used every effort to prevent the League from carrying out their project; he attempted to form a coalition of Denmark, France, and Scotland, and wrote to his uncle, the King of Denmark, urging him to declare for the Most Christian King.  He wrote Henry offering to “pardon all the damage done to us and our kingdom, the capture of our merchant ships, the slaughter and imprisonment of our subjects”, if only Henry would “maintain the universal concord of the Church”.  He made a vigorous appeal to the pope himself, beseeching him to keep the peace.  His efforts were, of course, futile, nor was France in such extreme danger as he supposed.  But the chance of proving himself the saviour of France appealed strongly to him, and, when there came to him, in the spring of 1513, a message from the Queen of France, couched in the bygone language of chivalry, and urging him, as her knight, to break a lance for her on English soil, James could no longer hesitate.  Henry persevered in his warlike measures against France, and James, after one more despairing effort to act as mediator, began his preparations for an invasion of England.  His wisest counsellors were strongly opposed to war:  most prominent among them was his father’s faithful servant, Bishop Elphinstone, the founder of the University of Aberdeen.  Elphinstone was a saint, a scholar, and a statesman, and he was probably the only man in Scotland who could influence the king.  During the discussion of the French alliance he urged delay, but was overborne by the impetuous patriotism of the younger nobles, whose voice was, as ever, for war.  So, war it was.  Bitter letters of defiance passed between the two kings, and, in August, 1513, James led his army over the border.  Lowlanders, Highlanders, and Islesmen had alike rallied round his banner; once again we find the “true Scots leagued”, not “with”, but against “the Saxons farther off”.  The Scots took Norham Castle and some neighbouring strongholds to prevent their affording protection to the English, and then occupied a strong position on Flodden Edge.  The Earl of Surrey, who was in command of the English army, challenged James to a pitched battle, and James accepted the challenge.  Meanwhile, Surrey completely outmanoeuvred the King of Scots, crossing the Till and marching northwards so as to get between James and Scotland.  James seems to have been quite unsuspicious of this movement, which was protected by some rising ground.  The Scots had failed to learn the necessity of scouting.  Surrey, when he had gained his end, recrossed the Till, and made a march directly southwards upon Flodden.  James cannot have been afraid of losing his communications, for his force was well-provisioned, and Surrey was bound by the terms of his own challenge to fight immediately; but he decided to abandon Flodden Edge for the lower ridge of Brankston, and in a cloud of smoke, which not only rendered the Scots invisible to the enemy but likewise concealed the enemy from the Scots, King James and his army rushed upon the English.  The battle began with artillery, the superiority of the English in which forced the Scots to come to close quarters.  Then