Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Immediately after that this truce was thus concluded betwixt y^e two Realmes,A Parliament. king Iames cauſed the three eſtates to aſſemble in Parliamẽt at Edinburgh y^e firſt of October in the yere .1487.1487 in the which order was takẽ, y^t iuſtice [...]ares ſhuld be holden through all partes of the Realm,No pardon [...]o be graunted to offendors ſet the ſpace of ſeuen yeeres. Ambaſſadors ſent to the King of Ro|manes. & that no pardons ſhuld be granted for any great crime that ſhuld be cõmitted for the ſpace of ſeuẽ yeres to come, ſo that the king began to vſe ſharp exe|cution of Iuſtice in all parts, which was righte diſpleſant to many. The ſame time was an Am|baſſador ſent to the king of Romans, for the cal|ling EEBO page image 407 in of a letter of Marque, which had bin grã|ted againſt Scottiſh Merchants, at the ſuite and inſtance of certayne Hollanders & Burgonions, and was ſhortly after herevpon reuoked. After y^e Parliament was ended, the King remoued vnto Striueling,The King gi|ueth himſelfe to t [...]fie his [...] in keping [...] and gathering [...]eaſure. leauing his wife the Queene, and hir ſonne the Prince in Edenburgh Caſtell, whileſt he keeping perſons about him of meane calling, gaue himſelfe to take his pleaſure with women, and to gather vp golde and ſiluer, greatly to the offence of his ſubiects. Yet in the mean time now after the death of king Richarde, whether it was by treaſon or appoyntment,After the deth [...] King Ri|chard Dunbar is [...]eliuered. the Caſtell of Dun|bar was deliuered to the hands of king Iames, & that to his greate ioy and high contentation: for he that ruled his kingdome more with rigor than with any tractable mean of fauorable iuſtice, ſtood euer in feare of ſome troubleſome tumult y^t might be raiſed by his own people, if occaſiõ were mini|ſtred either through hope of forrayn aide or other|wiſe. So long therefore as this Caſtell was in y^e Engliſhmens handes, he doubted, leaſt through practiſe ſome conſpiracie ſhould be contriued be|twixt his own ſubiects and the Engliſh nation, greatly to the anoyance of his eſtate, and thervp|pon he was the more deſirous to reduce the ſame Caſtell into his poſſeſſion.The meane whereby King [...]ares might haue auoyded [...]a [...]nger of death by his ſubiects. But the only mean to haue aſſured himſelfe from the handes of ſuch as ſought his life, had bin to haue changed his wil|ful maner of gouernemẽt, and to haue leaned vn|to ſuch councell as would haue aduiſed him for y^e wealth of his whole Realme, & not vpon deſire to pleaſe, haue maynteyned his vndiſcret opiniõs to y^e wronging aſwel of his commõs as of y^e nobles & peeres of his Realm: for y^e nobilitie of Scotlãd, namely, the Earles of Angus, Argile, & Lennox, the Lords Halis, Hume, Drowmound, Grey and others, perceyuing themſelues oppreſſed by ſuche as frõ baſe birth had riſen, (without worthy de|ſeruing) to the degree of coũſellors, and therwith aduanced to ſo high authoritie,The conſpi|racie of the Scottiſh Lords [...] King [...] the [...]. as al things were ordered at their appoyntment, conſpired togither, & determined by force of armes to ſee a reforma|tion in ſuch a diſordred manner of gouernement: but yet bycauſe it ſhould not be thought that they minded the deſtruction of their countrey, but ra|ther y^e aduancement thereof, they made the Lorde Iames Duke of Rothſay ſonne to the King (a child borne to goodneſſe & vertue) the chiefe Cap|tayne in this their enterpriſe, & that in manner a|gainſt his wil, hereby openly proteſting, that they minded & purpoſed the ſuppreſſing & confuſion of an euil king, & not y^e ſubuerſion of their natiue cũ|trey. By which their craftie imagined inuention, they thought to remoue all ſuſpition of their pur|poſed vntroth & ſhamefull diſloyaltie. They had ſente to the Earle of Dowglas, who remayned priſoner (as ye haue heard) in the Abbey of Lun|doris, and required him to aſſiſt them in their be|gun