BOOK II. On the ensuing morning the queen's emotions were at first naturally violent," but she gradually resumed more composure, and seized an opportunity of requesting sir James Melville to assist her." He 62 endeavored, as she desired, to procure the succor of the municipal magistracy; but the king's interfering prohibition had already averted this assistance, and the popular prejudice against the murdered man prevented its subsequent exertion." He succeeded better in executing the queen's wishes, to interest Murray on his arrival, who may have been 60 The queen being above measure enraged, sometimes railing upon the king, and sometimes crying out at the windows, desired her servants to set her at liberty. She was highly offended and troubled.' Knox, 430. 62 6 61 The next morning, which was Sunday, I was let forth at the gate, for I lay therein. Passing thro the outer close, the queen was looking forth of a window, and cried unto me to help her. Then I drew near unto the window, and asked what help lay in my power. She said, 'Go to the provost of Edinburgh, and bid him, in my name, convoke the town with speed, and come and release me out of their traitorous hands. But run fast, for they will stay you.' By the time this was said, Nisbet, master household to the earl of Lennox, was sent with a company to stay me; to whom I gave good words, and said that I was only passing to the preaching in St. Giles's kirk.' Mem. p. 150. Immediately it was noised in the town, that there was murder committed within the king's palace. Wherefore the provost caused to ring the common bell; or sonner le tocsin, as the French speaks, and straightway passed to the palace, having about four or five hundred men in warlike manner. As they stood in the outer court, the king called to the provost, commanding him to pass home with his company, saying, The queen and he were merry.' But the provost desired to hear the queen speak herself. Whereunto it was answered by the king: 'Provost! know you not that I am king? I command you to pass home to your houses; and immediately they retired.' Knox, p. 430. Ruthven states, that 'the king directed two writings, subscribed with his own hand, on the Saturday immediately after the slaughter of David, to certain men of Edinburgh bearing office, charging them to convey men in arms, and make watch in the town; and to suffer none to come out of doors except Protestants.' p. 126. 63He said he had another commandment from the king, that he should draw the people to the Tolbooth, and see what they would do; but he looked for no help at their hands; because the most part of them were so miscontent with the present government, that they desired a change. Yet he convened them in vain, and shewed me their answer.' Melv. p. 150. XXI. shocked to find that result accomplished by a bar- CHAP. barous outrage, which might have been effected by a parliamentary impeachment." The feelings which he exhibited to her on their interview, incline us to make this distinction. The king, for a few hours, co-operated with his confederates, but after several conversations with the queen, the sympathies which her real fears, her visible unhappiness, and her precarious state excited, combined with those appeals of her eloquent voice, and soothing manners and promises, which no one could more attractively use for a given purpose, whether associated or not with a kindred sensibility of heart, than this accomplished lady, softened and won the easy spirit and credulous ear of the gratified husband; whom such tones and behaviour had once endeared, but from whom they had been for several months averted. While they 64 I made her majesty to understand the provost's answer by one of her ladies, whom she sent again unto me. She said, she supposed my lord of Murray and his associates would be sent for; and willed me, at his coming, to persuade him not to defile himself so as to join with them, but to hold himself free, and be her friend at this strait; doing which should be his greatest weal, and win her love and favor as ever he had possessed it. This commission I used at his coming in, which was upon the Monday.' Melv. 150. 65 But he was more moved at his meeting with her majesty, who embraced him and kissed him, alleging, that in case he had been at home, he would not have suffered her to have been so uncourteously handled; which moved him so, that the tears fell from his eyes. He knew also that it was not for his cause, but for his own particulars, that the most part of them made that enterprise.' Melv. 150. Mary says of him, 'seeing our state and entertainment, he was moved with natural affection towards us.' p. 332. 66 On the Sunday, there was a proclamation made in the king's name, subscribed with his hand, that all bishops, abbots, and other papists, should avoid and depart the town.' Knox, 430. This singular man describes, in his own way, their obedience to it, which was indeed observed, for they had a flea in their nose.' ib. Ruthven mentions that the king signed and sent a letter, stating that it was his will that parliament should not assemble; and ordering all the estates to depart from Edinburgh within three hours, except such as he specified.' p. 126. BOOK II. 68 were projecting to diminish her power, and to establish the king in full authority," she at last persuaded him to abandon the nobles who had linked their safety with his honor; to unite with her, and, by deceiving them, to assist her to escape, and not to enforce the Reformation. Before she made this conquest of the king's mind, she settled a plan for her deliverance with Bothwell and Huntley.70 But having, by her husband's overreaching his friends, got safely out of the palace at midnight, they proceeded to Dunbar, before they could be intercepted," and from thence sent heralds and letters to summon the country to their aid."2 Bothwell and Huntley soon joined them,73 with other powerful chieftains: 67 Mary's statement is, 'In their council they thought it most expedient that we should be warded in our castle of Stirling; there to remain till we had approved in parliament all their wicked enterprises, established their religion, and given to the king the crown matrimonial, and the whole government of our realm.' p. 332. 