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MALCOLM III., OR CANMORE, KING OF SCOTLAND.vFew sovereignsintheobscureand barbarous periods of nations have been morefortunateintheirchances of posthumous renown than Malcolm Canmore. HehashadBuchananfor his historian, and Shakspeare for his eulogist.Whattheformerlearned of him from Fordun, and detailed with all thegraceandmajestyof the Roman language, the latter embodied in poetry,andsuchpoetry aswill endure till the end of time. Every age will feelasifMalcolmCanmore had lived but yesterday, and was worthy ofeveryinquiry. He was the son of Duncan, who succeeded to the throne ofScotlandbytheassassination of his grandfather, Malcolm II. This'graciousDuncan'ofthe great poet appears to have been a soft, easy king,andlittlefittedfor the stormy people over whom he was called to rule.Stilllessdoes heappear to have been adapted to those difficult trials bywhichhewasquickly beset, in the first instance, from theinsurrectionofMacdonald,one of the powerful thanes of Scotland, whocalled intheIslesmen to hisaid; and afterwards, from the invasion of theDanes,whotried the barrenshores of Scotland, after they had wastedtotheuttermost the richcoasts of France and England. In bothcases,however,he was delivered bythe military prowess of his cousin,Macbeth,who notonly quelled therevolt of the islanders, but drove theDanes totheirshipping with greatslaughter. To understand aright theimportanceofthese military servicesof Macbeth, we should remember thatthegreatquestion at issue inScotland now was, what raceshouldfinallypredominate in the country. Solarge a portion of what hadbeenEnglandduring the heptarchy, had beenwon and incorporated intoScotland,thatthe Anglo-Saxon race bade fairto outnumber and surpass theCeltic;andthe rebellion of Macdonald wasnothing more, perhaps, than oneofthatlong series of trials between thetwo peoples, in which theCeltfinallysuccumbed. As for the Danishinvasion, it might have endedeitherin apermanent settlement inScotland, like that which had beeneffected bytheDanes in Normandy, ora complete conquest, like that whichtheyhadachieved in England, while,in either case, Scotland would havebeenasufferer. After these dangerous conflicts had terminated, Duncanmade hiseldestson,Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland, by which he designatedhim heirtotheScottish throne. This appointment, however, was anythingbutpleasingtoMacbeth. Here the reader will remember the predictionsoftheweirdsisters, which form a very important fact in the strangehistoryoftheperiod. But Macbeth had enough to incite him inhisambitiouscareerindependently of witch or prophetess. By the Tanistlawofsuccession,common to the Celts of Scotland as well asIreland,Macbeth,who was thecousin-german of Duncan, should have succeededtothegovernment on thedeath of the latter, should his son be stillaminor;but Duncan, by thismovement in favour of young Malcolm, setasidetheTanist law, which hadbeen the general rule of Scotland,andprecludedMacbeth from all hope ofbeing king. To be requited forhispublicservices by exclusion from hisinheritance, was too much forsuchanambitious spirit, while the onlychance of remedy was thepossibledeathof Duncan, before Malcolm was oldenough to be hisfatherussuccessor. Weknow how such a prospect haspaved the way to athrone inevery nation,whether barbarous orcivilized. Duncan wasassassinated. Thisfoul deed ofMacbeth, however,was not committed undertrust, and in hisown castle, asShakspeare, forthe purposes of poetry, hasrepresented; butat Bothgowan(or the SmithusDwelling), near Elgin, by anambuscadeappointed for thedeed. This eventis said to have occurred A.D.1039.Macbeth immediatelyplaced upon hisown head the crown which he hadsoviolently snatched,while the two sonsof Duncan fled, Malcolm, theelder,to Siward, Earl ofNorthumberland,his motherus brother, and Donald,theyounger, to hisfatherus kindred inthe Hebrides. The commencement ofthe reign of Macbeth, like that of manyusurpers,wasone of conciliation.He won over the powerful by