stretched in heaps around them." Besides King James, there fell at
Flodden the Archbishop of St. Andrew's, thirteen earls, two bishops, two
abbots, fifteen lords and chiefs of clans, and five peers' eldest sons,
besides La Motte the French ambassador, and the secretary of the King.
The same historian adds--"The names of the gentry who fell are too
numerous for recapitulation, since there were few families of note in
Scotland which did not lose one relative or another, whilst some houses
had to weep the death of all. It is from this cause that the sensations
of sorrow and national lamentation occasioned by the defeat were
peculiarly poignant and lasting--so that to this day few Scotsmen can
hear the name of Flodden without a shudder of gloomy regret."

The loss to Edinburgh on this occasion was peculiarly great. All the
magistrates and able-bodied citizens had followed their King to Flodden,
whence very few of them returned. The office of Provost or chief
magistrate of the capital was at that time an object of ambition, and
was conferred only upon persons of high rank and station. There seems to
be some uncertainty whether the holder of this dignity at the time of
the battle of Flodden was Sir Alexander Lauder, ancestor of the
Fountainhall family, who was elected in 1511, or that great historical
personage, Archibald Earl of Angus, better known as Archibald
Bell-the-Cat, who was chosen in 1513, the year of the battle. Both of
them were at Flodden. The name of Sir Alexander Lauder appears upon the
list of the slain; Angus was one of the survivors, but his son, George,
Master of Angus, fell fighting gallantly by the side of King James. The
city records of Edinburgh, which commence about this period, are not
clear upon the point, and I am rather inclined to think that the Earl of
Angus was elected to supply the place of Lauder. But although the actual
magistrates were absent, they had formally nominated deputies in their
stead. I find, on referring to the city records, that "George of Tours"