Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587; Queens -- Scotland -- Biography; Scotland -- History -- Mary Stuart, 1542-1567
The tale of Darnley’s then keeping a mistress arose, says Lennox, from the
fact that one of two Englishmen in his service, brothers, each called
Anthony Standen, brought a girl into the Castle. The sinner was, when
Lennox wrote, in France. Nearly forty years after James VI. imprisoned him
in the Tower, and he wrote a romantic memoir of which there is a
manuscript copy at Hatfield.
Whatever Mary’s feelings towards Darnley, when making an inventory of her
jewels for bequests, in case she and her child both died, she left her
husband a number of beautiful objects, including the red enamel ring with
which he wedded her.[61] Whatever her feelings towards Moray, she lodged
him and Argyll in the Castle during her labour: ‘Huntly and Bothwell would
also have lodged there, but were refused.’[62] Sir James Melville (writing
in old age) declares that Huntly and Lesley, Bishop of Ross, ‘envied the
favour that the Queen showed unto the Earl of Moray,’ and wished her to
‘put him in ward,’ as dangerous. Melville dissuaded Mary from this course,
and she admitted Moray to the Castle, while rejecting Huntly and
Bothwell.[63]
James VI. and I. was born on June 19. Killigrew carried Elizabeth’s
congratulations, and found that Argyll, Moray, Mar, and Atholl were
‘linked together’ at Court. Bothwell had tried to prejudice Mary against
Moray, as likely to ‘bring in Morton during her child-bed,’ but Bothwell
had failed, and gone to the Border. ‘He would not gladly be in the danger
of the four that lie in the Castle.’ Yet he was thought to be ‘more in
credit’ with Mary than all the rest. If so, Mary certainly ‘dissembled her
love,’ to the proverbial extent. Darnley was in the Castle, but little
regarded.[64] Moray complained that his own ‘credit was yet but small:’ he
was with the Privy Council, Bothwell was not.[65] By July 11, Moray told
Cecil that his favour ‘stands now in good case.’[66]
He had good reason to thank God, as he did. According to Nau, Huntly and
Bothwell had long been urging Darnley to ruin Moray and Lethington, and
Darnley had a high regard for George Douglas, now in exile, his agent with
Ruthven for Riccio’s murder.[67] This is confirmed by a letter from Morton
in exile to Sir John Forster in July. Morton had heard from Scotland that
Bothwell and Darnley were urging Mary to recall the said George Douglas,
whom they expected to denounce Moray and Lethington as ‘the devisers of
the slaughter of Davy.’ ‘I now find,’ says Morton, ‘that the King and
Bothwell are not likely to speed, as was written, for the Queen likes
nothing of their desire.’[68]
Thus Mary was protecting Moray from the grotesque combination of Bothwell
and Darnley. This is at a time when ‘Bothwell was all in all,’ according
to Lennox, and when she had just tried to embroil Moray and her husband by
bidding Darnley seduce Lady Moray. By Moray’s and Morton’s own showing,
Moray’s favour was ‘in good case,’ and he was guarded from Darnley’s
intrigues.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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