The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 1

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER FIFTH.

  But up then raise all Edinburgh. They all rose up by thousands three. Johnnie Armstrang's _Goodnight._

  Butler, on his departure from the sign of the Golden Nag, went in questof a friend of his connected with the law, of whom he wished to makeparticular inquiries concerning the circumstances in which theunfortunate young woman mentioned in the last chapter was placed, having,as the reader has probably already conjectured, reasons much deeper thanthose dictated by mere humanity for interesting himself in her fate. Hefound the person he sought absent from home, and was equally unfortunatein one or two other calls which he made upon acquaintances whom he hopedto interest in her story. But everybody was, for the moment, stark-mad onthe subject of Porteous, and engaged busily in attacking or defending themeasures of Government in reprieving him; and the ardour of dispute hadexcited such universal thirst, that half the young lawyers and writers,together with their very clerks, the class whom Butler was looking after,had adjourned the debate to some favourite tavern. It was computed by anexperienced arithmetician, that there was as much twopenny ale consumedon the discussion as would have floated a first-rate man-of-war.

  Butler wandered about until it was dusk, resolving to take thatopportunity of visiting the unfortunate young woman, when his doing somight be least observed; for he had his own reasons for avoiding theremarks of Mrs. Saddletree, whose shop-door opened at no great distancefrom that of the jail, though on the opposite or south side of thestreet, and a little higher up. He passed, therefore, through the narrowand partly covered passage leading from the north-west end of theParliament Square.

  He stood now before the Gothic entrance of the ancient prison, which, asis well known to all men, rears its ancient front in the very middle ofthe High Street, forming, as it were, the termination to a huge pile ofbuildings called the Luckenbooths, which, for some inconceivable reason,our ancestors had jammed into the midst of the principal street of thetown, leaving for passage a narrow street on the north; and on the south,into which the prison opens, a narrow crooked lane, winding betwixt thehigh and sombre walls of the Tolbooth and the adjacent houses on the oneside, and the butresses and projections of the old Cathedral upon theother. To give some gaiety to this sombre passage (well known by the nameof the Krames), a number of little booths, or shops, after the fashion ofcobblers' stalls, are plastered, as it were, against the Gothicprojections and abutments, so that it seemed as if the traders hadoccupied with nests, bearing the same proportion to the building, everybuttress and coign of vantage, as the martlett did in Macbeth's Castle.Of later years these booths have degenerated into mere toy-shops, wherethe little loiterers chiefly interested in such wares are tempted tolinger, enchanted by the rich display of hobby-horses, babies, and Dutchtoys, arranged in artful and gay confusion; yet half-scared by the crosslooks of the withered pantaloon, or spectacled old lady, by whom thesetempting stores are watched and superintended. But, in the times we writeof, the hosiers, the glovers, the hatters, the mercers, the milliners,and all who dealt in the miscellaneous wares now termed haberdasher'sgoods, were to be found in this narrow alley.

  To return from our digression. Butler found the outer turnkey, a tallthin old man, with long silver hair, in the act of locking the outwarddoor of the jail. He addressed himself to this person, and askedadmittance to Effie Deans, confined upon accusation of child-murder. Theturnkey looked at him earnestly, and, civilly touching his hat out ofrespect to Butler's black coat and clerical appearance, replied, "It wasimpossible any one could be admitted at present."

  "You shut up earlier than usual, probably on account of CaptainPorteous's affair?" said Butler.

  The turnkey, with the true mystery of a person in office, gave two gravenods, and withdrawing from the wards a ponderous key of about two feet inlength, he proceeded to shut a strong plate of steel, which folded downabove the keyhole, and was secured by a steel spring and catch. Butlerstood still instinctively while the door was made fast, and then lookingat his watch, walked briskly up the street, muttering to himself, almostunconsciously--

  Porta adversa, ingens, solidoque adamante columnae; Vis ut nulla virum, non ipsi exscindere ferro Coelicolae valeant--Stat ferrea turris ad auras--etc.* Dryden's _Virgil,_ Book vi.

