Series 1 > History of Greater Britain, as well England as Scotland

348
JOHN MAJOR’S HISTORY
[book VI.
England, he will not be permitted to levy a tax, for in
England the people are more hotly jealous of their rights than
in many other kingdoms, and rise against their kings should
these make any unreasonable demand; so that in this wise
the kings take fright, and for the most part draw back from
their proposal of a tax. The increase of a tax need not there¬
fore give cause for fear, and from the point of view of the poor
The conclusion, this consideration is of much weight. Without intentional
injustice to the other side, there is scarce any one who can
make clear and determinative answer one way or the other;
but my own private judgment on the whole matter (which I
leave to be discussed by persons of sense) an intelligent man
may gather from what I have just said.
Fastcastle is In the fourteen hundred and tenth year from the incarna¬
tion of our Lord, Patrick Dunbar, son and heir of George,
took Eastcastle, that is ‘ strong castle’, and made prisoner of
Thomas Holden, who was at that time within the castle,—an
The battle of Englishman, who had wrought much harm in Lothian. In
Harlaw. the year fourteen hundred and eleven was fought that battle,
far-famed amongst the Scots, of Harlaw. Donald, earl of the
Isles, with a valiant following of Wild Scots ten thousand
strong, aimed at the spoiling of Aberdeen, a town of mark,
and other places ; and against him Alexander Stewart earl of
Mar and Alexander Ogilvy sheriff of Angus gathered their men,
Battle betwixt and at Harlaw met Donald of the Isles. Hot and fierce was
Scots!*1 and thE the fight; nor was a battle with a foreign foe, and with so
large a force, ever waged that was more full of jeopardy than
this; so that in our games, when we were at the grammar
school, we were wont to form ourselves into opposite sides, and
The killed and say that we wanted to play at the battle of Harlaw. Though
uoun . jj. ji)e more generally said amongst the common people that the
Wild Scots were defeated, I find the very opposite of this in
the chroniclers ; only, the earl of the Isles was forced to retreat;
and he counted amongst his men more of slain than did the
' civilised Scots. Yet these men did not put Donald to open rout,
though they fiercely strove, and not without success, to put a
check upon the audaciousness of the man. They slew his
drill-master1, Maklane, and other nine hundred of his men, and
Campiductorem. See ante, p. 235-