136 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



the way for pressing his cherished design of adding Scot- 

 land to his own dominions, by means of a marriage between 

 his son Edward, and Mary, the infant daughter of James V. 

 To this end Henry used the arts of diplomacy, and suc- 

 ceeded in forming a faction, the members of which were 

 pledged to further his aims. Whatever Cardinal Beaton's 

 faults may have been and he was a man to stick at 

 nothing to accomplish his ends he was at least consistent 

 in his enmity to England and his friendship for France. 

 Recognising that the independence of Scotland, the 

 ascendancy of the Romish religion, and his own unrivalled 

 influence and power were equally threatened by the pro- 

 posed marriage, he resisted strenuously the schemes of the 

 pro-English party, and looked to France, his early home 

 and the ancient ally of Scotland, to save his country. 

 Unhappy Scotland thus became the prey of two opposing 

 factions, representing, respectively, French and English 

 interests. Lennox came over to his native country with 

 strong French proclivities, and was hailed as a powerful 

 adherent of the French party. But he soon discovered 

 that he had been used as a mere tool by the astute prelate, 

 whose purpose he had served by intimidating Arran into 

 repudiation of his English friends, resistance to the project 

 of Henry VIII., reconciliation with the Cardinal himself, 

 and renunciation of the Protestant religion. Having thus 

 gained his ends, the Cardinal ignored Lennox, whom he 

 had previously flattered with his attentions, and with a 

 promise of the hand of the Queen- Dowager in marriage. 

 The shifty policy of the prelate threw Lennox into the 

 arms of the English party, and ultimately into the service 

 of the English King. 



The bearing of these events upon the Hebrides will now 

 be noticed. As early as the year 1 542, the attention of 

 Henry VIII. had been drawn to the Isles by means of 

 a letter of extraordinary interest,* written to the King by 

 one John Elder, a Scotsman who appears to have been an 



* The Bannatyne, Miscellany, Vol. I., pp. 7~iS. 