donationsofcrownlands, and the common peopleby a vigorous administrationofjustice,through which their safety wassecured and theirindustryencouraged. Healso made several excellent laws;and if thoseattributedto him by Boeceare to be relied on, they give acurious pictureof thetimes, and thecondition of Scotland. They begin withthe rightsofchurchmen, in thismanner: 'He that is in orders shall notanswer beforeasecular judge,but shall be remitted to his judge ordinary.'Thencomesthe royalauthority: 'No man shall possess lands, rents,offices,orbuildings, byany other authority than by the kinguslicense.'Followingthe heels oflord or laird, that vice of Scotsmen duringthefeudal ages,found nofavour in the eyes of Macbeth, for he thusenacted:'He thatfollows aman to the kirk or market shall be punished tothedeath, unlesshe livesby his industry whom he follows.' But themostterrible of all isthefollowing sharp statute: 'Fools, minstrels,bards,and all othersuchidle people, unless they be specially licensed bytheking, shallbecompelled to seek some craft to win their living: iftheyrefuse,theyshall be yoked like horses in the plough and harrows.'Allthis waswell;but either fearing the nobles whose power he sovigorouslycurbed,orbeing naturally of a cruel disposition, Macbeth begantooppressthemwith such severity that revolts in favour of Malcolm,whomtheyregardedas the true heir, ensued, which, however, wereeasilysuppressed.Atlast, after a reign of ten years, during which hedailybecamemoreunpopular, his cruel conduct to Macduff, Thane ofFife,procuredhisdownfall. The latter fled to Northumberland, whereyoungMalcolmwassheltered, and besought him to march against the tyrant,whosedoomherepresented as certain; but Malcolm, who had been previouslytriedinasimilar manner by the emissaries of Macbeth, and whohadlearnedtosuspect such invitations, is said by our historians tohavemadethoseobjections to Macduffus appeal which Shakspeare haslittlemorethanversified in his immortal tragedy. Truth andpatriotismfinallyprevailedover the doubts of Malcolm; and aided by anEnglish forcefromSiward,the prince and thane entered Scotland, where theywere joinedbythevassals of Macduff, and a whole army of malcontents.Evenyet,however,Macbeth was not without his supporters, so thatthecontestwasprotracted for a considerable period, Macbeth retiringforthatpurposeinto the fastnesses of the north, and especially hisstrongcastleofDunsinane. At length, deserted by most of hisfollowers,heintrenchedhimself in a fort built in an obscure valleyatLunfannan,inAberdeenshire. Here Boece records, with his wontedgravity,allthemarvels that accompanied the dying struggle of the tyrantasfactsofunquestionable veracity. Leaving these,however,tohistrionicrepresentation, it is enough to state that Macbethfell bythehand, itis generally supposed, of Macduff, who had personalinjuriestorevenge,and who, like a true Celt, was prompt enough torememberthem.Instead ofclaiming from the grateful Malcolm what rewards hepleasedinlands,titles, and pre-eminence, the thane of Fifecontentedhimselfwithstipulating that himself and his successors, thelords ofFife,shouldhave the right of placing the Scottish kings upon thethroneattheircoronation; that they should lead the van of theScottisharmieswhen theroyal banner was displayed; and that if he or anyofhiskindredcommitted 'slaughter of suddenty,' the deed should beremittedforapecuniary atonement. Malcolmus next duty,immediatelyafterhisaccession, was to replace those families that had beendeprivedoflandor office through the injustice of Macbeth. It is alsoadded,thathecaused his nobles to assume surnames from the landstheypossessed,andintroduced new titles of honour among them, such asthose ofEarl,Baron,and Knight, by which they are henceforth distinguishedinthehistoriesof Scotland. By these changes Malcolm Canmore became kingof Scotland withoutarival,for although Macbeth left a step-son, calledLulach (or theFool),hisopposition did not occasion much apprehension. Agreatersubjectofanxiety was the consolidation of that strangedisjointedkingdomoverwhich