Volume II Part 47 (1/2)
The Quene, in a vehement fume, began to cry out, that never Prince was handled as she was. ”I have,” said sche, ”borne with you in all your rigorouse maner of speaking, bayth against my self and against my Uncles; yea, I have sought your favouris by all possible meanes. I offered unto you presence and audience whensoever it plea.s.sed you to admonishe me; and yitt I can nott be quyte of you. I avow to G.o.d, I shalbe anes revenged.” And with these wordis, skarslie could Marnock,[910] hir secreat chalmer-boy, gett neapkynes to hold hyr eyes drye for the tearis; and the owling, besydes womanlie weaping, stayed hir speiche.
[910] Evidently the same person with Marna, whose name occurs among the ”gentilhomes servans,” in the ”Menu de la Maison de la Royne, faict par Mons. de Pinguillon,” 1562; as the names of persons, in this curious record, are very incorrectly written. A few copies were printed for private circulation, by Thomas Thomson, Esq., in 1818, 4to.
[Sidenote: ANSURE.]
The said Johne did patientlie abyde all the first fume, and att opportunitie answered, ”Trew it is, Madam, your Grace and I have bein att diverse controversies, into the which I never perceaved your Grace to be offended at me. b.u.t.t when it shall please G.o.d to deliver you fra that bondage of darknes and errour in the which ye have been nurisshed, for the lack of trew doctrin, your Majestie will fynd the libertie of my toung nothing offensive. Without the preaching place, Madam, I think few have occasioun to be offendit at me; and thair, Madam, I am nott maister of my self, but man obey Him who commandis me to speik plane, and to flatter no flesche upoun the face of the earth.”
”But what have ye to do,” said sche, ”with my mariage?”
”Yf it pleise your Majestie,” said he, ”patientlie to hear me, I shall schaw the treuth in plane wordis. I grant your Grace offered unto me more than ever I requyred; but my answer was then, as it is now, that G.o.d hath not sent me to await upoun the courtes of Princesses, nor upoun the chamberis of Ladyes; but I am send to preache the Evangell of Jesus Christ, to such as please to hear it; and it hath two partes, Repentance and Fayth. And now, Madam, in preaching reapentance, of necessitie it is that the synnes of men be so noted, that thei may know whairin thei offend; but so it is, that the most parte of your n.o.bilitie ar so addicted to your affectionis, that neather G.o.d his word, nor yitt thair Commounwealth, ar rychtlie regarded. And thairfoir it becomes me so to speak, that thei may know thair dewitie.”
”What have ye to do,” said sche, ”with my mariage? Or what ar ye within this Commounwealth?”
[Sidenote: LETT PAPISTIS JUDGE THIS DAY, 1567.]
”A subject borne within the same,” said he, ”Madam. And albeit I neather be Erle, Lord, nor Barroun within it, yitt hes G.o.d maid me, (how abject that ever I be in your eyes,) a profitable member within the same: Yea, Madam, to me it apperteanes no lesse to foirwarne of suche thingis as may hurte it, yf I foirsee thame, then it does to any of the n.o.bilitie; for boyth my vocatioun and conscience craves playness of me. And thairfoir, Madam, to your self I say that whiche I speak in publict place: Whensoever that the n.o.bilitie of this Realme shall consent that ye be subject to ane unfaythfull husband, thei do as muche as in thame lyeth to renunce Christ, to banishe his treuth from thame, to betray the fredome of this Realme, and perchance shall in the end do small conforte to your self.”
At these wordis, owling was heard, and tearis mycht have bene sein in greattar abundance than the mater requyred. Johne Erskin of Dun, a man of meak and gentill spreit, stood besyd, and entreated what he could to mitigat hir anger, and gave unto hir many pleasing wordis of hir beautie, of hir excellence, and how that all the Princes of Europe wold he glaid to seak hir favouris. But all that was to cast oyle in the flaming fyre. The said Johne stood still, without any alteratioun of countenance for a long sea.s.son, whill that the Quene gave place to hir inordinat pa.s.sioun; and in the end he said, ”Madam, in G.o.ddis presence I speak: I never delyted in the weaping of any of G.o.ddis creatures; yea, I can skarslie weill abyd the tearis of my awin boyes whome my awin hand correctis, much less can I rejoise in your Majesties weaping. But seing that I have offered unto you no just occasioun to be offended, but have spocken the treuth, as my vocatioun craves of me, I man sustean (albeit unwillinglie) your Majesties tearis, rather then I dar hurte my conscience, or betray my Commounwealth through my silence.”
