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SIR ANDREW BARTON.

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fallen in with the Bark of Scotland, "laid him on board," and, though the Scots defended themselves like "hardy and well-stomached men," carried it by boarding. Both prizes* were brought to Blackwall; and the prisoners, 150 in number, being all that were left alive (so bloody had the action been), were sent to Whitehall, which was then the archbishop of York's palace, there to be kept at the king's charge, till other directions should be taken for them. The bishop of Winchester, and certain other of the king's council, were deputed to deal with them there; and the bishop rehearsed to them, says the chronicler, "that, though there was peace between England and Scotland, they, contrary to that, as thieves and pirates, had robbed the king's subjects within his streams, wherefore they had deserved to die by the law, and to be hanged at the lowwater mark. Then said the Scots, 'We acknowledge our offence, and ask mercy, and not the law :' and a priest, which was also a prisoner, said, "My lord, we appeal from the king's justice to his mercy.' Then the bishop asked if he were authorised by them to say thus, and they all cried, 'Yea, yea!' 'Well, then,' said the bishop, you shall find the king's mercy above his justice; for, where you were dead by the law, yet by his mercy he will revive you. You shall depart out of this realm within twenty days, on pain of death if ye be found after the twentieth day: and pray for the king.'" James is said to have been wonderful wroth at the death of sir Andrew, and the loss of his two ships. He sent letters, requiring restitution, according to the league between the two kingdoms; but Henry, replying, "with brotherly salutation," represented "the rob

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*Pinkerton says that "Barton's ship, the Lion, had the honour of being the second ship of war in the English navy, the Great Harry, built in 1504, having been the first; for, till that time, only merchant vessels had been occasionally used in warlike affairs," p. 71. But Charnock (ii. 28.) says that the Great Harry was built by Henry VII., and launched a little before his death; and it has been seen that ships-royal were mentioned from the beginning of this reign. King's ships, indeed, are spoken of in earlier documents; and Charnock affirms, that, even before the reign of Edward III, certain ships appear to have been built and employed solely in the public service, i. 362. He refers to a memoir in the Archæologia, by Mr. Willet, read before the Society of Antiquaries in 1793.

beries and cruel doings of Andrew Barton, and said it became not a prince to charge his confederate with breach of peace for doing justice upon a pirate and thief." The case, indeed, was so flagrant, that the claim for restitution could not be insisted on ; yet it left behind it so deep a feeling of resentment, that the war which speedily ensued, and which, by the early death of the Scottish king, prepared the way for the union of the two crowns, is believed to have originated chiefly in this

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The Scottish parliament, in the reign of the preceding king, had passed an act forbidding any ship freighted with staple goods from putting to sea during the three winter months, under a penalty of five pounds.† But so widely had their views changed in the course of one generation, that great exertions were made for training seamen and raising a maritime force. An act was passed in 1493, whereby, considering the great innumerable riches that were lost for want of ships and busses to be employed in fishing, and the policy and gain that might be had thereby, and for the sake of making idle men and vagabonds labour for their living, to the eschewing of vice and idleness, and for the common profit and universal weal of the realm, it was ordained that ships and busses, the least to be of twenty tons, should be made in all burghs and towns within the realm, and fitted out according to the substance of each town, and provided with mariners, nets, and other gear for the taking of great fish and small. The officers in every burgh of regality were to make all the stark idle men within their bounds go on board these vessels, and serve there for their wages, or, in case of their refusal, banish them from the burgh. In the burghs of barony which were near upon the sea, the sheriff was to pursue the same course: and the officer or sheriff who neglected the duty should pay a fine of twenty pounds in the royal exchequer.‡

This act appears to have produced no effect: the *Hall, 525. Holinshed, 565. Pinkerton, 69-71. Campbell, i. 264. † Acts of the Parl. of Scotland, ii. 87. A. D. 1467. The term fixed was from the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude to the Purification.

Pinkerton, ii. 21, 22. Acts of the Parl. of Scotland, ii. 235.

