Volume 1

Domestic annals of Scotland : from the reformation to the revolution / by Robert Chambers.

  • Robert Chambers
Date:
1858-1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Domestic annals of Scotland : from the reformation to the revolution / by Robert Chambers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    1570. Jdly 4. G1 DOMESTIC ANNALS OF SCOTLAND. ' at 10 hours at night, there was ane earthquake in the city of Glasgow, and lastit but ane short space; but it causit the inhabitants of the said city to be in great terror and fear.’—D. O. ‘ In this time there was ane monstrous fish seen in Loch Fyne, having great een in the head thereof, and at some times wald stand aboon the water as high as the mast of a ship; and the said [creature] had upon the head thereof [twa crowns, ane] aboon little, and the downmaist crown meikle; whilk was reportit by wise men, that the same was ane sign and taiken of ane sudden alteration within this realm.’—D. 0. The low intelligence of the age is seen in nothing more con- spicuously than in the numerous talcs of animals alleged to have been seen, with peculiarities impossible in nature, and believed to be ominous of public calamity. The appearance of a similar animal in another of the Argyleshire lochs in 1510 is noted by Hector Bocce, on the information of Duncan Campbell, a noble knight. This ‘ terrible beast ’ was ‘ of the bigness of a greyhound, and footed like a gander. Issuing out of the water early in the morning about midsummer,’ he ‘ did very easily and without any force or straining of himself overthrow huge oaks with his tail, and therewith killed outright three men that hunted him with three strokes of his said tail, the rest of them saving themselves in trees thereabouts, whilst the aforesaid monster returned to the water. Those that are given to the observation of rare and uncouth sights, believe that this beast is never seen but against some great trouble and mischief to come upon the realm of Scotland.’ ’ In Ilolinshed’s Chronicle (1577), the Firth of Forth is said occasionally to contain ' sundry fishes of a monstrous shape, with cowls hanging over their heads like unto monks, and in the rest resembling the body of man. They shew themselves above the water to the navel, howbeit they never appear but against some great pestilence of men or murrain of cattle; wherefore their only sight doth breed great terror to the Scottish nation, who are very great observers of uncouth signs and tokens.’ On the whole, it is most likely that some species of the cetacea or phocidee was concerned in giving rise to these tales of sea- monsters. Sir William Sinclair of Roslin, who was living at this time, thus ’ HoiTison’s translation, apxid Holinshed,
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