THE NORSE OCCUPATION. 33 



Olave, untaught by experience, accepted his contrition, 

 and for a short time the brothers lived on terms of affec- 

 tion, apparently real in Olave's case, certainly assumed in 

 the case of Reginald. That crafty ruler soon devised a 

 fresh plan for ridding himself of his incubus. Olave was 

 a mere child in the hands of Reginald, and it was without 

 much difficulty that his consent to marry Lavon (or Lauon, 

 or Joan), sister of Reginald's wife, was obtained. Accord- 

 ing to Sacheverell, the father of the sisters was the lord 

 of Kintyre, from which statement it may be inferred that 

 they were daughters of Somerled, grandson of Somerled 

 the Great. Reginald's wedding present to Olave was a 

 fresh grant of the Island of Lewis, with the empty title 

 of King to glorify his possession. Olave had learned by 

 this time that life in Lewis was preferable to confinement 

 in a prison, and had no desire to re-awaken his brother's 

 resentment. To Lewis, therefore, he repaired with his 

 bride, reserving the accomplishment of whatever larger 

 aspirations he may have entertained until a more con- 

 venient season. 



Soon after his arrival in Lewis, he received a visit from 

 his sister's son, Ranald, Bishop of the Sudreys, who was 

 then engaged on an episcopal supervision of the churches 

 in the Isles.* Olave received his relative in a manner 

 befitting a king, and invited him to a sumptuous banquet 

 which he had prepared. But the Bishop declined his 

 hospitality, on the ground that his marriage was illicit and 

 could not be recognised by the Church. " Art thou not 

 sensible," he asked, "that thou wast formerly wedded to 

 the cousin of the woman who is now thy consort ? " Olave 

 confessed that previous to his marriage with Lavon, he had 

 formed an irregular union with her cousin, but he was now 

 ready to make full submission to the ruling of the Church. 

 Bishop Ranald thereupon promptly annulled his marriage 

 with Lavon. The readiness with which he listened to the 

 representations of the Bishop, arouses the suspicion that 



* While the Bishop was with Olave, the latter exacted a tax from two 

 Icelanders who were driven ashore at Sandera. This suggests that Olave 

 was master of the whole of the Outer Hebrides. 



