Part 19

Now all the woes that Ovid in Ibin, Into his pretty little book did write, And many mo be to our Scottish Queen, For she the cause is of my doleful dyte. Sa mot her heart be fillet full of syte, As Herois was for Leander's death; Herself to slay for woe who thought delyte, For Henry's sake to like our Queen was laith.

The dolours als that pierced Dido's heart, When King Enee from Carthage took the flight; For the which cause unto a brand she start, And slew herseif, which was a sorry sight. Sa might she die as did Creusa bright, The worthy wife of douty Duke Jason; Wha brint was in ane garment wrought by slight Of Medea through incantation.

Her laughter light be like to true Thisbe, When Pyramus she found dead at the well, In languor like unto Penelope, For Ulysses who long at Troy did dwell. Her dolesome death be worse than Jezebel, Whom through an window surely men did thraw; Whose blood did lap the cruel hundis fell, And doggis could her wicked bainis gnaw.

Were I an hound--oh! if she an hare, And I an cat, and she a little mouse, And she a bairn, and I a wild wod bear, I an ferret, and she cuniculus. To her I shall be aye contrarius-- When to me Atropos cut the fatal thread, And fell deithis dartys dolorous, Then shall our spirits be at mortal feid.

My spirit her spirit shall douke in Phlegethon, Into that painful filthy flood of hell, And then in Styx, and Lethe baith anone-- And Cerberus that cruel hound sa fell, Sall gar her cry with mony gout and yell, O Wallaway! that ever she was born, Or with treason by ony manner mell, Whilk from all bliss should cause her be forlorn.

(C.) CONTEMPORARY WRITERS.

GEORGE BUCHANAN.

The writings of George Buchanan with which we are concerned are his "Detection" of Queen Mary, and his "History of Scotland." Buchanan was the friend and adviser of Mary's enemies, and his references to her are polemical, not historical. His "Detection" is based on the "Book of Articles" (_cf._ p. 144), and it is not always consistent with the statements in his "History." Sheriff AEneas Mackay admits with regard to it that "it must be deemed a calumnious work." The reader must decide for himself what credit to attach to statements made by Buchanan, and otherwise unattested. He occupies among Mary's accusers the position held by Lesley among her friends. His title to fame is not confined to the Marian controversy. He was a very distinguished humanist, and his writings possess both learning and charm. (_Cf._ Mr. Hume Brown's recent volume entitled "George Buchanan.")

CONAEUS.

George Conn belonged to an Aberdeenshire family of Roman Catholic sympathies, and was educated at Douay, Paris, and Rome. He was Papal agent accredited to Queen Henrietta Maria from 1636 to 1639. He died in 1640. The date of his birth is unknown, and he is not quite strictly a contemporary author. But he lived in Paris at a time when people must have been alive who could remember Queen Mary's residence in France, and his "Life of Mary Stuart," published in 1624, has all the freshness of a contemporary source.

LORD HERRIES.

John Maxwell, fourth Lord Herries, was, although a Protestant, a staunch supporter of Queen Mary. He opposed the Bothwell marriage, but remained faithful after the surrender at Carberry Hill. He joined the Queen after her escape from Lochleven, was present at the Battle of Langside, and accompanied her in her flight to England. In spite of some temporising with her enemies, he was selected, along with the Bishop of Ross, to defend her at York and Westminster, and he was probably involved in the Norfolk plot. When he became convinced of the hopelessness of Mary's cause, he came to an arrangement with the victorious party, and took a part in politics till his death in 1583. He seems, however, always to have been ready to assist the Queen had there been any chance of success. His "Memoirs" possess an unusual interest in virtue of his intimate knowledge of the secret history of the reign.

JOHN KNOX.

The extracts from Knox's "History of the Reformation in Scotland" are interesting as bearing the impress of their author's vigorous personality. But it must be remembered that, as the leader of the Protestant clergy, he was a strong partisan, and his descriptions cannot be accepted literally. Different readers will decide differently as to the credit to be given to Knox's statements. The most valuable edition of Knox is the large one by the late Mr. David Laing, which contains much important annotation. The concluding portion of the "History" is not from Knox's own pen, but is the work of an unknown writer, who is generally described as Knox's Continuator.