  * Wide is the fronting gate, and, raised on high, With adamantine columnsthreats the sky; Vain is the force of man, and Heaven's as vain, To crushthe pillars which the pile sustain: Sublime on these a tower of steel isreard.

  Having wasted half-an-hour more in a second fruitless attempt to find hislegal friend and adviser, he thought it time to leave the city and returnto his place of residence, in a small village about two miles and a halfto the southward of Edinburgh. The metropolis was at this time surroundedby a high wall, with battlements and flanking projections at someintervals, and the access was through gates, called in the Scottishlanguage _ports,_ which were regularly shut at night. A small fee to thekeepers would indeed procure egress and ingress at any time, through awicket left for that purpose in the large gate; but it was of someimportance, to a man so poor as Butler, to avoid even this slightpecuniary mulct; and fearing the hour of shutting the gates might benear, he made for that to which he found himself nearest, although, bydoing so, he somewhat lengthened his walk homewards. Bristo Port was thatby which his direct road lay, but the West Port, which leads out of theGrassmarket, was the nearest of the city gates to the place where hefound himself, and to that, therefore, he directed his course. He reachedthe port in ample time to pass the circuit of the walls, and entered asuburb called Portsburgh, chiefly inhabited by the lower order ofcitizens and mechanics. Here he was unexpectedly interrupted.

  He had not gone far from the gate before he heard the sound of a drum,and, to his great surprise, met a number of persons, sufficient to occupythe whole front of the street, and form a considerable mass behind,moving with great speed towards the gate he had just come from, andhaving in front of them a drum beating to arms. While he considered howhe should escape a party, assembled, as it might be presumed, for nolawful purpose, they came full on him and stopped him.

  "Are you a clergyman?" one questioned him.

  Butler replied that "he was in orders, but was not a placed minister."

  "It's Mr. Butler from Liberton," said a voice from behind, "he'lldischarge the duty as weel as ony man."

  "You must turn back with us, sir," said the first speaker, in a tonecivil but peremptory.

  "For what purpose, gentlemen?" said Mr. Butler. "I live at some distancefrom town--the roads are unsafe by night--you will do me a serious injuryby stopping me."

  "You shall be sent safely home--no man shall touch a hair of yourhead--but you must and shall come along with us."

  "But to what purpose or end, gentlemen?" said Butler. "I hope you will beso civil as to explain that to me."

  "You shall know that in good time. Come along--for come you must, byforce or fair means; and I warn you to look neither to the right hand northe left, and to take no notice of any man's face, but consider all thatis passing before you as a dream."

  "I would it were a dream I could awaken from," said Butler to himself;but having no means to oppose the violence with which he was threatened,he was compelled to turn round and march in front of the rioters, two menpartly supporting and partly holding him. During this parley theinsurgents had made themselves masters of the West Port, rushing upon theWaiters (so the people were called who had the charge of the gates), andpossessing themselves of the keys. They bolted and barred the foldingdoors, and commanded the person, whose duty it usually was, to secure thewicket, of which they did not understand the fastenings. The man,terrified at an incident so totally unexpected, was unable to perform hisusual office, and gave the matter up, after several attempts. Therioters, who seemed to have come prepared for every emergency, called fortorches, by the light of which they nailed up t
he wicket with long nails,which, it seemed probable, they had provided on purpose.

  While this was going on, Butler could not, even if he had been willing,avoid making remarks on the individuals who seemed to lead this singularmob. The torch-light, while it fell on their forms and left him in theshade, gave him an opportunity to do so without their observing him.Several of those who seemed most active were dressed in sailors' jackets,trousers, and sea-caps; others in large loose-bodied greatcoats, andslouched hats; and there were several who, judging from their dress,should have been called women, whose rough deep voices, uncommon size,and masculine, deportment and mode of walking, forbade them being sointerpreted. They moved as if by some well-concerted plan of arrangement.They had signals by which they knew, and nicknames by which theydistinguished each other. Butler remarked, that the name of Wildfire wasused among them, to which one stout Amazon seemed to reply.

