THE BASS ROCK 179 



and bringis haistelie up the fische that thay last saw ; and 

 thoucht this fische be reft fra hir be the keparis of the castell, 

 scho takkis Utill indingnation, bot fleis incontinent for 

 ane uthir. Thir keparis of the castell forsaid, takis the young 

 geis fra thaim with litill impediment ; thus cumis gret 

 proffet yeirlie to the lord of the said castell. Within the 

 bowellis of thir geis, is ane fatness of singulaire medicine ; 

 for it helis mony infirmeties, speciallie sik as cumis be gut 

 [such as come by gout] and cater [catarrh] disceding 

 [diseasing] in the handles or lethes [groins] of men and 

 wemen "* 



The preceding is taken from John Bellenden's version 

 of Boece, which was first printed in 1536.t On comparing 

 the passage with Harrison's translation in Holinshed's 

 " Chronicle," the latter's rendering is seen to be somewhat 

 more diffuse. Put into modern EngHsh Boece's narrative 

 would read as follows : — 



" On the Bass Rock there are an incredible number of 

 Solan Geese ; not unlike to those fowls which Pliny calls 

 Sea Eagles ; to be seen in no part of Albion, but on this 

 crag [of Bass] and Ailsa. At their first coming, which is in 



* For the modern signification of the obsolete words gut, cater and 

 ethes, made vise of in this last sentence, I am indebted to Mr. James 

 Hooper, of Norwich, but cf. "Notes and Queries" of October 17th, 1903. 

 A correspondent suggests that lethea should be leskes. 



t 1821 edition, I., chap. 9, p. xxxvii. Boece's accovmt of the Claik 

 {i.e., Bernicle) Geese is given in chap. 14 of " The Cosmographe." 



N 2 



