Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587; Queens -- Scotland -- Biography; Scotland -- History -- Mary Stuart, 1542-1567
Bothwell, Mary was making grants in money, in privileges, and in beautiful
old ecclesiastical fripperies: chasubles and tunicles all of cloth of
gold, figured with white, and red, and yellow.[184] Lennox avers, in the
Lennox Papers, that the armour, horses, and other effects of Darnley were
presented by Mary to Bothwell. Late in March Drury reported that, in the
popular belief, Mary was likely to marry him.
From the first Lennox had pleaded for the arrest and trial of Bothwell and
others whom he named, but who never were tried. Writers like Goodall have
defended, Laing and Hill Burton have attacked, the manner of Bothwell’s
Trial (April 12). Neither for Lennox nor for Elizabeth, would Mary delay
the process. As usual in Scotland, as when Bothwell himself, years before,
or when John Knox still earlier, or when, later, Lethington, was tried,
either the accused or the accuser made an overwhelming show of armed
force. It was ‘the custom of the country,’ and Bothwell, looking dejected
and wretched, says his friend, Ormistoun, was ‘cleansed’ in the promptest
manner, Lennox merely entering a protest. The Parliament on April 19
restored Huntly and others to forfeited lands, ratified the tenures of
Moray, and offended Mary’s Catholic friends by practically establishing
the Kirk. On the same night, apparently after a supper at Ainslie’s
tavern, many nobles and ecclesiastics signed a band (‘Ainslie’s band’). It
ran thus: Bothwell is, and has been judicially found, innocent of
Darnley’s death. The signers therefore bind themselves, ‘as they will
answer to God,’ to defend Bothwell to the uttermost, and to advance his
marriage with Mary. If they fail, may they lose every shred of honour, and
‘be accounted unworthy and faithless Traytors.’
A copy of the names of the signatories, as given to Cecil by John Read,
George Buchanan’s secretary, ‘so far as John Read might remember,’ exists.
The names are Murray (who was not in Scotland), Argyll, Huntly, Cassilis,
Morton, Sutherland, Rothes, Glencairn, Caithness, Boyd, Seton, Sinclair,
Semple, Oliphant, Ogilvy, Ross-Halkett, Carlyle, Herries, Home,
Invermeath. ‘Eglintoun subscribed not, but slipped away.’[185] Names of
ecclesiastics, as Lesley, Bishop of Ross, appear in copies where Moray’s
name does not.[186] It is argued that Moray may have signed before leaving
Scotland, that this may have been a condition of his license to depart.
Mary’s confessor told de Silva that Moray did not sign.[187] That the
Lords received a warrant for their signatures from Mary, they asserted at
York (October, 1568), but was the document mentioned later at Westminster?
That they were coerced by armed force, was averred later, but not in
Kirkcaldy’s account of the affair, written on the day following. No
Hamilton signs, at least if we except the Archbishop; and Lethington, with
his friend Atholl, seems not even to have been present at the Parliament.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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