380 Rev. R. Jones o?i the Battle of Flodden Field. 



north-west, and the English army below them steadily form- 

 ing in position and preparing for the battle "that was on the 

 eve of commencement, thousands of the bravest men of 

 Scotland, together with their beloved king, viewed for the 

 last time the country that gave them birth, and which was 

 shortly to weep and mourn over the death of so many of her 

 great and heroic sons. 



Dr. Leyden, in a note to his ode on Flodden Field, mentions 

 that on the evening previous to the battle, the Earl of 

 Caithness, a young nobleman who had incurred King James' 

 displeasure for revenging an ancient feud, came to the 

 encampment on Flodden Hill with three hundred young 

 warriors all dressed in green, and submitted to the king's 

 mercy. James was so pleased with this mark of submission 

 and loyal attachment, that he granted to him and his followers 

 an immunity for past offences. The parchment on which 

 this immunity was inscribed is said to be still preserved in 

 the archives of the Earls of Caithness, and is marked with 

 the drum strings, having been cut from the head of a drum, 

 no other parchment being at hand. The Earl and his gallant 

 followers perished to a man the next day on the fatal field of 

 Flodden,. ever since which time it has been considered 

 unlucky in Caithness to wear green, or to cross the Ord on 

 a Monday, the day of the week on which he set out to join 

 the king. 



The positions of the English forces were drawn up to face 

 the different divisions of the Scotch army, where they had 

 been for several hours patiently waiting the approach of 

 Surrey ; for no sooner was it made known to James that the 

 English were crossing the Till, than he moved from his 

 encampment on Flodden Hill and took possession of the 

 ridge of Branxton Hill, which gave him a full view of the 

 country for several miles over which the van-guard was 

 marching. He is blamed by several historians for abandon- 

 ing his camp, where he was so strongly fortified ; but any 

 one who has examined the position of the ground, and taken 

 into consideration the movements of Surrey, who was then 

 marching between him and Scotland, and by this masterly 

 manoeuvre exposing the rear of his camp, and cutting him 

 off from his own country, must admit that the king displayed 

 no mean talent in generalship, when he selected such an 

 advantageous and commanding position as that of Branxton 

 Hill. 



The armies being now put in battle array confronting each 



