Volume II Part 39 (1/2)
[744] It would appear that a General a.s.sembly or Convention was sitting at Edinburgh, towards the end of December 1561, when this occurence took place; and it was resolved to present the Supplication to the Queen:
”The whilk day, tuiching the slander takin be the horrible fact and impietie committed within this burgh under silence of night, be Marques Dalbuiff and his colleagues, in breaking up of Cuthbert Ramsay his zets and doores, and searching and seiking his dochter-in-law to oppresse her, as appeirit; it is thought good be the haill Kirk, that a Supplicatioun be made and given in to the Quenis Majestie, in the name of the Professors of the Evangell, and the personis before nominat present the samein, to seik the answer thairof.” (Booke of the Universal Kirk, vol. i. p. 11.)
TO THE QUEYNIS MAJESTIE AND HIR SECREAT AND GREAT COUNSALL, HIR GRACE'S FAYTHFULL AND OBEDIENT SUBJECTIS, THE PROFESSOURIS OF CHRIST JESUS HIS HOLY EVANGELL, WISHES THE SPREIT OF RYGHTEOUSE JUDGEMENT.
The feare of G.o.d conceaved of his holy worde, the naturall and unfeaned luif we bear unto your Grace, the dewtie whiche we aw to the quyetness of our countrie, and the terrible threatnyngis which our G.o.d p.r.o.nounces against everie Realme and Citie in the quhilk horrible crymes ar openlie committed, and then be the committars obstinatlie defended, compell us, a great parte of your subjectis, humblie to crave of your Grace upryght and trew judgement aganis sick personis as have done what in thame lyes, to kendle G.o.ddis wrayth against this hoill Realme. The impietie be thame committed is so haynous and so horrible, that as it is ane fact most vyle and rair to be heard of within this Realme, and princ.i.p.allie within the bowells of this Citie, so should we think oure selfis gyltie in the same, gif negligentlie, or yitt for warldlie feare we pa.s.s it ower with silence: And thairfoir your Grace may nott think that we requyre ony thing (whill that we crave open malefactouris condignelie to be punished) but that quhilk G.o.d hes commanded us to crave, and hes also commanded your Grace to geve to everie ane of your subjectis; for be this lynk hes G.o.d knytt togitther the prince and the people, that as he commandis honour, feare, and obedience to be gevin to the poweris established by him, so does he in expressed wordis command and declair what the prince aweth unto the subjectis, to witt, that as he is the Minister of G.o.d, bearing his sweard for vengeance to be tackyn on evill doaris, and for the defence of peceable and quyett men, so aucht he to draw the same without all parcialitie so oft as in G.o.ddis name he is requyred thairto: Seing so it is, (Madam,) that this cryme so recentlie committed, and that in the eyes of your hoill Realme now presentlie a.s.sembled, is so haynous, for who heirtofore have heard within the bowellis of Edinburgh, yettis and durris under silence of nycht burst up, housses ryped, (and that with hostilitie,) seaking a woman as appeared to oppresse hyr; seing we say that this cryme is so haynouse, that all G.o.dlie men fear nott onlye G.o.ddis soir displeasur to fall upoun you and your hoill Realme, but also that sick libertie brede contempt, and in the end seditioun, yf remeady in tyme be not provided,[745] quhilk in our judgement is impossible, yf sevir punishement be nott executed for the cryme committed: Thairfoir, we maist humblye beseik your Grace, that all affectioun sett asyd,[746]
ye declair your self so uprycht in this caise, that ye may geve evident demonstratioun to all your subjectis, that the fear of G.o.d, joyned with the luif of the commoun tranquillitie, have princ.i.p.all seat and dominioun in your Grace hearte. This farther, Madam, of conscience we speik, that as your Grace in G.o.ddis name does crave of us obedience, (whilk to render in all thingis lauchfull we ar most willing,) so in the same name do we, the hoill Professouris of Christis Evangell within this your Grace Realme, crave of you and of your Counsall scharpe punishement of this cryme; and for performance thairof, that without all delay the princ.i.p.all actouris of this most haynous cryme, and the persewaris of this pretended vilanye, may be called befoir the Cheaf Justice of this Realme, to suffer an a.s.sise, and to be punished according to the lawes of the same: And your Grace's answer maist humilie we beseik.
