Volume I Part 4 (1/2)
Elizabeth, as soon as she understood that Mary waited for the advice of her Privy Counsellors and her Parliah, addressed a letter to the ”States of Scotland,” as she was pleased to term them, but, in point of fact, only to her old allies the Lords of the Congregation The object of this letter was to convey, in haughty and even insolent terms, a threat that, unless they secured their Queen's assent to the treaty, they ht cease to look for any aid or protection froh my interference, you have been able to establish the new Gospel; your Queen you know to be a Catholic; and as it is not unlikely that she may associate in her councils your old enemies the Catholic nobility, it is in ainst your lawful Sovereign But I have no intention to give you ; and unless your refor that Mary Stuart shall sign away her hereditary right of succession to the English throne, I shall henceforth have nothing more to do with you No other interpretation can be put on such expressions as the following, couched in ter sophistry itself could not hide ”In a e that your Queen hath no better advice; and therefore we do require ye all, being the States of that realm upon whom the burden resteth, to consider this matter deeply, and to make us anshereunto we may trust And if you shall thinkof her solemn promise, contrary to the order of all princes, we shall be well content to accept your answer, and shall be as careless to see the peace kept, as ye shall give us cause; and doubt not, by the grace of God, but whosoever of ye shall incline thereto, shall soonest repent You ”
To this piece of ”plain writing,” the Reforation of the Lord Ja answer
”Your Majesty,” they say, ”may be well assured, that in us shall be noted no blame, if that peace be not ratified to your Majesty's contentment”--”The benefit that we have received is so recent, that we cannot suddenly bury it in forgetfulness We would desire your Majesty rather to be persuaded of us, that we, to our powers, will study to leave it in remembrance to our posterity” In other words,--Whatever our own Queen Mary , we shall remain steady to your interests, and would much rather quarrel with her than with you To this state oftheQueen's subjects[30]
In the land to dee This was expressly refused; and Throckain ordered to request an audience with Mary, to explain the motives of this refusal ”In this conference,” observes Robertson, ”Mary exerted all that dignity and vigour of mind of which she was so capable, and at no period of her life, were her abilities displayed to greater advantage” Throckmorton had recourse to the endless subject of the treaty of 1560, or, as it is y his , with studied disrespect, denied the suit made by Mary's ambassador, in the presence of a numerous audience,--a direct breach of courtly etiquette Mary, before answering Throckmorton, commanded all her attendants to retire, and then said,--”I like not to have so many witnesses of my passions as the Queen, your mistress, was content to have, when she talked with M D'Oysel There is nothing that doth et myself, as to require of the Queen, your mistress, that favour, which I had no need to ask I h home into my own realh the late king, your master, used all the impeachment he could, both to stay me and catch me, when I came hither, yet you know, M l'Aood ain, if I could employ my friends”
”It seemeth,” she added, with much truth, ”that the Queen, your mistress, maketh more account of the amity of n, who ah inferior in wisdohbour” She then proceeded very forcibly to state, onceto ratify the treaty It had beenthe life of Francis II, who, as her lord and husband, was more responsible for it than she Upon his death, she ceased to look for advice to the council of France, neither her uncles nor her own subjects, nor Elizabeth herself, thinking it uided by any council but that of Scotland There were none of her ministers with her; the matter was important; it touched both them and her; and she, therefore, considered it her duty to wait, till she should get the opinions of the wisest of them
As soon as she did, she undertook to send Elizabeth whatever answer ht appear to be reasonable ”The Queen, your ht say that I were as foolish as young, if I would, in the state and country that I am in, proceed to such a matter, of myself, without any counsel; for that which was done by the King, my late lord and husband, must not be taken to be my act; and yet I will say, truly, unto ye, and as God favours me, I did never mean otherwise, unto the Queen, your ood sister and cousin, nor ive them that have otherwise persuaded her, if there be any such”
