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194 SCOTTISH ANNALS
Espec and very many other nobles of the English to meet
thee at Carlisle : how many ships they prepared, how they
made war, with what forces they made defence how ; they
terrified all thy enemies, until they took Malcolm himself,
surrendered to them ; taken, they bound him ; and delivered
him over bound. So did the fear of us while binding his limbs
bind still more the courage of the Scots, and by quenching
all hope of success remove the presumption to rebel.
"Whatever hatred, therefore, whatever enmity the Scots
have against us is because of thee and thine, for whom we
have striven so often against them, and have bereft them of
the hope of rebellion, and have reduced them in all things to
thee and to thy will. Let the Scots laugh therefore, in that
thou procurest for them vengeance upon us, since they have
naught else to avenge upon us but that we have loved thee
that with our
and thine, have been loyal to thee and thine ;
arms, our shields, even our very bodies we have protected
thy life, have preserved the kingdom for thee.
"
Spare therefore, king, spare thyself, spare thy king-
dom, above all spare thy son, most brilliant of youths ;
whom
to-day, divested of counsel and despoiled of all aid, thou
exposest to the betrayal and subjectest to the fury of the
Scots. Beware moreover lest thou be involved in the sins
of wicked men, at whose hands are required the slaughter of
children, the grief of pregnant women, the injury of priests,
contempt for even the Divinity ; against whom the blood not
of one Abel but of unnumbered innocents cries from the earth.
Thou hast seen, king, the vile abominations which these
men have done. Thou hast seen, I say, thou hast seen, hast
abhorred, hast wept, hast beaten thy breast, hast exclaimed
that it was done against thy command, against thy will,
against thy decree. Show now that thou hast spoken the
truth by restraining them from like iniquity, that they may
return and be punished without thee, if without thee they
have done such things.
"
And this would be sufficient even if none opposed thy
attempt, or if the certainty of victory were assured. But
now stands against thee an army not to be despised, as much
more powerful than thine in arms and strength as it is less
powerful in number. Thou knowest not, king, how dangerous
is despair when death is certain but there is still choice of
the manner of death. If thou conquer we shall surely die.
We shall die, I say ; we, and our children ; our priests will
be slaughtered on the altars, our wives will be defiled by