James Melville: Life Story

Whilst Mary was in the Borders, Darnley followed her about miserably, but received short shrift. He retired to Glasgow, where he fell ill. On partial recovery, he moved to a house at Kirk O’Fields, where Mary visited him, and the two appeared to be moving towards a reconciliation.

According to Melville himself, although he was writing with hindsight and we should be careful of being wise after the event, there were rumours current in Edinburgh that Bothwell meant to harm Darnley, so when the King was found dead in the garden of his house, following an explosion, the finger of suspicion was immediately pointed at the Earl.

Melville went to the Queen, but was told by Bothwell that she was too upset to see anyone. In the meantime, Melville could look at Darnley’s body, which had not suffered a mark – he had actually escaped from the house before the explosion, and, it was presumed, had been suffocated.Melville reports that he could not actually get a sight of the corpse, which was being guarded by one Alexander Durem.

Then an even more damaging rumour began to circulate – that Bothwell (a Protestant), recently married to the Catholic Lady Jean Gordon, sister of the Earl of Huntley, would divorce Lady Jean to marry the Queen. Mary’s nobles were shocked and appalled at the dishonour this would bring on their Queen. One of them, Sir John Maxwell, 4 ^th Lord Herries, and a Protestant himself, went on his knees to Mary to beg her to put any idea of marrying Bothwell out of her mind. Mary assured Herries that she had no such intent.

Melville, planning to second Herries’ plea, received a letter from a man named Thomas Bishop. Bishop was a Scot, and had been for a long time in the service of the Earl of Lennox, with whose wife he quarrelled bitterly. From information that Melville could not have known, it seems likely that Bishop was also in the pay of Sir William Cecil, and Leicester at different times.

Bishop’s story is so convoluted that it is hard to know whose side he was on, but Melville obviously took him at face value. Bishop wrote that England was full of rumours that Mary was to marry Bothwell, believed to be Darnley’s murderer, and advised Melville to warn her strongly that such an action would lead to her downfall.

Melville took the letter to the Queen, who read it, and returned it. She then called Lethington over to read it, and told him that the letter was a ploy of Melville’s own, to ruin Bothwell. Lethington took Melville aside, and, having read the letter, warned him to leave Edinburgh, as Bothwell would kill him.

When Bothwell returned, Mary informed him of the letter, asking him to leave Melville alone, but Melville, fearing Lethington was true in his estimate of Bothwell’s character, went into hiding until Mary was able to persuade Bothwell to cease threatening him. Apparently, the Queen told Bothwell that he would leave her with no friends at all. Melville then returned to her side, telling her the letter truly had come from Bishop, but even if he had made it up, she should still listen to advice from those who wished her well. Mary again denied planning to marry Bothwell, but would not be drawn far into the topic.

A few days later, Mary travelled to Stirling to see her baby, Prince James, and on her return journey, she, together with Melville, the Earl of Huntly and Lethington were abducted by Bothwell and his henchman, Captain Blackater, and carried off to Dunbar. Blackater told Melville that the Queen was party to the abduction, but that has been disputed.

Melville was allowed to leave Dunbar – presumably Bothwell did not want anyone stiffening any resolve Mary might have to resist him. During this period Bothwell and Mary slept together – whether he forced her has been a bone of contention for 450 years.

Bothwell persuaded a portion of the nobility to petition Mary to marry him. He divorced his wife and the pair were married on 15^th May 1567. Mary was still only 24 years old – she had lost two husbands, been abducted, and perhaps raped. Nowadays, we might think that she had fallen into the common syndrome of putting all her trust in the man who was abusing her. For her subjects, however, her actions were seen as adulterous, dishonourable and demeaning to her position.

Melville had avoided the court since he had been released from Dunbar, but was present at the marriage. Here, we find a small slice of the man’s own appearance and personality. Bothwell said that Melville had been quite the stranger – he should sit down and dine with him. Melville replied shortly that he had already eaten. Well, then they should drink together, came the reply, as Bothwell thrust a cup of wine on Melville for them to toast each other, like, as Melville says contemptuously, ‘Dutchmen’.

Melville merely sipped at the wine. Bothwell told him to drink up, until he put some weight on, for ‘the zeal of the common weal has eaten you up and made you so lean.’ Melville replied that, whilst he should try to be useful, it was up to Bothwell and the nobles to consider the public good. Bothwell then started to talk of women, ‘speaking such filthy language’ that Melville hurried away, a small outpost of sober dutifulness amidst a sea of self-serving brutes.

He went to the Queen, who was, unsurprisingly, glad to see him. Ever since she had returned to Scotland, she had tried to inculcate a more cultured and sophisticated court, but all her work was undone.