The Scalacronica. 81 



the influence of his wife, whom he is said to have loved as 

 paramour. The King said that he had a right to bestow this 

 earldom, through a forfeiture which Duncan Earl of Fife is said 

 to have made in the time of his father King Robert de Bruys, on 

 account of the death of an esquire named Michael Betoun, whom 

 he had killed in wrath when hawking. King David therefore 

 asserted that the said Earl, in order to obtain the King's pardon 

 for the crime, had arranged by indenture that the reversion of the 

 earldom should go to his father the King, in case he should die 

 without an heir male ; which he did. But the said Earl had a 

 •daughter by his wife, the Countess of Gloucester, daughter of the 

 King of England. This daughter was in England and was to be 

 married to Robert the Steward of Scotland ; but she took for her 

 husband from love William de Feltoun, a knight of Northumber- 

 land, who had her in ward at the time. She claimed the earldom 

 by right. King David was set free on St Michael's day (1356) 

 for a ransom of 100,000 marks of silver, and his hostages came 

 to Berewyk. The hostages were the Earl of Sotherland, and the 

 said Earl's son, who was the son of King David's sister, Thomas 

 the Steward, who was called Earl of Angus by the Scots, Thomas 

 de Murref , Lord of Botheville, with twenty others who were sons 

 of the Lords of Scotland. The Queen of Scotland, who was a 

 sister of King Edward of England, came the same season to 

 Windsor to confer wit'i her brother and to discuss an important 

 negotiation. She also visited her mother Queen Isabella, who 

 died at Hertford the same season, and whom she had not seen 

 for 30 years. In the year of grace 1360 about St. John's day 

 (24 June) Katherine de Mortymer, a young lady of London, was 

 so much beloved by Monsire David de Bruys, who was called 

 King of the Scots, through acquaintance which he had formed 

 with her while he was a prisoner that he could not dispense with 

 her company in the absence of his wife, the King of England's 

 sister, who at the time dwelt with her said brother. He rode 

 about with her every day, which greatly displeased some of the 

 Lords of Scotland. A Scotch varlet named Richard of Hulle at 

 the instigation of some of the great men of Scotland feigned to 

 speak with the said Katherine on business relating to the King. 

 As they were riding from Melrose to Soltre he struck her through 

 the body dead with a knife. She fell from 'her horse to the 

 ground, but Richard being well mounted escaped. The deed 



