Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-11-17
FlODDEN FIELD.
Legends of the Battle and Before the
Battle.

Legends of the Battle and Before the
Battle.
A fact recorded by limbs and
others brings home to US in a start
ling way how few generations occa-
sionally separate the present from
historical occurrences which as rule
we associate with ancient history"
Scarcely more than sixty years ago,
namely, in 1847-and quite possibly
after that date-a man was able to
tell that his father had spoken with
a man who as boy was present on
that memorable 9th Of September,
1913, when was fought the battle Of
"Flodden's fatal field" Admittedly
this was an exceptional case of COM
preston, involving two lives which
reached the almost incredible though
we'll authenticated ages Of hum
dred and sixty nine and hundred
and twenty-seven respectively, but
the story Is none the less fascinating
and suggestive. And the qua.ntness
Of the coincidence suits not inaptly
an event which, more perhaps than
any other occurrence of similar ma
ture, is illuminated by the gleam Of
romance.
James, the protagonist in the
drama, may be considered as in some
respects the last hero of the old
chivalry, with its faults and virtues.
He had cause of quarrel enough with
Henry in the latters fraudulent re-
tention of the portion due to his Sis
ter, Jamess consort, but the imme-
diate and determined cause Of the
Scottish invasion was, it is generally
admitted the romantic appeal Of the
beautiful Anne of Bretagne, queen
of France. France and England
were then at variance and Anne had
sent to James ring and glove, urg-
ing him as her "own knight" toI
march three miles on English ground
for the sake Of her who called him
her defender. It was in vain that
Margaret, his own fair queen, sought
to- dissuade him, plaintively asking
wny ne pfefefreu the queer "Ffaice
to her, the mother Of his children,
whom he had welded in her girlhood.
Nor were other discussions wanting,
seemingly of supernatural kind. A
ghostly concourse was seen moving
around the Market Cross in Edin-
burgh-spectral heralds and pursdi-
wants, "fgues that seemed to rise and
die, gibber and sigh"-and a voice
was heard calling by name king and
princes and knights, summoning
them to appear before the tribunal
of Pluto" within forty days. At Lin
lithgow, when the king was at ves-
yers, a weird, dignihed figure appear
ed clad in strange eastern 'garb, with
a pilgrims staff in his hand and long
yellow hair flowing over his shoul-
uers.
"Sir king" said this solemn ap-
partition, my mother hath sent me
to thee, desiring thee not to pass at
this time where thou art purposed'
Ior if thou dost thou wilt not fare
we'll in thy journey, nor any who pass
with thee. Further, she bade thee
meddle with no women, nor use their
counsel, for if thou dost thou shall
be contounded and put to shame
Then the figure vanished as If, in the
words of the chronicles, he had been
"a blink of the sun or Whit OF the
whirlwind," and an awed whisper ran
through the church that he was none
other than the Apostle St. John, who
had been authorized to style the
Blessed Virgin his mother" And
some said that on the night before
The tatetul fight the same dread tigure
was seen to enter the royal tent
where the doomed monarch was
sleeping. 1t is however, only fair TO
sta,e that historians incline to attrib-
ute both the spectral summons at the
Edinburgh Cross and the sanity pill
grim's visit to pious fraud perpe-
rated by James's queen and statesmen
% deter HIM if possible from an en-
terprise which they r.ghuy consider
ed must end disastrous.y.
The legends Of kloaaen are not
limited to the portents that preced-
ed it. For long tradition averred
that the chivalrous James did no.
IN reality meet his death on the ia
lal field, where shlvered was far
.,cotland's spear and broken was her I,
shield" Some said that he had beer |
seen afterWard in palmer's WeeoS
making the pilgrimage TO Jerusalem. /
which it is said he had vowed: Others
declared that I'm the twilight, when
the fight was nigh ended, tour tall
horsemen came upon the field, hav-
ing each a bunch Of straw on the
point of their spears as a token for
hem to know each other by, and
that these men mounted the king on
a dun hackney and that he was last
seen to cross the Tweed with them
at nighfa.l." and the rumor ran
hat he was muruered at Home cas-
tie. One fact and one alone seems
to give a shadow Of reason tor these
uouuts. James was known to wear
a belt of iron next his body, in peni-
tential memory of his fathers death,
and on the corpse which was founu
by Lord Dacre after the battle and
recognized as the kings there was
no such belt. Eut the body was fully
identified by many who were
we'll acquainted with the hapiess
monarch, and historic statements
seem to place his death on tlodden
Field beyond the possibility of ques-
ton. 1t was covered with wounds,
as "beseemed the monarch slain
among his lords and knights fighting
TO the last and falling face to face TO
the foe. And none can say where
now lies the dust Of this king so well
beloved. But in the Herald's college
may still be seen the turquoise ring
which tradition affirms is the very
ring sent him by the queen of France
and as which beseemed the chivalrous
knight he was, he wore when he met
his death fighting her foes and his