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The character of this most excellent Prince. By another hand.

ALEXANDER I. King of Scotland, having died without iffue, his brother David, the youngest of Malcolm III.'s fons, fucceeded him in the year of Chrift 1124: After David afcended the throne, he fo compleatly discharged the office of a moft excellent prince, in the management of the kingdom, that he equalled any of the former kings in the art of war, and far furpaffed them in the studies of peace. He quelled the inhabitants of Murray and Galloway, who rebelled against him. He often engaged the English in the field with various fuccefs, but always with invincible greatness of foul. In the mean time too, he reformed the state, by the excellent laws he made. He either himself administered justice every where, with the greatest equity and application, or took care to have it administered by others. He cleared his court from all manner of luxury and other vices, which usually infeft the palaces of kings. In all the works of piety he far excelled the kings before him, or that came after him. To the four bishopricks that were erected before, he added fix others. He repaired the monafteries of different orders, that were decayed through length of time, or demolished by the calamities of war, and many he built from the foundation; all which he endowed with large revenues, according to the circumftances of thofe times. For this his most earneft endeavour to promote the worship of God, and for all other virtues, worthy

worthy of a Chriftian prince, he was most justly inrolled in the number of the faints, if any mortal deserves to have such an honour conferred on him. In the 7th year of his reign, he was deprived of Maud his Queen, a most excellent woman, and who enriched him with the earldoms of Northumberland and Huntington. He regreted the lofs of her fo much, that he lived all his days thereafter without having any commerce with women. In the 28th year of his reign, that is, the year of Chrift 1152, he loft his only fon Prince Henry, a youth of the greatest hopes, and very like his father in every kind of virtue. King David himself, the year following, on the 24th of May, rendered his foul to God, after he had reigned twenty nine years, two months and three days.

The Hiftory of a bloody combat, fought by two of the Highland clans, in the month of Septem ber, in the year of our Lord 1396, in the reign of Robert III. King of Scotland, on the North-inch of Perth, in prefence of the King and court, and a vast crowd of spectators.

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[Taken from the Scottish hiftory. ]

No fooner was the infurrection of Duncan

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Stuart, fon to Alexander Stuart Earl of Buchan, the King's brother, fuppreffed, but the court was alarmed with the cruelties and animofities of two of the Highland clans a gainst one another; the clans were the Mackays and the Macintoshes. They refused to end their feuds by courfe of law, or to refer

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them to indifferent arbitrators: Whereupon the King fent two perfons of diftinction to fupprefs them, viz. Thomas Earl of Dunbar, and David Lindfay, foon thereafter created Earl of Crawfurd. The heads of thefe clans, at that time, according to Hector Bouc, (lib. 16. fol. 335.), were Stratberge and Chrifte Makean. The King's commanders, confidering they were to engage a fierce and refolute people, who not only defpifed pleasure, but even death itself, so that they were not likely to fubdue them by force, without great flaughter of their own men; they therefore refolved to try what they could do by policy. And accordingly they difcourfed the heads of both clans apart, and reprefented to them what danger would accrue to both by their mutual flaughters of one another; and if one family fhould extirpate the other, yet that was not likely to be effected without great damage, even of the conquering fide and if it might, yet the conteft would not end fo; for then the conquerors were to engage the King's forces, though they were weakened before by their mutual conflicts; of whofe anger against them both, they might be juftly fenfible; because he had fent forces to destroy them both, even before they had difabled one another. But if they would hearken to thofe who were more defirous of their preservation than their ruin, they would fhew them a way how they might be reconciled honourably, with amends, and to the King's fatisfaction. When they defired to hear how this condition was propofed; that 30 of each fide fhould try it out in fight before the King, armed on.

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ly with their fwords. "Some of our Scot"tifh hiftorians fay, that, befides their broad "fwords or claymores and durks, the com"batants were allowed alfo to use their bows; "but it feems very abfurd to think, that any "fuch thing fhould be allowed to them, be"caufe of the danger that might happen "thereby to the King and his court, and the

many fpectators that were there. And all "of our hiftorians agree, that the combatants were exprefsly difcharged the use of "the target, or of any other defence for their "bodies, except, as was faid, their claymores or "durks." They that were conquered fhould have a pardon for all past offences; and the conquerors fhould be honoured and refpe&ted by the King and his nobles. Both fides were well pleafed with the terms: fo that a day was fixed for the combat. And, at the time appointed, the heads of the families, with their parties, came to court; and part of a 'field on the North-fide of the town of Perth, which was fevered from the reft by a deep trench, was appointed for the place of combat; and gallaries built round for fpectators. Hereupon an huge multitude was affembled together, and fat ready to fee the difpute: But the fight was delayed a while, because one of the 30 of the one party had hid himfelf for fear, (this was, according to ourftorians, one of the Macintoshes), and has fellows were not willing to engage without juft an equal number with their adverfaries; neither was any one found willing to fupply the place of him that was abfent; and of the other party not a man would be drawn out, or exempted

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empted from the fight, left he might feen lefs valued, or not fo couragious as the rest. After a little paufe, an ordinary tradefman comes forth, and offers to fupply the place of him that was abfent, provided, that, if his fide conquered, they would pay him down half a gold dollar of France, and also provide for his maintenance afterward as long as he lived. Thus the number being again equalled, the fight began; and it was carried on with fuch great contention, both of body and mind, as old grudges, inflamed by new loffes, could raise up in men of fuch fierce difpofitions, accuftomed to blood and cruelty; efpecially feeing honour and eftate was propounded to the conqueror; death and ignominy to the conquered. The fpectators were poffeffed with as much horror as the combatants were with fury; as detefting to behold the ugly and deformed mutilations and butcheries of one another's bodies, the lopping off their limbs, and, in a word, the rage of wild beafts under the fhape of men. But all took notice, that none carried himself more valiantly than that mercenary and fuppofititious hireling, to whose valour a great part of the victory was to be afcribed. Of that fide that he was of, (that is, of the Macintoshes, whom he joined, though no ways related to that clan), there were ten alive befides himself; but all of them grievoufly wounded. Of the contrary faction, (that is, of the Mackays), there remained only one, who was not wounded at all; but as there was fo much odds, and he would be forced fingly to encounter with fo many, he threw himself into the river Tay, which ran by, and,

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