The
History Of Scotland
Chap. Fourth.
Of King Dub; and how he was troubled with great infirmity, by
witchcraft. How he punished certain conspirators, and was slain.
After the death of King Indulf,
a convention was made at Scone: in which, Dub, the son of Malcolm the First,
was made king; and Culen, son of Indulf,
made Prince of Scotland, and Lord of Cumberland. Dub, after his coronation,
went to the Isles, and called before him all the thanes thereof; and made his
oath, if they did not suppress the thieves within their lands, to punish them
no less than the principal misdoers. The thanes of
the Isles, dreading the severity of the king, took many sorners<83> and vagabond scoundrels of the country,
and put them to death. Thus, the remainder of these shameful people were
constrained to fly to Ireland, or else to seek some honest craft to win their
living. Yet, several of the nobles felt indignation, that their friends, who
came of noble blood, should be constrained to seek their living by servile
crafts; and the commoners, who were born to servitude, were preferred to them
in honours and dignity: and therefore thought the king unworthy to reign above
them. This murmuration was not only in the Isles, but
in several parts of the realm. In the meantime, King Dub fell into a serious
illness, unknown to physicians in those days. He was not only troubled each day
with new dolour, but was dissolved in a continual sweat, and could get no rest
nor sleep. Also, his malady was the more wonderful, that the breath proceeding
from his vital spirits, affected his blood in due proportion, with soft pulses;
and notwithstanding, he grew so lean, that his body seemed quickly to vanish.
The physicians despaired of his life; and, knowing no remedy against his
infirmity, began, by pleasing words, to make him consolation: saying, He should
revert at the spring of the year, when every thing,
by natural influence, becomes better. The king, despairing finally of his
health, sent for all the captains of the tribes, and prayed them to have such
sight to their honor and the common good, that,
notwithstanding his infirmity, the realm might be governed in peace and justice.
The captains promised to do all things as he desired: nonetheless, there arose,
each day, continual slaughter and robbery in all parts of the realm, with more
trouble than may be described. The physicians prevented this damage from being
said to the king, in case he took such melancholy thereby, that it might hasten
him to his death. In the meantime, there arose a murmour
among the commoners, that the king was not troubled with natural infirmity, but
by devilry and craft of witches: of whom, there were a great number in Forres, a town of Moray. As soon as the king was informed
whereof, he sent several wise and skilled men to see how true it was. These
men, who were sent to do this, said they were sent to make an agreement between
the king and the Murrays. In the evening, they entered the castle of Forres, and said to Donald, the captain thereof, the cause
of their coming; and prayed him to investigate if such things as were said,
were true. The captain got, finally, knowledge of all this treason, by one of
his soldiers, who had the daughter of the principal witch as his mistress; and
got her to reveal in what house of the town this witchcraft was practiced. Then
the king's servants, with a company of soldiers, entered the same house where
these witches were, and found an image of wax, made in the likeness of Dub,
roasting on a spit before the fire; and found the witches dripping certain
liquor on the image, with other charms used to the same effect. The soldiers
took these witches immediately, and brought them, with the image, to the
castle: where they confessed, so long as the wax melted before the fire. King
Dub was dissolved in perpetual sweat; and so long as they dripped the said
liquor on his image, he should never sleep; and when the wax was melted away,
the king would die. The witches were asked, Who taught them such craft, and who
solicited them to do it? They answered, They had the craft by the devil; but
the Murrays solicited them to slay the king by that talent. The captain broke
the images, and burned the witches. It is said, the same night that these
witches were taken, in this way, in the town of Forres,
King Dub was delivered of all his malady; and not only selpt
well all that night, but was restored to his health, as if he had never been
vexed with any infirmities. And, on the following day, he came to Moray, to
punish certain rebels that conspired against his majesty: and made such
diligent pursuit on them in Ross, Caithness, and other parts where they fled,
that they were finally brought to Forres, and tried.
Amongst whom were slain, several kinsmen and friends of Donald, captain of the
said castle of Forres; although they conspired more
by others than by their own persuasion. This execution of justice moved Donald
to such hatred, for the slaughter of his friends, that he determined, if he
could find sufficient opportunity, to slay the king:
nonetheless, he dissimulated his anger for a time. His wife, seeing him each
day more melancholy, demanded the cause of his displeasure: at last, by long nagging
of his wife, he said what shame the king had done to him for his faithful
service: putting his friends to most vile death. This wife was a woman of
unmerciful cruelty, having no less hatred than her husband had, against the
king; for several of her friends were executed in that same manner: through
which, her venomous anger was swollen every day with more indignation, not
knowing to whom she might open the same. But, when she understood her husband
of the same intention, she exhorted him to be of good cheer; and promised to
find how their injuries might best be revenged: saying, The king was often
familiarly lodged with them, and might be easily punished. Donald was inflamed
by these words, above his hatred; waiting for nothing but sufficient opportunity
to slay the king: and because the king was to depart on the following day, this
Donald set himself, with more diligence, to bring his cursed purpose to effect.
In the night following, as soon as the king had done his devotion, he went to
his chamber, and fell asleep. Then was this Donald so enraged with cruelty,
that he might get no ease until his cursed mind was fulfilled. Immediately, he
called the king's chamber servants to a banquet, and feasted them continually,
until they were taken with the wines; and so drunk, that they were forced to
take rest; having no suspicion of this treachery devised for the king's death.
Donald, seeing the king's chamber servants asleep, sent four servants, who were
corrupted before with his money, into the king's chamber, and they slew him;
and brought his body, without any noise, out at a postern gate, and two miles
from the place where he was slain, to a stream, and buried it in the midst
thereof, where the stream used to pass; then put a great stone above his body, so
that nothing should appear hidden in the said place. These traitors, that slew
the king, fled to Orkney, so that the dead corpse should not show the slayers;
for it is held among us, that the body of a slain man bleeds before the slayer:
and, whether the same be true or not, let them testify that has experience
thereof. Donald, after the murder of the king, to so as to appear innocent
thereof, passed the remainder of the night with the king's guard; speaking of
the great benefits done to him, several times, by the king. On the following
day, the outcry arose among the associates, saying, The king was slain, his bed
pooling in blood, and the body taken away, no man knew where. Donald, hearing
the noise, came in the chamber with the remaining chamber servants, as if he
had known nothing of this treachery: and because he saw the bed bloody, he slew
the chamber servants, as if they had been guilty thereof; and ran up and down
the castle like a furious man, to see if he might see any token of the king's
slaughter. At last, he found the postern open; and judged than, certainly, that
the chamber servants had slain the king; for they had the keys of the castle in
their keeping. The nobles, very frightened, came quickly to see this terrible
deed; having more wonder, that the body was taken away, than of his murder:
nonetheless, several of them suspected that this cruelty was done by Donald;
because he made diligence in searching the authors of this treachery, above the
measure of just affection: and soon after, they returned home. Six months
after, neither sun, moon, nor stars, were seen in the heavens; but the sky overcovered with perpetual cloud, to the great terror of
the people.
