Page:Imperialdictiona02eadi Brandeis.pdf/153

DOU friends to Scotland, and interred in the sepulchre of his ancestors at Douglas. The portrait of Douglas has been drawn by the hand of Barbour in very graphic and pleasing terms. He was tall, strong, and well-made, though lean; broad-shouldered and large-boned, and of a swarthy complexion, with black hair. He lisped a little in his speech, but "that set him right wonder weel." He was pleasant and affable in his manners; his countenance had a modest and gentle expression in time of peace, but he had a very different aspect in the day of battle. He was universally beloved by his contemporaries for his kindness and generous courtesy, as well as admired for his bravery and chivalrous exploits, and he is still affectionately remembered among his countrymen as "the good Sir James."—(Barbour, Froissart, Fordun.)

, brother of the preceding, was lord of Galloway, and was chosen regent in 1333. He was surnamed Tyneman, in consequence of his defeats, and the ill-success which attended his measures. He undertook an expedition into England, for the purpose of raising the siege of Berwick, then hard pressed by Edward III., and was mortally wounded at the fatal battle of Halidon Hill, 20th July, 1333.

, the knight of Liddesdale, known also in history by the title of the Flower of Chivalry, has been supposed by Tytler and other Scottish historians, to have been a natural son of the "good Sir James;" but this is a mistake. He was the lawful son of Sir James Douglas of Loudon, and became possessor of the lands of Liddesdale through his marriage with Margaret, daughter of Sir John Graham of Abercorn. He flourished during the dark days of David Bruce, and took a distinguished part in the expulsion of Baliol and his English partisans from Scotland. In 1333 he was defeated and taken prisoner near Lochmaben, and was kept in close confinement in England for two years. On regaining his liberty he joined the small band of patriots who were struggling against great odds to maintain the liberties of their country, defeated the English and their auxiliaries in several fierce encounters, wrested from them Teviotdale and the other border districts, and by a dexterous stratagem recovered the castle of Edinburgh. He tarnished his fame, however, by his cruel murder of Sir Alexander Ramsay, his friend and companion in arms, whom he cast into a dungeon of his castle of Hermitage and left to perish of hunger, because the king had appointed him keeper of Roxburgh castle and sheriff of Teviotdale—offices which Douglas thought should have been conferred upon himself. Such was the weakness of the government at this time, that the king was obliged not only to pardon the savage murderer, but to bestow upon him the offices which led to the perpetration of the crime. Three years after this Douglas was taken prisoner along with his sovereign at the battle of Neville's Cross, and was induced to purchase his liberty at the expense of his honour, by entering into a secret treaty with the English king. But his treason was speedily discovered by his kinsman. Lord William Douglas, by whom he was shortly after his return from England waylaid and slain as he was hunting in Ettrick forest. This deed was ascribed by contemporary writers either to domestic jealousy, or to revenge for the murder of Sir Alexander Ramsay.

, a famous warrior in the reign of Robert II., was the natural son of Sir Archibald Douglas of Galloway. His graceful person and great prowess, combined with a generous disposition and most winning gentleness of manners, gained him the hand of the king's daughter, Egidia, with the lordship of Nithsdale, though, according to Fordun, the princess was sought in marriage by the king of France. Douglas performed a number of brilliant exploits against the English, both in Scotland and Ireland. He joined the Teutonic knights in their crusade against the pagans in Prussia and Lithuania, and was appointed admiral of the fleet. He was murdered at Dantzic about 1390, by a band of assassins hired by a certain Lord Clifford, who had fastened a quarrel on him.—(See Fordun.)

