Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1844-12-26
BY GEO. II. BEAMAN.

cd by the Norwecians. The sons Of Dun
can were obliged to fly; The eldest took ref
nge at the Court Of England. while The sec
ond fed from the vsnganee Of Macbeth 10
the Hebrides, and surrendered 10 Thorfnn
himself Macbeth, with the sanction, prob.
ably, Of the Earl Of Orkney, assumed the
title Of the King Of Scotland, which he
claimed 10 right Of his cousin Malcolm and,
notwithstanding all the efhrts Of the Scots
he maintained possession Of the crown for
period Of eight years.
although Macbeth was native chief,
add one of the Gaelic maormors OF the
moth. We, his conquest can only be consld.
cred with regard 10 its effects rs Move.
gan conquest lie had previously been
tributary 10 that people, and it was BY their
assistance principally that he became King
ofSco,IanJ; so lha, at this period we may
consider the whole county as having been
virtually under the domain Of the Norwe-
gians; Thorfnn himself ruled over the nor.
thern istricts, while with his concurrence
Macbeth reigned in the southern half
"During the reign Of Macbeth, the ad-
herenls Of the A,holc family made two sew
eral attempts to recover possession of the
throne, but they were both equally unsuc.
cessful The first occurred in the year
lO45, when Crinan, the father of Duncan,
attacked Macbeth a, the head of the adhe-
rents Of the family in Scotland Crinans
defeat was total, and the slaughter very
great for in the concise words of the Irish
analist, an that battle was slain Crinan,
Abbot of Dunkeid and many with him,
namely, nine times twenty heroes"
THIS defeat seems for the time to have
completely extiugushed Dnncans party in
Scotland and it was not I'LL nine years az
forwards that the second attempt was made
Malcolm Duncan's eldest son, who had Ia
ken refuge in England obtained from the
English king the assistance of a Saxon ar.
nv under the command of Siward. the
Earl of Northumberland; but although
Siward succeeded in wrestling Lo,hina from
Macbeth and IN placing Malcolm king
over it, he was unable to obtain any further
advantage and Macbeth still retained the
kingdom of Scotland proper while Malcolm
ruled as king over Lothian, until four
years afterwards. more favorable oppor-
iunity occurred for renewing the enterprise
The son of the king Of Norway, in the
course of one ofthe numerous practical ex.
petitions which were undertaken by the
Norwegians, had arrived al the Oakneys,
and on finding the grea. state Of power to
which ThorGnn had raised himself, he pro-
posed that they should join in undertaking
an expedition having no less an object than
the subjuga,ion of the kingdom of England
Il this proposal the crtefprising Earl OF
Orkney at once acceded, and the two ga
kings departed for the south with the whole
Norwegian force which they could collect.
1t was not destined, however, that it should
even land on the English coast, for their
feet appears to have been dispersed and al.
most destroyed in a tempest; such was
probably at least the calamity which befel
the expedition as the words of the Irish
annalist, who alone records the event, SIM
ply, 'But God was against them in that af
fair.'
at appears that the king of England had
no sooner become aware of the discontinue
$ of the lhreatned invasion Of his territories
, than he sent an English army into Scotland
for the purpose Of overhrowing the power
' OF the Norwegans in that country, and o.
establishing Malcolm Kenmore on hi:
f. fathers throne ; and in the absence Of thu
; Norwegians, the Saxon army was too pow.
!. erful for the Gaelic force Of Macbeth tc
J. Withstand The English accordingly made
. themselves master Of the south of Scotland
, and drove Macbeth as far north as Lum
, phanau, where he was overtaken and slaii
;. in battle. Upon the death Of Macbeth
;, Lulach, the son Of his Gillcomgain, sue
q ceeded him but after maintaing struggle
e with Malcolm for the short space of thre,
II months. he was also defeated and slain a
\ Essex, in S,ralhbogie.
J. In consequence OF this defeat Malcolm
v Kenmore obtained, by the assistance of tn,
y English, quiet possession Of the throne o
Scotland. which his own power and talent
d enabled him to preserve during the remain
e der Of his life. He was prevented appa
a rently BY the return of Thor6nn, from
!. attempting 10 recover any part Of the moi
n thern districts which the Norwegian ear
= subjugaed, and consequently his territorie
n. consisted only of those southern districts
IT which Macbeth had acquired by the defea
a, of his father Duncan.
Ie "From the accession of Malcolm
F. Kenmore to the death of Thorfinr
lie which took place six years after, tn
e state OF Scotland remained unsettled
9 and the country exhibited the remark
. able spectacle of Galeic population
u one half OF which obeyed the rule of
y Norwegian earl, while the other hal
= were subdued by prince Of their owl
:. race at the head of Saxon army"
+. This narrative puts the idea of mul
der and usurpation entirely out of tn
he question. Duncan was only an adver