* upon being seized by the earls of Mar and Gowry, with others of the nobility, as he returned from hunting, and conveyed to Ruthven castle, they obtained a charge for the duke of Lennox to depart the country, and for the confinement of the earl of Arran. This was followed by a proclama sellors these for a young king! and admirably fit for governing a kingdom. And yet these were the men who carried all before them, and obtained honours and estates by wholesale. Arran from a private gentleman "was made gentleman of the bed-chamber, knighted, made a privy counsellor, and tutor of Arran. A few weeks after he was made captain of his majesty's guards, and created earl of Arran." Lennox "in a few days after his appearance at court, had a grant of the lordship of Arbroath, then he was created earl of Lennox, governor of Dumbarton castle, captain of the guard, first gentleman of the bedchamber, and great chamberlain of Scotland, and duke of Lennox b " These sudden promotions to honour, and places of profit to such men, must necessarily have been very unpopular and distasteful, and could not but be highly resented. However 'tis but justice to James, to acquaint the reader that he was very young, and consequently most easily drawn aside by those who had influence over him; and therefore more excusable than he was in misplacing his favours afterwards, as he almost always did. 4 Being seized by the earls of Mar, &c. they ob a Lives and Characters of the Officers of the Crown and State of Scotland, by George Crawfurd, Esq; p. 137. fol. Lond. 1736. b Id. p. 331. tion from the king, discharging the commissions which he had formerly given them, and declaring that in so doing he acted not by compulsion. However, having regained his liberty, he turned out of place those who had been enemies to his favour tained a charge for the duke of Lennox to depart the country, and for the confinement of the earl of Arran, &c.] "As the king was returning from stag-hunting in Athole, in his way towards Dumferling, he was invited by the earl of Gowry to his house of Ruthven, near Perth. The earl, who was at the head of the conspiracy, instantly sent to advertise his friends of what had happened. Whereupon several of the discontented nobility, and all those that were in the English interest at hand, repaired to Ruthven, where without any ceremony they resolved to detain the king, and keep him prisoner. The next day when the king was essaying to get out, they stopt him; wherefore growing into a passion and weeping, Sir Thomas Lyon boldly, though rudely, told him, it was no matter for his tears, better that bairns greet than bearded men "." After they had him in custody they presented a supplication to him, "representing the false accusations, calumnies, oppressions and persecutions they had suffered for two years, by means of the duke of Lennox, and the earl of Arran, the like whereof were never heretofore borne in Scotland." Upon this representation, the king, sore against his will, sent orders to the duke to leave the kingdom, who obeying, died soon after at Paris, and the earl was b August 23, 1582. See also Melvil, p. 129, &c. b Crawfurd, p. 332. Spotswood, p. 320. ites, and insisted on such of the nobility's asking pardon as had been concerned in the affair of Ruthven; which causing a confederacy and a rising, issued in the death of the earl of Gowry', in revenge of which, confined for a time. Before this a proclamation had been issued forth, "declaring that it was his own voluntary act to abide at Perth; and that the noblemen and others that attended him, had done nothing but what their duties obliged them unto, and which he took for a good service performed both to himself and the commonwealth." But all this was a mere act of dissimulation, and the effect of constraint. As soon as he was at liberty he returned to the same courses, and behaved after his wonted manner. For favourites he must have, and so their pleasure was consulted, no matter how the kingdom was pleased. 5 Having obtained his liberty, he insisted on such of the nobility's asking pardon as were concerned in the affair of Ruthven, &c.] James was never a man of his word. We see just now, that, by proclamation, he had allowed what was done at Ruthven to be good service, and he moreover had desired the kirk "to find it good for their parts, and to ordain the ministers and commissioners of every shire to publish the same to their parishioners, and to get the principal gentlemen's subscription to maintain the same." But no sooner had he got his liberty, but he acted quite differently from what he had declared to be his sentiments. Arran was introduced again into court," was made Chancellor, captain of the castles of Edinburgh and as was said, his son engaged in the conspiracy so much talked of, and variously cen Stirling, and ruled so as to make the whole subjects to tremble under him, and every man to depend upon him, daily inventing and seeking out new faults against diverse, to get their escheats, lands, benefices." He wrought so far with the king, that a proclamation was published, "condemning the detaining his majesty's person at Ruthven as a fact most treasonable. Yet his majesty declared, that he was resolved to forget and forgive that offence, providing the actors and assisters do shew themselves penitent for the same, ask pardon in due time, and do not provoke him by their unlawful actions hereafter, to remember that attempt!" Whereupon divers noblemen and others withdrew from the court, for fear, to some place of security; for they well knew that their destruction was aimed at. Whereupon the principal of them were ordered to confinement, which they not obeying, were denounced rebels". This was shocking behaviour, and enough to provoke the most patient men to take a severe revenge; for the king's word was no security, his promise could not be relied on, and no man was safe who affronted his favourite, who made a mere dupe of his master, and sacrificed his honour on all occasions. A sure proof this of James's weakness, and a sufficient indication of what the world was to expect from him hereafter; for the tempers and dispositions of men are pretty much the same through life. As they are in youth, so are they in reality in age, though they may know better how to gloss and disguise. By this treatment of those concerned in the Ruthven affair, * Crawfurd, p. 139. Spotswood, p. 326. Id. ib. sured; which terminated in the ruin of his family. several of the nobility were induced to enter into an association, for reforming abuses, securing religion, and the preservation of the king's person and estate, among whom was the earl of Gowry, who being taken, tried and condemned, was executed for treason. His majesty (says Melvil) had no intention of taking his life, but the earl of Arran was fully resolved to have his lands, and therefore to make a party to assist him in that design, he engaged to divide them with several others, upon condition that they would assist him in the design of ruining him; which afterwards he did, having by this means procured their consent and votes." What weakness and feebleness of government was this! Arran was in effect king, whilst James bore the name, and under the royal authority committed the most unjust actions; for all agree that Gowry had hard measure dealt him.In time the Gowry family was restored to honour and estate, but, as historians tell us, nothing could allay the revenge of the two eldest sons, for their father's blood, but the death of the king, which they attempted to have taken away at the earl's own house, August 5, 1600".But they both lost their lives in the attempt, and ruined thereby their family; for their houses were demolished, their estates confiscated, and the whole family, by act of parliament, prohibited to carry the name of Ruthven. The 5th of August was likewise ordered to be kept yearly in remembrance of this deliverance.Whether there was any such conspiracy of the Gowries * Melvil, p. 156. Spotswood, p. 332. Crawfurd, p. 390. |