Historical and genealogical account of the Clan Maclean

HISTORICAL NOTICES. 31
justified : he was killed in his bed, in Edinburgh,
by Campbell of Achchallader, brother to the
injured Lady Elizabeth. Lachlan Cattanach does
not appear to have possessed one single redeem-
ing quality. I do not find that he even possessed
the negative virtue of being a brave tyrant.
Widely different was the character of his
son and heir Eachuinn or Hector Mor. This
noble chief appears to have realised all that his
clansmen could have wished in a chief of Mac-
lean ; good, kind, affable, and brave, an accom-
plished politician, and an approved warrior ; what-
ever the actions of his life may show, such is
the character given of him by the seneachies.
At an early age many of the powerful lords of
the land began to court his alliance ; and his
sovereign thought it of importance to secure his
loyalty by calling him into his councils as one
of the barons of the kingdom. The growing
influence of the chief of Maclean soon became
a source of jealousy with Colin of Argyle, who
now began to make it his study to foment some
cause of disturbance which might embroil the
Lord of Duart and his partisans. Some of the
lands which reverted to the crown in conse-
quence of the Lord of the Isles' forfeiture, had,
by an act of policy of the Earl of Angus, who
held the government in the minority of James V.,
and who by this act of liberality expected to
secure to himself the support of the island chiefs,