Mary Queen of Scots fending her Ring

to Lord John Hamilton

185

So much for the travels of Mr. Lancelot Temple, you'll fay. His account of fome things might have been more exact than perhaps they are; if he did not write entirely from recollection, and without fo much as one fcrap of a note or memorandum. For he never dreamt of expofing his travels to the public till a good while after his return.

THE

HE antiquity of a family is in itfelf rather a cafual than an in-trinfic advantage. If it abounds with heroes it is fo far illuftrious, but no farther; for if the defcendants do not emulate the virtues of their progenitors, this circumftance degrades, instead of aggrandizing them." The Hamilton family has at all times produced heroes, and the prefent duke of Brandon, teaches us, that the race of Hamilton has not degenerated.

From many illuftrious perfonages of this family we will felect John marquis of Hamilton, fecond fon of the duke of Chattlerault. This illuftrious perfonage was born in 1532, and was, by James V. made commendator of the abbey of Aberbrothwic, or Aberbroth, the richest in Scotland.

When the civil war broke out in 1567, he embarked in the cause of queen Mary, and was one of the affociators, who entered into an engagement for her deliverance from prifon, for the prefervation of her fon, and for the punishment of his father's murderers.

After the queen's flight, and imprifonment in England, the Marquis trenuously allerted her caufe, and drew on him the anger of thofe, who repay loyalty with punishment. In the year 1579 the marquis and his brother lord Claud were attainted, and their eftates forfeited by a vote of one of the Scotch mock parliaments. Parliaments, when the tools of faction of of defpotifin, have too frequently deferved that appellation.

VOL. VI.

After this injury he was obliged to fly difguifed as a failor firft into England, and then into France. Here he gave a noble inftance of his integrity in refufing many confiderable offers, that were made by the princes of the houfe of Guife, the uncles of queen Mary to induce him to change his religion.

The queen in all her diftreffes expreffed a grateful fenfe of the loyalty and fervices of the houfe of Hamilton; and both fhe and her fon, fpoke of him by the endearing title of father, which appellation they had before given to the duke of Chattlerault.

An upftart favourite of the name of Stuart, upon the forfeiture of the family of Hamilton, had affumed or rather ufurped the title of earl of Arran ; and upon the return of lord Claud to the kingdom of Scotland forced him into exile again.

This violence highly exafperated the family of Hamilton; an ample revenge was taken. For joining fome malecontent noblemen, they raised an army of five thousand men, with which, they furprifed the king at Stirling; lus favourite Stuart narrowly escaping into France.

As the king was little better than a prifoner, he was perfectly reconciled to this attempt, which gave him his liberty. And, when the lords approched him with expreffions of duty and loyalty, he forgave them all. In par ticular he addreffed himself to the marquis in the following remarkable A a

terms

terms; "My lord," faid he, "I did never fee you before, and must confefs, that of all this company you have been moft wronged. You were a faithful fervant to the queen my mother in my minority, and, when I understood not, as I do now, the state of things, hardly used."

Soon after this the marquis obtained a full repeal of all the forfeitures in curred either by himself or his family: and was in fo great favour with the king, that he made him both a privy counfellor and governor of the caftle of Dumbarton, then efteemed an important poft.

His attachment to the cause and perfon of queen Mary was fo ftrong, that, the last thing he did on the fcaffold, was to pull off her ring, defiring one of her attendants to deliver it to the marquis, and tell him that " that was all the then had to witnefs her great fenfe of his and his family's constant fidelity to her, and of their fufferings for her intereft, and defired, that it might be ftill kept in the family, as lafting evidence of her kindness to it." It is laid that this departing pledge of gratitude has been accordingly preferved by this noble perfonage's defcendants, and that it remains in their poffeffion to this day.

In the year 1588 the marquis was

nominated by the king ambassador extraordinary at the court of Denmark, to treat of a match between his Scottish majefty and the princefs Ann, the Danifh king's daughter; but declined this honourable condition on account of his advanced age.

When the king, on his refufal, determined to negociate for himself, he appointed the marquis lieutenant of South Scotland in his abfence. The poftcript of his letter to him on this occafion does him the greatest honour. "My lord, if my conftant trust had not been in you, of your great love towards me, I had not thus em loyed you upon fuch an occafion; therefore I affure myself you will not fruftrate my expectation," His lordship exceeded the king's molt fanguine expectation in the difcharge of this truft. On the king's return this noble personage, together with the duke of Lenox, affiited at the coronation of the queen in the Abbey Church of Edinburgh. In the year 1599 he was created marquis of Hamilton, and in 1604 itole from this world to receive a nobler title in the next. His memory, ftill recent in the minds of the friends of their

country, cries out to his defcendants→→→ Go AND DO LIKEWISE.

Oxon, May 27, 1771, ANTIQUARIUS,

ESSAY S.

VI.

Had I to Fortune's gifts afpir'd,
Or, by Ambition's voice inspir'd,
Froin height to height had dared to
rife,

I might not then have fued in vain,
But, ignorant of doubt and pain,
Have claim'd the beauteous prize.

187

On the Viciffitude and Vanity of all fublunary Enjoyments.

W

HAT is this fleeting life of

man?-

The fcanty measure of a span,
A bubble, or a dream;
With fharp corroding cares perplext,
To fin and death itself annext-
Ah!-melancholy theme!
Behold the infant on the breaft,
His little peevifh foul oppreft

With grief and empty fears,
We read his paffion in his eyes;
He spends his breath in fobs and cries,
And bathes himself in tears.

Few years revolv'd, he's fent to school,
Where taught to think and live by rule,
What difcontent he bears !
Whilft book and pen his time employ,
There's none fo wretched as a boy,
Nor fo involv'd in cares,
Anon, extravagant defires,
Tumultuous thoughts, and am'rous fires,
Within his bofom rage;
These reason long assays to tame,
By dread of pain, and want, and shame,
And tedious wars they wage.

But Time, at length, like Fa te prevails Tho' Reafon, Jove's great daughter fails,

And Life grows more fedate; What once he made the total fum

Of all delight, is now become

The object of his hate,

Now Happiness is drawn from gold,
And in the fhining lifts enroll'd,

Of honour, wealth, and fame;
For this he toils, for this his days
Are spent; by this he hopes to raise
A grand immortal name.
But gold has wings, and will not stay ;
Man would purfue, but feels decay

The fond purfuit reftrain:

And now beneath the hand of Death
He finks, and yields, with grief, his
breath,

Which he drew in vain.
yet

He, he alone can life poffefs,
Whom mi ing HOPE hall deign to
blefs,

Fair daughter of the Skies:
A friend to Virtue's friends alone,
The worlds above are all her own,
And there Enjoyment lies.