496 The Pike as a Scottish Weapon. By James Hardy. 



Pikes appear to have been in vogue in England before they 

 reached Scotland. In "Eloddon Field," (fought Sept. 9, 1513), 

 Weber's Edition, written about the time of Queen Elizabeth, the 

 general preparations to withstand the Scottish invasion are 

 described thus :— 



" Then every lord and knight each where, 

 And barons bold in musters met ; 

 Each man had haste, to mend his gear, 

 And some their rusty pikes did whet. 



" Some made their battle-axes bright ; 

 Some from their bills did rub the rust ; 

 Some made long pikes and lances light ; 

 Some pike-forks for to join and thrust." (p. 1G.) 

 Of the Lancashire equipments : 



" From Poulton and Preston, with pikes, 



They with the Stanley stout forth went." (p. 72.) 

 During the battle on " the English part," 



" The Moorish pikes and inells of lead. 



Did deal there many a dreadful thwack." (p. 103.) 

 The Earl of Surrey, 



" Encouraged his soldiers keen, 



Crying, ' Good fellows, strike this tide, 

 Let now your valiant acts be seen.' 



" Then spears and pikes to work was put, 



And blows with bills most dure was delt." (p. 110.) 



In Sir Thomas Cawarden's Armoury, seized 30th Jan. 1533, 

 by the Sheriff of Surrey, during Wyatt's rebellion for Queen 

 Mary's use, there were — " 100 morys pikes at 3s 4d," (p. 134) ; 

 also a 100 pikes, valued at £16. 13. 4. (p. 135). [The Loseley 

 Manuscripts by A. J. Ivempe, F.S.A.. London, 1835]. 



We thus perceive that at this period the English were familiar 

 with the pike. 



In the battle of Pinkie, fought 10th Sept. 1547, the Scots, 

 according to Patten formed their formidable phalanx of pikes. 

 (Patten, pp. 58-9 ; see passage quoted in present vol. pp. 431-2). 

 Tytler [Hist, of Scotland, iii. p. 61.] calls the Scots weapons, 

 •'spears 18 feet in length." After the discomfiture, however, he 

 says, "the ground over which the flight lay, was as thickly strewed 

 with pikes as a floor with rushes." (lb. p. 61.) Sir Walter Scott's 

 " impenetrable phalanx of spears " is founded on this description 

 of Patten. [Introd- to Minst. of Scottish Border.] 



