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* i ~?Sb- 11 i THE LIFE OF KING JAMES THE FIRST. C0 ST4KLES £msexLULm '|i viffavd ckdefi i'tabkcsrh’jitf — T« THt: v u<l°l s aECWTMBST?^-' LITEB-VTIRK. SriKXCEA THE AK’: VOL, LVi. '«*rr» rrmJf t?„ • CO&rc&KUB’S MXSCS^^AiTC’ )r^ Hnrturas —-^( I\ THE VARIOUS DEPARTME OF LITERATURE* SCIENCE, & THE ARTS. VOL* LVL LIFE OF JAMES thk FIRST VOL H. WINDSOR CASTLE niTJUNO THE R,:i«»N OF ( I1ARJ.F. S II. EDINBURGH: PK1CTTKID FOR COHfiTAlHliLK & C? KDINHURGHi AHB HlTKSXCHArrCE & C“lLOKjlM!)K. 1830. i THE LIFE OF KING JAMES THE FIRST. BY ROBERT CHAMBERS, AUTHOR OF “ THE HISTORY OF THE REBELLIONS IN SCOTLAND, ” &<•. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE AND CO. ; AND HURST, CHANCE, AND CO., LONDON. 1830. vT b ^ sc Oh, 19 75 ^ CONTENTS. CHAP. I. Page James’s Journey to London _ . 7 • • • CHAP. II. Removal of the King’s Consort and Children from Scotland — Raleigh’s Plot—Sully’s Embassy — Hampton-Court Conference — First Meeting of Parliament . ’ 4o CHAP. III. Proposed Union between Scotland and England— Publication of the Counterblast to Tobacco . 77 . CHA?. IV. The Gunpowder Plot ... 95 CHAP. V. Visit of the King of Denmark—Quarrels with Par- liament 121 CHAP. VI. King James in Middle Life—Anecdotes . 146 VI CONTESTS. CHAP. VII. Page Rise of Car, the Favourite—Quarrels of the English and Scotch—Death of Prince Henry—Marriage of the Princess Elizabeth—Murder of Sir Thomas Overbury ....... 175 CHAP. VIII. Duelling—Story of the Lady Arabella—Fall of So- merset ....... 195 CHAP. IX. The King’s visit to Scotland .... 223 CHAP. X. Expedition of Sir Walter Raleigh.—Death of Queen Anne.—Case of Lady Lake . 258 CHAP. XI. The Spanish Match , . , . ,281 CHAP. XII. The King’s Death 314 & i LIFE OF KING JAMES THE FIRST. CHAPTER 1. james’s journey to London. 1603. It would appear that the hesitation of King James, on receiving Carey’s intelligence of the death of Elizabeth, was not without some corresponding feel- ings of the same kind on the part of the English coun- cillors ; for they are said to have spent fully six hours in feeling each other’s pulses, before they came to the resolution of proclaiming the Scottish monarch as their sovereign. Elizabeth, indeed, had impress- ed men with such fears on the subject of the suc- cession, and there was so much real danger of offend- ing against some of her statutes, by acknowledging any particular successor whatever, that they might well be justified in pausing to learn the general sentiments, before they ventured upon this deci- sive step. There was a personal and nominal re- spectability in Elizabeth, which did not leave her VOL. n. A 8 LIFE OF even after she was dead ; and, as Falstaff’ trembled to approach even the lifeless corpse of the Scottish warrior whom he had lately seen fighting with such vigour, so also did the ministers of this lion- hearted princess scruple to take any liberties with what she had guarded in life so jealously and so well. It was not till they found themselves una- nimous in favour of James, as the most rightful, and also the most eligible, claimant of the crown, that they came to the resolution of announcing him in that character to the people. No sooner, however, was this unanimity ascertained, than they proceeded in a style of heartiness, such as amply proved how clear they held his title, in comparison with that of any other competitor. When their deliberations were finished, a pro- clamation was drawn up, and immediately uttered at the gates of Whitehall. It was signed by about thirty Peers, spiritual and temporal; and the man who read it was the most influential in the kingdom, Sir Robert Cecil, Secretary of State. It was immediately after uttered a second time at the west side of the High Cross in Cheapside, in presence of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of Lon- don, and of an immense concourse of the common people, who testified their approbation by shouts of “ God save King James ! ” The proclamation contained an account of James’s descent from Henry VII., and an assertion of his being the nearest in blood to the deceased sovereign; after which was a warm panegyric upon his character. There can be no doubt that, in the concoction of this document, and also the resolution of the Coun- cil in favour of James, Secretary Cecil was the principal instrument. KING JAMES THE FIRST. 