86 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
tongue desired his presence, which he obeyed by entering the Church. After sermon, a
more lively representation was prepared for him ; Bacchus appeared on the Cross distributing
his wine freely to all; the streets through which he passed were strewed with flowers,
and hung with tapestry and painted histories ; and the whole fanciful pageant wound up
with a very characteristic astrological display, exhibiting the conjunction of the planets, in
their degrees and places, as at his Majesty’s happy nativity, vividly represented by the
assistance of King Ptolomd ! ”
The King then passed on to his Palace of Holyrood, attended by two hundred horsemen,
and the Parliament assembled immediately after in the Tolbooth, and contiuued its
delibemtions there for some weeks. The influence of Morton had been rapidly lessening
with the King, while the number and power of his enemies increased. Towards the close
of 1580, he was arraigned to stand his trial for the murder of Darnley ; and he was executed
the following year by an instrument called
the Naiden, a species of guillotine which he
had himself introduced into Scotland. His
head was placed on the Tolbooth, and his
body ignominiously buried at the Borough
Muir-the usual place of sepulture for the
vilest criminals.
Considering the high hand with which
the civic rulers of the capital contrived to
carry nearly every point during the reign of
Queen Mary, it is astonishing how speedily
James VI. brought them into subjection. ,He
interfered constantly in their elections,
though only with partial success, and used
their purse with a condescending freedom
that must often have proved very irritating.
They were required to maintain a bodyguard
for’ him at their own expense ; and whenever
it suited his Majesty’s convenience, were commanded to furnish costly entertainments to
foreign nobles and ambassadors.2
In October 1589, the King suddenly sailed from Leith to bring home his Queen, Anne
of Denmark, leaving orders of a sufficiently minute and exacting nature for their honourable
reception on his return. One of the first articles requires, that the town of Edinburgh,
the Canongate, and Leith, shall be in arms, ranked on both sides of the way between
Leith and Holyrood House, to hold off the press; and the Council are directed to deal
earnestly with the town of Edinburgh for providing ships and all other necessaries.
Various acts of the Town Council show the straits they were put to in the accomplishment
of this. “ The Baillies were ordained to pass through their quarters, and borrow
fra the honest nychtbouris thairof, ane quantitie of the best sort of thair naiperie,
to serve the strayngeris that sal1 arryve with the Quene.” Orders were given for
Hist. of James the Sext., p. 178-180. &itland, p. 37, * Haitland, p. 44, 5.
YIONETTE-The Maiden.
YAMES VI. TO RESTORATION OF CHARLES Ir. 87
the Nether Bow to be repaired-bonfires--“a propyne of ane jowell to the Quenis
grace,” &c. &c.
The King and Queen at length arrived at Leith on the 1st of May 1590, and remained
in “the King’s work there” till the 6th of the month, while the Palace of Holyrood was
getting ready. On the 17th of May the Queen was crowned in Holyrood Abbey, Mr
Robert Bruce pouring upon her breast bonye quantitie of oyll,” and “Mr Andro
Meluene, principal1 of the Colledge of the Theolloges, making ane oratione in tua hunder
Lateine verse !”
The second day they at length entered the capital, the manner of approaching which
from the Palace is worthy of notice, as a key to the usual route pursued on similar
occasions. <(At her comming to the south side of the yardes of the Canogit, along the
parke wall, being in sight of the Castle, they gave her thence a great voley of shot, with
their banners and ancient displays upon the walls.
where she was received with a Latin oration, EO that the royal procession must have skirted
along the whole line of the more modern city wall, where Lauriston now is. At the West
Port they were welcomed with even more than the usual costly display. The same variety
of allegories and ingenious devices had been prepared. An angel presented the keys to her
Majesty ; she rode in a chariot drawn by eight horses, decorated with velvet trappings,
richly embroidered with gold and silver, and was attended by sixty youths, as Moors, with
chains about their necks, and gorgeously apparelled with jewels and ornaments of gold.
The nine muses received them at the Butter Trone, with very excellent singing of psalms.
At the Cross she had another ‘( verie good psalme,” and then entered St Giles’s Church,
where a sermon was preached before their Majesties. Numerous allegories, goddesses, Christian
virtues, and the like, followed. Indeed, from the inventory furnished by a poet of the
period, the wide range of classic fancy would seem to have been ransacked for the
occasion :-
Thence she came to the West Port,”
To recreat hir hie renoun,
Of curious things thair wes all sort,
The stairs and houses of the toun
With Tapestries were spred athort,
Quhair Histories men micht behauld,
With Images and Anticks add.
It written wes with stories mae,
How VENTS, with a thuodring thud,
Inclos’d ACEATEaSn d ENAE,
Within a mekill mistie dud :
And how fair ANNA, wondrous wraith,
Deplors hir sister Dmoa daith.
Ixron that the quheill dois tarne
In Hell, that ugly hole, 80 mirk ;
And EBOSTRAqTuVha~ did b m e
The costly fair EPHESIAKNir k :
And BLIADESq, uho falls in aouo
With drawing buckets up and down.
* .. t
* *
1 Xarriage of James VI., Bann. Club, p. 39.
