Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, CompleteHolinshed, Raphael
History
Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, Complete
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
and no lesse plentie of sheepe, which they doo not sheere, but plucke
euerie yeere; yet is the ground of this part verie heathie, and full
of mosse, and the face thereof verie swart and blacke, for the space
of a foot in depth, through the corruption of such woods as in time
past haue rotted on the same. And therefore in time of the yeere they
conuert it into turffe to burne, as néede shall serue; and in the
yéere after, hauing well doonged it in the meane time with slawke of
the sea, they sowe barleie in the selfe places where the turffes grew,
and reape verie good corne, wherewith they liue and féed. Such plentie
[Sidenote: Tithe whales.]
of whales also are taken in this coast, that the verie tithe hath
béene knowne, in some one yéere, to amount vnto seauen and twentie
whales of one greatnesse and other. This is notable also in this part
of the Ile, that there is a great caue two yards déepe of water when
the sea is gone, and not aboue foure when it is at the highest; ouer
which great numbers doo sit of both sexes and ages, with hooks and
lines, and catch at all times an infinite deale of fish, wherewith
they liue, and which maketh them also the more idle.
Being past this about sixtie miles, we come vnto the Rona, or Ron,
which some take for the last of the Hebrides, distant (as I said)
about fortie miles from the Orchades, and one hundreth and thirtie
from the promontorie of Dungisbe. The inhabitants of this Ile are
verie rude and irreligious, the lord also of the soile dooth limit
their number of housholds, & hauing assigned vnto them what numbers of
the greater and smaller sorts of cattell they shall spend and inioie
for their owne prouision, they send the ouerplus yéerlie vnto him to
Lewis. Their cheefe paiments consist of a great quantitie of meale,
which is verie plentifull among them, sowed vp in shéepes skins. Also
of mutton and sea foule dried, that resteth ouer and aboue, which they
themselues do spend. And if it happen that there be more people in the
Iland than the lords booke or rate dooth come vnto, then they send
also the ouerplus of them in like maner vnto him: by which means they
liue alwaies in plentie. They receiue no vices from strange countries,
neither know or heare of anie things doone else-where than in their
owne Iland. Manie whales are taken also vpon their coasts, which are
likewise replenished with seale, and porpasse, and those which are
either so tame, or so fierce, that they abash not at the sight of such
as looke vpon them, neither make they anie hast to flie out of their
presence.
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