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the king, admitting an earl, with tw train, a lord baron with one only, and without any attendant: That Maister Buchanan and Maister Peter Young, sh tinue his Majesty's instructors, and no mitted without the council's consent, nor gious exercise be kept within the castle which the parliament had approved: An observation of these articles, the earls Angus, Argyle, and Montrose, with Ruthven, and others, gave their bond a tion; as also, for the safe delivery of of Edinburgh with its muniments.

After this, a convention was held at S the 25th of July, where there convene clergy, eight bishops, and as many commendators, of the nobility, nine eleven lord-barons, and many commifs boroughs, the earl of Morton attended a ticular desire of the king; where his M nounced his acceptation of the supreme ment, and his resolution to hold the meet estates at Stirling for his security, and no burgh. After many protests of the leg ment summoned to meet at the capital on of July, after its rising, the king publish clamation, and amnesty, declaring: "Th his desire to remain at Stirling, and be

the Earl of Marr, with whom he knew his surety was greater than if he should be at the devotion of those that caused the present troubles, whose meanings towards him, could be no better than it had been in times past *. After this, the whole matter of the ecclesiastical discipline of the kirk of Scotland was adjusted; and it is foreign to my purpose, to enter into the detail of any transaction in which Marr was not immediately concerned +. In the year 1579, Marr was joined in a commifsion with the earls of Morton and Eglinton, the lords Cathcart, Ruthven and Boyd, to seize the persons and estates of the lords John and Claud Hamiltons, who had the lands of Hamilton, during the insanity of Arran. And this, on account of their supposed accefsion to the murder of Murray and Lennox, which excepted them from the general indemnity stipulated by the treaty of Perth.

On the 8th of September, Esme Stuart, lord d'Aubigny, the king's near kinsman, being descend

*Spottiswoode.

+ Dr Robertson, in his history of Mary Queen of Scots, has, with great propriety, had recourse to Calderwood's large manuscript history of the church, in the archives of the general afsembly, for determining the minute particulars of this confused and barbarous period of our Scottish annals; from whence Spottiswoode and Crawfurd had drawn their information. This manuscript of Calderwood ought to be printed; and were a subscription opened I have no doubt that it would foon be filled, and the work presented to the public with suitable notes biographical and political. Such as may desire to support this undertaking, would do well to announce their names to the Editor of this Miscellany, when a bookseller would be found to put it to the prefs, with consent of the commifsioners and procurator of the church of Scot▾ land.

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*

and affectionate submissions to the king the young Earl of Marr in favour and

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* In an original letter from Nicholas Arrington to t rer Burleigh, preserved in the Cotton library [cal. 6. fol. 1580, are the following curious particulars relating to Lord d'Aubigny:

"I have maid my repaire unto the Kinge of Sc Straveling, and haithe delyvered unto him the Queen's ter &c. The King's Hieness passing to his cabinet did ence or twice over with good delyberacion, as Maister his scoul maister told me, &c. The mynistres (clergy) if they have convencion to charge d'Aubigny and Scottsmen, to make a resolute confefsion of their rely standing any dispenciacions This is thought to be be th of the earl Morton, &c. I had conference with the Edenburg and Leith, at my pafsing to Stravelinge, who were determined to prefse the King to avoyd the cou wold not profefse unfenydlye the trew relygion. Id their good myninge therein. The doubt of this haith m d'Aubigny in great dompts of lait, in so moche as h his chambre as it were not weil disposed, &c.

It is thought of many, that if certaine persons were fr wold be wone in short tyme. Hee is content to heare a hathe alledged, that if hee shold come sodenlye to the wold be thoght it were done more of ambicion then Yet trewlie, so farre as I can learne, the greatest hyndera the doubt he haithe of the lofse of his lyvinge in Fran thought to be more certayne than his new promocions

c.

The King is moche affected unto him, and dothe gyv of the scripture in Frenche, and uses all meynes to forwar unto. Some of the mynistres holdit the opynyon th but laboringe.

Here is greate myslykinge that the King is no bettere with councellors, an that he frequents the fields, and moche.

who continued faithfully and honourably to attach himself to Morton; though it brought him into discredit at court, and that his affairs were disordered by the great expences his father had incurred during his short administration of the regencyt. [To be continued.]

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

HISTORY OF, PORTUGAL.

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I KNOW of no period of hiftory, on which the pen of a man of talents could be employed with a better prospect of success, than that part of the hisVOL. Vii.

B

* Dealings of William Randolph with the Earl of Angus Cotton lib. cal. 6. fol. 135. 1°: Martii 1580.

"And because, that my Lord of Mar hath noe lefse confidence in your Lordshippe (Lord Burleigh,) he requyres your answer by writing to the poynt following.

"The late Earl engaged all his landes and plate for grete somes of money, during the tyme of his Government which the Kinge requires now at his hand.”

With the articles wherein this memorial is contained, Mr John Colvill the Kings master of requests and pedagogue to the Erle of Mar, was fent from the Earl of Angus by the medium of the Laird of Wedderburn,

The Earls having an enterprise in view against the faction of 'Aubigny, and captain Stewart had obtained Randolph's ring, as a secret taken of Elizabeth's support, which ring was brought back from Lord Hundson at Benuck by Coloin, The whole of this memorial in the Cotton library, entitled the dealings of Mr Randolph with Angus, &c. is extremely circumstantial and curious. I have a fair manuscript copy of all that relates to our Scottish history, during the years 1580 and 81, in the Cotton library. I do not recollect, whether these lines have been yet printed. If not they are well worthy of the Prefs.

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tory of Portugal, which intervenes between the reign of John the I. and the conquest of that kingdom by Philip the II. of Spain, a period of about one hundred and fifty years; during which time this small patch of a country, was distinguished above all other nations for acts of heroism and magnanimity. It was during this period, that arose the illustrious Don Henry, whose name will ever be revered in the annals of history. This prince, the fifth son of king John, far outstripping those of the age in which he lived, informed by. the perusal of antient writers, and instigated by ideas that an attentive study of geography suggested, pushed forward in search of discoveries with a degree of intelligence, attention, and persevérance, that can find no parallel in the annals of time. His efforts were crowned with succefs. Under his auspices Vasca de Gama, first doubled the Cape of good Hope, and imported by that route the treasures of India to his native fhores. This important discovery gave quickly to Portugal, a decided superiority above all rival nations, and produced a revolution in the course of trade, which in a fhort time totally changed the face of Europe. Wealth flowed in upon Portugal from all quarters. This inspired her people with an active energy, the usual attendant of succefsful enterprises: Succefs begot pride, insolence, presumption, injustice. The Indian nations were made to tremble at the nod of the Portuguese. Their dictates were defpotic, and their enterprises unbounded. Nothing seemed to them impossible, and for a short

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