Mary.] SCHEMES OF HENRY VIII. 141 22. THE ENGLISH MARRIAGE SCHEME. 1. MARY,1-Mary was seven days old when her father died. She and her mother 'remained at Linlithgow; and the Earl of Arran, the nearest heir to the crown, was made Regent or Governor. Henry VIII. saw, in the state of affairs in Scotland, another and a very hopeful chance of annexing that country to England. He proposed that a treaty should be arranged for the marriage of his son Edward with the young Queen of Scots. In order to carry out this scheme, he sent back to Scotland the Earl of Angus and his brother Sir George Douglas, as well as some of the chief prisoners taken at Solway Moss. They on their part became bound to use all their power to make him supreme in Scotland. 2. Before these lords had been long in Scotland, it became evident that they were utterly powerless to do anything for Henry. A strong feeling of hatred and jealousy towards England filled all classes. The 'released nobles were suspected of being Henry's spies, and were unable to count on the support even of their own vassals. By-and-by they all, with one exception, went over to the Government, and told Henry that they could not return to 'captivity because the Governor would not permit them to leave Scotland. July 1543 3. The first object Henry aimed at was to get possession of the infant Queen. He proposed this as a condition of the treaty. But the Scots would not listen to it: their Queen must not quit Scotland during her minority. In the end, it was agreed that she should remain in Scotland till she was ten years old. On this understanding, two treaties—one of peace, and one for the marriage of Mary and Edwardwere arranged at London in July 1543. In the same month the leaders of Beaton's party-Lennox, Argyle, and Huntly-appeared at Linlithgow with twenty thousand troops, and quietly carried off the young Queen and her mother to Stirling. There she was safe from Henry's schemes. A.D. 4. In August the treaties were signed by Arran, the Governor, at Edinburgh. In September he 'repented of what he had done, and went over to Beaton's party. There was some delay in obtaining the approval of the Estates to the treaties. Henry grew impatient, and ordered certain Scottish ships, driven into English ports by stress of weather, to be seized. Dec. In December the Estates declared this to be a breach 1543 of the treaties, and refused to be bound by them. At A.D. the same time they renewed their "ancient leagues" with France. Soon afterwards Henry declared war. 5. He sent an army to the Forth under Hertford. Its object was neither fighting nor conquest, but simply destruc1544 tion and plunder. The English force landed at GranA.D. ton;2 pillaged Leith, and burned the shipping and the houses; plundered the city of Edinburgh, and, setting it on fire, left it to blaze for three nights and four days. They next attacked the towns on the coast of Fife; and then marched to the Border, slaying, robbing, and burning, with no one to hinder them. 6. Two of the leaders of this expedition-Evers and Latour— 'received from Henry a grant of lands in the south of Scotland as the reward of their services. A few months later they crossed the Border with an armed force to take possession. Angus, whose estates had been restored to him by Parliament, and who had joined the national party, resolved that they should not have his lands without a struggle. A.D. 7. The English encamped on a level moor above the village of Ancrum.3 The small army of the Scots took post 1544 on a neighbouring height, where they were soon joined by Norman Leslie with twelve hundred men, and by the Laird of Buccleuch-a 'grizzled veteran, of many battles with a strong body of his followers. Buccleuch advised that they should dismount, and send the horses with the camp-boys to the hill beyond, to make the English think that they were in full flight. 8. It was done accordingly. The English were completely 'deceived. They came driving up the hill which the Scots had left, and gained the top, breathless and disordered, in their hurry to pursue. When they got sight of the Scots, standing in a compact mass, they were but a few spears' length off. Too near to stop or to turn, they were obliged to accept close battle. 9. Down came the English to the shock, the evening sun full Mary.] HERTFORD'S INROAD. 143 in their faces, and the wind blowing back on them in a blinding cloud the smoke of their own guns. On the first wavering in their ranks, seven hundred Scots who were among them tore off their red crosses, and fell furiously upon them. All was 'confusion, rout, and slaughter. Eight hundred English were slain, and the bodies of Latour and Evers were found among the dead. 10. About the beginning of summer a French fleet landed a body of three thousand infantry and five hundred horse at Dumbarton, to assist the Regent against the English. Thus strengthened, the Cardinal and the Regent resolved to carry 'hostilities into England. Thirty thousand men were marched on English ground. They remained two days, burned some villages, took some Border "peels," and then marched back again. That was in the beginning of August. 