Anniversary Address. o\ 



Whether he felt that Ramsay's death had never been 

 forgiven and that he had still farther compromised himself by 

 "Berkley's assassination, must be left to conjecture. Certain it 

 is that he now threw himself unreservedly into the English 

 alliance and became the sworn vassal of Edward. 



The indenture entered into on this occasion, " between the 

 king on the one part and William Douglas his prisoner on 

 the other," is given at length by Rymer. In it Douglas 

 pledges himself, on being set free " pour lui et pour ses Heirs 

 de servir au Rou et ses Heirs en totes leur Guerres contre 

 toutes Gentz and en qui conque Pay et dete, sauf contre sa 

 Nacion d' Escoce, en la terre d' Escoce, sHl ne soit do son bon 

 gree. Et serra touzjours le dit Willaume, prest et apparellez 

 au garnisement d'un mois apres le recette des Lettres quales 

 seront lessees, au manoir de 1' Hermitage."* 



In another instrument he bound himself never to give aid 

 or counsel against the king of England, either secretly or 

 openly, on behalf of his own nation or any other ; also to 

 allow the English at all times free passage through his country, 

 and farther to renounce all claim to the castle of Liddel. And 

 farther he was to make oath for the due performance 

 of all these conditions, under pain of being held to be a 

 disloyal and perjured man and a false liar, and he agreed to 

 give his daughter and nearest male heir to be kept as hostages 

 for two years in England. 



With singular inconsistency after having thus traitorously- 

 yielded every possible concession to the enemy of his sovereign 

 and his country, he intimates his intention of remaining 

 dutiful to his natural liege-lord as far as possible! "C'est 

 l'entencion que le dit Mons. William puisse touzjours faire 

 son devoir devers son seigneur lige en totes choses que ne sout 

 contraires a cestes alliances ! " One hesitates whether to 

 admire most the hypocrisy or the baseness of such a resolution. 

 Alas ! for the Flower of Chivalry. 



Accordingly on the 24th July, 1352, Edward granted him 

 investiture, " quod idem Willielmus habet Terram vocatam 



• Rymer, Faed, V., 738. 



