The X Jewel. A romance of the days of James VI

Front matter

A ROMANCE OF THE DAYS OF JAMES VI. BY THE HON. FKEDEEICK MONCEEIFF WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCXC VI AU Rights reserved CHAPTEE I. I WAS brought out of the Low Countries into Scotland in the year 1585 — by whom I need not to say here. For though it is now more than twenty years since the things I speak of passed, and they are forgotten by some who might have remembered them, there are others still in life who remember but may not wish them to be stirred. This, however, can I say — that my coming back was known to one who required it, and whose wish it was scarce possible for me to pass by. So, on the 3d of May in the above year, having made a quick passage from the Scheldt on a quiet A sea, I landed at the Fastcastle near to Eyemouth at eight hours of the morning. And glad indeed was I that morning when I jumped on to the jetty, and ran up the steps leading to the keep, which, as many know, are cut from the rock, and not easy to be found.

I was glad — what else should I be ? I had the yearning for my native land which is common to my race; and I had no great heart to remain in the service I had kept for the greater part of ten years. Monsieur was gone ; the Poor Frog of the Queen of England was dead of a fever. The Prince of Orange was dead, by the bullet of Balthasar Gerard, a mean fanatic and hired assassin. For this Prince lived at a time not yet distant when money and patents of nobility were given for the doing of murder. The Pope, for whom my Pastors have many injurious words, naming him Antichrist and that Man of Sin, offered his rewards openly — even as he might send the crier about for a lost dog. But when the English Harry, or the Queen his daughter, had a mind to the removal of a troublesome person, they handled the matter with some decency through the medium of an ambassador or envoy, though they paid not as hand somely as the Pope.

When the Prince fell, tbe life of the cause in the States seemed to die ; and to none was this so much due as to the termagant who misgoverned England. Surely there was scarce an evil thing done either in the Low Countries or my native Scotland, which she had not laboured to bring about. Her ambassadors came to Edinburgh with instructions to make it im possible to govern the country, to set one interest against another, and to lie to all— to King, Council, Ministers, Nobility, and Barons. Nobody should know this better than I ; but, if the commonty had known the truth, I fairly believe that they would have flayed the English ambassador alive in the Grassmarket, and sent his skin to his mistress. This and much more might they have done at that time with impunity; for if the Queen of England feared nothing else, she did fear a war with the Scots.

Chapter II

I cared little for the scuffle on the pier-head at the Fastcastle ; but the reception I met with in Edinburgh fairly took me aback. I came home in the belief that — it might be quietly, and not officially — some honour able service would be required of me ; and before I had been three hours in Edinburgh I was served with a peremptory notice to appear before the Council at eleven o'clock. I had dressed myself with care, purposing to seek out the lodging of the Colonel Stewart, whom his Highness greatly affected at this time ; so that the messenger of the Council had the benefit of my brigandine jacket with its facings of velvet and silk, which was lined in the inside with steel scales. He beheld, moreover, my hose, which lay loose round the hips, and fitting tight to the knees was tied below with bows.

His notice, however, caused me at once to forget these little vanities, for I marvelled at it not a little. But when the messenger had gone, my host, who was better acquainted with his office than I was, inquired in a whisper whether I was for Anti christ or Mr Andrew Melvill. "Saunders," said I, "why think you that the Council would only stretch forth its hand against the followers of these two ? " " I think so because there is nothing so perilous as religion. Eh ! man — may God forgie me ! — but I could drive a grand trade in this sinful auld toun if it werena for religion. It's swarming wi' men wi' maisters, and — what's waur — men wanting maisters ; but a body canna get peace to entertain them." " What do you mean, man ? " "Weel, sir, I'm speaking, not of my own religious opeenions, which are sound enough, but of those of other folk.

There are plenty of loons in this toun with faces long enough to turn a cup of ale sour, who would put the Bailie of the ward on to me for harbouring you — always supposing you were a Papist. And although the Bailie hath prosecuted no man these ten years — as ye can see by the state of the causeway — he would have to move against me. I would maybe be finit, or deprivit of my licence to import wines from Bordeaux or Oporto. Or if they were mindit to carry things with a high hand, I might be cast into the Thieves' Hole for a twalmonth, and booted before I would win out." "Ay, and if I were for Mr Andrew ? ' To my surprise Saunders made no reply to this, but looked moodily on the ground as if he had heard not. On my repeating the question, he tried out of courtesy to his guest to smile, but it was a wan, foolish, sickly smile ; and he looked again upon the ground.

