Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 At length when the ryuer was fallen & come to his olde courſe againe,Conſtantine proceeded a|gaynſt his eni|mies. ſo that it might eaſily be paſſed, Conſtantine in order of battaile got o|uer with his people, to the other ſyde where the Danes were lodged, who hauing more minde to ſet themſelues in ſuch order whereby they might gain the victory, than to deuiſe for the deuiding of the ſpoile, perceyuing occaſion now offred to giue y^e onſet, forthwith arayed their people in this ſort.The order and placing of the Danes armie. Hubba had the right wing. Buerne had the left wing. Hubba with ſixe thouſande Danes, was placed in the right wing. The left was led by one Bu|erne an Engliſhe man borne, who was fled out of his countrey, for that he coulde not beare ſuche iniuries as Oſbert offred him in forcing his wife, to the great reproch and diſhonor of his houſe and name. He had with him in this left wing cer|taine bandes of Engliſhmen with thoſe Pictes that had eſcaped ouer into Denmarke, as before is mencioned.Hungar kept the battaile. Hungar with all the reſidue of the armie, kept the battaile or myddlewarde, exhor|ting his men to ſhew their force & manhoode that day, ſith the ſame ſhould eyther put thẽ in poſſeſ|ſion of the whole land of Albion, with all the ſub|ſtance & riches conteyned therein, either elſe bring thẽ perpetuall ſeruitude with ignominie amongſt their moſt cruell & fierce aduerſaries. He therefore himſelf openly in preſence of them al,Hungar made a vowe. vowed with ſolemne othe, either to returne with victorie to his campe, eyther elſe to die in the place, willing them EEBO page image 190 all to make the like couenant. Whereupon the vniuerſall multitude allowed him ſo muche for this his motion,The ſouldiers did make the like vowe. that there was not one amongſt the whole number, which agreed not to ſweare the like othe.King Conſtan|tine placed his men in like maner. Conſtantine keeping in maner the like order, placed in the right wing his brother Ethus, in the left Duncane the Lieutenant or Thane of Athole, appoyning to eyther of them ten thouſande men a peece.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 3 An incourage|ment giuen to his ſouldiers.All the reſidue were ſet in the battaile where he himſelfe ſtoode. And firſt he gaue them all hartie thankes in that they had ſo valiantly atchieued the victorie in the laſt battaile, requyring them now not to blemiſh their former glorie with any fayntneſſe of courage, recreant cowardice, or diſ|honourable flight: and further he willed them in no wiſe to be afearde of their enimies, in reſpect more for their hugeneſſe of bodie, than for any of theyr valiant ſtoutneſſe of heart: for if they aſſay|led them with one whole and entire conſent, ac|cording to their wonted forwardneſſe and man|like prowes, they ſhoulde quickely put them to flight, and obtaine a ioyfull victorie. Herewith he alſo warned them not to runne raſhly vpon the enimies, but to ſuffer thẽ firſt to giue the charge, for by that meanes he thought the Danes would with their earneſt violence diſorder themſelues, and ſo ſhoulde it bee more eaſie for the Scottes to breake in amongſt them. But this deuiſe did not a little abate the Scottiſh mens corages. For the vſe of the Scots is, when they ſhal enter into battail, to make a great ſhoute & noyſe, and there|with to run vpon their enimies, by which meanes (as they ſuppoſe) they both put the enimy in feare, and incorage thẽſelues to the battail.The Danes ap|proch towards the Scottes. The Danes at the ſound of the trũpet marched forth towards the Scots, where they ſtoode thus in order of bat|tail, but whẽ they perceiued that the Scots came not forwarde, they alſo ſtayed in the midway to refreſhe themſelues, bycauſe at the ioyning they ſhuld not be out of breath. Anon after,The Danes ſhot quarels and threw dartes. paſſing for|warde an eaſie pace they ſhot quarrels, and threw dartes at their enimies right freſhly, & the Scots let flie at them againe with arrowes and darts as thicke as it had beene a ſtorme of haile.The Scottes arrowes and darts as thicke as haile. After this they ruſhed togither with great violence on both [figure appears here on page 190] ſides: but within a while, the Danes had put both the wings of their enimies to flight, and af|ter compaſſing the maine battaile rounde about,The Scottes are put to flight. they conſtraine the ſame in the ende with greate bloudſhed and ſlaughter to giue back and flee out of the field. Ten thouſande Scottes dyed that day in this infortunate battaile with Conſtan|tine himſelfe,Conſtantine is taken and murthered. who being firſt taken was had in|to a Caue by the Sea ſyde amongſt the Rockes, and there cruelly murthered by the enimies. The place was called certaine yeares after the blacke Denne:The blacke den or coue. but nowe they name it the Diuils den, in memorie of that heynous murther there com|mitted. The Scottiſhe Nation alſo had beene vtterly as then deſtroyed,Ethus brother vnto Conſtan|tine was ſaued by flight. had not Ethus the bro|ther of Conſtantine, perceyuing howe the fielde was loſt, eſcaped away with two companies of his beſt men of warre, ſo reſeruing himſelfe to the time of more luckie fortune.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 [figure appears here on page 190] THe people lykewyſe doubting for want of a go|uernor to be y^e ſooner ouercom by their eni|mies,Ethus. ledde the ſayd Ethus vn+to Sc [...]ne wher they crowned him king, in the yeare after the byrth of our Sa|uiour 874. and the .xiij.874 after Conſtantine began to rule the eſtate of the realme. The ſame yeare were many wonders and vnketh ſightes ſeene EEBO page image 191 within the Scottiſh dominions. In the mouth of the Forth,Fiſhes like vn|to men in ſhape. otherwiſe called the Scottiſhe ſea, there appeared fiſhes in great number, like vnto men in ſhape, ſwimming vp and downe in the ſtreame with halfe their bodies aboue the water, and hauing a blacke ſkinne, which couered theyr heades and neckes, from the ſhoulders vpwardes like an hoode.Baſsinates. Theſe are called Baſſinates, and vſe to goe in great companies togither, as though they were ſkulles of Herrings, ſignifying when they are ſeene, ſome great miſfortune vnto [...] Countrey, as the common people haue long [...] an opinion. Alſo the Loches, Riuers, and al ma|ner of other waters were frozen from the begyn|ning of Nouember,A long winter. till the latter ende of April, and when the froſt brake, and the ſnowes melted, there was ſuch a flood flowing ouer al the plaines euen to the rootes of the Mountaynes, as the like had not bene ſeene. Furthermore when the ſame ſhrunke and went away,Frogges in the mud and ſlime in the mud and ſlime there was ſuche a number of Frogges left, that when they were dead, & began to putrifie, the ayre was ſo infected, y^e many deadly diſeaſes enſued wherof great nũbers of the inhabitants did periſh.