Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

HISTORY OF THE MACDOXALDS. 45
backs to one another. After this when the King came to manhood, the
nobles were still in his ears, desiring him to suppress the pride of Som-
merled, hoping, if he should be crashed, they should or might get his
estate to be divided among themselves, and at least get him expelled the
country. Sommerled being informed hereof, resolved to lose all, or
possess all, he had in the Highlands ; therefore, gathering together all his
forces from the Isles and the Continent, and shipping them for Clyde,
he landed in Greenock. The King came with his army to Glasgow in
order to give battle to Sommerled, who marched up the south side of the
Clyde, leaving his galleys at Greenock. The King's party quartered at
Renfrew. Those about him thought proper to send a message to Som-
merled, the contents of which were, that the King would not molest Som-
merled for the Isles, which were properly his wife's right ; but as for the
lands of Argyle and Kintyre, he would have them restored to himself.
Sommerled replied that he had as good a right to the lands upon the
Continent as he had to the Isles ; yet those lands were unjustly possessed
by the King, MacBeath, and Donald Bain, and that he thought it did
not become His Majesty to hinder him from the recovery of his own
rights, of which his predecessors were deprived by IMacBeath, out of re-
venge for standing in opposition to him after the murder of King Duncan.
As to the Isles, he had an undoubted right to them, his predecessors
being possessed of them by the goodwill and consent of Eugenius the
First, for obligations conferred upon him ; that when his forefathers were
dispossessed of them by the invasion of the Danes, they had no assistance
to defend or recover them from the Scottish King, and that he had his
right of them from the Danes ; but, however, he would be assisting to
the King in any other affairs, and would prove as loyal as any of his
nearest friends, but as long as he breathed, he would not condescend to
resign any of his rights which he possessed to any ; that he was resolved
to lose all or keep all, and that he thought himself as worthy of his own,
as any about the King's Court. The messenger returned Avith this answer
to the King, whose party was not altogether bent upon joining battle with
Sommerled. !N"either did the King look much after his rain, but, as the
most of kings are commonly led by their councillors, the King himself
being young, they contrived Sommerled's death in another manner.
There was a nephew of Sommerled's, ]\faurice MacNeill, his sister's son,
who was bribed to destroy him. Sommerled lay encamped at the con-
fluence of the river Pasley into Clyde. His nephew taking a little boat,
went over the river, and having got private audience of him, being sus-
pected by none, stabbed him, and made his escape. The rest of Sommer-
led's men, hearing the death and tragedy of their leader and master, be-
took themselves to their galleys. The King coming to view the corpse,
one of his followers, with his foot, did hit it. Maurice being present,
said, that though he had done the first thing most viUanously and against
his conscience, that he was unworthy and base so to do ; and withal drew
Ms long Xiam, stabbed him, and escaped by swimming over to the other
side of the river, receiving his remission from the King thereafter, with
the lands which were formerly promised him. The King sent a boat with
the corpse of Sommerled to Icollumkill at his own charges. This is the
report of twenty writers in IfMllii-nldl!. b^'f.n-o Hector Boetius and Biicli-
anan were born. . . . ttommeried was a well tempered man, in body