11. In the beginning of September the Earl of Hertford paid it back by another invasion of Scotland. This inroad lasted only fifteen days; but in that short time the 1545 English burned seven monasteries, sixteen castles, five A.D. market towns, two hundred and forty-three villages, thirteen mills, and three hospitals. The Abbeys of Holyrood, Melrose, Dryburgh, and others, were ruined in those 'tremendous 'forays. Hertford sent a despatch to Henry, in which he *exultingly informed him that, in the opinion of the Border gentlemen, so much damage had not been done to Scotland by fire for the last hundred years. That was how the English wooed the young Queen of Scots. an-nex-ing, joining. cap-tiv-i-ty, state of being a prisoner; con-fu-sion, disorder. for-ays, robbing expeditions; raids. 1 Mary, daughter of James V. and Mary of Guise. Married (1) Francis, the Dauphin of France; (2) Henry, Lord Darnley; (3) James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Reigned 26 years (1542-1568). pillaged, stripped of goods; plun- re-leased', set free; liberated. re-pent-ed, was sorry. re-stored', given back. 2 Gran'ton, a sea-port on the Firth of Forth, 2 miles from Edinburgh. 3 An'crum, in Roxburghshire, 3 miles north-west of Jedburgh. 4 Peels, square towers; Border strong holds. QUESTIONS.-1. How old was Mary when her father died? Who was made Regent? What did Henry VIII. propose? Whom did he send back to Scotland? For what purpose?-2. Why could they do nothing?-3. What was the first object Henry aimed at? What did the Scots say to this? What compromise was adopted? When were two treaties adjusted? Who, at the same time, carried off the Queen?-4. What did Arran do in August 1543? What in September? What made Henry impatient? What did he order? What did the Estates then do? What "leagues" did they renew?-5. What did Henry then do? What was the nature of Hertford's invasion? What places did he injure?— 6. What grant did Evers and Latour receive? What did they do, a few months later? Who resolved to oppose them?-7. Where did the English encamp? Where did the Scots take post? By whom were they joined? What did Buccleuch advise?-8. With what success was this attended?-9. Who were slain in the battle?-10. What aid did the Scots get from France? With how large an army did they enter England? What did they accomplish?-11. Who resolved to be revenged? What damage did he do? What did he inform King Henry in a despatch? A.D. 23. THE REFORMATION. 1. MEANTIME the Reformed 'doctrines were spreading. George Wishart provoked Beaton by the boldness 1546 with which he preached them. In 1546 he was seized near Haddington, and burned opposite Beaton's Castle of St. Andrews, the Cardinal viewing the sight from his windows. Three months later a band of the reforming party, headed by James Melville and Norman Leslie, broke into St. Andrews Castle and slew the Cardinal. They then took possession of the castle, and hung the Cardinal's bleeding body over the battlements in sight of the citizens. 2. Early in 1547, John Knox,1 the leader of the Scottish Reformation, entered the castle and became its minister. Not long afterwards the castle was 'bombarded and taken by a French fleet, and Knox and his companions were carried prisoners to France, and put on board the galleys in chains. 3. On the accession of Edward VI. of England, the marriage *project was renewed by Somerset the Protector. He 1547 marched into Scotland with an army of eighteen thousand men to compel the Scots to consent to it. A Scottish army under Huntly prepared to protect Edinburgh. It was strongly posted at Pinkie-cleuch,2 near Musselburgh. The Scots rashly left their strong position and went down to meet the English. This was a fatal blunder, and the Scots were routed. Somerset then 'destroyed the church of A.D. the Abbey of Holyrood, and wasted the country around Edinburgh; but plots at home obliged him to return to London. 4. The wooing was not thus to be forced. From Stirling the child Queen was removed to the Priory of Inchmahome.3 A Parliament held at Haddington agreed to 1548 a treaty for her marriage with Francis the Dauphin,1 and sent her to France for safety. A.D. 5. In 1554, Mary of Guise, the Queen-mother, became Regent instead of Arran, with the Earl of Huntly as Chancellor. French troops were brought over to support the Government. Many of the chief offices of State were given to Frenchmen, and a fear went abroad that it was intended to make Scotland a mere 'dependency of France. 6. The Protestant nobles-henceforth called the Lords of the Congregation—were alarmed alike for their religious liberties and for the independence of the country. In 1557, and again in 1559, they signed a bond pledging themselves to support one another in the cause of religion. These deeds are known as the First and Second Covenants. (601) 10 |