It was whispered of many, that the Erle of Murray's displeasur was as much sought as any haitterant that the Hammyltonis bayr against the Erle Bothwell, or yitt he aganist thame. And in verray deed, eather had the Duck verray fals servandis, or ellis by Huntley and the Hammyltonis, the Erle of Murray his death was ofter conspyred than ones: the suspitioun whairof burst furth so far, that upoun a day the said Erle, being upoun horse to have come to the sermon, was charged by one of the Duckis awin servandis to returne and abyd with the Queyn. The bruyt thairof spred over all. What ground it had we cane nott say; but schorte thairafter the Duck and some of the Lordis convened at Glasgow; thair conclusioun was nott knowen. The Erle of Arrane came to Edinburgh, whair the Erle Bothwell lay. The Quene and the Court war departed to Fyff, and remaned sometimes in Sanctandrois and sometimes in Falkland.[761]
THE ERLE BOTHWELL HIS COMMONYNG WYTH JOHNE KNOX.
The Erle Bothwell, by the meanes of James Barroun,[762] burges, and then merchant of Edinburgh, desyred to speak with Johne Knox secreatlie; which the said Johne glaidlie granted, and spack him upoun a nycht, first in the said James's lodgeing, and thairafter in his awin study. The summe of all thair communication and conference was:—The said Earle lamented his formare inordinate lyef, and especiallie that he was provocked by the entysmentis of the Quene Regent to do that which he sore reapented, alsweall against the Laird of Ormestoun,[763] whose blood was spilt, albeit not in his defalt: But his cheaf dolour was, that he had misbehaved him self against the Erle of Arrane, whose favouris he was most willing to redeame, yf possible it war that sa he mycht; and desyred the said Johne to geve him his best counsall, "For (said he) yf I mycht have my Lord of Arrane's favouris, I wald await upoun the Court with a page and few servandis, to spair my expensis, whare now I am compelled to keap, for my awin saifty, a number of wicked and unprofitable men, to the utter destructioun of my living that is left."
To the which the said Johne ansuered, "My Lord, wold to God that in me war counsall or judgement that mycht conforte and releave you. For albeit that to this hour it hath nott chaunsed me to speik with your Lordship face to face, yit have I borne a good mynd to your house; and have bene sorry at my heart of the trubles that I have heard you to be involved in. For, my Lord, my[764] grandfather, goodsher, and father, have served your Lordshipis predecessoris, and some of thame have died under thair standartis; and this is a part of the obligatioun of our Scotishe kyndnes: but this is not the cheaf. But as God hes maid me his publict messinger of glaid tydings, so is my will earnest that all men may embrase it, which perfytlie thei can not, so long as that thair remaneth in thame rancour, malice, or envy. I am verray sorry that ye have gevin occasioun unto men to be offended with you; but I am more sory that ye have offended the Majestie of God, who by such meanes oft punishes the other sinnes of man. And thairfoir my counsall is, that ye begyn at God, with whom yf ye will enter in perfyte reconciliatioun, I doubt not but he shall bow the heartis of men to forget all offenses. And as for me, yf ye will continue in godlynes, your Lordship shall command me als boldlie as any that serves your Lordship."
The said Lord desyred him that he wold tempt[765] the Erle of Arrane's mynd, yf he wold be content to accept him in his favouris, which he promessed to do; and so earnestlie travaled in that mater, that it was ones brought to such an end as all the faythfull praysed God for that aggrement. The greatest stay stood upoun the satisfactioun of the Laird of Ormestoun, who, besyde his formare hurte, as is before declared, was evin in that same tyme of the commonyng, persewed be the said Lord[766] Bothwell, his sone Maister Alexander Cockburne[767] tacken by him, and caryed with him to Borthwick; but gentillye yneuch send back agane.
RECONCILIATIOUN BETWIX THE ERLE OF ARRANE AND ERLE BOTHWELL, ETC.
