the commons in a conference, that they could not give CHA P. their affent to the fupply voted, thinking it too small for XLIV. the queen's occafions: They, therefore, propofed a grant

of three fubfidies and fix fifteenths, and defired a farther 1593conference, in order to perfuade the commons to agree to this measure. The commons, who had acquired the privilege of beginning bills of fubfidy, took offence at this procedure of the lords, and at firft abfolutely rejected the propofal. But being afraid, on refletion, that they had, by this refufal, given offence to their fuperiors, they both agreed to the conference, and afterwards voted the additional fubfidy 7.

:

66

THE queen, notwithstanding this unufual conceffion of the commons, ended the feffion with a fpeech, containing fome reprimands to them, and full of the fame high pretenfions, which the had affumed at the opening of the parliament. She took notice, by the mouth of the keeper, that certain members spent more time than was neceffary, by indulging themselves in harangues and reafonings And the expreffed her difpleasure, on account of their not paying due reverence to privy counsellors, who," he told them, were not to be accounted as σε common knights and burgeffes of the house, who are "counsellors but during the parliament: Whereas the "others are standing counsellors, and for their wisdom "and great service are called to the council of the "state A" The queen alfo, in her own perfon, made the parliament a fpirited harangue; in which fhe spoke of the juftice and moderation of her government, expreffed the fmall ambition fhe had ever entertained of making conquefts, difplayed the juft grounds of her quarrel with the king of Spain, and difcovered how little the apprehended the power of that monarch, even though he fhould make a greater effort than that of his invincible Armada. "But I am informed," added fhe, that "when he attempted this laft invafion, fome upon the "fea-coaft forfook their towns, fled up higher into the country, and left all naked and expofed to his entrance: But I fwear unto you, by God, if I knew "thofe perfons, or may know of any that fhall do fo "hereafter, I will make them feel what it is to be fo ❝ fearful

66

1

66

Z D'Ewes, p. 483,487,488. Townsend, p. 66. A D'Ewes, p. 466. Townsend, p. 47.

CHAP." fearful in fo urgent a caufe B." By this menace, the XLIV. probably gave the people to understand, that she would exercise martial law upon fuch cowards: For there was no ftatute, by which a man could be punished for changing his place of abode.

1593

THE king of France, though he had hitherto made war on the League with great bravery and reputation, though he had this campaign gained confiderable advantages over them, and though he was affifted by a confiderable body of English, under Norris, who carried hoftilities into the heart of Britanny; was become fenfible, that he never could, by force of arms alone, render himself master of his kingdom. The nearer he feemed by his military fucceffes to approach to full poffeffion of the throne, the more discontent and jealousy arofe among thofe Romanists who adhered to him; and a party was formed in his own court to elect fome catholic monarch of the royal blood, if Henry refufed any longer to satisfy them, by declaring his converfion. This excellent prince was far from being a bigot to his fect; and as he deemed these theological difputes entirely fubordinate to the public good, he had tacitly determined, from the beginning, to come, fome time or other, to the refolution required of him. He had found, on the death of his predeceffor, that the hugonots, who formed the bravest and most faithful part of his army, were such determined zealots, that if he had, at that time, abjured their faith, they would inftantly have abandoned him to the pretenfions and ufurpations of the catholics. The more bigotted catholics, he knew, particularly thofe of the League, had entertained fuch an unfurmountable prejudice against his person, and diffidence of his fincerity, that even his abjuration would not reconcile them to his title; and he muft either expect to be entirely excluded from the throne, or to be admitted to it on fuch terms as would leave him little more than the mere shadow of royalty. In this delicate fituation he had refolved to temporize; to retain the hugonots by continuing in the profeffion of their religion; to gain the moderate catholics by giving them hopes of his converfion; to attach both to his perfon by conduc and fuccefs; and he hoped, either that the animosity arifing from war against the League would make them drop gradually

D'Ewes, p. 466. Townsend, p. 48.

gradually the question of religion, or that he might, in CHA P. time, after fome victories over his enemies, and fome XLIV. conferences with divines, make finally, with more decency

and dignity, that abjuration, which must have appeared, 1593. at first, both mean and fufpicious to both parties.

