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

AN APOLOGIE, 1598
59
the fame of the Popes money, as also the coming of a certein
Spaniard from the K. of Spaine to the Catho. Earles, accom¬
panied and conueighed by M. C. himself, at the same tyme
suddenly being noysed abroad among the whole aduersaries
raysed the former appeased mutinie to a most vehement and
public commotion; whereby the K. and his Councell, being as
it were inuironned wth the multitude of aduersaries, although he
fauored the Catho.indeed, yet in respect he was not participant of
fa. Gordons affaires, nor of their forrein Councells, as he had
before protested vnto his people: the K., I say, and his councell,
because his honor was in some sort engaged by his protestation,
thought it most expedient at that necessitie of tyme in wyse The King’s ex-
pollicie to yeald some what to the Vehemence of the people, the CathoUcs"51
and so at their importunate instance condesended as it weare,
and went wth them against the catholiques.
And this is the persecution which M. C. vehemently vp-
braideth and vrgeth against the K. of Scotland, in the whole
course of his impudent and odyouse accusation, before the K.
and Councell of Spayne, the originall causes whereof are
specified in the premisses, and these immediately aboue
mentioned, are the immediate and last causes mouing this
expedition against the Cathol. Earles of the North wch I
hope in all indifferent opinions and reasonable iudgements may
excuse the K. of Scot, at least of the odious name of a malitious
persecutor of Cathol. as M. C. malitiously would have him
esteemed.
For the other parte of his odious calumnie, that the K. of The Queen of
Scotland did aduertise the Q. of England, that he had received ^nb^yd 3
money from the Pope, as it is most false, and hath no pro-
babilitie, so is it probable that the Q. of England, by in¬
telligence of such as M. C., had some foreknoweledge of fa.
Gordon his affaires, and perhaps fearing that the Popes money
had been directly for the K., preuented fa. Gordons retorne into
Scotland, and sent to the K. those fiftie thousand Angells wch
alleged. But Creighton is undoubtedly right. The king had nothing to do with
it. Gordon, who had been sent by the earls to Rome, returned with a large sum
of money for them, and landed at Aberdeen July 16, 1594. His formal receipt
to the papal treasury for the money, which was intended for the raising of soldiers
in aid of the insurgent earls, is printed by Bellesheim (History, iii. 449)-