That new truble so greatlie displeased Johne Knox, that he almost geve ower farther travalling for amytie. But yit, upoun the excuse of the said Erle, and upoun the declaratioun of his mynd, he re-entered in laubouris, and so brought it to pass, that the Laird of Ormestoun referred his satisfactioun in all thingis to the judgments of the Erles of Arrane and Murray, whom to the said Erle Bothwell submitted him self in that head, and thairupoun delyvered his hand wryt. And so was convoyed by certane of his friends to the loodgeing of the Kirk-of-Feild, whair the Erle of Arrane was with his friendis, and the said Johne Knox with him,[768] to bear witnesse and testificatioun of the end of the aggrement. As the said Erle Bothwell entered at the chalmer dore, and wold have done those honouris that freyndis had appointed, (Maister Gavin Hammyltoun[769] and the Laird of Rikchartoun,[770] war the cheaf freindis that communed,) the said Erle of Arrane gentillye passed unto him, embrased him, and said, "Yf the hearttis be uprycht, few ceremonyes may serve and content me."
The said Johne Knox, in audience of thame boyth, and of thair freindis, said, "Now, my Lordis, God hath brought you to gitther be the laubouris of semple men, in respect of such as wold have travailled thairin. I know my laubouris ar alreaddy tacken in ane evill parte; but becaus I have the testimonye of a good conscience befoir my God, that whatsoever I have done, I have done it in his fear, for the proffeit of you boith, for the hurt of none, and for the tranquillitie of this Realme: seing (I say) that[771] my conscience beareth witnesse to me, what I have sought and continewallie seak, I the more patientlie bear the mysreporttis and wrangouse judgementis of men. And now I leave you in peace, and desyres you that ar the freindis to study that amitie may increase, all formar offenses being forgett." The freindis on eather partie embrased other, and the two Erles departed to ane wyndo, and talked by thame selfis familiarlie a reasonable space. And thairafter the Erle Boithwell departed for that nycht: and upoun the nixt day in the mornyng returned, with some of his honest freinds, and came to the sermoun with the Erle foirsaid; whairat many rejoised. But God had ane other work to wyrk then the eyes of men could espy.
The Thurisday nixt[772] they dyned togetther; and thairafter the said Erle Boithwell and Maister Gawane Hammyltoun raid to my Lord Duckis Grace, who then was in Kynneill. What communicatioun was betwix thame, it is not certanelie knowne, but by the reporte which the said Erle of Arrane maid to the Quenys Grace, and unto the Erle of Murray, by his wryttingis. For upoun Fryday, the ferd day after thair reconciliatioun, the sermon being ended, the said Erle of Arrane cam to the house of the said Johne Knox, and brought with him Maister Richart Strang[773] and Alexander Guthre,[774] to whom he opened the greaf of his mynd befoir that Johne Knox was called; for he was occupyed, (as commounlie he useth to be after his sermonis,) in directing of writtingis. Whiche ended, the said Erle called the thre togetther, and said, "I am treasonablie betrayed;" and with these wordis began to weape. Johne Knox demanded, "My Lord, who hes betrayed yow?" "Ane Judas, or other (said he); but I know it is but my lyef that is sought: I regard it not." The other said, "My Lord, I understand not such dark maner of speaking: yf I shall geve you any ansuer, ye maun speik moir plane." "Weill, (said he,) I tack you three to witnesse that I oppen this unto you, and I will wryt it unto the Quene: Ane act of treassone is laid to my charge; the Erle Bothwell hes schawin to me in counsall, that he shall tack the Quene, and put hir in my handis in the Castell of Dumbertane; and that he shall slay the Erle of Murray, Lethingtoun, and otheris that now mysgyde hir: and so shall I and he reull all. But I know that this is devised to accuse me of treassone; for I know that he will inform the Quene of it: But I tack you to witnes, that I oppen it hear unto you; and I will pas incontinent, and wryte to the Quenis Majestie, and unto my brother the Erle of Murray."