It e, that as the sixth article was the only one in the whole treaty of Edinburgh, which occasioned any disagreement, it was not proposed to ht have rendered it satisfactory to all parties Mary would have had no objection to have given up all clai the lifetime of Elizabeth, and in favour of children born by her in laedlock,--if, failing these children, her own right was acknowledged There could have been little difficulty, one would have thought, in expressing the objectionable article accordingly But this amendment would not by any means have suited the views of Elizabeth[31] To have acknowledged Mary's right of succession would have been at once to have pointed out to all the Catholics of Europe, the person to whom they were to pay their court, on account not only of her present influence, but of the ht have had the appearance of leaving it doubtful, whether Elizabeth's possession of the throne was not conceded to her, ht This extreinated in Mary having imprudently allowed herself to be persuaded to bear the arland, diversely quartered with her own, at the time Elizabeth was first called to the crown At the interviee have been describing, Throckard to the ratification of the treaty, thought he ht with propriety advert to this other subject of co can be more prejudicial to a prince, than to usurp the title and interest belonging to him” Mary's answer deserves particular attention ”M
L'Ambassadeur,” said she, ”I was then under the co my lord and husband; and whatsoever was then done by their order and commandments, the same was in like manner continued until both their deaths; _since which time, you know I neither bore the arland_ Methinks,” she added, ”these ht ascertain the queen your mistress, that that which was done before, was done by commandment of theht to be satisfied, seeing I (now) order s, as I tell ye” With this answer Throck that matters could not be more amicably adjusted, Mary prepared to return home, independent of Elizabeth's perret that she thought of leaving all the fascinations of her adopted country, France When left alone, she was frequently found in tears; and it is er has expressed it, ”there were moments when Mary recoiled with indescribable horror froion was insulted, and her sex conteuished in rave” At last, however, the period arrived when it was necessary for her to bid a final adieu to the scenes and friends of her youth She had delayed fro France, she was about to part with happiness She had originally proposed going so early as the spring of 1561, but it was late in July before she left Paris; and as she lingered on the way, first at St Gerust ell advanced before she set sail The spring of this year, says Brantome poetically, was so backward, that it appeared as if it would never put on its robe of flowers; and thus gave an opportunity to the gallants of the Court to assert, that it wore so doleful a garb to testify its sorrow for the intended departure of Mary Stuart[33] She was accompanied as far as St Germains by Catharine de Medicis, and nearly all the French Court Her six uncles, Anne of Este, and entlemen of distinction, proceeded on with her to Calais The historians Castelnau and Brantome were both of the Queen's retinue, and accompanied her to Scotland At Calais she found four vessels, one of which was fitted up for herself and friends, and a second for her escort; the two others were for the furniture she took with her
Elizabeth, s of the Scottish Queen Through the agency of herto discover whether she would render herself particularly obnoxious either to Catharine de Medicis, or the leadingherself e holand Her aood reason to believe that Catharine was not disposed to be particularly warm in Mary's defence[34] As to Scotch interference, Camden expressly inforland on his return from France, warned Elizabeth of Mary's intended movements, and advised that she should be intercepted
This assertion, though its truth has been doubted, is rendered exceedingly probable by the contents of two letters, which have been preserved The first is from Throckmorton, who assures Elizabeth that the Lord James deserves her most particular esteeood account of his constancy towards you; and so he deserveth to be well entertained and made of by your Majesty, as one that may stand ye in no small stead for the advance here (in France), he hath dealt so frankly and liberally with me, that I must believe he will so continue after his return hoton, one of the ablestthe Scotch Reformers, and the personal friend and co-adjutor of the Lord James, to Sir William Cecil In this letter he says;--”I do also allow your opinion anent the Queen our Sovereign's journey towards Scotland, whose coion, and so affected towards that realedies” He then proceeds to point out, that, as Elizabeth's object, for her own sake, round in Scotland, her bestsuch an object, is to prevent a Queen frodom, who ”shall so easily win to her party the whole Papists, and so many Protestants as be either addicted to the French faction, covetous, inconstant, uneasy, ignorant, or careless”--”So long as her Highness is absent,” he adds, ”in this case there is no peril; but youcraftily counselled is able to bring to pass” ”For my opinion,” he concludes, ”anent the continuance of aer of breach so long as the Queen is absent; but her presence s”[36]
