ter I find in her Favours, is granted by King Alexander I. sirnamed the Good, and the Second by his Successor St. David. 'Tis generally agreed upon, that it was made a Burgh Royal by King William I. in whose Reign a Fervour of Devotion, encourag'd by Pope Urban II. seis'd the Spirits of the Princes and Cavaliers of Europe, under the Command of Godfrey of Bulloign, to rescue Palestine and the City of Jerusalem out of the Hands of Saladine, and to pluck the Sepulchre of Jesus from the Possession of the Infidels. The zealous Pontiff was afflicted, that the Holy Land, the City of God, the Inheritance of Jesus, should be sully'd by Infidels, Saracens and Turks; who, in some Measure, might be said to have driven our Lord from his Capital, that the Cross, the Glory and Ornament of Crown'd Heads, should be trampled upon by the vilest of Adam's Posterity. Therefore he inculcated the Necessity of taking Arms, and united all the Powers of Christen.. dom; and to whet their Courage, promis'd to those that would join in this holy Service, a plenary Indulgence, that is, A Remission of all Penances impos'd by Confessors.

Vast Numbers of Scots Mechanicks having followed this holy War, taking with them a Banner bearing this Inscription out of the li. Psalm, In bona voluntate tua edificenter muri Jerusalem. Upon their returning Home, and glorying, that they were amongst the fortunate, who placed the Christian Standard of the Cross in the Place that Jesus Christ had consecrated with his Blood, they dedicated this Banner, which they stil'd, The Banner of the Holy Ghost, to St. Eloi's Altar in St. Giles's Church in Edinburgh; which, from its Colour, was called, The Blue Blanket.

Tho' none of our Historians mention the Original Institution of the Blue Blanket, nor is there any Vouchers for it, saving old imperfect Manuscripts; yet 'tis highly probable, it had its Rise from the Croisade, or Holy War: For Monsieur Chevereau, in his History of the World, tells us, That Scotland was engaged in that War, and sold or mortgaged their Estates for that Expedition; and that she was amongst the most forward Nations in it. Pére Maimbourg, Histoire des Croisades, informs us, That the Knights of St. Lazarus, an Order of Men educate to the holy War, were numerous every where, but especially in Scotland and France; as appears by the Charters and Grants of Princes in their Favours; and the distinctive Crosses they wore, evince, that the Scots were as forward, gallant, and zealous in the Service, as any of their Neigh bours.

Our Histories bear, That a great many of the Scots went to that War, under the Command of Allan, Lord great Steward of Scotland; and they, with their Confederates, got Possession of Jerusalem in 1099.

When Saladine prevail'd against the Christian Arms, William King of Scotland assisted the War with Money, and sent Supplies of Men to the meritorious Action, under the Command of David his Brother, and that Five thousand Scots had their Share in the Mallheurs and Successes of that unfortunaté Enterprise. And if we may believe Boethius, in Vita Gull. the renown'd City Ptolomais was taken by the good Conduct of Earl David, Brother to the King of Scots, Anno 1091, and that the Christian Intelligencer was one Oliver, a Scots Man.

This Blue Blanket, whose Original I have endeavour'd to discover, was, in the dark Times of Popery, held in such religious Veneration, that whenever Mechanicks were artfully wrought upon by the Clergy, to display their holy Colours, it served for many Uses, and they never fail'd of Success in their Attempts. Which is not to be wondred at; for as the learned and judicious Doctor Abercromby observes in the Life of St. David, King of Scotland, speaking of the Battle of the Standard, So good a Use have Churchmen in all Ages been known to make of Religious Pageantries, and so ' much have the Vulgar been misled into the Belief of Heavenly Protection, by the Legerdemain Tricks of 'spiritual Guides, who, while they have no other View but to gratify their private Passions, muster the deluded People into Rebellion.'

Having thus accounted for the Original of the Order of the Blue Blanket, I may fairly infer, That 'tis as Ancient, and more Honourable than the English Order of the Garter, the Institution whereof some ascribe to a Garter falling occasionally from the Countess of Salisbury, tho' others affirm, the Garter was given in Testimony of that Bond of Love whereof the Knights and Fellows of it were to be tied to one another, and all of them to the King. And others make it yet more Ancient, giving it the same Original with the Blue Blanket, relating, That when King Richard I. of England was at War against the Turks and Saracens in the Holy Land, the Tediousness whereof began to discourage his Souldiers, he, to quicken their Courage, tied about the Legs of several choice Knights a Garter, or small Thong of Leather, the only Stuff he had at Hand, that as the Romans used to bestow Crowns and Garlands for Encouragement, so this might pro

voke them to stand together, and fight valiantly for their King.

:

The Crafts of Edinburgh having this Order of the Blanket to glory in, may justly take upon them the Title of Knights of the Blanket, or, Chevaliers of Arms For, as the learned Skene, De Verborum Sig-· nificatione, in his Title, Banrents, observes, That Banrents are called, Chevaliers of Arms, or Knights, who, obtaining great Honours and Dignities, have Power and Privileges granted to them by the King, to raise and lift up a Banner, with a Company of Men of Weir, either Horse or Foot; which cannot be done by any save Banrents, without the King's special Licence, as Pasquiers, Lib. 2. des Rechercheres de la France, Ch. 9. Fol. 100. by sundry Arguments proves, and Dr. Smith, in his Treatise of the Common Wealth of England, Lib. 1. Ch. 17. informs us, That Knights Banrents are allow'd to display their Arms on a Banner in the King's Host.

As the Knights of St. George have their Meeting at Windsor-Castle, and those of the Thistle in the Royal Palace of Holyrood-House, so the Knights of the Blanket have theirs at St. Eloi, who was a French Bishop and their Guardian, his Altar, to which they mortify considerable Sums for the maintenance of a Chaplain, and Reparation of the Ornaments of the Chapel; as appears from the Craftsmen's Seal of Cause, the Tenor of which runs thus:

Seal of Cause for the Hammermen of Edinburgh, &c.

TILL

ILL all and syndry quham it effiers, quhais Knawledge thir present Letters shall to cum, Andrew Bartrem Provost of Edinburgh, George Ed'wardson, John of Livington, Allexander Crawfoord, 'James Aikman, and John Bissett, Baillziets of the 'said Burgh, Greeting; For sae meikle as, the Hedismen and Maisters of the Hammerman, and Maisters of the Hammerman Craft, baith Black-smythes, Goldsmythes, Lorimers, Sadlars, Cutlars, Buckle-makars, Armourars, Peudrars, and all uthers within the said Burgh, has humyly menyt and shawin, baith to our • Soverain Lord the King, and to us, the great Skaith, 'Lak and Dangire done to thaim, and the great Dampnage, Hurt and Prejudise done to our Soveraine 'Lord's Realme and Lieges in thir Points that efter folows, throw the quhilks the saids Craftismen are heryit and put to Poverte, besekand our Lord's gud • Graice, and us in his Name, of Remed and Reformacioune thairof, and to set sic Statuts and Ways thairupon, that the saids Dampnages, Lak and Dangirs 6 may be ischewit, and the said Craft of Hamyrmen ex⚫ercit in Time cumying, to the Honour of our Soverane • Lord and his Realme, and to the Wele and Profit of the saids Craftismen, and all uthers his Lieges : that is to say in the first, That the said Craft is abusit, < and the Maisters and Hedismen thairof gretly skaithit by the daily Markat maid in Cremys, and be vile • Persones throw the hie Street, and on the Back Half of the Town, in bachlying of the Hammyrmenis Work and thair Craft in lack and dishonouring of ⚫ our said Burgh, and in breking of the gud Rule, lov

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