The history of Scotland written in Latin by George Buchanan ; faithfully rendered into English.

David II. The Ninety Eighth King.

THE Coronation of the King was deferred till the * 1.1 Eighth of the Calends of December, the next Year following; that so, by the Permission of the Pope, he might be Anointed, and that new Ce∣remony be performed more Augustly, amongst the Scots. Assoon as the Regent was chosen, he first of all ratified the Peace, made with the English; afterward, he applied his Mind to settle quiet at home, and to suppress publick Robberies. In order whereto, he kept a strong Guard of Armed Men about him, which were ready on all Occasions; so that when News was brought him, as he was going to * 1.2 Wigton, (which is a Town in Galway) that there was a strong Band of Thieves, who beset the Highways, and robbed Travellers in that Country; he sent out his Guard against them, even as he was in his Progress, who took them every Man; whom he caused to be put to Death. He was Inexorable against all Murderers, so that he caused a certain Man to be apprehended, who had obtained the Popes Bull of Pardon for his Offence,* 1.3 and thereupon thought himself secure, to be appre∣hended, alledging, That the Pope might Pardon the Soul-Guilt, but the Body-Punishment belonged to the King.

To prevent Robberies, which were yet too frequently committed, by reason of the remaining Contagion of the Wars, he made a Law, That the Country Men should leave their Iron Tools, and Plough-Gear, in the Field,* 1.4 all Night, and that they should not shut their Houses, nor Stalls. If any thing were stollen, the Loss was to be repaired by the She∣riff of the County; and the Sheriff was to be reimbursed by the King; and the King was to be satisfied out of the Estates of the Thieves, when they were taken. There was one Country Man, either over-greedy of Gain; or else, judging that Caution to be Vain and Frivolous, who hid his Plough Iron in the Field, and came to the Sheriff to demand Satisfaction, as if it had been stollen; the Sheriff paid him presently, but inquiring further into the Matter,* 1.5 and finding, that he was the Author of the Theft, himself; he caused him to be Hanged, and his ••oods to be Confiscate: He restrained the loose Pack of Drolling

Vagabonds and Minstrellers, from wandring up and down the Coun∣try, under most grievous Penalties. If any one assaulted a Travellor,* 1.6 or any Publick Officer in performing his Office, he made it Lawful for any Body to Kill him. So that when Thirty Assailants had been slain by the Companions of a certain Publick Minister at a Village called * 1.7 Halydon, he pronounced, That the Fact was just, and In∣demnified the Committers of it. This Domestick Severi••y made him Formidable to flagitious Persons, at home; as his Valour did to his Enemies, abroad. And therefore the English, who, upon Ro∣berts death, watched all Occasions to revenge themselves, perceiving, That they could attempt nothing by open Force, as long as Randolph was living, turned their Thoughts to secret Fraud and Stratagem.

The speediest Way to be rid of their Enemy seemed to be, by Poy∣soning him; Neither wanted there a fit Minister to attempt it; which was a certain Monk, of that Class, which are idly brought up, and, for want of Masters to teach them better, they do many times pervert Good Wits to Evil Arts and Practices: There were Two Professions joyned in him, viz. Monkship,* 1.8 and the Profession of Physick; the First seemed proper to gain him Admittance; the Second rendred him fit to perpetrate the Wickedness. Hereupon, he comes into Scotland, giving out in all Places, That, as he had Skil in all other Parts of Physick, so especially in curing the Stone; by which means, he obtained an easy Access to the Regent; and, being em∣ployed to cure him, he mixed a Slow-working Poyson with his Me∣dicine; and then, taking a few Days Provision with him, he re∣turned again into England, as if he had gone only to get and prepare more Drugs and Medicines. There he makes a Solemn Asseveration before Edward, That Randolf would dye, by such a certain day.* 1.9 In Hopes whereof, Edward levied a great Army, and marching to the Borders, found there as great an Army of Scots, ready to receive him, not far from his Camp; whereupon, he sent a Trumpeter to them, upon Pretence to demand Reparation for Damages; but, he was enjoyned to inquire, Who commanded the Scots Forces? Ran∣dolph, his Disease growing on, and the Monk not returning at the Day appointed, suspected all things for the worse, and therefore, dissembling his Grief, as much as he could, he sate in a Chair before his Tent, Royally apparelled, and gave Answer to the Demands of the Herald of Arms, as if he had been a man perfectly Healthy and Sound. The Herald, at his Return acquainted the King with what he had seen and heard; so that the Monk was punished, as a Lying Cheat; and Edward marched back his Army, only leaving a Guard on the Borders, to prevent Incursions. Randolph also was hindred from marching forward, by the Violence of his Disease, but return∣ing he disbanded his Army, and at Musselborough, about Four Miles from Edinburgh, departed this Life, in the year of our Salvation 1331. and the 13th of the Calends of * 1.10 August, having managed the Regency Two years after Robert's death. He was a Man no whit Inferiour to any of our Scotish Kings in Valour and Skill in Military Affairs, but far Superiour to them in the Arts and Knacks of Peace. He left Two Sons behind him, Thomas and I••hn, Both worthy of so great a Father.

