April spatched a messenger post haste to Spain to acquaint CHAP VIII Philip with it, and to tell him that she depended on his 1565 support. The messenger met the Duke of Alva at Bayonne; where the Duke answered for his master in terms which corresponded to her warmest hopes. Alva ap 'I replied,' wrote Alva in a despatch to Philip, that Philip and I had your Majesty's instructions to inform the Queen prove the of Scots of your Majesty's interest in her welfare; I said marriage. that your Majesty earnestly desired to see her in the great position to which she aspired; and you were assured that both for herself and for the realm she could not do better than marry the young Lennox. 'Your Majesty,' I continued, 'recommended her to conduct herself with great caution and dissimulation towards the Queen of England, and for the present especially to refrain from pressing her in the matter of the succession. The Queen of England might in that case do something prejudicial to the Queen of Scots' interests, and either declare war against her, or else listen to the proposals of the Queen-mother of France and marry the young King. If the Queen of Scots would follow your Majesty's advice, your Majesty would so direct and support her that when she least expected it she would find herself in possession of all that she desired.'1 The messenger flung himself at Alva's feet and wept for joy. His mistress, he said, had never in her life received such happy news as these words would convey to her; and he promised that she would act in every particular as the King of Spain advised. Although this conversation took place two months after Maitland's despatch to England, yet it spoke of a 1 Alva to Philip, June.-TEULET, vol. v. April CHAP VIII foregone conclusion which Elizabeth too surely antici1565 pated. In the first flurry of excitement she sent Lady Lennox to the Tower; and uncertain whether she might not be too late, she proposed to send Sir Nicholas ThrogElizabeth morton on the spot to Scotland, to say that if the Queen pressing the of Scots would accept Leicester she should be accounted persists in Earl of and allowed next heir to the crown as though she were her own born daughter;' but as this was certain and true on one side, so was it also certain on the other that she would not do the like with any other person." The situation however was too serious to allow Elizabeth to persist in the Leicester foible. The narrow and irritating offer was suspended till it could be more maturely considered; and on the 1st of May the fitness or unfitness of the marriage of the Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley was discussed with long deliberation and argument' in the English Council. The result was a unanimous conclusion that the marriage with the Lord Darnley, being attended with such circumstances as did appear, was unmeet, unprofitable, directly prejudicial to the amity between the two Queens, and perilous to the concord of the realm.' But so little desirable did it seem to restrict the Queen of Scots' choice unnecessarily, so unjust it seemed to force upon her the scoundrel object The Council of Elizabeth's own affections, that Cecil and his friends urged the necessity of meeting freely and cordially her demand for recognition; and they advised their mistress to offer the Queen of Scots a free election of any other of the nobility, either in the whole realm, or isle, or any other place. For themselves,' the Council, thinking the like of the rest of the nobility and sage men of the realm, did for their parts humbly offer to her Majesty extend the offer. ' First draft of instructions to Sir N. Throgmorton, April 24.-Scotch MSS. Rolls House. May Sir Nicholas Mait- Throg Edin- morton. that whatever could be devised for the satisfaction of CHAP VIII the Queen of Scots with some other meeter marriage 1565 should be allowed with their advice and furthered with their services when her Majesty should command them.' With these more generous instructions Sir N. Throg- Despatch of morton started for Scotland on the 4th of May. land, whom, in order to prolong his absence from burgh, Mary Stuart had directed to go on to France, returned with the English ambassador in loyal disobedience, to add his own persuasions: he still hoped that the Queen of Scots might be tempted by the prospect of immediate recognition to accept either Arundel, Norfolk, or the Prince of Condé.. If she would consent to marry either of these three, the English Government would do for her more than she had asked or even could expect.' 2 But neither these offers--tempting as they would have been a few weeks before-nor the admonitory cautions of the Duke of Alva, came in time to save Mary from the rash course into which she was plunging. The presence of Lennox and Darnley had lashed the Scottish factions into fury, and Queen and court were within the influence of a whirlpool from which they could no longer extricate themselves. The lords on all sides were calling their retainers under arms. The Earl of Murray, at the expense of forfeiting the last remains of his influence over his sister, had summoned Bothwell to answer at Edinburgh a charge of high treason. Bothwell would have defied him had he dared; but Murray appeared ac 1 Determination of the Council on the Queen of Scots' marriage, signed Winchester, Norfolk, Derby, Pembroke, Clinton, W. Howard, Ed. Rogers, Fr. Knolles, W. Cecil, Ab. Cave, W. Petre, John Mason, R. Sackville. COTTON MSS., Calig, B. 10. Endorsed, 'This is a copy of the paper delivered to Sir N. Throgmorton.' 2 Paul de Foix to the Queenmother, May 2, May 10.-TEULET, vol. ii. May 1565 CHAP VIII Companied by Argyle and 7000 men on the day fixed for the trial; and the Hepburn was once more obliged to fly. On the other hand Mary was lavishing on Darnley the most extravagant demonstrations of affection. He was ill, and with confiding carelessness she installed herself as his nurse at his bedside. She accused her brother, when he remonstrated, of 'seeking to set the crown on his own head.' Argyle and Murray durst not appear together at the court, that if need were the one might relieve the other.' The miserable Chatelherault could only mutter his feeble hope that he might die in his bed; while Lennox boasted openly that he was sure of the greatest part of England, and that the King of Spain would be his friend.' such pride they would My young Lennox's men went openly to mass, and was noted in the father and the son' that scarcely speak to any common nobleman. lord lying sick in his bed boasted the Duke that he would knock his pate when he was whole;' while ‘the preachers looked daily to have their lives taken from them,' and 'the country was so far broken that there was daily slaughter without redress, stealing on all hands, and justice almost nowhere.'' 1 Although the report of the completion of the marriage was premature, yet the arrangements for it had been pushed forward with eager precipitancy. Mary Stuart's friends in England had informed her of the resolution of the Council; she despatched one of the Betons to delay Throgmorton at Berwick; and the leading lords were sent for one by one to Stirling, where the court was staying, and were requested to sign a paper recommending Darnley as a fitting person to be the 1 Randolph to Cecil, May 3.-Scotch MSS. Rolls House. Queen's husband. Murray's signature could be ill dis- CHAP VIII pensed with. He was invited among the rest, and over- 1565 whelmed with courtesies-Mary, Lennox, and Darnley May contending with each other in their professions of regard. Murray however was the first to refuse. He had no liking thereof.' The Earl of Morton had been gained over by a release from Lady Lennox of her claims on Angus; and if Murray would have complied, he might Murray have had the lands of three counties for his reward; to dissuade but in vain Mary pleaded-in vain Mary threatened. his sister She took her brother into a room apart; she placed the marrying paper in his hand and required him to sign it on his allegiance. He asked for time she said no time could be allowed, because others were waiting for his example. : 1 Murray's character, so much debated among historians, was in the eye of those who knew him a very simple one. 'He was true, faithful, honourable, earnest, stout both for the defence of God's glory and to save his sovereign's honour; and he was fearful that her doings might make a breach of amity between the two realms.' For five years he had laboured to reconcile two opposing duties: he was a zealous Protestant, but he had saved his sister from persecution, and had quarrelled with his friends in her defence; he had maintained her claims on the English succession with the loyalty of a Scot; he had united his special patriotism with as noble an anxiety for the spiritual freedom of the united realms. Few men had resisted more temptations to play a selfish game than Murray; none had carried themselves with more conspicuous uprightness in a difficult and most trying service. To the last, and long after he had known the direction in which his sister's aims were tending, he had shielded Randolph to Cecil, May 21.-Scotch MSS. Rolls House. endeavours from Darnley. |