APPENDIX 7 P. 59. St. XXIX.-The latter lines of this stanza are very curious, and have been considered as a prophetick enunciation of the Union of the crowns of Scotland and England, about a century and a half before that event was accomplished in the person of James VI. A curious prediction of this kind is detailed in Bishop Spotiswood's History. St. xxx.-The history of the Douglasses, during the time of our author, offers much curious and important matter of enquiry, had this been a suitable place for entering on the subject. The fate of William, Eighth Earl of Dou- glas, has been alluded to in the preface. His brother and successor, James, after the discomfiture at Arkinholm, in 1455, and the forfeiture of his title and estates, (Acta Parl. vol. II. p. 42 and 75,) which immediately followed, retired to England, where he long lived in retirement, without any further attempt to disturb the publick tranquillity. At length, however, in the year 1483, he was induced to make an excursion into his native land, when he was taken pri- soner, and sentenced by James the Third to be confined in the Abbey of Lin- dores-a fate which he met with great resignation ; observing, "He that may no better be, must be a Monk." He entered in holy orders-having, as it is said, been brought up in his youth with a view to church preferment-and died there, 15th April, 1488. His epitaph may be seen in Crawfurd's Peerage, St. xxx. 1. 5.-Bellenden, in his translation of Hector Boece's Croniklis, uses the same term of commendation, when speaking of the illuster surname of Dowglas, quhilkis," he says, " war evir the sicker targe and weirwal of Scotland aganis Inglismen; and wan many landis be thair singular manheid and vassalage;" he afterwards adds, that “sen that surname was put down, Scotland has done few vailyhent dedis in England."- fol. CCx. Godscroft re- peats these words whilst vindicating that family from the charges usually made against them:-"Truely," he says, " if we shall speake without partiality, their greatnesse was so usefull to their king and country, that Hector Boetius stickes not to say, the Douglasses were ever the sure buckler and warre-wall of Scotland, and wonne many lands by their singular manhood and vassalages ; for they decored this realme with many noble acts, and by the glory of their martiall deeds."- p. 207. St. XXXII.-If we reject the notion of the poem containing a satire on King James II., it might the more readily admit of a doubt, whether it was not written previous to the death of Earl William, in 1452, since the manner in which the then Earl of Douglas is spok of, seems be equally applicable to either of the brothers. The probability, however, is in favour of what is else- where stated at sufficient length: otherwise the author most assuredly would not have limited the green-tree of Douglas to four branches; and it would have been a most inexcusable oversight in Holland, when describing the members of that family, to which he appears to have been so much attached, and men- tioning the younger brothers so particularly, had he passed over in silence the second brother, and the presumptive heir of succession to the earldom.
