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366

THE KING'S NOTES AS TO SPAIN.

Edinburgh. The queen, for some personal reason, was opposed to Maitland's return to power, and Bowes tried, but vainly, to prevent the despatch of Robert Melville as an envoy to Elizabeth. At the English Court Archibald Douglas had almost dropped out of sight; but he was still residing in London, in a "semi-official" way. As far back as June 1592 a sympathetic correspondent in Scotland told him that "the ministers is sorry for Bothwell," who, if at liberty, "would put all the papists out of the country." 78 It is a humorous fact that Father Creighton, at this very time, reckoned Bothwell in a list of Scottish Catholics, probably with reason. Bothwell gulled the Kirk (Jesuit Archives).

It was alleged in England that James, too, was mixed up in the intrigue with Spain, and apparently that his advice to Spain was seized with the papers of George Ker, but suppressed in the interest of the king. We have seen that at the time when the Spanish Blanks were seized the Kirk suspected James at least of partiality to the Catholics who signed them. Calderwood writes: "Mr John Davidson, in his Diary, recordeth on the 26th of May (1593) that among the letters of the traffickers intercepted were [sic] found one to the Prince of Parma, which touched the king with knowledge and approbation of the trafficking, and promise of assistance, &c., but that it was not thought expedient to publish it. Mr John was acquaint with the discovery, and all the intercepted letters." 74

Now it seems certain that there actually was a manuscript of James's among the papers found with George Ker. It is printed in the Hatfield Calendar' (iv. 214). The piece is really a balancing, after the manner used by Cecil and Robinson Crusoe, of the pros and cons of accepting Spanish assistance. It may be of MarchJune 1592. James gives first the reasons which may be put forward in favour of instant action by Spain. On the other side is the unreadiness of Scotland. "Since I can scarce keep myself from some of their invasions, much less can I make them invade other countries." He would prefer the attempt to die down, as too many are in the secret. If anything is to be done, he would prefer to do it himself, with some small help of foreign men and money. But he knew that he could not do it, and a successful invasion by Philip was not in his interest. He threw cold water on the whole plot. If once he had Scotland settled, and was in the mind, he might forewarn Spain, and "attain to our purpose." The paper is indorsed, "Copy of the Scotch King's instructions to Spain,

PROTESTANT ANXIETY.

367

which should have been sent by Pourie Oge" (Ogilvie of Pourie), "but thereafter were concredit to Mr John Ker, and withdrawn (not published) "at his taking for safety of his Majesty's honour" (1593).

Any one who reads the whole document will find that James has no heart for the project, that he is merely "driving time," balancing arguments, and feebly dreaming of what great things he might do "when I like, hereafter." No mortal would send such a paper as "Instructions to Spain," if he wanted to keep Spain friendly to his purpose. Only prejudice could style the paper "Instructions to Spain." Still less is the document, as Calderwood quotes Davidson, "a letter to the Prince of Parma." James wanted "fewer strange princes in the secret of it." The paper may have been meant for Father Creighton, to quiet that bustling priest, or it may have been a secret memorandum which fell into Pourie's hands, Pourie being an impudent rogue and double spy. The memorandum was written many months before Ker's intended start to Spain with the Blanks; but, on the other hand, the business for which the Blanks were wanted had been arranged by Creighton before James's memorandum was written, as Ker confessed under We can only say that the memorandum, if really known to the preachers, must have inflamed their habitual suspicion of James. But he never was on the side of Huntly and the other Catholic peers. They knew and said as much in reports to Philip.75

torture.

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He sent Robert Melville to London, and Melville there found Archibald Douglas still in touch with the English Court, and supported at the expense of Elizabeth.70 Elizabeth in July saw Melville, and wrote one of her unintelligible pieces of euphuism to James, avoiding details as to her support of Bothwell.77 about the same time (June 22) Maitland at last returned to Court, attended by Hamilton, Montrose, Seton, Glencairn, Eglinton, and others. Lennox, on the other side, who shared the hatred against Maitland of the queen, Bothwell, and most of the nobles, had Mar, Morton, Home, and the Master of Glamis among his backers. Arran was not far off, passions were inflamed by various feuds, Maitland withdrew to Lethington (June 28).78 In these stormy days Parliament met, and Bothwell was forfeited, but the Catholic earls remained untouched. For this leniency the king's Advocate, Makgill, gave reasons in law, but the preachers were infuriated. Davidson (July 22) imprecated "sanctified plagues" for James's

368

BOTHWELL CAPTURES THE KING (1593).

behoof. As that "sanctified plague," Bothwell, surprised and seized James on July 24, by that very trap, Lady Gowrie's house, which James had tried to render harmless, Mr Davidson's prayer was instantly effectual: he was a prophet as well as a poet. The ungodly might even suggest that Davidson knew what was impending, and that his inspiration had no source more divine or remote than the English Embassy. Elizabeth had sent Mr Locke to Scotland, and he, with Colville, a veteran intriguer, and Bothwell, had secretly met in Edinburgh and organised their plot.

Some years had passed since the king's last capture. It is to be noted that such attempts continued to be made almost till the year when he attained the crown of England. In many instances these assaults had the support, or at least the sympathy, of the preachers. It is improbable that the king, and Scotland, could ever have escaped the sufferings consequent on such anarchic methods except by the turn of events which placed James on the throne of a more powerful and more law-abiding country than his ancestor's kingdom. The combinations of lawless nobles and powerful preachers must, but for the English succession, have been fatal to Scottish civilisation.

NOTES TO CHAPTER XIII.