  The rioters left a small party to observe the West Port, and directed theWaiters, as they valued their lives, to remain within their lodge, andmake no attempt for that night to repossess themselves of the gate. Theythen moved with rapidity along the low street called the Cowgate, the mobof the city everywhere rising at the sound of their drum, and joiningthem. When the multitude arrived at the Cowgate Port, they secured itwith as little opposition as the former, made it fast, and left a smallparty to observe it. It was afterwards remarked, as a striking instanceof prudence and precaution, singularly combined with audacity, that theparties left to guard those gates did not remain stationary on theirposts, but flitted to and fro, keeping so near the gates as to see thatno efforts were made to open them, yet not remaining so long as to havetheir persons closely observed. The mob, at first only about one hundredstrong, now amounted to thousands, and were increasing every moment. Theydivided themselves so as to ascend with more speed the various narrowlanes which lead up from the Cowgate to the High Street; and stillbeating to arms as they went, an calling on all true Scotsmen to jointhem, they now filled the principal street of the city.

  The Netherbow Port might be called the Temple Bar of Edinburgh, as,intersecting the High Street at its termination, it divided Edinburgh,properly so called, from the suburb named the Canongate, as Temple Barseparates London from Westminster. It was of the utmost importance to therioters to possess themselves of this pass, because there was quarteredin the Canongate at that time a regiment of infantry, commanded byColonel Moyle, which might have occupied the city by advancing throughthis gate, and would possess the power of totally defeating theirpurpose. The leaders therefore hastened to the Netherbow Port, which theysecured in the same manner, and with as little trouble, as the othergates, leaving a party to watch it, strong in proportion to theimportance of the post.

  The next object of these hardy insurgents was at once to disarm the CityGuard, and to procure arms for themselves; for scarce any weapons butstaves and bludgeons had been yet seen among them. The Guard-house was along, low, ugly building (removed in 1787), which to a fancifulimagination might have suggested the idea of a long black snail crawlingup the middle of the High Street, and deforming its beautiful esplanade.This formidable insurrection had been so unexpected, that there were nomore than the ordinary sergeant's guard of the city-corps upon duty; eventhese were without any supply of powder and ball; and sensible enoughwhat had raised the storm, and which way it was rolling, could hardly besupposed very desirous to expose themselves by a valiant defence to theanimosity of so numerous and desperate a mob, to whom they were on thepresent occasion much more than usually obnoxious.

  There was a sentinel upon guard, who (that one town-guard soldier mightdo his duty on that eventful evening) presented his piece, and desiredthe foremost of the rioters to stand off. The young Amazon, whom Butlerhad observed particularly active, sprung upon the soldier, seized hismusket, and after a struggle succeeded in wrenching it from him, andthrowing him down on the causeway. One or two soldiers, who endeavouredto turn out to the support of their sentinel, were in the same mannerseized and disarmed, and the mob without difficulty possessed themselvesof the Guard-house, disarming and turning out of doors the rest of themen on duty. It was remarked, that, notwithstanding the city soldiers hadbeen the instruments of the slaughter which this riot was designed torevenge, no ill usage or even insult was offered to them. It seemed as ifthe vengeance of the people disdained to stoop at any head meaner thanthat which they considered as the source and origin of their injuries.

  On possessing themselves of the guard, the first act of the multitude wasto destroy the drums, by which they supposed an alarm might be conveyedto the garrison in the castle; for the same reason they now silencedtheir own, which was beaten by a young fellow, son to the drummer ofPortsburgh, whom they had forced upon that service. Their next businesswas to distribute among the boldest of the rioters the guns, bayonets,partisans, halberts, and battle or Lochaber axes. Until this period theprincipal rioters had preserved silence on the ultimate object of theirrising, as being that which all knew, but none expressed. Now, however,having accomplished all the preliminary parts of their design, theyraised a tremendous shout of "Porteous! Porteous! To the Tolbooth! To theTolbooth!"

