Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 18, RHI-SCR

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Scotland.
447
’ames
:fcapes
i;'rom his
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ment.
blillied, infomuch that the archbllhop of St Andrew’s
began to treat with Sir George Douglas, to whom he
offered lucrative leafes and other emoluments if he would
intercede with the regent, as Angus was called, in his
favour. This was readily agreed to j and the arch-
bifliop was allowed to return in fafety to his palace a-
bout the fame time that Angus returned from his expe¬
dition againft the borderers. Nothing was then feen at
court but feltivities of every kind, in which the queen-
mother, who Avas noAV releafed from her confinement,
took part j and {he was afterwards futfered to depart to
the cattle of Stirling $ which Angus, not confidering
its importance, had negle<tted to fecure. In the mean
time the archbilhop invited the Douglafes to fpend fome
days with him at his cattle j which they accordingly
did, and carried the king along with them. Here
James diffembled fo well, and feemed to be fo enamour¬
ed of his new way of life, that Angus thought there
could be no danger in leaving him in the hands of his
friends, while he returned to Lothian to fettle fome
public as well as private affairs. Having taken leave of
the king, he left him in the cuttody of his uncle Archi¬
bald, his brother Sir George, and one James Douglas
of Parkhead, captain of the guards who rvatched his
majetty on pretence of doing him honour. The earl
was no fooner gone than the archbifhop font an invita¬
tion to Sir George Douglas, defiring him to come to
St AndreAv’s, and there put the laft hand to the leafes,
and finifti the bargains that had been fpoken off between
them. This Avas fo plaufible, that he immediately fet
out for St Andrevv’s; while his uncle the treafurer went
to Dundee. James thinking this to be the beft oppor¬
tunity that ever prefented ilfelf for an efcape, refolved
to avail himfelf of it at all events j and found means, by
a private meffage, to apprife his mother of his defign.
It Avas then the feafon for hunting and diverfion, which
James often folloAved in the park of Falkland : and cal¬
ling for his forefter, he told him, that as the xveather
was fine, he intended to kill a flag next morning, or¬
dering him at the fame time to fummon all the gen¬
tlemen in the neighbourhood to attend him with their
beft dogs. He then called for his chief domeftics, and
commanded them to get his fupper early, becaufe he
intended to be in the field by day-break •, and he talk¬
ed with the captain of his guard of nothing but the ex¬
cellent fport he expefted next morning. In the mean
time, he had engaged Iavo young men, the one a page
of his own, the other John Hart, a helper about his
ftables, to attend him in his flight, and to provide him
with the drefs of a groom for a difguife. Having for¬
mally taken leave of his attendants, charging them to
be ready early in the morning, and being left alone, he
Hole foftly out of his bed-chamber, Avent to the lia¬
ble unperceived by the guards, drefled himfelf in his
difguife 5 and he and his companions mounting the three
beft horfes there, galloped to Stirling cattle ; into which,
by the queen’s appointment, he was admitted foon af¬
ter day-break. He commanded all the gates to be fe-
cured ; and the queen having previoufly prepared eA^ery
thing for a vigorous defence, orders Avere given that
none (hould be admitted into the cattle Avithout the
king’s permiflion.
About an hour after the king’s efcape from Falkland,
Sir George Douglas returned 5 and being allured that
his majefty was afleep, he went to bed. It appears
that James had been feen and knoAvn in his flight; for Scotland,
in the morning the bailiff of Abernethy came poft-hafte ' *
to inform Sir George that the king had paffed Stirling
bridge. They had, hoAvever, fome glimmering hope
that the king might be gone to Bambrigh : but that
furmife was foon found to be falfe j and an exprefs Avas
difpatched, informing Angus of all that had happened.
The earl quickly repaired to Falkland, Avhere he and his
friends came to a refolution of going to Stirling, and de¬
manding accefs to the king. 44S
James by this time had iffued letters to the earls ofHe pre-
Huntly, Argyle, Athol, Glencairn, Menteith, Rothes,l)ares t?.re"
and Eglinton 5 the lords Graham, Livingfton, Lindfay,^^6 ira*
Sinclair, Ruthven, Drummond, Evandale, MaxAvell, and
Semple. Before all of them could arrive at Stirling,
the earl of Angus and his friends Avere upon their jour¬
ney to the fame place } but were flopped by a herald
at arms, commanding them on their allegiance not to
approach Avithin fix miles of the king’s refidence. This
order having fufficiently intimated Avhat they Avere to
expedt, the earl deliberated Avith his party hoAv he ftiould
proceed. Some of them Avere for marching on and tak¬
ing the cattle by furprife : but that was found to be im-
pradtieable, efpecially as they had no artillery. The
earl and his brother therefore refolved to make a fhoAV
of fubmiflion to the king’s order ; and they accordingly
went to Linlithgow. By this time all the nobility al¬
ready mentioned, and many others, had affembled at
Stirling j and James, calling them to council, inveigh¬
ed againft the tyranny of the Douglafes A\ith an acri¬
mony that fufficiently difcovered Avhat pain it mutt have
given him when he Avas obliged to bear it in filence.
He concluded his fpeech with thefe words : “ There¬
fore I defire, my lords, that I may be fatisfied of the
faid earl, his kin, and friends. For I voav that Scot¬
land ttiall not hold us both, Avhile I be revenged on him
and his.”
The refult of the council’s deliberation Avas that pro¬
clamation fttould be made, reneAving the order for the
Douglafes not to approach the court, and divefting the
earl of Angus and his brother of all their public em¬
ployments. In the mean time, fuch Avas the modera¬
tion of the affembly, that by their advice James ordered
the earl to retire to the north of the Spey till his plea-
fure ftiould be knoAvn ; but his brother was commanded
to furrender himfelf a prifoner in the cattle of Edinburgh,
to take his trial in a very full parliament (all the mem¬
bers being fummoned to attend), to be held in that city
next September. The earl and his brother confidered
compliance Avith thefe conditions as a prelude to their
deftrudftion j and refolved to juftify their treafons by ftill
greater exceffes, in furprifing the toAvn of Edinburgh,
and holding it againft the king and parliament, before
the latter could affemble. Hiftorians have not done
that juftice to the proceedings of the royal party on this
occafion Avhich they deferve. The management of the
king’s efeape, his reception into Stirling, the fortifying
that cattle, and the ready obedience of his great nobi¬
lity, fome of whom attended him with their followers
before they received any fummonfes for that purpofe,
are proofs of Avife and (pirited deliberations. Their con-
du£t at this time Avas equally confittent with the fame
plan of forefight.
It Avas naturally to be fuppofed that the Douglafes,
who remained affembled in a numerous body, Avould
make