people. The upland men," as the serfs were termed, were much more fully at the 'disposal of their masters than were American slaves or Russian serfs. To assist the escape of a "thrall" was a serious crime. If a stray bondman was found, he was allowed fifteen days to get himself a master. If at the end of that time he was still unclaimed, the King's justice was to "keep his body to the King's behoof till he get him a lord." But if any bondman came to a burgh, bought a house, and dwelt there without challenge for a year and a day, he was thenceforward free. Within the burgh was the soil of liberty; beyond its boundaries was the domain of slavery. 6. Each burgh usually had the sole right to trade within a certain district, within which no traders of any other burgh could go, unless they paid toll. Thus the burgh of Perth had the sole right to trade within the whole county of Perth. None but burgesses were allowed to buy or sell or 'manufacture within the entire sheriffdom. 7. An odd, quaint little place, a burgh of the thirteenth century must have been. Look up as you approach the gate. What hideous objects are these upon the walls? Only the head and limbs of a traitor, set up to rot and blacken in the sun. These wretched beings, who sit at the gate and beg, are "the leper folk;"-but this favour is allowed them only on certain days of the week. They must never enter the town; but away in the fields is a 'spital for them. 8. The merchants' shops, or booths, are mere open sheds at the front of their houses. The goods laid out during the day in these open booths are taken into the house at night. Glance at the articles as you go along. Among the packs of skins of native animals to be sold for 'exportation are the skins of beaver and sable. Corn, meal, salt, and malt; dried fish, iron pots and brass pans; cloth and dye stuffs; iron and lead; leather and linen thread, are all set out ready for the customer. Pepper, ginger, almonds, rice, figs, raisins, and claret wine or Rhenish, show that even at this early period Scotland is by no means ignorant of 'foreign commerce. bur-gess-es, freemen of a burgh. challenge, being called in question. cor-po-rate, formed into a body which the law looks on as one person. dis-pos-al, power to order. ex-por-ta-tion, sending out of the country. for-eign, from abroad. David I.] THE KING'S POWER. of-fi-cials, men holding office. fos-ter, help; push on. ful. in-hab-i-tants, persons who live in a mag-is-trates, chief rulers of a town. 1 The Con'tinent, the mainland of Europe. 47 pro-tec-tion, keeping off evil or loss; defence. re-tain-ers, followers. serf-dom, state of being a serf; sur-round-ed by, having around it. 3 Moot, a meeting. The same word occurs in Witena-gemót (meeting of wise men), the name of the Old English Parliament; and in Scir-mot, shire-meeting. mas. 4 Mich'aelmas.-Pronounce Mik'elIt falls on 29th September. 5 'Spital,-that is, hospital, a house for tending the sick. 2 Free Towns, commercial towns which became independent of the nobility in the Middle Ages, in Italy, in France, and in Germany. The Free Cities frequently banded themselves together for the protection of their commerce, and had fleets and armies. The best known instance is that of the Hanseatic League in Germany, which lasted from 1241 till 1630, and which at one time included 85 cities. Of these QUESTIONS.-1. For what purposes did towns become corporate bodies?2. What led David I. to foster the towns?-3. What service did he render to them?-4. Who elected the magistrates? When?-5. What was very rigorous in Scotland at that period? What was done to a stray bondman? How could a serf obtain his freedom?-6. What monopoly did each burgh possess? What was its effect?-7. What might often be seen on the walls? Who sat begging outside the gate? Where did these lepers live?-8. What were the merchants, shops? Mention some of the articles in which they dealt. 6 Rhen'ish, wine imported from Rhineland. 12. THE CLAIM OF HOMAGE. 1. THOUGH there was peace in Scotland at the close of David's reign, the King's power was by no means 'established in all parts of the country. In the north the Lord of Ross, and in the west the Lord of the Isles, held themselves to be 'independent princes, and often set at nought the King's power. The southern Border was also in an unsettled state. The 'boundary between England and Scotland was not yet fixed. Cumberland had belonged to Scotland for two centuries. Northumberland had been acquired by David I. on his marriage. The Kings of England were naturally jealous of these inroads, and the struggle for the possession of the northern counties was renewed again and again in the reigns of David's successors. Mixed up with this question, there was the claim of the English King to receive the homage of the King of Scots, on the ground that he held lands in England. 2. MALCOLM IV.—Though hardly twelve years old, Malcolm IV.1 was allowed 'peacefully to ascend the throne on the death of his grandfather. He had not long been King, however, when an invasion in the west, headed by Somerled of Argyle, and aided by the Lord of Ross, 'threatened his power there. In 1157 Somerled made peace with Malcolm, not as a vassal, but as an independent prince. 3. Shortly thereafter, Malcolm gave up Northumberland and Cumberland to his relative, Henry II. of England; but he was at the same time allowed to hold the earldom of Huntingdon, for which he would still have to do homage. Malcolm seems to have been fond of the English King; and he followed him in his French wars, and fought under his banner. 