68 Ruthven's detail of the king's varying conduct towards Mary that night is curious. p. 127, 8. Melville and the queen give the final result. "When the lords were preparing an instrument to be signed by her for their indemnity, her majesty caused the king to advise them to discharge the guard that kept her, that their security might be valid, from her being at liberty, else it would not avail them.' Melv. 151. Mary's account corresponds: To remove them from our palace, with their guards and assisters, the king promised to keep us that night in sure guard; and that he should cause us to approve in parliament all their conspiracies. By this mean he caused them to retire out of our palace.' p. 333. Mary notices, that she urged him how unacceptable it would be to other princes, our confederates, in case he altered the religion.' p. 333. 70 Mary thus describes it: 'To have gotten ourselves relieved of this detention, we desired, in quiet manner, the earls of Bothwell and Huntley to have prepared some way, whereby they might have performed the same; who, not doubting herein, at least taking no regard to hazard their lives in that behalf, devised that we should have come over the walls of our palace in the night upon ropes and chairs, which they had in readiness to that effect. Mary's lett. 333. 71 So that night, which was Tuesday, they went all to their rest. But the queen, with the king, passed out of Holyrood House at midnight, toward the castle of Dunbar.' Melv. 151. 72 Knox, 131. 73 Mary, 333. These noblemen, after leaping from the palace win XXI. and as the general public were sure to feel rightly, CHAP. and to act indignantly on such an atrocity, they speedily moved with an overpowering force to the Scottish capital," from which the menaced chiefs fled hastily for their individual safety." So little personal benefit resulted to any from their crime.76 But it happened beneficially for the prevention of the persecution, which had been meditated by Rizzio and his papal instigators, and also for the protection of the Reformation, which the queen had solicited the deluded king to overthrow," that her wandering and self-gratifying fancy fastened upon Bothwell,78 altho like Rizzio he had not the graces of personal beauty," nor was much distinguished by his practical virtues.8 80 For this man happened not to be a friend dow, 'they two, alone, with great fear, went forth on foot to Edmonstone, and from thence to Crichton,' Knox, p. 429; but now 'came to Dunbar.' ib. 431. 74 We remained in Dunbar five days; and after returned to Edinburgh well accompanied with our subjects.' Mary, 333. 75 Being informed of the queen's fury and anger towards the committers of the slaughter, and perceiving they were not able to make any party, they departed out of Edinburgh on Sunday, 17th March, every one a several way, for the queen was now bent on the slayers of David Rizzio; and to be the better avenged on them, she intended to give pardon to all such as had been before attainted, for whatsoever crime.' Knox, 432. 76 The little profit that men are usually allowed to extract from their more wicked actions, was signally manifested in the chief murderer, lord Ruthven. He struck the blows of death on Rizzio on 9 March, and he was in his own grave on the 13th of the ensuing May; surviving his victim but two months and four days. His inquisitio post mortem, cited by Chalmers, v. 2. p. 353, gives us this date of his short duration. 77 See note 69. 78 Earl Bothwell, whom the queen preferred above all others, after the decease of David Rizzio.' Knox, 433. 79 Brantome says of him; Ce Bothwell etoit le plus laid homme et d'aussi mauvaise grace qui se put voir.' Disc. de Marie. 80 On 6th April 1565, Bedford's letter to Cecil was: I assure you, Bothwell is as naughty a man as liveth, and much given to the most detestable vices. Lett. in Chal. 2. p. 26. II. 82 81 BOOK of the Romish system. It was during his asserted influence that much of the church property of Scotland was given away by the queen to her political friends, and some portion of it is stated to have gone to this new object of her irregular partialities; 83 altho the general account of these ecclesiastical donations to him, appears to be liable to some critical limitation.84 'the queen 81 When Bothwell married the earl Huntley's sister, desired that the marriage might be made in the chapel, at the mass; which the earl Bothwell would in no wise grant.' Knox, 428. 82 The patrimony of the kirk, bishops, abbeys, and such othe benefices, were disposed by the queen to courtiers, dancers, and flatterers.' Knox, p. 433. 83 The earl Bothwell had for his part, Melross, Haddington, and Newbottel. The castle of Dunbar was likewise given to him, with the principal lands of the earldom of March, which were of the patrimony of the crown.' Knox, p. 433. 84 64 Mr. Chalmers' criticism on the preceding passage, indicates that altho Bothwell once had Melross abbey, yet that in 1561 it had been taken from him, and given to Balfour for life, who held it till his death, in the third year after Rizzio's fall. But Mary's grant to Bothwell may have been the reversion of it, and he had obtained in December 1565 Glencairn's pension upon it, of five hundred crowns, 3 Chalm. 78, 9. That his kinswoman was made prioress of Haddington abbey, in March 1566, is admitted; and as Maitland, the possessor of its lands, fled then in proscription to England, the allegation of the grant of this to Bothwell seems to have a reasonable foundation. But the possession of Newbottel Abbey by the Kerrs, seems inconsistent with its gift to Bothwell, unless he had some pension extracted from it, as had been done to others, from the abbey of Melross. Mr. Chalmers allows him to have had the gift of Dunbar Castle and its appropriate lands (v. 2. p. 29,) and that these grants were of great importance to him.' ib. We can seldom get a full and accurate detail of the pecuniary boons which court favorites obtain. |