The life of Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland

Preface

The success of " The Queens of England " encourages the belief that a similar work on the Queens of Scotland will be warmly welcomed. It can scarcely fail to excite interest, the events connected with the lives of the sovereigns of both countries being so closely interwoven that they have been pronounced links in the same family chain. Those who have read the biography of Queen Elizabeth will observe how she influenced the destiny of Mary Stuart, though the two monarchs never met. Each was a star shining in a distinct orbit, while casting light on the other.

The earlier Queens of Scotland have not been considered sufficiently important to engage the attention of many historians ; but as a prelude to the times in which Mary Stuart reigned, they ought to be carefully studied. As for the character of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the motives which prompted her actions, it is scarcely possible, even after the lapse of three centuries, to form a correct judgment, though hundreds of volumes have been written on the subject by biographers of divers religious and political opinions. As we have followed Strickland exclusively,

8 Preface.

the most favorable of Mary's traits have been made prominent ; and, though her faults receive notice, she appears the victim of party prejudice and a martyr to her religion. As such, our sympathies are aroused in her behalf, and we are led to condemn in the statesmen who controlled her fate the very actions which others have pronounced commendable. It is only by careful study of the sixteenth century and of the condition of Europe that our readers may hope to form opinions for themselves on the question as to whether Mary Stuart was or was not guilty of the crimes ascribed to her.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Mary Stuart . Frontispiece

Catherine de Medicis 23

Claude de Lorraine 27

Henry II ■ 35

Francis II. and Mary ......... 4^

Prince de Conde 44

^ Francis II. 47

^ Joust where Henry II. was wounded 5^

. Deathbed of Henry II 55

t Francis de Lorraine 59

Execution of Amboise 63

Deathbed of Francis II 67

Mary landing at Leith 81

Ruins of Holyrood Chapel 85

Knox and Mary 89

John Knox lOi

Death of Guise "3

Philip II. of Spain 121

- Henry III ^Zl

<^ Calvin '39

L William Cecil 161

t. Lord Darnley '°5

Holyrood House ^75

Murder of Riccio ^95

Charles IX. of France 213

Illnstratio7is.

Elizabeth

^ Edinburgh Castle 255

' Street in Edinburgh 263

I Holyrood Palace 271

'' Charles V. of Germany ........ 279

Edinburgh Castle and Hill 291

Medallion Portrait of Mary 295

• Mary Surrenders at Carberry Hill ...... 305

Lochleven Castle 313

'' Mary about to sign her resignation at Lochleven . . . 319

James I. 327

Holyrood 333

Edinburgh, Castle, and H61yrood 355

1 Queen Mary 367

Don John of Austria 391

Mary in Prison 413

'' An English Hall 419

The St. Bartholomew 429

I Edinburgh Castle 445

Queen Mary Protesting against the Commissioners . , . 457

Mary Stuart swearing she had never sought Elizabeth's life . 465

Mary Bidding Farewell to her Attendants 475

Earl of Essex 481

MARY STUART.

Chapter I

More books have been written about Mary Stuart than about all the other queens in the world put together ; yet the question of her guilt or innocence is still open to discussion, though three centuries have elapsed since her death. Of course the facts connected with her career are the same with every historian. But the pen of each has colored them from his point of view ; and an action that appears angelic to one is pronounced demoniacal by another. 'Creed and party principle have had much to do towards influencing the various opinions ; but it must be borne in mind that with three notorious exceptions, — Queen Elizabeth, Catherine de Medicis, and the Countess of Shrewsbury, — Mary had no enemies among her own sex ; and surely, the moral standard erected by women for one another is not lower than that which is required of them by men. No female witnesses from the unfortunate queen's household came forward to testify against her, even after she had lost the power to purchase their secrecy ; and not one of the ladies of her court, whether Catholic or Protestant, lifted up her voice in censure. Certainly she is, and has ever been, an object of tender and romantic interest, her name throwing that of every Other queen of Scotland into the shade. With the particulars of every period of her life, which have come to light after the lapse of years, a better opportunity is afforded of forming an impartial judgment ; and our readers will be enabled to decide for themselves whether Mary Stuart was innocent or guilty of the extraordinary crime of which she was accused.

