SCOTLAND. 



gi'ound which had been already confecrated by the viftory 

 of B.tniiockburn. At firft the rebels gave way; but being 

 fupported by their fecond and third lines, the royaiifts were 

 in turn forced to retreat. This event, and the cowardly 

 flight of the king, terminated the aftion with little efTufion 

 of blood. James, in paffing through the village of Ban- 

 nockburn, was thrown from his horfe, and carried into a 

 mill, where he was (tabbed by one of the rebels, who, 

 pretending to be a prieft, wa"; condufted to him by the 

 miller's wife. Thus perifhed a prince, whofe natural 

 goodnefs deferved a better fate, than to fall the viftim 

 of a lawlefs ariltocracy, more inimical to public order than 

 the feeble defpotifm of their fovereign. 



The duke of Rothfay, apprifed of his father's fate, aflem- 

 bled a parliament at Edinburgh, in which feveral of the 

 friends of the late king were arraigned for high treafon. 

 He afterwards made a progrefs throughout the kingdom, 

 and endeavoured to acquire popularity. In that objeft, 

 however, he was not immediately fuccefsful, as we find the 

 early part of his reign was difturbed by a formidable re- 

 bellion. The leader of this infi>rreftion was the earl of 

 Lenox, who was defeated and taken prifoner at Tilly-Moor. 

 James, however, afterwards became a great favourite with 

 the nation, on account of his zeal for the improvement of 

 the kingdom. The arts of (liip-building and of architecture 

 ■were particularly the objefts of his patronage ; and indeed 

 to fo high a pitch did he carry his anxiety to eftablifh a 

 navy, that he brought himfelf into lerious financial diffi- 

 culties. This didinguilhpd monarch clofed his reign and his 

 life in the celebrated field of Floddon, where molt of his 

 nobility perifhed with him. 



James V. now afcended the throne, though only a year 

 and a half old. The long minority which enfued was 

 remarkable for internal intrigue, and particularly for the 

 fixed elldblifhmeiit of the French and Englifli factions in 

 Scotland, which continued to diftraft the kingdom, more 

 or Icfs, till the clofe of its exillence as a feparate and inde- 

 pendent Itate. From this circumRance the hiftory of 

 Scottifh affairs increafes in interelt, as becoming more inti- 

 mately conncfted witii the general hiftory of Europe ; 

 but as the limits of tliis article will not permit of their 

 being detailed at length, their bearings cannot be pointed 

 out in a fatisfa(Jtory manner. 



The parliament, which met immediately after the fatal 

 battle of Floddon to deliberate on the critical fituation of 

 the king<!om, clefted the queen-mother to the regency. 

 This princefs conduced the government with great wifdom 

 and energy ; but having unhappily married tlie earl of 

 Arran, that llep gave occafion to violent inteftine commo- 

 tions. By the conllitution of Scotland, a marriage under 

 the circumilanccs of the queen regent was a virtual rcfig- 

 nation of her authority ; and as Arran was not a favourite 

 with the nt.bility or the nation at large, parliament rcfufed 

 to conti:;uf liim in power. The duke of Albany was there- 

 fore appointed regent ; and a deputation was immediately 

 font to France to rcquelt his acceptance of that (latiou. 

 On his arrival in Scotland, he was received with every mark 

 of refpedt ; but as he attached himfelf clofely to the French 

 intcrcll, the Englifli party, headed by the queen and lord 

 Hume, oppofed him in all his meafures, and excited com- 

 motions in dilTercnt parts of the country. Henry VIH. 

 of England declared war againit him ; and though it does 

 not appear that the regent feared the iltue of a conteft, he 

 neverthelefs foon found it necelTary to make peace, on ac- 

 count of the dllTenrions that prevailed in the army, which he 

 had led to the borders witli the view of invading England. 

 Shortly afterwards, the incrcafing oppofition mauifellcd 



againft his authority induced liim to refign the regency ; 

 when the fovereign power was again alTumed by the queen. 

 Arran, by feizing on the perfon of the king, and pretending 

 to rule in his name, foon overthrew the party of the queen ; 

 but his own elevation was not of much longer continuance ; 

 for the king, having efcaped from his cuftody, feized the 

 reins of government himfelf, and not only deprived Arran 

 of all his dignities, but had him denounced in parliament as 

 a traitor. 



Thus, freed from the controul of all parties, James dif- 

 played an excellent capacity for government. He called 

 frequent parhaments, and directed their attention principally 

 to the improvement of his kingdom. In 1532 he infti- 

 tuted the court of feffion, on the model of the parliament 

 of Paris. This court originally confifted of fifteen members, 

 half clergy and half laity, and was empowered to give 

 decifions in all civil fuits. 



The years immediately fucceeding that laft-mentioned, 

 were marked by the molt horrid atrocities, committed in the 

 name of religion. Many perfons of diftinguilhed rank fuf- 

 fered at the flake for their opinions. A court of inquifition 

 was eftablilhed, of which fir James Hamilton was ap- 

 pointed prefident, and certainly no man ever (hewed himfelf 

 more worthy of his mercilefs llation. During the fame period 

 the Scots had to deplore the miferies of a war with England, 

 which raged for two years with various fuccefs. But not- 

 withftanding thefe misfortunes, Scotland continued to rife 

 in power and importance. The friendlhip of James was 

 anxioufly fought by all the great European fovereigns. 

 Even the pope fent an ambalTador to the Scottifh court, 

 and conferred upon James the title of " Defender of tlie 

 Faith." 



In the year 1536, the king negociated a treaty of mar- 

 riage with Marie de Bourbon, which was folcmnly ratified 

 by the French king ; but it was afterwards annulled by 

 the vifit of James himfelf to the continent, where he ef- 

 poufed Magdalen, the daughter of Francis, who died in lefs 

 than two months after her arrival in Scotland. The 

 Scottifh king, however, did not long remain a widower ; 

 for in 1538 he efpoufcd Mary of Guife, dowager duchef* 

 of Loiigueville. 



In 1540 a parliament was held at Edinburgh, in which 

 an aft of indemnity was palled for all offences committed 

 during the king's minority. Shortly after war broke out 

 with England, and the duke of Norfolk invaded Scotland | 

 but was compelled to retreat by the (Itilfiil movements of 

 the earl of Huntley. James refolved to purfue this advan- 

 tage by penetrating into England ; and the expedition 

 would moil probably have been fuccefsful but for the ap- 

 pointment of ail unwortiiy favourite to the chief command 

 in the moment of attack, whicli fo much difgulled the 

 nobles, that they chofe rather to furrender to tlie Englilh, 

 than lulimit to his orders. This difgraceful occurrence 

 happened at Solway Mofs ; and produced fuch an effeft 

 upon the mind of the king, that it brought him to his grave, 

 ill the 31(1 year of his age. 



Mary, his infant daughter by Mary of Guife, fucceeded 

 to the throne, and cardinal Beaton, wlio had been for many 

 years prime miniiter, allumcd the regency ; in virtue ©f a 

 pretended tellament which he himfelf had forged in the 

 name of the late king. The carl of Arran, the next heir 

 to the crown, was however elefted to the regency by the 

 nobles ; and thus new jealoufies were excited. Tlie Eng- 

 lilh monarch propofed his Ion Edward as a match for the 

 young queen, but this was oppofed by the re;;ent. A 

 war was the conle<iiience ; l)ut it was foon terminated by 

 a peace negociated with the Frcuch king, in which Scot- 

 D 2 land 



