without children, a number of competitors arofe for the LETTER Crowa. Among thofe was the king of Spain, nephew LXIX. to Henry by the mother's fide; the duke of Braganza, A.D. 1580. married to the grand-daughter of the great Emanuel; Don Antonio, prior of Crato, baftard of the infant Don Lewis, the duke of Savoy, the duke of Parma, Catherine of Medicis, and pope Gregory XIII. who, extraordinary as it may feem, attempted to renew the obfolete claim of the Holy See to the fovereignty of Portugal. Philip's claim was not the beft, but he had moft power to fupport it. The old duke of Alva, who had been for fome time in disgrace, like a mastiff unchained for fighting, was recalled to court, and put at the head of an army. He gained two victories over Don Antonio; who, of all the other competitiors, alone pretended to affert his title by arms. Thefe victories decided the conteft. Philip was crowned at Lisbon, proclaimed in A. D. 1581. India, and a price was fet on the head of Antonio 21 A PRICE was also fet on the head of the prince of Orange, as foon as it was known in Spain, that the United Provinces had withdrawn their allegiance from Philip, and an attempt was soon after made upon his life, by a man of defperate fortune, in order to obtain A. D. 1582. the reward. Now firft did the States become truly fenfible of the value of that great man. The joy of the Spaniards, on a falfe report of his death, could only be equalled by that of the Flemings, when informed of his fafety; yet a jealousy of liberty, and a dread of his ambition, fill prevented them from appointing him their fupreme governor, though every day convinced them of the imprudence, rapacity, and dangerous defigns of the duke of Anjou. He had at firft affembled a confiderable army, and raised the fiege of Cambray; but a 21. Faria y Sufa. Cabrera. projet A.D. 1582. PART 1. project of marrying queen Elizabeth, whose amorous dalliances with him are somewhat unaccountable, and by no means juftifiable, unless fincere, led him to wafte his time in England, while the duke of Parma was making rapid progrefs in the Netherlands. On his return he totally loft the confidence of the States, by a rash and violent attack upon their liberties; was obliged to leave the United Provinces; retired into France, and died foon after in contempt 22. THE archduke Matthias had returned to Germany, on the elevation of his rival; fo that the duke of Parma and the prince of Orange, the two greatest generals of their age, were now left to difpute the poffeffion of the Netherlands, which became the chief theatre of war in Europe, and the school to which men of courage, from all nations, reforted to study the military art. ENGLAND, during thefe commotions, had enjoyed the most perfect tranquillity. But the profpect now began to be overcaft; and Elizabeth faw dangers gradually multiply on her, from more than one quarter. The earl of Lennox, coufin-german to the young king of Scotland and captain Stewart of the house of Ochiltree, afterward earl of Arran, had found means to detach James from the English intereft; and by their intrigues, the earl of Morton, who, during his whole regency had preferved that kingdom in ftrict alliance with Elizabeth, was brought to the fcaffold, as an accomplice in the murder of the late king 27. 22. Mezeray. Camden. Le Clerc. A BODY 23. Spotfwood. Crawford. Morton owned that Bothwell had informed him of the design against the king's life, folicited him to concur in the execution of it, and affirmed it was authorised by the queen. He at first, if we may believe his dying words, abfolutely decline LXIX. A BODY of the Scottish nobility, however, diffatis- LETTER fied with the new adminiftration, which was entirely directed by Lennox and Arran, formed a confpiracy, A. D. 1582. probably with the concurrence of Elizabeth, for feizing the perfon of the king at the caftle of Ruthven, the feat of the earl of Gowrie; and the defign being kept fecret, fucceeded without any oppofition. James, who was about twelve years of age, wept when he found himself detained a prisoner; but no compaffion was fhewn him. "Mind not his tears, faid the mafter of Glamis:-bet"ter that boys should weep than bearded men." The king was obliged to submit to the present neceffity; to pretend an entire acquiefcence in the conduct of the confpirators, and to acknowledge the detention of his person to be an acceptable service. Arran was confined a prifoner, in his own houfe, and Lennox retired into France, where he