Catherine de' Medici and Charles IX
These are the instructions given by Mary and Bothwell to William Chisholm, Bishop of Dunblane, to take to Catherine de' Medici and her son, Charles IX. The translation used is that of WA Gatherer, as found in Buchanan G; ‘The Tyrannous Reign of Mary Stewart’. (Edinburgh University Press 1958).
"First, you will excuse us to the King and Queen, and our uncles, because the consummation of our marriage was brought to their ears before our messengers brought them the news of our intention. This excuse must be chiefly grounded in the true report of the Duke of Orkney's whole life, and especially of his behaviour and proceeding towards us, to this time that we have been made content to take him for our husband. This report you shall make as it is indeed beginning from his very youth. From his first entering into his estate, immediately on the death of his father, who was one of the first earls of this realm, he dedicated his whole service to his sovereign; and his house was the foremost in reputation by reason of its ancient nobility and great office, which is heritable to it. At which particular time, the Queen our mother being then Regent, he supported her with such devotion and earnestness that though soon after the most part of the nobility and almost all the burghs made a revolt from her authority under colour of religion, yet he never swerved from obediance, and could not be induced, either by promises or benefits or threats of the wreck of his property, to leave any part of his duty towards her, but rather was content to suffer his principle house and the rich moveables therein to be sacked, and the rest of his goods to become the prey of his enemies. At length, when he was destitute of our protection, and the assistance of any part of his countrymen, an English army was brought into the very bowels of our realm by the rebels, which had no other butt to shoot at but that our husband, being then Earl of Bothwell, should be forced to abandon his lands and retire to France, where he continued faithfully in our service until our return to Scotland. You shall not forget his service in the war against the English, a little before our return, wherein he gave such proof of his valiantness and good conduct that, notwithstanding he was then of very young age, he was thought most fit to be commander in chief and our Lieutenant-General. In this office he so came up to the expectations of men that by his many noble enterprises he acquired a singular reputation for valour both among our own countrymen and the enemy.
After our return he gave his whole study to the forthsetting of our authority, and avoided no danger in suppressing the rebellious subjects inhabiting the countries nearest the marches of England. And within a short time he had brought them to a perfect quietness, with the intention of passing forward in the like service of all other parts of the realm. But as envy ever follows virtue, the factious Scots, eager to put him out of our good grace, so misinterpreted his good service that we were compelled to put him in ward; partly to satisfy the envious minds of those who could not abide his advancement, and partly to avoid a sedition that might have brought the whole realm into trouble. He escaped from prison, and passed out of the realm towards France, to give way to their malice. There he remained about two years; at which time the authors of the previous trouble forgot our clemency towards them, and their duty towards us, and putting themselves in arms marched against us. Then he was called home by our command, restored to his former estates and honours, and again appointed commander of our forces. Our authority at once prospered under his hands, so that all the rebels were constrained to depart the realm and remain in England, until received back to our favour. How treasonably we were assailed for the homebringing of the others, by those whom we had advanced to more honour than they were worthy of, is not unknown to our uncles, so little need be said about that. Yet it is worthy of remembrance, with what dexterity he delivered us out of the hands of those who held us captive, and how suddenly by his providence not only were we delivered out of prison, but also the whole company of conspirators was dissolved, and we recovered our former authority. Indeed we must confess that that service done to us at that time was so acceptable to us, that we could never to this hour forget it.
He has so increased these outstanding services by his zeal and diligence that we could not have looked for greater attention or loyalty in anyone than we have found in him, until of late, since the decease of the King our husband. From that time, as his pretences began to be higher, so his proceedings seemed somewhat more strange. Although we are now so far committed to him that we must interpret all things to the best, yet we were highly offended, first with his presumption, that thought we could not sufficiently reward him unless we gave ourself to him as recompense for his services; next at his secret practices and plan; and at last his plain contempt of our person, and use of force to have us in his power, for fear of being disappointed in his purposes. Meanwhile his whole deportment was such as may serve for an example how cunningly men can cover their designs, when they have any great enterprise in head, till they have brought their purposes to pass. For we thought his continuance in waiting upon us, and readiness to fulfill all our comandments, proceeded only from loyalty to us. We thought no deeper wish or design was hidden therein. Nor did we ever expect that the previous countenance we showed, being but the ordinary favour we show to such noblemen as we found affectionate to our service, should encourage him to give him boldness to look for any extraordinary favour at our hands. But he, making profit of everything that might serve his turn, keeping his own purpose secret from us, at the same time preserved our former favour towards him. Meantime, he went about entertaining the nobility and practicing with them to obtain new favour. He so far succeeded in this by his persistance that before it ever came to our knowledge, while the parliament was here assembled, he obtained a writing subscribed by all the lords, wherein they not only consented to our marriage with him but also obliged themselves to set it forward with their lives and goods and to be enemies of all who would disturb or impede it.'
