[MR] Wikipedia: Declaration of Arbroath

[Garth Groff via Atlantia]

Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Scots,

Today, 6 April is Tartan Day in the United States. It is a day to 
celebrate all-things Scottish by the 15 million or so Americans who can 
claim Scots descent. Today I am wearing my modern Napier kilt to work, 
and will politely ignore all the jibes about what is worn under a kilt. 
In my case nothing is worn; it is all in perfect working order.

On a more serious note, Tartan Day coincides with the anniversary of the 
signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, often considered the Scottish 
Declaration of Independece. The Declaration was a 1320 letter to Pope 
John XXII, sealed by 51 Scottish nobles, asking for recognition of 
Scotland as independent of England. It further declares the legitimacy 
of Robert the Bruce as King. The document concludes with these stirring 
words (modern translation; the original is in Latin):

" ...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on 
any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for 
glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -– 
for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."

You can read more about this important document at 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Arbroath .

Sadly, some 400 years later the Scottish Parliament agreed to union with 
England after the impoverished lords were bribed by the English. The Act 
of Union happened in 1707, and was intended to preempt the Stuarts from 
being invited back to rule Scotland upon the pending death of Queen 
Anne. That's beyond our time though.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot