Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Historie of Scotland > Volume 1, 1888

THE HISTORIE OF SCOTLAND.
19
and sum tyme thay ar knawen to haue a thousand scheip :
The scheip indeed ar litle, and homes thay heir lyke
rames; hot the 79 jjewis twa, thrie or four, and the Ramis
at sum tymes sax: Thay heir verie schorte tailis, 80 als
5 schorte as the tail of ane hyne. In tendirnes of thair
fleshe thay ar lyke the cattel that ar fed in the rest of the
south cuntreyes of the Realme, bot farr excelis thame
that feid in the pastoure of the nerrest cuntreyes. The
cause is thocht to be this, that the knowis of thir cuntries
10 abundes in a certane schort and bare grase, quhairin
scheip properlie delytes. It hes a noble toune, to name,
Peblse, for that portione of the haly croce thair keipit
religiouslie, anes lang syne verie celebrate throuch
frequent and oft peregrinatione. Nocht far frome this is
15 a toune named Ekilis, and thair lykwyse ane ample
and plesand pastural called the forest in quhilke baith
the gret and smal beistes of the Prince vses to feid:
Quhair lykwyse is the goldmynd of Megetlande : quhairin
ar meruellous gret hartes, and innumerable thair ar
20 found. Bot because of the hartis we haue made men-
tione, this we may eik to. Ouer all with ws in the hichest
mountanis Gret hartis are sa frequent, that conmiounlie
in a solemne hunting, the Prince cheiflie present him selfe,
now fyue hundir, now viii. hundir, sum tyme 1000 at
25 ane tyme ar slayne : for than throuch the cry of men and
the barking of litle dogs round about, the space, sum tyme
of x., sum tymes of xx. myles and mair (They are driven,
L.), within the narrow boundes of a certane valley, quhair
the Lordes and noble men hes * appoynted to remane and
30 (fn)stitute thair abydeng. Out of that place the hundes
being hunted, arrowis schott, jaiuelinis castne, and hount-
ing cloubs : and with al kynde of armour thay sett vpon the
hartis, no1 without gret danger baith of men and dogs :
For the hartes of nature ar giuen to this, that gif thair
35 leidar fal amang the midis of his ennimies, or incur ony
* L. “ Suas sedes statuunt”—take up their positions
The tounes
Peblisse and
Ekilis.
Megetland.
Hartis, thair
multitude
nature and
hunting.