He was attended by great numbers of Scots in his coming into England, who were advanced to great honours (y), and shared largely

-How

works, P.

<in them.- -And it is a known and undeniable "truth, that cowards are much more cruel and vindic❝tive than men of courage are: for a coward can never enough fecure himself of his enemy; infomuch as when he is lying dead at his feet, he is yet afraid." (b) Never was the truth of this doctrine better exem- (b) King plified than in the execution of Thomas; and there- James's fore I had reafon to fay, that James thereby made good 587. the observation, that cowards never forgive.much more amiable is the character of those princes. who have forgot, on their acceffion to the throne, perfonal injuries?how defervedly famous is the faying of Lewis XII. of France, in answer to those who would have perfuaded him to fhew feverity to La Tremouille : "God forbid that Lewis XII. fhould revenge the quarrels of the duke of Orleans." (c) This was truly great (c) See Boand magnanimous. But James's conduct was wholly lingbroke's letters on the mean, and betrayed the poornefs of his foul. fpirit of patriotifm, p. 248.8vo. Lond. 1749. (d) Juvenal, Sat. 13. Y 189.

Quippe minuti

Semper & infirmi eft animi exiguique voluptas
Ultio (d).

Revenge, which still we find
The weakest frailty of a feeble mind.

CREECH.

(Y) He was attended by a large number of Scots, who were advanced to great honours. The persons "who attended him were the duke of Lennox, the earls of Marr, Murray, and Argile, the Lord Hume, Sir "George Hume, Mr. James Elphinston, Sir David

Murray, Sir Robert Ker, with the ordinary gentle"men of the chamber, befides feveral of the clergy." (a) But befides thefe, there were a great multitude (a) Spott who came in with him, and reaped the benefit of his wood,p.476.

E 3

favour.

and not Carr,

at the expence and

largely in his bounty, at the

much to the regret of the English nation,

to

favour. Lennox, Marr, Hume, and Elphinston were made privy counsellors of England, and many of the Scots became afterwards adorned with fome of the (6) Thus his name is al-higheft English titles. Sir Robert Ker (b) was advanced ways written to the earldom of Somerset, Lennox was made duke of by the Scot- Richmond, Efme Stuart, his younger brother was cretish writers, ated earl of March, the marquis of Hamilton earl of Cambridge, Sir John Ramfey viscount Haddington of Scotland, earl of Holderness, and James Hay earl of Carlisle (c). Nor were they bare honours which the 448. Lond. Scots got, for they had alfo large lucrative pofts, and 1684, Fol. uncommon donations, as will appear bye and bye. So that there feems fome reafon for the following lines of a fatyrical writer, though they are much too fevere.

as by the English.

(c) Baker's chronicle, p.

"The (d) royal branch from Pictland did fucceed,
"With troops of Scots and fcabs from north by Tweed,
The feven firft years of his pacific reign,
"Made him and half his nation Englishmen.
"Scots from the northern frozen banks of Tay,
"With packs and plods came whigging all away.
"Thick as the locufts which in Egypt fwarm'd,
"With pride and hungry hopes compleatly arm'd:
"With native truth, diseases, and no money,
"Plunder'd our Canaan of the milk and honey.
"Here they grew quickly lords and gentlemen,
"And all their race are true-born Englishmen." (e)

Had there been then an union of the two kingdoms, this had doubtless been good policy; but as there was not, these promotions could ferve no other end, but to create jealoufies among the English, and excite complaints. For why should men of another country have the power of legiflation? why fhould they whofe property lay elsewhere, and whofe connexions were at a

distance,

(z), to whom it is, with fome good degree

of

distance, have a power of enacting laws which they themselves might eafily get out of the reach of, and their families be wholly free from? But fuch was the will of James, who, though he feldom confidered himself, cared not to be counfelled, and therefore generally acted unwifely.