he was called to rule, and here Canmore wasmetbydifficultiessuch as few sovereigns have encountered. A singleglanceatthe conditionof the country will sufficiently explainthesevereprobation with whichhis great abilities were tried. Scotland hadoriginally consisted of the two states of PictlandandAlbin,comprisedwithin the limits of the Forth and the Clyde, whileallbeyondthese riversformed part of England. The troubles, however, ofthelattercountry, atfirst from the wars of the heptarchy, andafterwardstheDanish invasions,enabled the Scots to push the limits oftheirbarreninheritance into thefertile districts of the south, and annextotheirdominion the kingdom ofStrathclyde, whichcomprisedClydesdale,Peebles-shire, Selkirkshire, andthe upper partsofRoxburghshire. Theconquest of this important territorywasaccomplishedby Kenneth III.,about one hundred years before theaccessionof MalcolmCanmore. Inaddition to this, the district of Cumbriahad beenceded byEdmund I.,the English king, in 946, to Malcolm I. ofScotland.ThusMalcolm Canmoresucceeded to the kingdom when it was composedof thethreestates ofAlbin, Pictland, and Strathclyde. But besides thesetherewas afourthterritory, called Lodonia or Lothian, which at oneperiodappearsto haveformed part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom ofNorthumbria, buthadbeenpartially conquered by the Picts in 685; and as itlay betweenthetwocountries, it had formed, from the above-mentionedperiod, aboneofcontention between the English and the Scots until A.D.1020,oraboutthirty-seven years before Malcolm Canmoreus accession,whenitwasfinally ceded by Eadulf, Earl of Northumberland, toMalcolmII.,thegreat-grandfather of Canmore. Thus the sovereignty ofScotland at this time, barren thoughitwas,consisted of four separatekingdoms, all the fruitsofsuccessiveconquests, and as yet not fullyincorporated, or evenproperlyunited;and each was at any time ready eitherto resume anindependentnationalexistence of its own, or commence a war ofconquestorextirpationagainst the others. And for such an explosiontherewasabundance offierce materials in the population by which thecountrywasoccupied. Forthere were first the Caledonians or Picts,theearliestoccupants of theland, who had successfully resisted theRomaninvaders;after these werethe Scoti or Irish, from Ulster, who hadenteredScotlandabout themiddle of the third century; and lastly, theSaxons,ofdifferent race,language, and character from the others,who,thoughoriginally conqueredby the Scots and Picts, already bade fairtobecomethe conquerors ofboth in turn. But besides these there wasalargeinfusion of a Danishpopulation, not only from theannexationofStrathclyde, but theinvasions of the Danes by sea, so thatmany ofthenorthern islands, anda portion of the Scottish coast, werepeopled bytheimmediatedescendants of these enterprising rovers. Turningtoanotherpart of thekingdom, we find a still different people, calledthe'wildScots ofGalloway,' who had emigrated from the opposite coastolIreland,andoccupied Galloway and part of Ayrshire, along with thewildestofthePictish population among whom they had thus won a footing.Here,then,wehave a strange medley of Caledonians, Cymbrians,Celts,Anglo-Saxons,andDanes, men of different race and language, and ofrivalinterests,allthrust into one sterile country, to contend not merelyforemptyglory,but absolute subsistence. And by whom was the scanty loaftobefinallywon?v but the loaf had first to be created from aflintysoil,that hadhitherto produced nothing but thistles; and of alltheseraces,theAnglo-Saxon, by its skill, industry, and perseverance,showeditselfthebest adapted for the purpose. On the accession ofMalcolmCanmore, itwasevidently necessary that he should identify himselfwithsome oneofthese rival parties; and had he followed ashort-sightedorselfishpolicy, he would have placed himself at the head oftheCelticinterest,not only as it was still predominant, but also as hewasthelinealdescendant and representative of Kenneth Macalpine, thefounderoftheScoto-Irish dynasty. But he was the son of an