Maitland Club > Rob Stene's dream

PRELIMINARY NOTICE. xvii
" For quhill he gaddei'f and growis riclie,
" He fettis gow to exeme fum wiche ;" &c.
The clamour against his ambition and avarice, in uniting in his own
person two of the most important and hicrative offices in the kingdom,
(for although promoted to be Chancellor he still continued to be Secre-
tary,) became so loud, that, in compliance with the suggestion of his
friends, he resigned the office of Secretary in favour of his nephew. Sir
Richard Cockburn of Clerkingtoun. The grant in favour of his nephew
is dated 2'2d April, 1591.
Soon after this he was called on to make another surrender. He had
either acquired by purchase, or obtained by the bounty of his royal mas-
ter, the barony of Musselburgh, which had belonged to the Abbey of
Dunfermling. The King had subsequently made a grant of all the
possessions of that Abbey to the Queen. She claimed the barony of
Musselburgh as part of her right. The Chancellor was not so frank in
making the surrender as the Queen expected. She took no pains to
conceal her displeasure ; and the consequence was, that a new faction,
consisting of the Duke of Lennox, the Earls of Argyle, Angus, Errol
and Morton, the Lord Hume and the Master of Glammis, was formed
against the Chancellor. They grew too powerful for him, and he was
obliged to retire for a time from the Court. He spent the greater part
of the year 1593 in the country. (Crawfurd's Officers of State, p. 150.)
Several years before, however, his right to any part of the possessions of
the Abbey of Dunfermling, which were vested in the Crown and des-
tined as a portion to the future Queen, had been questioned. (Hist, of
James the Sext, p. 234.) The poet avails himself very skilfully of this
competition of claim between the Chancellor and the Queen, (p. 17-)
«' Now, thocht na vdir thing 30W preift,
" ^it Schir, 3e fould rei'pect, at leift,