The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1577

Previous | Next

Compare 1587 edition: 1 Malcolm ſee|keth friendes againſt Con|ſtantine.Malcolme the ſonne of Kenneth, created (as ye haue hearde in hys fathers lyfe tyme) Prince of Cumberlande, hearing that Conſtantine (a|gaynſt the ordnance lately made) had vſurped the Crowne, as ſoone as his fathers bodie was bu|ryed in Colmkil, with ſuch funeral pompe as ap|perteyned, he deſyred his fathers friendes to gyue him ſuch faythfull counſell as they thought moſt expedient, whiche way hee were beſt to worke for the appeaſing of the ſedition nowe begunne by reaſon of Conſtantines preſumptuous attempt.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 3 4 Good counſell was giuen himThere were ſome amongeſt that companie that tooke it to bee beſt, firſt to vnderſtande the myndes of all the peeres and nobles of the realme, before they went about any exployt agaynſt the tyrant, leaſt whyleſt Malcolme ſhoulde ſeeke to delyuer himſelfe from daunger, he might happely winde himſelfe further into trouble, than without extreeme perill of the common wealth he ſhoulde be able to get forth thereof againe.Yet other coũ|ſel was giuen him. Other there were iudged it beſt ſodenly to goe agaynſt Con|ſtantine before he had made himſelfe ſtrong: For if they came vpon him ere hee were prouided for theyr comming, many of them that feigned them ſelues to bee his friendes, woulde forſake hym ſo ſoone as they ſawe any power of his enimyes at hande. And then ſhoulde he eyther fall into their hands, or be dryuen to flee the realme for ſafegard of his life. The fierce yong man following this counſell as the beſt to his ſeeming,Malcolme go|eth with an armie to fight with Con|ſtantine. and truſting more to his owne wit than to the graue aduice of men of ſkill, aſſembled togither in all haſt poſſi|ble about the number of ten thouſand men, with whom making towards Conſtantine with ſpee|die iourneys, at length hee came into Louthian.King Conſtan|tine went to meete Mal|colme. Conſtantine being enformed of all his aduerſa|ries doings, had got togither alſo an huge power, ſo that paſſing forth with the ſame to encounter them, the brute which ranne of his great number and puiſſance,Malcolme thought him|ſelf to weake. cauſed Malcolme for verie feare that he ſhoulde not be able in any part to matche him, to breake vp his army and to flee backe into Cumberland: by reaſon whereof he had bene put to ſuch hinderance and diſhonour, as woulde not eaſily haue bene recouered, had not Kenneth the baſtard ſonne of his father the aboue mentioned Kenneth encamped with a mightie power aboute Sterling, and defended the paſſages of the Forth, that Conſtantine with his armie could not come ouer.Lack of vitails cauſed Conſt. to breake vp his campe. Then roſe there great famine and penurie of vitayles in both hoſtes, ſo that Conſtantine with great indignation was conſtrained to break vp his campe, and ſo to leaue his enterpriſe for that ſeaſon. Thus was the Realme deuided into two ſundry factions Wherevpon followed wa|ſtings and incurſions made into eche others poſ|ſeſſions, with ſuch crueltie, that the ſame might be a ſufficient inſtruction what miſchiefe happeneth through ciuill diſcorde. The poore commons and huſbandmẽ were brought to ſuch miſerie through the often ſpoylings and robberies vſed by the men of warre, that they were not able to til their groũ|des. Finally there roſe one miſchiefe ſo faſt in the neck of another, that no kinde of crueltie was ſpa|red, robbing, reauing, and forcible extortion was exerciſed on all ſides without hope of any redreſſe or amendment. Whileſt the Scottiſhmen were thus at diuiſion amongſt themſelues,K. Edward, or rather Ethel|red, purchaſed peace of the Danes. renting and pulling in peeces their own miſerable natiue coũ|trey, Edwarde king of England being oppreſſed with inuaſion of Danes, was glad to buie peace at their handes, for himſelfe and his people, with right large