844 
SCOTLAND.* 
them that are convicted of treason, and hold their houses 
against the king 5 or garrison houses of their own in assistance 
of the king’s rebels, or that assault castles or places where 
the king’s person shall happen to be, without the consent 
of the three estates, shall be punished as traitors.” This 
statute has occasioned altercations between the favourers 
of monarchy, and those who attach ideas of freedom 
to a parliament of the middle ages; though, in fact, the 
only dispute lay between monarchy and aristocracy. Many 
other statutes were passed to increase the power of the 
sovereign. 
Douglas, chagrined at the loss of his power, and wishing 
to display his pomp to the continental princes, went to the 
jubilee at Rome with a train of six 'knights, fourteen gen¬ 
tlemen, and eighty inferior attendants. In his absence many 
complaints were made against his dependants, which so 
enraged James, that he seized upon the castle of Lochmaben, 
and demolished that of Douglas. The earl, on his return 
home, sent a submissive message to the king: and as he 
could not in equity be reputed guilty of events which hap¬ 
pened without his knowledge, he was graciously received ; 
but he soon proved himself unworthy of confidence, by 
engaging in treasonable practices, and soliciting the pro¬ 
tection of England. Douglas having been prevailed upon 
to visit the court of Stirling, was conducted into a secret 
chamber, where James mildly told him that he knew of the 
league he had made, and advised him to break otf all such 
illegal engagements. The earl treated the proposal with 
his usual arrogance, whereupon the king, roused to momen¬ 
tary fury, exclaimed, “ If you will not break this league, 
by God I shall,” and drawing a dagger, instantly stabbed 
Douglas. 
The brother and successor of the late Douglas was recon¬ 
ciled to the king, and entered into a solemn engagement; 
1st. Not to pretend any title to the earldom of Wigton; 
except with the queen’s consent; 2dly. Nor to the lands of 
Stewarton, as part of the patrimony of the duchess of Tow- 
raine, his mother; 3dly. To abandon in future all hatred 
or enmity against all persons; 4thly. To preserve the public 
peace, and make compensations to persons already injured ; 
5thly. To observe the strictest duty and respect to the 
king. This instrument, which was signed by Douglas and 
lord Hamilton for themselves and their adherents, affords a 
curious picture of the state of government and manners in 
the age. 
The interval of domestic quiet which succeeded this recon¬ 
ciliation was only of short duration ; but it was marked by 
an event of some interest in the history of Scottish learning, 
viz., the foundation of the university of Glasgow, through 
the munificence of bishop Turnbull. The standard of rebel¬ 
lion was again raised by Douglas, aided by the Yorkish party 
in England. The king, aware of this conspiracy, sum¬ 
moned Douglas to appear before the privy-council; and 
upon his refusal ravaged his estates, and besieged his castle 
of Abercorn. The earl of Crawford advanced with an army 
to its relief, determined to force his sovereign to fight or fly 
the kingdom. James, distrusting the loyalty of the southern 
counties, hastened to St. Andrews, whence, by the advice 
of Kennedy, bishop of that see, he issued a proclamation, 
summoning the array of the north, and offering an annuity 
to all who should join his service. I11 a few days he found 
himself at the head of a numerous body of troops, with whom 
he marched against Douglas, whose army was encamped on 
the banks of the Carron. The effect produced was almost 
miraculous, for in less than 24 hours Douglas was deserted 
by Iris whole army, excepting the persons who formed his 
household. Upon this unexpected change, he fled to Annan- 
dale, and afterwards to England. 
James next proceeded to crush the remaining partisans of 
the insurrection, and to reduce the castles of Abercorn and 
Strathavan, which still resisted his authority. He afterwards 
assembled a parliament at Edinburgh, in which the forfeiture 
of the earl of Douglas, with his mother and brothers, was 
solemnly decreed. In another parliament held in the same 
year, several important and interesting enactments were made, 
tending to confirm the paramount power of the king, and to 
sap the foundation of the feudal system. 
He next turned his attention to the subjects of foreign 
policy; enraged at the conduct of England for supporting the 
Douglasses, he invaded that kingdom, and spread desolation 
throughout the northern counties. Meanwhile Douglas was 
admitted to the titles of an English subject, and continued in 
that allegiance till his death. 
Not long after this invasion, a truce was negociated with 
England, and James returned to his favourite occupation, the 
enactment of laws for the improvement and tranquillity of 
the country. In the several parliaments held at Edinburgh, 
measures were taken to reform the coinage, and to regulate 
the internal commerce of the kingdom; a regular militia was 
established for the national defence; and several laws were 
made to promote agriculture, and to fix the constitution of 
parliament. But the most important act passed in this reign 
relates to the establishment of a supreme court of justice, 
independent of the king’s council. This court consisted 
of three eminent clergy, three barons, and three com¬ 
missioners of burghs, to be changed each month. It was, 
in fact, a committee of parliament, the members having been 
taken in rotation from that assembly; and no appeal lay 
from its decisions. 
While these matters were under consideration in Scotland, 
England was distracted by the rivalship of the houses of 
York and Lancaster. James seems to have inclined to favour 
the former, but took no active part on either side till the cap¬ 
tivity of Henry VI., when he commenced hostilities, by 
laying siege to the castles of Berwick and Roxburgh. The 
latter enterprise he conducted in person ; and here he unfor¬ 
tunately met his death, by the accidental bursting of a can¬ 
non, on the 3d of August, 1460. The nobility who were 
present concealed his death, from the fear of discouraging the 
soldiers; but the spirited conduct of the queen soon rendered 
this precaution unnecessary. Her young son, James, having 
arrived in the camp a few hours after, she presented him to 
the army as their king, and declared she would act the part 
of their general herself. 
Accordingly she assumed the reins of government, and 
pushed the siege of Roxburgh castle with so much vigour, 
that the garrison was obliged to capitulate in a few days; 
after which the army took and dismantled the castle of Werk. 
In 1466, negociations were begun for a marriage between the 
young king and Margaret, princess of Denmark; and in 
1468, the following conditions were stipulated :—1st. That 
the annual rent hitherto paid for the northern isles of 
Orkney and Zetland should be for ever remitted and extin¬ 
guished : 2dly. That Christiern, then king of Denmark, 
should give 60,000 florins of gold for his daughter’s portion, 
whereof 10,000 should be paid before her departure from 
Denmark; and that the islands of Orkney should be made 
over to the crown of Scotland, by way of pledge for the 
remainder; with this proviso, that they should return to that 
of Norway after complete payment of the whole sum : 3dly. 
That king James should, in case of his dying before the said 
Margaret his spouse, leave her in possession of the palace of 
Linlithgow and castle of Down in Mentieth, with all their 
appurtenances, and the third part of the ordinary revenues of 
the crown, to be enjoyed by her during life, in case she 
should choose to reside in Scotland: 4thly. But if she rather 
chose to return to Denmark, that in lieu of the said life-rent, 
palace and castle, she should accept of 120,000 florins 
of the Rhine; from which sum the 50,000 due for the 
remainder of her portion being deducted and allowed, the 
islands of Orkney should be re-annexed to the crown of Nor¬ 
way as before. When the completion of these articles became 
necessary, Christiern found himself unable to fulfil his part 
of them. Engaged in an unsuccessful war with Sweden, he 
could not advance the 10,000 florins, as agreed to. He there¬ 
fore applied to the plenipotentiaries to accept of 2000, and 
to take a mortgage of the isles of Zetland for the other 8000. 
This treaty led to the final annexation of Orkney and Zetland 
to the Scottish crown. 
In 1476 those misfortunes began to assail James, which 
afterwards 