enterpriſe, promiſing that they would reſtore him againe to his lands and former dignitie, and honor him as principall of their faction. But that noble, wiſe, & ancient Erle, being already ſchooled with troubles, and hauing learned by experience to his great griefe what ſuch matter meant, refu|ſed to breake his warde, or to aſſiſt them in any wiſe, diſwading them from their enterpriſe, by|cauſe it ſeemed to him neither godly nor honora|ble, ſithence both himſelfe and his friends had ta|ſted for y^e like, great hinderãce, which might be an enſample to him & others to beware in time to come. The King being once enformed of this re|belliõ & conſpiracie againſt him, was ſore diſqui|eted in his mind, & to meete their miſcheuo [...]s at|tempts,King Iames gathereth an army. gathered an army. Yet before the vſing of any force, he ſent meſſengers to his ſon, & to the nobles w^t him, to trie if he might come to ſome a|greemente with them.He ſendeth letters to the Kings of Eng|land & France He ſente alſo letters to the king of England, & to the French king, requiring thẽ to take ſome paines in y^e mater, to procure an atonement betwixt him and his nobles. And be|ſides this, he wrote to Pope Innocent for y^e ſame purpoſe, praying him to intermedle his authori| [...]ie by ſending ſome legate into Scotlãd, to apeaſe the troubles thereof. But the Scottiſh nobilitie, & ſuch of the people as were vp in armour againſte him, were ſo deſperately ſet & wholly bent on re|uẽge, that no wholeſom counſell nor medicinable aduice might apeaſe their furious rage, ſo that for anſwere to his meſſengers, they ſent him worde,The anſwere of the Rebels to the kings meſſage. that if he would reſigne the title of his Crowne & Realm, & depoſe himſelfe of his whole regall dig|nitie, then they would come to ſome cõmunicati|on with him, or elſe not. The like anſwere was giuẽ to y^e Ambaſſadors of England and France, that were ſente vnto them from y^e Kings of both thoſe Realmes, which ſore lamented the fortune of their friend & alie the Scottiſh king. But Adri|an y^e Biſhop of Romes Legate came too late, as who ſhuld ſay, a day after y^e fayre: for when their groũded malice & ſpiteful hatred cõceyued againſt him mighte not beẽ qualified by any manner of meanes, but y^t they wer now cõming forward w^t al their puiſſance to Striueling where he then re|mayned, he would not ſtay til y^e Erles of Hũtley Errole, Athole, Crawfort, Rothus, Sutherlãd, Cathnes, & Marſhall, the Barõs Forbes, Ogil|uy, Granth, Frayſer and other, were arriued with their powers, amounting to the number of fortie thouſand men with the which they were cõming forth of y^e North partes to his aide, but raſhly, & without good aduice he iſſued out of the town, a|companied with the Erles of Glencarne & Mon|tros, the Lordes Graham, Ruthuen, Maxwell, and certayne others, and foorthwith ioyned battell with hys aduerſaries at Bannockeſ|burne, EEBO page image 408 within two miles of Striueling: and ſo when nothing mighte quiet them, at length they met thus in a pitched fielde,

They meete in a pitched fielde.

The King is put to the woorſe.

He is ſlayne.

where after greate ſlaughter and murder made of an huge multi|tude of people, the King beeing put to the woorſe fledde into a Mill; whither beeing fiercely follo|wed and founde therein, hee was cruelly ſlayne, and vnreuerẽtly left ſtarke naked: A notable mir|ror to all earthly princes, that calling to remem|brance ſuch a miſerable and moſt dolorous ſight, they may take heede by what manner of perſons they ſuffer them ſelues to be led and abuſed. For if this Prince King Iames the third had not follo|wed vpon a wilfull pretence and obſtinate minde the councell and aduice of vauntperlors, & ſuche as (being aduanced from baſe degree vnto hygh authoritie) ſtudyed more to keepe them ſelues in fauoure, than to giue true aduertiſementes, and faithfull aduiſe vnto their Prince, he myghte haue reigned longer by many dayes and yeeres, in great and high felicitie.