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people were in too lawless a state for any such enactWhat, however, could be effected James IV. built a ship,

ment to be enforced.

by the king's will was done. called the Great Michael, which, according to Scottish writers, was larger than any that had ever sailed from England or France, and of superior strength. "The

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ship," they say, was of so great stature, that she wasted all the oak forests of Fife, Falkland only excepted;" but it must be remembered that the Scots were at that time little less barbarous than the Irish, and that, in the constant feuds between families and clans, the woods had been destroyed, by some to prevent the danger of ambuscades, by others to cut off the possibility of refuge. Timber for this ship was also brought from Norway; and, though all the wrights in Scotland, and many others from foreign countries, were busily employed upon it by the king's command, it was a year and a day before it was completed. It is described as twelve-score feet in length, and thirty-six feet within the sides, the sides being ten feet thick, so that no cannon-shot could go through them. "This great ship cumbered Scotland to get her to sea. From the time that she was afloat, and her masts and sails complete, with anchors offering thereto, she was counted to the king to be thirty thousand pounds expense, by her artillery, which was very costly." She had 300 mariners to sail her, six score of gunners to use her artillery, and a thousand men of war, captains, skippers, and quarter-masters. Sir Andrew Wood and Robert Barton were two of the officers, "that this large body," says Pinkerton, "might not be without a soul."*

Pinkerton, ii. 68. Charnock, i. 359. The former says that the authen ticity of the description appears incontestable, because it was from Wood and Barton that Lindsay the historian derived it. He knows not whether the larger cannon were sixty-four in number or thirty-two. The official account says that "she bare many cannon, six on every side; with three great bassels, two behind on her deck, and one before; with three hundred shot of small artillery, that is to say, myand and batterd falcon, and quarter falcon, flings, pestilent serpentens and double dogs, with hagtor and culvering, corsbows and handbows."

1 Query, bastard ?

A. D.

*

This huge ship, so disproportionate to any service whereto it could be applied, was neither so successful as to have any of its exploits recorded, nor so unfortunate as to leave a tragical remembrance of its fate. No purpose was served by it except that of gratifying the king, who seems to have had a passion for ship-building. Louis XII., for obvious motives, encouraged him in his endeavours to create a maritime force, and with this view presented him with two large ships equipped for 1509. war. But there was no remissness on the part of England, while its old enemies were increasing their 1511. naval strength. When "it was concluded by the body of the realm in the high court of parliament assembled, that war should be made on the French king and his dominions, Henry with all diligence caused new ships to be made, and repaired and rigged the old; and caused guns, bows, arrows, and all other artillery and instruments of war to be made in such number and quantity, that it was wonderful to see what things were done both for sea and land in so short a space."+ Sir Edward Howard was ordered with all diligence to take the sea; and, while his brother, sir Thomas, now called the lord Howard, proceeded to Spain, under the marquis of Dorset, with 10,000 men (where Ferdinand employed them, ingloriously for themselves, while he took possession of Navarre), he sailed with twenty ships for the coast of Bretagne, landed in divers parts near Conquet and Brest, and ravaged the country, burning and wasting towns and villages; the Bretons sadly exclaiming, "Alas! the king of England hath ever before this time been our ally, and now he intendeth to destroy us: shame come to him that is the cause thereof!" The want of concert among the people, rather than of courage or good-will, prevented them from making any vigorous resistance to these invaders. A council was held; and, seeing there was no trust in the commonalty, and that the gentry alone could not defend the country, Hall, 527.

* Pinkerton, 69. n.

NAVAL PREPARATIONS.

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they resolved upon an appeal to the humanity of the English admiral. Certain of the nobles, therefore, having obtained his safe-conduct, went off to the fleet, and entreated him to surcease from his rigorous and cruel war, and especially from burning their towns, which, they said, could be no profit to him. If he wished to have Brest castle, it should be at his command, so he were able to defend it: for themselves, they desired nothing so much as peace." Whatever might have been the lord admiral's wishes, his commission allowed him no such discretion as he was now supplicated to use. And he replied, "Nay, we are sent hither to make war, and not peace." They then requirted a six days' truce, for God's sake, that they might send to their king, and inform him of their distress. But to this he answered, that gentlemen ought to defend their country by force, rather than to sue for peace, a prouder answer than the occasion required or justified. The conference, however, terminated in mutual courtesies; the Breton lords were entertained with a banquet on board, and the admiral sent ashore for fresh provisions and water; then hearing that the French had ships of war at sea, he coasted Normandy, and scoured the seas in search of them, without success; and at length, thinking that they might perhaps appear on the English coast, he took his station by the Isle of Wight, to await them.*

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The havoc which this expedition had made in Bretagne had provoked the French government to great and well-directed exertions in their marine; and they collected thirty-nine sail in Brest harbour, under a Breton admiral of doubtful name. Their preparations were such, that Henry, on his part, caused all his remaining ships and galleys to be made ready for reinforcing the lord admiral: the Regent, a ship royal, being "the chief ship of that navy." The soldiers for this fleet

* Hall, 532. Holinshed, 571.

+ Primaguet the French historians called him. This name it seems, is unknown in Bretagne ; and the historian of that province conjectures that it ought to be Porsmoguer: the English call him Pierce Morgan, with more appearance of being right.

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