Series 1 > Papal negotiations with Mary Queen of Scots during her reign in Scotland, 1561-1567

99
1562] §111. COMMUNICATIONS RESTORED
would obey the queen and the law.11 Punishment has, moreover, been
inflicted on various evil-doers, notwithstanding all the prayers of those
who solicited favour for them. In brief, our lady the queen manages
her affairs by God’s grace so prudently that she shows herself affable to
all, both good and bad, for she cannot yet proceed against the latter
because of their power and the still imperfectly settled state of affairs.
Still she takes wise counsel with certain excellent men about her pro¬
posed restoration of peace and good order both ecclesiastical and civil,
and diligently executes their advice. Moreover, she has given orders
that enough should be paid out of the fruits of the monasteries to supply
monks and religious with the necessaries of life, until such time as the
monasteries be rebuilt and ancient discipline and the usages of monastic
life be restored.®
[3] The councillors of the Most Reverend Cardinal of Guise [i.e.
Lorraine], it is said, visited the queen about Allhallow-tide. We hear
also that the Duke of Conde, the brother of the King of Navarre, and
defender of the heretics, has sent certain persons ” to the heretics of Scot¬
land to conspire against the gentle queen, and that they were conspiring
to kill her after Easter. But the queen, hearing of the matter, crushed
the attempt four hours before the time fixed for the rising. Many were
killed, and the chief leaders captured. Among these is the brother of
the Archbishop of St. Andrews, who would succeed to the crown if the
queen dies without heirs.®
[4] There is no certain information yet about her marriage. Among
certain nobles of her kingdom the rumour is going about that she will
marry Prince Charles of Spain.
[5] In fine, the good time has inspirited all Catholics, in so much that
a certain moderately learned person has dared to challenge the heretical
patriarch, whose name is Knox, offering him eighty articles, in the first of
which he asks him to declare the derivation of his doctrine, and to set
forth whence and from what line of bishops he received the authority to
teach which he arrogates to himself.® Fearing lest he thus suffer loss of
dignity he begins to lose heart daily more and more, especially as he
finds himself taken off,® as he deserves, by defamatory bills, called pas-
quins, pasted up about the street. He notices, too, how the people are
falling away from his teaching, and that only very few attend his preach¬
ing. The queen herself has most strictly forbidden all her household to
be present at such sermons, even for curiosity’s sake. May all good
Christians pray that God of His immense mercy may favour her most
pious endeavours and admirable work begun for the glory of His Name
and the peace of the Church.]