66

(z) Shared largely in his bounty at the expence, and much to the regret of the English.] Ofborn obferves, that the exactions rofe on the English were spent upon the Scots, by whom nothing was unafked, and "to whom nothing was denied; who for want of hó"neft traffic did extract gold out of the faults of the "English, whofe pardons they begged, and fold at in"tolerable rates, murther itself not being excepted (a)." (a) Ofborn's works, p. The fame writer tells us, "that the earl of Dunbar 495. "swallowed at one gulp, together with the chancellor"ship of the exchequer, all the ftanding wardrobe, "wherein were more jewels, pearl, rich robes, and "princely apparel, than ever any king of Scotland (if all "of them put together) could call his own before; all " which I have fince heard rated by the officers at an "incredible fum, whose fervants did use to fhew them "for money, it appearing none of the leaft rarities in "London before this great diffolution." (b) Lord Clarendon affures us, "that James Hay, earl of Car- 516. "life, fpent in a very jovial life, above four hundred "thousand pounds, which, upon a ftrict calculation, "he received from the crown." (c)— Robert Ke, (c) Clarenearl of Somerfet, had fuch vaft favours beftowed upon don't him, that even at the time of his fall, his eftate was bellion, Vol. rated to the crown at three hundred thousand pounds I.p.62. 8vo. Oxford, (d). And Sir John Ramfey, when made a viscount, 1712. had a thousand pounds land given him to support the title (4) Osborn, e). Again, fays Ofborn, the Scots hung on James P. 517. like horfe leeches, till they could get no more, fal- (e) Winling then off by retiring into their own country, morial, Vol. -66 or 11. p. 247

E 4

(6) Id. p.

don's history

wood's me

P. 532.

10. Lond. 1001,F0.

of probability, faid, that they behaved with much rudeness and infolency (AA).

However

"or living at ease, leaving all chargeable attendance on (f) Ofborn," the English." (f) This is likewife confirmed by Frankland. The king's gifts in lands to the Scots, unthankfully and unfittingly, they fold (fays he) convey(p) Annals ing that treafure into Scotland (g). Thefe paffages fufof King ficiently fhew how much of the wealth of England was beftowed on the Scots, and how much caufe the English had to be displeased at it; for there was not one of thefe men that was any way useful to the English nation, though Dunbar and Carlisle were men of great abilities; and therefore there could be no cause for these exceffive donations.- -The king himself was sensible that his liberality to the Scots was very diftafting, and therefore apologizes for it in a fpeech to the parliament, and promifes for the future to be more fparing. Let us hear his words. "Had I been over-fparing to them, "they might have thought Jofeph had forgotten his

brethren, or that the king had been drunk with his "new kingdom. If I did refpect the English when I "came firft,- what might the Scottish have juftly "faid, if I had not in fome measure dealt bountifully "with them that fo long had ferved me, fo far ad"ventured themselves with me, and been fo faithful

to me?-Such particular perfons of the Scottish nation, as might claim any extraordinary merit at "my hands, I have already reasonably rewarded; and "I can affure you, that there is none left whom for I "mean extraordinary to ftrain myself further." (h) This was fpoken Anno 1607, a little before his majefty received Ker as a favourite, and heaped on him fuch immenfe treasures and large poffeffions as I have juft mentioned. Well therefore might the English grumble, defpife the king, and hate his countrymen, by whom they were thus fleeced.

(AA) To whom they behaved with much infolency

However the English were not neglected

by

and rudeness.] This is attefted by the following homely
lines, which were every where pofted.

"They beg our lands, our goods, our lives,
"They fwitch our nobles, and lie with their wives;
"They pinch our gentry, and fend for our benchers;
They ftab our ferjeants, and pistol our fencers."

P. 504. P.

1682.

wood's me

Mr. Ofborn has explained these in a very entertaining manner, to whofe works I refer the inquifitive reader (a). Not contented to drain the kingdom of its (a) Oborn wealth, and fnatch its honours, they moreover claimed 452 of the precedency of the English nobility of the fame rank. edition in "At a fupper made by the lady Elizabeth Hatton, "there grew a question between the earls of Argile and "Pembroke, about place, which the Scot maintained to "be his by feniority, as being now become all Britons: ❝ at which our nobility began to ftartle." (b) And no (6) Winwonder, for whatever might be the antiquity of many morials, of the Scotch nobility, on which probably they valued Vol. III. themfelves; yet that could entitle them to no place in p. 117. England, any farther than what courtesy and civility might require. To fet up a claim of right to fuperiority by reason of it, could be looked on as nothing but an infult, and as fuch, doubtlefs, was refented. Indeed the Scots feemed fo unable to bear their good fortune, and the English were fo provoked at their infolent behaviour, that it was almoft a miracle it had not issued in torrents of blood (c) — -A leffon this to princes not to be too bountiful to perfons used to low circumftances; feeing it will only tend to inspire them with pride and haughtiness, and excite envy and contempt in ftanders-by; much more not to enrich aliens at the expence of the natives, and caufe them to lift too high their heads. There may indeed be exceptions to this rule, as when diftinguished merit and great abilities are poffeffed, and thefe exerted for the good of a country;

but

(c) See Of.

born, P.595*