JOHN LESLEY.

The Bishop of Ross was a native of Inverness-shire, and was educated at the University of Aberdeen. The first public capacity in which he was employed was as one of a deputation of Roman Catholic nobles to invite Queen Mary to return to Scotland, after the death of Francis II. He became Bishop of Ross in 1566. He rendered his chief services to Queen Mary as one of the agents for her defence at the Conferences at York and Westminster, and he was thereafter involved in most of the schemes for Mary's release. He survived the Queen for nine years, and died in 1596 at Guirtenburg, near Brussels. He was about seventy years of age.

Lesley's chief work is his "History of Scotland from 1437 to 1561." The Scots edition was first published in 1830, but the Latin version, which is more complete, appeared during the author's lifetime, and was translated into Scots, as early as 1596, by Father James Dalrymple of Regensburg. For the period with which we are concerned Lesley is a contemporary authority; but he wrote with a purpose, and was inclined to exaggeration. His "Defence of Queen Mary's Honour" was a reply to Buchanan's "Detection."

LINDSAY OF PITSCOTTIE.

Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie was a cadet of the family of Crawford. He was born about 1500, and died about 1565, and took no part in public affairs. His "History" was not published till 1728. It is a work to which we are indebted for much gossip, and it contains many humorous anecdotes. The writer was a strong Protestant, and shared with many of his contemporaries a fondness for moralising. His book is not absolutely reliable by any means; but in the passage quoted he appears to best advantage.

SIR JAMES MELVILLE.

Sir James Melville had been an attendant on Queen Mary since her childhood. In 1549, when he was fourteen years of age and she seven, he became her page. After some military, and diplomatic service he became one of the gentlemen of the Bed Chamber on the Queen's return to Scotland. His two visits to London as ambassador from Mary to Elizabeth are recorded in the passage quoted in the text. After the fall of the Queen Melville attached himself to the ruling party, and was prominent in politics till James's accession to the throne of England. Thereafter, he lived quietly at his estate of Hallhill, in Fife, where he died in 1617. During his retirement he wrote his "Memoirs," which were published by his grandson in 1683. His memory was not invariably trustworthy; but his fascinating style has made his writing one of the most popular chronicles of the time. His picture of the rival queens is one of the most characteristic passages in his work (pp. 46-53).

CLAUDE NAU.

Claude de la Boisselierre Nau was sent by the Cardinal of Lorraine to Queen Mary as a Secretary in 1575. Thenceforward he remained her confidential adviser, although his loyalty to his own interests was more marked than his devotion to his mistress, and he was generally believed to have betrayed her in connection with the Babington conspiracy. After her death he was released by Queen Elizabeth, and entered the service of Henry IV. of France. The MS. known as "Nau's History of Mary Stewart" is in the British Museum, and was printed in 1883 by Father Joseph Stevenson, S.J. The evidence on which Mr. Stevenson attributes it to Nau is given in his introduction.

LORD RUTHVEN.

Patrick, third Lord Ruthven, was one of the Protestant nobles who formed the body known as the "Lords of the Congregation" during the absence of Queen Mary in France. He was not popular even on his own side, for we find mysterious accusations of sorcery and enchantment attaching to his name. At the murder of Rizzio he appeared in the Queen's room, gaunt and haggard, having risen from a sick bed in the neighbouring house. After the murder he fled to England and wrote for the benefit of Queen Elizabeth his "Relation" of the circumstances. He makes numerous accusations against Mary, which have generally been received with suspicion owing to the position of the author as an exiled rebel anxious to justify himself before a foreign sovereign. He died at Newcastle in June 1566, three months after the murder. The "articles" are printed, not only in the "Relation," but in the first column of Goodall's _Examination_, and the third volume of Keith's "History," while those signed by Darnley are copied from the original in the Appendix (p. 641) to the Sixth Report of the Historical MSS. Commissioners.

DIURNAL OF OCCURRENTS.

