THE Confederate Lords endeavoured to atone for their treatment of their late sovereign by their loyalty and duty towards his son, whom they instantly placed upon the throne. They also deemed it requisite, for their future security, to have a parliamentary indemnity for their proceedings. In a parliament accordingly that met soon after, they obtained a vote, by which every thing done in "the Field of Stirling" was justified, and declared "lawful, on account of the necessity they had lain under of employing force against the King's evil counsellers, enemies of the kingdom." This vote is, in the records, called "The Proposition of the Debate of the Field of Stirling." THE far greater part of the nation, south of the Tay soon acknowledged the new King; and the castles of Edinburgh and Stirling, surrendered to him. Sir John Lundie was made governor of Stirling, instead of Shaw, whose late treachery had rendered him with the appropriate naval honours, he proceeded to and from divine service. The estate of Largo has been more than once associated with naval prowess. It is now the property of Sir Philip Durham, K. C B. Editor.) detestable even to the party whose interest he had intended to serve.* THE northern clans, who had adhered to the late King, did not so speedily submit to his successor, but entered into a combination to avenge his death upon those who were thought to keep his son still captive among them. Early next year, Lord Forbes made a tour through the northern counties, to excite the inhabitants; and accompanied his arguments with an address to their passions, by displaying the bloody shirt of the murdered King upon a lance. The Earl of Levenax, who had espoused the same cause,† raised five thousand vassals and retainers, and marched northward, to form a junction with Forbes. As, however, the King and PITSCOTTIE. (He was James Shaw of Sauchie, to whose charge the Prince had been left in Stirling castle. He was to blame; but not more than any other of the rebels, or, to use a softer word, confederates. How very unjustifiably James was used by his rebellious subjects, we will attempt to shew in Note Y at the end of this volume. Editor.) † (It will be recollected that, according to a former quotation, he was among the insurgents before the battle of Blackness. Ferrerius fol. 399, as quoted by Mr Pinkerton. I. 328. The family of Levenax, or Lennox, was now the Darnley or Stewart race. Editor.) confederate Lords held Stirling, he crossed the Forth some miles above; and at night, encamped in a field adjoining to Tilly-Moss, now called Moss-Flanders.* Having no suspicion of danger, and intending to march early next morning, he lay in a careless posture, and had not even set a regular watch. This tempted one MacAlpin to act treacherously. He stole away to Stirling, and gave information of the place where the Earl had encamped, and the insecurity of his posture. Lord Drummond, a chief of the confederates, quickly setting out with a considerable force, surprised the Earl, and, with little bloodshed, dispersed his army.† * SASSENTILLY, a place immediately east of the village of Thornhill, seems to retain the name. It does not appear, however, what was the precise spot of Lennox's bivouac. Moss Flanders, Flat? Flounder. Danish Flynder, is a sort of flat fish. Bailey. Editor.) + (Soon after the battle of Moss-Flanders, Lord Drummond, by special license under the hand and seal of James IV, of whose daughter Margaret his youthful Majesty was enamoured, and to whom his lordship was not distantly related by blood, built, on his recently purchased estate of Concraig, the strong castle of Drummond. In 1498, he obtained from the King a grant of the barony of Drummond, in the lordship of Monteith, which, on account of the attempt to avenge the late King's death, had been forfeited by the Earl of Lennox. This barony was purchased by the Earl of Monteith about 1630; and, towards the end of the 17th century, THE northern clans, hearing of Lennox's defeat, immediately submitted to the new King; and the whole kingdom soon united in acknowledging his authority. As a penance for the unnatural part he had acted towards his father, he wore, ever after, an iron girdle next the skin; adding a link every year.* SECT. XI. CASTLE OF STIRLING. † THE town of Stirling is situated upon a hill; which, gradually rising from the east, termi became, by testament, the property of the Marquis of Montrose, to whose representative, the Duke of Montrose, it now belongs. Editor.) * PITSCOTTIE. † (WE may preface this section with a copy of Latin verses of which Camden says, "I shall close my account of Stirling with these lines of J. Johnston." They have not been in serted with others of this poet's works, in the "Delitiæ Poeta rum Scotorum," and may therefore the more excite the reader's attention. Sir Robert Gordon of Straloch has inserted them in Bleau's Atlas; Sir Robert Sibbald has copied them; and Mr Gough has furnished a metrical translation. nates abruptly in a steep rock, upon the extremity of which is built the Castle. This fortress is of great antiquity; and no certain account can be given of its first erection. Boece affirms that Agricola raised fortifications upon its rock. Nor is it improbable that Regum augusta parens, regum nutricula natis, The following is Mr Gough's translation. Inmate or foe, or real friend or feigned. Danger to profit yields. How oft (oh shame!) Has noble blood her territory stained! Hapless in this alone, to none she yields The bliss of genial air and fertile fields." There is more of the classic, than of the antiquary, in the following extract from Arthur Johnston's lines on this ancient town, as published by Camden and Sibbald. Non semel Ausonius Sterlinum reppulit enses. Limes et Imperii quem bibit amnis erat.” Sletzer the Engineer has given a drawing of Stirling and Castle from beyond the bridge, as they appeared above a century ago. See Theatrum Scotia. Editor.) |