SCOTLAND. 
afterwards terminated in his ruin. He had made his brother, 
the duke of Albany, governor of Berwick; and had en¬ 
trusted him with very extensive powers upon the borders, 
where a violent propensity for the feudal habits still con¬ 
tinued. The Humes and the Hepburns could not brook 
the duke of Albany’s greatness, especially after he forced 
them, by virtue of a late act, to part with some of the estates, 
which had been granted them in the preceding reign. The 
pretended science of judicial astrology, by which James 
happened to be infatuated, was the easiest, as well as the 
most effectual engine that could work their purposes. One 
Andrew, an infamous impostor in that art, had been 
brought over from Flanders by James; and he and Schevez, 
then archbishop of St. Andrews, concurred in persuading 
James that the Scotch lion was to be devoured by his own 
whelps. 
In 1482, the king began to feel the bad consequences of 
taking into his councils men of worthless character. His 
great favourite at this time was Cochrau, whom he had 
raised to the dignity of the earl of Mar. All historians 
agree that this man made a most infamous use of his power. 
The other minions of the king were James Hommill, a 
taylor; Leonard, a blacksmith; and Torfifaw, a dancing- 
master, whose professions rendered them wholly unworthy of 
the royal countenance. The favour shewn to these men gave 
such offence to the nobility, that they resolved to remove 
the king, with some of his least exceptionable domestics, to 
the castle of Edinburgh, and to hang all his favourites over 
Lawder bridge, both which measures were accomplished 
with the most spirited resolution. During his confinement, 
James conducted himself with great firmness, refusing all 
terms of compromise with those who had seized his person, 
or were engaged in the execution of his favourites. Having 
been liberated by his brother, the duke of Albany, he imme¬ 
diately repaired to Holyrood-House, whither most of his 
nobles came to pay their respects to him; but so much was 
he exasperated by their conduct, that he imprisoned no 
fewer than sixteen. Albany was appointed chief minister, 
and became a great favourite; but this cordiality did not 
last long; for in less than three years we find Albany 
solemnly denounced a traitor by act of parliament. During 
all this period, hostilities were carried on with the English 
government; but a truce was agreed to in 1484; and James, 
finding himself in tranquillity both at home and abroad, 
insensibly relapsed into his former impolitic system. The 
result was, an association of several of the most powerful 
barons, who seized the person of the heir apparent, and 
induced him to put himself at their head. James, at this 
period, was making progress and holding courts in the 
North; but immediately on hearing of the insurrection he 
hurried to Perth, which he appointed as the place of ren¬ 
dezvous for his army. When the whole were assembled, he 
marched to'Stirling, where he first learned that his son com¬ 
manded the rebel forces who were advancing from the east. 
Both armies drew up in battle array, nearly on the same 
ground which had been already consecrated by the victory 
of Bannockburn. At first the rebels gave way; but being 
supported by their second and third lines, the loyalists were 
in turn forced to retreat. This event, and the cowardly 
flight of the king, terminated the action with little effusion 
of blood. James, on passing through the village of Bannock¬ 
burn, was thrown from his horse, and carried into a mill, 
where he was stabbed by one of the rebels, who, pretending 
to be a priest, was conducted to him by the miller’s wife. 
Thus perished a prince, whose natural goodness deserved a 
better fate, than to fall the victim of a lawless aristocracy, 
more inimical to public order than the feeble despotism of 
their sovereign. 
The duke of Rothsay, apprised of his father’s fate, assem¬ 
bled a parliament at Edinburgh, in whioh several of the 
friends of the late king were arraigned for high treason. He 
afterwards made a progress throughout the kingdom, and 
endeavoured to acquire popularity. In that object, how¬ 
ever, he was not immediately successful, as we find the early 
part of his reign was disturbed by a formidable rebellion. 
Vol. XXII. No. 1544. 
845 
The leader of this insurrection was the earl of Lenox, who 
was defeated and taken prisoner at Tilly-Moor. James, 
however, afterwards became a great favourite with the na¬ 
tion, on account of. his zeal for the improvement of the 
kingdom. The arts of ship-building and of architecture were 
particularly the objects of his patronage; and indeed to so 
high a pitch did he carry his anxiety to establish a navy, 
that he brought himself into serious financial difficulties. 
This distinguished monarch closed his reign and his life in 
the celebrated field of Floddon, where most of his nobility 
perished with him. 
James V. now ascended the throne, though only a year 
and a half old. The long minority which ensued was re¬ 
markable for internal intrigue, and particularly for the fixed 
establishment of the French and English factions in Scot¬ 
land, which continued to distract the kingdom, more or 
less, till the close of its existence as a separate and indepen¬ 
dent state. From this circumstance, the history of Scottish 
affairs increases in interest, as becoming more intimately 
connected with the general history of Europe; but as the 
limits of this article will not permit of their being detailed at 
length, their bearings cannot be pointed out in a satisfactory 
manner. 
The parliament, which met immediately after the fatal 
battle of Floddon to deliberate on the critical situation of 
the kingdom, elected the queen-mother to the regency. 
This princess conducted the government with great wisdom 
and energy; but having unhappily married the earl of 
Arran, that step gave occasion to violent intestine commo¬ 
tions. By the constitution of Scotland, a marriage under 
the circumstances of the queen regent, was a virtual resig¬ 
nation of her authority; and as Arran was not a favourite 
with the nobility or the nation at large, parliament refused 
to continue him in power. The duke of Albany was there¬ 
fore appointed regent; and a deputation was immediately 
sent to France to request his acceptance of that station. On 
his arrival in Scotland, he was received with every mark 
of respect; but as he attached himself closely to the French 
interest, the English party, headed by the queen and lord 
Hume, opposed him in all his measures, and excited com¬ 
motions in different parts of the country. Henry VIII. of 
England declared war against him; and though it does not 
appear that the regent feared the issue of a contest, he ne¬ 
vertheless soon found it necessary to make peace, on account 
of the dissentions that prevailed in the army, which he had 
led to the borders with the view of invading England. 
Shortly afterwards, the increasing opposition manifested 
against his authority induced him to resign the regency; 
when the sovereign power was again assumed by the queen. 
Arran, by seizing on the person of the king, and pretending 
to rule in his name, soon overthrew the party of the queen ; 
but his own elevation was not of much longer continuance; 
for the king, having escaped from his custody, seized the 
reins of government himself, 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 dis¬ 
played an excellent capacity for government. He called 
frequent parliaments, and directed their attention principally 
to the improvement of his kingdom. In 1532, he instituted 
the Court of Session, on the model of the parliament of Paris. 
This court originally consisted of fifteen members, half clergy 
and half laity, and was empowered to give decisions in ail 
civil suits. 
The years immediately succeeding that last-mentioned, 
were marked by the most horrid atrocities, committed in the 
name of religion. Many persons of distinguished rank suf¬ 
fered at the stake for their opinions. A court of inquisition 
was established, of which Sir James Hamilton was appointed 
president, and certainly no man ever shewed himself more 
worthy of his merciless station. During the same period the 
Scots had to deplore the miseries of a war with England, 
which raged for two years with various success. But not¬ 
withstanding these misfortunes, Scotland continued to rise 
in power and importance. The friendship of James was 
10 F anxiously 
