[1] ABoue Niddeſdale is Galloway (named ſome|time Brigantia) the people whereof were in times paſt called Brigantes: this region is deuided by the water of Cree into two partes, whereof that which lieth neareſt to Niddeſdale, is called nether Galloway, & the other that is aboue the Cree is na|med vpper Galloway. In nether Galloway is Kirkcowbry, a rich towne & of a good trade in mer|chaundize, and in vpper Galloway is Whitherne in Latine Candida caſa, an Abbay dedicated to S. Ninian the Biſhop, & there lieth his carcaſe, which is honored of the people with great ſuperſtition and errour. Aboue Whitherne is Wigton towne, & not far from thence is the great lake of Myrton, the one half whereof doth freze by naturall congelation as other pooles and plaſhes do, but the other is neuer ſeene to beare any Ice at all, whiche vnto me doth ſeeme to be great wonder. In Galloway moreouer are two other lakes, the Sal [...]et and the Neutra|men, of equall length and breadth with the Loch|myrton: As for Galloway it ſelfe, it yeeldeth out a great point promontory or cape (which the Scots call a Mule or Nuke) into the Iriſh ſea. The com|mon ſorte name it the Mules Nuke, & by the roun|ding of it ſelfe, it maketh two great lakes, named Rean and Lowis, except I be deceyued, one of theſe lakes or pooles is xxx. and the other xvj. myles of length, & both full of Oyſters, Herring, Congers, Cockles, and other like kindes of fiſhe.
[1] Some are of the opinion that Brigantia was the ſame region of Britain yt is now called Wales, wherein the Brytons inhabited many yeares after their expulſion out of Brytaine. But this opiniõ is falſe, ſith the Romaynes write how that Man the Iland lieth ouer againſt Brigantium and midde|way betwene the ſame and Ireland: for albeit that the brayes or bayes are now worne wider and far|der diſtant ech from other by the waſhing and wor|king of the ſea, yet the ſame latitude and eleuation of the pole that Ptolomy aſcribed to the Brygantes, agreeth well to the height of the pole ouer Gallo|way, which is very farre from Wales, ſithence the Ile of Man lieth alſo 300. miles from thence, and in the ſight of Galloway. In like ſort by the teſtimo|ny of ſundry Authors both Iriſh and Spaniſh, we affirme that out of Brigantium, a citie of Spaine, (now named Compoſtella) there came a new com|pany of people into Ireland called Spaniardes, & out of Irelãd another crew of theſame nation with king Fergus into Albion, and in remembraunce of the citie Brigance, wherein they inhabited whileſt they were in Spayne, they called themſelues Bry|gantes. To this opinion in like ſort Cornelius Ta|citus doth ſeeme to leane, who ſaith, that the Bry|gantes deſcended from the Spaniardes, whiche in his time dwelled in the vttermoſt partes of Bry|taine, including vnder ye name the whole Iland of Albion. Theſe regions afore reherſed, that is to ſay, Annandale, Niddeſdale and Galloway, beſide fine wolles and ſtore of cattell, doth alſo abounde with all kindes of grayne, wheate onely excepted.
[1] Aboue Galloway is Carrike, ſometime a por|tion of the region of the Silures, of whoſe name it is not yet certainely knowne, whether it was deri|ued from the famous citie Carricke, whoſe ruines do yet remaine, or not. Silury is diuided into three [page 4] parts, videlicet Carrick, Kyle & Cunningham: In the firſt as I ſayd, was Carrick the noble citie: and in this countrey are many ſtrong Caſtels, bothe by naturall ſituation and pollicy of mã: herein alſo are fayre kine, and oxen whoſe fleſh is delicate, and ve|ry tender to be eaten, the tallow moreouer of theyr wombes is ſo moyſt & ſappy that it neuer waxeth harde, but relenteth of the owne accorde, and becõ|meth like vnto oyle. Beyond Carrick is Kyle, ſo called of Coile King of Brytaine, ſomtime ſlaine in the ſayd region,Reade in the Latin Hector, 12 foote highe 30. foote in length, & thre elles thicke. and therein is a ſtone, not much aboue xij. miles from the towne of Air, ful xxx. foote high, & three elles of breadth, called the deafe ſtone, not without cauſe: for when a man is on the one ſide thereof, he ſhal not heare what is ſayde or done on the other, though there be neuer ſo great noyſe made, no not if a Canon ſhould be diſcharged of ſet purpoſe, which to me doth ſeeme impoſſible, neuer|theleſſe the farder a man ſtandeth from the ſame, the better ſhall he heare what ſoeuer the noyſe be. Next vnto Kyle is Cunninghã the third part of Silurie, whoſe inhabitãts in time paſt were moſt noyſome to ye Romaines. In Kyle is a poole named Doune, from whence the riuer Doune, doth runne thorow the middeſt of that region into the Iriſhe ſea. In Cunningham likewiſe is a lake called Garnoth, equall in quantitie vnto the Doune, and no leſſe fa|mous for the abundance of fiſh that is dayly found therein: and not farre from the ſame is the towne called Largis, where Alexander the thirde King of Scotland of that name, ſometime ouercame the Danes and Norwegians, whereby it grewe to be famous, and of more reputation among vs.