diminish," replied
the King.

"I am content," said Douglas: "better wild wolves than wild caterans.
Let there be strong forces maintained along the Earish frontier, to
separate the quiet from the disturbed country. Confine the fire of civil
war within the Highlands; let it spend its uncontrolled fury, and it
will be soon burnt out for want of fuel. The survivors will be humbled,
and will be more obedient to a whisper of your Grace's pleasure
than their fathers, or the knaves that now exist, have, been to your
strictest commands."

"This is wise but ungodly counsel," said the prior, shaking his head; "I
cannot take it upon my conscience to recommend it. It is wisdom, but it
is the wisdom of Achitophel, crafty at once and cruel."

"My heart tells me so," said the King, laying his hand on his
breast--"my heart tells me that it will be asked of me at the awful day,
'Robert Stuart, where are the subjects I have given thee?' It tells me
that I must account for them all, Saxon and Gael, Lowland, Highland, and
Border man; that I will not be required to answer for those alone who
have wealth and knowledge, but for those also who were robbers because
they were poor, and rebels because they were ignorant."

"Your Highness speaks like a Christian king," said the prior; "but you
bear the sword as well as the sceptre, and this present evil is of a
kind which the sword must cure."

"Hark ye, my lords," said the Prince, looking up as if a gay thought
had suddenly struck him. "Suppose we teach these savage mountaineers
a strain of chivalry? It were no hard matter to bring these two great
commanders, the captain of the Clan Chattan and the chief of the no less
doughty race of the Clan Quhele, to defy each other to mortal combat.
They might fight here in Perth--we would lend them horse and armour;
thus their feud would be stanched by the death of one, or probably both,
of the villains, for I think both would break their necks in the first
charge; my father's godly desire of saving blood would be attained; and
we should have the pleasure of seeing such a combat between two savage
knights, for the first time in their lives wearing breeches and mounted
on horses, as has not been heard of since the days of King Arthur."

"Shame upon you, David!" said the King. "Do you make the distress of
your native country, and the perplexity of our councils, a subject for
buffoonery?"

"If you will pardon me, royal brother," said Albany, "I think t