The "Diurnal of Occurrents in Scotland" was first printed by the Bannatyne Club in 1833 (from a MS. then in the possession of Sir John Maxwell of Pollock). It deals with the history of Scotland from 1513 to 1575. During the period with which we are concerned, it is clearly the diary of an Edinburgh citizen, and it is of great value, especially in fixing dates. The anonymous diarist was not a

## partisan of the Queen, but his work is more impartial than any

other of the period. Another contemporary diary, by Robert Birrell, is published in Dalyell's "Fragments of Scottish History," 1798.

GUDE AND GODLY BALLATES.

The controversy of the sixteenth century gave rise to many political songs and ballads, which became known to the Protestant party as the "Gude and Godly Ballates." Most of them were aimed against Roman Catholicism in general, but some are invectives against Queen Mary herself. The specimens given are among the best known. They are slightly earlier in date than the arrival of Mary in Scotland; but they serve to illustrate the bitterness of the struggle.

(D.) AUTHORITIES.

The remaining contemporary authorities are to be found in the letters of ambassadors, and the other diplomatic correspondence of the time. But it must be remembered that a statement can by no means be implicitly believed because it appears in such documents. The circumstances of the writer, his opportunities of obtaining information on the particular topic, his personal prejudices, the impression that he wished to convey to his correspondent, must all be allowed due weight. The correspondence and other information is largely contained in the following books:--

(1.) OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

_Acts of Parliament of Scotland._

_Reports of the Royal Commission upon Historical MSS._

_Register of the Privy Council of Scotland._

_Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland_, preserved in the Public Record Office.

_Calendar of Papers relating to Foreign Affairs_, 1542-1587.

_Calendar of Papers relating to English Affairs_, preserved in the Archives of Simancas.

_Calendar of Papers relating to English Affairs_, preserved in the Archives of Venice.

_Calendar of Border Papers._

_The Hamilton Papers._

_Calendar of Papers relating to Scotland and Mary Queen of Scots_, 1898.

(2.) BOOKS WHICH CONTAIN ORIGINAL LETTERS, &c.

_Faedera, Conventiones, Literae, &c., inter Reges Angliae et alios_, ed. by Thomas Rymer. London, 1704-1735.

_Queen Elizabeth and her Times_, by Thomas Wright. London, 1838.

_History of the Affairs of Church and State in Scotland_, by the Right Rev. Robert Keith, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Edinburgh, 1734 (reprinted by the Spottiswoode Society).

_Miscellaneous State Papers from 1501 to 1726_, edited by Philip, Earl of Hardwicke. London, 1778.

_The Annals of Aboyne_, edited by George, 11th Marquis of Huntly. (New Spalding Club.)

_Life of Queen Mary_, by George Chalmers. London, 1818.

_History of Scotland_, by William Robertson, D.D.

_History of Scotland_, by Patrick Fraser Tytler.

_Inventories of Mary Queen of Scots_, edited by Joseph Robertson.

_Examination of the Letters said to have been written by Mary Queen of Scots, to James, Earl of Bothwell_, by Walter Goodall, 1744.

_History of Scotland_, by Malcolm Laing.

_Illustrations of British History_, by Edmund Lodge.

_Elizabeth and Mary_, by Fred. Von Raumer.

_Original Letters, Illustrative of British History_, ed. Ellis.

_Mary Queen of Scots and her Accusers_, by John Hosack, 1870-74.

_Mary Queen of Scots, from her Birth to her Flight into England_, by D. Hay Fleming.

_Recueil des Lettres de Marie Stuart_, ed. Labanoff.

_Letters of Mary Stuart_, ed. Agnes Strickland.

_Cabala, sive Scrinia Sacra._ London, 1691.

_Collections relating to Mary Queen of Scots_, by James Anderson.

_A Lost Chapter in the Life of Mary Stuart_, by John Stuart.

_Queen Mary at Jedburgh_, by John Small.

_Illustrations of the Reign of Mary Queen of Scots._ (Maitland Club.)

_Relations Politiques de la France et de l'Espagne avec l'Ecosse_, edited by Teulet.