To lish resident in Scotland, to feel the pulse of the nobility On the 9th of August 1561, only a few days before Mary sailed froh an epistle to Cecil, in which he assures him that it will be a ”stout adventure for a _sick crazed wo Mary), to venture home to a country so little disposed to receive her ”I have shewn your Honour's letters,” he says, ”unto the Lord Jaton; _they wish, as your Honour doth, that she ht be stayed yet for a space; and if it were not for their obedience sake, soain--”Whatsoton), findeth it ever best that she come not” Knox also, it seems, had been written to, and had expressed his resolution to resist to the last Mary's authority ”By such letters as ye have last received,” says Randolph, ”your Honour somewhat understandeth of Mr Knox himself, and also of others, what is determined,--he himself to abide the uttermost, and others never to leave him, until God hath taken his life”--”His daily prayer is, for the land, and that God will never sufferunto the destruction of them that have saved their lives, and restored their country to liberty”[37]
Elizabeth having thus felt her way, and being satisfied that she ht with safety pursue her own inclinations, was determined not to rest contented with the mere refusal of passports Throckmorton was ordered to ascertain exactly when and how Mary intended sailing The Scottish Queen became aware of his drift, froly,--”I trust the ill be so favourable, as I shall not need to coland; and if I do, then M l'Ambassadeur, the Queen, your mistress, shall have me in her hands to do her will of me; and if she be so hard-hearted as to desire my end, she may then do her pleasure, and ht be better for ood his point, and was able to inform Elizabeth that Mary would sail either from Havre-de-Grace or Calais, and that she would first proceed along the coast of Flanders, and then strike over to Scotland For the greater certainty, he suggested the propriety of soive the earliest intelligence of herby this and other infor, that Elizabeth sent a squadron to sea with all expedition It was only a thick and unexpected fog which prevented these vessels fro in with that in which Mary sailed The smaller craft which carried her furniture, they didthem to be the prize they were in search of, they boarded and examined thelinton, and some of Mary's horses andit of piracy, actually carried it into an English harbour The affectation of ”clearing the seas froht, invented to do aith the suspicion which attached itself to this unsuccessful attempt Its real purpose was openly talked of at the time
Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, in a speech heof the Privy Council in 1562, said frankly,--”Think ye that the Scottish Queen's suit, land at the time she left France, and the denial thereof, unless the treaty were ratified, is by the of your shi+ps to sea at the tiuage, and Buchanan, all speak to the sah frustrated, hardly adust 1561, Mary sailed out of the harbour of Calais,--not without shedding, and seeing shed many tears She did not, however, part with all the friends who had accompanied her to the coast Three of her uncles,--the Duke d'Aumale, the Marquis D'Elbeuf, and the Grand Prior,--the Duke Danville, son to Montmorency, and afterwards Constable of France, one of the most ardent and sincere admirers that Mary perhaps ever had,--andas the unfortunate poet Chatelard, who fluttered like a ht in which he was to be consumed,--sailed with her for Scotland Just as she left the harbour, an unfortunate accident happened to a vessel, which, by unskilful ement, struck upon the bar, and recked within a very short distance of her own galley ”This is a sad o up; the sails were set, and the little squadron got under way, consisting, as has been said, of only four vessels, for Mary dreaded lest her subjects should suppose that she was cos of ”_la Reine Blanche_,” as the French ter she wore for Francis, were at all tirief aht of day continued, she stood i with tearful eyes upon the French coast, and exclai incessantly,--”Farewell, France! farewell, ht approached, and her friends beseeched her to retire to the cabin, she hid her face in her hands, and sobbed aloud ”The darkness which is now brooding over France,” said she, ”is like the darkness in my own heart” A little afterwards, she added,--”I ainian Dido, for she looked perpetually on the sea, when aeneas departed, whilst allcaused a bed to be made for her on deck, she wept herself asleep, previously enjoining her attendants to waken her at the first peep of day, if the French coast was still visible
Her wishes were gratified; for during the night the wind died away, and the vessel ress Mary rose with the dawn, and feasted her eyes once ht of France At sunrise, however, the breeze returned, and the galley beginning to ain her tears burst forth, and again she exclaimed,--”Farewell, beloved France! I shall never, never, see you more” In the depth of her sorrow, she even wished that the English fleet, which she conjectured had been sent out to intercept her, would make its appearance, and render it necessary for her to seek for safety, by returning to the port from whence she had sailed But no interruption of this kind occurred[39]
It is e Mary co, so expressive of her genuine feelings on leaving France Though familiarly known to every reader, we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of inserting it here
Adieu, plaisant pays de France!
