Series 1 > Grameid: an heroic poem descriptive of the campaign of Viscount Dundee in 1689, and other pieces

99-1 ii] SCOTT GRAMEIDOS LIB. IV.
125
Ipse manu clypeumque rotans, ensemque coruscans
Terribilis, vultusque truces et turbida volvens
Lumina, contortae revolutaque cornua barbae
Circumquaque ferens iras spirare videtur.
Parte alia magni Donaldi clara propago,
Et gentis Princeps et Regulus Aebudarum1
Egregius bello, et florentibus insuper annis,
Orbis ab extremis terrarum Slatius oris,
Acer in arma ruit, secumque in bella furentes
Acre ciet juvenes quingentos, ensibus omnes
Cominus armatos, rigidisque hastilibus omnes,
Insula quos longis transmisit Skya carinis.
Hinc Reginaldinae Ductor clarissimus orae,
his wild eyes, the horns of his twisted beard curled backwards,
seems to breathe forth wrath wherever he moves.
Again the noble offspring of the great Donald, chief of the
race, and Lord of the Isles, he of Sleat,2 illustrious in war beyond
his youthful years, rushes, brave in arms, from the extremities of
the land, and with bugle summons with himself to the war five
hundred fiery youths, all girt with sword and rigid spear, whom
Skye has sent in her long boats across the water. Then comes
the exalted Captain of Clan Ranald,3 in the first flower of his age,
1 By treating Ae in ‘ Aebudarum ’ as two syllables the line will scan, but see
page 89, note.
2 This is Sir Donald Macdonald of Sleat. Balhaldy says that he brought
706 men with him, and describes him as ‘conducting all his actions by the
strictest rules of religion and morality. He looked upon his clan as his children,
and upon the King as the father of his country, and as he was possessed of a very
opulent fortune, handed down to him by a long race of very noble ancestors, so.
he lived in the greatest affluence, but with a wise economy.’ Sir Donald lost
five near relations at Killiecrankie. The family is descended from John, the
eldest son of Angus Og, mentioned in a preceding note. John was twice married,
first to Amy, daughter of Roderick of the Isles, by whom he had three sons,
John, Godfrey, and Ranald, from the last mentioned of whom comes the Clan
Ranald, including the various Macdonalds of whom Glengarry would seem to be
the chief according to blood. His second wife was the daughter of the Steward of
Scotland, afterwards Robert 11., and by her he had four sons, Donald, John,
Alastair, and Angus. The Macdonalds of Sleat are descended from the first
named of these, who succeeded his father as Lord of the Isles. The family was
raised to the peerage in 1776, and is now represented by Lord Macdonald. The
witness mentioned in the last note in process of forfeiture, ‘ depones he saw a
young gentleman, Sir Donald Macdonald of Sleat, command a regiment at the
fight of Killiecrankie, and that he had a red coat.’—Act. Pari.
3 This is Allan Macdonald, twelfth of Clan Ranald. He was about sixteen
years of age, and was under the tutorship of Donald Macdonald of Benbecula,