LORD HERRIES.
John Maxwell, fourth Lord Herries, was, although a Protestant, a staunch supporter of Queen Mary. He opposed the Bothwell marriage, but remained faithful after the surrender at Carberry Hill. He joined the Queen after her escape from Lochleven, was present at the Battle of Langside, and accompanied her in her flight to England. In spite of some temporising with her enemies, he was selected, along with the Bishop of Ross, to defend her at York and Westminster, and he was probably involved in the Norfolk plot. When he became convinced of the hopelessness of Mary's cause, he came to an arrangement with the victorious party, and took a part in politics till his death in 1583. He seems, however, always to have been ready to assist the Queen had there been any chance of success. His "Memoirs" possess an unusual interest in virtue of his intimate knowledge of the secret history of the reign.
JOHN KNOX.
The extracts from Knox's "History of the Reformation in Scotland" are interesting as bearing the impress of their author's vigorous personality. But it must be remembered that, as the leader of the Protestant clergy, he was a strong partisan, and his descriptions cannot be accepted literally. Different readers will decide differently as to the credit to be given to Knox's statements. The most valuable edition of Knox is the large one by the late Mr. David Laing, which contains much important annotation. The concluding portion of the "History" is not from Knox's own pen, but is the work of an unknown writer, who is generally described as Knox's Continuator.