O my patrie, La plus cherie; Qui a nourri ma jeune enfance
Adieu, France! adieu, mes beaux jours!
La nef qui dejoint mes amours, N'a cy de moi que la moitie; Une parte te reste; elle est tienne; Je la fie a ton amitie, Pour que de l'autre il te souvienne![40]
Brantoives a particular account of all the events of this voyage,the Frith of Forth, so thick a mist came on, that it was impossible to see from the poop to the prow By way of precaution, lest they should run foul of any other vessel, a lantern was lighted, and set at the bow This gave Chatelard occasion to re a very unnecessary piece of trouble, so long at least as Mary Stuart remained upon deck, and kept her eyes open When the th, cleared away, they found their vessel in the midst of rocks, froet her clear Mary declared, that so far as regarded her own feelings, she would not have looked upon shi+pwreck as a great calamity; but that she would not wish to see the lives of the friends ith her endangered (a whodom of Scotland She added, that as a bad o seeth, the harbour of Leith appeared in sight, and Mary's eye rested, for the first tih
CHAPTER VII
MARY'S ARRIVAL AT HOLYROOD, WITH SKETCHES OF HER PRINcipaL nobILITY
Mary landed in Scotland with a mind full of anxiety and uncertainty She caovernuished for its rebellious turbulence The masculine spirit of her father had quailed before the story she well knew, had in vain atte order out of confusion, and harassed and worn out, had at length surrendered her life in the struggle For the last two years, it is true, the country had enjoyed, not peace and tranquillity, but a cessation from an actual state of warfare Nevertheless, the seeds of discontent, and of mutual distrust and hatred, were as abundant as ever Mary's religion ell known; and her confirotry, and pronounced criminal; whilst by another, it was feared she would show herself too lukewar the insults which the ancient worshi+p had sustained Such being the state of things, how could a young, and coe, approach her kingdo?
Contrasted too with her former situation, that which she was now about to fill, appeared particularly for the life of her husband, and while at the very height of her power, few of the severer duties of government rested upon her She had all the essential authority, without n Francis consulted her upon every occasion, and followed her advice in almost every matter in which she chose to interfere; but it was to him, or her uncles of Guise, that the nation looked, when any of the state- It would be very different in Scotland By whatever counsel she acted, the blame of all unpopular measures would be sure to rest with her If she favoured the Protestants, the Catholics would renounce her; if she assisted the Catholics, the Protestants would again be found asse, with ar down the re additional covenants Is it surprising then, that she found it difficult to steer her course between the rocks of Scylla and the whirlpools of Charybdis? If misfortunes ultiht to be, not that they ever arrived, but that they should have been guarded against so long Nothing but the wisest and most temperate policy, could have preserved quietness in a country so full of the elehout all its rae could have established, had there not been more than an empty compliment, in those lines of Buchanan, in which he addresses his Royal mistress as one
”Quae sortem antevenis meritis, virtutibus annos, sexuenus”