SCOTLAND. 



brother, the earl of Fife, to the dukedom of Albany. A 

 cudom alfo began to prevail in the border treaties, of naming 

 cautioners, who afted as confervators of the peace, and were 

 a kind of atlornics for their fellow fubjedls, in all matters 

 cognizable in the border courts, which had been lately eila- 

 blifhed on both fides. Thefe regulations are juftly confi- 

 dered as imporiant Itepsin the progreflive civilization of the 

 two kingdoms. 



The events of the year 1401 were the moft difaftrous in 

 themfelves, and in their conlequence?, which ever occurred 

 to Scotland. The death of earl Douglas was followed by 

 thofe of William Trail, archbifhop of St. Andrews, a pre- 

 late of great weight ; and queen Ar.nabella, a woman of ex- 

 emplary virtue and prudence. Tliis princefs, by her influence, 

 had conciliated the jealoufies of feveral branches of the royal 

 family, and in particular had rellrained the impetuous temper 

 of the duke of Rothfay, the heir apparent to the throne, 

 who was barbaroufly murdered loon after by the duke of 

 Albany. The truce with England being now expired, war 

 was renewed on the borders, and a fevere aftion was fought 

 at Weftern-Nifbet, in which the Scots were defeated. So 

 ftrongly contelted was this battle, that it is affirmed that few 

 of either army efcaped unhurt. It was fucceeded in the 

 year following by another combat, fought between the 

 troops of Henry Hotfpur and Douglas, at Homeldon, 

 where the Englilh were again victorious, and numbered 

 among their prifoners the earls of Douglas, Fife, Argus, 

 Murr.iy, lords Montgomery, Erfliine, Graham, and Orkney, 

 eighty knights, and about 10,000 gentlemen and private 

 foldiers. This battle, fo immediately difaltrous to Scot- 

 land, proved in its refults no lefs fo to England. King 

 Henry having ordered earl Percy and the other barons not 

 to ranfom tlieir prifoners, they regarded that mandate as 

 fuch a tyrannical infringement of their feudal riglits, that 

 they raifed the ftandard of revolt againft the government, 

 and for a time defied all its efforts. The vidlory of Shrewf- 

 bilry, and the fall of Percy, terminated this formidable in- 

 furreftion. Douglas, the rival of Percy, was prefent in 

 this battle, and was taken prifoner, but his conduft had fo 

 greatly excited the admiration of the Englifh king, that he 

 gave him his liberty without ranfom. 



Henry, notwithflaading this viftory, was extremely 

 defirous of concluding a peace with Scotland, in order 

 that he might employ the whole force of his government in 

 overawing his difcontented fubjedls. He firft attempted to 

 open a negociatiou through the medium of the French am- 

 baffadors at the Scottidi court, but finding that meafure un- 

 availing, he difpatched fpecial commidioners with the fame 

 view. The reiult was unfavourable, and hollilities con- 

 tinued, though without any remarkable tranfaftion on cither 

 fide. All this time Robert remained ignorant of the fate 

 of the duke of Rothfay, but it foon became neceffary to 

 make him acquainted with it. The king, unable to punifh 

 his murderers, adopted the prudent relblution of fending 

 his fecond ion James to France ; he did not reach his defli- 

 nation, having been captured by an Englifh privateer, and 

 fent as a prifoner to London. Tiie news of this fecond 

 difafter fo affeftcd Robert, that he died three days after- 

 wards, in March 1405. 



On tliis event the ftatcs of the kingdom nominated the 

 duke of Albany regent. This prince was a man of con- 

 fummate abilities, but ambitious, and hence appears to have 

 been lukewarm in his endeavours to obtain the liberty of his 

 Sovereign. Tiie fpirit of the people, hov/ever, forced him 

 to declare war againft England, but it was foon terminated 

 by a truce, during which it was propofed to cuter into ne- 

 gociations for a permanent peace. Conferences were, iu 



J 



confequence, held for that purpofe, but they ended only in a 

 prolongation of the truce, at the clofe of which tlie war wai 

 renewed, and Henry prepared to Itrike a decifive blow againd 

 Scotland ; but thefe preparations were never carried into 

 effeft, asatreaty was agreed to which lafUd till 1415. This 

 period of Scottifh hiflory is diftingniflied by the foundaion 

 of the univerfity of St. Andrew's, the firil inflitution of 

 the kind of which Scotland can boaft. • (See St. Axdrews.) 

 It may therefore be regarded as an era of peculiar intereit, 

 as from it may be dated the rife of learning in that kingdom ; 

 which, though confefl'edly among the lafl to devote itlelf to 

 fcience, has contributed as much to its progrefs as any other 

 nation of modern Europe. 



The truce laft-mentioned being ended, the Scots befieged 

 Berwick, but that enterprize was unfuccefsful, and all that 

 was done during the campaign was the burning of Penrith 

 by the Scots, and of Dumfries by the Englifh. Next year 

 negociatioiis were entered into for the liberation of James, 

 but thefe were as fruitlefs as the former, and the war con- 

 tinued. No aftion worthy of record, liowever, occurred 

 during five years, and hence it has been, with fome pro- 

 bability, furmifed that there exifled an underftanding 

 between the regent and the Englifh general ; though this 

 would not feem to have been the opinion of his contempo- 

 raries, for we are told that, on his death, which happened 

 in 1420, the Scots held his memory in fuch veneration that 

 they conferred the regency on his fon Murdoch, folely from 

 refpeft for the father. 



In 142 1, king Henry being informed that the earl of 

 Douglas was meditating an invafion of the northern coun- 

 ties, invited him to a conference at York, when the earl, 

 with the confent of James, agreed to ferve the Englifh king 

 during life. At the fame time fome flipulations were made 

 relative to the releafe of the Scottifh monarch, but that 

 event did not take place till the year 1424. Henry V. was 

 then dead, and the tide of fortune in France had fo com- 

 pletely changed, that the Englifh regent found it neceflary 

 to conciliate the Scots, and if pofFible to detach them from 

 the French intercft. He therefore treated James with the 

 greatefl attention, and propofed a negociation for his liberty. 

 Commiflioners were, in conlequence, named on both fides, 

 who agreed that the Scottifh king fliould be ranfomed for 

 40,000 pounds, and fliould marry fome lady of tlie firlt 

 quality in England. James, it is probable, liad already 

 fixed his choice upon the lady Joan, daughter to the late 

 earl of Somerfet, fon to John of Gaunt, duke of Lan- 

 cafler, by his fecond marriage ; but he made his people the 

 compliment, not only of conlulting their opinion, but of con- 

 cluding the match. The royal nuptials were celebrated in 

 the beginning of February 1424, wlien the young king of 

 England prefented James with a fuit of cloth of gold for the 

 ceremony, and the next day gave him a legal difcharge for 

 lo,GOO pounds, to be dedufted from the amount of his 

 ranfom, as the marriage portion of the lady. 



Hitherto the hiflory of Scotland confills of little elfe but 

 a detail of battles and predatory excurfions ; of feuds between 

 lawlefs clans, and rebellions againfl the fovereign authority. 

 Neither the government nor the people were fufliciently 

 enlightened to recognife fixed principles of foreign or 

 domeflic policy. The great barons, though bound to 

 render homage to the king, and to perform feveral feudal 

 fervices, affumed all the importance, and exercifid moft of 

 the funftious, of independent princes. On the accedion of 

 James I., however, to aftual power, the annals of the king- 

 dom begin to affume a new afpeft. The reiterated theme 

 of defeats and viftorics, r)f negociationa and truces, may 

 henceforth be diverfified with more iiiteieiling intelligence, 



and 



