Series 3 > Mary Queen of Scots and the Babington plot

152 MARY STUART AND THE BABINGTON PLOT
Anno Christi 1583 1 R. P. Claudius Aquauiua Generalis
Societatis Jesu misit in Scotiam Gulielmum Creittonum
sacerdotem eiusdem Societatis Scotum, vt dispiceret quid
auxilij posset Societas illi regno iam ab haereticis occupato
adferre, et imprimis vt ageret cum nobilibus a quibus
tota vis regni dependet. Cum P. Creitton in Scotiam
venit solus fuit inter nobiles (qui sunt consilij Status
regni) inuentus constans in religione catholica Dominus
lord seu Vicecomes de Seton, qui P. Crittonem libenter
hospitio suscepit ac humaniter tractauit. Coeteri omnes
tyrannidem eorum qui regnum Gubernabant prsesertim
Ministrorum haereticorum predicantium metuentes haeresi-
bus subseripserant. Gubernabat tunc regem adhuc sub
tutela viuentem Dux Lenoxias regis consanguineus, cum
quo existimabat P. Creittonus imprimis tractandum,
quippe quod corde nouerat eum esse catholicum, quamuis
in exterioribus satisfaciebat Ministris in omnibus.
Post multas difficultates obtinuit P. Crittonus collo¬
quium 2 cum duce ; noctu in palatium regis introductus
et per biduum in secreto cubiculo absconditus obtinuit a
duce vt regem in fide catholica curaret instruj, vel (cum
tempore) extra regnum educi, vt posset liberius fidem
catholicam amplecti; et haec sub quibusdam conditionibus
tantummodo pecuniarijs et multo minoribus quam vide-
batur res tanti momenti mereri. Articulos huius rei
curauit P. Crittonus confici et manu ducis subsignari, vt
rei certa adhiberetur fides, et vt Summus pontifex, qui
tunc fuit Gregorius 13 pie memorie non verbis P. Critton
sed scriptis ipsius ducis fidem adhiberet.
1 Crichton got his commission in Rome, 23 December 1581. He passed
through Paris in February 1582 and reached Scotland before the end of
that month, and was received by George, Baron Seton, who died in 1585.
It was the next lord who was advanced to the title of Earl of Wintoun.
2 The interview with Esme Stuart, Seigneur d’Aubigny, and Duke of
Lennox, took place at Dalkeith ; the articles mentioned below were dated
there on the 7th of April. The original, in French, and signed by Lennox,
is still preserved in the Vatican Archives (Inghilterra, i. f. 219 and 224),
printed by I. Kretschmar, Invasionsprojecte, Leipzig, 1892, pp. 123-128.
Crichton rightly says that the articles stipulated for a subsidy; though he
was forgetful when he adds that this was all. A strong body of troops was
also bargained for.