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THE EWILL TROWBLES OF THE LEWES, AND
HOW THE MACLEOID OF THE LEWES WAS
WITH HIS WHOL TRYBE DESTROYED AND
PUT FROM THE POSSESSION OF THE LEWES *
Rorie McLeoid of the Lewes married barbara Stewart
daughter to the Lord Meffen by whom he had Torquil
yre (ayre) a waliant gentlman. Aftr the death of barbara
stewart rorie mcLeoid married mackenzie his daughter by
whom he [had] torquill connaldach of the coigach. Then
rorie mcLeoid haweing repudiat mckenzie his daughter
for her adulterie with the breive of the Lewes who was
said to [be the father of Torquil Con.]. 2 Then he maried
McLeane his daughter by whom he had torquill Dow
1
In The Wardlaw MS. the Rev. James Fraser wrote :
' The clan Torkil
in Lewis were the stoutest and prettiest men, but a wicked bloody crew whom
neither law nor reason could guid or moddell, destroying one another, till in
end they were all expelled that country, and the M'Kenzies now possess it. The
poet gave them this satyr :
—
' " She mi varrell er Chland Leod gir cossvil ead re
Poir i Duse
The shin mis I is mo, Ichis i te is Olg Tuse."'
To this Dr. Mackay added the following note :
following rendering is offered, not without doubt :
—
' In part obscure. The
""S e mo bharail air Clann Leoid, gur cosmhuil iad ri poir an t-uisge ;
An te is sine, mas i is mo, ithis i an te is oige diubhs'."
' " It is my opinion of Clan Leod, that they are like pikes in water [literally
the water's progeny] ;
The oldest of them, if the biggest, eats the youngest of them."
:
' Compare the Gaelic adage " : A bheist is mo ag ithe na beist is lugha, 's a'
bheist is lugha 'deanamh mar a dh'fhaodas i : the bigger beast eating the lesser
beast, and the lesser beast doing as best it can" ' (Scot. Hist. Soc, vol. xlvii. p. 41).
2 See the curious document printed/^/ p. 280.
JOmM