At last he said, with some earnestness : " Ye'd maybe not notice that ye're summoned for eleven o'clock, whereas it's weel kenned that the Council rises at eleven, and does not sit again till two in the afternoon. Now, if ye are a friend of Mr Andrew's, I would beseech ye to have your horses saddled at once and brought to the foot of my garden. Ye could go by the Back of the Canongate, through the Kirk -of- Field Port, to the fields; and a few hours' ride would bring ye to the wild Earl of Both well's country." "No, Saunders; I shall bide my chance. I mean not to cut or burn for either Mr Andrew or Arch bishop Adamson." "It's easy seen," grumbled Saunders, " that ye ken naething about this country that speir at me that gate, and flee at my nose when I answer ye. Dinna ye ken that the Earl of Arran, him that was Captain James Stewart, holds the sway down yonder ?

" (Here he waved his hand comprehensively towards the east.) " There is nane to say Nay to him, if it be not his brother, the Colonel. They say the Colonel is very inward with his Highness. It seems but yesterday that the Earl made his peace with the Kirk, and went regularly to the sermon, very humble in appear ance and devout. There was to be an end of the feud between the Kirk and the Council, but it a' ended in smoke. One fine morning it was fund that the Ministers — them as were unco guid, or, as ye might term them, Puritans — had gone South on very urgent business ; and to this day they are going to and fro upon the face of England seeking rest for the soles of their feet." This was not news to me. The King, who was but a lad eighteen years of age, was said to be ruled by the Earl of Arran.

This so-called Earl, by name James Stewart, was a younger son of his house, who, having spent some time as a soldier of fortune in Sweden and the Low Countries, came home, and rose into great favour with the king. By some fantastic claim he dispossessed the Hamiltons of the earldom of Arran, and gathered to himself I know not what offices of trust and value. If my memory fails me not, he was at this time High Chancellor, Governor of Edinburgh and Stirling Castles, Provost of Edinburgh, Captain of the Guard, President of the Council, and Lieutenant- General of Scotland. Such distinctions are not in my country gathered by a mushroom nobleman without in terfering with other folk ; so it came about that there were sundry factions eating out their hearts in England, and waiting for a chance to end the sway, or the life, of Captain James — that is to say, the factions of the Hamiltons and Douglases, the Euthven Lords, as they were called, and the Presbyterian Ministers, who styled themselves sometimes the Kirk and sometimes the Saints of God.

These packing up their feuds made a combination so strong that the Earl of Arran was constrained to pray for the help of the Queen of England or the King of France. But none could say from which quarter the help might come ; and inasmuch as one of those monarchs was a Eoman, and the other of the Eeformed Eeligion, the choice of Popery or Presbytery seemed for the moment to hang upon a throw of the dice. Now the Earl had, as I have said, a brother who was known to all Scotland as the Colonel or Coronall. Some called him the Crownal. And I, having dressed myself with great care, was about to go in search of the lodging of this same Colonel when Saunders Eobertson interrupted me. I knew him for a true Scot and a good soldier, and I doubted not that for old acquaintance he would find for me at least a formal introduction to the Court.

But he knew not why I had come into Scotland, nor did I design to tell him ; and that for two reasons. The Colonel had taken to affairs of State, and it behoved him to " run a course," as they say, which might be his brother's, and would probably not be mine. In the second place, I had not much to tell, for I had trusted rather to the weight of those who sought me than to the information they gave. In short, it was thought that, if it were known at whose motion I came, the purpose of my coming would be defeated ; and as to that purpose, I should be the less embarrassed in concealing it if < it were not intrusted to me until my arrival. My insti notions, therefore, were to seek an independent entry to the Court, and await the occasion of my friends. And now, as it seemed, I was to be introduced to the Court in a character I had scarce looked for.

