. The baronial and ecclesiastical antiquities of Scotland. ANKlNi; TOWKRS ANTIQUITIES OF SCOTLAND 6i to surrender. But it was always furnished for its defence whenever it wasrequired, with men, engines, and provisions. Its shape was like that of a shield,for it had only three sides all round, with a tower on each angle ; but one of themwas a double one, so high, so long, and so large, that under it was the gate, witha drawbridge, well made and strong, and a sufficiency of other defences. It hadgood walls and good ditches, filled to the edge with water ; and I believe therenever was seen a cast
. The baronial and ecclesiastical antiquities of Scotland. ANKlNi; TOWKRS ANTIQUITIES OF SCOTLAND 6i to surrender. But it was always furnished for its defence whenever it wasrequired, with men, engines, and provisions. Its shape was like that of a shield,for it had only three sides all round, with a tower on each angle ; but one of themwas a double one, so high, so long, and so large, that under it was the gate, witha drawbridge, well made and strong, and a sufficiency of other defences. It hadgood walls and good ditches, filled to the edge with water ; and I believe therenever was seen a castle so beautifully situated, for at once could be seen the IrishSea towards the west, and to the north a fine country surrounded by an arm ofthe sea, so that no creature born could approach it on two sides without puttinghimself in danger of the sea.* We have a systematic and minute description of all the operations of the siege,which shows that, if the science of heraldry was then at maturity, that of reducing ?? Translation by Sir H. Nicolas, p. 62 THE BARONIAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL fortified places was truly in its infancy. Perhaps the worthy chronicler littledreamed that to a distant posterity these wonderful operations would appear like atheatrical pageant, or some rough schoolboy game. Before the siege began might be seen houses built without carpenters or masons, of many differentfashions, and many a cord stretched, with white and coloured cloth, with manypins driven into the ground, many a large tree cut down to make huts. On thefirst attack the besieged seem to have done some execution, whereon when themen-at-arms saw that the footmen had sustained such losses who had begun theattack, many ran there, many leaped there, and many used such haste to go, thatthey did not deign to speak to any one. Then might there be seen such kind ofstones thrown as if they would beat hats* and helmets to powder, and break shields andtargets in pieces ; for to kill and wound was the game
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