03.04.2013 Views

You can read this book here in pdf - Electric Scotland

You can read this book here in pdf - Electric Scotland

You can read this book here in pdf - Electric Scotland

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

FROM ENGLISH CHRONICLERS 257<br />

1174<br />

BENEDICT OF PETERBOROUGH, GESTA HENRICI II, VOL. I,<br />

pp. 79-80. *<br />

Meanwhile Utred and Gilbert, Fergus' sons, were at strife<br />

as to which of them should be lord of the other and have<br />

dom<strong>in</strong>ion over the Galwegians and had ;<br />

great hatred between<br />

them, so that each of them lay <strong>in</strong> wait for the other to slay him.<br />

And <strong>in</strong> process of time Gilbert, Fergus' son, collected his<br />

men and made a ;<br />

plan with them that his brother Utred should<br />

be taken and sla<strong>in</strong>. And at the appo<strong>in</strong>ted time they came<br />

together to take and slay him.<br />

And Malcolm, son of Gilbert Fergus' son, came and<br />

besieged the island of - - <strong>in</strong> which abode Utred, brother of his<br />

father, and cous<strong>in</strong> of Henry, k<strong>in</strong>g of England, son of Matilda the<br />

empress ; and captured him, 2 and sent his butchers, command<strong>in</strong>g<br />

them to put out his eyes, and to emasculate him and cut out<br />

his tongue and so it ; was done. And they went away, leav<strong>in</strong>g<br />

him half-dead and ; shortly after he ended his life.<br />

And while these th<strong>in</strong>gs took place the lord k<strong>in</strong>g sent to<br />

England one of his priests, Roger of Hoveden by name, to<br />

Robert de Vaux, that they two should meet Utred and Gilbert,<br />

Fergus' sons, and draw them to [Henry's] service.<br />

And when about the feast of St. Clement 3<br />

they had come<br />

to a conference between themselves and Gilbert, Fergus' son,<br />

Gilbert himself and the rest of the Galwegians offered them for<br />

the k<strong>in</strong>g's benefit two thousand marks of silver, and five hundred<br />

cows and five hundred sw<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> revenue each year on <strong>this</strong><br />

1 Cf. Hoved., ii, 69 ; a very short account. (Hoved., ii, 299, <strong>in</strong> error<br />

attributes the crime to Gilbert's son Dun<strong>can</strong>.)<br />

"<br />

Cf. W. of N., <strong>in</strong> Chr. of Ste., etc., i, 186- 187 : T<strong>here</strong> were also <strong>in</strong> that<br />

army two brothers, Gilbert namely and Utred, lords of the prov<strong>in</strong>ce of Galloway,<br />

with a numerous band of their own nation. These were the sons of<br />

Fergus, former pr<strong>in</strong>ce of the same prov<strong>in</strong>ce, and had succeeded their father<br />

when he yielded to fate the ; k<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>Scotland</strong> (who is sovereign lord of that<br />

land) divid<strong>in</strong>g the heritage between them.<br />

"<br />

But Gilbert, the elder, grieved that he had been defrauded of the<br />

entirety of his father's right, and ever hated his brother <strong>in</strong> his heart, although<br />

fear of the k<strong>in</strong>g restra<strong>in</strong>ed an outburst of the wrath he had conceived. But<br />

when the k<strong>in</strong>g was taken he was freed from <strong>this</strong> fear, and presently laid his<br />

hands upon his brother, who anticipated no evil ; and slew him, not by a<br />

simple death, but racked by tortures to satiate his execrable hatred. Immediately<br />

he <strong>in</strong>vaded his brother's territories, barbarians rag<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st<br />

barbarians, and caused no small slaughter of men.<br />

" Now his brother, thus basely sla<strong>in</strong>, had a son called Roland, an active<br />

and vigorous youth, who with help of his father's friends opposed his savage<br />

uncle with all his strength."<br />

2 "<br />

Treacherously," Hoved., ii, 69.<br />

3<br />

23rd November.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!