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114 SCOTTISH ANNALS
the nobles with his dogs, so that wherever the quarry chose
to emerge, besieged on all sides it should find its fate.
And he himself kept beside him his betrayer, separated
from the others ; and departed, none accompanying them.
And when removed from the sight of all the king stopped,
"
See, I and thou with me are
and looking upon him said :
alone together, armed with like weapons, borne on like horses.
There is none to see, there is none to hear, there is none to
bring support to either of us ; if therefore thou art able, if
thou darest, if thou hast the heart, fulfil what thou hast purposed,
render to my foes what thou hast promised. If thou
thinkest to slay me, when canst thou better, more securely,
more freely, or more manlily ? Hast thou prepared ? poison
But that is the way of weak women who ; could not ? Dost
thou lie in wait by my bed ? That can adulteresses also.
Hast thou hidden a sword to strike secretly ? That is the
way of assassins, not of a knight no one can doubt it. Act
;
rather as a knight, act as a man, and fight man to man, that
at least thy treason may lack baseness, since it could not
lack infidelity."
So far [the noble] had scarce borne up ; and immediately,'
struck by his words as by a heavy thunderbolt, he fell from
his horse, cast aside his arms, and ran to the king's feet with
tears and trembling. And the king said to him, " Be not
afraid, thou shalt suffer no ill from me."
And when [the noble] had promised henceforth to be
faithful and his friend, giving an oath and naming hostages,
in fitting time they returned to their friends, telling to none
what things they had done or said.
1093
ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE, MS. E, S.A. 1093. 1
When the good queen Margaret heard this,
(Continued.)
her dearest
lord and son thus betrayed, she was distressed in mind
even to death ; and went with her priests to church, and
obtained by prayer to God that she gave up her spirit.
1
Cf. H. of H., 217. W. of M., G.R., ii, 366. Ann. of Wav., in A.M.,
i, 202.
O.V., VIII, 20, in Migne, 188, 620: "Margaret, queen of Scots, over-
whelmed by so sad a message of her husband's death, shuddered, and called
together all the nobles of her realm and commended to them her sons ;
Edgar
and Alexander and David, and besought them to honour them as sons of the
king. " And when her prayers had been received by the court with great