In 1490, Scotland, which, owing to the unworthy machinations of Henry VII. with the object of seizing the person of the young king, James IV., had no cause to spare England, dealt her two small but stinging blows at sea, and at the same time discovered that she possessed at least one exceptionally able naval officer. This was Sir Andrew Wood, of Largs. Upon the murder of James III. he had declared, against the Council, for that monarch's son, James IV., and he served the new king bravely; for not only did he, with two ships, capture five English vessels,[1] but also, when three more were sent against him under the command of Stephen Bull, he took them likewise. The only capture from the Scots during these operations seems to have been the Margaret, which was added to the navy. James IV. established the first efficient navy ever possessed by Scotland. Towards the end of his reign he had thirteen men-of-war, the largest of which, the Michael, was, in her day, a marvel of size. And in Sir Andrew Wood, and the equally famous Andrew Barton, he had commanders who, in a very short period, gave the young Scots navy all the prestige it needed. Both Wood, and Barton whose exploits will be noted later, were somewhat piratical in their methods, although they acted under letters of marque; but piracy — especially on land, and where cattle was concerned — was a recognised and characteristic Scots institution until a much later day. It must also be remembered that the Scots of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were, in most respects, less civilised than their southern neighbours.
The marriage of Anne with Charles VIII. gave Brittany to France, and was undoubtedly a great blow at English prestige, the more so seeing that she had been previously supposed to be about to marry the Archduke Maximilian, the ally of Henry. These and other considerations determined Henry to appear to fall in with the obvious desires of his people for a war with France; and in 1491 and 1492 great preparations were made in consequence. But, privately, the king had no wish for hostilities. The acts of Woodville had forced his hand in 1488; the excitement of his people might force his hand again. The king, however, made up his mind that he would not be driven so long as he could stand still; and that if he should be driven, he would do his utmost to bring the war to a speedy conclusion. In the meantime, the patriotism of Parliament and the enthusiasm of his subjects
- ↑ Apparently hired craft.
