VI. Mitto Pikerinum hominem Anglum. Tamen, quid malim, BOOK scio. Et ista sunt ut scio μvorixórega: et apud nos proverbii loco dici solet matrimonia esse fatalia. Bene vale, mi pater, et domine in Christo colendissime. Saluta quæso optimum senem D. Bernardinum, D. Muraltum, D. Wolphium meo nomine. Liber tuus, quem reginæ misisti dono redditus est à D. Cæcilio: ad meas manus, nescio quo casu, non pervenit. Ego tamen, quoties sum in aula, diligenter exquiro, numquid illa velit et adhuc nihil audio. Sed quicquid erit, faciam ut intelligas. Londini. Istæ sunt quintæ, tu vide an aliquæ perierint. INSCRIPTIO. Doctissimo viro D. Petro Martyri, professori sacræ theologiæ in ecclesia Tigurina, domino suo colendissimo. Tiguri. Number 53. A declaration made by the confederate lords of Scotland to the queen of England; of their taking arms against the queen dowager of Scotland, and the French. Ir may be, that on the French parte it wyll be saide, Cotton lib. that it behoveth them to subdue the rebellion in Scotland; f. 24. Calig. B.10. and to that end only bringe all this power thither: first it may be, and that truly saide, the begynning and ground, yea, and the proceding hitherto being truly considered, is no rebellion. For true it is, that when the French kyng had long sought to compasse the yonge queene of Scotland, and to have her caryed owt of Scotland into Fraunce, there was great difficultie made yn it by the Scots, and att length brought to passe only by the continuall travayle of the mother, being dowager queene; partly by corruption with money, partly by authoritie, partly by fayre promises; and yet was the matter thus ended, that before her person coulde be transported thence, assurance was made by treaty, by VOL. III. P. 3. B b III. PART othe, by parlement, by the great seal of Fraunce, by the seal of the dolphyn, that Scotland should not be otherwyse governed but by the lawes, by the nobilitie, by the people of the land; that the offices of the land shuld remayne in the nation of Scotland; that no garrisons shuld be kepte by the French. After that tyme much labour and practise was made by the queene dowager to procure the favour of the nobilitie of Scotland, to accorde to the mariadge of the queene with the dolphyn; and fynally that obtaygned in a parlement in Scotland, and was the crowne assigned to the queen, and the heirs of her body; and for default therof, to the duke of Chastellerault, and his hires, and so he declared the seconde person. Then allso was on the parte of Fraunce othes taken, chartres delyvered under the greate seale of Fraunce, and confirmed by the yong queene under her seal, and by the dolphin under his seale, that Scotland shuld be governed by the counsayle of the land; that no liberties shuld be violated; that Edinburg castell shuld be delyvered to the lord Arskin to be kept, for the preservation of the rights of the realme; and Dunbritton castell shuld be delyvered to the duke for his interest as heyre apparent. These things were done, and duplicats made of the grants of Fraunce. One parte delyvered to be kept in Edenburg castell in the treasury; the other delyvered to the duke: hereupon an ambassade was sent in anno 1558, of 8 persons, 2 bishops, 2 earles, 4 lords of Scotland, and the mariadge then concluded in Fraunce; which done, thur was attempted that the ambassade shuld return home, and in parlement obtayne, at the yong queenes request, that the crown of Scotland might be given to the dolphin her husband; which matter, the ambassade so much misliked, and utterly refused; alledging that it could never be obtayned; that in the end they were thus abused, yt was devised they should retourne, and procure that a matrimoniall crowne shuld be granted to the kyng: by which words they weare made believe there was a great difference; and yet they could not lyke the matter, but required leave to retourne home, and they would doo that they might. In their departure at VI. Deepe, theyr nombre was made in one night sodenly lesse BOOK by one bishop, 2 erles, and 2 barons, and so departed home the other three, much amased att the matter. At theyr return, the dowager queene practised all the ways she could in parlement, to obtayne this purpose; which she sought by two ways, one by rewarding those who had not received. favour of the duke in the time of his governaunce, partly for the favour they bare at that time to England, parte for other respects; and so sett an enmitie betwixt the duke and them. One other way she offered to certayne of the lords a permission to lyve freely accordyng to their conscience in religion; and at length she became very stronge, and in parliament obtained this matrimoniall crowne, with these conditions, that the duke's right shuld not be empayred therby. Thus proceded she towards her purpose, and daily usurped against the liberties and promises made. She spared not to begin with the greatest. She committed to prison the chancellor of the realme, the erle Huntley; being one of the principal frends to the duke. She took a great fyne of him, and took the seale from hym; committed that to one Rubay, a Frenchman, an advocate of Paris. Not content therwith, she committed the sayd erle to prison, untill she had put hym to a great