  Tolbooth, Cannongate]

  They proceeded with the same prudence when the object seemed to be nearlyin their grasp, as they had done hitherto when success was more dubious.A strong party of the rioters, drawn up in front of the Luckenbooths, andfacing down the street, prevented all access from the eastward, and thewest end of the defile formed by the Luckenbooths was secured in the samemanner; so that the Tolbooth was completely surrounded, and those whoundertook the task of breaking it open effectually secured against therisk of interruption.

  The magistrates, in the meanwhile, had taken the alarm, and assembled ina tavern, with the purpose of raising some strength to subdue therioters. The deacons, or presidents of the trades, were applied to, butdeclared there was little chance of their authority being respected bythe craftsmen, where it was the object to save a man so obnoxious. Mr.Lindsay, member of parliament for the city, volunteered the perilous taskof carrying a verbal message, from the Lord Provost to Colonel Moyle, thecommander of the regiment lying in the Canongate, requesting him to forcethe Netherbow Port, and enter the city to put down the tumult. But Mr.Lindsay declined to charge himself with any written order, which, iffound on his person by an enraged mob, might have cost him his life; andthe issue, of the application was, that Colonel Moyle having no writtenrequisition from the civil authorities, and having the fate of Porteousbefore his eyes as an example of the severe construction put by a jury onthe proceedings of military men acting on their own responsibility,declined to encounter the risk to which the Provost's verbalcommunication invited him.

  More than one messenger was despatched by different ways to the Castle,to require the commanding officer to march down his troops, to fire a fewcannon-shot, or even to throw a shell among the mob, for the purpose ofclearing the streets. But so strict and watchful were the various patrolswhom the rioters had established in different parts of the streets, thatnone of the emissaries of the magistrates could reach the gate of theCastle. They were, however, turned back without either injury or insult,and with nothing more of menace than was necessary to deter them fromagain attempting to accomplish their errand.

  The same vigilance was used to prevent everybody of the higher, and thosewhich, in this case, might be deemed the more suspicious orders ofsociety, from appearing in the street, and observing the movements, ordistinguishing the persons, of the rioters. Every person in the garb of agentleman was stopped by small parties of two or three of the mob, whopartly exhorted, partly required of them, that they should return to theplace from whence they came. Many a quadrille table was spoilt thatmemorable evening; for the sedan chairs of ladies; even of the highestrank, were interrupted in their passage from one point to another, inspite of the laced footmen and blazing flambeaux. This was uniformly donewith a deference and attention to the feelings of the terrified females,which could hardly have be
en expected from the videttes of a mob sodesperate. Those who stopped the chair usually made the excuse, thatthere was much disturbance on the streets, and that it was absolutelynecessary for the lady's safety that the chair should turn back. Theyoffered themselves to escort the vehicles which they had thus interruptedin their progress, from the apprehension, probably, that some of thosewho had casually united themselves to the riot might disgrace theirsystematic and determined plan of vengeance, by those acts of generalinsult and license which are common on similar occasions.

  Persons are yet living who remember to have heard from the mouths ofladies thus interrupted on their journey in the manner we have described,that they were escorted to their lodgings by the young men who stoppedthem, and even handed out of their chairs, with a polite attention farbeyond what was consistent with their dress, which was apparently that ofjourneymen mechanics.*

  * A near relation of the author's used to tell of having been stopped bythe rioters, and escorted home in the manner described. On reaching herown home one of her attendants, in the appearance a _baxter_, a baker'slad, handed her out of her chair, and took leave with a bow, which, inthe lady's opinion, argued breeding that could hardly be learned at theoven's mouth.

  It seemed as if the conspirators, like those who assassinated CardinalBeatoun in former days, had entertained the opinion, that the work aboutwhich they went was a judgment of Heaven, which, though unsanctioned bythe usual authorities, ought to be proceeded in with order and gravity.

