Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 3.djvu/97

Rh dor seeing this, immediately moved home, and Sir James Balfour, who had been all the time of the dispute an inmate of the castle, hastened to make his submission, to the regent, and demand a pardon, which was cheerfully granted, with restoration at once to all his possessions. Perhaps rather offended than mollified by this kindness on the part of the regent towards his friend, the governor proclaimed froiu the walls of- the castle his intention to destroy the town, commanding at the same time, all the queen's true subjects to leave the place, that they might not be involved in that ruin that was intended only for her enemies. Within two days after, a strong wind blowing from the west, he sallied out in the evening, and set fire to the houses at the foot of the rock, which burned eastward as far as the Magdalen chapel. At the same time he sent his cannonshot along the path taken by the conflagration, so that no one dared to approach to put it out. This useless cruelty made him alike odious to his friends and his enemies, and they "sa cryit out with maledictions that he was saif frae na mannis cursing." The estates, notwithstanding all this, met in the end of January, when they passed several acts against papists and despisers of the king's authority. This meeting of the estates had no sooner broken up, than a meeting was held at Perth with the leading noblemen, who had first been of the queen's faction, when a treaty was entered into, by which a general amnesty was granted to all who should profess and support the protestant religion, and submit themselves to the authority of the regent. The only persons excepted from this amnesty, were the murderers of the king, and the regents Moray and Lennox, the archbishop of Glasgow, Mary's ambassador in France, and the bishop of Ross, her ambassador in England, both of whom were under a sentence of outlawry. Liberty was also reserved for Kirkaldy and his associates to take the benefit of this amnesty if they did it within a given time. The English ambassador, anxious for the fate of a brave man, waited in the castle to show the governor the treaty, and to advise his acceding to it, but Maitland had so possessed him with the idea of assistance from abroad, that he was deaf to all advice. Morton, indeed, had not the means of reducing the castle himself; but he made immediate application to Elizabeth for a supply of cannon and of soldiers who could work them, which application she received most graciously, and Sir William Drury with a body of troops and a train of artillery left Berwick upon that service in the month of April, 1573. Before the march of the troops, however, a special treaty was concluded, whereby the terms upon which the aid was granted were particularly specified, and hostages were granted for the fulfilment of these terms. No time was lost in commencing the siege, and notwithstanding the skill and the bravery of the governor, the place was speedily reduced. The fall of part of the chief tower choked up the well which afforded them at best but a scanty supply, and the spur, though a place of great strength, was stormed with the loss of only eight men killed, and twenty-three wounded. The garrison on this beat a parley, and sent for or.e of the English captains, to whom they expressed their desire of conversing with the general and the ambassador. The regent giving his consent, Kirkaldy, according to the prediction of John Knox, along with Sir Robert Melville, was let down over the wall, the gate being choked up with rubbish. Requiring conditions which could not be granted, Kirkaldy was returned to the castle, but he found it impossible to stand another assault. They had no water but what they caught as it fell from heaven, and the garrison was discontented. Thinking on the terms that had been offered, and so often and foolishly rejected, and ascribing the obstinacy of the resistance to Maitland, the men threatened that if further attempts to preserve the place were made, they would hang him over the wall. Nothing of course was left but to capitulate at discretion: only they did so with the Eng-