raunsome; which she took of hym and to flatter hym, gave hym the name of chancelor, and put the office in Rubaye's handes. Nexte to this, she hath taken the office of the comptroller of the hole realme, to whom belonged the charge of the whole revenues of the crowne; and hath allso committed it to another Frenchman, a servant of her owne, named Vulemore. She hath also sequestred all matters of counsaill of the governaunce of the land, from the Scottish men borne, and retayned all the secreties to French men. But these weare but small thinges yff greater had not followed. Having peace with England, she kepte all the garrisons of French men still in the countrey, who lyved upon discretion; which was a new offense to Scotland. Wages they had none out of France at all: the revenue of the crowne, which was not greate, was sent into Fraunce; and to paye the French band, a new devise III. PART was made. She procured out of Fraunce a certayne nombre of franks, being altogether in a certayne coyne of sowces, which had bene, for theyr emtiness, decried and barred in Fraunce two yeres before, and were but bullion: these she made currant in Scotland, to paye the soldiors. She allso erected a mynte, and therin abassed a grete quantite of the Scottish money, and therwith allso payed her soldiors. In that mynte allso she permitted certayne of the principalls of the French to coyne theyr owne plate, to theyr owne most advantage: which matter both did notable great hurt in all Scotland, and much offended the realme. Now follows the practises of the queene with diverse noblemen, to becom parties agaynst the duke: meanes was made, fyrst to have wonne the lord Arskin, to deliver the castell of Edenburgh; next, to have stolen it: but this prevailed not. In this season, and before allso, which had much exasperated the people of the land, the queene gave away abbeys, that fell voyd, to French men : som to her brother, the cardinal Guyse, som to other. And generally, she hath kept in her hands these three hole yeres, allmost all the ecclesiastical dignities that have fallen voyde; saving such as wer of any value, which she gave to French men. Generally she governed all things so, as she never would in any matter followe the counsell of the lordes and nobilite, which, at her first coming to the regiment, were appoynted to be of counsell. Agaynst these her doynges, many intercessions were made by the nobilitie, both joyntly together in good companyes, and advices allso gyven aparte, by such as were sory to see that this governance wold be so dangerous, as it could not be borne: but nothing avayled. And then followed a practise, of all other most dangerous and strange, and, for a personage of honor, a great indignity. The principall matter that was coveted by the queene, was to have cutt away the duke, and his house, and to make a party agaynst hym: by persuasion this was devised. The lord James, being a bastard, son of the last kynge, a man of greate courage and wysdom; and certayne erles and barons of the realme; in whom were considered these two thynges, VI. no great love towards the duke, nor certayne ceremonies of BOOK the churche; and yet being men of courage, were borne in hand by the queene, that she her selfe wold beare with theyr devotion in religion, and upon condition that they would joyne with her governaunce agaynst the duke, for the favour of Fraunce, they shuld lyve freely according to theyr conscience in religion, without any impedyment. Herupon they were somwhat boldned, and therby incurred the censures of the churche, and were also, by a private lawe of the land, ignorantly in danger of treason: wherupon processe was made, they endangered. And then was it tyme for the queene to tempt them to forget theyr country, and become French. But when no inticement could prevayle, then began she to threaten them with the lawe, and would neds declare them traytors. This matter the queene pursued ; taking it for a great advantage. But, for their defence, the nobilitie of the realme made much labour. Nothyng would staye the queene; but forthwith she produced her garrisons to the feld, proclaymed them traytors, gave away their lands, entred with men of war into a principal towne, called St. John's Towne, changing the provost of the towne, agaynst the wyll of the burgesses; and left there four bands of men of warre, to fortefie her new provost. And she fynding the whole realme much offended herwith, and charging her dayly with misgovernance, and violating the liberties of the realm, and her power there not sufficient to procede, as she ment, to conquer the land; she sent for the duke and the erle Huntley, and pretended in this necessitie a new good will to them; who travayled for her, and stayed all the adverse part in quietness: and then she promised all matters to be stayed and redressed at parlement the next spring and promised also diverse other thyngs for the benefite of the land. And then the duke and the erle Huntley tooke upon them to make a quiet with the adverse part. And whiles this was in doyng, the duke's sonne and heyre was sought and sent for to the courte in Fraunce: from whence he was certainly advertised by diverse of most secret knowledge, that his ruine shuld follow, and that he |