APPENDIX.]

ORDER OF THE THISTLE.

IX

this, it is said only militibus, as other Knights, without the addition of ( patria ) that of their country.And for further confirmation hereof, there is to be seen among Mr. Sutherland’s curious collection ofold Coins, now the property of the Society of Advocates, and lodged in their said Library atEdinburgh, a piece of gold of King Robert the Bruce, wherein is raised on one side the figure of SaintAndrew expanded on his saltier cross between two flower-de-luces, and the legend round the same is‘ Dominus Protector meus et Uberator meus,’ and on the other side are the Arms of Scotland within aformal shield timbred with an open crown. 7 And if it had been the custom of these times to adornescutcheons of Arms with the Ensigns of Royal Orders in any kingdom, those of the above namedKnights had been trimmed with that of this Noble Order, as others of that kind of later times do bysurrounding the shield of Arms; but this method came not in use and practice for two hundred yearsafter.

“ And now having, I humbly think, convincingly proven the antiquity of our Noble Order theThistle before that of the Garter, which was but only instituted in the year of our Redemption 1350,then, generally and regularly, the first in time ought to be preferred, amongst such as are equal indignity] which is clear by the civil law, not only in kingdoms, but in all the degrees of nobility andpromotions. And this our reason may teach us without law ; for if there were not some certain andstated rule, whereby precedencies might be known, it were impossible to evite confusion, and all otherrules excepting this, are uncertain. And of the same opinion is the learned English themselves. Fortheir great Antiquary, Elias Ashmole, in his Institution of the Garter, Chap. VII. tells us, that theolder the Order is in the roll of Antiquity, whose chief ensign is now represented in armorial bearings,the nearer ought it, says he, to be placed to the escutcheon of Arms, being the more honourable post.Now our brethren of England come the length to agree we had this Royal Order of Knight prior totheirs, which I judge they cannot deny from what is above said; yet at the same time will not allowour Order the precedency to theirs, in respect, say they, the same was for a long tract of years afterdisused and became wholly extinct, and no mention to be found anent it in all our histories, tillJames V. instituted or revived, say they, our Order of the Thistle; and therefore their Noble Order ofthe Garter ought to have precedency as being a considerably older Order. Now that this King wasnot the institutor of our Royal Order, I have already demonstrated, and if he was but only the revivorof it, this saith nothing to the purpose; for in all competitions betwixt kingdoms, states, or orders, weare not to consider their present condition, but what they were formerly ; and if they remain the samethat they were in their substantials, in that case the former precedency is still continued.

“ But, in my opinion, this our Ancient and Noble Order of the Thistle, has never wholly beendisused or laid aside by our after succeeding Kings, since the days of the said King Robert the Bruce,except when the many rebellions and disturbances in the nation might occasion the same to beneglected for some time; which, in some measure, I shall make appear, so far as I have seen fromcharters, coins, seals, and other authentic documents, though not so fully as I could wish, thereby toengage others of my countrymen, that have more time and occasion to see and peruse unquestionabledocuments on this head, that they would be pleased to oblige the world with what they have collectedthereanent, not only for the honour of our nation in general, but that of this Order in particular.

“ Now as King Robert I. had a special regard for the honour and flourishing of this Noble Order,and received only the noblest and gallantest of his subjects, Knights Companions thereof, as mayappear from such of their names as I had occasion to narrate above, and whose names are all famous inthe history of that King’s life, for their renowned acts of chivalry and gallantry, so I find KingRobert II. has not been forgetful of the same; for in a gold coin of his, also to be seen among theforecited Mr. Sutherland’s Collections of Real Coins, kept in a box in the said Advocates’ Library,there is on one side the figure of Saint Andrew' expanded on the Cross of his Martyrdom, and on thereverse, the Arms of the Kingdom; and no doubt but in this King’s reign there have been creatednew Knights Companions of this Royal Order, in room of old ones deceased, though the iniquity ofthe times has deprived us of sufficient records to instruct the same. Yet I find King Robert III. hath

7 It cannot be necessary to point out the fallacy of the inference drawn from this fact.

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