Anglo-Saxonmother;hehadresided in England for fifteen years; and he hadbeenfinallyestablishedin his rights chiefly by Anglo-Saxon auxiliaries,inspite ofthe Tanistlaw of succession, which had favoured theusurpationofMacbeth. Besides,his long stay in England must have convincedhim ofthesuperiority ofthe Anglo-Saxons in civilization, industry, andthe artsoflife, as wellas aptitude for order and a settled government.Hethereforeadopted thechance of becoming a Saxon king, rather thanthecertainty ofbeing aCeltic chief of chieftains; and the result showedthewisdom ofhischoice. He was thenceforth the Alfred of his country; andtheScotsunderhis rule became a nation and a people, instead of a heapoftribesandchieftainries. During the first nine years of Canmoreus reign,England wasgovernedbyEdward the Confessor, who was more intent onbuildingchurchesthanmaking conquests, and thus a friendly relationshipwasmaintainedbetweenthe two countries, which allowed the Scottish kingtoconsolidatehisdominions. On the death of the Confessor, and accessionofHarold,thelatter king was soon occupied with a civil war, at the headofwhichwashis own brother, Tostig, whom he had made Earl ofNorthumberland.Atthisperiod, indeed, there was some danger of Malcolmbeing drawnintoadangerous war with England; for while there, hehadformedanacquaintanceship with Tostig, whom, according toanoldEnglishchronicler, he loved as a brother, so that whentheNorthumbrianearlfled after his first unsuccessful attempt, hebetookhimself forshelterto the Scottish court, and endeavoured to stir upitsking to anEnglishinvasion. But Malcolm had too much good sense, ortoomuch rightfeeling,to be allured by such a tempting opportunity wheretwobrotherswere atdeadly variance. Disappointed in Scotland, Tostigobtainedan allyinHardrada, king of Norway, with whom he invaded England;but inthebattleof Stamford Bridge, their forces were completely defeated,andbothkingand earl were left among the slain. Events soon followed thatmade the continuance of peace betweenthetwokingdoms impossible. Theveering of the same wind thathadbroughtHardrada from Norway, waftedWilliam the Conqueror fromNormandytoEngland; and Harold, weakened by thevictory at StamfordBridge,fell,with all the flower of his military array,at the terriblebattleofHastings. William was now king of England, andScotland becamenot onlyaplace of refuge to Saxon fugitives, but a markfor Normanambitionandrevenge. Among those who thus fled to the Scottishcourt,wasEdgarAtheling, nearest of kin to Edward the Confessor, andchiefclaimanttothe throne of England, with his mother Agatha, widowofEdmundIronside,and his sisters Margaret and Christina. OnreachingDunfermline,theroyal seat of the Scottish king, they found manyof theEnglishnobles,who had preceded them, while from Malcolm theyexperiencedthatfullhospitality which he had himself enjoyed in England.Of thetwosistersof Edgar, Margaret, who was young and beautiful,captivatedtheheart ofher royal host, and a marriage quickly followed.Seldom hasamarriageunion been fraught with such advantages to a nation asthatofthe kingof Scotland with this descendant of the noble lineofAlfred,forMargaret was not only gentle, affectionate, and pious,butlearnedandaccomplished beyond the people of her new country,andanxioustointroduce among them the civilization of England. Her laboursinthiswayform a beautiful episode in the history of the period,andhavebeenfully detailed by her biographer, Turgot, who was alsoherchaplainandconfessor. Her first care was the improvement ofherhusband,whosevigorous mind she enlightened, and whose fierce spiritshesoothedby thewisdom and gentleness of her counsels. The effect ofthisuponMalcolmwas such, that though unable to read her missals andbooksofdevotion,he was wont to kiss them in token of reverence, andhecausedthem to berichly bound, and ornamented with gold and jewels.OnarrivinginScotland, Margaret, as a Christian according to theRomishChurch,wasgrieved to find the Eastern form predominant, which shehadbeentaughtto regard as heresy, and not long after she became