THE ENGLISH REVIEW, OR QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL AND OCTOBER, 1845. ART. I.-A Brieffe Narration of the Services done to Three Noble Ladyes by GILBERT BLACKHAL, Preist of the Scots Mission, in France, in the Low Countries, and in Scotland, MDCXXXI-MDCXLIX. Aberdeen, printed for the Spalding Club, 1844. 4to. pp. 262. JOHN SPALDING, "Commissary-clerk of Aberdeen," two hundred years ago, left behind him a quaint and lively manuscript "History of the Troubles and Memorable Transactions in Scotland, from 1624 to 1645," which has since been often printed-the best edition being that published by the Bannatyne Club of Edinburgh. From this respectable chronicler is derived the title of a society for the publication of works relating to the history and antiquities of the north-east of Scotland. "The Spalding Club" has now been in operation five or six years, and has sent forth a number of handsome and well-edited quartos-most of them possessing a value independent of local ties, as illustrative of our civil, and yet more of our ecclesiastical, history 1. We imagine, however, that in bringing a late Spalding publication, the Memoirs of Father Blackhal, under the notice of our readers, we shall introduce all 1 We may mention among the published volumes, two of curious miscellaneous matter; one of Aberdeen Borough Records, 1398-1570; Gordon's "History of Scots Affairs, 1637-1641," 3 vols.; and "The Presbytery-Book of Strathbogie, 1631-1654," a truly curious picture of covenanting discipline and morality. Among the works announced as in preparation are, new editions of Barbour and Spalding, the Missal of St. Andrew's, the Chartulary of the See of Aberdeen, and the “Breviarium Abredonense," which may, we observe, be specially subscribed for by persons who do not wish to become members of the society. VOL. IV. NO. VII.-OCT. 1845. B but a comparatively small number to a personage with whom they would not otherwise be likely to make acquaintance. The work before us is valuable as throwing light on the religious condition of the times, and especially as representing the life of the Scottish-born and foreign-bred class to which the writer belonged. It abounds in curious and varied adventure, the scene of which ranges from the courts of France and the Netherlands to the wild hills of Aberdeenshire. The narrator's own character is exceedingly interesting and amusing-combining courage, devotedness, and disinterestedness worthy of a hero of romance, with a spirit of bustle and a garrulous self-importance which remind us of Pepys and Boswell. Add to this the charm (for such it will surely be reckoned), of a humorous old Scotch style, tinged (as the author's circumstances would lead us to expect) with a more than usual infusion of French idiom and expression; and we think we have shown sufficient reason for supposing that some account of the volume may be not unwelcome. The editor, Mr. John Stuart, in a preface which contains much valuable matter relating to the state of Romanism in Scotland after the Reformation, tells us that "there is little known of the author beyond what he has recorded of himself." He was evidently a native of Aberdeenshire, and calls himself "cousin". which word, however, does not in Scottish use necessarily imply any very near relationship-to several families of local eminence. He became a student of the Scotch College at Rome in 1626, and remained there, under the headship of a Jesuit named Elphinstone, until 1630, when he was ordained deacon and priest. His narrative begins in the following year; and after the date of its composition, (about 1665,) nothing is known of his history. We shall now proceed to the work itself, the object of which is somewhat remarkable, and possibly may be peculiar to our author among autobiographers; being, in short, nothing else than to show up to her own conscience, as a monster of ingratitude, a certain "Madame de Gordon," by a relation of services done to her "tante," her mother, and herself. In 1631 Blackhal was appointed confessor to Lady Isabella Hay, a daughter of the house of Erroll, who had been sent by her father to Paris, and commended to the care of one Mr. James Forbes, who was to act as her banker. The confessor owed his appointment to this personage, who was his cousin; but ere long they fell out on the subject of the "frequent and untymous visits" with which Mr. Forbes, who had conceived a design of marrying Lady Isabella, began to "importune" her. Forbes then removed the young lady to Dieppe, and, on his return to Paris, "Did vent his cholerick passion against her, blasting out very disdainful wordes, which he spake to Mr. George Pope, one of the Garde de Manche, and prayed him to be secret, and never speak them to any bodye. This he did to make them be the more divulged, for he did know well aneugh that Mr. Pope could not keep a secret."—p. 7. The device succeeded. Pope reported the expressions (in which Forbes had very coarsely exaggerated the degree of control which he had over Lady Isabella's affairs) to all the Scotch in Paris, and at last to our author, who thereupon summoned her from Dieppe, that she might resent them. Mr. Pope is drawn into repeating his tale to her in the presence of concealed witnesses; and an amusing scene follows, in which the young lady charges Mr. Forbes with the words which he had utteredcertainly not diminishing their grossness in the recital. parted in high indignation, never to meet again. They Lady Isabella then became a boarder in a convent at Provins, eighteen leagues from Paris; and while she remained there the indomitable Forbes concocted a strange plot, in which some of our autobiographer's own brethren-forgetful of the national adage, that it does not become "corbies to pyke out corbies' een consented to bear a part. Pope, the original gossip, undertook to make Blackhal disavow having ever heard from him the report of Mr. Forbes's conversation. Our friend, however, was put on his guard, and went to the intended scene of the affair, the sickchamber of one Father Macpherson, fully prepared to baffle the design against him. Pope solemnly denied having told the tale, and charged Blackhal, by the sanctity of the Holy Week, in which this interview took place, to acquit him of the imputation. But I did take him "And having said this, he did rise up to go away. by the shoulderes, and pushed him down again upon his cheere, saying, No, the devil cut your feet away, sir, if you winne [get] away so. I did hear you, sir, very patiently, wrong me, and manswere your own self, and therefore, sir, nil you, will you, I will make you hear me justify my own self, and prove you mensworn. And having said this, I went and boulted the dore, saying, There shall none go out nor come in until we have one bout together; and then I said, I see, sir, you have taken my office, and played the priest, therfor I will tak yours upon me, and play the souldier; and to begin at your noble titles, I say, sir, you are a base rascal and a mensworne couard . . . Thou basse poltron, thou wilt cut throats with a man for fear of whom thou hast mensworn thyself! Thou cut throats with him! Thou durst not cut the throat of a mouse, if she would but only turn her head towards thee. Indeed the king of France is no less than well guarded, when he hath thee at his elbow!"