[A.D. 1542.] This princess first saw the light in Linlithgow Palace ; and there was no little disappointment expressed because she was not a prince ; for, as her royal father was on his deathbed, the Scottish people had looked forward with some impatience to the birth of an heir to the throne, who might, in course of time, rule them with a powerful hand. The king himself died without bequeathing her his blessing, and from the moment of her birth controversy attended her. She was born in troublous times, and while still in her cradle danger threatened her from various quarters. Scarcely were her royal father's eyes closed in death when the Earl of Arran claimed the regency of the realm, and threatened to tear her from her mother's arms. In the biography of Mary of Lorraine, it has been shown with what pertinacity the queen-mother struggled to retain possession of her child, and how she kept her constantly in her own apartments, fearing to lose sight of the coveted infant.

Janet Sinclair, wife of John Kemp of Haddington, was chosen to nurse the little Queen of Scotland ; and she performed her office so faithfully that everybody who was permitted to visit the nursery pronounced her charge " a fair and goodly babe."

As soon as Henry VIII. of England heard of the accession of his grandniece to the throne of Scotland, his first thought was how he could contrive to get her inheritance into his own hands ; and, as a pretext, he demanded her as a wife for his son. Prince Edward. When she was

1542. Mary Stiiart. 17

little more than four months old, he made known his intention to invade Scotland, both by sea and land, unless the royal infant were placed in his possession. But as the people and the laws of Scotland were opposed to such a step, it was agreed that she should be sent to England when she was ten years old, and that meanwhile forty officials from among King Henry's subjects should have places in her household.

The able manner in which Mary of Lorraine managed to elude the vigilance of both Arran and Henry VHI., and to get herself and her infant safe within the walls of Stirling Castle, has been recounted in the biography of that queen.

In the bracing, invigorating air of Stirling little Mary grew rapidly, cut her teeth as other babies do, and had the customary number of infantile disorders. But, unlike ordinary infants, she was engaged to be married when she was scarcely nine months old ; for the treaty of peace with England, which included the contract for her union with her cousin Edward, was signed and sealed on the 23d of August, 1543, at the Abbey of Holyrood.

After this act was performed, Sir Ralph Sadler, the English ambassador, entered into a conversation about it with Sir Adam Otterbourne, a Scotch statesman, and enlarged on the benefits to both realms to be derived from the alliance. " Why, think you that the treaty will be performed ? " asked Otterbourne. *' Why not ? " returned Sadler. " I assure you it is impossible, for our people do not like it," was the reply ; " and though our governor and some of the nobility for certain reasons have consented to it, yet I know that few or none of them do like it, and our common people do utterly dislike it." Sadler pronounced this feeling unnatural, and said that God had ordained it as a special favor to both realms that they

Mary Stuart.

should be united by the marriage of the Prince of England and the Scottish queen. " I pray you," said Otterbourne, "give me leave to ask you a question: If your lad were a lass, and our lass a lad, would you then be so earnest in this matter, and could you be content that our lad should be king of England ? " " Considering the great good that might ensue from it, I should not be a friend to my country if I did not desire it," answered Sadler. "Well," rejoined the Scotchman, "if you had the lass, and we the lad, we might be well content with it ; but I cannot believe that your nation would agree to have a Scot for King of England ; and I assure you that our nation, being a stout one, will never agree to have an Englishman King of Scotland ; and though the whole nobility of the realm would consent to it, yet our common people and the stones in the street would rise and rebel against it."

[A.D. 1543.] Otterbourne was right ; for in less than a fortnight after the signing of the treaty, it was ruptured, because Governor Arran found it impossible to furnish the hostages Henry had demanded. Besides, he was ashamed of the compact he had consented to, and alarmed at the threats of the people, who accused him of having sold their queen to the English. He therefore made haste to undo his work, and formed a sudden friendship with Cardinal Beton, his former enemy, who reconciled him to the queen-mother. Then prompt measures were taken for the coronation of the infant sovereign ; and the ceremony was performed in Stirling church, on Sunday, Sept. 9, 1543.