4. Malcolm's fondness for England displeased many of his subjects. The wild Scots of Galloway2 rose in 'revolt, but were 'quelled. Somerled of Argyle again defied the King, but he was defeated and slain near Renfrew. Malcolm died at Jedburgh in 1165, at the early age of twenty-four. 5. WILLIAM 1.3-After he had been nine years on the throne, during which he had been the friend of Henry of England, William resolved to try to recover Northumberland. He therefore crossed the Border with an army. On a misty 1174 morning in July 1174, while tilting under the towers of A.D. Alnwick Castle, a body of Yorkshire barons 'unexpectedly came upon him, and took him prisoner. He was sent to Normandy, and he there concluded with Henry the Treaty of Falaise. By that treaty he got his freedom on doing homage to Henry as over-lord of Scotland, not only for himself, but also for his successors. 6. This submission was followed by a new attempt to declare the Scottish Church subject to that of England; but the Scottish bishops carried their case to Pope Alexander III., who granted them a bull declaring their independence. This was confirmed by a decree of Clement III. in 1188, stating that the Church of Scotland was 'directly subject to Rome itself. 7. In 1189, Richard I. (the Lion Heart) succeeded to the Alexander II.] THE BORDER COUNTIES. 49 English throne, and one of his earliest acts was to restore the independence of Scotland, and to 'annul the terms of the Treaty of Falaise. All that he asked in return was 1189 that William should pay him 10,000 merks, and con- A.D. tinue his homage for the lands which he held in England. 8. William's is the longest reign in Scottish history. During its later years the peace with England was threatened by an attempt of King John to build a fortress in the north of Northumberland. This design, however, William defeated without coming to blows with the English. In 1211 William required the barons to swear fealty to his son Alexander, who succeeded him. The old King died in Stirling Castle in 1214. 9. ALEXANDER 11.5-When Alexander came to the throne, the English barons were at war with King John, whom they forced to sign Magna Charta in 1215. Alexander sided with the barons, who, in return for his promised aid, gave him the northern counties of England. When Alexander sent his army into these districts, there arose a new Border 1217 war, which lasted till 1217. Peace was then made, and was followed by the marriage of Alexander with Joanna, daughter of King John, and sister of Henry III., the reigning English Sovereign. A.D. 10. A few years later (in 1222) an attempt was made to settle by actual 'measurement the boundary line between England and Scotland. That attempt failed; but though no formal boundary was drawn, common usage seems about this time to have settled the division between the two countries as it afterwards remained. A.D. 11. The question of the Northern Counties was again raised in 1237, when Alexander 'revived the old claim to Northumberland and Cumberland. War was prevented 1237 by the Kings coming to terms. These counties were given up to England; but certain estates in them were to be held by the King of Scots as vassal of the English King. As the earldom of Huntingdon had passed to David, brother of William the Lion, these lands gave the King of England his sole claim to the homage of the Scottish Monarch. 12. This homage continued to be peacefully paid year by (601) 4 year till 1244, when Henry complained of a breach of rule, and marched into Scotland with an army. The Scots pre1244 pared to meet him with an army of one hundred thouA.D. sand men, and Henry thought it 'prudent to make peace. The treaty was signed at Newcastle. 13. Alexander's reign was greatly disturbed by disorders in the remote districts of the north and the west of the 1249 kingdom, which still disputed the King's rule. Alexander generally succeeded in quelling these disorders; but in 1249, having set out to punish Angus of Argyle and the Isles, he reached the island of Kerrera, and there died of fever. A.D. ac-quired', got; gained. an-nul', do away with. bound-a-ry, dividing line. any one coming between. re-cov-er, get back. di-rect-ly, in a straight line; without re-mained', was left; continued. dis-turbed', troubled. e-stab-lished, firmly fixed. in-de-pen-dent, not subject to others; free. meas-ure-ment, act of measuring. peace-ful-ly, without strife. 1 Malcolm IV., son of Prince Henry, son of David I.; reigned 12 years (11531165). He was surnamed "The Maiden," on account of his gentle character. 2 Gal'loway, the south-west of Scotland, including Wigtown and Kirkcudbright, part of the old kingdom of Strathclyde. The headland at the extreme south of Scotland is still called the Mull of Galloway. 3 William I. (The Lion), grandson of David I., and brother of Malcolm IV.; reigned 49 years (1165-1214). 4 Falaise, the castle in Normandy, 22 miles south-east of Caen, in re-store', give back. re-vived', raised again. re-volt', turning against one's ruler; rebellion. threatened, seemed likely to attack. un-ex-pect-ed-ly, when he did not look for them; by surprise. It was which William was confined. 5 Alexan'der IL, son of William. Married (1) Joanna, daughter of King John of England; (2) Mary de Coucy, daughter of a French nobleman; reigned 35 years (1214-1249). 6 Mag'na Char'ta (the Great Charter), a deed which forms the groundwork of English freedom. 7 Da'vid, the ancestor of Baliol and Bruce. (See p. 58.) 8 Ker/rera, opposite Oban, in the Sound of Mull. QUESTIONS.-1. Where was the king's power not established? What was also in an unsettled state? Of what were the Kings of England jealous? What was mixed up with this question?-2. How old was Malcolm IV. when he came to the throne? What relation was he to the previous King? Where was his power soon threatened? By whom? When was peace made? On what footing did Somerled make it?-3. What did Malcolm give up to Henry of England? What English possession did he retain? Where did Malcolm go with Henry?-4. What gave offence to Malcolm's subjects? Who rose in revolt? What was the fate of Somerled? When and where did Malcolm die? At what age?-5. Who succeeded Malcolm IV.? What relation was he to Malcolm? How long did William rule peacefully? What led him into war? What was the result? Where was |