Historical and genealogical memoirs of the House of Hamilton

OF THE HOUSE OF HAMILTON. 103
own Parliament ; and the French and English troops in a few days retired duke of cha-
i • ,- , • /~w ,i . , j? a ti v TELHERAULT.
to their respective countries. On the 1st or August, a Parliament as- , ,,,-, Ml ,
sembled at Edinburgh, which, amongst other proceedings, recognised the
reformed faith as the established religion of the land.
The Earl of Morton and Glencairn, and Maitland of Lethington, were Robert, i. 239, 2ca
at the same time sent as ambassadors to Elizabeth ; and part of their in-
structions was, to represent to her that the Scottish people, sensible of the
great advantages they enjoyed from their connexion with England, were
desirous of rendering the bonds of amity between the two nations peiv
petual ; and, for this purpose, besought her to accept of the Earl of Arran
as her husband, who was of the royal blood, and, after Queen Mary, un-
doubted heir to the Scottish crown. If ever Elizabeth entertained any
preference for this nobleman, she seemed now to have entirely relinquish-
ed it, or she was averse to admitting a sharer in the sovereign power ; for,
with many professions of good will to the Scottish nation, and respect and
esteem for the Earl, she declined the proposal.
Towards the end of this year, the feeble and effeminate Francis, the
husband of Queen Mary, died at Paris, it is said of an imposthume in his
ear. The young Queen returned to Scotland the following year, and is-
landed at Leith on the 19th August, where she was received by her sub-
jects with the most affectionate marks of attachment and reverence, and
immediately took up her residence at Holyroodhouse. Immediately on
landing, the nobility and gentry hastened to pay their respects to their
sovereign, and, among the first, were the Duke of Chatelherault and the
Earl of Arran ; but Mary received her two kinsmen with coolness and dis- *■■
trust. Her uncles of the house of Guise, who could never forgive the
Duke and his son for their active and zealous opposition to their design of
rendering Scotland a province of France, had infused into the mind of
their niece a strong aversion towards the family. This was further increas-
ed by the envy or the enmity of her natural brother Lord James Stewart,
Prior of St Andrew's, now high in her confidence, and who dreaded the
power and influence of the Hamiltons. The Duke, naturally fond of
retirement, soon left the court, and went to reside on his estates, and did
not, for several years after this, interfere much in public affairs.
George, Lord Gordon, the eldest son of the Earl of Huntley, was mar- «* 1562.
ried to Lady Ann Hamilton, second daughter of the Duke of Chatelhe-
rault. After the battle of Corrichie, fought in November this year, where