SCOTLAND. 



and the arts of peace may afford a pleafing contraft to the 

 devaftatioiis oi war. 



James, fhortly after his arrival in Scotland, was folemnly 

 crowned, with his queen, and Murdach, duke of Albany, as 

 earl of Fife, performed the ceremony of placing his fovereign 

 on the throne. His firll public aft was to convene a parha- 

 ment, and to direft their deliberations to the enaftmcnt of 

 falutary laws. Among other enadfments it was declared, 

 that the ancient privileges of the church be confirmed ; that 

 the king's peace be firmly held, and no private wars allowed ; 

 tliat no man (hould travel with more followers than he 

 could maintain ; that efficient adminiltrators of the law be 

 appointed through the realm ; that no extortions, from 

 churchmen or farmers in particular, be admitted ; that the 

 cuiloms and borough rates be afigned to the king, alfo 

 mines of gold and filver, under certain reltritlions ; that 

 the clergy fhould not pafs the fca without the king's per- 

 miffion, nor have penfions out of benefices in Scotland ; 

 that gold and filver {hould not be exported, but upon paying 

 a high cuftom ; that all perfins under twelve years of age 

 fhould be taught archery ; that agriculture be protcfted ; 

 that certain cultoms be raifcd on horfes, cattle, fheep, her- 

 rings and firs ; that inns be kept in every borough ; and that 

 no beggars be allowed, except permitted by the fheriffinthe 

 county, and in towns by the ahlerman or bailie. Two other 

 enaftments were made by the fame parliament, which merit 

 feparate confideration : the firft granted to the king a large 

 fubfidy, by taxation, for defraying his ranfom, which occa- 

 fioned fo much diflatisfaftion, that he was obliged to avert 

 the danger of a general iniurreftion, by giving up the idea 

 of levying the impofed taxes. Unaccultomed to pay direcl 

 contributions toward the fupport of the government, the 

 people confidered this ordinance as an aft ot oppreffion, and 

 were blind to the advantages which might have refulted from 

 its completion. The fecond enaftmcnt ordered all (herilfs 

 to inquire what lands had belonged to the crown under the 

 three preceding monarchs, and authorized the king to fum- 

 mon the holders to fhew their charters. The objeft of this 

 decree was to recover the royal demefnes, which had been 

 parcelled out by the duke of Albany among his friends. 

 Determined to punilh that prince for his mal-adminiltration, 

 he arrefted him, his two fons, and the earl of Lennox, his 

 father-in-law, and took pofledion of their ellates and calHes. 

 They were afterwards brought to trial, and a vcrdift having 

 been found againft them, they fuffered death at Stirling. 

 This part of James's conduft is defended by fome authors 

 as juft and pohtic, while others rcprefent it as cruel and tyran- 

 nical. The whole reign of James pafled in peace with 

 England till within a month of his death, and it is certainly 

 much to his honour, that he employed himfelf in promoting 

 civilization, and eftablifhing regular government among his 

 fubjefts, rather than in waiting their lives and property in 

 the purfuit of war. He neverthelefs cultivated a clofe 

 alhance with France, and entered into a treaty with that 

 kingdom, by which it was agreed, that the dauphin Ihould 

 efpoufe the young princefs of Scotland. Numerous ftatutes 

 were palled during this period for the encouragement of 

 trade and agriculture, and for regulating the proceedings 

 in theadminiitration of the law. All thefemeafures were taken 

 with the approbation of the States, and feem to have been 

 approved by the nation at large. The feizure of the ro)'al 

 eilales, however, had created James many virulent enemies, 

 and at length proved the caufe of his murder. He had further 

 awakened the jealouly of his nobles by fome attempts to curb 

 their exorbitant powers ; and they appear to have dreaded 

 left he fliould make ftill bolder and more decifive encroach- 

 ments on their feudal rights. Such were the fentiments and 



feelings of parties when fir Robert Graham called a meeting 

 of the chief men to reprefent their grievances to the king. 

 A remonftrance was accordingly reiolved upon, and Graham 

 was appointed to deliver it to James in the next parliament ; 

 but the violence of his conduft deltroyed all the benefit 

 which might otherwife have refulted to their caufe from 

 this ftep. Inftead of urging his fuit with the refpeft due 

 to the fovereign, Graham role with an enraged countenance, 

 and feized the king, faying, " I arrclt you in the name of all 

 the three Hates of your realm here adembled in parliament, 

 for as your people have fworn to obey you, fo you are con- 

 llrained by an equal oath to govern by law, and not to 

 wrong your fubjefts, but in jullice to maintain and protedt 

 them." This projeft having failed, Graham refolved to 

 accomplifh the death of the king by a confpiracy, whicli he 

 put in execution during the feftival of Chrittmas, which 

 James held at Pertli. Here, in conjunftion with fir John 

 Hall and his brother, they barbarouily murdered the king, 

 in the 44th year of his age, and the 13th of his aftivc 

 authority. He v.-as a prince of fuperior abilities, and may 

 jullly be confidered among the greatell of the Scottifh 

 monarchs. If his meafures were fometimes fevere, they are 

 perfeftly defenfible upon the principles of fcund policy. He 

 had to deal with a fet of men who regarded the virtue of 

 moderation as imbecility, and whofe lawlefs habits could 

 only be retrained by the moll fummary examples of jullice. 

 The frequent meetings of the Itates of the kingdom during 

 his reign, and his conftant deference to their decifion, 

 fhew that James was not a tyrant. His patronage of 

 learning and of the ufeful arts, evinces that the grand 

 objeft of his am.bition was the improvement and benefit of 

 his country. 



James II., who was only feven years of age at his father's 

 death, was crowned king at Edinburgh on the 25th of 

 March 1438. At the fame time a parliament was aflembled, 

 and denounced the fevereil penalties of the law againll all 

 thofe concerned in the regicide. The firft taken were fir 

 Robert Stuart and fir Chriilopher Chambers, who were 

 executed at Edinburgh. Atliol was next feized, and be- 

 headed at the fame place ; and Graham, with many others, 

 foon after fhared a fimilar fate at Stirling. Even at the 

 moment when he was writhing under the agonies of the moll 

 cruel tortures, that daring chief of the affaflins had the 

 boldnefs to declare that his condudl was fully juftified by 

 the tyranny of the kinj, and that his judges and the people 

 ought rather to applaud him as a patriot, than condemn him 

 as a traitor. The minority of the new king iiaving ren- 

 dered a regency neceffary, Archibald, carl of Douglas, 

 afiumed the direftion of affairs with the confent of the par- 

 liament ; but that nobleman unfortunately died within the 

 year. The ftates of the kingdom afterwards divided the 

 government between fir William Crichton, as chancellor, 

 and fir Alexander Livingfton, as keeper of the king's 

 perfon, with the title ot governor. This proved a moil 

 unfortunate partition of power ; for the chancellor and 

 governor foon quarrelled ; and the former feized the perfon 

 of the fovereign, and counterafted all the edifts of his col- 

 league by contrary proclamations. The queen-mother, 

 however, who was inimical to Crichton, contrived to 

 ileal her fon from his cuftody, and fled with him to the 

 callle of Stirhng. In this junfture the chancellor applied 

 to the young earl of Douglas for his fupport ; but he 

 haughtily anfwered, that he was an enemy to all parties, and 

 was determined to aflume the government himfelf. Crichton 

 was thus convinced of the neccffity for a union to guard againll 

 tliefe arrogant preienfions ; and accordingly a compromife 

 with Livingfton took place in Edinburgh ; by which it 



was 



