THE FLODDEN MEMORIAL 167 



picture to themselves bare moor, with mere patches of aboriginal 

 scrub timber here and there. He also reminded them of the 

 existence to the present day of the very ancient and extremely 

 interesting chancel arch of Branxton Church, which was 

 centuries older than the battle which had laged so close to it, 

 and concluded by pointing out a few of the main positions 

 of the contending armies. 



Sir George Douglas then delivered the following eloquent 

 and impressive oration, in the course of which he unveiled 

 the inscription : — " We are met to consummate a pious enterprise. 

 Long since upon the spot whereon we stand— this spot now 

 clothed in the deep peace of harvest— there was fought out 

 a bitter conflict to its bitter close. To either of the two 

 contending hosts, that day brought joy and soriow ; for there is 

 sorrow in a dear-bought victory, and in a well-fought losing battle, 

 joy. To us — successors of the combatants from either side of that 

 dim line the Border — the wisdom-breeding years in their slow 

 flight have brought impartiality — impartiality, but not indifference. 

 Rivals of old, our hands to-day join in one common entei'prise— 

 our hearts in one emotion. Around us sleep the brave of 

 either host — their sacred dust till now unhonoured, no ! but 

 unrecorded and unrecognised. With this reproach we seek 

 to do away, and in so seeking strain our eyes to penetrate 

 the past. But how much is impenetrable ! Something of 

 thaumaturgy, much that is psychologically obscure, features 

 and incidents inexplicable — these have involved the tale of 

 Flodden Field in mystery which time shall scarce dispel. For 

 who will undertake to explain, with full assurance, the portent 

 of Plotcock's summons, or to lay bare the working of King 

 James's mind, or to account for the aberration of the chamber- 

 lain, victorious, yet at need found wholly wanting"? Darkness 

 of doom, inscrutability of pagan fate, these things hang over 

 all. But, from the impending and o'erbrooding gloom there 

 still emerge — like stars by night to solace and inspire— courage, 

 devotion, patriotic fire, doomed to extinction in their mortal 

 part, but in their essence and effect undying ! These we 

 salute and these commemorate, wherever they were found, 

 without legard to party or nationality, to victory or defeat, 

 to rank or to the want of it. The brave — the good — are 



