Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Jacobite relics of Scotland > [First series]

158 NOTES.
nothing can be more evident, than that one part of the song de-
pcribes the battle won by Montrose and the clans, on the 4th of
May 1645; and the other part, that won by Livingston over the
clans, on the 1st of May 1690. The names of the clans mentioned
in the song are those that were present with Montrose at Auld-
earn ; the rout that the defeated army took, together with the
number of them that reached Aberdeen, all accord with the truth
of history ; so that at whatever period the song was made, it evi-
dently alludes to that action. The following spirited and singu-
larly characteristic account of it is given by a Highlander, who
was not only an eye-witness of the whole, but hotly engaged in it.
It is a translation from the G-aelic.
" While Montrose and the royal army lay at Auldearn, Lord
Gordon and his good band of both horse and foot being with him,
Nathaniel Gordon came to them from Forres, and informed them
that the enemy were at hand. He was a good rider and an ex-
cellent warrior : Caoch was his other name.
" A battle ensued, hard fought by the Gael. Nathaniel Gor-
don lost his right arm. Montrose commanded the right wing ;
and the brave Sir Alexander, the son of Coll Citoch, son of
Archibald, son of Coll, son of Alexander, son of John Catanach,
took the left, against the right of the enemy. After Sir Alexander
had engaged his men, a gentleman came from the Lord Gordon,
and delivered this message to him : ' Macdonald, I have heard
that there was an agreement between our ancestors to this pur-
pose, namely, that whatever strife happened among Scotsmen,
that they would not strike a stroke against one another ; neither
is the fame of any other tribe greater than theirs. Therefore, by
way of renewing that agreement, I would request of you to ex-
change your foot with mine, to fight for my king on the first day
of my service. Give me your foot, and take mine.'
"Macdonald immediately agreed to that request, and sent
ninety men to Lord Gordon of his veteran soldiers, inured to
hardships, and received in exchange three hundred foot of the
men of Bog of Gight, Strathbogie, and upper parts of that coun-
try. But it was an ill exchange for Alexander Macdonald, be-
cause these men were never engaged in war before. They sup-