[Sidenote: JOHNE KNOX HIS TALK AMONGIS THE QUENIS LADYIS.]
Heirwith was the Quene more offended, and commanded the said Johne to pa.s.s furth of the cabinet, and to abyd farther of hir pleasur in the chalmer. The Laird of Dun taryed, and Lord Johne of Coldinghame cam into the cabinet, and so thei boyth remaned with hyr neyr the s.p.a.ce of ane houre. The said Johne stood in the chalmer, as one whom men had never sein, (so war all effrayed,) except that the Lord Ochiltrie bayre him companye: and thairfoir began he to forge talking of the ladyes who war thair sitting in all thair gorgiouse apparell; whiche espyed, he mearelie said, ”O fayre Ladyes, how pleasing war this lyeff of youris, yf it should ever abyd, and then in the end that we myght pa.s.se to heavin with all this gay gear. But fye upoun that knave Death, that will come whitther we will or not! And when he hes laid on his areist, the foull wormes wilbe busye with this flesche, be it never so fayr and so tender; and the seally sowll, I fear, shalbe so feable, that it can neather cary with it gold, garna.s.sing, targatting, pearle, nor pretious stanes.” And by suche meanes procured he the c.u.mpany of women; and so past the tyme till that the Laird of Dun willed him to departe to his house quhill new advertis.e.m.e.nt. The Queue wold have had the cens.e.m.e.nt of the Lordis of Articles, yf that such maner of speaking deserved not punishement; but sche was consailled to desist: and so that storm quiett.i.t in appearance, but never in the hearte.
[Sidenote: THE BISCHOPPE OF SANCTANDROIS SETT AT LIBERTIE.]
[Sidenote: LEDINGTHONIS PRACTISES.]
Schort after the Parliament, Lethington returned frome his negotiatioun in England[911] and France. G.o.d, in the Februare befoir, had strycken that b.l.o.o.d.y tyrane the Duke of Gueise,[912] which somwhat brak the fard of our Quene for a sea.s.sone. But schort after the returnyng of Lethington, pryde and malice begane to schaw thame selfis agane. Sche sett at libertie the Bischope of Sanctandrois, and the rest of the Papistes that befoir war put in preasone for violating of the lawis. Lethingtoun, at his returnyng, shew him self nott a litill offended, that any bruit should have rissen of the Quenis mariage with the King of Spane; for he took upoun him that suche thing never entered in hir hearte: but how trew that was we shall after hear. The end of all his acquittance and complaynt was to discreditt Johne Knox, who had affirmed, that such ane mariage was boyth proponit, and, upoun the parte of our Quene, by the Cardinall accepted.[913] Lethingtoun, in his absence, had run intill ane verray evill bruite among the n.o.bilitie for too muche serving the Quenis affectionis against the Commounwealth; and thairfoir had he, as one that lacketh no worldly wisdome, maid provisioun boyth in England and in Scotland: For in England he travailled for the freedome of the Erle Bothwell, and by that meane obteaned promesse of his favour. He had thair also tacken ordour for the hamec.u.ming of the Erle of Levenox, as we shall after hear. In Scotland he joyned with the Erle of Atholl: him he promoted, and sett fordwart in Courte; and so began the Erle of Murray to be defaced. And yitt to the said Erie, Lethingtoun at all tymes schew a fayre countenance.
[911] Lethington returned from England towards the end of June. Keith says, ”The Secretary was not in Council on the 18th of June, but he was present next Council-day, viz. 8th July.”
[912] Francis de Lorraine succeeded his father as Duke de Guise, in 1550. He died 24th February 1562-3, having been a.s.sa.s.sinated by one of his own gentlemen, named Poltrot, while besieging the city of Orleans, which was defended by the Protestants. In the following month, the Grand Prior, (see page 268, note 7,) another of the Queen's uncles, was slain at the battle of Dreux.
[913] The Cardinal de Lorraine, in August 1563, had actually proposed the Archduke Charles of Austria to Queen Mary for a husband; but she declined such an overture.
