THE FIFE ADVENTURERS. 217 



Lewis was not permanently forgotten by the monarch 

 whom the islanders, on his own showing, had made the 

 laughing-stock of England. In July, 1605, an Act for 

 pacifying the " rebels " in Lewis was noted in the Minute 

 Book of Processes. On the i8th of that month, a fresh 

 Commission was appointed. The conventional tirade 

 against the natives is again in evidence, the "beastlie 

 crueltie " of the rebellious " theives and lymmers " being 

 held up to reprobation. The Lewismen are declared to be 

 the avowed enemies of traffic and of the profitable trade of 

 fishing, whereby the lieges might be greatly benefited. It 

 was not in accordance with the King's honour that such a 

 state of matters should be allowed to continue. 



James (now Sir James) Spens of Wormiston, Sir George 

 Hay of Netherliff, and Sir Thomas Ker of Hirth, were 

 therefore appointed to act for a year as the King's Justices 

 and Commissioners in Lewis, with full power to convocate 

 the lieges in arms, to seize and search any persons in 

 the island whom they might suspect of crime, and to detain 

 them pending trial. Courts of Justice were to be con- 

 stituted in convenient places. Power was given to pursue 

 fugitives from the law who might take refuge in " strenths 

 and housses," and to seize them by force, not sparing the 

 use of fire or any " warlyke ingyne " in reducing the 

 " strenths " ; and from all consequences of violent measures 

 used in apprehending the fugitives, full exoneration was 

 given. 



In addition to Lewis, the adjacent islands of the Outer 

 Hebrides and Skye were now directly threatened. Macleod 

 of Harris, Donald Gorm of Sleat, Macneill of Barra, and 

 Mackinnon of Strathswordale were specially charged to 

 deliver up their castles to those appointed to receive them, 

 as pledges for the obedience of their people. That this 

 order was intended to embrace the whole of the castles in 

 the North Isles, is clear from the context. Among others, 

 the " havers, keipers, and deteiners of the castell, tour, and 

 fortalice of Sternoway " were charged as above. The per- 

 emptory nature of the order is shown by the fact, that the 



