Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston

22 THE LIFE OF
his talents were not ill appreciated, neither were they spared. His king and
country could scarcely have extracted more good service from the intelligence
and activity of a single subject. Hurried repeatedly and alternately from the
royal household to the civic chair, — from judicial functions to legislative deli-
berations, — from domestic finance to foreign diplomacy, — his whole life seems
to have been a constant round of dignities, embracing occupations of the most
opposite and arduous nature. With the Abbot of Melrose and others, he ob-
tained letters of safe-conduct again to pass into England in 1459, as one of
the Scottish commissioners appointed to treat in that year. In 1461 he was
in still higher consideration. He had obtained the then illustrious honour of
knighthood, was appointed vice-admiral of Scotland, and with these accumu-
lated dignities, proceeded as one of the ambassadors to England. *
* At this critical period, the rose of Lancaster had been torn and trampled
on the bloody field of Towton ; and old Holyrood, the sanctuary of royalty in
distress, afforded an asylum to the exiled Henry, and his spirited consort
Margaret of Anjou. The queen-mother of Scotland bestowed upon them all
that the strength of her councils, and the weakness, of her kingdom could
afford. But the expatriated monarch did more than rely upon Scottish gene-
rosity. To aid him in regaining his crown, he tendered to Scotland the
castles of the frontier, he promised an English dukedom to the powerful Earl
of Angus ; and upon the city of Edinburgh he bestowed the prospect at least
of very valuable commercial privileges. Amid this lavish policy or gratitude,
the family of Merchiston was not overlooked. Henry bestowed a pension of
stoune nostrorum eompotorwm rotulatore homirn fidele et finale compotum," &c. dated at Stirling,
7th July 1461, " et regni nostri primo."
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It is interesting to observe the young king's signature to this deed, of which the above is a fac-
simile. He was anointed and crowned at Kelso on the 24th of August 1460, when a number of
knights were made, and probably among the rest Sir Alexander Napier. James was just eight
years, two months, and twenty-three days old at his coronation. His signature at a maturer age
will be found in the Appendix.
* Fcedera, Tome xi. 476. He is designed " Sir Alexander Napare of Merchainstoun, Vice-
admiral of Scotland." The chief admiral was Alexander Duke of Albany, the king's brother.