Spottiswoode Society > History of the affairs of the Church and State of Scotland from the beginning of the reformation to the year 1568 > Volume 1

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE HEADER. xcvii
place that may turn to my prejudice, I do not expect, upon
several accounts, any good understanding between them,
unless God effectually put to his hand. 1 shall only name
two. The first is, the King will never humble himself as he
ought ; the other is, the Queen can't perceive any one Noble-
man speaking with the King, but presently she suspects
some contrivance among them." — (The rest of this letter is
concerning his appointments and personal concerns ; and
he only adds) — " The Queen reckons to be going to Stirling
five or six days hence ; and the baptism is appointed to be
on the 12th of this month.''''
Extract of a Letter from Mom. le Croc, the French Ambas-
sador in Scotland, to the Archbishop of Glasgoic. 1
" The Baptism of the Prince was performed Tuesday 2 last,
when he got the name of Charles- James. It was the Queen's
pleasure that he should bear the name James, together with
that of Charles (the King of France's name), because, said
she, all the good Kings of Scotland his predecessors, who
have been most devoted to the crown of France, were called
by the name of James. Every thing at this solemnity was
done according to the Form of the holy Roman Catholick
Church. — The King (Lord Darnley) had still given out, that
he would depart two days before the Baptism ; but when
the time came on he made no sign of removing at all, only
he still kept close within his own apartment. The very day
of the Baptism he sent three several times desiring me either
to come and see him, or to appoint him an hour that he might
come to me in my lodgings ; so that I found myself obliged
at last to signify to him, that, seeing he was in no good cor-
respondence with the Queen, I had it in charge from the
most Christian King to have no conference with him ; and I
caused tell him likewise, that as it would not be very proper
for him to come to my lodgings, because there was such a
1 Mem. Soot. torn. ii. F. 336.
2 This was the 17th day of the month, so that I was led into the mis-
take of fixing this solemnity to the 15th day by the Proclamation emitted
on the 14th, which I reckoned to have been precisely the day before the
Baptism, especially since Archbishop Spottiswood gives the 15th for the
day ; but this sure Instruction contained in this Letter, by naming the day
of the week, is an undoubted testimony for Air Knox, who relates that
the Prince was baptized on the 17th of December.