Enveloped in regal robes, little Mary was carried from her nursery, and borne in solemn procession, with her lord keepers and officers of state, across the green to the church, where she was presented to her people as Sovereign

Lady of Scotland and the Isles. The crown was carried by Governor Arran, as the first prince of the blood royal of Scotland, and heir of the realm. The Earl of Lennox bore the sceptre, as next in degree ; but who acted as sponsor in pronouncing the coronation oath, who held the infant while the office of consecration was performed by Cardinal Beton, and who placed the crown upon her infant brow, the sceptre in the little hand, and girded her with the sword of state, there are no records to tell. Probably they were destroyed by the traitors who that day swore to defend their sovereign at the peril of life and limb. But we are informed that the babe wept, and it was observed with superstitious terror that she continued to do so throughout the ceremony. In this she did not differ from most infants of nine months ; for she suddenly found herself separated from her nurse and mother, and placed amongst strange men, whom she had never seen before, while a crowd stood around gazing at her and uttering loud acclamations, with trumpet blasts for accompaniment. Then every prelate and peer had to kneel in turn before the throne and place his hand on the child's head, while repeating the oath of allegiance to be loyal and true. Is it to be wondered at that she wept during such an ordeal ?

Henry VIII. was so angry when he heard that the coronation had been solemnized without his leave that he ordered little Mary to be seized, during her mother's absence, and conveyed to England. But her mother did not leave her at all ; besides, she was so closely watched that the ambassador reported it as utterly impossible to obey his sovereign unless the castle were besieged, and that even then the child could easily be conveyed to the Highlands by her keepers, where she could not even be approached. Henry was baffled ; but he regarded the harmless babe with vindictive hatred because she, and her realm with her, had not been surrendered into his unscrupulous hands.

[A.D. 1547.] In consequence of the disastrous battle of Pinkie Cleugh, the young queen was removed for safety from Stirling to the priory on Inchmahome Island, a beautiful, picturesque spot, famous for its fine Spanish chestnut trees. She was accompanied by her mother, her nurse, Janet Sinclair, and her four young namesakes, playmates, classmates, and maids of honor, Mary Beton, Mary Seton, Mary Livingstone, and Mary Fleming. There were also her tutors, her governess, and her lord keeper, Livingstone, besides less important members of her household. In the cloister shades of Inchmahome Mary Stuart pursued her studies, with her four little friends, under the care of John Erskine, the prior, and her schoolmaster, Alexander Scott, parson of Balmaclellan. f Although only five years old when she was taken to the priory, little Mary had already made considerable progress in her studies, under her mother's tuition. She spoke French well, and she now began to study history, geography, and Latin, and her governess. Lady Fleming, gave her lessons in tapestry work and embroidery. She looked wonderfully pretty in the quiet retreat that had been selected for her ; for the Highland costume in which she was attired was most picturesque and becoming. Her bright golden tresses were tied back with rose-colored satin ribbon, and she wore a tartan scarf gracefully draped over black silk and fastened with a golden clasp engraved with the united arms of Scotland and Lorraine. She was so charmins: in her manners that all hearts were attracted towards her; and, from her masters down to the simple fishermen and mountaineers of the neighborhood, she was universally adored.

[A.D. 1548.] As Queen of Inchmahome, Mary Stuart played her little games with her juvenile court on the shores of the placid lake, ^studied her lessons, and passed the days in unconscious happiness, while her royal mother was attending the conventions at Haddington to arrange articles for her marriage with the Dauphin Francis de Valois. At last it was agreed that the little queen should be sent to France to continue her education ; and the happy island home was broken up. The household removed to Dumbarton to await the arrival of the French galleys, and on the 7th of August they embarked for their .new home. It was with heavy hearts and many bittei tears that Mary of Lorraine and her daughter bade each other farewell, for they were separating for the first time ; but the child's safety required the sacrifice, and the loving mother did not hesitate. The Queen of Scots was placed in charge of De Breze, Seneschal of Normandy, who received her in the name of his sovereign ; and she was accompanied by her faithful lord keepers, Livingstone and Erskine, her preceptors, her nurse, about a hundred persons of quality of both sexes, and the four little Marys.