[Sidenote: JOHNE KNOX HIS ANSURE TOWARDIS HIS PRAYER.]
The rest of that Sommer the Quene spent in hir progresse throught the West countrey, whair in all tounes and gentilmennes places she had her Messe.[914] Which c.u.ming to the earis of Johne Knox, he began that forme of prayer which ordinarlie he sayeth after thankis-giving at his table: ”1. Deliver us, O Lord, from the boundage of Idolatrie. 2.
Preserve and keap us from the tyranny of strangearis. 3. Continew us in quyetnesse and concord amangis our selfis, yf thy good pleasur be, O Lord, for a sea.s.sone,” &c. Whille that diverse of the familiaris of the said Johne asked of him why he prayed for quyetnesse to continew for a sea.s.sone, and nott rather absolutlie that we should continew in quyetness? His answer was, ”That he durst nott pray but in fayth; and faith in G.o.ddis word a.s.sured him, that constant quietness could nott continew in that Realme whair Idolatrie had bene suppressed, and then was permitted to be erected agane.”
[914] Knox, in a letter to Cecil on the 6th October 1563, (quoted by Mr. Tytler,) expresses this same feeling in regard to the Queen's progress, when he says, ”the carrying of the Ma.s.s through those quarters which longest had been best reformed, had dejected the hearts of many, and caused him to disclose the plainness of a troubled heart.” (Hist. vol. vi. p. 286.)
From the West countrey, the Quene past in Ergyll[915] to the hunting, and after returned to Striveling. The Erle of Murray, the Lord Robert of Halyrudhouse,[916] and Lord Johne of Coldinghame, past to the Northland. Justice Courtis war halden; thevis and murtheraris war punished; twa witches war burnt, the eldest was so blynded with the Devill, that sche affirmed, ”That na Judge had power ower hir.”
[915] Randolph, on the 13th June 1563, informs Cecil that ”The Queen, the Parliament now ended, hath made her Highland apparel for her journey into Argile.” The absence of the English amba.s.sador from Scotland during the next three months, has deprived us of much minute information. Keith states that the Queen ”sat in Council at Glasgow on the 8th of July, after which day both she and the Earl of Argyle were not in Council until the 19th of August at Dumfries.”
[916] See vol. i. p. 458; vol. ii. pp. 271, 321.
[Sidenote: THE LAST COMMENDATIOUN OF LORD JOHNE TO THE QUENE.][917]
[917] In the MS. 1566, these words, ”quhairof more is spoken after,”
form part of this note, but are deleted, probably when the additional pa.s.sage was inserted: see next note.
That same tyme Lord Johne of Coldinghame[918] departed this lyfe in Innerness. It was affirmed, that he commanded suche as war besyd him to say unto the Quene, ”That onless she left hir idolatrie, that G.o.d wold nott fail to plague hir. He asked G.o.d mercy, that he had so far borne with hir in hir impietie, and had manteaned hir in the same:[919] And that no one thing did him more regreat then that he had flattered, fostered, and menteyned hir in hir wickednes against G.o.d and his servandis.” And in verie deid great cause had he to have lamented his wickednes; for besydes all his other infirmities, in the end, he, for the Quenis plesour, became enemie to verteu and all verteous men, and a patrone to impietie to the uttermost of his power: yea, his vennome was so kendled against G.o.d and his word, that in his rage he bursted forth thir wordis: ”Or I see the Quenis Majestie sa trubled with the railing of thir knaves, I shall have the best of thame sticked in the pulpett,” What farther villanie came fourth of baith their stinking throttes and mouthes, modestie will not suffer us to wryte; wherof, yf he had grace to unfeynedlie repent, it is no small doc.u.ment to G.o.dis mercyes. But howsoever G.o.d wrought with him, the Quene regarded his wordis as wynd, or ellis thocht thame to have been forged be otheris, and not to have proceaded from him self; and affirmed plainlie, that they wer devysed be the Laird of Pettarro and Mr. Johne Wode, whome sche both hated, because they flattered hir not in hir danceing and other doinges.[920] One thing in plane wordis she spak, ”That G.o.d tuik alwyse from hir thay persounes in whome sche had greatest pleasour:” and that she repented; but of farther wickednes no mentioun.