Series 1 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (First volume)

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CATHOLIC DOCUMENTS
apparently more open, and was accordingly more trusted by
the ambassador. It is not necessary to go into the details of
the negotiations. Ogilvy, under much protestation, communi¬
cated the plan, which he had previously discussed with Stephen
dTbarra, of handing over certain strong places in Scotland to
Spain, and delivering the young Prince Henry into the custody
of Philip as a pledge of James’s good faith. When at last
Ogilvy talked wildly of a project of Elizabeth to induce the
King of France to get rid of his wife and to marry him to
Arabella Stuart, whom she wished to succeed to the English
throne; and further of the Queen’s intention, if outwitted by
Spain, to send to Rome and feign herself a Catholic, the Duke
came to the sensible conclusion that ‘ this man cometh hither
furnished with inventions and cunning.’ He was perhaps, also,
not favourably impressed by Ogilvy’s urgent request to be
employed in the service of the King of Spain at a salary of 100
crowns a month. Sesa therefore sent for Dr. Cecil, and they
settled between them that Ogilvy should be persuaded to leave
Rome (as, it was said, he had been instructed to do by James,
if unsuccessful there), and to proceed to the court of Spain.
Cecil was to go with him and contrive on the road to extract
his secrets. The ambassador gave Ogilvy many fine words and
a gold chain of great value. The Scotsman fell into the trap,
and the two men, as we have seen, arrived in due time at their
destination, and the result was the ‘ Memorials.’
How long Ogilvy remained in prison at Barcelona does not
appear. But meanwhile the Queen of England appeared well
informed of all that had gone on at Rome. She knew of Don
Bathazar and Don Ugo, of ‘ John Ogilby otherwise Pury,
entitled a baron of Scotland,’ and of Cecil, ‘ a fugitive from
England, who was last year in Scotland practising in favour of
the King of Spain,’ she knew the report of her supposed project
to marry the French King to Arabella, in fact she knew the
whole story as if she had been looking over the Duke of Sesa’s
shoulder as he wrote his despatches to his king.