VII. BOOK direction, and not only undertook to retain the King under the influence of England, but acted as a spy upon the Scottish Queen, and betrayed to her rival every secret that he could draw from her by his high pretensions of zeal in her service." 1584. His interest with the court of England. GRAY's credit with the English court was extremely galling to the banished nobles. Elizabeth no longer thought of employing her power to restore them; she found it easier to govern Scotland by corrupting the King's favourites; and, in comDec. 51. pliance with Gray's solicitations, she commanded the exiles to leave the north of England, and to remove into the heart of the kingdom. This rendered it difficult for them to hold any correspondence with their partisans in Scotland, and almost impossible to return thither without her permission. Gray, by gaining a point which James had so much at heart, rivetted himself more firmly than ever in his favour; and, by acquiring greater reputation, became capable of serving Elizabeth with greater success." 1585. Arran's ARRAN had now possessed for some time all the corruption power, the riches, and the honours, that his imand inso- moderate ambition could desire, or the fondness of lence. a Prince, who set no limits to his liberality towards his favourites, could bestow. The office of lord chancellor, the highest and most important in the kingdom, was conferred upon him, even during the life of the Earl of Argyll, who succeeded Athol in that dignity°; and the public beheld, m Strype, iii. 302. Melv. 316. • Crawf. Offic. of State, App. 447. a Cald. iii. 643. VII. 1585. with astonishment and indignation, a man edu- BOOK cated as a soldier of fortune, ignorant of law, and a contemner of justice, appointed to preside in parliament, in the privy council, in the court of session, and entrusted with the supreme disposal of the property of his fellow-subjects. He was, at the same time, governor of the castles of Stirling and Edinburgh, the two principal forts in Scotland; provost of the city of Edinburgh; and as if by all these accumulated dignities his merits were not sufficiently recompensed, he had been created lieutenant-general over the whole kingdom. No person was admitted into the King's presence without his permission; no favour could be obtained but by his mediation. James, occupied with youthful amusements, devolved upon him the whole regal authority. Such unmerited elevation increased his natural arrogance, and rendered it intolerable. He was no longer content with the condition of a subject, but pretended to derive his pedigree from Murdo Duke of Albany; and boasted openly, that his title to the crown was preferable to that of the King himself. But, together with these thoughts of royalty, he retained the meanness suitable to his primitive indigence. His venality as a judge was scandalous, and was exceeded only by that of his wife, who, in defiance of decency, made herself a party in almost every suit which came to be decided, employed her influence to corrupt or overawe the judges, and almost openly dictated their decisions." His rapaciousness as a P Cald. iii. 331. Scotstarvet's Staggering State, 7. VII. 1585. BOOK minister was insatiable. Not satisfied with the revenues of so many offices; with the estate and honours which belonged to the family of Hamilton; or with the greater part of Gowrie's lands, which had fallen to his share; he grasped at the possessions of several of the nobles. He required Lord Maxwell to exchange part of his estate, for the forfeited lands of Kinneil; and because he was unwilling to quit an ancient inheritance for a possession so precarious, he stirred up against him his hereditary rival, the Laird of Johnston, and involved that corner of the kingdom in a civil war. He committed to prison the Earl of Athol, Lord Home, and the Master of Cassils; the first, because he would not divorce his wife, the daughter of the Earl of Gowrie, and entail his estate on him; the second, because he was unwilling to part with some lands adjacent to one of Arran's estates; and the third, for refusing to lend him money. His spies and informers filled the whole country, and intruded themselves into every company. The nearest neighbours distrusted and feared each other. All familiar society was at an end. Even the common intercourses of humanity were interrupted, no man knowing in whom to confide or where to utter his complaints. There is not perhaps in history an example of a minister so universally detestable to a nation, or who more justly deserved its detestation." ARRAN, notwithstanding, regardless of the sentiments and despising the murmurs of the people, Spotsw. 337, 338. VII. 1585, gave a loose to his natural temper, and proceeded BOOK to acts still more violent. David Home of Argaty, and Patrick his brother, having received letters from one of the banished lords about private business, were condemned and put to death, for holding correspondence with rebels. Cunninghame of Drumwhasel, and Douglas of Mains, two gentlemen of honour and reputation, were accused of having conspired with the exiled nobles to seize the King's person; a single witness only appeared; the evidence they produced of their innocence was unanswerable; their accuser himself not long after acknowledged that he had been suborned by Arran: and all men believed the charge against them to be groundless; they were found guilty, notwithstanding, Feb. 2. and suffered the death of traitors." ABOUT the same time that these gentlemen Parry's were punished for a pretended conspiracy, Eli- conspiracy against zabeth's life was endangered by a real one. Elizabeth. Parry, a doctor of laws, and a member of the house of commons, a man vain and fantastic, but of a resolute spirit, had lately been reconciled to the church of Rome; and fraught with the zeal of a new convert, he offered to demonstrate the sincerity of his attachment to the religion which he had embraced, by killing Elizabeth. Cardinal Allen had published a book, to prove the murder of an excommunicated Prince to be not only lawful, but a meritorious action. The Pope's nuncio at Venice, the Jesuits both there and at Paris, the English exiles, all ap Spotsw. 338. Cald. iii. 794. 1585. BOOK proved of the design. The Pope himself exVII. horted him to persevere; and granted him for his encouragement a plenary indulgence, and remission of his sins. Cardinal di Como wrote to him a letter to the same purpose; but though he often got access to the Queen, fear, or some remaining sense of duty, restrained him from perpetrating the crime. Happily his intention was at last discovered by Nevil, the only person in England to whom he had communicated it; and having himself voluntarily confessed his guilt, he suffered the punishment which it deserved. March 2. A severe statute, which proved fatal to Mary. THESE repeated conspiracies against their sovereign awakened the indignation of the English parliament, and produced a very extraordinary statute, which, in the end, proved fatal to the Queen of Scots. By this law the association in defence of Elizabeth's life was ratified, and it was further enacted, "That if any rebellion "shall be excited in the kingdom, or any thing 66 66 attempted to the hurt of Her Majesty's per"son, by or for any person pretending a title to "the crown, the Queen shall empower twenty"four persons, by a commission under the great "seal, to examine into, and pass sentence "upon such offences ; and after judgment given, a proclamation shall be issued, declaring the persons whom they find guilty ex"cluded from any right to the crown; and Her Majesty's subjects may lawfully pursue every "one of them to the death, with all their aiders "and abettors; and if any design against the life ร State Trials, i. 103. 66 ΙΟ |