DONALD.
BUT because he came to the estate thus by bloud, he continued still in doubt and feare of
A guiltie conscience.
new conspiracies, being guiltie in conscience of his wrongfull vsurpation. Those prisoners
also, which he had taken in the battell, he kept in perpetuall captiuitie, menacing them
present death, if anie of their friends and allies attempted anie stirre against him. Moreouer he nourished priuie factions amongest the nobilitie, supposing thereby that their powers
would be the more féeble in anie publike exploit that was to be mooued against him;
finallie, if anie mischiefe happened amongest them, he caused the matter thoroughlie to be
looked vpon, but with such regard that he alwaies inriched his owne cofers with the
forfeitures and penalties which he tooke vp amongst them. He seldome times went abroad,
and when he stirred foorth anie whither, he had his gard about him, appointed with weapons
in warlike sort for dout of treason. He aduanced diuers of base condition to great wealth
and honor, and behaued himselfe so in sundrie sorts with his mistrustfull crueltie, that manie
there were which dread him, and but a few that loued him, so that in the end being in a
Donald of the Iles is murthered.
Anno Christi.
273. H. B.
maner run into the deadlie hatred of all men, he was murthered one night at Enuerlochthée
(whither he was come to haue passed ouer into the Iles) by certeine that had conspired his
death in the twelfth yeare of his reigne.
The chiefe of the conspirators was one Crathlint the sonne of king Findocke, who
Crathlint chiefe conspirator to the murthering of Donald.
Crathlint procureth the nobles of the countrie to oppresse the seruants of king Donald.
immediatlie after the déed doone, conueied himselfe secretlie out of the chamber, and repairing
vnto certeine nobles and gentlemen inhabiting néere hand in the countrie, he declared vnto
them the whole matter, exhorting them to aid him, in reuenging the iniuries doone not onelie
to them priuatlie, as he knew verie well; but also to the whole state of the Scotish common
welth, by the naughtie suggestion of diuerse of the kings complices, who as yet vnderstood
nothing of their maisters death, but were all quiet in their beds, as men suspecting nothing
lesse than that which was now happened.
The gentlemen hearing the newes, and reioising greatlie thereat, got them to their weapons,
and earlie in the verie dawning of the day, comming vpon the kings houshold meaine, they
slue aboue two hundred of them in the place where they lodged, the residue escaping foorth
of the house, and thinking to saue themselues, were beaten downe in the countrie as they
passed by the people, who bare so deadlie and mortall hatred vnto the late king, that they
not onelie reioised much at his death, but thought themselues sufficientlie reuenged, when
they could kill anie that did belong vnto him.