The English Regent, Somerset, being duly informed by one of his spies of the intention of the queen-mother to send the infant sovereign to France, ordered out l;is fleet to waylay her, and carry her to Englartd instead ; but the French commander kept well out of the way. The voyage was so stormy that all the ladies and most of the gentlemen on shipboard suffered severely from sea-sickness ; but the coast of Bretagne was made at last, and, as a fearful storm was prevailing, the fleet ran into the little port of Roscoff, among the rocks, at that time a nest of pirates and smugglers.

On the 20th of August, Mary and her train arrived at the city of Morlaix, where the Lord of Rohan and all the nobility of the district had assembled to receive the illustrious stranger, and to conduct her to the Dominican convent, where she was to sleep. It was considered necessary for her to remain at Morlaix for a couple of days, to recover from the fatigue and illness caused by the voyage ; and so great was the concourse of people from all quarters who pressed into the town to obtain a sight of her, that the gates were thrown from their hinges, and the chains from all the bridges were broken down.

When little Mary and her attendants had rested, the journey was resumed by short stages towards the palace of St. Germain.

Mary had been consigned particularly to the care of her grandmother, the Duchesse de Guise ; but it was arranged that she should stay at St. Germain for a while ; and during that time she received instruction with her future consort, as the following letter from the king to Monsieur de Humieres, the dauphin's governor, proves : —

*' My Cousin, — Forasmuch as Paul de Rege, present bearer, is a very good ballet-dancer, and is, moreover, of very worthy and estimable conditions, I have been advised to appoint him to teach my son, the dauphin, how to dance ; and also, at the same time, my daughter, the Queen of Scotland, and the young gentlemen and ladies at present in the service of both, and my other children. For this purpose do you present him to my son ; and make him lodge and eat with the other ofificers."

[A.D. 1549.] Mary profited so well by the lessons of Paul de Rege that, in the course of a few weeks, she and her young partner, the dauphin, danced together before the king and queen, the foreign ambassadors, and the

Mary Stuart.

entire court, at the marriage fete of the Due d'Aumale, and attracted universal admiration. Mary inherited from both her parents a passionate love of music, to which she devoted a great deal of time ; and she was fond of poetry

CATHERINE DE MEDICIS.

besides. Being half- French and half-Scotch, she was full of vivacity and energy, and entered into all sorts of sports and games with the most inspiriting glee, the ardor of her temperament manifesting itself in whatever she did.

The little queen remained at St. Germain until the princesses of France were sent for a while to the convent of Poissy, when she was removed to Blois. An alteration was then made in the arrangement of the Scotch part of her estabHshment, probably by Catherine de Medicis, for whom she had conceived a dishke from the first; and great offence was caused thereby to Janet Sinclair, the nurse. Mistress Janet was deprived of her authority in the nursery department, and cheated out of her allowance of wine, fire, and candles. She was, besides, compelled to sit at table with two Frenchwomen, whom she considered, neither in morals nor standing, fit company for her ; and she was not a person to bear such indignities calmly. She therefore appealed to the grandmother of her royal charge, who remonstrated with Monsieur de Humieres ; but in vain. Janet then wrote a full account of her wrongs to the queen-mother in Scotland, adding a complaint of her low wages and the unpunctuality of payment. The king was forthwith informed, by letter from Mary of Lorraine, of the disputes between Janet and the French authorities in the Palace of Blois ; and before many weeks everything was arranged to the entire satisfaction of the nurse, who retained her situation about the young queen without any further interference.

