Book VIII

. _William of Malmesbury_, Lib. IV.

The memory of the _sow_ is preserved in Scotland by two trifling circumstances. The name given to an oblong hay-stack, is a _hay-sow_; and this may give us a good idea of the form of the machine. Children also play at a game with cherry stones, placing a small heap on the ground, which they term a _sowie_, endeavouring to hit it, by throwing single cherry-stones, as the sow was formerly battered from the walls of the besieged fortress. My companions, at the High School of Edinburgh, will remember what was meant by _berrying a sowie_. It is strange to find traces of military antiquities in the occupation of the husbandman, and the sports of children.

[Footnote 94: This sort of bravade seems to have been fashionable in those times: "Et avec drapeaux, et leurs chaperons, ils torchoient les murs à l'endroit, ou les pierres venoient frapper."--_Notice des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque Nationale_.]

The pitch and tar-barrels of Maitland were intended to consume the formidable machines of the English. Thus, at a fabulous siege of York, by Sir William Wallace, the same mode of defence is adopted:

The Englishmen, that cruel were and kene, Keeped their town, and fended there full fast; Faggots of fire among the host they cast, Up _pitch and tar_ on feil _sowis_ they lent; Many were hurt ere they from the walls went; _Stones on Springalds they did cast out so fast, And goads of iron made many grome agast_.

Henry the Minstrel's History of Wallace.--B. 8. c. 5.

A more authentic illustration may be derived from Barbour's Account of the Siege of Berwick, by Edward II., in 1319, when a _sow_ was brought on to the attack by the English, and burned by the combustibles hurled down upon it, through the device of John Crab, a Flemish engineer, in the Scottish service.

And thai, that at the sege lay, Or it was passyt the fyft day, Had made thaim syndry apparall, To gang eft sonys till assaill. Off gret gests a _sow_ thai maid, That stalwart heildyne aboyne it haid; With armyt men inew tharin, And instruments for to myne.

Syndry scaffalds thai maid withall, That war wele heyar than the wall, And ordanyt als that, be the se, The town suld weill assaillyt be.

Thai within, that saw thaim swa, Swa gret apparaill schap to ma, Throw Craby's cunsaill, that wes sley, A crane thai haiff gert dress up hey, Rynnand on quheills, that thai micht bryng It quhar that nede war off helping. And pyk, and ter, als haiff thai tane; And lynt, and herds, and brymstane; And dry treyis that wele wald brin, And mellyt aythir other in: And gret fagalds thairoff thai maid, Gyrdyt with irne bands braid. The fagalds weill mycht mesuryt be, Till a gret towrys quantite. The fagalds bryning in a ball, With thair cran thoucht till awaill; And giff the sow come to the wall, To lat it brynand on her fall; And with stark chenyeis hald it thar, Quhill all war brynt up that thar war.

* * * * *

Upon sic maner gan thai fycht, Quhill it wes ner none off the day, That thai without, on gret aray, Pryssyt thair _sow_ towart the wall; And thai within sune gert call The engynour, that takyn was, And gret manance till hym mais, And swour that he suld dey, bot he Prowyt on the sow sic sutelté That he to fruschyt ilk dele, And he, that hath persawyt wele That the dede wes wele ner hym till, Bot giff he mycht fulfil thair will Thoucht that he at hys mycht wald do.

Bendyt in gret by then wes sche, That till the sow wes ewyn set. In hy he gert draw the cleket; And smertly swappyt owt a stane, Ewyn our the sow the stane is gane, And behind it a litill way It fell: and then they cryt, "Hey!" That war in hyr, "furth to the wall, For dredles it is ours all!"

The gynour than deleuerly Gert bend the gyn in full gret hy; And the stane smertly swappyt out. It flaw out quethyr, and with a rout, And fell rycht ewyn befor the sow. Thair harts than begouth to grow. Bot yhet than, with thair mychts all Thai pressyt the sow towart the wall; And has hyr set tharto gentilly. The gynour than gert bend in hy The gyne, and wappyt owt the stane, That ewyn towart the lyft is gane, And with gret wycht syne duschyt doun, Rycht be the wall in a randoun; And hyt the sow in sic maner, That it that wes the maist sowar, And starkast for to stynt a strak, In sundre with that dusche it brak. The men than owt in full gret hy, And on the wallis thai gan cry, That thair sow wes feryt thar. Jhon Crab, that had hys geer all yar In hys fagalds has set the fyr, And our the wall syne gan thai wyr, And brynt the sow till brands bar.

_The Bruce_,