A New General History of Scotland - v. 2 Author:Robert Heron Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: and that, the native Irifh were to be expected . , .. Ch. VHT. join the Scots, with one voice, as their deliverers. The Scottifh expedition into Ireland te... more »rminated in misfortune ; but, when the fpirit and the ignorance ot the age are duly confidered ; it cannot appear to have been very unwifely concerted. Chapter VIII. Continuation, and end of Robert Bruce s reign. At the time when Edward Bruce went, to fin death or a crown in Ireland ; Scotland was left at peace on its fouthern frontier ; becaufe the Eng-rcfiuuci1- lifli were, for the prefent unable to renew the in- fafion ; and becaufe the Scots chofe to transfer the farther profecution of the war, to a foreign country. Robert Bruce feized this interval, to makeRoiirrt an expedition to the Hebudian ifles. Thefe iflesf™"; had been but lately ceded by the Norwegians to'othe 1 J ... Hebads. the ScottiHi Crown. They were thinly inhabited by a favage race of people, partly of Norwegian, and in part of Scottifh or Irifh defcent. Removed by their local circumftances, from the ready re- ftraint raint of fat; government to which they had become nominally fubject; and in the rudenefs of their knowledge and manners, ftrangers to the benefits of focial order ; the Hebudians ftill lived in a flate of lawlefs inJependence ; obedient to no authority, except for the moment at which it was irrefiftibly enforced by arms; in continual hofti- lity with one another, and with all their neighbours around. From the death of Alexander the Third, to the battle of Bannockburn, the uncertain ftate of the fovereignty of Scotland, had left no leifure to its rulers, during which, they might have reduced the Hebudians to due fubordination. Robert Bruce had found a temporary refuge a- mong them; and had obtained, out of the ifles, ...« less