-pp. 13, 14. The oration of which this is a specimen runs out to a great length, but we shall not follow it further; suffice it to say, that the matter ends in the retractation of Pope, and the discomfiture of Mr. Forbes, who, on hearing from Father Macpherson what had passed, “in rage crying said, Then all is losed, women can never forgive; and saying that, runne to the door, and away he got." A new act now begins. Mr. Forbes' proceedings came by some means to the ears of the lady's brother, who had lately succeeded his father as Earl of Erroll; and in consequence his lordship wrote to her, desiring her either to enter into a convent, or to return to Scotland and be married to a husband whom he had provided for her. Lady Isabella had no inclination to become a "religieuse," and was not a little distressed between the other courses offered to her choice,-a Protestant marriage at home, or starvation in France,-for Lord Erroll had told her, that if she should remain there without taking the veil, she must not expect any further remittances of money. After much consideration, she hit on a project which seemed to have some hope in it; namely, to throw herself on the bounty of the Infanta Clara Eugenia, Regent of the Low Countries. In pursuance of this idea, the faithful chaplain set out for Brussels, the lady meanwhile remaining in her convent at Provins. Before starting on his journey, Father Blackhal had been told by a correspondent at Brussels, that he could have no chance of success; and on his arrival there, he found this friend not at all more encouraging than before. He is not to be daunted, however, but determines to make his way to an interview with the princess, and spends a week in composing a "harrangue" for the occasion,-choosing the Italian language for its vehicle, as being that of her highness's many tongues in which he had the greatest fluency. "In the mean time, I did go every day to the court, to see and learn the ceremonies that were used at the audience. In the beginning I did go in very freely, without difficulty, as one of the sueit of Monsieur d'Orléans, who was then there; but from once the valets of her majesty's chamber did learn that I was none of his, but was for some business, they did hold me out; which I seeing, and learning that I behoved to make a key of gould, I scraped again [this scraping seems to signify, like that of a dog, a wish to be let in], and presented a single pistole of gould to him who immediately had shoot the door upon my Then he opened the door large aneugh, and made a civility to me, and promised to serve me with great affection.”—p. 23. nose. He wins the other valets in like manner, and at length,-" when," (as he tells us,) "I had well considered what I was myndful to say to her majesty concerning the ladye, and had repeated it to my own self over and over again so often, that I was not afraid to stutter or stand dumme," he requests an audience. The master of the household, in admitting him, "prayed me," says our author, “to be short, because it was past midday, and her majesty was yet fasting." An unwelcome warning, we may well believe, to a man who had been spending "a whole week" in elaborating and conning a "harrangue!" Father Blackhal, however, will not maim his composition, either out of regard for the state of the Infanta's appetite, or for fear lest he should endanger his cause by a too copious eloquence. Brevity, he rightly considers, is a comparative term; and, in proportion to the greatness of "the mater he had to deduce," a discourse of "a good halfhoure" could be no real breach of the Count de Noël's injunction. He enlarges, accordingly, on the pedigree of the very ancient family of Erroll, on the merits of the Lady Isabella's parents towards the "Catholic" faith, and, lastly, on her own deserts and necessities. One part of his pleading we quote, as contrasting curiously with certain fancies and assumptions which are very generally allowed to pass current among us— "Madame, if your Majesty do not grant this suit, I humbly beseech your Majesty to do me the favour not to discover to any person the demand; for if it come to the ears of our country people who are here that this lady hath desired such a thing of your Majesty, and hath been refused, they will wreat that to their friends at home for news, and so it will come to the knowledge of our puritan ministers, who will not fail to mak their pulpits ring with that example (as they will call it), to show that Catholickes have no true charity, and in derision bid the Papists (as they call_us) stand out courageously, and let their own means be [consumpt]; the Pope and the King of Spain will bestow aneugh upon your children. Follow the example of your constable 2, and let your houses be thrown down for your religion; your Papist princes will build them up again, and will give as much to your children as the Infanta of Spain, so highly cried up for her charity, did give to the constable his daughter, who sent a preist to Brussel to procure from that so renowned princess a poor canonicat, and was refused. Madame, this is the daily prattick of these ministers, to tak all occasions to shew how hard are the hartes of Catholickes towards one another. She answered, I know they do so; I will do what I can to give you satisfaction."-p. 25. The Infanta promises to bestow on Lady Isabella the first canonry of Mons that should " vaike," and in the mean time 2 This dignity is hereditary in the Erroll family. |