme was sone brokin all in schonder, and the dure doung up, be force. Incontinent, thay enterit: and, efter that thay had slane the familiar servandis that maid debait for the time, they slew the King, with mony cruell woundis, and hurt the Quene, in his defence.
Word to search in the DSL: Steek
Ane servant, namit Walter Straitoun, opnit the dure, and went furth to ressave wine to the Kingis collation. Als sone as he saw thaim aufully arrayit at the dure, he cryit ‘Treason!’ and maid him, with all his strenth, to return agane; nochtheles, he was sone slane. Yit, the slaing of him maid sic tary to the laif, that ane young madin, namit Katherine Douglas, quhilk was efter maryit on Alexander Lovell of Bolunny, stekit the dure: and, becaus the bar was away that suld have closit the dure, scho schot hir arme into the place quhare the bar suld have passit. Scho was bot young, and hir bonis not solide, and thairfore, hir arme was sone brokin all in schonder, and the dure doung up, be force. Incontinent, thay enterit: and, efter that thay had slane the familiar servandis that maid debait for the time, they slew the King, with mony cruell woundis, and hurt the Quene, in his defence.
Example 3
Extract from Pitscottie’s Historie and Cronicles of Scotland (1782) detailing the birth of Mary, future Queen of Scots, at Linlithgow, 8th December, and the death of her father James V at Falkland, 14th December, 1542
Transcript
Be this the post came out of Lythtgow schawing to the king goode tydingis that the queen was deliuerit. The king inquyrit ‘wither it was man or woman’. The messenger said ‘it was ane fair douchter’. The king ansuerit and said: ‘Adew, fair weill, it come witht ane lase, it will pase witht ane lase’. And so he recommendit himself to the Marcie of Almightie God and spak ane lyttill then frome that tyme fourtht, bot turnit his bak into his lordis and his face into the wall.’
Word to search in the DSL: Lass
Be this the post came out of Lythtgow schawing to the king goode tydingis that the queen was deliuerit. The king inquyrit ‘wither it was man or woman’. The messenger said ‘it was ane fair douchter’. The king ansuerit and said: ‘Adew, fair weill, it come witht ane lase, it will pase witht ane lase’. And so he recommendit himself to the Marcie of Almightie God and spak ane lyttill then frome that tyme fourtht, bot turnit his bak into his lordis and his face into the wall.’
Note: ‘It cam wi a lass, it’ll pass wi a lass’ (the modern form of the phrase ‘it come witht ane lase, it will pase witht ane lase’) is believed to be a reference to the Stewart claim to the throne inherited from Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce, whose marriage in 1314 to Walter, High Steward of Scotland, established the royal Stewart line.
Example 4
This is an extract that illustrates the elderly John Knox’s preaching style at St Andrews, c.1570, as detailed in the Diary of James Melville.
Transcript
In the opening upe of his text he was moderat the space of an half houre; bot when he enterit to application, he maid me sa to grew and tremble, that I could nocht hald a pen to wryt… Mr Knox wald sum tyme com in and repose him in our colleage yeard, and call us schollars unto him, and bless us, and exhort us to knaw God and his wark in our contrey, and stand be the guid causes, to use our tyme weill, and lern the guid instructione, and follow the guid exemple of our maisters… I saw him everie day of his doctrine go hulie and fear, with a furring of martriks about his neck, a staff in the ane hand, and guid godly Richart Ballanden his servand haldin upe the uther oxter, from the Abbaye to the paroche Kirk, and be the said Richart and another servand lifted upe to the pulpit, whar he behovit to lean at his first entrie, bot, or he had done with his sermon, he was sa active and vigorus, that he was lyk to ding that pulpit in blads and flie out of it.’
Word to search in the DSL: Oxter
In the opening upe of his text he was moderat the space of an half houre; bot when he enterit to application, he maid me sa to grew and tremble, that I could nocht hald a pen to wryt… Mr Knox wald sum tyme com in and repose him in our colleage yeard, and call us schollars unto him, and bless us, and exhort us to knaw God and his wark in our contrey, and stand be the guid causes, to use our tyme weill, and lern the guid instructione, and follow the guid exemple of our maisters… I saw him everie day of his doctrine go hulie and fear, with a furring of martriks about his neck, a staff in the ane hand, and guid godly Richart Ballanden his servand haldin upe the uther oxter, from the Abbaye to the paroche Kirk, and be the said Richart and another servand lifted upe to the pulpit, whar he behovit to lean at his first entrie, bot, or he had done with his sermon, he was sa active and vigorus, that he was lyk to ding that pulpit in blads and flie out of it.’
Vocabulary help
- grew: grue
- hulie and fear: warily
- furring of martriks: pine marten fur
- or he had done: before he was finished
- ding in blads: smash to bits
Example 5
This extract from James Pagan’s Sketch of the History of Glasgow (1847) reports the execution of royalist prisoners in Glasgow, 28th and 29th October 1645, following the Battle of Philliphaugh.
Transcript
That the spectacle was an agreeable one to a large number of the citizens, there is no reason to doubt; Mr David Dickson, professor of divinity in Glasgow college, was particularly elated at the smiting of the royalists, and exclaimed, ‘The wark gangs bonnily on,’ a saying which passed into a proverb, and is used significantly in Glasgow to the present day.’
Word to search in the DSL: Wark
That the spectacle was an agreeable one to a large number of the citizens, there is no reason to doubt; Mr David Dickson, professor of divinity in Glasgow college, was particularly elated at the smiting of the royalists, and exclaimed, ‘The wark gangs bonnily on,’ a saying which passed into a proverb, and is used significantly in Glasgow to the present day.’
14.2 Historical events with an impact on Scots