REUTHER.
AFTER this they proclaimed Reuther king, and crowned him with all due solemnitie,
Reuther crowned king.
Diuers lords offended.
diuers of the nobles of the realme being highlie displeased therewith, for that they iudged
it not onelie a great offense to haue the king thus traitorouslie murthered, but also saw hereby
the ancient ordinance of choosing their king through consent of the people, to be broken by
the wicked attempt of a priuat person, & an vnskilfull yoong man aduanced to the crowne,
contrarie to the decree of an autentike law. Among other one Ferquhard the sonne in law
Nouantia.
A conspiracie of Ferquhard against Doualus.
of Nothatus gouernor of Lorne and Cantir, called an assemblie of the people, and began to
declare what enormities were like to insue through this tyrannicall attempt of Doualus.
Doualus hearing whereabout Ferquhard went, hastilie came to the place where this assemblie
was made, and there sleaing diuers of the chiefe, he did put Ferquhard also in great hazard
of his life, who by flieng yet escaped his hands, and got him ouer into the Ile of Ila, whither
Ferquhard fled into Ila.
resorted vnto him diuers of the nobles (that fauored not Douale) with a great number of
the commons.
In the end, Ferquhard persuaded his companions to set all feare apart, and to returne with
Ferquhard returneth into Scotland for to reuenge his iniurie.
him into Scotland to take reuenge of Douale and his complices, being traitors and enimies
to the realme and common-wealth, so that first ioining hands, which they did wet in mans
bloud (according to the custome then vsed) they promised one to another to liue and die
in the quarell, and after imbarking themselues in certeine vessels, they entred the sea, and
passed ouer into Scotland, where gathering togither no small number of such as willinglie
resorted vnto them to their aid, they encountred with Douale in battell, whose host twise in
one daie was put to flight néere to the citie Beregonium with the losse of eight thousand men.
The night parted the fraie, but in the next morning, Douale and his partakers through
great indignation conceiued, for that they were so beaten backe by Ferquhard (hauing in
all his host not past 10000 persons) fiercelie came foorth of their tents to giue battell afresh,
and finding their enimies readie to receiue them, there was fought so cruell a battell betwixt
them, that in the end either part being sore trauelled with slaughter and long fight, was glad
to giue place to the other, not passing an eight hundred of all those that were present that
daie in the field as then being left aliue. Vpon Douales part there was slaine Gethus king
of Picts, whose daughter king Reuther had married, with a great number of his people:
also Douale himselfe with diuers of the nobles of Scotland, beside gentlemen & cōmons
Douale is slain
Ferquhard is slaine.
that tooke part with him. On the contrarie side there died also Ferquhard himselfe with
diuers gouernors of tribes, beside the residue of the nobles, gentlemen & cōmons of Rosse,
Cathenesse, Marne, Argile, Cantire, and Lorne, with them of the westerne Iles which were
there with him.
Reuther escaping with life from this bloudie encounter, in the night following departed
Reuther the king fled.
his waies with such of his people as were left aliue. Whereof his enimies being aduertised
in the next morning, pursued after him with such diligence, that in the end they tooke
him within a castell in Cathnesse whither he was fled for succor: he was pardoned of his
Reuther pursued & taken.
He is pardoned of his life.
life, partlie in respect of his fathers merits, and partlie againe for that it was knowne how
his tender youth was such as had not deserued death by any fact, otherwise than in that he
had followed the counsell of malicious persons. By this cruell murther and huge slaughter
thus committed betwixt these two nations of Scotishmen and Picts, both their forces were
so greatlie inféebled, that they became an easie prey to their ancient and common enimies
the Britains, who in such oportunitie of occasion thought not to sit still till the same might
happilie be past and gone.
First therefore with a mightie armie the Britains inuaded the Picts: the nobles of which
nation perceiuing themselues not able to make resistance, fled with their wiues, their children,
and the most part of their goods, ouer into the Iles of Orkenie, and there assembling togither, they created them a new king to haue the gouernance ouer them, who was also
named Gethus, and brother to the other Gethus a little before mentioned. Héere also they
Gethus king.
Why Orkenie was called Pictland as some suppose, but the truth should séeme to be that they were so called bicause the Picts inhabited there before they set foot in Britaine.
remained certeine yeares after, liuing in peaceable manner with the former inhabitants, whom
they found there, wronging them by no iniurious dealing at all (if the Scotish historie be
true.) Hereof moreouer as some suppose it came to passe, that these Ilands of Orkenie are
named by diuers writers the ancient kingdome of the Picts.
In the meane while the Britains seizing vpon such countries as these Picts had forsaken,
that is to saie, the Mers, Louthian, and others, they left in diuers places where they thought
expedient, garisons of men of war, to kéepe the same in due subiection: and after entred
into the confines of the Scotish kingdome, burning & wasting all afore them, wherewith such
Scots as yet remained aliue, being highlie mooued to indignation, came stoutlie into the field
The Scots ouerthrowne.
to defend their countrie, and incountring with their enimies néere to Kalender wood, they
lost two thousand of their companie: the residue also being sore chased, fled into sundrie
parties for safegard of their liues.
This discomfiture put the Scotish nation into such feare and terror, that they vtterlie despaired of all recouerie, where contrariwise the Britains were so aduanced (in hope vtterlie
to expell all aliens out of their Ile) that pursuing the victorie in most earnest wise, they
forced Reuther and all the nobilitie of the Scotish nation that was yet left aliue, to flée for
safegard of their liues into the castell of Beregonium, where they held themselues as in the
surest hold. The Britains being certified of the repaire of their enimies to Beregonium, enuironed the castell with a strong and vehement siege, vntill that the Scots within were
Scots besieged deuoure one another.
constreined through want of vittels to eate each other, according as the lots fell by a common
agréement made amongst them.