So, perceiving that I had been taken seriously in sus picion by some, I exchanged the brigandine jacket I was wearing for a stout steel corslet, and sallied forth with my two rascals at my heels. I left these latter in the western court of Holyrood house, and gave up my sword to the officer of the guard — for such was the custom at this dangerous moment. I was then carried to the south-eastern corner of the second court, and caused to ascend a turnpike stair which led from this point to the first floor. Thence I traversed a passage of some length, and going through an apartment in which certain idle persons were lounging about, I was brought into a chamber, the windows of which gave both to the north and south. In this chamber there were five or six persons. One sat at a table writing, while another stood beside him looking over his shoulder.

A third, a younger man, / r B < walked or lounged about the room, and the rest — one of whom I recognised for Colonel Stewart — stood about the fireplace. All wore the dress then in vogue at the Court of King James, the hose being deeply padded across the loins and hips. There was an absence of bright colours, and these men clearly wore their dress — which was rich enough — for use and not for show ; that of him who perambulated the room bore the signs of wear. Indeed I might at first have taken this man for a Court servitor, but there was something which forbade that. Nobody spoke, nobody looked up when we entered ; not the slightest notice was taken of us. " Sir," said I, after some small space, to the Groom of the Chamber who stood beside me, "I was sum moned to appear before the Council.

This is not the Council-Chamber. Are these gentlemen of the Coun cil? This is not well, sir." " Silence ! " he whispered, " the King has desired to see you himself." " By all means the King ; take me to the King. The King, sir, I would see the King." I suppose I spoke loudly, for a deep measured voice from behind answered — " Hauld your tongue, ye blethering bull. It becomes ye not to make so free with yon name in our presence. Pericles " (he continued to the man who was writing at the table), " who is the chiel ? Who the deil is he?" " It is Captain Eviot, sir, who was summoned before the Council for returning home without the permission of your Highness and the Council." " Never mind the Council," replied the young man, collapsing into the arm-chair at the head of the table ; " give me the notice."

Having obtained the notice and glanced through it, he tore it into fragments, which he flung into a box provided for rejected supplications and the like idle and unprofitable literature. Then placing his elbows on the table, he leaned his chin on his hands, and with large, dull, lack-lustre eyes, looked straight into my face. Whereupon I made a low obeisance to him, for by this time I saw he was the King; but he continued to stare moodily at me. I had begun to grow weary and almost to forget his presence, when he said abruptly — " What made ye come home, Andrew ? " I looked in vain for a twinkle in his eye, or signal of secret intelligence. This young old man was master of himself as well as of many other persons. "Sir," I said, "I had served ten years in foreign lands, and I was wearying to see my native Prince and my native country."

" That is weel said, and I am fain to hear it said in the vulgar tongue. But this zeal for your native Prince must be something mature by this time, for it is now six sorrowful years since we took upon us the burden of this realm. Why did ye not ask our leave to return ? " " I had come sooner, sir, but I might not run from my colours. As for my coming back, I had licence to go abroad for ten years ; and I knew not that, by the law of Scotland, I required any licence to return." " Ay, are ye there with your law ? As ye appeal unto Cæsar, maybe Cæsar — being for the time our Lord Justice-Clerk — will answer ye. What say you, Cæsar ? " " Your Highness will remember," said he who stood by the table, "that some stringent order was taken in view of the prevalence of the Pest." "The Pest, to be sure," cried the King, fidgeting in his chair; "maybe he has it on him.

Speak, man, are ye clengit, purgit of the infection ? Know ye not that all men are dischargit from approaching our person at this time without sufficient testimonial of health ? " " I have such testimonial from the burgomaster of Ghent, and I am here by the order of your Highness's Council." Upon this, he who sat writing at the table broke in, saying that the Council had been constrained to pass stringent orders on account of the return of expatriated Scotsmen, especially of Scottish Archers of the Guard, to Fastcastle, and of the many plots and attempts made of late upon the lives of illustrious persons. " Small need to remind us of that," said the King, as he wriggled out of his chair, and fell to walking about the room, talking — as it seemed — as much to himself as anybody else. "Twa Eegents violently and treasonably slain in this country, not to speak of our own father murdered in his bed, within sight of this our Palace.

Then it was but the other day that William the Silent, as they called him — he's silent enough now, poor man ! — had three drops of lead put through him by a common messenger fellow with a Bible under his oxter. "Ye can judge, Captain Andrew, what manner of times we live in here, when we behove to wear a bolster Eke this " (here he indicated the puffed padding of his hose) " about our royal loins, all to escape six inches of cruel steel in the wame. Yet we think not that there are any of Scottish blood who would lay hands, with bloody mind, upon our person — except — it might be " " Mr Andrew Melvill," said the person who was writing at the table ; the others, who were now standing by the King's chair, smiled, as men scarce daring to laugh. " Ay," resumed the King, " Mr Andrew would Eke to do it, but his religion will not let him.

