for fending over armies, for entirely subduing the country, C H A P. for attainting the rebels ", and for preparing means thence XXXIX. to invade England, and fupport Mary's title to the crown of that kingdom. The leaders of the congregation, well 1559. acquainted with these views, were not infenfible of their danger, and faw that their only safety confifted in the vigour and fuccefs of their mea fures. They were encouraged by the intelligence received of the fudden death of Henry the fecond; and having passed an act from their own authority, depriving the queen dowager of the regency, and ordering all the French troops to evacuate the kingdom, they collected forces to put their edict in execution against them. They became masters again of Edinburgh; but found themselves unable to keep long poffeffion of that city. Their tumultuary armies, affembled in hafte, and fupported by no pay, foon separated themselves upon the leaft difafter, or even any delay of fuccefs; and were incapable of resisting fuch veteran troops as the French, who were also feconded by fome of the Scottish nobility, among whom the earl of Bothwel diftinguished himself. Hearing that the marquis of Elbeuf, brother to the regent, was levying a new army against them in Germany, they thought themselves excufable for applying, in this extremity, to the affiftance of England; and as the fympathy of religion, as well as regard to national liberty, had now counterbalanced the antient animofity against that kingdom, this meafure was the refult of inclination, no less than of_intereft G. Maitland of Lidington, therefore, and Robert Melvil, were fecretly dispatched by the congregation to folicit fuccours from Elizabeth. THE wife council of Elizabeth deliberated not long Interpofiin agreeing to this request, which concurred fo well with tion of the the views and interests of their mistress. Cecil in parti- queen in cular reprefented to the queen, that the union of the Scotch afcrown of Scotland and France, both of them the here- fairs. ditary enemies of England, was ever regarded as a pernicious event; and her father, as well as protector Somerfet, had employed every expedient, both of war and negociation, to prevent it: That the claim, which Mary advanced to the crown, rendered the prefent fituation of England F Forbes, vol. i. p. 139. Thuan, lib. xxiv. c. 13. note at the end of the volume. G See CHA P. England ftill more dangerous, and demanded, on the part XXXIX. of the queen, the greatest vigilance and precaution: That the capacity, ambition, and exorbitant views of the fa1559. mily of Guife, who now governed the French counfels, were fufficiently known: and they themselves made no fecret of their design to place their niece on the throne of England: That deeming themselves fecure of fuccefs, they had already, fomewhat imprudently and prematurely, taken off the mafk; and Throgmorton, the Englifh ambaffador at Paris, fent over, by every courier, inconteftible proofs of their hoftile intentions : That they only waited till Scotland fhould be entirely subdued and having thus deprived the English of the advantages, refulting from their fituation and naval power, they prepared means for fubverting the queen's authority: That the zealous catholics in England, difcontented with the present government, and fatisfied in the legality of Mary's title, would bring them confiderable reinforcement, and would disturb every measure of defence against that formidable power: That the only expedient for preventing these designs was to feize the present opportunity, and take advantage of a like zeal in the proteftants of Scotland; nor could any doubt be entertained with regard to the juftice of a meafure, founded on fuch evident neceffity, and directed only to the ends of felf-prefervation : That though a French war, attended with great expence, feemed the neceffary confequence of fupporting the malcontents in Scotland, that power, if removed to the continent, would be much lefs formidable; and a small difbursement at prefent would in the end be found the greatest frugality: And that the domestic diffentions of France, which every day augmented, together with the alliance of Philip, who, notwithstanding his bigotry and hypoerify, would never permit the entire conqueft of England, were fufficient to fecure the queen against the dangerous ambition and refentment of the house of Guise 1. ELIZABETH'S propenfity to caution and economy was, though with fome difficulty K, overcome by these powerful motives; and the prepared herself to support by H Forbes, vol. i. p. 134, 136, 149, 150, 159, 165, 181, 194, 229, 231, 235- -241, 253. I Forbes, vol. i. p. 387. Jebb, vol. i. p. 448. Keith, append. 24. K Forbes, vol. i. P. 454, 460. by arms and money the declining affairs of the congre- CHA P. gation in Scotland. She equipped a fleet, which con- XXXIX. fifted of thirteen fhips of war; and giving the command of it to Winter, fhe fent it to the Frith of Forth: She 1559. named the young duke of Norfolk her lieutenant in the northern counties, and the affembled at Berwic an army of eight thousand men, under the command of lord Gray, warden of the east and middle marches. Though the court of France, fenfible of the danger, offered her to make immediate reftitution of Calais, provided the would not interpofe in the affairs of Scotland; the refolutely replied, that she never would put an inconfiderable fisher-town in competition with the fafety of her dominions; and fhe ftill continued her preparations, She concluded a treaty of mutual defence with the congregation, which was to laft during the marriage of the queen of Scots with Francis and a year after; and the promifed never to defift till the French had entirely evacuated Scotland M. And having thus taken all proper meafures for fuccefs, and received from the Scots fix. hoftages for the performance of articles, the ordered