queen,shesetherselfin good earnest to discountenance and refute itvfor herswasnot amindto comprehend the uses of persecution in achievingtheconversionofmisbelievers. She invited the Culdee clergy to a debate,inwhichthechief subject was the proper season for the celebrationofLentvthegreattheological question of the day between the EasternandWesternchurches;and as she was unacquainted with the language oftheseCuldees,Malcolm,who spoke the Celtic as well as the Saxontongue,attended asherinterpreter. This strange controversy lasted threedays,and onthisoccasion, says Turgot, 'she seemed another St. Helena,outoftheScriptures convincing the Jews.' The temporal concernsofherhusbandussubjects were also taken into account, and sheinvitedmerchantsfromvarious countries, who now for the first time pursuedtheirtrafficinScotland. Their wares chiefly consisted of ornamentsandrichclothing,such as had never been seen there before; and whenthepeople,at herpersuasion, put them on, he informs us they mightalmostbebelieved tohave become new beings, they appeared so gay andcomely.Whodoes not seein this, the commencement of an industrialspiritvthefirstgreat step ofa people from barbarism tocivilization? Herinfluence wasalso shown inthe royal household,the rude coarseness ofwhich wasexchanged for anumerous retinue, andorderly dignifiedceremonial, sothat when Malcolmappeared in public, itwas with a trainthat commandedrespect. Not onlyhis attendants, but hisbanquets weredistinguished bythe same regalsplendour, for Turgot informsus thatMargaret caused himto be served attable from vessels of gold andsilverplate; but suddenlycheckinghimself, he adds, 'at least they weregilt orsilvered over.' From this pleasing picture we must now turn to thestormy careerofMalcolmCanmore. The arrival of Edgar Atheling was followedby afreshimmigrationof Saxons, and soon after of Normans, whom Williamhadeitherdisgusted byhis tyranny or defrauded of their wages,whileMalcolm, whoneeded suchsubjects, received them with welcome, andgavethem broadlands; and fromthese refugees the chief nobility ofScotlandwereafterwards descended.The latter country became of courseverycloselyconnected with thestruggles of the English againsttheNormanascendency, while Malcolm byhis marriage was bound tosupportthepretensions of his brother-in-law tothe crown of England. ButEdgarwasno match for William, and, in anattempt that he madeinNorthumberlandand Yorkshire with the aid of aDanish armament, he wassoeffectuallydefeated, that he was obliged asecond time to fleetoScotland. HowMalcolm, who was considered as thehead of thiscoalition,failed toinvade England when his aid was mostexpected, does notclearlyappear,but he thereby escaped the evils of anill-concerted andmostdisastrousenterprise. Two years after (in 1070) hecrossed theborderwith an army,but found the northern counties so wastedby thepreviouswar, that aftera hasty incursion into NorthumberlandandYorkshire, hewas obliged toretreat. But brief as this inroad was,andunaccompaniedwith battle, itwas not without its share of the horrorsofwar, forMalcolm commandedhis soldiers to spare only the young menandwomen, whoaccordingly werecarried into Scotland, and there soldasslaves. So greatwas the numberof these unhappy captives, thataccordingto Simeon ofDurham, there wasnot a village, and scarcely even ahovel inScotlandwithout them. Andyet those English who escaped thevisitation, inmanycases seem to haveenvied their fate, for such was thegeneraldesolationwhich their ownNorman sovereign had inflicted, thattheyrepaired incrowds to Scotland,and sold themselves into slavery, toavoidcertaindeath from famine orthe sword. Had William the Conqueror notbeen otherwise occupied, aswiftretaliationwould have been certain; butfrom the dangerous revoltsofthe English, hefound no leisure for thepurpose till 1072, whenheentered Scotland withsuch an army as theundisciplined forces ofMalcolmwere unable to meet.The whole of the Normancavalry, in whichWilliamusprincipal strengthconsisted, and every footsoldier that couldbe sparedfrom