In My End Is My Beginning by Maurice Baring

Author:Maurice Baring
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: House of Stratus

CHAPTER II

When the Queen arrived in Scotland she was held in suspicion on account of her religion; and soon she perceived that her chiefest enemy would be Mr Knox, and she set about to disarm his enmity and to win his goodwill, for the Queen had claimed liberty of conscience for herself and her household before her advent; and even this was hardly granted, for the first time Mass was sung at Holyrood House there was broil and tumult, and oftentimes later.

The Queen clove to her own religion throughout her life; but in despite of what the Scottish nobles may have said, she was no fanatic, having seen the woes resulting from religious dissension and persecution in France, and this is proved by her deeds. It is true she would gladly have seen the old religion restored in Scotland, believing it to be the true religion, and she declared this to be her dream to the Pope; but she knew it to be a dream, and a dream it was, for she scarcely obtained freedom of worship for herself, and never for those of her subjects who were of her religion. Never once did she act against her subjects of the Reformed religion; never once did she encourage persecution; and she refused the aid and support of her Catholic nobles, who were powerful in the North, fearing they would be over-zealous, and knowing that those of the Reformed religion were for the time the stronger. It was but for herself and her household that she claimed the right to worship as she pleased, but she often petitioned and entreated that those subjects who were likewise of her Faith – and of these there were many – might enjoy the same freedom, but this was ever denied her, nor could she save them from imprisonment; for when Mr Knox and his followers spoke of liberty of conscience and freedom of worship, they meant the right to worship as they pleased, and the right to imprison and putto death Catholics for worshipping in their manner; for they regarded that manner and that Faith as being of the devil.

But the wisdom and temperate action of the Queen in this matter won her favour from neither side, for those of the Reformed religion said it was but deceit; while those of the older Faith in France and elsewhere accused her of being but half-hearted in her religion, because she shared not their fury and because she was wiser than they in these matters. The Queen-Mother spurred her to encourage the Catholic cause in Scotland, hoping that thereby she would meet disaster: for so little did the Queen-Mother care for the interests of those of her Faith outside her kingdom that she entreated the Queen of England, when it fitted with her policy, to imprison and to persecute her Catholic subjects: and of this Secretary Lethington was well aware.

Thus it was that the sweet reason of the Queen found but a deaf ear in Mr

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