[745] In the Book of the Kirk, ”gudlie provydit.”
[746] In the Book of the Kirk, ”laid asyde.”
[Sidenote: THE MASK OF ORLEANCE.]
This Supplicatioun was presented by diverse gentilmen. The flatteraris of the Courte at the first stormed, and asked, ”Who durst avow it?” To whom the Maister, now Lord Lyndesay answered, ”A thousand gentilmen within Edinburgh.” Otheris were eschamed to appone thame selfis thairto in publict; but thei suborned the Quene to geve a gentill answer unto such tyme as the Conventioun was dissolved. And so sche did; for sche lacks no craft, boyth to cloik and to manteane impietie (and hurdome in especiall.) Sche alledged, ”That hir Uncle was a strangear, and he had a young c.u.mpany; but sche should putt suche ordour unto him, and unto all otheris, that heareafter thei should have no occasioun to compleane.” And so deluded sche the just pet.i.tioun of hir subjectis; and no wounder, for how shall sche punische in otheris that vice, which in France is free without punishement, and which Kingis and Cardinallis use most commonlie, as the mask and dansing of Orleance can witness, whairin virgenis and menis wyeffis war maid as commoun to King Harie and Charles, the Cardinallis, unto thair Courte and pages, as commoun harlottis of the bordell ar unto thair compainzeonis. The maner was thus:
At the entrie of King Harie of France, in the towne of Orleance, the matrones, virgenis, and menis wyiffis, war commanded to present thame selfis in the Kingis palice at nycht, to daunse: and thei obeyed; for commounlie the Frenche natioun is not hard to be entreated to vanitie.
After fidling and flyngyng, and when the Cardinall of Lorane[747] had espyed his pray, he said to the King, ”_Sire, la primiere est vostre, et faut que je suis[748] le second_.” That is to say, ”Sire, the first choise is youris, and I man be the secound.” And so the King gat the preeminence, that he had his first electioun. Bot becaus Cardinallis ar companeonis to Kingis, the Cardinall of Lorane had the nixt: And thairafter the torches war putt out, and everie man commanded to provid for him self the best he myght. What cry was thair of husbandis for thair wyeffis; of wyiffis, for thair husbandis; of auncient matronis, for thair dochteris; and of virgenis for thair freindis; or for some honest man to defend thair pudicitie, Orleance will remember mo kingis dayis then one.
[747] The Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, Archbishop and Duke of Rheims, was the second son of Claude Duke de Guise. He was born 17th February 1524. He obtained the See of Rheims in 1538, and was consecrated in 1545, when twenty-one years of age. We need not refer to Protestant writers for his character, or to the work ent.i.tled the Legend of his Life, as it is admitted that to avarice and inordinate pride, he joined cruelty, want of faith, and licentiousness. Brantome admits that the Cardinal was no ornament to the Church, when he says, ”qui, quoique mauvais Chretien, etait, pour le temps, tres-bon Catholique.”
He died 24th December 1574, aged 49.
In addition to note 4, page 267, it may be noticed that Calderwood says, when the Queen was preparing to return to Scotland, ”In the meanetyme, Charles Cardinal of Lorraine, counselled her to leave beside him her apparell and household stuffe, till it was seene what was the successe of her voyage. She being acquainted with his nature, answered, she could not see wherefore she should be more carefull of her stuffe and apparell nor of her owne persone.” (Hist. vol. ii. p.
131.)
[748] In MS. G, ”que je soy.”
[Sidenote: OURE QUENIS EDUCATION.]
This horrible vilanay, a fruet of the Cardinall of Lorane's religioun, we shortlie tueche, to lett all the world understand, what subjectis may looke of suche magistratis; for such pastyme to thame is but joyousitie, whairin our Queyn was brocht up.[749] We call hir nott a hoore, (albeit hir deame heard more then we will wrytt,) but sche was brought up in the company of the wyldast hooremongaris, (yea, of such as no more regarded incest, then honest men regard the company of thair lauchfull wyeffis;) in the company of such men, (we say,) was our Queyn brought up. What sche was and is, her self best knowis, and G.o.d, (we doubt nott,) will farther declair.