ſummes of money: but perceiuing that his enimies ceaſſed not dayly to ſpoile and rob his ſubiects, he purpoſed to trie what he might doe by making them warre:Malcolme is readie to help king Edwarde agaynſt the Danes. And to make his part the ſtronger, he requyred Malcolme prince of Cum|berlãd to ayde him againſt the Danes, according to the couenant of the ancient league. Malcolme conſenting to king Edwards requeſt, came with a mightie armie of Cumberlande men to ſupport him: by reaſon wherof the Danes doubting to bee ouermatched,King Edwarde made peace with the Danes. after certain light ſkirmiſhes with|out any great bloodſhed, cõdiſcẽded to haue peace, which was concluded with theſe conditions: that king Edwarde ſhould pay vnto the Danes a M. pounde of golde, for the which they ſhould cõtent EEBO page image 223 themſelues with thoſe landes which they had al|ready in poſſeſſion, and to inuade no further vpon the Engliſhmen: but contrariwiſe to be readie to fight in their defence, if any forrain enimie ſought to make any warres vpon them. In the meane time whileſt Malcolm was thus in England oc|cupied in ayde of king Edwarde againſt the Da|nes, king Conſtantine thought the time to ſerue very well for his purpoſe to reduce all thoſe regi|ons of Scotlãd, which tooke part with his aduer|ſarie the foreſaid Malcolme) vnder his ſubiection.King Conſtan|tine renued warre with Malcolme. He aſſembled therfore .xx. M. men, and comming into Louthian, heard how Kenneth the baſtard a|foreſaid (being left by his brother Malcolm to re|ſiſt Conſtantines attempts) had got togither an huge armie of his brothers friends, and was come vnto Crawmond, where the riuer falleth into the Forth, a three miles from Edenbourgh, purpo|ſing there to abide his enimies, if they minded to aſſaile him.Conſtantine ioyned battail with Kenneth the baſtarde. Conſtantine herevpon haſted thither|wards, and comming within ſight of his enimies ſtreightwayes ioined battail with them: immedi|atly wherwith there roſe ſuch an outragious tem|peſt of winde, comming out of the Eaſt, driuing the ſande in the faces of Conſtantines men, that they were not able to ſee about them to make any defence agaynſt theyr enimyes that then preaſſed vpon them right egerly. By meanes whereof the diſcomfiture light vpõ Conſtantines ſide, though neyther part had any great cauſe to reioyce:K. Conſtantine is ſlaine. for in the hoteſt of the fight, Conſtantine and Ken|neth chaunced to encounter togither, and ſo ſigh|ting man to man, either ſlue other. Thus Con|ſtantine ended his lyfe by dynt of the enimies ſworde, in the thirde yeare of his reigne, and in the yeare after the incarnation 1002.1002. and hys bodie was buryed in Colmekill amongſt his pre|deceſſours.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 THen Grime nephew to king Duffe hearing of the ſlaughter thus made betwixte king Conſtantine and Kenneth,Grime. gathered togither the reſidue of Conſtantines armie, being ſcattered a|brode after the ouerthrow, ſuppoſing that by the death of Kenneth, the partie of his brother Mal|colme was ſore weakned, and therevpon he came vnto the Abbay of Scone, and there cauſed him|ſelfe [figure appears here on page 223] to be crowned king, as lawfull ſucceſſor vnto Conſtantine, by force of the olde lawes and or|dinance of the Realme.Grime vſed li|beralitie and gentleneſſe towards Con|ſtantines friendes. And to eſtabliſh himſelfe the more firmly in the eſtate, he ſhewed great gen|tleneſſe towardes all them that were friends vnto Conſtantine, and beſtowed vpõ them many boũ|teous gyftes: neyther was his liberalitie ſhut vp from other that had fauoured Malcolme, for to the ende hee might allure them to beare him good will, he rewarded them highly both in landes and treaſure. But other of the ſame faction, whom he ſawe by no meanes coulde be wonne, he cau|ſed them to bee proclaymed traytours, and con|fiſcated their goodes as rebelles to his perſon, and enimies to the crowne.

Previous | Next