The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts

Previous | Next

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 HEre Gathelus being intituled by the name of a king, deuised and ordeined lawes for his peo|ple Gathelus. to liue by, that the citie might not onelie be fen|sed with strong walles, but also with good and hol|some He maketh lawes and or|dinances. statutes and ordinances, the chiefest fortificati|ons that may be for all cities and countries. And bi|cause he would not onelie haue his said people to liue vnder one law, but also to be knowne and cal|led by one name, he gaue commandement that they should be all called Scotishmen (as before is said) of his wife Scota. In continuance of time, this na|tion grew to a woonderfull multitude, so that the Spaniards doubting the woorst, determined to fore|sée remedie in time, and herevpon purposing vtter|lie The Spani|ards fight with the Scots in|fortunatlie. to destroie them, got them againe to armour, and with their whole puissance comming vpon the Sco|tishmen, gaue them a sore battell, though in the end they were put to flight, the victorie remaining with the Scotishmen, albeit not without great bloud|shed on either part, as the Scotish historie saieth. At length a necessarie peace was agréed vpon be|twixt both parties, the conditions whereof were these: that aswell Scotishmen as Spaniards should liue after their owne lawes, and neither of them to A peace con|cluded. inuade other.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Gathelus hauing peace thus with his neighbors, sat vpon his marble stone in Brigantia, where he gaue lawes, and ministred iustice vnto his people, thereby to mainteine them in wealth and quietnesse. Gathelus mi|nistred iustice. A description of the seat. This stone was in fashion like a seat or chaire, ha|uing such a fatall destinie, as the Scots say, follow|ing it, that wheresoeuer it should be found, there should the Scotishmen reigne and haue the supreme gouernance. Hereof it came to passe, that first in Spaine, after in Ireland, and then in Scotland, the kings which ruled ouer the Scotishmen, receiued the crowne sitting vpon that stone, vntill the time of Robert the first king of Scotland. The inscription al|so of the stone, though ingrauen long time after, as should appeare, was this:

Nifallat fatum, Scoti quocún locatum
Inuenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Which may be thus translated:

Except old sawes doo faile, and wisards wits be blind,
The Scots in place must reigne, where they this stone shall find.

Previous | Next

Compare 1587 edition: 1 A peace con|cluded.At length a neceſſarie peace was agreed vp|on betwixt both parties, the conditions whereof were theſe: that aſwell Scottiſh men as Spa|niards ſhould liue after their owne lawes, and neither of them to inuade other.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 Gathelus mi|niſtred iuſtice.Gathelus hauing peace thus with his neigh|bors, ſate vpon his Marble ſtone in Brigantia, where he gaue lawes, and miniſtred iuſtice vn|to his people, thereby to mainteyne them in wealth and quietneſſe.

[figure appears here on page 3]