9 The news of Elizabeth’s death being generally circulated over the country before any account of this proclamation, or of the resolution of the Coun- cil, the sheriffs of the counties and the magistrates of towns were thrown into a state of considerable agitation, and even alarm, regarding the line of duty which they ought to follow under such ex- traordinary circumstances. Thus, as the intelli- gence of the London proclamation reached them after different intervals of time, their proclamations resembled the straggling fire of an ill-disciplined regiment of militia, where one company takes its cue from the conduct of another, instead of the whole being directed by one general command. Only one sheriff, out of the whole number of these officers, had the hardihood to proclaim King James before receiving instructions from the Coun- cil. This was Sir Benjamin Tichborne, sheriff of Hampshire, a Catholic. He no sooner heard of Elizabeth’s decease, than he hurried over to Win- chester, from his country seat in the neighbour- hood, and declared James to be King of England. James was himself so much pleased with this spi- rited act of service, that, after his settlement in England, he made a grant to Sir Benjamin, and bis heirs for ever, in fee favour, of the royal cas- tle in Winchester, with a yearly pension of 100/. during his own life, and that of his eldest son, Richard Tichborne, whom he also knighted. * Similar to this was the conduct of the good town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the magistrates of which, hearing on Saturday of the death of Elizabeth, by * Milner’s Winchester, i. 389; apud Nichols’s Pro- gresses of King James. 10 LIFE OF a message from Sir Robert Carey, which that ex- peditious courier had despatched to them in his progress, immediately wrote a letter to James, tendering him their allegiance and loving duty. This letter reached him on Sunday morning, be- fore the official announcement of his succession. Much gratified by the promptitude and zeal dis- | played by this portion of his new subjects, he re- turned them a letter that very day, thanking them for their offers of duty, and assuring them that he should prove to them a most ‘ gracious and loving prince, ’ who should be careful to maintain their wonted liberties and privileges, and see ‘ that the same be na wayes brangillit nor utherwayes pre- judgit. ’ He next day sent Lord Holyroodhouse to receive their allegiance in official form; and from the report which this nobleman brought back, of ‘ the triumph, love, and kindness he had been entreated with, and with what hearty applause the name of King James was received ’ by the com- munity of this ancient town, it is affirmed that the King first conceived assurance of the flattering re- ception which he was destined to meet with in his new kingdom. Early in the week, James received visits from a great number of the more influential men of both his kingdoms, who came with the profession of congratulating him, but in reality to bespeak fa- vour to themselves, or to remind him of former promises. Among the earliest and most accept- able of his visitors was John Payton, son of Sir John Payton, lieutenant of the Tower of London, a personage whom, it will be recollected, he gave orders to have conciliated to his interest some years before. He was so much pleased to learn that this KING .TAMES THE FIRST* 11 important officer was true to him, that he confer- red the honour of knighthood on young Payton, being the first time he had exercised that part of his prerogative on an Englishman; whence he ever afterwards called Payton his first Knight. The third person who came to him, was Sir Lewis Pickering, a gentleman of Northamptonshire, and a puritan, who, conceiving that his party might be advantaged by a priority of application, made haste to bespeak his Majesty’s favour to that sect, before any deputation should arrive from the established church. He came last, however, in the best sense of the word ; for his application was attended with no good effects to his party. James, two or three days after, received, by the hands of Dr Thomas Neville, dean of Canterbury, an address from the Church of England, tendering him the bounden duty of its members, and praying to know ‘ his pleasure for the ordering and guiding of ecclesias- tical causes ; ’ to which address he returned an an- swer, assuring those who sent it, that he was re- solved to maintain the church as it had been set- tled by the late Queen. During the course of this important week, James and the English council had several interchanges of letters and messages ; and he testified his gra- titude to the late Earl of Essex, by ordering all who were confined in the Tower on account of his insurrection to be liberated. Among the number was the Earl of Southampton. An amusing cir- cumstance took place, when the royal messenger, Roger Aston, was for the first time brought be- fore the English Privy Council.