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choyce an Officer till pass with us for the Engathering of our Quarter Payments, and oukly Pennys, and to pass before us on Corpus XiP Day, and the 'otteus ¶ thereof, and all other general Processions ' and Gatherings, Siklyk as other Crafts hes within this Brugh, and that ane of the Masters of the foresaids Crafts, with the Chaplain and Officer of the same, pass at all Tyms needful lift and raise the said Quarter Payments frae evry person that awe the same; and gif any disobeys, that we may poynd ' and distrenzie therefor, all Tyms hauing an Officer of the Town with us.

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• 6to, Item, That nae Person nor frie Man of the saids Crafts, purchace any Lordships in contrair the Rules and Statutes above-written, in hendring or 'skaithing of the Crafts foresaid, or Common Weall thereof, under the Pain of Tinsel of their Freedoms. • 7mo, Item, That all the Masters, frie Men and • Brether of the saids Crafts readily obey, and come to their Kirk Master, or Deacon, at all Tyms, quhen they shall be required thereto by the said Officer, for till hear Quarter Compts, or till avise for any Thing concerning the Common Weall of the saids Crafts and wha that disobeys, shall pay 20 sh. to the Reparation of the said Altar; and that nae Persons, Man nor Woman within this Brugh, maik nor sell any Aquavita within the samen, except the said • Masters, Brether, and frie Men of the said Crafts, < under the Pain of Escheat of the samen, but Favours.

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Heirfor your Lordships and Wisdoms, at the Re⚫ verence of God, that ye will avyze with thir our sim

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ple Desyrs, Ruls, Statuts and Priviledges above' writtne, and grant us the same ratifyd and approven by yow, under yor comon Seall of Cause; and with the Grace, we shall do sik Service and Pleasur to the King's Grace, and the Good, that ye shall be contentit thereof; and yor Deliverance heiruntill humbly I beseek.

THE quhilk Bill of Supplication, with the Ruls, Statuts and Priviledges contind therintill, beand read before us in Judgment; and we therewith beand riplie and distinctly Advysed, thinks the " same consonant to Reason, and nae Hurt to our Sovereign Lord's Hynes, us, nor nan other of His Leidges, therintill : And therefor we consent and grant the samen to the forsaids Crafts of Surgenary ́ and Barbars, and to their Successors. And in suae 'far as we may, and hes Pouer, confirms, ratifys and approvs the saids Statuts, Ruls, and Priviledges in all Poynts and Artikls contind in the said Supplication above writtne. And this to all and sundry 'quhom it effeirs, or may effeir, we maik knawne by thir our Letters; and for the mair verification and • Streanth of the samen, we haw too hungen our com' on Seall of Cause, at Edinburgh 1 July, the Zear of 'God 1505.'

The Seal of the Good Town is appended with this Inscription round it.

Sigillum Burgi de Edr. ad Causas.

The Crafts, who behav'd so loyally before they were incorporate, and form'd into Societies, continued to flourish in their Sovereign's Favours, and were warm'd with Beams from the Throne; a signal instance of

their Fidelity to King James V. I cannot miss to relate. The Crown being Debitor to the Town of Edinburgh in vast Sums, for which she had not only the Security of the Government, but the Personal Obligations of the Monarch; wearied with Disappointments, and the Merchants murmuring for want of Payment from the Town, to whom they had given considerable Loans, for the Behoof of the Publick; the Magistrates, and Merchants in Concert, raised a Mob, and gave Directions to the Ring-leaders, what, and how far to act, to insult the King as he was passing the Streets to the Parliament House; who, after a Scuffle with his Guards, violently seiz'd upon his Sacred Majesty, and thrust him within the Walls of their common Goal: Some of His Majesty's Retinue having alarm'd the Deacons of Crafts with what had happen'd, the Trades instantly conveen'd, and unanimously agreed, that their Ensign should be displayed, for convocating the Lieges, to rescue their captive Monarch; which was accordingly done, and soon procur'd him to be liberate, and safely convey'd to His Royal Palace of Holy Rood-House. The Magistrates, who had hounded out the Mob, dreading the Consequence of their trayterous Actings, and knowing the weak Side of Cuthbert the Deacon Conveener, who headed the Trades, brib'd him by a lusty Purse of Gold, to betray his Trust.

The King next Morning sent for Cuthbert, (whom he call'd his faithful General) and told him, He had a grateful Remembrance of the Loyalty and Valour of his faithful Subjects the Trades of Edinburgh, and was resolv'd to confer some remarkable token of Favour upon them.

Cuthbert, well instructed by the Magistracy and Merchant Council how to behave, Answered,

May it please your Excellent Majesty, We your obliged and devoted Servants the Trades of Edinburgh, did nothing but what was our bounden Duty: But since your Majesty is graciously pleas'd not only to remember but reward our dutiful Behaviour, I presume, in name of my Brethren to beseech your Sacred Majesty, to make your most faithful and loyal Servants the Trades of Edinburgh, in all Time coming free of that toilsome Affair of being Magistrates of the Burgh, and let the disloyal Merchants be henceforth loaded with the Office.

The King surpriz'd with the Supplication, gave a Smile, and said, Cuthbert, It shall be done.

The Man's Treachery was soon blown about, to the Amazement of the Incorporations, who found, that their Loyalty, which they justly expected would have advanced their Interest, as it did their Honour, had turn'd to their real Detriment: And therefore they applied to the Courtiers, to represent to His Majesty, how villainously they had been betray'd. As soon as the King was inform'd, he commanded the Crafts to lay their Demands before him, which they accordingly did in a short Memorial, craving His Majesty would be pleased to confirm all their ancient Privileges of the Blue Blanket. His Majesty graciously received their Petition; and not only granted their Request, corroborating all former Grants, and Privileges by immemorial Possession; but considerably enlarged its Authority, declaring, That whenever they display'd their Ensign of the Blue Blanket, either in Defence of the Crown, or Crafts, all Crafts-men in Scotland, and Souldiers in the King's Pay, who had been educate in a Trade, should repair to that Standard, and fight un

der the Command of their General. Thus did that excellent Monarch reward Loyalty, and the treacherous Conveener was murder'd at the North Loch near a Well, yet known by the Name of Cuthbert's Well.

This was certainly the highest Honour the King could put upon the Crafts: For a Standard hath been esteemed so in all Ages. Hence the Scripture expresses the Strength and Power of the Church by a Standard, Cant. 6. 4. "Thou art beautiful, O my Love,

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as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an Army "with Banners," and the Love and Favour of God, Cant. 2. 4." He brought me into the Banquetting"House, and his Banner over me was Love." Cant. v. 10. According to the Hebrew Text, "My Beloved "is the Standard Bearer among Ten thousand;" which our Translators very defectively render, "The "Chief among Ten thousand." And the Antiquity and Honour of the Standard is more plainly express'd in the Book of Numbers ii. 2, &c. "Every Man of the "Tribe of Israel shall pitch by his own Standard, with "the Ensign of their Father's House, far off, about "the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall they pitch, "and on the East Side, toward the rising of the Sun "shall they of the Standard of the Camp of Judah "pitch throughout their Armies, and Naashon the Son " of Amminadab shall be Captain of the Children of "Judah. On the West Side shall be the Standard of "the Camp of Ephraim according to their Armies, " and the Captain of the Sons of Ephraim shall be "Elishama the Son of Ammihud. The Standard of "the Camp of Dan shall be on the North Side, by "their Armies," &c.

As the Almighty has compar'd the Power of his Church to, and honoured his Saints with a Standard;