What's probably the best contemporary description of James IV, King of Scots was that penned by the Spanish ambassador to Scotland, Don Pedro de Ayala in 1498. It begins with a description of the king himself.
“The king is twenty-five years and some months old. He is of noble stature, neither tall nor short, and as hand- some in complexion and shape as a man can be. His address is very agreeable. He speaks the following foreign languages : Latin, very well ; French, German, Flemish, Italian, and Spanish ; Spanish as well as the Marquis, but he pronounces it more distinctly. He likes very much to receive Spanish letters. His own Scotch language is as different from English as Aragonese from Castilian. The king speaks, besides, the language of the savages who live in some parts of Scotland and on the islands. It is as different from Scotch as Biscayan is from Castilian. His knowledge of languages is wonderful. He is well read in the Bible and in some other devout books. He is a good historian. He has read many Latin and French histories, and profited by them, as he has a very good memory. He never cuts his hair or his beard. It becomes him very well.”
He also praises the king's piety, character and courage, giving a glowing recommendation to his rulers, Ferdinand and Isabella. It's best to take this with a pinch of salt–Ayala was trying to promote James as a potential husband for one of the Spanish princesses, after all and would gain status from organising such a match. However, he's spot on when he describes what was to become James' fatal flaw.
“He is courageous, even more so than a king should be. I am a good witness of it. I have seen him often undertake most dangerous things in the last wars. I sometimes clung to his skirts and succeeded in keeping him back. On such occasions he does not take the least care of himself. He is not a good captain, because he begins to fight before he has given his orders. He said to me that his subjects serve him with their persons and goods, in just and unjust quarrels, exactly as he likes, and that, therefore, he does not think it right to begin any warlike undertaking without being himself the first in danger.”
From one point of view, this can be seen as an admirable character trait. Leading from the front and taking the same risks as the men you command are still vital to leadership in modern armies: but for a king, whose death would inevitably lead to a massive political crisis, the considerations are different. At Flodden, James' decision to go down into the marshy dip and to take personal command of the troubled pikemen there led not only to his own death, but also to many years of of political instability and continual warfare in Scotland.
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