July.
Estado, 839. |
617. Document headed Statement of what happened in Scotland
in the month of December last year, 1592, in consequence
of the embassy which the Catholic lords of that country
wished to send to his Majesty.
God having, by means of the priests, jesuits, seminarists, and
others, during the past years, brought a great number of nobles and
people of Scotland into the Catholic church, and as the king of
Scotland was so uncertain in his faith, and the Queen of England in
constant opposition, some of the principal Catholic lords decided to
send a man of their own to his Catholic Majesty to beg for aid in
their need, as they thought with some assistance they could get the
king into their hands ; and then, in his name and authority, convert
the kingdom, and perhaps keep the Queen of England so busy that
she could not disturb Christendom, as is her wont.
They therefore determined to send a gentleman of rank named
George Carre, (fn. 1) and the three principal earls, the earls of Huntly,
Angus, and Errol, gave him letters of credence, and other letters
in blank signed with their names and sealed with their seals,
with orders on his arrival in Spain to write in the letters the message
which they had given him verbally ; and many other Catholic
gentlemen in the country did the same. They particularly
instructed Carre to say that they would send their sons hither or to
Flanders, as hostages, if his Majesty wished. But the messenger
was discovered and arrested in the Scottish port from which he was
to sail, and all his letters captured, and sent to the queen of
England, who was at once alarmed and sent men and money to the
king of Scotland, with orders for him to persecute rigorously all
those who were concerned or suspected.
It was therefore necessary for the three earls and many other
nobles to retire to the north, but the earl of Angus was captured and
escaped miraculously from the castle of Edinburgh, after being
sentenced and ready for death. Baron Fentry, (fn. 2) a great Catholic,
was beheaded on the same day. The King, with his own forces and
those of England (under threat of the queen of England to take
away his crown, if he failed), persecuted the said earls and the
Catholics all he could. (fn. 3) Being unable to capture them he gave up
the chase, but still continued to harry the Catholics all over
Scotland, until after Whitsuntide, when the persecution began to
slacken. The said Catholic lords then determined to send an
English priest to Spain, to give his Majesty an account of everything,
and to petition to the effect herein-after set forth. But as
they dared not send their signatures so soon after the other affair
they sent the priest with a token to Father Robert Persons of the
Society of Jesus, to whom he was already well known.
The following is the account of the present state of Scotland
brought by the said messenger.
The King is 26 years old, and has been married four years. He
has no children, nor is it expected he will have any. He is a man
of small spirit, quite given up to his pleasures and the chase. He
depends upon the Queen of England, more from fear than otherwise,
as he is very timid and hates war. He gives no attention to the
Government, is of no religion or fixed purpose, and allows himself
to be swayed by those around him. Two or three times he has been
captured by the competing factions ; and he follows either of them
without difficulty whilst they hold him. He does not seek to free
himself, and has therefore lost prestige with his subjects, and
the object of each contending faction is to capture him, and rule in
his name. He does not seem to resent this.
The Queen is sister of the king of Denmark. She is more
sensible and discreet than the King, and sees his littleness and poor
government. It is understood that she would be glad for him to
be in the hands of the Catholics, whom she secretly favours. She
has told several Catholic ladies, and particularly the mother of
Lord Seton, that she is really a Catholic, and prays by the rosary.
Dividing Scotland into two parts, namely, north of Edinburgh
and south of it, the principal Catholics in the northern portion are
the said earls of Huntly, Angus, and Errol, as well as the earls of
Athol, Sutherland, and Caithness, and a great number of barons
and knights. Indeed, in this part there are few heretics, except the
low people and officials in the cities. The southern part is richer
and more populous, and there is at present no earl really Catholic
there, as the two that remain, namely, Morton, and Glencarne, are
heretics ; and Bothwell who used to be on the Catholic side,
although a heretic, is in exile in England, because twice last year
he surrounded the King in his palace to take him. (fn. 4) The other
earls—of Argyll, Cassilis, and Eglington—are boys, and almost
powerless. Their religion is unknown, but some of their guardians
are well inclined. But what is of most importance is that in this
part of the country there are many barons and gentlemen who are
good Catholics. They are lords Hume, Seton, Sanquhar, Claude
Hamilton, Livingston, Herries, Maxwell, Semple, the abbot of New
Abbey, and others. Of gentlemen there are Ladyland, Lethington,
Johnstone, Eldersley, the three brothers of lord Seton, and many
others of the same sort. In the court and around Edinburgh the
most powerful man is the duke of Lennox, a Frenchman, and a
relative of the King, a young fellow of 23, very well inclined in
religion, as his mother and brothers are Catholics. The King loves
him dearly and would like to make him his heir, if he could, but the
queen of England does not like it, and favours the house of
Hamilton. The power of the Duke centres in the court, and he
holds the office of Lord Admiral, whilst the earl of Mar is captain of
Edinburgh Castle. The earl of Mar is a young man of the same
age, married to his (Lennox's) sister. Both of them will follow the
strongest party, although on their own account they are enemies of
the Queen (of England). Those who now have the King in their
hands are the men who were exiles in England, and entered
Scotland four years ago with the Queen's support, capturing the
King in Stirling Castle. These are the earl of Morton—a Douglas—
president, lord Glamys, Treasurer ; Maitland, Chancellor, who has
now retired from court ; Carmichael, Captain of the Guard ; and the
provost of Glenlouden, all persons of low condition except Morton,
who can do but little, as the head of his own house, the Douglases,
the earl of Angus, is a Catholic. The rest are powerless, and hated
by all but the preachers and the queen of England. The King, it is
understood, is anxious to get away from them, although out of fear
of the queen of England he dares not say so. There are also the
earl of Ross, Sir James Chisholm, the King's Steward, and Colonel
Stuart, all of whom are Catholics.
