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gaged ; and promises, nay, base money had to be resorted
to. No wonder that the grievances and petitions of the
Scots on this account are very numerous. As a model of
all the rest let us take the following complaint contained
in a letter of Scottish troopers to King Eric XIV. in
the year 1566, on the 24th of May.1 “ Most gracious
Lord and King. We, Scottish troopers, complain of the
great wrong done to us in not paying us for the horses
that were killed in the late battles and leaving us without
our pay for the last three months.” They then proceed to
say that they had to borrow horses. A messenger had
arrived commanding them to wear armour. They were
willing to do so, but must have the armour free of
expense. To explain all these matters to the king they
send their Colonel, W. Ruthven, to his Majesty. This
letter is signed by James Stuart, Wallace, Ths.
Larbon (?), Ch. Fullerton, Alex. Murray, Will. Monraff
(Monroe?), Gilbert Young, Andrew Greig, David
Bisset, John Lockhart, John Galloway, and David
Kerr.2
In another similar petition they maintain that all their
poverty and misery arose from the base and miserable
coin in which King John had paid them.3
Somewhat later in a letter of supplication sent by
u poor strangers, troopers under Col. Ruthven,” they
ask for their discharge and for their full pay as they had
been promised. Their captain, they continue, had already
advanced the pay to some of them, others had gone with
Henry Leyel. u But we others have nothing but hunger
1 Handlingar angående Nordiska Sjuårskrig. Riks A. A trooper
received a monthly pay of nine Thaler. The Scottish officers repeatedly
received land as a security for their pay. Thus Wallace and Lyell, in
Småland and Östergötland in 1578. See Riks A.
2 Riks A.
8 Riks A. Militaria, King John’s time.
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