But when it came to passe, that euen those that were reputed as heads and gouernors,
and in whom consisted the hope of their whole defense, did now and then come to the
shambles as well as other of lesse reputation, they thought it best to trie by issuing foorth,
if any of their haps might be so good as to escape the danger present, whereas by tarieng still
within the fortresse, they should but deuoure one another without any reuenge for losse of
their liues had vpon their fierce and cruell enimies. Wherevpon by common consent there
The Scots come foorth and fight.
issueth foorth, first one Colane lord of Cantire with an hundred of his owne souldiors, and
fiercelie skirmishing with the Britains, defended himselfe a good space right manfullie,
though in the end both he and his whole band were borne downe and slaine with prease
and multitude of his enimies that assailed him on each side. In the meane season, whilest
he thus occupied the Britains in fight on one side, Reuther with the residue of his people
Reuther escapeth.
brake foorth by another waie, and escaping to the sea side, got ships and fled ouer into the
westerne Iles, where he found a great number of other Scotishmen that were gotten thither,
being compelled by Oenus king of the Britains to auoid foorth of the countries, which they
before inhabited.
Reuther remained not long in the Iles, but passed ouer into Ireland. The Britains not a
Reuther passeth into Ireland.
They inhabit the mounteins.
little mooued for his escape with the other of the Scotish lords, reuenged their displeasure
on such commons and other meane people as fell into their hands, so that such as might
escape, got them into the mounteins, and liued there by roots, berries, & other wild fruits
in summer, and in winter by such veneson and flesh of wild beasts as they killed in the
wildernesse: and sometimes they came downe and made raises vpon the Britains that occupied their houses and lands, fetching great booties verie often from amongest them.
This cruell warre lasted twelue yéeres, vntill in maner all such Scots and Picts as remained
in Albion were brought vnder seruitude to the Britains. In which meane while, Gethus king
of the Picts kept his siege roiall in Pomonia the chéefest Ile of the Orkenies. Reuther also
begot of his wife a sonne named Thereus, and shortlie after being procured by letters and
Reuther is sent for out of Ireland.
messengers sent vnto him from the foresaid Gethus and such Scots as were yet remaining
in Albion, he assembled a number of ships togither, and first with a chosen power of warriors
sailed to the westerne Iles, where increasing his numbers, he passed ouer into Albion, landing
on the west halfe of Rosse at Lough Bruum, and there comming on land, the first person
that they met with (according to a custome vsed amongst them in those daies) they slue,
A custome.
and wetting the points of their weapons in his bloud, they first tasted thereof after their
maner, then holding vp their weapons into the aire, they desired of the gods that they might
reuenge the bloud of their elders with happie battell against the Britains their enimies. After
this, hearing that Gethus king of the Picts was also entred the land with a mightie power of
Germans, which were come to his aid, and was not past thirtie miles off, he staied there
The Germans in aid of the Picts.
abiding for his comming, to the intent that ioining their powers togither, they might be the
better able to furnish their enterprise.
The third daie after they met togither with great ioy and congratulations, vnto whom with all
Reuther and Gerhus méet and ioine their powers togither.
spéed a great number also of those Scotishmen and Picts that had still continued in the countrie (during the time of the persecution by the Britains) dailie resorted and came flocking in
from each side vnto them. Sisillius king of the Britains, who succéeded after Oenus, as then
latelie deceassed, hauing knowlege hereof, assembled a great armie of his subiects, and hearing
that the Scots and Picts were entred into the borders of his realme, he hasted foorth to incounter with their powers, and so ioining with them in battell, after long and cruell fight, in
The Britains are discomfited by the Scots and Picts.
Whereof Reuthirdale tooke the name.
the end the victorie remained with the Scotishmen and Picts, by the great valiancie and manfull prowesse of Reuther : wherevpon the place where that battell was fought hath béene euer
since called Reuthirdale, as ye would say Reuthers vallie.
This victorie was not very pleasant to any of the parties, by reason of the great numbers of
men slaine on both sides, insomuch that they were glad to fall to agréement immediatlie after,
and concluded a peace, with conditions that the Scotishmen and Picts should be restored againe
A peace concluded.
vnto their ancient possessions and lands in Albion. This peace continued a long time after
inuiolate betwixt these nations. The yeare that Reuther returned thus into Albion, was before the birth of Christ 216, after the building of Rome 529, and from the creation of the
240 H. B.
4995 H. B.
Reuther by Beda is named Reuda.
world 3750. Reuther by Beda in his ecclesiasticall historie of England is named Reuda,
who also supposeth him to be the first of all the Scotish princes, that set any foot in Britaine
there to inhabit : his comming thither was (as séemeth to some) long after the supposed time
here before alleged. And verelie there is great cause to mooue a doubt of the truth of that
which Hector Boetius hath written, in following (as he saith) other authors, touching the first
comming into Britaine, as well of the Scots and Picts. For if it were true, that so long before the comming of the Romans into this Ile, they were here planted and growne to such
puissance; it is strange that no mention is made of them in any of their writings,
the yeare 360 after Christ ; as in place conuenient it shall more plainelie appeere. Reuther
passed the residue of his daies without any further warres, forren and ciuill, and so departed
4997 H. B.
this world at Beregonium, in the 26 yeare of his reigne.
