Volume II Part 33 (1/2)
These and the lyke rea.s.sonis took suche deape roote in flesche and bloode, that the trewth of G.o.d was almost foryett; and from this fontaine (to wit, that flesche and blood was, and yitt allace, is preferred to G.o.d, and to his messengeris rebucking vice and vanitie) hath all our miserie proceeded. For as befoir, so even yitt, althought the Ministeris be sett to beg, the Guard and the Men of war maun be served. Though the blood of the Ministeris be spylt, it is the Quenis servand that did it. Althought Messes be multipleyed in all quarteris of the Realme, who can stop the Quenis subjectis to lyve of the Quenis religioun. Althought innocent men be empreasoned, it is the Quenis pleasur: sche is offended at such men. Althought under pretence of justice innocentis be crewellie murthered; the Lordis shall weape, but the Quenis mynd must be satisfeid. n.o.billis of the Realme, Baronis and Counsallouris ar banished, thair eschaittis disponed, and thair lyves maist injustlie persewed. The Quene hes lost hir trusty servand Davy: he was dear unto hir; and thairfoir, for hir honouris sake, sche maun schaw rigour to revenge his death. And yit farther, albeit that some know that sche hes plainlie purposed to wrak the religioun within this Realme; that to that Romane Antichrist sche hath maid hir promeise; and that from him sche hath tackin money to uphold his pompe within this Realme; yit will thai lett the people understand, that the Quene will establisse religioun, and provide all thingis ordourlie, yf scho war anes delivered.
[Sidenote: THIS WAS WRITTEN WHEN THE SECOUND RANK OF THE LORDIS WAS BANISSHED.][617]
[617] The Glasgow MS. of Book Fourth, as stated in the preface, vol.
i. p. x.x.xiii. formed originally a separate volume, and was written apparently some years earlier than the first three Books. It contains marginal notes, so nearly _verbatim_ with the MS. 1566, as to leave little doubt of its having been copied from it, probably about the year 1580. But to the above marginal note, after ”banisshed,” there is added: ”Anno 1566, after Davie's slauchter.”
Yf such dealings, which ar commoun amangis our Protestantis, be nott to prefer flesche and blood to G.o.d, to his treuth, to justice, to religioun, and unto the libertie of this oppressed Realme, let the warld judge. The plagues have bein, and in some part ar present, that war befoir threatned; the rest ayproaches: And yitt who from the heart cryis, ”I have offended; the Lord knows: in Thee onlie is the trust of the oppressed; for vaine is the help of man.” But now return we to our HISTORIE.
[Sidenote: THE QUENIS LAST ARRIVAL IN SCOTLAND.][618]
[618] In MS. G, ”The Quenis arryval from France.”
THE nyntene day[619] of August, the year of G.o.d J^m V^c threscoir ane yearis, betwix sevin and aught houris befoir noon, arryved MARIE QUENE OF SCOTLAND, then widow, with two galayis furth of France.[620]
In[621] hir c.u.mpany, (besydis hir gentilwemen, called the Maries,)[622] war hir thre uncles, the Duck D'Omall,[623] the Grand Priour,[624] and the Marques D'Elbuf.[625] Thare acc.u.mpanyed hir also,[626] D'Anweill, son to the Constable of France, with other gentilmen of inferiour conditioun, besydis servandis and officiaris.[627] The verray face of heavin, the time of hir arryvall, did manifestlie speak what confort was brought unto this c.u.n.trey with hir, to wit, sorow, dolour, darknes, and all impietie; for in the memorie of man, that day of the year, was never seyn a more dolorous face of the heavin, then was at hir arryvall, which two days after did so contineu; for besides the surfett weat,[628] and corruptioun of the air, the myst was so thick and so dark, that skairse mycht any man espy ane other the lenth of two pair of b.u.t.tis. The sun was not seyn to schyne two dayis befoir, nor two dayis after. That foir-warning gave G.o.d unto us; but allace, the most pairt war blynd.
[619] In MSS. A, M, and L 4, ”The twentie day.”
[620] The Queen arrived in Leith harbour on Tuesday the 19th August 1561, and landed on the following day.
[621] In MSS. M, and L 4, instead of the next five lines, there is subst.i.tuted this sentence, which is also copied by Calderwood, (vol.
ii. p. 142,) ”Shee brought with her als faire Jewells, pretious stones and pearles as wer to be found in Europe. Her tapestrie, and other stuff wer brought to Leith, in October. The verie face,” &c.
[622] Celebrated in Scotish Song: see ”The Queen's Marie,” in Sir W.
