the Scottish Prince in his hands, as a pledge, for preventing his countrymen either from making incurfions on the border, while he was in France, or fending troops to the affiftance of their French allies.

As Henry, foon after the battle of Azincourt, was obliged to return to England, the Scots remained quiet. Henry having recruited his forces, landed his army a fecond time in Normandy *, and being joined by the forces of the weak King Charles VI. and the Duke of Burgundy, carried all before him. The valorous actions of that heroic Prince are well known. The unfortunate Dauphin Charles, by the infanity of his father, the refentment of his vitious mother, and the valour of the English Monarch, must have been driven from the throne of his ancestors, but for the affistance he got at that critical time from his ancient allies the Scots, under the banners of their brave leaders the Scottish nobility. The political fyftem of the Scots in those days was extremely fimple. Their first principle was independence; in maintaining of which they ever were lavish of their blood. Jealous of their powerful fouthern neighbours, who frequently had attempted their conquest, the Scots naturally

B

1418.

naturally turned their eyes to France, the rival of England, who, at all times, was ready to affift them, and to cultivate the ancient alliance which had fubfifted between the two kingdoms from the time of Charlemagne. During King Henry's first expedition to France, the Scots had remained quiet, and given little or no aid to their allies. The rapid fuccefs, however, of the English Monarch in his fecond expedition, (which at length, by the famous treaty of Troye, fettled the crown of France upon King Henry and his iffue with Catherine of France), awakened at once the Scots to the impending ruin which threatened the independence of their country, by the weight of fuch an acceffion to the King of England. A choice body of 7000 Scots, commanded by John Stuart, Earl of Buchan, fon to the Regent of Scotland, landed at Rochelle, to the affiftance of the Dauphin, accompanied by many of the Scottish nobility. The French war was now the path to glory and greatnefs. Never did the Scots make a more confpicuous figure than at that period, nor any fet of warriors ever acquire more diftinguifhed honours and fame. The Earl of Buchan, the leader of the Scots, arose, by his valour, to the dignity of Conftable of France, and led the van of the French army; Douglas, Earl of Wigton, was created Marifchal of

France;

France; the Earl of Douglas was created Duke, and invested in the Dukedom of Touraine; and Stuart, fon to the Earl of Lennox, was created Viscount d'Aubigné.

The first check given to King Henry's career, was the fignal victory obtained by the Scots at Baugé*, under the Earl of Buchan, in which the Duke of Clarence, King Henry's brother, was killed, and his kinfmen, the Earls of Somerset † and Dorset, were taken prifoners.

This event made King Henry fenfible, that his detaining the young King of Scots a prifoner, prevented not his fubjects from fighting for their allies. He changed his plan; James was carried to France, in order to detach the Scots from the Dauphin's army. An offer is faid, by the Scottish hiftorians, to have been made by King Henry to his prisoner, of restoring him to his liberty, on condition of drawing off his fubjects, by fummoning them, upon their allegiance, to attend his ftandard. In James's fituation, the offer was trying and alluring. The young King's anfwer was remarkable: As a prifoner,' replied he, and

in

+ Grandfon to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and brother to the Lady Jane, afterwards James's Queen.

1

' in your hands, I have no power over my fub

.

jects; nor are they under any allegiance to obey C my command *.?

King Henry, though nowife pleafed with the anfwer, is faid, upon the King of Scots retiring, to have exclaimed, Happy fhall be the fubjects of

a King, who, in fuch tender years, fhews himself to be endowed with fo much wifdom!"

This prevented not James from giving his perfonal afsistance, and signalizing himself under the banner of that heroic and martial Prince, particularly at the fiege of Dreux, where the King of Scots commanded, and whose surrender was chiefly owing to his valour and conduct †. James being of a firm and vigorous conftitution, expert in athletic and warlike exercifes, diftinguifhed himfelf in feveral military exploits under that vigorous Prince, fighting at the head of a faithful and noble band of his countrymen, who voluntarily attended their fovereign, as a guard to his perfon .

During

1

*Boet. lib. 16. Hauthornden, &c.

Hauthornden.

The most eminent of this loyal band of knights, were Seton Lord Gordon, with 40 launces and 100 horsemen ;

the

During the regency of Robert Duke of Albany, the King's uncle, that artful Prince's plan of keeping hold of the government of Scotland coinciding with King Henry's measure for detaining the King of Scots in his hands, every treaty fet on foot for his liberty, and his return to his own kingdom, was evaded and difappointed while Robert lived.

Upon his death, his fon Murdoch fuccceded him in the regency *. Although the plan of the new regent was the fame with that of his predeceffor, yet his ability, mean in comparison of his father's, and other circumftances concurring, made him, in a few years, fenfible of his being unequal to hold the reins of government of a bold and martial people. His weakness and bad administration had introduced univerfal licentioufnefs and disorder; anarchy prevailed over the whole kingdom. Above all, the vices and intolerable infolence of the regent's own fons, which he found himself unable to curb, drove him at length ferioufly to concur with the ftates of the kingdom to fet on foot a treaty for

the

the Lord Forbes, with the fame number; John and Fergus Kennedies, ancestors of the Earls of Caffillis, and John Sinclair, each of these with 30 launces, and 6 horsemen; Rymer's foedera, tom. 10. p. 127.

* 1420.