garrison, weremustered for the purpose,while his advanceon landwas supported by afleet that sailed along thecoast. He marched asfaras the Tay, the Scotsgiving way as he approached;but in theirretreatthey laid waste thecountry in the hope of driving himback byfamine. Inthis way, MalcolmCanmore anticipated the wise plan ofdefencethat wasafterwards sosuccessfully adopted by Bruce and Wallace. Healsorefusedto deliver upthose English and Norman nobles who had fled tohimforprotection. Atlast, William, finding 'nothing of that which tohimthebetterwas'vnothing in the shape of booty or even ofsubsistence,wasobliged toabandon his purposes of a complete conquest ofScotland,andcontenthimself with terms of agreement. These, whichwereratifiedbetween himand Malcolm at Abernethy, consisted in thelattergivinghostages, anddoing homage to William, as his liege lord. Butforwhatwas this homagerendered? Not for Scotland certainly,thegreater part ofwhich was stilluntouched, and which William would soonbeobliged toleave from sheerhunger. It appears that this homage wasmerelyfor thelands of Cumberlandand part of the Lothians, which Scotlandhadformerlyheld of the Englishcrown, but which feudal acknowledgmentCanmorehadwithheld, as notjudging the Norman to be the lawful kingofEngland.Now, however, heprudently yielded it, thus recognizing WilliamastheEnglish sovereign defacto at least, if not de jure; andwiththisconcession the latter seemsto have been satisfied, for hereturnedtoEngland without any furtherattempt. And this homage, as iswellknown,implied neither inferioritynor degradation, for even themostpowerfulsovereigns were wont to givesuch acknowledgment, for thedukedomsorcounties they might hold in otherkingdoms. In this way, thekingsofEngland themselves were vassals to theFrench crown fortheirpossessionswhich they held in France. At theutmost, Malcolm didnothingmore thanabandon the claims of EdgarAtheling, which experiencemust havenowtaught him were scarcely worthdefending. Edgar indeed was ofthesameopinion, for soon after heabandoned all his claims to thecrownofEngland, and was contented tobecome the humble pensionary oftheNormanconqueror. A peace that lasted a few years between England andScotlandensued,duringwhich, although little is heard of Malcolm Canmore,it isevidentfrom theprogress of improvement in his kingdom, that he wasby nomeansidle.Scotland was more and more becoming Anglo-Saxon insteadofCelticorDanish, while the plentiful immigrations that continuedtoflowfromEngland filled up the half-peopled districts, enrichedthebarrensoilwith the agriculture of the south, and diffused the spiritofahighercivilization. The superiority of these exileswasquicklymanifested inthe fact, that they laid the foundations ofthosegreatfamilies by whomScotland was afterwards ruled, and by whom thewarsofScottishindependence were so gallantly maintained. Malcolm,too,theirwise andgenerous protector, was able to appreciate their worth,forheappears tohave been as chivalrous as any man of the day,whetherNormanor Saxon.Of this he on one occasion gave a signal proof.Havinglearnedthat oneof his nobles had plotted to assassinate him, heconcealedhisknowledgeof the design, and in the midst of a hunt led thetraitorintotheforest, beyond the reach of interruption. Theredismounting,anddrawinghis sword, he warned the other that he was aware ofhispurpose,andinvited him to settle the contest, man to man, insinglecombat, nowthatthere was no one at hand to prevent or arresthim.Conquered bysuchunexpected magnanimity, the man fell at the feetofMalcolm, andimploredforgiveness, which was readily granted.Thisgenerosity was notthrownaway, for the noble was converted from anenemyand traitor intoafaithful and affectionate servant. Peace continuedbetween England and Scotland during the restoftheConquerorus reign; butin that of William Rufus, the nationalrancourwasrevived. An invasion ofEngland was the consequence, whileRufuswasabsent in Normandy; but theEnglish nobility, who governedduringhisabsence, offered such a stoutresistance, that the invadersretreated.Onthe return of Rufus, heendeavoured to retaliate byacounter-invasionboth by land and sea; but hisships were destroyedbeforethey arrivedoff the Scottish coast, and thearmy on reaching arivercalled ScotteUatra (supposed to be Scotswater),found Malcolm readyforthe encounter.Here a battle was prevented by theinterposition ofmutualfriends, andthe discretion of the Scottishsovereign. 