[A.D. 1550.] The eagerly longed for meeting between Mary and her mother did not take place until the following September, when, after being warmly embraced, the little queen delivered a formal speech of welcome in the presence of the assembled courts of France and Scotland. This was her introduction into public life ; and everybody was struck by her beauty, grace, amiability, and charming ways. Her appearance at the brilliant pageants and royal fetes at this time, as well as the attempt which was made to poison the little queen, have been related in the life of Mary of Lorraine.

[A.D. 155 1.] In July the mother and daughter parted never to meet again ; and their separation was quickly followed by the death of the Due de Longueville, Mary's half-brother. This sad event had the good effect of withdrawing the young queen from public life, and affording her an opportunity to continue her studies uninterruptedly. It was to her brother, the Cardinal Lorraine, that the queen-mother had confided the education of her child ; and he had replaced Lady Fleming by Madame Parois, a Roman Catholic devotee, because he desired his niece to observe rigidly all the principles of that church. Mary loved her uncle as though he had been her father ; and she yielded to him implicit obedience. He in turn watched over her tenderly, and paid great attention to the cultivation of her intellect. Under his auspices she became an excellent Latin and Italian scholar, and gained considerable knowledge of .Greek, geography, and history; and he took care that her music and needlework were not neglected. Her uncle Francis, Due de Guise, loved her more dearly than any of his own children, and sometimes feared that such an amount of study might impair her health ; therefore, from time to time, he would carry her off to his fine chateau at Meudon, for change of scene and occupation. When there, he would put her on a horse, and take her with him to hunt, entertaining her with tales of his martial deeds, and using his ingenuity to prepare agreeable surprises and pleasures for the child. He lavished gifts on her, and indulged her in every possible way ; while she in return loved him with all the ardor of a fond and grateful little girl.

[A.D, 1552.] In the winter of 1552 Mary accompanied the King and Queen of France and their children to the castle of Amboise, where they spent some time together.

When the little queen reached her tenth year, it was deemed proper that she should be separated from the princesses of France and have an establishment of her own, and Cardinal Lorraine wrote to his sister in Scotland, urging this point. He offers in his letter all the necessary advice, and concludes by " hoping that there will be no meanness in the matter, because that is a quality which your daughter most dislikes ; and believe me, madam, her spirit is already so high and noble that she would make great demonstrations of displeasure at seeing herself degradingly treated."

The little queen's household was established, and her generous spirit frequently prompted her to apply to her mother in behalf of her nurse Janet, her foster-brothers, and others of her personal attendants. The following is a specimen of one of her juvenile letters, written just before the arrangements for her separate establishment were completed : —

" Madame, — I am informed that the Queen of France and my uncle. Monsieur le Cardinal, have told you all the news, which renders it unnecessary for me to write you a longer letter than merely to entreat you very humbly to keep me always in your good graces. Madame, if it should please you to increase my household by letting me have an usher of the chamber, I pray you that it may be Rufflets, my usher of the saloon, for he is a very good and ancient servant. I send you the letters that my lady grandmother has written to you. Praying our Lord, madame, to give you, in continued health, a very happy life, your very humble and obedient daughter,

" Marie."

[A.D. 1554.] She writes again at the beginning of the new year, after she is settled in her regal household, and says : " I have this day entered into the estate you have been pleased to appoint for me, and in the evening my uncle. Monsieur le Cardinal, comes to sup with me. I

CLAUDE DE LORRAINE.

hope, through your good ordering, everything will be well conducted."

Mary was eleven years of age at this time, and did the honors of her establishment with a dignity and grace that surprised everybody. When Henry II. returned from a tour of his southern provinces, a classical ballet, composed in honor of the occasion by Queen Catherine de Medicis, was performed by the young ladies of the court. There were six sybils in the ballet. The first was Elizabeth, eldest daughter to the king and queen ; the second, Clarissa Strozzi ; the third was Mary Stuart ; the fourth Mary Fleming, who, as the sybil Erytia, addressed some beautiful lines to Margue'rite de Valois, sister of the king ; the fifth sybil was the Princess Claude of France ; and the sixth was Mary Livingstone.

