Rev. R. Jones on the Battle of Fiodden Field. S8-S 



as a pledge of his earnest entreaties to begin with the centre, 

 or to come to his assistance. In the meantime the king ob- 

 serving the conflict on his left, and that the troops under 

 Crawford and Montrose, as well as those under Huntley and 

 Home were hotly engaged, gave orders that his body-guard 

 and all around him should march down the side of the hill 

 and mingle in the fight. The reserve under Bothwell fol- 

 lowed close in the rear of the king, and at this moment thou- 

 sands throughout both armies steadily moved in the direction 

 of " Piper's Hill," where the battle continued Avith dreadful 

 carnage the whole of that fearful and bloody day. 



Sir Edward Stanley in the eastern division had been fiercely 

 engaged with the right wing of the Scotch under Lennox and 

 Argyle, but the conflict here was not of long duration, 

 although tracked with streams of blood. The English arch- 

 ers, composed principally of men from Cheshire and Lanca- 

 shire, did terrible execution on the close ranks of the High- 

 landers and Islesmen ; they fell thick on all sides, and the 

 repeated showers of the unerring long-shaft arrows, broke 

 their solid masses and put them in confusion. Lennox and 

 Argyle, together with many experienced French oflicers in 

 this division, did all they could by entreaties and menaces to 

 cause the troops to stand firm in their ranks on the ground 

 they then occupied, but without eff*ect, for they install tly 

 rushed down the hill, and engaged their foes (who were 

 rapidly ascending to meet them) in close combat. The English 

 bill-men, at the first onset, staggered under the charge and 

 were obliged to give way. The onslaught was so fierce 

 that it bore down all opposition, but this short success on 

 the part of the clansmen at last gave way, and the undiscip- 

 lined Highlanders were assailed in front and flank ; the 

 struggle for victory was dreadful ; the English bill-men laid 

 hundreds dead at their feet, and Lennox and Argyle with 

 many of the chiefs of the clans fell bravely fighting at the 

 head of their men. 



The left wing of the English was completely victorious, 

 their enemies were routed and driven from the field and scat- 

 tered in all directions ; so much so, that they never again 

 rallied. Stanley had now cut his way through all opposi- 

 tion to the top of the hill, from whence he could see the dread- 

 ful struggle that was going on in the centre and right wing ; 

 and he full well knew from the masses of men crowded to- 

 gether around the southern base of Piper's Hill — from the 

 waving of flags and pennons — from the shrieks of the dying, 



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