Earls of Middleton, Lords of Clermont and of Fettercairn

John Middleton, First Earl of Middleton. 97
of us, though we passed by near to him, which made
me look at him ; and perceiving that he stared, I
conjectured he was a seer; wherefore I called to him,
at which he started and smiled. ' What are you
doing ? ' said I. He answered, ' I have seen a very
strange thing — an army of Englishmen leading of
horses, coming down that hill; and a number of them
are coming down to the plain, and eating the barley
which is growing in the field near to the hill.' This
was on the fourth of May, for I noted the day, and
it was four or five days before the barley was sown
in the field he spoke of. Alexander Monro asked
him how he knew they were Englishmen. He
answered because they were leading horses, and had
on hats and boots, which he knew no Scotchmen
would have on there. We took little notice of the
whole story as other than a foolish vision, but wished
that an English party were there, we being then at
war with them, and the place almost inaccessible for
horsemen. But the beginning of August thereafter,
the Earl of Middleton 1 then lieutenant for the king
in the Highlands, having occasion to march a party
of his towards the south islands, sent his foot through
a place called Inverlacwell, and the fore part, which
was the first down the hill, did fall to eating the
barley which was on the little plain under it ; and
1 Or the Earl of Glencairn.