Church. He wrote to the Pope and to Philip com- CHAP X plaining that the Queen of Scots had ceased to care for 1566 religion, and that they must look to him only for the September restoration of Catholicism. His letters, instead of falling harmless by going where they were directed, were carried to Mary, and might have aggravated her animosity against him had it admitted of aggravation. Still more terrified he then thought of flying from the kingdom. The Scotch Council was about to meet in Edinburgh in the middle of September; the Queen desired that he would attend the session with her; he refused, and as soon as she was gone he made arrangements to escape in Darnley an English vessel which was lying in the Forth. sort of desperation' he communicated his project to the French ambassador Le Croq, who had remained after the Queen's departure at Stirling. He told him it seems that he should go to the Scilly Isles; perhaps like Sir Thomas Seymour with a notion of becoming a pirate chief there. When Le Croq questioned him on his reasons for such a step, he complained that the Queen would give him no authority;' all the lords had abandoned him he said; he had no hope in Scotland, and he feared for his life.' 'In a Better far it would have been had they allowed him to go, better for himself, better for Mary Stuart, better for human history which would have escaped the inky stain which blots its page; yet his departure at such a time and in such a manner would attract inconvenient notice in England-it would be used in Parliament in the debate on the succession. Le Croq carried word to Mary Stuart. Lennox after endeavouring in vain to dissuade him, wrote to her also in the hope that he might appease her by giving proofs of his own loyalty; proposes to fly to England. CHAP X and Darnley finding his purpose betrayed followed the French ambassador to Edinburgh, and on the evening of September the 29th of September presented himself at the gates of 1566 Darnley before the Scotch Council. : Holyrood. He sent in word of his arrival-but he said he would not enter as long as Murray, Argyle, and Maitland were in the palace. The Queen went out to him, carried him to her private apartments and kept him there for the night. The next morning the Council sat, and he was brought or led into their presence. There they sat a hard ring of stony faces on one side the Lords of the Congregation who had risen in insurrection to prevent his marriage with the Queen, whom afterwards he had pledged his honour to support, and whom he had again betrayed-now by some inexplicable turn of fortune restored to honour while he was himself an outcast; on the other side Huntly, Caithness, Bothwell, Athol, the Archbishop of St. Andrew's-all Catholics, all Ritzio's friends, yet hand in hand now with their most bitter enemies-united heart and soul to secure the English succession for a Scotch Princess, and pressing with the weight of unanimity on the English Parliament; yet he who had been brought among them, in the interest of that very cause, was excluded from share or concern in the prize; every noble present had some cause of mortal enmity against him; and as he stood before them desolate and friendless, he must have felt how short a shrift was allowed in Scotland for a foe whose life was inconvenient. The letter of the Earl of Lennox was read aloud. Mary Stuart said that she had tried in vain to draw from her husband the occasion of his dissatisfaction; she trusted that he would tell the lords what he had concealed from herself; and then turning to him with clasped hands like a skilled actress on the stage, 'Speak,' CHAP X she said, 'speak; say what you complain of; if the blame is with me do not spare me.' The lords followed, assuring him with icy politeness that if he had any fault to find, they would see it remedied. Le Croq implored him to take no step which would touch his own honour or the Queen's. What could he say? Could he tell the truth that he believed his Royal Mistress and those honourable lords were seeking how to rid the world of him? That was his fear; and she and they and he alike knew it—but such thoughts could not be spoken. And yet he had spirit enough to refuse to cringe, or to stand at the bar to be questioned as a prisoner. He said a few unmeaning words and turned to go, and they did not dare detain him. 6 Adieu, Madam,' he said as he left the room, 'you will not see my face for a long space; gentlemen, adieu.'' Four days later they heard that the ship was ready in which he was about to sail; and it appears as if they had resolved to let him go. But in an evil hour for himself he had another interview with the French ambassador; Le Croq after a long conversation persuaded him that the clouds would clear away, and that fortune would again look beneficently upon him. The English ship sailed away, and Darnley remained behind to drift upon destruction-hated,' as Le Croq admitted, by all men and by all parties-because being what he was he desired to be as he had been, and to rule as a king." In him 1566 September 1 Le Croq to the Archbishop of Glasgow, October 15. The Lords of Scotland to the Queen-mother of France, October 8.-Printed in KEITH. 2 Le Croq to the Queen-mother of France, October 17.-TEULET, vol. ii. CHAP X the murderers of Ritzio found a scapegoat, and the Queen accepted with seeming willingness the vicarious sacrifice. October The political relations between England and Scotland relapsed into their old bearings. Maitland was found again corresponding with the English ministers on the old subject of the union of the realms, while the Queen of Scots herself wrote to Cecil with affected confidence and cordiality, just touching-enough to show that she understood it-on the treachery of Rokeby, but professing to believe that Cecil wished well to her, and would assist her to gain her cause.1 Meeting of Parliament. So stood the several parties in the two kingdoms the English when Elizabeth returned from her progress and prepared to meet her Parliament. Four years had passed since the last troubled session: spring after spring, autumn after autumn, notice of a Parliament had gone out; but ever at the last moment Elizabeth had flinched, knowing Maitland to Cecil, October 4. The Queen of Scots to Cecil, October 5.-MS. Rolls House. 2 An entry in the Privy Council October 8, 1566. understanding of the truth of this matter is of great importance, and necessary to be boulted out with speed, he is required that under pretence of some other message he take occasion to send with convenient speed some discreet person to the Scottish Court, to procure by all the best means he may to boult out the very certainty hereof. And in case he shall find indeed that the said advertisements are true, then to demand audience of the Scottish Queen, and to deliver unto her the Queen's Majesty's letter,' sent herewith, requiring answer with speed; and in case he shall find the said enterprise is intended only, and not executed, then he shall procure to stay the same by the best means he may.' 1 Not found. 1566 October well what lay before her. Further delay was at last im- CHAP X possible the Treasury was empty, the humour of the people was growing dangerous. Thus at last, on the 30th of September, the Houses reassembled. The first fortnight was spent in silent preparations; on the 14th the campaign opened with a petition from the bishops, which was brought forward in the form of a statute in the House of Commons. It will be remembered that The Bishops' after the Bill was passed in the last session empowering Bill. the Anglican prelates to tender the vote of allegiance to their predecessors in the Tower, they had been checked in their first attempt to put the law in execution by a denial of the sacredness of their consecration, and the judges had confirmed the objection. To obviate this difficulty, and to enable the bench at last to begin their work of retaliation, a Bill was brought in declaring that 'inasmuch as the bishops of the Church of England had been nominated according to the provisions of the Act of Henry the Eighth,' and had been consecrated according to the form provided in the Prayer-book, they should be held to have been duly and lawfully appointed, any statute, law, or canon to the contrary notwithstanding.' In this form, untrammelled by further condition, the Act went from the Commons to the Lords, and had it passed in its first form there would have been an immediate renewal of the attempt to persecute. The Lords however were better guardians than the Commons of English liberties. Out of 81 peers 22 were the bishops themselves, who as the promoters of the Bill unquestionably voted for it in its fullness; yet it was sent back perhaps as an intimation that there had been enough of spiritual tyranny, and that the Church of England was not to disgrace itself with 1 25 Hen. VIII. cap. 20. |