neither pure nor patriotic. entered," says Mr. Fraser, "into a solemn agreement with the King of England to be his servant, and to permit the English to pass through his lands at all times without hindrance, in return for which he was set at liberty, with a grant of the lands of Liddesdale and Hermitage Castle, &c., to be held of the English King." But the Scotts were rapidly winning back the country, and the Knight's treasonable plans were held in check. His death was a sad one, as he was slain by his pupil and godson, William of Douglas, while hunting in Ettrick Forest. The old legend assigns jealousy as the cause of quarrel, and an old ballad supports the story:

This view is strengthened by the fact that the Knight's death was followed by a royal grant of Liddesdale to William of Douglas. To view his character as a whole, the "Flower of Chivalry" comes out the least satisfactorily of all his generation of Black Douglases.

William soon after fought at Poitiers on the French side, and was knighted by the luckless King John. He was one of the three great lords selected as hostages for King David II., and succeeded in having the restoration of his English estates secured to him by the treaty between the two countries. At the death of David he stood in a position to be a formidable

boure she came,

And loudly there did call,

It is for the Lord of Liddesdale

That I let these tears down fall."

But there was no Countess of Douglas at that time, and if there is anything in the ballad it must point to a rivalry for Margaret of Mar, whom Douglas married a few years after. Fordoun assigns the cause of the Knight's death as revenge for the murders of Sir Alexander Ramsay and Sir David Berkley, and mutual enmities stirred up by ambition. The last suggestion is probably the real motive, and Mr Fraser thus amplifies Fordoun's statement :

"The probability is, that the true cause of the deed was that both men laid claim to the same lands, and that Douglas, meeting his rival hunting and trespassing on his territory, challenged him, and the Knight was killed in the encounter. That both Douglas and his kinsman laid claim to the same territory has never hitherto been clearly understood by the his

Stewart. Wyntown indeed asserts that William was preparing to advance his claims, based on an alleged descent from the Comyns and Baliols; but Mr Fraser points out so many inconsistencies in the chronicler's narrative, that we have no hesitation in dismissing the statement. If the Douglases did ever aim at royal power in Scotland, it was after this period, at a time when their rivalry with the Crown became more keenly accented. The Stewart and Douglas had been in the closest alliance, and the latter's accession to the throne was speedily followed by a contract of marriage between the heir of Douglas and the Princess Isabel. He continued to be the bulwark of the country against the English, and his last service was to again clear Liddesdale from their occupation. By his marriage with Margaret of Mar he succeeded

to that earldom on the death of her brother Thomas, the last male of the line of ancient Earls. In connection with the vexed ques

tion about the ranking of that earldom, it is of interest to quote Mr Fraser's remarks with regard to the position held by the Earl of Douglas :

"The Earldom of Mar, as possessed by Thomas Earl of Mar, was in the time of King Robert II. the premier earldom of Scotland. The dignity of Earl of Douglas was then the most modern dignity with the rank of Earl, and William Earl of Douglas was the first Earl of his family, having been created on 26th January 1357-58. When he received the conjoined titles of Douglas and Mar on the death of Thomas Earl of Mar, he had only been sixteen years Earl of Douglas, yet on every occasion his title of Douglas is invariably placed before that of Mar. He styles himself Earl of Douglas and Mar; his widow also after his death placed the title of Mar after that of Douglas, styling herself Countess of Douglas

and Mar, and the same course was followed in Crown charters by the King. The dignity of Earl of Doug las could not have been placed before that of Earl of Mar if Earl William had been entitled in right of his wife to be ranked as and to bear the style of the first Earl of the kingdom. Both of the Earls of Douglas and Mar, William and James, father and son, sealed the legal deeds granted by them with their armorial seals, having Douglas in the first and fourth quarters and Mar in the subsidiary second and third, thus again plainly showing that the title of Mar, as possessed by William Earl of Douglas, was junior to his recently created dignity of Douglas."

William's successor was the hero of Otterburn, and as he died without legitimate issue, the Earldoms. of Mar and Douglas parted company-the latter going to Archibald, the grim Lord of Galloway. Earl James was not more than thirty when he fell, but he had crowded many exploits into a short life; and his successful raids across the Border excited the en

thusiasm of Scottish chivalry, and the deep enmity of "Hotspur,' who saw his domains ravaged and his fame eclipsed by the young Earl. An expedition into England on a grand scale having been organised by the Scottish nobles in 1388, Douglas harried the country up to the walls, Durham, and then returned to assail Newcastle. In a hand-to-hand encounter before the walls, Douglas is said to have worsted Hotspur, and to have carried off his pennon. It was when the Scots had broken

up the siege, and were encamped at Otterburn, on their way home, that the famous encounter took place, which is celebrated in the ballad of "Chevy Chase." In the night-time Henry and Ralph Percy broke upon the Scottish camp at Otterburn SO

Douglas had not time to have his unexpectedly that armour fastened, and the “Earl of Moray fought all night without his helmet." Douglas was soon in the thickest of the fight, armed with a mace or battle-axe, "lyke a hardy Hector," says Froissart, "wyllynge alone to conquer the felde, and to dyscomfyte his enemyes." Unrecognised in the mêlée, he received three spearwounds at once, and a blow on the head from an axe as he was fallwhen the English were ing. His body was recovered driven back; and, says Mr Fraser, “the scene which followed is one of the most affecting in the annals of chivalry: "