WHEN the people are attached to any theological te- Henry IV. embraces nets, merely from a general perfuafion or prepoffeffion, the cathothey are easily induced, by any motive or authority, to lic relichange their faith in thefe myfterious fubjects; as appears from the example of the English, who, during fomegion, reigns, generally embraced, without fcruple, the still varying religion of their fovereigns. But the French nation, where principles had fo long been displayed as the badges of faction, and where each party had fortified its belief by an animofity against the other, were not found fo pliable or inconftant; and Henry was at last convinced, that the catholics of his party would entirely abandon him, if he gave them not immediate fatisfaction in this particular. The hugonots alfo, taught by experience, clearly faw, that his desertion of them was become.ablolutely neceffary for the public fettlement; and fo general was this perfuafion among them, that, as the duke of Sully pretends, even the divines of that party purposely allowed themselves to be worsted in the difputes and conferences, that the king might more readily be convinced of the weakness of their caufe, and might more cordially and fincerely, at leaft more decently, embrace the religion, which it was fo much his intereft to believe. If this felf-denial, in fo tender a point, fhould appear incredible and fupernatural in theologians, it will, at leaft, be thought very natural, that a prince, fo little inftructed in thefe points as Henry, and defirous to preferve his fincerity, Thould infenfibly bend his opinion to the neceffity of his affairs, and should believe that party to have the best arguments, who could alone put him in poffeffion of a kingdom. All circumstances, therefore, being prepared for this great event, that monarch renounced the proteftant religion, and was folemnly received, by the French prelates of his party, into the bofom of the church.

ELIZABETH,

СНАР.

ELIZABETH, who was herfelf chiefly attached to the XLIV. proteftants, by her interefts and the circumstances of her birth, and who feems to have entertained fome propen1593 fity, during her whole life, to the catholic fuperftition, at leaft to the antient ceremonies, yet pretended to be extremely displeased with this abjuration of Henry; and fhe wrote him an angry letter, reproaching him with this interefted change of his religion. Senfible, however, that the League and the king of Spain were ftill their common enemies, the hearkened to his apologies, continued her fuccours both of men and money, and formed a new treaty, in which they mutually ftipulated never to make peace but by common agree

Scotch affairs.

ment.

THE intrigues of Spain were not limited to France and England: The never failing pretence of religion, joined to the influence of money, excited new diforders in Scotland, and gave fresh alarms to Elizabeth. George Ker, brother to lord Newbottle, had been taken, while he was paffing fecretly into Spain; and papers were found about him, by which a dangerous confpiracy of fome catholic noblemen with Philip was discovered. The earls of Angus, Errol, and Huntley, the heads of three potent families, had entered into confederacy with the Spanish monarch; and had ftipulated to raife all their forces; to join them to a body of Spanish troops, which Philip engaged to fend into Scotland; and after re-establishing the catholic religion in that kingdom, to march with their united power, in order to effectuate the fame purpose in England C. Graham of Fintry, who had also entered into this confpiracy, was taken and arraigned, and executed. Elizabeth fent lord Borough ambaffador into Scotland, and exhorted the king to exercise the same severity on the three earls, to confifcate their eftates, and by annexing them to the crown, both increase his own demefnes, and let an example to all his fubjects of the dangers attending treafon and rebellion. This advice was certainly rational, but not eafy to be executed by

C

c Spotfwood, p. 391. Rymer, tom. xvi. p. 190.

the

1593.

the fmall revenue and limited authority of James. He CHAP. defired, therefore, fome fupply from her of men and mo- XLIV. ney; but though fhe had reafon to deem the profecution of the three popish earls a common caufe, fhe never could be prevailed on to grant him the leaft affiftance. The tenth part of the expence, which the bestowed in fupporting the French king and the ftates, would have fufficed to execute this purpose, more immediately effential to her fecurity D: But the feems ever to have borne fome degree of malignity to James, whom the hated, both as her heir, and as the fon of Mary, her hated rival and competitor.

So far from giving James affistance to profecute the catholic confpirators, the queen rather contributed to encrease his inquietude, by countenancing the turbulent difpofition of the earl of Bothwel E, a nobleman defcended from a natural fon of James the fifth. Bothwel more than once attempted to render himself mafter of the king's perfon; and being expelled the kingdom for these traiterous enterprizes, he took fhelter in England, was fecretly protected by the queen, and lurked near the borders, where his power lay, with a view of ftill effecting fome new violence. He fucceeded at laft in an attempt on the king; and by the mediation of the English ambaffador, impofed very difhonourable terms upon that prince: But James, with the authority of the convention of states, annulled this agreement as extorted by violence; again expelled Bothwel the country; and obliged him to take shelter in England. Elizabeth, pretending ignorance of the place of his retreat, never executed the treaties, by which he was bound to deliver up all rebels and fugitives to the king of Scotland. During thefe diforders, encreafed by the refractory difpofition of the ecclefiaftics, the profecution of the catholic earls remained in fufpence; but at laft the parliament paffed an act of attainder against them, and the king prepared himself to execute it by force of arms. The noblemen, though they obtained a victory over the earl of Argyle, who acted by the king's commiffion, found themselves hard preffed by James himfelf, and agreed, on certain terms, to leave the kingdom. Bothwel, being detected in a confederacy with them, for

D Spotfwood, p. 393. Rymer, tom. xvi. p. 235. wood, p. 257 258.

1594.