her fleet and army to begin their operations. The English THE appearance of Elizabeth's fleet in the Frith dif- 1560. concerted the French army, who were at that time ra- Jan. 15. vaging the county of Fife; and obliged them to make a circuit by Stirling, in order to reach Leith, where they prepared themfelves for defence. army, reinforced by 5000 Scots N, fat down before that place; and after two fkirmishes, in the former of which the English had the advantage, in the latter the French, they began to batter the town; and though repulfed with confiderable lofs in a rafh and ill-conducted affault, they reduced the garrifon to great difficulties. Their diftrefs was augmented by two events; the difperfion by a ftorm of d'Elbeuf's fleet, which carried a confiderable army on board o, and the death of the queen-regent, who expired about this time in the caftle of Edinburgh; a woman endowed with all the capacity which fhone forth in her family, but poffeffed of much more virtue and moderation than appeared in the conduct of the other L Spotfwood, p. 146. State papers, vol. i. p. 153. Haynes, vol. i. p. 256, 259. M Knox, P. 217. Hayne's CHA P. other branches of it. The French, who found it imXXXIX. poffible to subsist for want of provifions, and who faw, that the English were continually reinforced by fresh 1560. numbers, were obliged to capitulate: And the bishop of Valence and count Randan, plenipotentiaries from France, figned a treaty at Edinburgh with Cecil and Dr. Wotton, whom Elizabeth had fent thither for that 5th July. purpofe. It was there ftipulated, that the French should Settlement inftantly evacuate Scotland; that the king and queen of of ScotFrance and Scotland fhould thenceforth abstain from land. bearing the arms of England, or affuming the title of that kingdom; that farther fatisfaction for the injury already done in that particular fhould be granted Elizabeth; and that commiffioners fhould meet to fettle this point, or if they could not agree, that the king of Spain fhould be arbiter between the two crowns. Befides thefe ftipulations, which regarded England, some conceffions were granted to the Scots; namely, that an amnesty should be published for all paft offences; that none but natives should be put into any office in Scotland; that the ftates fhould name twenty-four perfons, from whom the queen of Scots fhould chuse seven, and the states five, and in the hands of these twelve should the whole administration be placed during the queen's abfence; and that Mary should neither make peace nor war without the confent of the ftates P. In order to haften the execution of this important treaty, Elizabeth fent ships, by which the French forces were transported into their own country. THUS Europe faw, in the first tranfaction of this reign, the genius and capacity of the queen and her minifters. She difcerned at a distance the danger, which threatened her; and took inftantly vigorous meafures to prevent it. Making all poffible advantages of her fituation, the proceeded with celerity to a decifion; and was not diverted by any offers, negotiations, or remonftrances of the French court. She stopped not till she had brought the matter to a final iffue; and had converted that very power, to which her enemies trusted for her destruction, into her firmeft fupport and fecurity. By exacting no improper conditions from the Scottish malcontents even during their greatest Rymer, vol. xv. p. 593. Keith, p. 137. Spotswood, p. 147. Knox, p. 229. 1560. greatest distresses, the established an entire confidence C H A P. with them; and having cemented the union by all the ties XXXIX. of gratitude, intereft, and religion, the now poffeffed an influnce over them above what remained with their native sovereign. The regard, which the acquired by this dextrous and fpirited conduct, gave her every where, abroad as well as at home, more authority than had attended her fister, though fupported by all the power of the Spanish monarchy Q THE fubfequent measures of the Scotch reformers tended ftill more to cement their union with England. Being now entirely masters of the kingdom, they made no farther ceremony or fcruple, in fully effecting their purpose. In the treaty of Edinburgh it had been agreed, that a parliament or convention should foon be affembled; and the leaders of the congregation, not waiting till the queen of Scots should ratify that treaty, thought themfelves fully entitled, without the fovereign's authority, immediately to fummon a parliament. The reformers prefented a petition to this affembly; in which they were not contented with defiring the establishment of their doctrine; they alfo applied for the punishment of the catholics, whom they called vassals to the Roman harlot; and they afferted, that among all the rabble of the clergy, fuch is their expreffion, there was not one lawful minifter, but that they were, all of them, thieves and murderers; yea, rebels and traitors to civil authority; and therefore unworthy to be fuffered in any reformed commonwealth R. The parliament seem to have been actuated by the fame fpirit of rage and perfecution. After ratifying a confeffion of faith, agreeable to the new doctrines, they paffed a statute against the mafs, and not only abolished it in all the churches, but enacted, that whoever, any where, either officiated in it or was present at it, fhould be chaftifed, for the first offence, with confifcation of goods and corporal punishment, at the difcretion of the magiftrate; for the second, with banishment; and for the third, with lofs of life. A law was also voted for abolishing the papal jurifdiction in Scotland: The prefbyterian form of difcipline was fettled, leaving only at first some fhadow of authority to certain ecclefiaftics, whom they called fuperintendants. The Forbes, vol. i. p. 354, 372. Jebb, vol. ii. p. 452. R Knox, p. 237, 238. s Ibid. p. 254. |