Series 1 > Chronicles of the Frasers

172
POLICHRONICON SEU
his warlick martial disciplin and loitered in Campania it
blunted the souldiours and turnd them soft and effeminat.
The pleasures of Capua quit altered the genius and grain of
the gallant Romanes, and made them sullen and sillyly simple
by supin sloath and negligence. The historian tells us that
Capua, that famous city of Campania, in the Punike warre fell
off from Rome to the Carthaginians, and there Hannibal,
wintering his souldiers, did so effeminat them that they left
tlieir former valour, et quid Romanis Cannes hoc caput Hanni-
bali; an example for all chiftens of clans to keep their infantry
bussied and imployed in virtuous frugall exercises fit for them,
that they be not rusted with sullen idlenes and sloth. It was
very observable that the Lord Lovat, mustering his men at
Tomnifirish,1 near Invemes, this July, he had fourscor pretty
yowthes who were in their mothers womb when the battle oft'
Lochy was fought, July 1544, thirty yeares before, which con-
firmes the assertion of the historian anent the women left with
child when the field was fought. GensFraseriorum numerosissima
Buchan, lib. 15, et de re Scotica bene merita tota ihterierat, nisi Divino (ut credi
par est) consilio ex families principibus octoginta Domi relinquis-
sent, gravidas uxores, quae suo quosque tempore mares pepereant
singulos. A singular providence it was that, by God’s blessing,
these 80 widowes, whose husbands were killed in that bloudy
battle of Lochy, should in their season be safely brought to
bed, and each bear a boy, and those same male children to
come to perfect age and survive many mo of their kindred,
and happily meet together at a muster 80 yeares after, with
their cheefe. Digitus Dei, the hand of God is here.
The confusions of the kingdom ar now increasing after the
Murray, Lenox, death of three regents, and the minority of a king. The con¬
test betuixt the royall and rebellius factions at a great hight,
and all the north of Europ ingaged in the quarrell. The
Hamiltoun head the rebells, Argile and Pluntly; the one
haveing a wife, the other a mother, of the House of Hamilton.
William Murray of Tillibarden in Strathern is joined with
them, the Earle of Hume, Seaton, Maitland, Athol, Craford,
Ogilby, Boid, etc. all linked in that party. The Earl of Athol
Tomnahurich.