[749] Henry the second of France succeeded to the throne in 1547, and died in 1559. This incident is not recorded in the Histories of the time, but may be referred to the later period of his reign. As noticed in a previous note (page 269,) the extreme profligacy that prevailed at the Court of France is but too manifestly exhibited in the pages of Brantome: a more unfortunate place could not have been chosen for the young Scotish Princess to have received her education.
[Sidenote: [G]OD HES NOW [D]ONE IT, 1567.][750]
[750] This marginal note does not occur in MS. G, and seems to have been added in MS. 1566, subsequently to the transcription of this portion of the text. It contains an evident allusion to the Queen's imprisonment after her surrender at Carberry Hill in July 1567: see vol. i. p. 218, note 4.
[Sidenote: THE HAMMYLTONIS AGAINST BOTHWELL AND THE MARQUESS.]
But punishement of that enormitie and fearfull attemptat we could gett none: but more and more thei presumed to do violence, and frequented nyghtlie masking. Some, as Roboyn Craige's house, becaus his dowghter was fair, delyted thairin: otheris lamented, and began to bear the mater verray heavelie. At lenth the Lord Duck his freindis a.s.sembled upoun a nycht upoun the calsey.[751] The Abbott of Kylwyning,[752]
(who then was joyned to the Churche, and so, as we understand, yitt abydeth,) was the princ.i.p.all man at the begyning. To him repaired many faythfull; and amangis otheris cam Andro Stewart, Lord Ochiltree, a man rather borne to maik peace, then to brag upoun the calsey, and demanded the querrall; and being informed of the formar enormitie said, ”Nay, sick impietie shall nott be sufferred so long as G.o.d shall a.s.sist us. The victorye that G.o.d in his mercy hath gevin us, we will by his grace manteane.” And so he commanded his sone, Andro Stewart, then Maister,[753] and his servandis to putt thame selfis in ordour, and to bring furth thair spearis and long weaponis; and so did otheris. The word cam to the Erle Bothwell and his, that the Hammyltonis war upoun the gaitt.[754] Vowes war maid, ”That the Hammyltonis should be doung, not onlie out of the towne, but also out of the countrey.” Lord Johne of Coldinghame[755] had maryed the said Erle Bothwellis sister, (a sufficient woman for such a man;)--allia drew the Lord Roberte;[756] and so they joyned boyth with the said Erle Bothwell. But the stoutness of the Marquess Le Beuf, (D'Elbuf[757] thei call him,) is most to be commended; for in his chalmer, within the Abbay, he starte to ane halbart, and ten men war ska.r.s.e able to hald him; but as hap was, the inner yett of the Abbay keapt him that nycht; and the danger was betwix the Croce and the Salt Trone;[758] and so he was a large quarter of myle from the schote and sklenting of boltis. The Maister of Maxwell, gave declaratioun[759] to the Erle Bothwell, ”That yf he steired furth of his lodgeing, he, and all that wold a.s.sist him, should resist him in the face;” whose wordis did somwhat beat doon that blast. The Erles of Huntley and Morray, being in the Abbay whair the Marques was, cam with thair c.u.mpanyes, send fra the Quene to stay that tumult, as that thei did; for Bothwell and his war commanded, under pane of trea.s.sone, to keap thair lodgeingis.[760]
[751] On the 19th of December 1561, (Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 70.)
[752] Gawin Hamilton, Abbot of Kilwinning, was the fourth son of James Hamilton of Raploch. In 1521, James the eldest son on his marriage with the heiress of Stenhouse, resigned the fee of the lands of Raploch, and upon the death of the next two brothers, Gavin succeeded to the property in 1559. He had been educated for the Church; and obtained the Deanery of Glasgow, which he exchanged in 1550 for the Abbacy of Kilwinning. In 1555, he was raised to the bench. He was a steady adherent of Queen Mary, and distinguished himself in several skirmishes; but was mortally wounded, and died at Leith, on 16th June 1571.
[753] Andrew, second Lord Stewart of Ochiltree: see page 260, note 19.
His eldest son Andrew died in the year 1578, having predeceased his father, Master of Ochiltree, here mentioned.