THE CHARACTER AND CONDUCT OF JAMES I. ] 33 



so offended at this, that he said he would hang him up in his boots 

 as soon as he came hack, yet when he came back, it was so far from 

 that, that he lay all that night in the bed-chamber."* It is surely 

 no strained supposition to conclude that there must be falsehood at 

 the root of one of these accounts ; and it will be found, we suspect, 

 to lie on the side of the Archbishop. For if we look into other con- 

 temporary writers on this subject, we shall perceive Burnett's asser- 

 tions to be confirmed with a graphic and circumstantial accuracy, 

 which affords cogent proof that Spottiswood exercised all his inge- 

 nuity, to keep the real fact out of sight ; in other words, that his is 

 a gross and palpable misrepresentation. But the reader shall judge 

 for himself: " Lord Hamilton having been employed by Courcellis, 

 the French Ambassadoi - , to speak to James of his mother's danger. 

 " The king's answere was, that the queen, his mother, might well 

 drink the ale and beere, which herselfe had brewed ; further, that 

 having bound herselfe to the queene of England to doe nothing 

 againste her, she ought to have kept her promise; notwilhstandinge, 

 that he woulde no waye faile in his dutie and naturalle obligatione 

 he oughte her." To Sir George Douglas, who represented how dis- 

 creditable it would be to allow Elizabeth to put his mother to death, 

 the king said, that " he knew she bore him no more good will than 

 she did the queen of England ; and that in truth it was meete for 

 her to meddle with nothing but prayer and serving of God." The 

 earle of Bothwell being asked by the king what he should do, if 

 Elizabeth asked his consent to proceed against his mother, said " yf 

 he did suffer, he were worthye to be hanged the nexte day after :' 

 whereat the kinge laughed, and said he would proceed, for that 

 ' the nobilitie believe indeed that ther is some secret intelligence be- 

 tween the queene of England and the kynge, which is the rather 

 confirmed because the kinge's secretaire and grawe mene onlie made 

 privie to the said Reiths instructions ; and the master of Gray's em- 

 bassy confirms them on this opinion, and that the kinge of Scotts 

 will not declare himselfe openly against her (Elizabeth) though his 

 mother be put to death ; unlesse the queen and the Slatts would 

 deprive him of his right to the crowne, which himself hath uttered 

 to Earle Bothewell and Chevaliere Seaton.' Alexander Stewart, 

 sent in the company of the ambassadors ' with more secret charge,' 

 bad said to Elizabeth were she even deade, yf the kinge at first 

 shewed himselfe not contented therewith they might easilic satisfy 

 him, in sending him doges and dearc. On being informed of this, 



■ History of hit own Tunr, vol. I, p. '>!-. 