  While their outposts continued thus vigilant, and suffered themselvesneither from fear nor curiosity to neglect that part of the duty assignedto them, and while the main guards to the east and west secured themagainst interruption, a select body of the rioters thundered at the doorof the jail, and demanded instant admission. No one answered, for theouter keeper had prudently made his escape with the keys at thecommencement of the riot, and was nowhere to be found. The door wasinstantly assailed with sledge-hammers, iron crows, and the coulters ofploughs, ready provided for the purpose, with which they prized, heaved,and battered for some time with little effect; for the door, besidesbeing of double oak planks, clenched, both endlong and athwart, withbroad-headed nails, was so hung and secured as to yield to no means offorcing, without the expenditure of much time. The rioters, however,appeared determined to gain admittance. Gang after gang relieved eachother at the exercise, for, of course, only a few could work at once; butgang after gang retired, exhausted with their violent exertions, withoutmaking much progress in forcing the prison door. Butler had been led upnear to this the principal scene of action; so near, indeed, that he wasalmost deafened by the unceasing clang of the heavy fore-hammers againstthe iron-bound portal of the prison. He began to entertain hopes, as thetask seemed protracted, that the populace might give it over in despair,or that some rescue might arrive to disperse them. There was a moment atwhich the latter seemed probable.

  The magistrates, having assembled their officers, and some of thecitizens who were willing to hazard themselves for the publictranquillity, now sallied forth from the tavern where they held theirsitting, and approached the point of danger. Their officers went beforethem with links and torches, with a herald to read the riot-act, ifnecessary. They easily drove before them the outposts and videttes of therioters; but when they approached the line of guard which the mob, orrather, we should say, the conspirators, had drawn across the street inthe front of the Luckenbooths, they were received with an unintermittedvolley of stones, and, on their nearer approach, the pikes, bayonets, andLochaber-axes, of which the populace had possessed themselves, werepresented against them. One of their ordinary officers, a strong resolutefellow, went forward, seized a rioter, and took from him a musket; but,being unsupported, he was instantly thrown on his back in the street, anddisarmed in his turn. The officer was too happy to be permitted to riseand run away without receiving any farther injury; which afforded anotherremarkable instance of the mode in which these men had united a sort ofmoderation towards all others, with the most inflexible inveteracyagainst the object of their resentment. The magistrates, after vainattempts to make themselves heard and obeyed, possessing no means ofenforcing their authority, were constrained to abandon the field to therioters, and retreat in all speed from the showers of missiles thatwhistled around their ears.

  The passive resistance of the Tolbooth gate promised to do more to bafflethe purpose of the mob than the active interference of the magistrates.The heavy sledge-hammers continued to din against it withoutintermission, and with a noise which, echoed from the lofty buildingsaround the spot, seemed enough to have alarmed the garrison in theCastle. It was circulated among the rioters, that the troops would marchdown to disperse them, unless they could execute their purpose withoutloss of time; or that, even without quitting the fortress, the garrisonmight obtain the same end by throwing a bomb or two upon the street.

  Urged by such motives for apprehension, they eagerly relieved each otherat the labour of assailing the Tolbooth door: yet such was its strength,that it still defied their efforts. At length, a voice was heard topronounce the words, "Try it with fire." The rioters, with an unanimousshout, called for combustibles, and as all their wishes seemed to beinstantly supplied, they were soon in possession of two or three emptytar-barrels. A huge red glaring bonfire speedily arose close to the doorof the prison, sending up a tall column of smoke and flame against itsantique turrets and strongly-grated windows, and illuminating theferocious and wild gestures of the rioters, who surrounded the place, aswell as the pale and anxious groups of those, who, from windows in thevicinage, watched the progress of this alarming scene. The mob fed thefire with whatever they could find fit for the purpose. The flames roaredand crackled among the heaps of nourishment piled on the fire, and aterrible shout soon announced that the door had kindled, and was in theact of being destroyed. The fire was suffered to decay, but, long ere itwas quite extinguished, the most forward of the rioters rushed, in theirimpatience, one after another, over its yet smouldering remains. Thickshowers of sparkles rose high in the air, as man after man bounded overthe glowing embers, and disturbed them in their passage. It was nowobvious to Butler, and all others who were present, that the rioterswould be instantly in possession of their victim, and have it in theirpower to work their pleasure upon him, whatever that might be.*

  * Note C. The Old Tolbooth.