THE first parliament, after James had taken the government into his own hands, met in 1578, in the great hall in the castle. A party of the nobility were so highly displeased with Stirling as the place of meeting, in preference to Edinburgh, that they protested against it. The real cause, however, of their disgust, was the inveterate enmity they entertained against Morton, the late regent, who still continued with the King, and, according to the Earl's enemies, much influenced his counsels. The discontented Lords had declined, on that pretext, attending parliament; and publicly affirmed, that their sovereign was detained captive. This de the son and successor of the Earl of Marr and late Regent, succeeded his uncle in the custody of Stirling castle; and it was agreed upon between the ruling parties, that Marr should not remove the King any where without the consent of the council; that he should not receive any within his Highness's lodgings whom he did not know to be well affected towards his Highness, admitting an Earl with only two in train, a Lord with one only, and a Gentleman unattended; that Maister George Buchanan and Maister Peter Young, should continue his Majesty's instructors, and no others be admitted without the council's consent, nor any religious exercise be kept within the castle, but that which the parliament had approved. Ibid. p. 294. Marr, after being Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, and created Lord Cardross with a power of assignment, died in Stirling castle on the 14th of December 1634, and was interred in the family chapel at Alloa on the 7th of April 1635. Editor.) claration was flatly contradicted by a royal proclamation.* The matter, however, did not terminate here. So great a jealousy had taken place between the dissatisfied Lords and the King's attendants, that troops were levied on both sides; but, before hostilities had commenced, an accommodation was happily brought about, and a temporary tranquillity restored.† IN 1594, the most magnificent piece of pageantry ever seen in Scotland was acted in the castle. An account of it will be given in the following section. (THE King declared that "it was his desire to remain at Stirling and be served by the Earl of Marr, with whom he knew his surety was greater than if he should be at the devo tion of those that caused the present troubles" &c. Spotis wood. In an original letter from Nicholas Arrington to the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, preserved in the Cotton Library (Caligula VI, Folio II), and dated "at Straveling April 4 1580," is the following passage: "Here is greate myslykinge that the King is no bettere accompanyed with councellors, an that he frequents the fields and hunting too moche." The passion for rural sport attended James to England. The first monarch of Great Britain wrote his council from his huntingseat near Royston; "Hunting is necessary for my health; upon my health depends the health of the nation; and therefore it is necessary for the health of the nation, that I should hunt." Editor.) + SPOTISWOOD. SECT. XII. BAPTISM OF PRINCE HENRY, ANNA, Princess of Denmark, and Queen of diately dispatched to the courts of England, France, Denmark, the Low Countries, Brunswick, and Magdeburgh, with tidings of the happy event, and a request that each would send a representative to the baptism. A convention of the nobility and principal boroughs was called, under pretext of asking their advice in the arrangement of the solemnity, but, in reality, to solicit money to defray the expence. The convention, informed of the King's design, rea * (THEY had been married above five years, viz. from the 24th of November 1589. Prince Henry was their first child. The mode of setting down the year of his birth in the text results from the difference between the computation then and now. It is familiar to chronologists, that, till 1600, the Scottish new year's day was the 25th of March. Editor.) Rr dily granted a hundred thousand pounds of Scotland, or eight thousand three hundred and thirty three pounds, six shillings and eight pence Sterling. So large a sum gave James new spirits, and encouraged him to begin the preparations.* The mansion where *(FOR the expences of his marriage "his Highness" had had the promise from the boroughs of L.20,000 Scots. The difficulty with which it seems to have been performed may illustrate the extent of parliamentary exertion on the occasion more particularly before us. The present Mr Boswell of Auchinleck has printed a curious voucher on this subject. "Edin. 1st Sept. 1589, The King and Lords of the Secret Council "considering how yt afore ye landing of ye Queen, his Highness bedfellow, now hourly looked for to arrive, accompanied with certain persons of honourable rank and estate, yr mon be pnt ready silver to deburs, for buying outredding and furnishing sic things as of necessity mon be had for yr Intertainment dureing sic time as ye solemnity wch sal be used for ye dcoration of ys honourable action sal endure; and now his H. having made accompt of ye sum of 20,000 Lib. promised to be lent by ye burrows to ys effect &c......and yrfor his H. with advice of his sd Lords, ordains Letters to be direct to charge ye provost & baillies of all the Burrows of ys realme, to make paymt of ye sd sum to Ja. Dalziel, burges of Edr. collr. general yrof, within 10 days, under the pain of Rebellion & escheat, &c." The learned and ingenious gentleman who has favoured his friends with this and other curiosities of the olden time, has printed a royal mandate of the same date, bearing that "the King considering how yt for ye greater solemnity and decoration of ye honourable action now in hands, his hieness will have adoe with great quantity of powder, & yrfor ordains Letters to be direct, chargeing all persons yt have any quantity of powder pntly in yr hands yt nane of ym -the Prince had been born was pitched upon for the baptism. As, however, James III's chapel was deemed neither large nor elegant enough, orders were given to demolish it, and erect on its site another and a finer. Craftsmen were summoned from all parts of the kingdom; and, that the work might be executed with the greater dispatch, large pay was allowed, and the King acted as daily overseer. THE dispatches to foreign courts had been so well received, that ambassadors arrived from each. On the 16th of July, landed at Leith Christianus Bernokow, and Stenio Bille, ambassadors from the King of Denmark, the Queen's father. Next day, arrived Adamus Crusius from the Duke of Brunswick, together with Joachimus Bessewitius, from the Duke of Magdeburgh. On the 3d of August, came the Baron of Braderod from the States of Holland, accompanied by Jacobus Falkins take upon hand to sell dispone or transport ye same, or ony pt yrof, furthe of ys realme, but to retain & cause the same be in readiness to be delivered to sic persons as his ma. sall direct for reset yrof, upon reasonable prices, under ye pain of confiscation of ye same, together with all ye rest of yr moveable goods, to his H. use." Editor.) |