So there is one article of religion upon which he and I agree. But as to the orders of Council, they are mair for the protection of the latent monarchs among you, my Lords, than for ourselves — for I ken that there are Jacobi Septimi among ye. Weel, as it is your affair, what say ye I should make of this Capitanus Redux ? " The man at the table said " Blackness " ; the Justice- Clerk suggested Stirling ; a third, whom I afterwards knew to be Lord Eothes, said that the Arx Episcopi at St Andrews was the only safe place for a man not purged of treason or the Pest. There was some laughter at this, in which the King joined not, though I know not why. The Colonel said nothing. " Na, na," said the king, shaking his head ; " it is weel kenned that, for a man of mean substance, con finement in one of our fortresses means ruin ; and if we were to dispose him upon the Archbishop, he would hardly escape from St Andrews with the skin upon his back.

Captain Andrew," he added, addressing me, " we like not this peremptory return of yours, this entering at both our front and back doors with out so much as crying Here I am; it partaketh too much of the appearance of force. It is therefore our wish that, until we are further informed of the occasion of your return to this realm, you retire your self benorth the Forth within twenty-four hours. You will reside at the Castle of Euthven in Strathearn — with which we are weel, we might say ower weel, acquaint ; and there you will be entertained by our Chancellor, the Earl of Arran, into whose hands the castle has been rendered for the moment. You will not be restrained in respect of your liberty, except that you will not pass two nights in succession away from your place of ward." I confess this sentence crushed me for the moment, and I walked back to my lodging scarce conscious of the passers-by.

Neglect I had looked for, and even hostility in certain quarters ; but to be coldly ignored and packed off like a vagabond beadsman by the man whose name had been used to draw me home, was not this overmuch ? I, who had lived a life of action and excitement, to rot and rust in a country tower in the company of husbandmen and occasional jackmen. For a moment I regretted that I had not spoken out plainly, both as to my return to Scotland, and the incident at Fastcastle ; but on reflection I saw that it would have been folly to do otherwise than I did. Perhaps there was a meaning in it which I could not see, and if I sulked, I might miss my chance, if it came. So I struggled to possess myself, and to watch and wait. I was followed to my lodging by the Colonel, who shook me warmly by the hand, and told me not to be cast down by the inhospitable reception I had met with.

He took me into the garden at the back of the lodging, and spoke to me with much earnestness ; but I was on my guard with him. His visit surprised me, for I knew it was unusual for a courtier to show kindness or cordiality to one who had, even in a trifling matter, offended the Court. And this was the second thing which made me think that my presence was understood by somebody, and that it was thought worthy of attention. " Captain Andrew," said he, " I came to you be cause you are a stranger to the ways of this Court. Here is a copy of the order in your case, signed by the King. The country is in a disturbed state, and furious searches are being made for men, especially in Fife and Strathearn. You may find it convenient to have that about you. Then you will be wise to leave Edinburgh at once.

You need not attempt to go by Stirling, for my good brother James has closed the Brig. The Queensferry is a little too near to Kin neil for you ; and, besides, on account of the Plague, the ferry-boats are everywhere forbidden to cross, except those plying between Leith and Kingorn." "You seem," said I, "to think that my Lord of Arran has some grudge against me. That can scarce be, for I have never crossed his path." " If there is anything," replied he, with some eva sion, "which you can tell me in confidence about your return to Scotland, I might be of some real service to you. I stand well with his Highness, and should stand better still but for James. James is my brother, but he is a rascal, and his wife is ; well, he will pinch you between his finger and thumb — so — like a fly, for a mere suspicion.

But he will first try to win you, and if he fails in that, look to yourself. I should be sorry to see you side with him. His motto is, ' Scotland for Captain James Stewart, and after him the devil.' I am for Scotland for the Scots, and in particular for Colonel William Stewart. James has not treated me fairly. His last exploit was to deprive me of the wardship of George Uchil trie's lass, which the King had promised me ; but we have not seen the end of that yet. Now, Eviot, I will travel for you with his Highness, if you wish it ; and if you should ever be in a position to assist me, I shall look with assurance for your help." All this was said with so simple and kindly an air that I would gladly have taken this valiant gentle man into my confidence. But that was not in the game, and I was not the man to turn my cloak.

