SCOTLAND. 



was agreed, that fhe king fhould remain in the cuftody of 

 the latter. 



In the interim, the earl of Douglas continued to brave 

 the power of the government in a manner amounting to open 

 rebellion, which highly exafperated the chancellor m parti- 

 cular ; and as he knew the earl was above the reach of the 

 law, he refolved to get rid of him by fummary means. With 

 this view he invited him to attend a parliament then about to 

 be held at Edinburgh, and having inveigled him and his 

 brother into the caltle, on the pretence of dining with the 

 king, ordered both to be executed on the Caftle-hill. The 

 young monarch endeavoured to fave them ; but the chan- 

 cellor was fixed in his purpofe, and had already ventured too 

 far to recede with fafety. 



James, as foon as he attained his 14th year, declared him- 

 felf of age, and took the reins of government into his own 

 hands. The numerous friends of the young earl of Douglas 

 now drove to reconcile him to the prince ; and an accident foon 

 happened which led to the fulfilment of their wifhes. That 

 was the murder of fir Robert Semple, of FuUwood, by one 

 of the earl's partizans, who was in confequence arretted. 

 Douglas, anxious to fave his life, repaired to Stirling, threw 

 himfelf at the king's feet, and implored his pardon, fo- 

 lemnly promifing that he would ever afterwards conduft 

 himfelf as a dutiful and loyal fubjeft. His fubmiiTion was 

 joyfully received by James, and he was immediately admitted 

 into the royal councils. 



Alarmed at this event, the «hancellor refigned the great 

 feal, and look poirefTion of the caftle of Edinburgh, the 

 cuftody of which he pretended had been committed to 

 him by the late king, till his fon fhould arrive at the 

 age of 21 years. Livingfton alfo refigned all his polls, 

 except the command of Stirling caftle, which he retained 

 upon the fame pretence. 



James demanded the immediate furrender of both for- 

 trelies, and the demand being refufed, the eftates of the 

 offenders were confifcated. The refult was a civil war, 

 during which almoft every corner of the country pre- 

 fcnted a fcene of defolation and bloodflied. It terminated 

 by the reconciliation of Crichton to the king, and the 

 facrifice of Livingfton to the vengeance of Douglas. 



The king, now in his i8th year, was married to Mary, 

 the daughter of Arnold, duke of Gueldres ; but this event 

 provoked the hoftility of England, and a war immediately 

 enfued. An Englifh army advanced into Scotland, as far 

 as the river Sark in Annandale, where it was totally defeated 

 by Douglas, earl of Ormond. Next year a truce was con- 

 cluded for an indefinite period, which bore this fingular 

 claufe, that either party niis^ht violate it upon giving 180 

 days' notice. The royal bride having arrived in Scotland 

 about this time, her marriage was lolemnized with great 

 pomp at Holyrood Houfe, an event which put an end to 

 the influence of Douglas, who retired to his eftates. James, 

 being thereby emancipated from thraldom, fummoned a 

 parliament, in which many falutary enaftments were made, 

 lending to curb the power of the ariftocracy, and to enfure 

 the tranquillity of the kingdom. One aft of this parliament 

 deferves particular attention. It ordained, that if any man 

 flioiild " commit or do treafon againll the king's perfon or 

 his majcfty, or rife in war againll him, or lay hands upon 

 his perfon violently, of whatever age the king be, young 

 or eld ; or receive any that have committed treafon, or that 

 fupply ihem with help or advice, or garrilon the houfe of 

 them that are convitted of treafon, and hold their houfes 

 againft the king ; or garrifon houfes of their own in alTiftance 

 of the king's rebels, or that afiault caftles or places where 

 the king's perfon fhatt happen to be, without the confent 



Vol. XXXII. 



of the three eftates, fhall be punifhed as traitors." Thi« 

 ftatute has occafioned altercations between the favourers of 

 monarchy, and thofe who attach ideas of freedom to a par- 

 liament of the middle ages ; though, in faft, the only dif- 

 pute lay between monarchy and ariftocracy. Many other 

 ilatutes were pafled to increafe the power of the fovereign. 



Douglas, chagrmed at the lofs of his power, and wifhing 

 to difplay his pomp to the continental princes, went to the 

 jubilee at Rome with a train of fix knights, fourteen gentle- 

 men, and eighty inferior attendants. In his abfence many 

 complaints were made againft his dependants, which to en- 

 raged James, that he feized upon the caftle of Lochmaben, 

 and demolilhed that of Douglas. The earl, on his return 

 home, fent a fubmiffive melTage to the king ; and a-i he 

 could not in equity be reputed guilty of events which 

 happened without his knowledge, he was gracioufly re- 

 ceived ; but he foon proved himfelf imworthy of confidence, 

 by engaging in treafor.able praftices, and iuliciting the pro- 

 teftion of England. Douglas having been prevailed upon 

 to vifit the court of Stirlirig, was condufted into a fecret 

 chamber, where James mildly told him that he knew of the 

 league he had made, and advifed him to break oft all fuch 

 illegal engagements. The earl treated the propoial with 

 his ufual arrogance, whereupon the king, roufed to mo- 

 mentary fury, exclaimed, " If you will not break this 

 league, by God I fhall,'' and drawing a dagger, inftantly 

 ftabbed Douglas. 



The brother and fucceflor of the hte Douglas was re- 

 conciled to the king, and entered into a folemn engagement ; 

 I ft, not to pretend any title to the earldom of Wigton, 

 except with the queen's confent ; 2dly, nor to the lands ot 

 Stewarton, a part of the patrimony of the duchefs of 

 Towraine, his mother ; jdly, to abandon in future all hatred 

 or enmity againft all perlons ; 4thly, to preferve the public 

 peace, and make compenfations to perfons already injured j 

 jthly, to obferve the ftrifteft duty and refpedl to the king. 

 This inftrument, which was figned by Douglas and lord 

 Hamilton for themfelves and their adherents, affords a curious 

 pifture of the ftate of government and manners in the age. 



The interval of domeftic quiet which fucceeded this re- 

 conciliation was only of ftiort duration ; but it was marked 

 by an event of fome intereft in the hiftory of Scottifh learn- 

 ing, viz. the foundation of the univerfity of Glafgow, 

 through the munificence of biftiop Turnbull. The ftandard 

 of rebellion was again raifed by Douglas, aided by the 

 Yorkift party in England. The king, aware of this con- 

 fpiracy, fummoned Douglas to appear before the privy, 

 council ; and upon his refufal ravaged his eftates, and be- 

 fieged his caftle of Abercorn. The earl of Crawford ad- 

 vanced with an army to its relief, determined to force his 

 fovereign to fight or fly the kingdom. James, diftrufting 

 the loyalty of the fouthcrn counties, haftened to St. Andrews, 

 whence, by the advice of Kennedy, biftiop of that fee, he 

 iil'ued a proclamation, fummoning the array of the north, and 

 offering an annuity to all who ftiould join his fcrvice. In a 

 few days he found himfelf at the head of a numerous body 

 of troops, with whom he marched againft Douglas, whofe 

 army was encamped on the banks of the Carron. TheeffeA 

 produced was almoft miraculous, for in lefs than twenty-four 

 hours, Douglas was delerted by his whole army, excepting 

 the perfons who formed his houfehold. Upon this un- 

 expefted change, he fled to Annandale, and afterwards to 

 England. 



James next proceeded to crufh the remaining partifans of 



the infurreftion, and to reduce the caftles of Abircom 



and Strathavan, which ftill rcfifted his :iuthority. He 



afterwards affembled a parliament at Edinburgh, in which 



D tl>e 



