1566 his presence was dispensed with at the Council, and a CHAP IX signet-the duplicate of the King's-was intrusted to the favoured secretary. Finding himself so deeply de- February tested by the adherents of Lennox, Ritzio induced the Queen to show favour to those among the banished lords who were most hostile to the King, and were least determined in their Protestantism. Chatelherault was pardoned and allowed to return as a support against the Lennox faction in case of difficulty;' while among the Congregation-as was seen in one of Randolph's letters -the worst construction was placed on the relations between the Queen and the favourite. Thus a King's party and a Queen's party had shaped themselves within six months of the marriage: Scotland was the natural home of conspiracies, for law was powerless there, and social duty was overridden by the more sacred obligation of affinity or private bond. On the 13th of February (the date is important) Randolph thus wrote to Leicester : I know now for certain that this Queen repenteth her marriage, that she hateth the King and all his kin; I know that he knoweth himself that he hath a partaker in play and game with him; I know that there are practices in hand contrived between the father and the son to come by the crown against her will; I know that if that take effect which is intended, David-with the con The Duke of Chatelherault, finding so favourable address, hath much displeased both the King and his father, who is in great misliking of the Queen. She is very weary of him. Thus it is that those that depend wholly on him are not liked of her, nor they that follow her in like manner are not liked of him, as CHAP IX Sent of the King-shall have his throat cut within these 1566 ten days. Many things and grievouser and worse are February brought to my ears, yea of things intended against the Queen's own person.' the Pro testant party. It was observed on the first return of Lennox that the enmities and friendships of his family intersected and perplexed the leading division between Catholics and Protestants. Lord Darnley had been brought to Scotland as the representative of the English Catholics, and as a support to the Catholic faction; but it was singular that the great Scottish families most nearly connected Divisions in with him were Protestants; while the Gordons, the Hamiltons, the Betons, the relations generally of Chatelherault, who was Lennox's principal rival, were chiefly on the opposite side. The confusion hitherto had worked ill for the interests of the Reformers. The House of Douglas had preferred the claims of blood to those of religion the Earl of Ruthven, though Murray's friend, was Darnley's uncle," and had stood by the Queen through the struggle of the summer; Lindsay, a Protestant to the backbone, had married a Douglas, and went with the Earl of Morton; the desire to secure the crown to a prince of their own blood and race had overweighed all higher and nobler claims. The desertion of so large a section of his friends had been the real cause of Murray's failure; Protestantism was not dead in Scotland, but other interests had paralyzed its vitality, just as four years before, Murray's eagerness to secure the English succession for his sister 1 Printed in TYTLER'S History of Scotland. Ruthven had married a half-sister of Lady Margaret Lennox. February had led him into his first and fatal mistake of support- CHAP IX ing her in refusing to ratify the Treaty of Edinburgh. 1566 The quarrel between the Queen and her husband flung all parties back into their natural places; Lennox who twenty years before had been brought in from France in the interest of Henry the Eighth, as a check on Cardinal Beton, drifted again into his old position in the front of the Protestant league; and Darnley's demand for the matrimonial crown, though in himself the mere clamour of disappointed vanity, was maintained by powerful noblemen, who though they neither possessed nor deserved the confidence of the Reformers, yet were recognizing too late that they had mistaken their interest in leaving them. and dislike But the matrimonial crown it became every day more Jealousy clear that Darnley was not to have; Ritzio, above all of Ritzio. others, was held responsible for the Queen's resolution to refuse it, and for this-as for a thousand other reasons-he was gathering hatred on his devoted head. A foreigner who had come to Scotland two years before as a wandering musician, was thrusting himself into the administration of the country, and pushing from their places the fierce lords who had been accustomed to dictate to their sovereign. As a last stroke of insolence he was now aiming at the Chancellorship, of which the Queen was about to deprive in his favour the great chief of the house of Douglas. While their blood was set on fire with these real and fancied indignities, Lord Darnley-if his word was to be believed-went one night, between twelve and one, to the Queen's room. Finding the door locked he knocked, but could get no answer. At length, after he had called many times and had threatened to break the lock, the Queen drew back the bolt. He entered, and ELIZ. II. R CHAP IX she appeared to be alone, but on searching he found Ritzio half-dressed in a closet.1 1566 Darnley February Darnley's word was not a good one: he was capable accuses the of inventing such a story to compass his other purposes, unfaithful- or if it was true it might have been innocently explained. Queen of ness. The Queen of Scots frequently played cards with Ritzio late into the night, and being a person entirely careless of appearances she might easily have been alone with him with no guilty intention under the conditions which Darnley described. However it was, he believed or pretended that he had found evidence of his dishonour, and communicated his discovery to Sir George Douglas, another of his mother's brothers, who at Darnley's desire, on the 10th of February, informed the Earl of Ruthven. Once before it appeared 'the nobility had given Darnley counsel suitable to his honour' that is to say, they had intimated to him their own views of Ritzio's proceedings and character. Darnley had betrayed them to the Queen, who had of course been exasperated. Ruthven had been three months ill; he was then scarcely able to leave his bed, and was inclined at first to run into no further trouble; but pressed at length by Darnley's oaths and entreaties, he saw in what had occurred an opportunity for undoing his work of 1 L'une cause de la mort de David est que le Roy quelques jours auparavant, environ une heure après minuict, seroit allé heurter à la chambre de ladicte dame, qui estoit audessus de la sienne; et d'aultant que après avoir plusieurs fois heurté l'on ne luy respondoit point il auroit apellé souvent la Royne, la priant de ouvrir, et enfin la menaçant de rompre la porte; á cause de quoy elle lui auroit ouvert. Laquelle ledict Roy trouva seule dedans ladicte chambre; mais ayant cherché partout il auroit trouvé dedans son cabinet ledict David en chemise, couvert seullement d'une robbe fourrée.'-Analyse d'une dépêche de M. de Foix à la Reyne mère.' TEULET, vol. ii. p. 267. 1566 the summer, and for bringing back the banished lords. CHAP IX Parliament was to meet in the first week in March to proceed with the forfeitures, so that no time was to be February lost. Ruthven consulted Argyle, who was ready to agree to anything which would save Murray from attainder. Maitland, who since his conduct about the marriage had been under an eclipse, gave his warm adhesion; and swiftly and silently the links of the scheme were welded. The plan was to punish the miserable minion who, what- Conspiracy ever his other offences, was notoriously the chief insti- Ritzio and gator of the Queen's bitterness against her brother, and Murray. to give the coveted crown matrimonial to Darnley, provided he on his part would take the part of the lords, bring them back to their old rooms, and establish religion as it was at the Queen's home-coming.'' The conspirators for their mutual security drew a 'bond,' to which they required Darnley's signature, that he might not afterwards evade his responsibility. On their side they undertook to be liege subjects to the said Prince Henry, to take part with him in all his lawful actions, causes, and quarrels, to be friends to his friends and enemies to his enemies.' At the Parliament they would obtain for him the crown matrimonial for his life;' and 'failing the succession of their sovereign, they would maintain his right to the crown of Scotland after her death.' Religion should be maintained and established as it was on the arrival of their sovereign lady in the realm.' They would spare neither life, lands, goods, nor possessions in setting forward all things to the advancement of the said noble prince, and would intercede with the Queen of England for favour to be shown both to himself and to his mother.' 6 'Randolph to Cecil, February 20.-Scotch MSS. Rolls House. to kill restore |