_The Tragedy of Fotheringay_, by the Hon. Mrs. Maxwell-Scott.

These are the main authorities. A complete list of publications dealing with the question up to 1700, will be found in "A Bibliography of Works relating to Mary Queen of Scots, 1544-1700," by John Scott, C.B. (Edinburgh Bibliographical Society, 1896). Very full references will be found in Mr. Hay Fleming's notes. The list of authorities appended to the articles "Mary Stuart," in the _Dictionary of National Biography_, should also be consulted.

(E.) CONTROVERSIAL WORKS.

The general historians who deal with the period--Hume, Robertson, Tytler, Laing, Froude, and Hill Burton--are usually ranked among Queen Mary's opponents. Hume and Froude occupy the most decided position. Among other writers who are definitely against the theory of Mary's innocence, must be reckoned Mignet ("Life of Mary Queen of Scots"), Mr. D. Hay Fleming ("Mary Queen of Scots"), and Mr. T. F. Henderson (articles, "Mary Stuart," "Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley," "James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell," &c., in the _Dictionary of National Biography_). No one can hope to understand the present position of the controversy without the writings of Mr. Fleming and Mr. Henderson. Among general controversialists on the side of Queen Mary, may be mentioned the works already quoted, by Walter Goodall, George Chalmers, and John Hosack, William Tytler's "Inquiry into the Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots" (1790), Whitaker's "Mary Queen of Scots Vindicated" (1778), Miss Agnes Strickland's "Lives of the Queens of Scotland," Mr. Alex. Walker's "Mary, Queen of Scots," Mr. M'Neel-Caird's "Mary Stuart," and Sir John Skelton's "Impeachment of Mary Stuart," "Maitland of Lethington," and "Life of Mary Stuart." Mr. Swinburne's "Mary Queen of Scots" is one of the most attractive works on the subject. The reader will recollect that the "false Duessa" in Spenser's "Faerie Queen" is the Queen of Scots.

The last few years have seen the publication of many important works dealing with the problem of the Casket Letters, _e.g._:--

Bresslau: "Die Kassettenbriefe der Koenigin Maria Stuart," in the _Historisches Taschenbuche_, 1882.

Sepp: _Die Kassettenbriefe_, 1884.

Gerde: "Geschichte der Koenigin Maria Stuart," 1885.

T. F. Henderson: "Casket Letters, and Mary Queen of Scots." 2nd ed. 1890.

Philippson: "Histoire du Regne de Marie Stuart," 1891-92.

The English reader will find the material in Mr. T. F. Henderson's work ample for his purpose. The preface to Mr. Hay Fleming's "Mary Queen, of Scots" promises a second volume, which will contain the life in captivity, and, of course, deal with the letters. No Marian apologist has, as yet, attempted an answer to the more recent evidence on the other side, and Hosack's great work is now considerably superseded. The foregoing lists are, of course, selected. A full Bibliography is a great task, not yet attempted.

THE END

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SCOTTISH VERNACULAR LITERATURE

A SUCCINCT HISTORY

By T. F. HENDERSON

Printed at the Constable Press, 1898

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CONTENTS:--The Scottish Vernacular--Minstrelsy and Romance--Historical Poetry--The Scottish Fabliau and the Decay of Romance--The Early Chaucerians--Dunbar and Walter Kennedy--Gavin Douglas and Sir David Lyndsay--Minor and Later Poets of the 16th Century--Anonymous Poetry of the 15th and 16th Centuries--Vernacular Prose--Traditional Ballads and Songs--Before Ramsay--Ramsay to Burns--Burns and afterwards.

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Transcribers Note

Headings printed at the top of pages in the original have been converted to sub-headings and placed and the head of the most relevant paragraph.

Much of the text being letters and transcripts, inconsistant spellings have been retained.

Footnote 64 had no anchor in the text. Since it appears to relate to the whole of letter III an anchor has been inserted at to top of the letter.

Ligature oe has been represented as [oe].

End of Project Gutenberg's Mary Queen of Scots 1542-1587, by Various