Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Historie and cronicles of Scotland > Volume 2, 1899

38°
CRONICLIS OF SCOTLAND.
He was the first great native cannon founder and artilleryman in
Scotland, whose earlier cannon came, like Mons Meg, from abroad.
260. 9. The sowmondis of Plotcok, qnhilk desyrit all men to compeir
. . . withtin the space of xl dayis befoir his maister. Plotcock is
supposed to be a Scotch corruption or nickname for Pluto, or the
devil—a survival of the heathen mythology which the writer of
MS. I repudiates in his introductory verses. The devil is credited
with a knowledge of Scotch law, in which forty days was the time
allowed to answer a summons. Flodden was fought on the 9th
September 1513, and James held his muster on the Burgh Muir on
a day in August.
260. 15, and 261. 5. Bot quhither thir sowmondis war proclameit be
waine persouns night walkeris or dronkin men for thair pastyme, or gif
it was bot ane spreit as I haue schawin to zow befoir, I cane not tell
trewlie. Here again we come across a limit to Pitscottie’s credulity,
and he considers it necessary to vouch his authority (1. 29). “ Werelie
the author of this that caussit me to wryte the maner of the sow¬
mondis was ane gentillmane landit, quho was at the tyme of twenty
zeiris of aige and was in the toune the tyme of the sovvmondis, and
thairefter quhene the feild was strikin he swore to me thair was no
maner of man that eskaipit that was callit in that sowmondis bot
that on man allone quhilk maid his protestatioun.” This is an im¬
portant passage, showing that Pitscottie personally knew men of the
younger generation who fought at Flodden. It corroborates the
conjecture made in the Introduction as to the date of his own birth,
which, if it was about 1532, gave ample time for this. It is evident
that while he accepted the fact of the summons he did not believe
it was a spirit, or he would not have suggested a drunk man as a
possible alternative explanation.
261. 31. Bot nevertheles nothing wald be hard bot “fordwart." The
cry of "A Berlin? in Paris, before the Franco-Prussian war, is a
modern parallel.
262. 5. All maner of men betnix sextie and sextene alswell spretuall
as temporall. “ Spretuall ” probably means the vassals of the Church
and the great dignitaries who were feudal lords. The ordinary priest
had by this time ceased to fight.
CHAPTER XVIII.
262. Contents. Hon the king pas sit to the feild of floudane. Pit¬
scottie’s, as usual, much too general account of military movements
gives without dates the following as the steps of James’s march :—
Borough Muir, muster.
Ersiltoun Tower, camp.
Wark Castle cast down.
Norham Castle cast down.