William Lithgow was born in Lanark about 1582. The actual date of his birth is uncertain, but he states (page 377) that he was thirty-three in 1615, and in ‘The present Surveigh of London’ ‘past threescore years’ in April, 1643. He was the eldest son of James Lithgow, Burgess of Lanark, and Alison Grahame, his wife. He was educated at Lanark Grammar School, and, according to Sir Walter Scott,1 was ‘bred a tailor.’ Scott does not, however, give his authority for this statement. Lithgow seems to have started his travels at a very early age, having ‘a large infusion of the wandering spirit common to his country-men.’2 He says himself that ‘neither ambition, too much curiosity, nor any reputation I ever sought did expose me to such long peregrinations and dangerous adventures past’—but ‘that undeserved Dalida wrong.’ What this mysterious ‘Dalida wrong’ was is unknown, but family tradition has it that the four brothers, ‘foure blood-shedding wolves,’ of a certain Miss Lockhart, finding their sister with Lithgow, set upon him and cut off his ears, and from this arose his local nickname of ‘ “Cutlugged” or “Lugless” Will.’ Be this as it may, by 1609, Lithgow had made ‘two voyages to the Orcadian and Zetlandian Isles, in the stripling age of mine adolescency, and there after surveighing all Germany, Bohemia, Helvetia, and the Low-Countreys from end to end; I visited Paris, where I remained ten moneths.’

From Paris, on March 7th, 1609, Lithgow set out on the first of the three journeys of which he gives an account in his ‘Totall Discourse,’ where he claims that his ‘paynefull feet traced over (beside my passages of Seas and Rivers) thirty-six thousand and odde miles, which draweth neare to twice the circumference of the whole Earth.’

It was on the third of these journeys, when passing through Spain with the intention of seeing ‘Great Prester Jehan and his Empire,’ that he was thrown into prison in Malaga as a spy and severely tortured. He was released by the intervention of the English Consul there and the English Ambassador at Madrid, backed by a division of King James’ Navy which, under the command of Sir Robert Maunsell, happened opportunely to be lying in Malaga Roads, on its return from the expedition against Algiers.

On his arrival at Dartford, fifty days after leaving Malaga, Lithgow was carried to the Court at Theobalds, and exhibited his ‘martyrd anatomy’ to the whole Court, ‘even from the King to the Kitchin.’ At the King’s expense he was sent twice to Bath, where he recovered his health, although his left arm and crushed bones were incurable. Early in 1622 he was sent to the Marshalsea prison for a long period3 for assaulting, in the presence chamber, the Spanish Ambassador Gondomar, whose empty promises of redress for his sufferings at Malaga had exasperated Lithgow beyond endurance.

In 1624 Lithgow preferred a Bill of Grievance to the House of Lords, which he daily followed for seventeen weeks, but ‘the house breaking up abruptly their order for my suite could take none effect as then, nor yet since, in regard it was no Session Parliament.’ In the spring of 1627 he left the Court for Scotland; he traversed the Western Isles, and was ‘kindly intertayned’ in Brodick Castle by James, Marquess of Hamilton.

In 1632 Lithgow published the first collected edition4 of his Travels, under the title of ‘The Totall Discourse Of the Rare Aduentures and painefull Peregrinations of long nineteene Yeares Trauayles, from Scotland, to the most Famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia, and Affrica.… Imprinted at London by Nicholas Okes.’ The publication seems to have got him immediately into trouble, probably owing to the Spanish influence at Court, as there is a petition extant5 from him in which he states that he ‘had no satisfaction for his grievous torments sustained in Malaga, and having in the description of his foreign travels succinctly avouched the woeful memory of such disastrous accidents, had been this long time committed close prisoner to the Gatehouse, when he had contracted great sickness to the danger of his life. The printer in whom only the reprehension was, is long ago “decarcerat,” but he is retained in severe punishment.’ He protests that he will never ‘meddle any more with the Spaniard however his lamentable wrongs remain unrepaired.’

On the 16th May, 1637, Lithgow, mounted on a ‘Gallowegian nagge,’ left Scotland, where he had been the guest of the Earl of Galloway, intending to embark at London for Russia, but shipping failing, and summer being over, he resolved to go instead to Breda, and on his return published ‘A True and Experimentall Discourse, upon the beginning, proceeding and Victorious event of this last Siege of Breda … London: Printed by J. Okes for J. Rothwel … 1637.’

On 24th August, 1643, Lithgow again left Scotland, embarking at Prestonpans for London, ‘In all which deserted way, betweene Forth and Gravesend, wee found onely three ships, two Scotsmen and a Noruegian, and one of the royall whelps lying at anker in Aermouth road, which made the sea resemble a wildernesse.’ As the result of this visit, he published ‘The present Surveigh of London and England’s State … London, Printed by J.O. 1643.’ In this book Lithgow gives an interesting account of the fortifications raised by the citizens for defence against the Royalist army. The last work known to have been published by him is ‘An Experimental and Exact Relation upon that famous and renowned Siege of Newcastle … Edinburgh, printed by Robert Bryson 1645.’ From this date all trace of him is lost; the date of his death and the place of his burial are unknown, though there is a tradition that he died in Lanark, and lies buried in the churchyard of St. Kentigern there.

Editions of ‘The Totall Discourse’ were published in London in 1640 and 1682, and in Edinburgh in 1770 and 1814, while a volume of the ‘Poetical Remains of William Lithgow,’ containing valuable ‘Prefatory Remarks,’ was collected and published by Dr. James Maidment in Edinburgh in 1863.

The text of ‘The Totall Discourse’ now published is a reprint of the editio princeps of 1632. References to the pages of the original edition are given in the margin. The letters i, j, u, and v have been altered to conform to modern usage, and obvious printers’ errors both of spelling and punctuation have been corrected. The index of the original text has been replaced by a fuller one in this edition.

Glasgow,
September, 1906.