SCOTLAND. 



Malcolm having teen the firft article of the above treaty- 

 performed, diftanded his army, and reigned for fome years 

 in greater Iplendour and glory than any -preceding monarch 

 of Scotland. As old age approached, however, he acquired 

 an exorbitant love for money, a paffion vi'hich led him to 

 commit many afts of oppreflion and injuflice. This conduft 

 excited the hatred of the nobility, and eventually occafioned 

 his aflallination, though authors are not agreed as to the 

 perpetrators of the bloody deed. 



Duncan, the grandfon of Malcolm, by his daughter Bea- 

 trice, fucceeded to the vacant throne. He was a prince of 

 great popularity, vrhich he had juitly acquired ; but while 

 his virtues endeared him to the wife and good, they awakened 

 feelings of enmity in the brealls of the turbulent and fedi- 

 tious. Macdugald, a chieftain of the weit, firft raifed the 

 ftandard of rebellion, and attrafted to it many of the 

 iflanders, and a body of Irifli, who joined him in the hope 

 of plunder. The king difpatched one Malcolm, a thane of 

 high rank, to quell this infurreftion, but he was unfortu- 

 nately defeated and taken prifoner. Alarmed at that event, 

 Malcolm fummoned a council, in which Macbeth, one of his 

 relatives, declared, that if he were made general of an expe- 

 dition, in conjunftion with Bancho, thane of Loch Abyr, 

 they would foon bring the traitors to punifhment. Mac- 

 beth obtained the wifhed-for command, and performed his 

 talk almofl without refidance; for fuch was the terror in- 

 fufed into the rebels by his known charafter for feverity, 

 that on his approach they endeavoured to fave themfelves 

 by flight, but the main body was overtaken, and moft of 

 them put to the fword. 



Thus was Duncan freed from domeftic fedition, but he 

 did no'c long enjoy peace. The Norwegians, under Swein, 

 king of Denmark, foon after landed in Fifelhire, and again 

 aroufed him from his natural inactivity. Having entrufted 

 to Macbeth the charge of levying a new army, he himfelf 

 advanced, with fuch troops as he could coUeft, to oppofe 

 the invaders, whom he met at Culrofs, where a battle 

 enfued, which terminated to the difadvaiitage of the Scots. 

 Duncan retired to the town of Perth, which was imme- 

 diately befieged by the Danes. In the mean time Macbeth 

 advanced with the new levies, upon whofe arrival the king 

 made a fudden attack upon the enemy's camp, while they 

 were totally unprepared, and routed them with fuch flaughter, 

 that only Swein, and a few attendants, were enabled to 

 reach their fiiips. 



But no fooncr was Duncan relieved from this fecond 

 danger, than he was alarmed by the news of the landing 

 of the Danes in Fifefhire. Bancho marched to oppofe 

 their progrefs, and beat them back to their fliips. About 

 the fame time, Macbeth, whofe ambition led him to alpire 

 to the tlirone, was encouraged in his daring views by a 

 dream, in which he imagined that three women, naked, and 

 of uncommon beauty, appeared to him and faluted him, 

 one as thane of Angus, another as thane of Murray, and 

 the third as king of Scotland. Henceforth he determined to 

 accomplifli his purpofe at all ha'/.ards ; and accordingly, hav- 

 ing brought over many of the nobles to his fide, he waylaid 

 and murdered the king at Inverncfs. M.-icbeth then haflened 

 to Scone, where he was inverted with the royal authority. 

 The fons of Duncan, aitonifhcd at thcfe events, fled, one 

 mto Cumberhmd, and the other to the Hebrides. Shak- 

 fpeare has dramatifcd fome of thefe events in his admirable 

 tragedy of " Macbeth." 



