and which could hardly have been fostered in a condition
of servitude. On the other hand, there arises
a question as to material prosperity. It must
be remembered that we are not here discussing the
effect of a peaceful and amicable union, such as Edward
first proposed, but of a successful war of conquest;
and in this connection it is only with thankfulness
and gratitude to Wallace and to Bruce that the Scotsman
can regard the parallel case of Ireland, which, from
a century before the time of Edward I, had been annexed
by conquest. The story we have just related goes
to create a reasonable probability that the fate of
Scotland could not have been different; but, further,
leaving all such problems of the “might have
been”, we may submit that the misery of Scotland
in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries
has been much exaggerated. It is true that the
borders were in a condition of perpetual feud, and
that minorities and intrigues gravely hampered the
progress of the country. But, more especially
in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, there are
not wanting indications of prosperity. The chapter
of Scottish history which tells of the growth of burghs
has yet to be written. The construction of magnificent
cathedrals and religious houses, and the rise of three
universities, must not be left out of account.
Gifts to the infant universities, the records of which
we possess, prove that for humble folk the tenure
of property was comparatively secure, and that there
was a large amount of comfort among the people.
Under James IV, trade and commerce prospered, and
the Scottish navy rivalled that of the Tudors.
The century in which Scottish prosperity received its
most severe blows immediately succeeded the Union
of the Crowns. If for three hundred years the
civilizing influence of England can scarcely be traced
in the history of Scottish progress, that of France
was predominant, and Scotland cannot entirely regret
the fact. Scotland, from the date of Bannockburn
to that of Pinkie, will not suffer from a comparison
with the England which underwent the strain of the
long French wars, the civil broils of Lancaster and
York, and the oppression of the Tudors. Moreover,
there is one further consideration which should not
be overlooked. The postponement of an English
union till the seventeenth century enabled Scotland
to work out its own reformation of religion in the
way best adapted to the national needs, and it is difficult
to estimate, from the material stand-point alone,
the importance of this factor in the national progress.
The inspiration and the education which the Scottish
Church has given to the Scottish people has found one
result in the impulse it has afforded to the growth
of material prosperity, and it is not easy to regret
that Scotland, at the date of the Reformation, was
free to work out its own ecclesiastical destiny.