842 
SCOT 
its results no less so to England. King Henry having 
ordered earl Percy and the other barons not to ransom their 
prisoners, they regarded that mandate as such a tyrannical 
infringement of their feudal rights, that they raised the 
standard of revolt against the government, and for a time 
defied all its efforts. The victory of Shrewsbury, and the 
fall of Percy, terminated this formidable insurrection. 
Douglas, the rival of Percy, was present in this battle, and 
was taken prisoner, but his conduct had so greatly excited the 
admiration of the English king, that he gave him his liberty 
without ransom. 
Henry, notwithstanding this victory, was extremely de¬ 
sirous of concluding a peace with Scotland, in order that he 
might employ the whole force of his government in overawing 
his discontented subjects. He first attempted to open a 
negociation through the medium of the French ambassadors 
at the Scottish court, but finding that measure unavailing, he 
dispatched special commissioners with the same view. The 
result was unfavourable, and hostilities continued, though 
without any remarkable transaction on either side. All this 
time Robert remained ignorant of the fate of the duke of 
Rothsay, but it soon became necessary to make him acquainted 
with it. The king, unable to punish his murderers, adopted 
the prudent resolution of sending his second son James to 
France; he did not reach his destination, having been 
captured by an English privateer, and sent as a prisoner to 
London. The news of this second disaster so affected 
Robert, that he died three days afterwards, in March 1405. 
On this event the states of the kingdom nominated the 
duke of Albany regent. This prince was a man of con¬ 
summate abilities, but ambitious, and hence appears to have 
been lukewarm in his endeavours to obtain the liberty of his 
sovereign. The spirit of the people, however, forced him 
to declare war against England, but it was soon terminated 
by a truce, during which it was proposed to enter into ne¬ 
gotiations for a permanent peace. Conferences were, in 
consequence, held for that purpose, but they ended only in a 
prolongation of the truce, at the close of which the war was 
renewed, and Henry prepared to strike a decisive blow against 
Scotland; but his preparations were never carried into 
effect, as a treaty was agreed to which lasted till 1415. This 
period of Scottish history is distinguished by the foundation 
of the university of St. Andrew’s, the first institution of 
the kind of which Scotland can boast. It may therefore be 
regarded as an era of peculiar interest, as from it may be 
dated the rise of learning in that kingdom; which, though 
confessedly among the last to devote itself to science, has 
contributed as much to its progress as any other nation of 
modern Europe. 
The truce last-mentioned being ended, the Scots besieged 
Berwick, but that enterprize was unsuccessful, and all that 
was done during the campaign was the burning of Penrith 
by the Scots, and of Dumfries by the English. Next year 
negociations were entered into for the liberation of James, 
but these were as fruitless as the former, and the war con¬ 
tinued. No action worthy of record, however, occurred 
during five years, and hence it has been, with some pro¬ 
bability, surmised that there existed an understanding between 
the regent and the English general; though this would not 
seem to have been the opinion of his contemporaries, for we 
are told that, on his death, which happened in 1420, the 
Scots held his memory in such veneration that they conferred 
the regency on his son Murdoch, solely from respect for the 
father. 
In 1421, king Henry being informed that the earl of 
Douglas was meditating an invasion of the northern coun¬ 
ties, invited him to a conference at York, when the earl, 
with the consent of James, agreed to serve the English king 
during life. At the same time some stipulations were made 
relative to the release of the Scottish 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 so com¬ 
pletely changed, that the English regent found it necessary 
to conciliate the Scots, and if possible to detach them from 
the French interest, He therefore treated James with the 
LAN D. 
greatest attention, and proposed a negociation for his li¬ 
berty. Commissioners were, in consequence, named on 
both sides, who agreed that the Scottish king should be ran¬ 
somed for £40,000 and should marry some lady of the first 
quality in England. James, it is probable, had already 
fixed his choice upon the lady Joan, daughter to the late earl 
of Somerset, son to John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, by 
his second marriage; but he made his people the compliment, 
not only of consulting their opinion, but of concluding the 
match. The royal nuptials were celebrated in the beginning 
of February, 1424, when the young king of England 
presented James with a suit of cloth of gold for the ceremony, 
and the next day gave him a legal discharge for £10,000, 
to be deducted from the amount of his ransom, as the mar¬ 
riage portion of the lady. 
Hitherto the history of Scotland consists of little else but 
a detail of battles and predatory excursions; of feuds between 
lawless clans, and rebellions against the sovereign authority. 
Neither the government nor the people were sufficiently 
enlightened to recognise fixed principles of foreign or 
domestic policy. The great barons, though bound to 
render homage to the king, and to perform several feudal 
services, assumed all the importance, and exercised most of 
the functions, of independent princes. On the accession of 
James I., however, to actual power, the annals of the king¬ 
dom begin to assume a new aspect. The reiterated theme 
of defeats and victories, of negociations and truces, may 
henceforth be diversified with more interesting intelligence, 
and the arts of peace may afford a pleasing contrast to the 
devastations of war. 
James, shortly after his arrival in Scotland, was solemnly 
crowned, with his queen, and Murdach, duke of Albany, as 
earl of Fife, performed the ceremony of placing his sovereign 
on the throne. His first public act was to convene a parlia¬ 
ment, and to direct their deliberations to the enactment of 
salutary laws. Among other enactments 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; 
that no man should travel with more followers than he 
could maintain; that efficient administrators of the law be 
appointed through the realm; that no extortions, from 
churchmen or farmers in particular, be admitted; that the 
customs and borough rates be assigned to the king, also 
mines of gold and silver, under certain restrictions; that 
the clergy should not pass the sea without the king's per¬ 
mission, nor have pensions out of benefices in Scotland; 
that gold and silver should not be exported, but upon paying 
a high custom ; that all persons under twelve years of age 
should be taught archery; that agriculture be protected; 
that certain customs be raised on horses, cattle, sheep, her¬ 
rings and firs; that inns be kept in every borough; and that 
no beggars be allowed, except permitted by the sheriff in the 
county, and in towns by the alderman or baillie. Two other 
enactments were made by the same parliament, which merit 
separate consideration : the first granted to the king a large 
subsidy, by taxation, for defraying his ransom, which occa¬ 
sioned so much dissatisfaction, that he was obliged to avert 
the danger of a general insurrection, by giving up the idea 
of levying the imposed taxes. Unaccustomed to pay direct 
contributions toward the support of the government, the 
people considered this ordinance as an act of oppression, and 
were blind to the advantages which might have resulted from 
its completion. The second enactment ordered all sheriffs 
to inquire what lands had belonged to the crown under the 
three preceding monarchs, and authorized the king to sum¬ 
mon the holders to shew their charters. The object of this 
decree was to recover the royal demesnes, which had been 
parcelled out by the duke of Albany among his friends. 
Determined to punish that prince for his mal-administration, 
he arrested him, his two sons, and the earl of Lennox, his 
father-in-law, and took possession of their estates and castles. 
They were afterwards brought to trial, and a verdict having 
been found against them, they suffered death at Stirling. 
This part of James’s conduct is defended by some authors 
as just and politic, while others represent it as eruel and tyran¬ 
nical. 