foon after died 24. BUT the affairs of Scotland remained not long in this fituation. James, impatient of reftraint, made his efcape from his keepers; and flying to St. Andrews, fummoned his friends and partizans to attend him. The earls of Argyle, Marshal, Montrofe, and Rothes, haftened to pay their duty to their fovereign; and the oppofite party finding themselves unable to refift fo powerful a having any concern in such a measure; and, when afterward urged to the fame purpose, he required a warrant under the queen's hand, autherising the attempt. As no fuch warrant was produced, he refused to take part in the enterprize. And as an apology for concealing this treasonable undertaking, he very plaufibly urged in his own vindication, the irrefolution of Darnley, and criminal fituation of Mary. "To whom," said he," could I make the discovery? The queen was the author of the con"spiracy. Darnley was such a changeling, that no fecret could be fafely « communicated to him. Huntley and Bothwell, who bore the chief "fway in the kingdom, were then felves the perpetrators of the crime.” Spotswood, p. 314. Crawfurd, Mem. Append III. Robertson, book vi. 24. Meivil. Spotswood. Calderwood. PART I. A. D. 1583. combination, took fhelter in England. The earl of Arran was recalled to court: a new attempt to disturb the government was defeated; the earl of Gowrie, its reputed author, was brought to the block; and fevere laws were paffed against the Prefbyterian clergy, who had applauded the Raid of Ruthven, as the late confpiracy was called 25. WHILE thefe things were tranfacting in Scotland the king of Spain, though he had not yet come to an open rupture with Elizabeth, fent, in the name of the pope, a body of seven hundred Spaniards and Italians into Ireland, in order to retaliate for the affiftance which he gave to his rebellious fubjects in the Low Countries. But the invaders, though joined by many of the difcontented Irish, were all cut off to a man, by lord Grey, the queen's deputy, and fifteen hundred of the rebels were hanged; a feverity which gave great difpleasure to Elizabeth 26. WHEN the English ambaffador, at the court of Madrid, complained of this invafion, he was anfwered by like complaints of the piracies of Francis Drake, a bold navigator, who had paffed into the South Sea by the ftraights of Magellan, and, attacking the Spaniards in thofe parts, where they leaft expected an enemy, had taken many rich prizes, and returned home fafely by the cape of Good Hope, in September 1580. As he was the firft Englishman who had circumnavigated the globe, his name became celebrated on account of fo hazardous and fortunate an adventure; and the queen, who loved valour, and hoped to fhare in the spoil, conferred on him the honour of knighthood, and accepted of a banquet from him on board the fhip which had performed fo 25. Spot/wool. 26. Camden. memorable memorable a voyage. She caufed, however, part of LETTER BUT Elizabeth's dangers from abroad might have been regarded as of finall importance, had her own fubjects been united at home. Unhappily that was not the cafe. The zeal of the Catholics, excited by conftraint rather than perfecution, daily threatened her with an infurrection. Not fatisfied with inceffant outcries, against her severity towards the queen of Scots, and against the court of High Commiffion (an ecclefiaftical tribunal, erected by Elizabeth, for taking cognizance of non-conformifts, and which was certainly too arbitrary), the Romish priests, especially in the foreign feminaries for the education of English ftudents of the Catholic communion, endeavoured to perfuade their difciples, that it would be a meritorious action to take away her life 28. THOSE feminaries, founded by Philip II. the pope, and the cardinal of Lorrain, in order to prevent the decay of the ancient religion in England, fent over yearly a colony of young priefts, who maintained the Romith fuperftition in its full height of bigotry; and, who, being often detected in treasonable practices occafioned that severity of which their fect complained. They were all under the direction of the Jefuits, an active order of regular priefts eftablished fince the Reformation; the court of Rome perceiving that the lazy monks, and beggarly friars, who had fufficed in times of ignorance, were no longer able to defend the ramparts of the church, affailed on every fide by the bold and inquifitive spirit of the age, and the virulence of 27. Ibid. C 2 28. Camden. the LXIX. A. D. 1583. |