Moreover, he spoke so meaningly that I failed not to see that he invited an explanation. Why? There was something behind this to which I could not as yet reach. So I thanked him warmly for his kind ness, and told him that I was always at his service ; but that in terms so general that he went not away content.

Chapter III

At this time the common passages across the Forth were, with one exception, forbidden, the Plague of Pestilence having appeared in Fife, being brought, as was said, by a collier to the Wester Wemyss. I therefore crossed by the ship Jonas of Leith to Pettycur, a small haven beside the town of Kingorn. Two Englishmen, most merry fellows, rode thence with me as far as Kinross. But afterwards I had reason to think that they rode rather for their own edification than mine, for I learned that they had haunted Kingorn for some time, and were beUeved to be in the pay of Mr Edward Wotton, then the Queen of England's Ambassador in Scotland. A man of my Lord of Arran's also came with me, on the pretext of showing me the way ; but, as I thought, that he might spy upon me. For both then and after I had much ado to escape his presence.

I resented this attention all the more because of his countenance, which made men almost doubt the kindness of Almighty God. His features were natur ally so villanous and mean, that no one born with the like might either be, or pass for, an honest man. His hair was of the rusty red ascribed to Iscariot, and therefore I would fain have called him Judas. Among his fellows he was Eed Eynian, or Busty Eynian ; and as he came from the Debateable Ground, he may have been one of Dick the Devil's bairns. But I was content to call him Barabbas ; and although he did once observe that his name was Eynian, he dropped the subject when I told him of my preference. We were stopped on Kinross Moor by a party of twenty lances belonging to the Earl of Crawford, but not detained. At Kinross were many great waggons, carrying timber, slates, and lime to the King's palace at Falkland; the waggoners but little content, although the King had promised, in verbo Principis, to be grateful for their service.

We saw also many sturdy beggars, idle persons, sickly bodies, and of those who will not work. So by way of Millsforth we passed into Strathearn, crossing the water of Earn by the Brig of that name, and not long after making the Castle of Euthven. This place is at no great distance from St Johnston. The water of Almond running here through a flat basin, a spur or knowe juts out into the flat from the ridge to the south of the water; and on that knowe stands the Castle of Euthven within a wall, marvellously secure. It consisted then of two blocks, besides a number of out-buildings. The eastern, and doubtless most ancient, part was a square or oblong keep of four storeys, which communicated by means of a turnpike, or newel, staircase, in the north-western corner of the building. On the upper part of this tower was the apartment assigned to me.

The western wing was a later and entirely distinct building, standing at some paces distance from the old keep, and was occupied bjr persons concerned with the management of the estate. The late Earl of Gowrie having been executed for treason in 1583, his Countess and children were compeUed to surrender the whole of his possessions — and amongst other things this Castle of Euthven, which for the time was placed in the Earl of Arran's hands. I had been a fortnight or so in this dreary place, when I made a discovery I might have made much sooner if I had cared to be inquisitive. But as I suspected that some manner of watch would be kept on me, I took care that no curiosity should be shown by my men or myself, and spent most of the time in hunting and hawking at a distance from the house. The monotony of this life began to pall on me, and I took to remaining more about the castle, having it in my mind to ride to Falkland and make a personal appeal to the King, if I could but win a reservation of his ear.

It happened about this time that a snatch of a song I had heard, I know not where, began — as men say — to run in my head. There was a cursed catch in it. Although I tried to drive it from me, it met me at every corner ; it caught me on the hills ; it wakened me in the morning ; it was the last thing I knew before I slept. I cudgelled my brain in order to call to mind where I had heard it, but to no purpose. Some of the words came back to me, and at times I found myself singing it. One afternoon, as the sun was cooling towards the horizon, I had gone to my room, which, as I have said, was on the top of the eastern keep. There was a door or window in the room opening on to the parapet, and facing towards the subsidiary or western part of the castle. As I was looking over my wardrobe, I fell into this song which, though plaintive and catching, I had begun to curse in silence and aloud.