"When asked how he did, the dying Earl replied, Right evil; yet, thank God, but few of my ancestors have died in their beds. I am dying, for my heart grows faint, but I pray Raise my banner you to revenge me.

which lyeth near me on the ground;

show my state neither to friend nor foe, lest mine enemies rejoice, and my friends be discomfited."

neither pure nor patriotic. entered," says Mr. Fraser, "into a solemn agreement with the King of England to be his servant, and to permit the English to pass through his lands at all times without hindrance, in return for which he was set at liberty, with a grant of the lands of Liddesdale and Hermitage Castle, &c., to be held of the English King." But the Scotts were rapidly winning back the country, and the Knight's treasonable plans were held in check. His death was a sad one, as he was slain by his pupil and godson, William of Douglas, while hunting in Ettrick Forest. The old legend assigns jealousy as the cause of quarrel, and an old ballad supports the story:—

This view is strengthened by the fact that the Knight's death was followed by a royal grant of Liddesdale to William of Douglas. To view his character as a whole, the "Flower of Chivalry" comes out the least satisfactorily of all his generation of Black Douglases.

William soon after fought at Poitiers on the French side, and was knighted by the luckless King John. He was one of the three great lords selected as hostages for King David II., and succeeded in having the restoration of his English estates secured to him by the treaty between the two countries. At the death of David he stood in a position to be a formidable

boure she came,

And loudly there did call,

It is for the Lord of Liddesdale

That I let these tears down fall."

Stewart. Wyntown indeed asserts that William was preparing to advance his claims, based on an alleged descent from the Comyns and Baliols; but Mr Fraser points out so many inconsistencies in the chronicler's narrative, that we have no hesitation in dismissing the statement. If the Douglases did ever aim at royal power in Scotland, it was after this period, at a time when their rivalry with the Crown became more keenly accented. The Stewart and Douglas had been in the closest alliance, and the latter's accession to the throne was speedily followed by a contract of marriage between the heir of Douglas and the Princess Isabel. He continued to be the bulwark of the country against the English, and his last service was to again clear Liddesdale from their occupation. By his marriage. with Margaret of Mar he succeeded to that earldom on the death of her brother Thomas, the last male of the line of ancient Earls. In connection with the vexed ques

tion about the ranking of that earldom, it is of interest to quote Mr Fraser's remarks with regard to the position held by the Earl of Douglas :

The Earldom of Mar, as possessed by Thomas Earl of Mar, was in the time of King Robert II. the premier earldom of Scotland. The dignity of Earl of Douglas was then the most modern dignity with the rank of Earl, and William Earl of Douglas was the first Earl of his family, having been created on 26th January 1357-58. When he received the conjoined titles of Douglas and Mar on had only been sixteen years Earl of Douglas, yet on every occasion his title of Douglas is invariably placed before that of Mar. He styles himself Earl of Douglas and Mar; his widow also after his death placed the title of Mar after that of Douglas, styling herself Countess of Douglas

the death of Thomas Earl of Mar, he

and Mar, and the same course was followed in Crown charters by the King. The dignity of Earl of Douglas could not have been placed before that of Earl of Mar if Earl William had been entitled in right of his wife to be ranked as and to bear the style of the first Earl of the kingdom. Both of the Earls of Douglas and Mar, William and James, father and son, sealed the legal deeds granted by them with their armorial seals, having Douglas in the first and fourth quarters and Mar in the subsidiary second and third, thus again plainly showing that the title of Mar, as possessed by William Earl of Douglas, was junior to his recently created dignity of Douglas."

William's successor was the hero of Otterburn, and as he died without legitimate issue, the Earldoms of Mar and Douglas parted company-the latter going to Archibald, the grim Lord of Galloway. Earl James was not more than thirty when he fell, but he had crowded many exploits into a short life; and his successful raids across the Border excited the en

thusiasm of Scottish chivalry, and the deep enmity of "Hotspur," who saw his domains ravaged and his fame eclipsed by the young Earl. An expedition into England on a grand scale having been organised by the Scottish nobles in 1388, Douglas harried the country up

and then returned to assail Newto the walls, Durham, castle. In a hand-to-hand encounter before the walls, Douglas is said to have worsted Hotspur, and to have carried off his pennon. It was when the Scots had broken

up the siege, and were encamped at Otterburn, on their way home, that the famous encounter took place, which is celebrated in the ballad of "Chevy Chase." In the night-time Henry and Ralph Percy broke upon the Scottish camp at Otterburn Douglas had not time to have his so unexpectedly that armour fastened, and the "Earl of Moray fought all night without his helmet.' Douglas was soon in the thickest of the fight, armed with a mace or battle-axe, "lyke a hardy Hector," says Froissart, 'wyllynge alone to conquer the felde, and to dyscomfyte his enemyes." Unrecognised in the mêlée, he received three spearwounds at once, and a blow on the head from an axe as he was fallHis body was ing. recovered when the English were driven back; and, says Mr Fraser, "the

scene which followed is one of the most affecting in the annals of chivalry: ".