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

AN APOLOGUE, 1598
47
of justice. What should the K. haue done ? Should he haue
taken their perts ? They made him not participant of their
councell. Should he have approued their alledged treason ? It
was against his honor. Should he haue remitted their offence ?
It was a dangerous preparatiue. There was the wisdom of a
Prince tempted, there was his patience tryed, there was his
moderation proued. Justice wonld have them executed,
Conscience sayd they had a good cause: Honor would haue
their armes torne, Ancient desert sayd they wonne them in the
fyeld : Auarice would haue their goods confiscat, Liberalitie
said he was a King. Thus was the action newe, the controuersies
great, the parties puissant, and almost wth equal forces of
reason, proudly stoode vppon their reputacion: Justice, honor
and auerice ; Conscience, desert and liberalitie. When the K.
and his Councell had weighed this weightie cause, and found
that it concerned the State of the whole countrie, Experience
persuaded to proclayme and hold a parliament, in wch Justice
and honor did pleade their cause, and vpon the supposed
ground of treason obteyne the Victorie. And surely they could
not fayle, for they had manie voluntarie assisters, the mightie
Queen of England, the Malicious Ministers, manie nobles of
the land, not only for religion, but also for their owne parti¬
cular quarrels, the whole state of the Burrowes, the most part of
the people, all which did so importune and precipitate iudge-
ment and the finall sentence! that the authors of this action
were presently forefeited, and their armes torne, one of the
cheif authors executed, the Messenger escaped out of the
prisons; an expedition made against the catholiques of the
Northe, the K. his lieutenant, the Earle of Argyle faylled, and Argyll’s defeat,
forced to flee wth great loss of his men. The King himself
moued for the indignitie to passe against them in proper
person, whome they of dutie and reuerence would not en¬
counter but were fugitive: Their enemies moued his Matie to
raze their chief houses wch his honor persuaded him to per-
forme, for their contempt and rebellion. Thus are the Catholiq®
Earles banished.1
1 Cecil charges Creighton with making his own friends and confederates, the
Catholic nobility of Scotland, who were 1 martyrs in heaven and confessors upon
earth,’ to be ‘ traitors most impious to God and their country.’ ‘ On the contrary,’