Place being agreed on, his Coronation was fixt to be on his Birth-day, the Feast of St. Matthias, February the 24th, (which had been, as the Conceit was, on several Occasions, very fortunate to him) he then entring into the 31st Year of his Age. For this Purpose a Gallery was built, from the Pontiff's Palace to the Cathedral, for the Pope and the Emperor to march on without Interruption, which was most richly adorned. Two Days before the principal Ceremony, the Magistrates of Monfa brought the Iron Crown, which used to be put on at Milan, for the King crowned. dom of Lombardy, but was now set on The Emperor his Head here: The next, which was the Coronation with the Golden Crown, was with the greatest Ceremony and Solemnity that has been seen on any such Occasion. After the Emperor was got into the Cathedral the Gallery funk, and many of the Guards fell through, who were much hurt, tho' only one Flemish Gentleman was killed. Some fuperftitious Italians faid, The breaking of the Gallery behind bim portended, that the Way was cut off, and no more Emperors should be crowned in Italy. Holds a Diet The Emperor returned on the 22d at Augsburg. of March to Germany, attended by Cardinal Campeius, who was to be Agent for the Pope at the Diet to be held at Augsburg; which was accordingly held, and ended, as others had, without any material Determination; but some Protests were entered, on the Behalf of the Lutheran Princes, against sundry Proceedings of the Diet, from whence all Dissenters from the Roman Catholick Religion were called PROTESTANTS, as they are at this Day. The Emperor's Aunt, Margaret, Governess of the Low Countries, died in the Month of November at Mecklin, whose Character we leave the Reader to collect from the Accounts we have given of her in the foregoing History. And here we shall close the the Year 1530, as to the Affairs of France, Spain, Germany, and Italy.* But it may not be amiss to observe, that the famous Guicciardin commences his History of the Wars of Italy, with Charles the VIIIth's designed Expedition into Italy, in the Year 1590, and concludes with speaking of the Death of Pope Clement the VIIIth, that happened on the 25th of Sept. 1533; (which we have given the Substance of in the Course of our short Memoirs) and, on the Elecon of Pope Paul the IIId, he has these Words, "Touch" ing Pope Paul's Actions and Operations, whether "they answered the Expectations conceived of him, or " whether they were worthy the incredible Gladness, "which the People of Rome looked to have had, after the " End of 130 Years, and after the Succeffion of 13 " Popes, and a Pope of Blood, by Nation a Roman, and " of the Language, Education, and Familiarity with " themselves, whom it standeth in Relation and Tefti * As we shall speak nothing further of Luther or his Doctrines in particular, we shall just mention, that he continued to employ the Remainder of his Time in propagating his new Doctrine, and died on the 18th of Feb. 1546. Bayle says, • A thousand • Fables have been invented con• cerning his Death; nor did they • forbear publishing of Falshoods upon this Subject after he had ⚫ departed this Life. His greatest • Enemies could not deny but ⚫ that he had eminent Quali⚫ ties; and History affords no⚫ thing more surprizing than • what he has done. For a fim•ple Monk to be able to give • Popery fo rude a Shock, that • there needed but such another • entirely to overthrow the Ro• mish Church, is what we cannot sufficiently admire.' Whilst the Troops of the Emperor Charles the Vth were quartered at Wirtemberg, in the Year 1547, a Soldier gave Martin Luther's Effigy, in the Church of the Castle, two Stabs with a Dagger: The Emperor did a very generous Action at that Time, for he would not fuffer Luther's Tomb to be any way defaced or demolished, and he forbid the insulting any thing of that Nature, upon Pain of Death, which the Spaniards earnestly follicited; but the Emperor very nobly answered, I have no⚫ thing farther to do with Luther, ⚫ he hath henceforth another ، Judge, whose Jurisdiction it is not lawful for me to usurp: • Know that I make War not • with the Dead, but with the • Living, who still make War * against me.' mony to write of the Accidents happening in Italy " fince his Election; so is to be verified the Sentence of the Proverb, The Office fetteth out the Dignity of the Person that manageth it." 66 THE Queen being provoked by her Affairs of Hushand, the Earl of Angus's Behaviour Scotland. to her, and detaining the King, her Son, 1527. against his Will, the Archbishop of St. Andrews perfuaded her to commence a Process, in order to be divorced from him, for which they had this Caufe to alledge, " That he, having been be trothen and given in Promise of Marriage to a "Noblewoman of the Kingdom, before he married the Queen, could not be her lawful Husband, by " reason of that Precontract." The Earl appeared to the Process, and confessed the Charge against him, upon which the Archbishop pronounced the Divorce; bat with this Reservation, "That the Daughter of "the Queen's Body, begot by the Earl during their Marriage, should not fuffer any Lofs, Damage or Disadvantage." 66 66 Some time after this the Queen obtained 1528. from Rome a Sentence to confirm the Divorce, and then she married Henry Stuart, afterwards created Lord Meffin, which drew feveral of the Nobility againft her, and her Party, attempting the King's Delivery by Force, were defeated near Linlithgow, and the Earl of Lenox flain. Yet the King made his Escape, from the Earl of Angus, to the Castle of Sterling; the Manner of which was thus: He fupped fooner than ordinary, and entertained the Captain of his Guard with more than common Ceremony, telling him, that he propofed early the next Morning to take the usual Diversion of the Seafon, and therefore defired him to go to Reft; which, in Obedience to his Prince, he complied with, the King pretending to go to bed too: But, as foon as the Court was still, he shift 0 ed : ed his Cloaths, and put on the Apparel of one of his Grooms; unperceived he passed the Guard to the Stable, from whence, with two that waited for him, he made his Escape to Sterling, where the Queen was ready to receive him: And great was the Earl of Angus's Surprize, when he found the King was gone. The next Day the King publickly declared, he would call a Parliament to fettle the Affairs of the Nation; and, notwithstanding several Attempts were made to prevent their Meeting, it was held in September. By the Votes of this Parliament the Earl of Angus, his Brother and Uncle, and Alexander Drummond, the Earl's great Friends, were condemned, their Goods confiscated, and Proclamation was made, 66 66 That, if any one entertained them, he or she should undergo the fame Punishment." The Douglas's now despairing of Mercy, foraged and spoiled the Country even to the Gates of Edinburgh, which put the young King upon raising Forces, in order to suppress these Infurrections. King Henry in the mean time, hearing of these Disturbances, sent Ambassadors about the end of October into Scotland, in order to treat of an Accommodation, which was effected; a Truce between the two Nations being agreed on for five Years; and the Douglas's were to deliver up the strong Places they had in Scotland to their King, he giving them a Confideration: But they on performing their Part, not finding the Rewards expected, retired into England, where they were honourably received by the King, and allowed Pensions. It is true, Alexander Drummond was received into Favour, but whether on account of his Merit, or to divide the Douglas Faction, is uncertain : So that the young King a second time took on himself the Reigns of Government, and was pleased to constitute of his Council, among others, the Earl of Rothes, 1 Rothes, the Earl of Eglington, † and the Lord Li- Affairs now began to bear a favourable Aspect, * The Origin of this antient and noble Family was from Hungary, taking their Name from the Castle of Lesley in that Country: There were also at one time three General Marshals of this Name to three several Princes; Count Walter Lesley, to the Emperor; Alexander Earl of Leven, to the King of England; and David Lesley, afterwards Lord Newark, to Gustavus Adolphus, King of Saveden: And the present Right Hon. John Lesley, Earl of Rothes, is descended from the above Noble men. † This Nobleman left Issue Hugh, who dying without Issue his Estate came to Sir Alexander ‡ This Lord, in the latter 1 |