1.4. The ſituation of Renfrew, Cliddiſdall, Lennox, Lowmund, Argile, Louchquhaber, Lorne, and Kentyre, with all the notable things contay|ned in the ſame. Chap. 4.

The ſituation of Renfrew, Cliddiſdall, Lennox, Lowmund, Argile, Louchquhaber, Lorne, and Kentyre, with all the notable things contay|ned in the ſame. Chap. 4.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 THe water of Clide, deuideth Lennox on the Northſide from the Barrony of Renfrew, & it riſeth out of the ſame hill in Calidon wood, from whence the Annand falleth, and goeth with a long courſe into the Iriſh ſea: ſome cal this riuer Gluda, & Cluda, but Tacitus nameth it Glota. Not far alſo from the fountaines of Clide, ariſeth the water of Forth, that runneth on the contrary ſide into the Germaine Ocean. In like ſorte after the water of Clude hath run for a ſeaſon towarde the North, it gathereth ſomwhat inward til it come to the moũ|taine of Granzeben, & from thence holdeth on with a ſwift courſe, til it fall as I ſayd into y^e Iriſh ſeas. The coũtrey where it rũneth is named Clideſdale. Betwixt Clide & Lennox lieth y^e Barony of Ren|frew, wherin are two pooles named Quhinſouth & Leboth, of which the firſt is xij. miles in compaſſe, the other xx. and both very riche & plentifull of fiſh. But in Lennox that lieth next aboue Renfrew to|ward the Ocean (called by Ptolomy Lelgouia is a great mere or lake that hight Lochmond, of [...]. miles in length, & [...]ight in breadth, and within the Lhin or poole, are [...]0. Ilandes wel repleniſhed with Churches & dwelling houſes, & in the ſame alſo [...]re three things worthy conſideration, whereof the firſt is, that the pleaſant & very delicate fiſhe there bredde doth want finnes. The ſecõd is, that the water will often ſwell with huge waues though no winde be ſturring, and that in ſuch wiſe that the beſt Mari|ners in the countrey dare not aduenture to ſayle thereon. There is alſo a very fruiteful and commo|dious Ile therein, very neceſſary for the paſturage of cattel, whiche fleet [...]th hither and thither as the winde bloweth. This lake is ſituate at the foote of the hill called Granzeben, whiche were ſometime the marches or limites betwixt the Scots & Pictes, & are extended frõ Lochlowmund to the mouth of Dee. Certes the Pictes had no parte of the country beyond the Granzeben, nor toward the Iriſh ſeas, for this region was inhabited by the Scots. Eight miles frõ Lochlowmund is the caſtel of Dumbrit|taine named ſometime Alcluid, and here the water of Leuen falleth into the Clide.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 3 Beyond Lochlowmũd is Argile, an hilly coũtry and full of [...]ragges and mountaines, therin alſo are two lakes Lochfine and Lochquho, that diuide the region into three partes, that in the middeſt beyng called Knapdale. In Lochfine likewiſe is more plenty of herring than in any parte of the coaſt that compaſſeth the Iland, but in Lochquho are ſuche kindes of fiſhe to be vſually had as are commonly bredde in freſh waters. There are moreouer in Ar|gile two caſtels Glenunquhart and Encouell, and in it are 12. Iles, whoſe chiefe commoditie reſteth rather in paſturage for cattell, than aboundance of grayne. In Argile furthermore are many ritche mynes full of mettall, but the people there haue no ſkill to find and trie out the ſame. The conſtant re|port alſo goeth there, how there is a ſtone of ſuche nature, that if it be hiddẽ in ſtraw for a certaine ſea|ſon, it will kindle of it ſelfe & conſume the ſtraw to aſhes. There are ſeuen other lakes in Argile, wher|of ſome are thirty miles in length and breadth, and other leſſe. It was told me once by Doncan Camp|bell a noble Knight, that out of Garloll one of the pooles of Argile, there came a terrible beaſt in the yeare of grace, 1510. which was of the bigneſſe of a Greyhound, and footed like a gander, and iſſuing out of the water early in the mornyng about Mid|ſomer time, did very eaſily and without any viſible force or ſtreyning of himſelfe ouerthrow huge okes with his tayle, and therevnto killed three men out right that hunted him with three ſtrokes of his ſayd tayle, the reſte of them ſauing themſelues in trees there aboutes, whyleſt the aforeſayde Monſter re|turned to the water. Thoſe that are giuen to the obſeruations of rare and vncouth ſightes, beleeue EEBO page image 5 that this beaſt is neuer ſeene but agaynſt [...] great trouble & miſchief to come vpõ the realme of Scotland. For it hath ben diſcried alſo bef [...] that time, although not very often. Lorne ab [...]t|teth vpon Argile, which was once a part of Ar|gile, and reacheth out into the Iriſhe ſea, in ma|ner of a cape or toũg, full 60. miles. This poynt alſo was called Nouantia, but now it is named Kyntyre, that is to ſay, the head of Lorne, whoſe vttermoſt part is not full 26. miles frõ Ireland. Some Authors affirme, that both Argile and Cantyre, were called Nouantia in old time, ſith Ptolomy maketh no mention of Argile in his Coſmography. In this Lorne is great abun|dance of Barley whiche the Scottes call Beir. Beyond Lorne is Lochquhaber, heretofore a portion of Murrayland, very riche in mines of Iron & Lead, & no leſſe beneficial to the country in all kindes of cattel. There are likewiſe many woodes, many lakes, & many riuers, but two of them are moſle notable for the plenty of Sal|mons, & other delicate fiſhe, aſwell of the ſalt as freſh water, which is there taken & almoſt with|out any trauaile: neyther is there any where els in all the Ile ſuch ſtore. The one of theſe is na|med Lochty, and the other Spanȝe, but vpon what occaſiõ theſe names were giuen vnto thẽ I finde as yet no certainty. The Lochty riſeth not aboue eight miles from Lochnes, & falleth beneath the ſame into the Germaine Ocean, & beſide it, there is a rocky cragge, running out at length into the ſea, named Hardnomorth. In y^e mouth of Lochty likewiſe was ſomtime a riche towne named Inuerlochty, whether the mar|chaunts of Fraunce and Spaine did make their dayly reſort, till at the laſt it was ſo defaced by the warres of the Danes, that it neuer was able ſithence the ſayde time to recouer hir priſtinate renowne. But whether the negligẽce of the due repayre of this towne, procedeth of the ſlouth of our people, or hatred that ſome enuious perſons do beare to cities & walled townes in our coun|trey, as yet it is vncertayne. Beyond Lochty is the caſtell of Dunſta [...]age, in time paſt named Euonium: beyõd Dunſtafage alſo is the mouth of the water of Spanȝe, where it falleth as I heare into the Germaine Ocean.