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dition of his kingdom, and his relation to the crown of England, 

 ftirnished strong reasons for his forming a matrimonial connexion. 

 He had proposed for the eldest daughter of the King of Denmark ; 

 but her father, suspecting that James's proposal would come to no- 

 thing, betrothed her to the Duke of Brunswick ; and he now de- 

 manded the hand of her sister Anne, notwithstanding the opposition 

 of his council, fomented by Elizabeth, who meanwhile had first en- 

 couraged and then frustrated an alliance with the sister of the King of 

 Navarre, Henry IV. of France. He had deputed the Earl Marshal 

 to negotiate this match, and a message had arrived, that the princess 

 was ready to embark ; but presently news was received, that her fleet 

 was driven into Norway, where she would be detained till spring. 

 The king grew impatient, and determined to go for her, but gave 

 out, that he would send the Chancellor and Justice Clerk to trans- 

 port her in Scottish vessels. This intention he concealed even from 

 his prime minister Maitland, thinking that " he could put his foot 

 in a ship when it was ready." Accordingly, on the 22d of October, 

 1589, he sailed at night, no man expecting it, taking with him the 

 Chancellor and David Lindsay, the minister of Leith, with a nu- 

 merous retinue, and leaving his own chaplain, Patrick Galloway, 

 to attend the council. In four or five days, he arrived at a haven or 

 sound not far from Upsul, where the princess still remained, and on 

 the following Sunday the ceremony was performed by Lindsay. He 

 was then prevailed on to visit the queen-mother, and her son Chris- 

 tiern, who had recently succeeded his father. On the 21st of Ja- 

 nuary, he was received at Croneburg by the queen and the court. 

 There he was detained, waiting for the Duke of Brunswick's mar- 

 riage, which was appointed for April, but sent the master of work 

 to order ships for his convoy ; and finally arrived at Leith on the 1st 

 of May, 1590. 



N n2 



