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

THE HISTORIE OF SCOTLAND.
91
that gif thay fel in ony danger, the lychtlier thay mycht
slip out of the handes of thair ennimies: for in swiftnes
of fute, in quhilke thay walde ouirri/z the swoftest horse,
* quhither the way war lang & plane, or gif it war
5 cuwirsum throuch hilis or 48 hopes, in sik swoftnes, I say,
thay obteined gret prais, athir quhen the ennimie flies to
follow, or quhen the ennimie persues to flie, and gif
mister be to t declyne from perrel. Amang thame this
was thair maner, the gretter of digrie and the nobiller of
10 blude that ony of thame war, in the weiris he was formest,
and gaue the first 49 brasche in the feild, and set first on
the ennimie: and this he did to moue and inflame his
cuwpanie to stande stoutlie, & w‘out feir to gang ford-
ward. the men of weir throuch his exemple, the scharp-
15 Her walde sett vpon the ennimies, and thair awne bodyes
sett for the body of thair capitane, and frome danger him
defend, and frome al perrel of lyf him preserue. for as
we said afoir, thair prince or capitane, ^e naturallie, as it
war thay helde in sik reuerence, that for thair cause or
20 at thair command, thay walde venture thair awne lyfe to
quhatsaevir danger or death albeit nevir sa bittir. Thay
war no1 now vphaldne to the weiris on the Kings waiges,
bot tnurissed and brocht vp in the hous, and thair sus-
tentatione to the feild was brocht out of the hous; quhilk
25 thay vset sa moderatlie and w1 sik sobrietie, that thay
walde leid a lang lyfe frie frome al seiknes, with a verie
smal portione of § kitschine meit, buttir, milke, or cheis,
mixed w‘ meil quhilke throuch souking thay fed vpo«.
* L. “ Vel insequentem, si res postularet, declinandum ”—or, if
occasion demanded, to slip away from a pursuing enemy.
+ L. “aut in via bene longa, aut ullis anfractibus interclusa”—
if the way were at all long, or broken up with bendings and wind¬
ings. The meaning is, that on a short or level road they would
have less chance.
+ L. “sed victu domo asportato aliti et nutriti ”—but were
reared and fed on food brought from their own homes.
§ L. “ut paritculam quamdam obsonii, ex butyro, lacte, caseo,
al thair
armour
lycht.
meruellous
lycht of fute.
in battel
baith stout
and balde.