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: CHAPTER V. ACCESSION OF ALEXANDER II. BURNING OF THE BISHOP OF CAITHNESS. ACCESSION OF ALEXANDER HI. BATTLE OK LARGS. CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. England: John. France: Philip II. Henry III. Louis VIII. Louis IX. 1214 ? 1263. William The Lion died at Stirling, in December, 1214, and was succeeded by his son, Alexander II., a youth in years, but remarkable for prudence and for firmness. In his days there was some war with England, as he espoused the cause of the disaffected barons, against King John. But no disastrous consequences having arisen, the peace betwixt the two kingdoms was so effectually restored, that Henry III. of England, having occasion to visit his French dominions, committed the care of the northern frontiers of his kingdom to Alexander of Scotland, the prince who was most likely to have seized the opportunity of disturbing them. Alexander II. repaid with fidelity the great and honorable trust which his brother sovereign had reposed in him. Relieved from the cares of an English war, Alexander endeavored to civilize the savage manners of his own people. These were disorderly to a great degree. For example, one Adam, Bishop of Caithness, proved extremely rigorous in enforcing the demand of tithes, ? the tenth part, that is, of the produce of the ground, whichthe church claimed for support of the clergy. The people of Caithness assembled to consider what should be done in this dilemma, when one of them exclaimed, Short rede, good rede, slay we the bishop I which means, Few words are best, let us kill the bishop. They ran instantly to the bishop's house, assaulted it with fury, set it on fire, and burned the prelate alive in his own palace. a.d. 1222.] While this tragedy was going on, some of the bishop's servants applied for pr...