Although not legally qualified to choose her representatives in the government of her country until she was twelve years of age, an exception was made in the case of the little Queen of Scots, who not only released the lord governor from his defalcations in the treasury, but through her proxy. Monsieur d'Oysell, constituted her mother Queen Regent of Scotland and of the Isles.

In one of her letters to her royal mother, Mary writes of a visit she had received from the Bishop of Galloway, and adds : " He has promised to be very obedient to you, madame, and to render you all the service in his power." A few days later she sent the following pretty little epistle : —

"Madame, — Although the Bishop of Galloway, the present bearer, is now going to you, and can render you a good account of the state of health in which he leaves me, I cannot omit writing you this note to tell you, madame, that, God be thanked, I continue as well as I was when I last sent to you ; and that I continue to employ myself in all things that I know to be agreeable to the king, my lord and father-in-law, and to you. Assuring you truly, madame, that, since business will not allow me to see you now, the greatest pleasure I can take is to hear from you often, and to learn by your letters that you are in prosperity and health ; and I hope frequently to be able to communicate such tidings of myself as may be to your contentment. Recommending myself very humbly to your good grace, and praying God, madame, to give you, in health, a happy life and long, your very humble and very obedient daughter, " Marie."

[A.D. 1555.] When the young queen had completed her thirteenth year, regal etiquette required her to adopt a more womanly style of costume than she had hitherto worn. Her juvenile wardrobe, which was exceedingly rich and valuable, being then unsuitable, her mother wrote permission for her to distribute it in presents as she chose. In those days it was the custom for queens to devote some of their superfluous finery to the decoration of churches and convents ; Mary, therefore, sent one of her costliest robes to her aunt Renee of Lorraine, abbess of St. Pierre des Dames, at Rheims, and two others to her aunt Antoinette of Lorraine, abbess of Farmoustier, to make curtains for the chancels of their chapels. Three dresses of less value she gave to her personal attendants, and was proceeding with the distribution of the rest, when Madame Parois angrily interfered with this taunt : " I see you are afraid of my enriching myself in your service ; it is plain you intend to keep vie poor. But never mind, the consciences of those who have received the things that ought to be mine will be heavily burdened in consequence."

" What a pity it was that she should speak so," is the mild comment of the young queen, in her statement of the affair to her absent mother. " I know very well that she wrote a letter to you, telling you that when we were at Villers-Coterets, and she made a journey to Paris about her lawsuit, that I prevented her on her return from having any further authority over my wardrobe, and would not permit her to take charge any more of that department. Madame, I very humbly beseech you to believe that there is nothing in all this ; for, in the first place, I never prevented her from having power over my wardrobe, because I well knew I ought not to do it ; but I merely told John, my valet-de-chambre, that when she wished to take anything away, he should apprise me, for, otherwise, if I wanted to give it away, I might find it gone. As to what she has written to you, of my always having had power to do as I pleased with my things, I can assure you I have never been allowed by her credit to give away so much as a pin, and thus I have acquired the reputation of being niggardly, insomuch that several persons have actually told me that I did not resemble you in that. I am surprised how she could dare to write to you anything so opposed to the truth. I will send you an inventory of all the clothes I have had since I came to France, that you may see the control she has exercised ; and I beseech you very humbly, madame, to give credit to all the explanations on the list." In the same letter Mary begs that the office of master of her wardrobe may be conferred on John Kemp, pleading that it had been promised to him by her uncle, Cardinal Lorraine. Then she speaks of the affection of her aunt and uncle, the Duke and Duchess of Guise, saying : " They take as much care of me and my concerns as if I were their own child. As for my uncle. Monsieur le Cardinal, I need not speak of him, since what he does is so well known to you ; but all my other uncles would do as much if they had the means. I pray you to write and thank them for their kindness to me, and beg them to continue the same, for their care of me is incredible. I can say no less of Madame de Valentinois."