When Randolf, Guardian of the Kingdom (for so they then called him) was dead, Duncan Earl of Marr was chosen in his Place, the 4th of the Nones of * 1.11 August. The King being then Ten year old, on which very Day a sad Message was brought to Court, That the day before the Calends of that Month, Edward Baliol was seen in the Firth of Forth, with a Navy very Numerous. To make all things more plain concerning his coming,* 1.12 I must go a little back. When King Robert died, there was one * 1.13 Laurence Twine, an English man, of the Number of Those, who, having received Lands in Scotland, as a Reward of their Military Service, dwelt there. He was of a Good Family, but of a Wicked Life: He, conceiving Hope of greater Liberty, upon the Death of One King, and the Immature Age of Another, gave himself up, more licentiously, to unlawful Pleasures; so that, being often found in Adultery, and admonished by the Judge of the Ecclesiastical Court; yet, not desisting, he was at last Excom∣municated by the Official (as they call him) of the Bishop of Glasgow. Whereupon, he, as if he had received a grat deal of Wrong, way-laid the Judge, as he was going to Air, and kept him so long a Prisoner, until, upon the Payment of a Sum of Money, he had ab∣solved him. Twine, being informed, That Iames Douglas was ex∣tremely angry with him for this Fact, and that he sought for him to have him punished; for Fear of his Power, he fled into France, and there he addressed himself to Edward Baliol, Son to Iohn, (who had been King of Scotland, some few years) informing him of the State of Affairs in Scotland; and withal, advising him, by no means, to omit so fair an Opportunity of recovering his Fathers Kingdom.

For,* 1.14 (said he) Their King was now but a Child, and he had many Enemies about him, and readier to be Avengers of the hatred to∣wards his Father, than his Friends; The Fathers of some were slain in a publick Convention at Perth, others were banished, and lost their Estates; others were mulct with the Loss of a great part of of their Lands; and besides, many of the English race, who were deprived of the Lands given them by his Father, would be his Com∣panions in the Expedition; yea, that there were Men enough, needy and criminal, who, either for hope of gain, or to avoid the punish∣ment of the Law, being desirous of Change and Innovation, wanted nothing but a Leader to begin a Disturbance. And moreover, Iames Douglas being killed in Spain, and Randolf by reason of his Sickness, being unfit for the Government, there was not a Man be∣sides, to whose Authority the giddy and disagreeing Multitude would as soon submit, as to His.

Baliol knew, That what he had spoken was, for the most part, true, and hearing also, that Edward of England was sending great Forces into Scotland; Thereupon the crafty Impostor easily persuaded Him, who of himself was desirous of Empire and Glory, to get what Ships he could together, and so to bear a Part in that Expedi∣tion. But, before the coming of Baliol into England, Edward had disbanded his Army. Nevertheless, ••he exiled Scots, and those En∣glish, who had been dispossessed of their Lands in Scotland flocked in to him, and so he made up no inconsiderable Army. Some say, That he had but 600 men accompanying him in so great an Attempt,* 1.15 which