'More easily to purchase the votes of the nobles, he gave them to understand that we were content with the proceeding. Having obtained this writing, he began gradually to essay if he might by humble suit purchase our good will. But when our answer corresponded not to his desire, he began to cast before his eyes all the doubts that customarily men use to revolve with themselves in like enterprises - the untowardness of our own mind; the persuasions which our friends or his unfriends might cast out for his hindrance; the changing of their minds whose consent he had already obtained; and many other incidents which might come to frustrate him of his expectation. At last he resolved to follow forth his good fortune, and gamble on one throw his whole enterprise, his ambitions, and his life. Wherefore, having resolved to prosecute his deliberation, within four days thereafter, as we were retuning from a visit to the prince our dearest son, he awaited us at a convenient place and time, accompanied by a great force, and led us with all diligence to Dunbar. How we took that manner of dealing, especially in him of whom we doubted less than of any subject, is easy to be imagined. We reproached him with the favour we had always shown him, the honour with which we had esteemed him, his ingratitude, and with all other remonstrances which might serve to rid us our of his hands. Yet though his doing was rude, his words were gentle; he said that he would honour and serve us and no wise offend us. He asked pardon for the boldness he had taken to convoy us to one of our own houses whereunto he was driven by the vehemence of his love, which had made him set aside the reverence which naturally as a subject he bore towards us, as also the safety of his own life.
And there he began to make us a discourse of his whole life, and lament his bad fortune, to find men his enemies whom he had never offended; how their malice never ceased to assault him on all occasions; what calumnies they had spread of him touching the King's death; how unable he was to save himself from the conspiracies of his enemies, whom he did not know, since every man professed himself outwardly to be his friend. Such was their malice, that nowhere, at no time, could he find himself in surety, unless he were assured of our favour, to endure without alteration. This certainly could be obtained in only one way - if he could persuade us to take him to husband. He solemnly swore that he would seek no sovereignity, but to serve and obey us all the days of his life, as he had done before. He urged his suit with much eloquence. When he saw that neither prayers nor promises were like to move us, at last he showed us what he had obtained from the nobility and chiefs of our estates, and what they had promised him under their handwrits. This was suddenly produced, and if we had cause then to be astonished we leave to the judgment of the King, the Queen, our uncles and other friends. Seeing ourself in his puissance, sequestrated from all whose advice we were wont to seek; yea, seeing them upon whose council and fidelity we relied upon, whose strength should maintain our authority, without whom our power would be nothing - when we saw those almost wholly given up to his desire, and us left alone as a prey to him, we revolved with ourself, but could find no outgait. Indeed, he gave us little time to meditate, ever pressing us with continual and importunate suit.
In the end, when we saw no hope if being rid of him, never a man in Scotland caring about our liberty (for as it appeared from their handwrits and their profound silence, he had won them all) we were compelled to mitigate our displeasure and begin to think upon what he propounded. Then we had before our eyes the service he had done in times past, and the expectation of his persisting steadily in the future in the like duty; how unwilling our people are to receive a foreign king, unacquainted with their laws and customs; that they would not suffer us long to remain unmarried; that this realm, being divided in factions as it is, could not be kept in order unless our authority were assisted and furthered by a man capable of taking upon himself the execution of justice and the suppression of the rebellious, the travail whereof we may no longer sustain in our own person, being already wearied and almost broken by the frequent uproars and rebellions raised against us since we came into Scotland; how we were compelled to make four or more Lieutenants in divers parts of the realm, of whom the most part, abusing our authority, have raised our subjects against us; and seeing that to maintain the dignity of the royal name we should be compelled to think of some marriage, and that our people would not well digest a foreign husband, and that of our own subjects there was none either for the reputation of his house or the worthiness of himself in wisdom, valour and all other good qualities, to be preferred or yet compared to him whom we have taken, we made ourself comply with the wish of our estates, of which we have spoken.
After he had by these means and many others shaken our determination, he extorted, partly by force and partly by prayer, our promise to take him to husband. Yet as he had ever feared alteration of our mind, never could we obtain from him by any argument any delay in the consummation of our marriage, til we might communicate the same to the King and Queen of France and our other friends. But as by bravado in the beginning he had won the first point, so ceased he never till by persuasions and importunate suit he has driven us by force to end the work begun at such time wherein we cannot dissemble that he hath used us otherwise than we would have wished, or as he had promised. For he was more ready to content those by whose consent, granted beforehand, he thinks he has obtained his purpose - though therin he has frustrated both us and them - than to satisfy us, or weigh what was convenient for us, who have been nourished in our own religion and never intend to leave the same for him or any man upon earth. In this we acknowledge our error; yet we beg that the King, the Queen his mother, and our uncles and other friends lay it not to his charge. For now, since all is past and cannot be brought back again, we will make the best of it; and it must be thought, as it is in fact, that he is our husband, whom we will both love and honour, so that all who profess themselves our friends must profess the like friendship towards him who is inseparably joined with us. Although in some points he has behaved recklessly, which we are willing to impute to his affection for us, yet we desire the King, the Queen, our uncles and other friends to bear him no less goodwill, than if all had proceeded to this hour with their advice. And we assure them that in all that they may require of him they will find him ready to do them honour and service."
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