Scott's Border Minstrelsy. One of the verses in this ballad of Mary Hamilton, thus names them:
Yestreen the Queen had four Maries, The night she'll hae but three; There was Marie Seaton, and Marie Beaton, And Marie Carmichael, and me
Bishop Lesley in describing the persons who accompanied the young Princess in her voyage to France in 1548, (see vol. i. p. 219,) says, ”Of the quhilkis thair was four in speciall, of whome everie one of thame buir the samin name of Marie, being of four syndre honourable houses, to wyt, Flemyng, Levingstoun, Setoun, and Beatoun of Creich; quho remanit all foure with the Quene in France, during her residens thair, and returned agane in Scotland with her Majestie, in the yeir of our Lorde J^m V^c lxj yeiris.” (History, p. 209.) And in his account of the Queen's arrival in Scotland in 1561, he repeats that she was attended ”with many ladies and gentillwemen, speciallie the four maidis of honour quha pa.s.sit with hir Hienes in France, of hir awin aige, the name everie ane of Marie, as is before mentioned.” (Ib.
p. 297.) Buchanan, in his verses, The Pomp of the G.o.ds at the Marriage of Queen Mary, 29th July 1565, speaks of her _five_ Maries. When she arrived in this country she was still in her first dule or mourning dress. But on the 11th November some change was made in the dresses of her pages and maidens; and one of the entries in the Treasurer's Accounts on that day, is as follows:--”Item, be the Quenis Grace precept, to Jacques de Soulis, talliour to hir Grace, to gif the Madynnis efter following, viz. to ---- Flemyng, ---- Betoun, ---- Sunpartew, ---- Levingstoun, ---- Seitoun, ---- Wardlaw, to by thair secund dule, ilk ane of the said five, ix lib., and to the said Wardlaw, x lib. vij s.--Summa, 55, 7s.” There was also furnished black stannyng for clokis, and black velvet to 14 dames, damosels, and maidens, ”to be thair secund dule;” to the extent of 144, 18s., and 112, 16s. 3d. Also, on the 18th, 4, 10s. for gray mantill claith, to be a gown, lined with green, for hir Grace's Fule; and on the 28th, 23, for ”quhite tafiteis of the cord,” and ”red tafiteis of the foure threidis,” to the Lady Seitoun.
[623] Claude de Lorraine, Duke d'Aumale, third son of Claude Duke de Guise, was born in 1526. He was in the army, and gave proofs of his courage. He was killed at the siege of Roch.e.l.le, by a cannon ball, 14th March 1573.
[624] Francis de Lorraine, seventh son of Claude Duke de Guise, was a Knight of Malta, Grand Prior, and General of the French galleys or war vessels. He distinguished himself in the wars with the Turks in 1557; and died from the effects of his exertions at the battle of Dreux, 6th March 1563, aged 29.
[625] Rene de Lorraine, Marquis d'Elbeuf, was the youngest son of Claude Duke de Guise, and was born in 1536. He became successor to his brother Francis in 1563, as General of the French galleys; but he died in 1566, aged 30.
[626] Henry second son of Anne Duke de Montmorency, and Constable of France, is known in history as the Seigneur de Damville. He was born in 1534, and upon the death of his elder brother in 1579, he succeeded to the Dukedom, and survived till 1614. (Anselme, Histoire Genealogique, vol. iii. p. 605.)
[627] In the Queen's retinue, among other persons of note, was Peter de Bourdeille, known by the name of the Sieur de Brantome, of which he was Abbot. He was attached to the Court as one of the gentlemen of the bed-chamber to Charles IX., and Henry III. of France. He owes his distinction to his posthumous Memoirs, which serve at least sufficiently to ill.u.s.trate the licentious and corrupt state of manners of the time. In his _Vies des Dames Ill.u.s.tres_, there is a _Discours_ on Mary Queen of Scots, who, he says, on the day of her nuptials with Francis, ”paroistre cent fois plus belle qu'une Deesse du Ciel.” He died in July 1614, at the age of 87.
[628] In MS. G, ”surfece weitt.” MS. L 4, follows that of 1566, in ”surfett.”
[Sidenote: THE QUENIS FIRST GRACE IN DISPYTE OF RELIGIOUN.]
At the sound of the cannonis whiche the galayis schot, the mult.i.tude being advertissed, happie was he and sche that first myght have the presence of the Quene. The Protestantis war not the slowest, and thairintill thai war not to be blamed.[629] Becaus the Palace of Halyrudhous was not throughlie put in ordour, (for hir c.u.ming was more suddane[630] than many looked for,) sche remaned in Leyth till towardis the evenyng, and then repaired thitther. In the way betwixt Leith and the Abbay, met hir the rebellis of the craftis, (of whom we spak befoir,[631]) to wit, those that had violated the authoritie of the Magistratis, and had besieged the Provost. But, because sche was sufficientlie instructed, that all thai did was done in dispite of the religioun, thai war easilie apardoned. Fyres of joy war sett furth all nyght, and a c.u.mpany of the most honest,[632] with instrumentis of musick, and with musitians, geve thair salutationis at hir chalmer wyndo.[633] The melody, (as sche alledged,) lyked hir weill; and sche willed the same to be contineued some nightis after.
[629] Instead of this sentence, in MSS. M, and L 4, we find, ”Shee wes honnorablie receaved be the Erle of Argyle, the Lord Areskin, Lord James, and other n.o.blemen, and the Citizens of Edinburgh. Becaus,” &c.
[630] The Queen's arrival was earlier than was expected. On the 7th of August, the Treasurer had paid messengers pa.s.sing ”with clois writings” of the Lords of Secret Counsall to the n.o.bility and Magistratis, and others, ”to be in Edinburgh with thair honorable c.u.mpaneis to the Quenis grace enteres furth of France, _agane the last day of August_.” It has been seen that she landed on the 20th of that month.