Douglas book > Angus memoirs

362 ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS, EIGHTH EARL OF ANGUS, ETC.
also a commission of justiciary within his own territories of Douglas and
Crawford Douglas. 1 Later he seems to have accompanied King James on a
visit to the Middle and East Marches, and he was with the king also in
a special enterprise against Lord Maxwell, who had recently attempted a
disturbance in the south. The king arrived at Dumfries on 29th May
so unexpectedly that Maxwell was almost captured in his house there.
He escaped, but after an exciting chase, was captured by Sir William
Stewart, brother of James Stewart, Earl of Arran. The long returned to
Edinburgh about the end of June, after appointing Angus Lieutenant of
the district, with special powers for demolishing certain small fortresses on
the West March. 2
The Earl's stay on the Borders must, however, have been short, though
Godscroft apparently assigns to this date an expedition against the borderers
at Tarras-moss, and a court held at Langholm, where pledges were given for
good behaviour. The Earl's constitution appears never to have been strong,
and a tendency to disease was probably fostered by the hardships he had
encountered in exile, in wardings, and in warden-raids. He found his
weakness increasing so much that he retired from the Borders first to
Branxholm, then for a few days to Dalkeith, 3 and lastly for the sake of
quietness to Smeaton, a short distance to the north-east of Dalkeith Castle,
where his aunt, the wife of James Richardson, resided. Here, on the 4th
August 1588, the Earl breathed his last, at the early age of 33. His death
was caused by a sickness, which, judging from contemporary accounts, seems
1 Commission, 2Sth February 15S7-S, in view which the Earl, in view of his approach-
Douglas Charter-chest. ing end, had at Dalkeith at this time with the
elder Laird of Glenbervie. It was a sequel
to one between the Earl and the Laird and
his son some months before. Reference to
these interviews will be made in later
3 Godscroft gives an account of an inter- memoirs.
2 Fiegister of the Privy Council, vol. iv.
pp. 286, 292 ; Commission, 20th June 1588,
vol. iii. of this work, pp. 290, 291.