, second earl, was the grandson of Sir Archibald, noticed above. He was a distinguished warrior, and closed his brilliant career at the famous battle of Otterburn. The Scottish barons in 1381 resolved, in opposition to the advice of their king, to make an inroad into England. The main body of their army, under the earl of Fife, the king's second son, entered England by Carlisle, while a smaller division, commanded by the earl of Douglas, crossed the eastern inarches, pushed rapidly through Northumberland, and ravaged the bishopric of Durham without molestation. On their return homeward a personal encounter took place between Douglas and Sir Henry Percy, the renowned Hotspur, in which the latter lost his pennon. Douglas boasted that he would plant it on the tower of his castle of Dalkeith. "That," said Percy, "shalt thou never do, you shall not even bear it out of Northumberland." "Well," replied Douglas, "your pennon shall this night be placed before my tent; come and win it if you can." The Scots retired to Otterburn, a hamlet situated in Redesdale, about thirty miles from Newcastle; but it was not till the third day that Percy marched against them, at the head of a greatly superior force, and attacked their encampment shortly after sunset. Froissart tells us that the battle was fought on a sweet moonlight evening, clear and bright. It raged for several hours with the utmost fury. Douglas, who wielded a battle-axe with both hands, cut his way into the thickest of the enemy, where, being separated from his men, he was borne to the earth mortally wounded. But this disaster was unknown to either army, and in the end the English gave way on all sides. Hotspur and his brother Sir Ralph were taken prisoners, and scarcely a man of note among the English escaped death or captivity. Froissart says, "Of all the battles that have been described in this history, great and small, this was the best fought and the most severe." It was fought on the 5th of August, 1388. The body of Douglas was carried in sorrowful procession to the abbey of Melrose, and buried in the sepulchre of his fathers. (See Froissart, vol. iii., chap. 129; the ballads of Chevy Chase and the Battle of Otterburn.)

, third earl, lived in the feeble reign of Robert III., and was the most powerful subject in the kingdom. He was surnamed the Grim from his swart complexion and lowering visage. He was distinguished by his courage, firmness, and sagacity, mixed with indomitable pride. His daughter Margery married David, duke of Rothesay, eldest son of Robert III.—(See Fair Maid of Perth.) He was taken prisoner at the battle of Poictiers, but effected his escape.

, fourth earl, obtained a victory at Linton in East Lothian, over Hotspur and the earl of March, in 1401, but in the following year he was defeated and taken prisoner by Percy at Homildon Hill, near Wooler, where he showed great courage, but was guilty of many grave errors as a general. He was gained over by his captor and his father, the earl of Northumberland, to support them in a conspiracy against Henry IV. of England. His fierce courage at the battle of Shrewsbury has been commemorated by Shakspeare. It more than once placed the life of Henry in danger, and nearly decided the battle. But in the end Hotspur was killed and the insurgents routed, and Douglas was once more wounded and taken prisoner, thus justifying the name of Tyneman, that is, Loseman, generally applied to him by his countrymen. He recovered his liberty on payment of a large ransom, and in 1421 joined the Scottish auxiliaries, who went to the assistance of Charles VII., king of France. He performed some brilliant exploits, and was rewarded for his services with the duchy of Touraine. But he was defeated at Crevant in 1423, mainly in consequence of the same neglect of military tactics which caused the loss of the battle of Homildon. In the following year he fell at the battle of Verneuil (17th August, 1424), along with the greater part of the Scottish knights, and the auxiliary force under their command was almost annihilated.

, sixth earl, and third duke of Touraine, inherited the family titles and estates in 1439, when it had risen to a height of power which rivalled that of the crown itself. Their estates in Galloway, Annandale, Douglasdale, and other districts of Scotland, together with the duchy of Touraine and the county of Longueville in France, yielded them revenues probably not inferior to those of the Scottish king; and they could bring into the field an army scarcely less numerous of highly disciplined soldiers. When Earl William rode out he was usually attended by a thousand horse; his household was conducted on a scale of dazzling magnificence; he is said to have assumed almost royal state, and to have dubbed knights with his own hand. His arrogance and contemptuous disregard of the authority of the government at length became intolerable; acts of most grievous oppression were perpetrated by his followers, who, secure in his countenance and protection, filled the country with pillage and bloodshed. The Chancellor Crichton and Livingston, the royal governor, irritated by the constant insults