1 Thorpe, i. 542.

2 Calderwood, iv. 611.

3 Illustrations of Scottish History, Miss Warrender, p. 27.

4 Spottiswoode, ii. 365-371.

Spanish State Papers, iv. 45, 51, 100, 138, 145, 308, as to the obduracy of James. Also pp. 179, 204, 227, 320, 427, 429, as to the Catholic traffickers. 6 Thorpe, Calendar, i. 543, 544.

7 Privy Council Register, iv. 157, 158.

8 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 243; Murdin, pp. 587, 588.

The report of the case is derived from the Register of the Privy Council (iv. 166-168).

10 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 258, 259. May 22, Richard to Archibald Douglas. 11 Gowrie had no counsel, Norfolk had none; Archibald Douglas, in his collusive trial, had pleaded his own case, as he was well qualified to do. He vowed that he "trusted to his innocence, and desired no prolocutor." The Earl of Orkney had prolocutors (1615). In 1600, in the Gowrie case, the accused were dead, and their representatives dared not appear.

12 Act. Parl. Scot., iii. 427-521.

14 Privy Council Register, iv. 204, 205.

13 Spanish State Papers, iv. 141.

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15 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 295, 296.

17 Autobiography of James Melville, p. 260.

16 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 299-301.

18 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 307, 317; Calderwood, iv. 677.

19 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 313, 326; March 18, 1588.

20 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 322.

21 Privy Council Register, iv. 277.

22 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 326.

Calderwood, iv. 678, 679; Privy Council Register, iv. 286-293.

24 Calderwood, iv. 679, 680.

25 Border Calendar, ii. 487.

26 Melville (the Rev.), pp. 262-264.

27 Hatfield Calendar, iii. 349, 350.

28 Thorpe, Calendar, i. 551, 552.

29 Ashton to Hunsdon, Thorpe, Calendar, i. 552.

31 Calderwood, v. 14-37; Thorpe, Calendar, i. 555, 556.

32 Calderwood, v. 53, 54.

33 Thorpe, Calendar, i. 557.

34 Privy Council Register, iv. 371-373.

30 Calderwood, v. 1-3.

35 This Angus, successor to the good Presbyterian Earl, was Douglas of Glenbervie. He died soon afterwards, and his son, the new Angus, was a Catholic. He was served heir to his father in November 1591.

36 Privy Council Register, iv. 371-381; Calderwood, v. 54-56; Spottiswoode, ii. 395; Thorpe, Calendar, i. 559.

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43 Spottiswoode, ii. 408. Compare Calderwood, v. 95, 96, who says nothing of the king's threat.

++ Calderwood, v. 100-104.

45 For "Witchcraft" see Mr Gurnly, in Phantasms of the Living.'

46 Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 591; Border Calendar, i. 379, No. 709.

47 Calderwood, v. 132.

48 Calderwood, v. 106, 112.

49 James Melville, pp. 272-276.

50 Calderwood, v. 140, 141; Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 600.

51 Calderwood, v. 142, 143.

52 Gregory, History of the Western Highlands and Isles, pp. 245-253.

53 Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 600.

54 Privy Council Register, iv. 725.

56 Calderwood, v. 148.

58 Melville, p. 294.

60 Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 609.

55 Privy Council Register, iv. 733.

57 Calderwood, v. 150-156.

59 Second Book of Discipline, iii. 12. 61 Calderwood, v. 169.

62 Bowes to Burghley, August 15, Thorpe, Calendar, p. 611; Calderwood, v. 173, 174. See also, in 'Border Minstrelsy,' the ballad of “The Laird of Logie," and in Child's 'English and Scottish Ballads.'

63 Calderwood, v. 179.

64 Calderwood, v. 186-190. Bowes to Burghley, December 4, Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 618. For Lady Gowrie, cf. Thorpe, ii. 611, No. 6.

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65 The letters are in Calderwood, v. 192-214.

See also Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 618-623. Also 'A Discoverie of the unnatural and traiterous Conspiracie of Scottish Papists,' published by the king's command. John Norton, London. 1593. For the Spanish view, Spanish State Papers, iv. 603-606.

66 Spanish State Papers, iv. 606.

67 Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 622.

68 Forbes Leith, Narratives of Scottish Catholics, pp. 220, 221.

Quoting

Father Tyrie's report, State Papers, Elizabeth, MS., vol. 1. No. 4. Apparently not Calendared.

69 Calderwood, v. 231.

70 Thorpe, Calendar, v. 624-626.

71 Tytler, ix. 89, citing Warrender MSS. These, for long supposed to have perished by fire, have recently been rediscovered, and are of importance.

72 Calderwood, v. 241.

73 Hatfield Calendar, iv. 206. Francis Tennant, a bourgeois spy, later hanged, to Archibald Douglas, June 4, 1592.

74 Calderwood, v. 251.

75 Spanish State Papers, iv. 588-592, 603-607. Mr Hume Brown (ii. 216) says that James had a secret understanding with the Catholic earls, and cites 'Spanish State Papers,' iv. 603. But compare the same series, iv. 606 and 617, and Major Martin Hume's 'Treason and Plot' with Mr T. G. Law in 'Miscellany of the Scottish History Society,' vol. i. I venture to think that James did little worse than avoid the last extremities with the Catholic earls, keeping in touch with their schemes as an ultimate resource. Cf. p. 388, note.

76 Hatfield Calendar, iv. 334.

77 Hatfield Calendar, iv. 344.

78 Thorpe, Calendar, ii. 629, 630.

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