Mary's Wedding
Mary, aged five, was sent off to the French court on 29 July 1548.
On Sunday 24 April 1558, aged fifteen, her dream marriage to the Dauphin
of France finally took place (given the shifting diplomacy of her new
father-in-law Henri II of France, it had never been a foregone conclusion).
This account of the wedding was apparently written by a Scots student
in Paris, and it survives only as a fragment recovered from the binding
of a work by David Lindsay the poet. As at most traditional Scottish weddings,
a 'poor oot' - coins being thrown to crowds in the street - was in order.
- [They scattered] gold and silver amang the pepill
- They scattered gold and silver amongst the people
- on every side of the scaffald within the kirke. Whar
- on every side of the platform within the kirk. Where
- with qui potest capere capiat was sik yalping and
- with 'who could seize, let him seize it' there was
- yeoling, sik calling and crying as, as the like (I
- such yelping and yowling, such calling and crying,
- think) was never hard. Ther gentillmen tint [lost]
- as the like, I think, was never heard. There
- their clokis, gentilwemen ther fartingales,
- gentlemen lost their cloaks, ladies their
- merchantmen ther gownes, maisters in art ther
- farthingales, merchants their gowns, masters of
- hudis, studentis ther cornet cappis, and religious
- arts their hoods, students their cornered caps and
- men had ther scapilliries violently riven fra ther
- clerics had their scapularies violently torn from
- shulders. Whar also amang the rest was a stout
- their shoulders. Amongst the rest was a stout young
- yong baire futed freir of Sainct Francis ordir, the
- bare-footed Franciscan friar, who got more of the
- whilk freir gat mair of the cast money than four of
- 'poor-oot' than four of his companions. Being
- his cumpanions. The whilk beand demandid
- challenged what he was doing handling money
- wharfor he did handill money contrary to his
- contrary to his vows of poverty, he answered
- profession: he answerid, hola my freindis hola,
- 'Hola, my friends, Hola! Content yourselves, for if
- content your selves, for gife [if] Sanct Francis him
- St Francis himself was present here this day, who
- self war heir present this day whilk was the chief of
- was the chief of our order, he would put out his
- our profession, he wald put to his hand, as I have
- hand as I have done and my companions in
- done, and my com[pan]ions, in handling and
- handling and keeping this alms money (thereby
- keping this [almis] m[on]ey (therby mening na
- meaning that he was not being greedy)
- cuvetou[snes]) to the laude of God, and honour of
- to the praise of God and honour of this most godly
- [this] maist godly and triumphant marriage . . .
- and triumphant marriage . . .
- [To see the merchantmen in ther] doublettis,
- To see the merchants in their doublets without their
- gounles, maisters in art hudles, and studentis with
- gowns, the masters of arts hoodless, and students
- many uthers caples, it was a merie sport for him
- with many others capless, it was a merry sport for
- that tint nathing. And thane to heir thare
- him who lost nothing. And then to hear their
- lamentation, it was na les sport. Some saing, I have
- lamentation, it was no less sport, some saying 'I
- tint my cloke wurth ten crownes and gat but a
- have lost my cloak worth ten crowns and got only a
- teston. Ane uther sais, alace my gowne was
- teston (about a shilling). Another says alas my gown was
- pluckide fra my bak wurth six crownes, and gat but
- plucked from my back worth six crowns and I got but 5 sous
- 5 sous. The third sais my purs is gane and 50
- (roughly pennies). The third says my purse is gone and 50
- crowns in it and gat nathinge. I have gotine quod
- crowns in it and I got nothing. I have gotten,
- ane uther a cuppill of gud crownes of the sonne and
- said another a couple of good crowns of the sun and
- tint nathinge. Wharfor I heringe and seing this gud
- lost nothing. Wherefore, I hearing and seeing these good
- fellowes having sike gret tinsell [loss] for gredines
- fellows having such great loss for greediness
- in getting of few pecis of monie, and specialy him
- in getting a few pieces of money, and particularly him
- that tint his purs and 50 crownes in it and gat
- who lost his purse and 50 crowns in it and got
- nathing: I was forced, not alanerly to say with the
- nothing. I was forced, not alone, to say with the
- poet Virgil Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, auri
- poet Virgil 'Accursed greed for gold, what dost thou not drive
- sacra fames
- hearts of men to do?'. Aeneid III, 55.
The Marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to the Dauphin: a Scottish
Printed Fragment, ed. Douglas Hamer, The Bibliographical Society,
London, 1932. Reproduced by permission of The
Bibliographical Society.