History of the house and race of Douglas and Angus

3 08
HISTORY OF THB
Montague taken in France, saith Major, and took his own
castle of Lochmaben in Annandale.
So that by the industry and efforts of these three wardens,
the Lord Liddisdale, in the middle march, Alexander Ram-
say in the east, and John Randulph in the west, the English
were wholly expelled out of Scotland beyond the borders,
which happened in the time of Edward III. neither did the
Englishmen possess one foot of Scottish ground, excepting
the town of Berwick. Such good service did these noble-
men, with the other good nobility, in the minority and ab-
sence of their prince from his country, against the great force
of England, and a great part of their own country of Scot-
land, being unfaithful subjects, unnatural Scotchmen; and
this these nobles did, even for the love they bore to King
Robert, this David's father, bearing the heat of the day for
him, while he is at ease and security, with watching, hunger,
thirst, cold, and great effusion of their blood, to make the
kingdom peaceable to him, choosing to adventure their lands,
their lives, and whatsoever worldly thing is dear unto men,
rather than to abandon him, and follow his enemies with
ease and quietness, under whom they might have lived a
peaceable life, if they would set aside regard unto their hon-
our and duty.
Such is the force of the love of subjects, beyond all strength
of men and riches of treasures, only able to endure a stress
and hold out, as may be seen by this example to be remark-
ed greatly by subjects, and entertained above all treasure by
sovereigns, and to be accounted a chief, yea almost the only
point of true policy, to love and make much of all men, and
especially their nobility, that they may in such their prince's
straits, when they shall happen, endure the better as these
men did, which they could not have done, if they had not
had authority and dependence, and been so respected by their
inferiors, whoever would diminish this authority in noblemen,
abasing them too far, and making them suspect to princes,
and not safe for them, they err greatly in policy, and unad-
visedly cut the props of the prince's standing, which being