88 JEROME CARDAN. 



Abbot of Paisley, used then his influence over his weaker 

 brother so effectually, that James, on the 25th of 

 August, ratified the treaty with King Henry, and de- 

 clared the cardinal an enemy to his country, and on the 

 3rd of September following, met the cardinal at Cal- 

 lender, and declared for the interests of France; he even 

 went so far as to abjure the Church of the Reformers in 

 the Franciscan church at Stirling. 



Then followed changes of leaders, wars, peace, and the 

 murder of Beatoun. After the death, of Henry VIII. in 

 1547, the Abbot of Paisley became Archbishop of St. 

 Andrew's. Scotland was soon afterwards invaded by the 

 Earl of Somerset, protector of the young King Edward 

 and of England. The Scots turned to France for help; 

 and by the advice of Mary of Guise, the queen-mother, 

 offered their little queen in marriage to the dauphin, 

 and agreed also to send her to the French court for 

 education. The offer was made by the nobles assembled 

 at Stirling, and hastily confirmed in a camp-parliament. 

 In June, 1548, the child-queen, six years old, was, in 

 fact, carried to France by a fleet which had brought over 

 to Scotland six thousand French soldiers. There she was 

 living when Cardan visited Paris. There followed at 

 home the decline of Somerset's power, and the general 

 peace obtained by France from the Earl of Warwick in 

 March of the year 1550. 