'KingMalcolm,'thus the SaxonChronicle states, 'came to ourking, and becamehis man,promising allsuch obedience as he formerlyrendered to hisfather; andthat heconfirmed with an oath. And the king,William, promisedhim inlandand inall things, whatever he formerly hadunder his father.'In this waythestorm was dissipated, and matters placedon their formerfooting;butthus they did not long continue. On returningfrom Scotland,Rufuswasstruck with the admirable position of Carlisle, andits fitnessto beafrontier barrier against future invasions from Scotland;uponwhichhetook possession of the district without ceremony, droveoutitsfeudallord, and proceeded to lay the foundations of a strongcastle,andplantan English colony in the town and neighbourhood. ItwasnowMalcolmusturn to interpose. Independently of his kingdombeingthusbridled,Carlisle and the whole of Cumberland had for alongperiodbelonged tothe elder son of the Scottish kings, and was one ofthemostvaluable oftheir possessions on the English side of the Tweed.Warwasabout tocommence afresh, when Malcolm was invited toGloucester,wheretheEnglish king was holding his court, that the affairmight besettledbynegotiation; but thither he refused to go, until hehadobtainedhostagesfor his safe returnva sure proof that he wasanindependent kingofScotland, and not a mere vassal of the Englishcrown.His claimswererecognized, and the hostages granted; but on arrivingatGloucester,hewas required to acknowledge the superiority of Englandbysubmittingtothe decision of its barons assembled in court. It wasanarrogantandunjust demand, and as such he treated it. He declaredthattheScottishkings had never been accustomed to make satisfaction tothekingsofEngland for injuries complained of, except on the frontiersofthetwokingdoms, and by the judgment of the barons ofbothcollectively;andafter this refusal he hurried home, and preparedforinstant war. That war was not only brief, but most disastrous toScotland. Attheheadof an army composed of different races not yetaccustomed toactinconcert, Malcolm crossed the border, and laid siegetoAlnwick.Whilethus occupied, he was unexpectedly attacked by astrongEnglishandNorman force, on November 13, 1093. His troops, takenbysurprise,appearto have made a very short resistance, andMalcolmhimself,whileattempting to rally them, was slain in the confusionoftheconflict.With him also perished his eldest son, Edward, whofellfightingby hisside. While an event so mournful to Scotland wasoccurring before thewallsofAlnwick, another was about to take placewithin the castleofEdinburgh.There Queen Margaret, the beloved of thekingdom, laydying.She hadalready received the viaticum, and was utteringher lastprayer,beforeher eyes should be closed in death, when her sonEdgar, whohadescapedfrom the battle, entered the apartment, and stoodbefore her.Shehastilyasked, 'How fares it with the king and myEdward?' Theyouth couldnotspeak. After being canonized by thechurch, her relics wereto beremovedfrom their grave to a more honourabletomb; but it wasfoundimpossibleto lift the body until that of her husbandhad beenremovedalso. It is to be regretted that for the biography of sucha manasMalcolmCanmore, the particulars are so few, so obscure, and,inseveralcases,so contradictory. His life, however, is chiefly to bereadnotinparticular incidents, but in its great national results. IfBrucewastheliberator, and Knox the reformer of Scotland, Canmorewasitsfounder;and should a future age expand the few pillars upontheCaltonHill intoa National Monument, these three illustriousmenwouldundoubtedly beselected as the impersonations of Scottishcharacter.
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Thomas
Schäfer
