well defcended; and thofe that he could not perfuade by fair means, he ravished by compulfion; and, if any one endeavoured to abridge him in his debauched courfes, he was fure never to come off without fuffering for it. Many complaints were brought to his father about thefe his exorbitancies; fo that he wrote to his brother, the Governor, to keep him with him, and to have a strict eye over his conversation, till that fpirit of lewdnefs fhould abate, and till he gave fome hopes of his amendment of life. The Governor had now an opportunity put into his hands, to effect what he most defired; and that was, to deftroy his brother's iffue: So that, meeting David three miles from St. Andrews, he car ried him into the caftle there, which he kept in the nature of a garrison, after the Archbifhop's death. After a while he took him from thence, and carried him to his own caftle of Falkland; and there fhut him up clofe prifoner, intending to ftarve him. But that miferable death, to which his uncle's cruelty had defigned him, was protracted for a few days, by the compaffion of two of the female fex. One was a young maid, whofe father was governor of the castle and garrifon. She gave him oatcakes made fo thin, that they could be folded up together, (as it is ufual in Scotland to make them), and, as often as fhe went into the garden near the prifon, fhe put them under a linnen vail or hood, which he did, as it were, carelessly caft over her head, to keep her from the fun, and thruft them into the prifon to him through a small crany, rather than a window. The other was a country-nurfe, who

milked her breaft, and, by a little canal, con veyed it into his mouth. By this mean fare, which ferved rather to increase, than affwage his hunger, his wretched life and punishment was lengthened out for a little while; till at length, by the vigilance of the guards, they were difcovered, and put to death; the father mightily abhorring the perfidioufnefs of his own daughter, whilft he endeavoured to manifeft his fidelity to an unfaithful regent. The young man being thus left deftitute of all human fupport, having, by force of hunger, gnawed and torn his own flefh, died at length more than a fingle death. His end was long concealed from his father, though it was commonly known abroad, becaufe no man durft. be the messenger of such fad tidings to him.

In the mean time, the Scottish King heard of the death of David his eldest son, by the unnatural cruelty of his uncle. The author was fufficiently pointed at by private whifperings, though no man dared publickly to accufe fo potent a man. Whereupon the King fends for his brother, and fharply expoftulates with him concerning the matter. He had prepared his tale before-hand, and charges o--* thers with the guilt of the young man's death; as for him and his, they were ready, forfooth, whenever the King pleased, to plead and affert their innocency, in a due courfe of law; but as for the murderers, fome of them he had taken already, and the rest he would make diligent fearch after. Thus the matter being brought to examination according to law, the author of the wickedness fummons a counfel; fets up accufers; and he who was impleaded

as

as guilty, was by them acquitted as innocent of the murder. The King imprecated a noft dreadful punishment from the God of heaven above, to be poured down on him and his pofterity who had committed that horrid wickednefs. And thus being oppreffed with grief and bodily weakness, he returned to Bute, whence he came; fufpecting more than ever, that his brother had committed the parricide, though he was too powerful to be brought by him to justice and puniment for the fame. But he, like a ftrong diffembler, brings the fuppofitious authors of the wickedness out of prifon, and put them to cruel deaths; it is true, they were lewd perfons, yet innocent of that particular fact for which they fuffered.

In the mean time, the King advised with his friends, how he might preferve James his youngest son, for whofe fafety he was very folicitous, and whom he had left in the cuftody of Walter Wardiloe, Archbishop of St. Andrews, an honeft man, and faithful to him: They gave their opinion, that he could not be fafe in any part of Scotland; and that therefore it was beft to fend him over to Charles VI. King of France, the old ally, and only friend of the Scottish nation; for he could be educated no where more fafely and honourably than there. The fresh example of David Bruce fuck yet in their minds, who, in dubious and troublesome times at home, had there, for fome years, an honourable retreat and entertainment. Hereupon a veffel was prepared, and he put on board at the Bafs, a rock rather than an island. Henry Sinclare, Earl of Orcades, was fent with him as his guide or

rector;

rector. Whilst they were coafting by the thore, he landed at the promontory of Flamburgn, either driven in by tempeft, or elfe to refrein himself on fhore, after having been very feafick There he was detained by the English, till they fent to their King, who commanded that he should be brought up to court: fo that neither the law of the truce, which was made a little before, for eight years, nor the fupplicating letters of his father prevailed; but he was kept as a lawful prifoner. For his father, at his departure, had fent letters by him to the King of England, (if poffibly he should · be neceffitated to land there), wherein he made complaining and lamentable difcourfes, both of his own, and alfo of the common fortune of all mankind. But though the King of England was not ignorant of the inconftancy of human affairs; yet the old grudge against the nation of the Scots more prevailed with him, than either the refpect of the youth's innocent age, or the tears of his grieved father, or the dignity of the kingly name, or the faith of the pacification and truce: for having referred the matter to his council, how he should treat the fon of the King of Scots, being arrived in his dominions, those who had any regard to equity, and were weary of the prefent war, inclined to the milder opinion, viz. that the royal youth, who fled from the cruelty of his own countrymen, and was now their fupplicant, fhould be hofpitably and friendly entertained, that fo a fierce nation, and unconquered by the war of fo many ages, might be won and wrought over to a reconciliation by courtefy; for this, they thought, "the mast

"folid and firm victory, not when liberty is "taken away by force, but when minds are "united by the indiffoluble bond of amity." Others were of a contrary opinion, that he might be lawfully detained as a prifoner, either becaufe many of the Scots nobility had perfonally affifted Piercy in the infurrection which he made against the King; or because his father had entertained and relieved Piercy the elder, when he was banished and condemned as a traitor in England.

THIS Opinion (as commonly the worst counfels do) prevailed; tho' they that were prefent at the confultation knew well enough, that thofe Scots who fought against the Englith King in Piercy's infurrection, were not fent by any publick commiffion from the King, but came out of their private affection to Douglas, who was then alfo in Piercy's power. They might alfo have remembered what Henry himfelf had anfwered to the Scots, a few years before, when they demanded George Dunbar to be given up; yet notwithstanding they ftuck to this laft opinion; as commonly in the courts of princes, a falfe pretence of advantage weighs down honeft and righteous counfels Yet in one thing Henry dealt nobly and royally with his captive, that he caufed him to be educated in learning, and good difcipline. This calamity of the fon was brought to his father's ears, whilst he was at fupper; and did fo overwhelm him with grief, that he was almost ready to give up the ghost in the hands of his fervants that attended him; but being carried to his bed-chamber, he abstained from all food, and in three days