seems not very probable. I rather think, Their Speech is more a∣greeable to Truth, who write, That the English assisted him with 6000 Foot. And they were all more encouraged in their designed Expedition, when they heard, That Randolf was dead, whilst they were making their Preparations; for that mightily erected their Minds, as a good Omen of their Future Success. With this Navy, he came to * 1.16 Kinghorn and there Landed his Naval Forces in the Ca∣lends of August. The Land Forces were led by David Cumins, hereto∣fore, Earl of Athol, as also by Mowbray and Beaumont; and the For∣ces of the English, by Talbot. At the News of the arrival of this Fleet, Alexander Seaton, a Nobleman, who happened to be in those Parts at that time, strove to oppose them, thinking, that,* 1.17 upon their disorderly Landing, some Opportunity of Service might be Offered; but, in regard few of the Country came in to him, he and most of his men were cut off. Baliol allowed some Few Days to his Soldiers to refresh themselves after their troublesome Voyage; and then marched directly towards Perth, and pitched his Tents by the Water-Mills, not far from the Water of Earn. The Regent was beyond, and Patrick Dunbar on this side, the River, each of them with Great Forces, their Camps being five miles distant one from another. Ba∣liol, thô, upon the Coming in of Many to him on the bruit of his good Success, he made up an Army of above Ten thousand men; yet, being between Two Armies of his Enemies, and fearing to be crushed in the midst, he thought it best to attack them severally, and that on a sudden, when they least expected any such thing; and he resolved to set upon Marr, the Regent, first; because, it was likely, That he, being most remote from his Enemy, would be less watchful, and so more liable to a surprize. He got Andrew Murray of Tullibardin to be hi•• Guide, who,* 1.18 not daring to joyn himself openly with the English, in the Night, fastned and stuck up a Pole, or Stake, in the River where it was Fordable, to shew Baliol's men the Way over: They, being covered with the Woods, which grew on the o∣ther Side the River, came near the Enemy before they were aware; where they understood, That they kept but a thin Watch, and slen∣der Guard, and passed the Night as in no Expectation of an Enemy at all; upon the Account of this their Negligence, they marched by their Camp, in great Silence, thinking to make an Assault on the adverse part thereof, where, they supposed, they should find them more secure. But it happened, That,* 1.19 in that Part where they presumed the greatest negligence was, That Thomas Randolf, Earl of Murray; Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick; Murdo, Earl of Monteath; and Alex∣ander Frazer kept the Guard, and Watch. They, gathering a lusty Band of their Friends together, received the First Charge and Onset of the Enemy very Valiantly, upon the Edge of a Ditch, which the falling down of the Rain-Water had made. In the mean time, a great Noise and Tumult was made in the Camp, each one hastening to his Arms, and running in to the Conflict, but rushing in rashly in no Order, and without their Colours, first they broke the Ranks of their own men, who bore the Brunt of the Baliolans, and so the Last push'd on the First, who falling into the Ditch, they also, in a ruinous manner, foll down upon them; There many were slain by

the Enemy, but more, both of Horse and Men, pressed to death by their ••all; and the most part were so weakened, that they had hard∣ly strength enough left, either to Fight or Fly. There fell of the Scots 3000; many of those, that escaped, fled to Perth, but they being few, and generally without Arms, or Guides, were easily taken by the pursuing English, together with the City itself.

The next Day, Dumbar, hearing of the overthrow of the other Ar∣my, and that Perth was taken, and being informed also, of the Pau∣city of the English, marched directly towards the Town, with an in∣tent to Besiege it, and destroy the Enemy whilst they were yet in want of all things; but the Matter being debated amongst his Chief Commanders, each one excused himself, and so they departed, with∣out effecting any thing. Baliol, having performed so great Matters in so short a time, even beyond his Hope, was encouraged to attempt the rest of the Scots, either to win them by Favour, or to conquer them by Force. And there being such a mighty concourse of Peo∣ple made to him,* 1.20 he now thought it seasonable to Declare Himself, King. That Advice was safer to him, because the greatest part of the Slaughter had fallen upon the Families, adjoyning to Perth. For there were slain in the Battel, besides the Regent, Robert Keith, with a great number of his Kindred and Tenants. There fell Eighty of the Family of the Lindseys, and amongst them, Alexander the chief of the Sept. The Name of the Hays would have been quite ex∣tinguished in this Fight, if William, the Chief of the Family, had not left his Wife big with Child, behind him. Moreover, Thomas Ran∣dolfe, Robert Bruce, Murdo, Earl of Monteath, William Sinclare, Bi∣shop of the Caledonians, and Duncan Macduff, Earl of Fife, made Prisoners by him, and being thus in such a desperate Posture, were enforced to take an Oath of Obedience to him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  November 24.
• * 1.2

  Situate near the Irish Sea.
• * 1.3

  He executes a Murderer, though he had the Popes Par∣don.
• * 1.4

  A notable Law, made by the Regent, to prevent Theiv∣ing.
• * 1.5

  The Collusive Cheat of a Country Man, punished.
• * 1.6

  St••ict Laws made by the Regent.
• * 1.7

  In T••v••otda••••.
• * 1.8

  A Monk Poy∣sons Randolf with a slow-working-dose.
• * 1.9

  Edward mar∣ches for Scot∣land.
• * 1.10

  Edward pu∣nishes the Monk, because his Poyson did not kill Ran∣dolf as soon as he said it would.

  Edward re∣treats.

  Iuly 20. Randolf's death and Character.
• * 1.11

  Duncan Earl of Marr, made Guardian in Randolfs Place. August. 2. Iuly 31.
• * 1.12

  Edward Baliol appears on the Scots Coast.
• * 1.13

  The Story of Twine, or Tuenam Lore∣s••n.
• * 1.14

  He stirs up Edward Baliol then in France to invade Scotland.
• * 1.15

  Edward Baliol Lands in Scot∣land.
• * 1.16

  A Burgh on the North side of Firth ••n Fife, over against L••••th in ••oth••an. August 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.17

  He overthrows Alexander Sea∣ton.
• * 1.18

  In Strathern••
• * 1.19

  And afterwards beats the Re∣gent Himself, making great slaughter of his men, and himself being also slain.
• * 1.20

  Edward Ba∣liol Declared King.