Page:Scotish Descriptive Poems - Leyden (1803).djvu/34

 After the reign of Bruce, no Scotish clan ever attained such power as the Douglasses, or acquired such popularity on the marches. They united, in an eminent degree, feudal pomp with martial bravery, and in England and France their fame was as great as in Scotland. A popular proverbial verse, preserved by Hume of Godscroft, runs thus:

The lofty and daring spirit of the race is well delineated by our author:

The court of Douglas might long have vied in magnificence with that of the kings of Scotland; and the chief enumerated among his vassals many clans that afterwards rose to eminence and power, on the ruins of the family. The passage which delineates the plenitude of this power, exhibits a curious feudal picture: