Part 40 (1/2)
[24] It is not at all pretended that all and every part of their works, is here inserted, but only those most commonly in print or those come to the knowledge of the publishers.
[25] Vid. Bede's ecclesiastical history, lib. i. ch. 13. Buch. history, book v.
[26] Book iii. cap. 8.
[27] Hind let loose, period II. page 11, prior edition.
[28] The queen and Darnly became so irreconcileable, that as he never rested until he had caused the Italian Rizzio to be murdered, the queen never rested till she caused her husband to be murdered, and divine justice after all never rested till it had caused her to be murdered; so that blood followed blood, till the whole knot was destroyed.
DEFOE'S memoirs, p. 59.
[29] Sir James Melvil of Halhill, in his memoirs, from page 173 to page 178, seems to insinuate, that altho' the earl of Moray was at first of a gentle nature, religiously educated, well inclined, good, wise, &c. yet when he was advanced to the helm of government, through the mean of flatterers, he became more proud and rough in his proceedings, which, together with his too remiss conduct anent his own preservation after so many warnings, was the cause of his own ruin.--And says further, That he was compelled sometimes to receive and apply divers sentences of Solomon concerning chancellors and rulers to this good regent, which he ordered him to commit to writing that he might carry them in his pocket: But before he was slain, this different gloss on the life and character of Moray is contradicted, in substance, by the historians, Knox and Buchanan.
[30] Buchanan's history, vol. II. P. 392.
[31] Spotswood's history, P. 234.
[32] In the memoirs of the duke of Sully, prime minister to Henry IV of France, Vol. 1. page 392. Edin. edit. 1773, there is the following note: James de Bethune, arch bishop of Glasgow in Scotland, came to Paris in quality of amba.s.sador in ordinary from the queen of Scotland, and died there in 1603, aged 66 years, having 57 years suffered great vicissitudes of fortune, since the violent death of cardinal de Bethune arch-bishop of St. Andrews his uncle, which happened in 1646: His epitaph may be still seen in the church of St. John de Lateran.
[33] Vide Calderwood's history, page 31.
[34] In the s.p.a.ce of two or three days, there were about 70000 protestants murdered in cold blood in Paris, and other parts of France.
This ma.s.sacre was begun in the night of St. Bartholomew's day in the reign of Charles IX. of that kingdom; the king of Navarre, afterward Henry the Great, narrowly escaped on that occasion, for he was then in Paris, on account of the solemnization of his marriage with Charles's sister, which marriage the papists had contrived, in order to draw as many protestants into that city as possible, that they might have them in their power. See the account of this mournful event at large in Sully's memoirs, volume I.
[35] Spotswood says he was born within the parish of Killearn, at house of Drunmakill. History, page 325.
[36] In the midst of these evils, he (the king) caused to put hands on that notable man Mr. George Buchanan: But by the merciful providence of G.o.d he escaped the rage of those that sought his life, although with great difficulty, and remains alive to this day, (anno 1566) to the glory of G.o.d, the great honour of this nation, and to the comfort of those who delight in learning and virtue.
KNOX's history.
[37] A little before his death, he returned home from court to visit his friends, during which time king James sent him several messages, and, at last, a very threatening letter to return in twenty days, but he, finding his death approaching, sent him back a letter of admonition relative to the government of his kingdom, and well-being of his council, and, at the end, told him, that he could run the hazard of his majesty's displeasure without danger, for that ”by the time limited, he would be where few kings or great men should be honoured to enter;” at reading which it is said the king wept.
[38] His works that are now extant, make two folio volumes.--His treatise, de jure regni apud Scotos, was condemned by act of parliament, about two years after his death, which happened at Edinburgh on the 28th of September, 1582. These pamphlets going under the name of the witty exploits of George Buchanan, seem to be spurious, although it is true he p.r.o.nounced many witty expressions, many of which have (I suppose) never been committed to writing, and some of which I could mention, were it here necessary.
[39] Mira et vera relatio de Davidis Black transmigratione in coelestem patriam.
[40] Mr Robert Montgomery, minister in Stirling, had made a simoniacal purchase of the Arch-bishopric of Glasgow from the earl of Lennox, for which he was to give him five hundred pounds sterling of yearly rent.
Accordingly on the 8th of March 1582. Montgomery came to Glasgow, with a number of soldiers, and pulled the minister in the pulpit by the sleeve, saying, ”Come down sirrah;” the minister replied. ”He was placed there by the kirk, and would give place to none who intruded themselves without order.” Much confusion and bloodshed ensued in the town. The presbytery of Stirling suspended Montgomery, in which the general a.s.sembly supported them: Lennox obtained a commission from the king to try and bring the offenders to justice. Before that commission court met, the earls of Marr and Gowrie, the master of Oliphant, young Lochlevin, &c. carried the king to Ruthven castle, and there supplicated him to revoke his commission to Lennox, which he did: and the king ordered him to leave the country, which, after some delays, he also did, retiring to Berwick. Afterwards two persons concerned in the affair at Ruthven, were charged to leave the realm upon pain of corporal punishment, because the council had adjudged that affair to be treason against the king and government. The earl of Gowrie was ordered to leave the kingdom, notwithstanding he had, at the command of the council, confessed that the fact at Ruthven was treason.
[41] The persons concerned in the raid of Ruthven, a.s.sembled an army at Stirling and took the castle, from thence they sent a supplication to the king to redress their grievances. In the mean time, the earl of Gowrie, lingering about Dundee was apprehended and committed to prison, which discouraged the party at Stirling very much, so that they fled in the night, and got to Berwick; the captain of the castle and three others were hanged; Gowrie was likewise executed on the 2d of May 1584.
[42] Bennet, in his memorial, says, That while he (James) grasped at arbitrary power, to which he discovered an inclination thro' the whole of his reign, it has been observed, and not without good reason, that he made himself mean and contemptible to all the world abroad, though affecting to swagger over his parliament and people at home, which he did in a manner that was far from making or showing him great.
[43] Mr James Melvil was confined at last to Berwick, where he ended his days, Jan, 1614.
[44] The epigram is as follows,
Cur stant clausi Anglis libri duo, regia in arca, Lumina caeca duo, pollubra sicca duo?
Num sensum, cultumque Dei tenet Anglia clausum, Lumine caeca suo, sorde sepulta suo?