an invasion
of the church would displease the saint, wrote a letter, and placed it
on the glorified individual's tomb, requesting to be informed if he
would be guilty of an outrage against religion were he to drag Bason
from the church. For reasons best known to the saint, he did not
return an answer. This mode of obtaining information may now be
considered ridiculous; but it was not considered so, even in the
Church, in the eighth century. After due inquiry and consideration,
the second Council of Nice, in the year 787, declared that the Church
had always believed it lawful and useful to invoke the intercession
of departed saints, and to venerate their relics.

Duff, the son of Malcolm, having established Culen, son of Indulph,
Prince of Cumberland, set out for the Hebrides, where great predatory
disorders prevailed. He summoned the thanes of the isles to appear
before him, and swore that if any of them should oppress the poorer
inhabitants, he would visit the actors with condign punishment. His
threats not being enough to deter the depredators, active measures
were taken to punish the offenders. Meantime the king fell into a
languid sickness, which baffled the skill of his physicians. A rumour
was circulated that he was suffering under the incantations of certain
far-famed witches at Forres. The report reaching the king's ears, he
caused certain confidential servants to investigate the case secretly.
Donevald, master of the fort at Forres, having learned that the _bonne
amie_ of a soldier there was the daughter of a witch, apprehended the
damsel, and learned from her the whole secret concerning a diabolical
plot to torture his Majesty. Means were taken to secure the wretches
concerned when engaged in their devilish art. So carefully were the
faithful servants' plans laid, that they could tell what part each
traitorous one performed. While one of them turned, upon a wooden spit
before the fire, a wax image of the king, fashioned as was supposed by
Satan, another of them sang her charms, and poured a liquid slowly
upon the image. According to the interpretation of these wicked women,
the vocal charm kept his Majesty awake; that while the effigy was
exposed to the fire and moistened with the liquor, he would sweat and
consume away; and that when the image dissolved away, the king would
cease to exist. The women declared they had been hired by the nobles
of Murray--who were highly displeased at their king for oppressing