Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 2. (of 3): Abridged and Fully IllustratedStrickland, Agnes
History
Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 2. (of 3): Abridged and Fully Illustrated
Strickland, Agnes
Queens -- Great Britain -- Biography
One night, when it was Margaret's turn to sleep in the queen's
bed-chamber, she waited until the royal pair were {126}in the land of
Nod, then softly stole out and went to her lover's prison, where she
told the guard that the king had sent her to command them to lead John
Wemys forthwith to the queen's apartment, where his majesty wished to
question him. Never, for a moment, suspecting that they were deceived,
two sentinels led the prisoner to the queen's chamber door. Margaret
then charged them to remain outside quietly, and taking her lover by the
hand, led him boldly into the room and closed the door. Without speaking
a word she softly opened the window, and, presenting John with a rope,
helped him to let himself down and escape.
The guard waited patiently until morning dawned, then raised the alarm,
which led to the discovery of the little trick. The queen laughed
heartily when she heard how Wemys had escaped, and begged the king to
pardon him.
James himself was amused at the adventure, and issued a proclamation
offering pardon to the escaped prisoner if he would return to his
duties. This he did within a few days, and soon after married the Danish
maid-of-honor who had risked so much for his sake.
[[A.D. 1594.]] In 1594 Queen Anne had a little son born at Stirling
Castle. He was baptized according to the Episcopal ritual of Scotland,
and named Henry-Frederic. The ceremony was conducted with great pomp,
and after it was over the queen received all the foreign ambassadors.
They brought costly presents, and Queen Elizabeth sent a set of silver
and several cups of massive gold, so heavy that Sir James Melville
declared he could hardly lift them.
The young queen loved her little son so tenderly that when she found it
was her husband's intention to leave him at Stirling Castle to be cared
for by the Earl of Marr and the old countess, his mother, she was sorely
grieved {127}and begged that she might keep the child with her. But the
king refused, saying, "that he knew the infant was in safe keeping with
Marr, and though he doubted nothing of her good intentions, yet if some
faction got strong enough she could not hinder his boy from being used
against him, as he himself had been against his unfortunate mother."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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