Volume II Part 44 (1/2)
[857] Of the five persons here named, who were proposed as husband to Queen Mary, the first was Don Carlos, Infant of Spain, son of Philip the Second, born in 1545, and died in 1568. The next was the Archduke Charles, a younger son of the Emperor Ferdinand the First, and brother of Maximilian the Second, born in 1540, and died in 1596. The third was Lord Robert Dudley, the favourite of Queen Elizabeth, who created him Earl of Leicester, born in 1532, and died in 1588. The fourth was James (of the house of Savoy) Duke de Nemours, born in 1531, and died in 1585. He was reckoned as ”l'un des plus beaux Princes de son tems, et des plus braves, fut liberal, magnifique, et scavoit des langues.”
In 1566, he married Anne d'Este, widow of Francis Duke de Guise.
(Anselme, Hist. Geneal. vol. iii. p. 512.) The last was Henry Lord Darnley, eldest son of Matthew Earl of Lennox, born 1545, and whom she afterwards married, 29th July 1565.
[858] See page 335, note 2.
[859] Robert Melvin or Melville, the second son of Sir John Melville of Raith. In May 1555, ”Robert Melville, servand to the Quenis Grace, received be hir speciale command,” the sum of 50; and in September following, 75, as his pension for the Whitsunday term, that year. He had long resided at the Court of France, during the reign of Henry the Second; and was afterwards much employed in public affairs. He was knighted in 1582, and was raised to the Peerage, by the t.i.tle of Lord Melville of Monimail, in 1616, having survived till 1621, when he died at the very advanced age of 94.
The Erle Bothwell, who befoir had brocken ward, fearing apprehensioun, prepared to pas to France; but by storme of weather was dryven into England, whair he was stayed, and was offerred to have bein randered by the Quene of England. But our Quenis ansuer was, ”That he was no rebell, and thairfoir sche requeasted that he should have libertie to pas whair it pleiseth him.”[860] And thairto Lethingtoun helped not a litill; for he travailled to have freindis in everie factioun of the Courte. And so obteined the said Erle licence to pas to France.
[860] In MS. G, ”quhair he pleased.”
[Sidenote: THE PREACHEOURIS RAILLED UPOUN OF THE COURTEOURIS.]
[Sidenote: THE PREACHERIS ADMONITIOUN AFTER THE DEATH OF THE ERLE HUNTLEY.]
[Sidenote: HUNTLYE.][861]
[861] In MS. G, ”mening of Huntlie.”
[Sidenote: LET THE WARLDE JUDGE NOWE, 1571, FOR LETHINGTOUN THEN WAS THE FATHER OF ALL MISCHEIF.[862]
[862] In MS. 1566, the marginal note at the top of the next page, judging from the different hand and colour of ink, was evidently added in 1571. The words ”then was,” refer to the year 1562-3. The note occurs in MS. G, with this addition, ”then was (as he is now).”
The wynter after the death of the Erle of Huntley, the Courte remaned for the maist part in Edinburgh. The Preacheouris war wonderous vehement in reprehensioun of all maner of vice, which then began to habound; and especiallie avarice, oppressioun of the poor, excesse, ryotouse chear, banketting, immoderat dansing, and hurdome, that thairof enseuis. Whairat the Courteouris began to storme, and began to pyck querrallis against the Preachearis, alledging that all thair preaching was turned to raylling. Whairunto one of thame gave ansuer as followeth: ”It c.u.mis to our earis that we ar called raillaris, whairof albeit we wounder, yitt we ar not eschamed, seing that the most worthy servandis of G.o.d that befoir us have travalled in this vocatioun, have so bein styled. But unto you do I say, that that same G.o.d, who from the begyning has punished the contempt of his word, and hes poured furth his vengeance upoun such proude mockaris, shall not spair you; yea, he shall not spair you befoir the eyis of this same wicked generatioun, for the pleasur whairof ye dispyse all holsome admonitionis. Have ye not sein ane greattar than any of you sitting whair presentlie ye sitt, pyck his naillis, and pull down his bonet ower his eyis, when idolatrie, witchecraft, murther, oppressioun, and such vices war rebuked? Was not his commoun talk, When thei knaiffis have railled thair fill, then will thei hald thair peace? Have ye not heard it affirmed to his awin face, that G.o.d should revenge that his blasphemy, evin in the eyis of such as war witnesses to his iniquitie?
Then was the Erle Huntley accused by you, as the manteanar of idolatrie, and only hinderar of all good ordour. Him hes G.o.d punished, evin according to the threatnyngis that his and your earis heard; and by your handis hath G.o.d executed his judgementis. But what amendment in any caise can be espyed in you? Idolatrie was never in greattar rest: vertew and verteouse men war never in more contempt: vice was never more bold, nor less feared punishement. And yitt who guydis the Quene and Court? Who but the Protestantis? O horrible sclanderaris of G.o.d, and of his holie evangell. Bettir it war unto you plainelie to renunce Christ Jesus, then thus to expone his blessed Evangell to mockage. Yf G.o.d punishe not you, that this same aige shall see and behold your punishement,[863] the Spreit of rychteous judgement guydis me not.”