The firll aft of Macbeth's reign waa to fupprefs the 

 teuds which fubfiitcd between the thanes of Caithnefs, 

 Rofs, Sutherland, and Nairn. He afterwards defeated 

 and Hew Macgill, lord of Galloway, who refufed to ac- 



5 



knowledge his authority ; and quiet having been thus reftored 

 to the kingdom, he applied his attention to the enaftment of 

 many falutary laws, and to the correftion of abufes in their 

 adminiilratioii. Thus he reigned ten years with fo much juf- 

 tice, that the manner of his obtaining the throne was totally 

 overlooked. At the clofe of that period, however, he began 

 to give way to the natural cruelty of his temper, and to 

 convert his hitherto laudable government into an oppreffive 

 and cruel tyranny. The firft fhock of his inhumanity was 

 vented againft Bancho, whom he invited to a feaft, and 

 caufed to be flain on his return home, giving out that the 

 deed was perpetrated in an accidental fray or tumult. 

 Upon this, moft of the nobles departed to their own caftles, 

 and only a few of them occafionally repaired to court. 

 Hence mutual diflrufl and jealoufy fprung up between 

 them and the king, who upon the flighteil pretences feized 

 their property, and put them to death. The confifcated 

 eff ates he employed to maintain a band of plunderers, whom 

 he kept as a guard about his perion. But even with their 

 protedlion he did not confider himfelf in fafety, and there- 

 fore refolved to ereft a caftle for his refidence on the 

 fummit of Dunfinnan hill. In the accomplifhment of thil 

 work, he ordered all the thanes of the kingdom to alTift ; 

 but Macduff, thane of Fife, fent only workmen on his part: 

 this difobedience exafperated Macbeth fo much, that he 

 fwore vengeance againfl Macdufl, who, fearful of the confe- 

 quences, immediately fled to England, where he found 

 Malcolm, the fon of Duncan, royally treated by king Ed- 

 ward the ConfefTor. After feveral interviews with the 

 Scottifh prince, he encouraged him to affert his rights to 

 the throne of Scotland. Malcolm, afl'ured of Macduff's 

 integrity, hefitated not a moment to adopt his views, and 

 being afTifted by king Edward with 10,000 men, he march- 

 ed direftly into Scotland, where he was joined by all rank* 

 of the people. Macbeth, not daring to hazard a battle, 

 endeavoured to efcape, but was arretted and put to death. 



Malcolm, having thus recovered his father's dominions, 

 was declared king in the year 1057. This prince is faid 

 to have introduced into Scotland the titles of earl, baron, 

 and knight. Macduff, to whofe encouragement and ex- 

 ertions he owed the crown, is mentioned by Buchanan as 

 having been the firft who held the dignity of earl. At the 

 fame time, the privilege of placing the king m the chair of 

 ftate at th-j ceremony of coronation was granted to him and 

 his porterity. 



But though M;ilcolm thus eafily obtained the crown, he 

 was not allowed to enjoy it long in peace. The fadion of 

 Macbeth proclaimed his fon, Luthlac, king, and for three 

 months contended openly for the maintenance of his preten- 

 fions. At length his followers were defeated and himfelf 

 flain in Strathboirie. Malcolm now reigned for feveral 

 years, undilliirbed either by foreign or domeftic enemies. 

 In the interim Edgar Atheling, who with his mother and 

 fillers bad fled from England to avoid the fufpicions of 

 WilHam the Conqueror, was driven by diftrefs of weather 

 into Scotland, where they were courteoufly received by 

 Malcolm, who married Margaret, the fifter of Edgar. 

 The Scottiili prince further protefted all Edgar's banilhed 

 friends, and afTigned them lands for their maintenance. 

 This conduct excited king William to declare war againft 

 Scotland ; but after feveral unluccefsful attempts at in- 

 vafion, he concluded a peace favourable both to Edgar and 

 Malcolm. 



The danger of foreign troubles being removed, feveral 

 of the clans raifed the ftandard of rebellion againft the 

 government, and for a time threatened its fubverfion ; but 

 the valour of MacJutf, 3,nA of Walter, grandfon of Bancho, 



evfHtuallr 



