Malcolme king of Scots, for that his countrie was the onelie place
wherein all the mal-contents of his realme had their refuge. Wherfore,
thinking to reuenge the losse of his subiects, and to bring that
realme also vnto his subiection, he went thither with an huge armie,
about the middle of August, where he first inuaded the bounds of
Galloway, bicause he heard how the English were latelie fled thither.
[Sidenote: _Polydor_] But after he had wearied his souldiers in vaine
pursuit of them (who kept themselues in the mountaines and marres
grounds) he gaue ouer the enterprise, and drew towards Lothiam, where
king Malcolme laie with all his power, & sundrie English fugitiues,
with whome he determined by battell either to end his trouble, or else
to loose his life. [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] Now as both the kings
with their armies were readie to encounter, Malcolme began to doubt
somewhat of the fiersenesse of the battell, bicause he saw the great
puissance and readie willes of the English and Normans to fight,
[Sidenote: _H. Hunt._] wherevpon he sent an harrold to king William to
treat of peace, wherewith he was content at the last (though with much
adoo) and so a vnitie insued betwixt them, vpon these conditions;
[Sidenote: The king of Scots did homage to king William for Scotland.]
namelie, that king Malcolme should doo homage to king William for the
realme of Scotland, and therevpon deliuer sufficient hostages: and
that on the other side, king William should pardon all the English
outlawes in Scotland which then rebelled against him. The place where
this peace was concluded, was called Abirnethi. [Sidenote: _Simon
Dun._] After this, king William returned into England, where he yer
long tooke the earledome of Northumberland from Gospatrike, [Sidenote:
The kings iustice.] and gave it to Waltheof the sonne of Siward;
bicause of right it séemed to descend vnto him from his father, but
cheefelie from his mother Alfreda, who was the daughter of Aldred
sometime earle of that countrie.