[863] In MS. G, is this marginal note, which cannot be attributed to the author:--”The end declared thair words to be trew.” Lethington, it is well known, having adhered to the Queen's party, he remained in the Castle of Edinburgh during the whole time of the siege by the English troops in 1573, until its surrender, under promise that the Governor and his a.s.sociates should be favourably treated. But Queen Elizabeth delivered them up to their implacable enemy the Regent Morton; and Lethington was with Kirkaldy of Grange, and the other prisoners, carried to Leith; but whether it was his own act, to save the disgrace of a public execution, or that of others, he died, ”not without suspicion of poison,” on the 9th June 1573.
[Sidenote: THE DEFENCE OF THE COURTEOURIS.]
This vehemence provocked the hatterent, not onlie of the Courteouris, but also of diverse otheris against the speakar;[864] for such as be in credyte never lack flatteraris. ”Thair brethren of the Courte war irreverentlie handilled. What was that, but to raise the heartis of the people against thame? Thei did what thei myght; such speaking wold cause thame do less.” And this was the frute the Preachearis gatthered of thair just reprehensionis.
[864] In MS. G, ”the speaker, quhilk was John Knox.”
[Sidenote: 1562.]
[Sidenote: THE QUENIS PRACTISE.]
The Generall a.s.semblie of the Churche,[865] holden the twenty-fyve of December, the year of G.o.d 1562, approched, in the which, great complentis war maid, that churches lacked Ministeris; that Ministeris lacked thair stipendis; that wicked men war permitted to be School-maisteris, and so to infect the youth; amongis whom one Maister Robert c.u.myn, school-maister in Aberbrothok, was compleaned upoun by the Laird of Dun,[866] and sentence was p.r.o.nunced against him. It was farther compleaned, that idolatrie was erected in diverse partis of the Realme; for redress whairof, some thought best, that new supplicatioun should be presented to the Quenis Grace. Otheris demanded, what ansuer was receaved of the formar? The Superintendent of Lowtheane confessed the deliverance of it, ”But,” said he, ”I receaved no ansuer.” It was ansuered for the parte of the Quene, (for hir suppostis war ever thair,) ”That it was weill knawin to the hoill Realme what trubles had occurred since the last a.s.semblie; and thairfoir, that thei should not wounder albeit that the Quene had not ansuered: but betwix that and the Parliament which was appointed in May, thei doubted not but that such ordour should be tacken, as all men should have occasioun to stand content.” This satisfyed, for that tyme, the hoill a.s.semblie: And this was the practise of the Quene and of hir Counsall, with fair wordis to dryve tyme, as befoir we have said.
[865] In MS. G, ”of the Kirk.”
[866] John Erskine of Dun, Superintendent of Angus and Mearns.
Calderwood repeats this notice, and says, that c.u.mming was accused ”for infecting the youth committed to his charge with idolatrie.”
The a.s.semblie, nochtwithstanding, proceided fordward in establessing of such ordouris, as whairby vice myght be punished, and vertew myght be manteaned. And becaus that thair was a great sclander rissen upoun Paule Meffen,[867] of whom mentioun is maid in the Secound Booke of this Historie, commissioun and charge was gevin unto Johne Knox, minister of Edinburgh, and unto certane of the eldaris of the Kirk of Edinburgh, to pa.s.s to the toune of Jedburgh, whair the said sclander was rased, and to be found thair the thrid of Januar nixt, for the tryall to be tane in the sclander rased, and to hear the articules and complaynt of the said Paule; and after the tryall, to report the treuth to the Sessioun of the Churche of Edinburgh; to whom, with the a.s.sistance of the Superintendent of Lowthiane, commissioun was gevin to decern thairintill. The tryall and examinatioun of that cryme was difficill. The sclander was universall in that toune and countrey. The servand woman of the said Paule had betwix termes left his house; sche had borne a child; no father to it could she fynd; but alledged hir self to have bein oppressed late in ane evening. The said Paule constantlie affirmed him self innocent, and wold have gevin his publict purgatioun; but becaus that his accusatouris had tacken upoun thame to prove thair accusatioun, that was denyed. Many witnesses war produced, of whom some deponed so clearlie, that the Commissionaris suspected that thei had bene suborned, and thairfoir thei requyred to have inspectioun of the places, whair some said thei saw, and some said thei heard thame in the verray act of iniquitie. The syght and consideratioun of the places augmented greatlie the suspitioun. But one thing was most suspitiouse of all otheris; for the wyiff of the said Paull, ane auncient matron, was absent from him the s.p.a.ce of aucht or nyne weakis in Dundye; which tyme (or at least a great part thairof) thei suspected, and he lay nyghtlie in ane house, without other c.u.mpany than a child of sevin or eight yearis of aige.
[867] Knox has previously mentioned Paul Methven as an active and zealous preacher, (vol. i. p. 300.) The proceedings against him by order of the a.s.sembly, contained in the Book of the Kirk, consist of extracts from Calderwood. Knox was appointed on the 30th December 1562, to proceed to Jedburgh, and on the 3d of January to take trial of the slander raised against Methven. At the next General a.s.sembly, on the 25th June 1563, Knox reported that Methven had been removed from his charge, and excommunicated.
[Sidenote: HEIR THE INIQUITIE OF PAULL MEFFEN WAS CLEARLIE PROVEN]