The people generally outside of the cities are inclined to the
Catholic faith, and hate the ministers, who disturb the country with
their excommunications, backed up by the power of the queen of England,
by aid of which they tyrannise even over the King and nobles.
They have passed a law by which anyone who does not obey their
excommunications within 40 days loses his rank and citizenship.
This is enforced by the aid of the dregs of the towns and the English
ambassador. The nobles and people are sick of this tyranny, and
are yearning for a remedy. They are looking to his Majesty for
his support for the restoration of the Catholic faith.
The Demands of the Catholics of Scotland for their deliverance.
First, the opinion of the above-mentioned nobles is, that with
3,000 foot soldiers sent either from Brittany or Spain to the south
and west of Scotland, with arms for as many more, and stores for
two months after their arrival, besides the funds herein-after mentioned,
they would be able at once to take the King, and defend
themselves against all the force of England.
The port of debarkation will be in one of the provinces of Carrick,
Coyle, or Cunningham, where there are many safe harbours, and all
the gentry around are Catholic. The desire of these gentlemen is
that with part of the foreign force, and their own men, they should
at once go and capture the King, and the two cities of Edinburgh
and Glasgow which they think will be very easy. They would then
like to reduce the rest of Scotland, and turn out or capture the
principal heretics, and fortify the castles, which are all now utterly
unprovided. They would then raise men, and make ready to resist
the forces of England, which they think will be in Scotland in
about two or three months.
The money they will want is 100,000 ducats, which they would
wish to be brought by the commander his Majesty sends, or his commissary,
so that he could pay for the things necessary from time to
time, without distributing any of it to the lords, as has been done on
other occasions, without any profit at all. The place that the lords
have fixed upon as best for the landing is a bay called Lochryan, in
the province of Carrick. The mouth is very narrow and can be
easily held, and it is very deep inside, well protected from all winds.
There is a town on one side called Intermessan, which may be made
impregnable. To this place men and stores can be sent from all parts
of Scotland by land and sea, and also from the neighbouring Catholic
counties of England. Ireland is less than a day's sail distant.
To this port also may be sent ships, etc., from Spain or elsewhere,
by two routes, one by St. George's Channel, and the other round
Ireland, which is quite safe and only two days longer. From
Nantes to the port in question ships usually go in five or six days.
The lords think it will be unnecessary to send cavalry, at least at
first, as they have plenty there of their own to cope with the
English in Scotland.
They think that amongst the 3,000 or 4,000 men his Majesty
might send Colonel Stanley, with his regiment of 1,000 English and
Irishmen, now in his service in Flanders. They might go without
attracting attention to Brittany, and there join the Spanish force ;
and then proceed to Scotland under the general appointed by his
Majesty. The footing his Majesty now has in Brittany will greatly
serve to conceal the Scottish enterprise, and it will also serve as a
refuge or point d'appui in case of need.
Finally, these gentlemen are sure that, with his Majesty's help,
they will capture the King at once, and will deal with him as his
Majesty orders. They will convert to the faith the whole of
Scotland, and keep the queen of England so busy that she cannot
molest his Majesty, either in Flanders, France, or the Indies.
They think it would be very advantageous that the earl of
Westmoreland and Baron Dacre, with other English gentlemen in
his Majesty's service in Flanders, who are natives of the north of
England, should be sent to the east of Scotland, when the Spanish
contingent has landed in the west. They should not go with
Colonel Stanley, to avoid suspicion. If the Scots soldiers in Flanders
are also sent to the east coast they should land at Lord Seton's port,
near Leith.
If his Majesty needs more information he is requested to send
back to Scotland with the person who brings this some Spaniard
of experience to treat with the gentlemen, and see the places in
question. But this must be done with all secresy and speed, as the
present state of affairs will bear no delay. If his Majesty cannot
send the aid requested the greater part of the gentlemen named are
determined to leave the kingdom, as they cannot maintain themselves
against the devices and strength of the queen of England,
who fears her ruin more from Scotland than any other part of the
world, and is determined to undo her opponents there.
Note.—The bearer of the above message was a priest named John
Cecil, who had been educated at the English Jesuit College at
Valladolid. He seems to have been afterwards a spy in the service
of Sir Robert Cecil. |