Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 22.djvu/194

 Gordon displayed remarkable daring and energy, especially in the final charget but the victory won for him no substantial advantage. (Huntly is celebrated as the hero of the battle in a Latin poem, ‘Surgendo,’ printed from a folio manuscript in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, with introduction by C. K, Sharpe, 1837.) On learning that the king was advancing against him, Huntly in a letter to Angus playfully alluded to the king's crusade as likely to turn out a ‘gowk's [cuckoo's] storm.’ Unhappily the letter fell into the hands of the king, who resolved to teach Huntly a lesson. As before, Huntly had left his castle and fled further north. The king, at the instigation of Andrew Melville, blew up the castle of Strathbogie with gunpowder (Bowes to Cecil, 29 Oct. 1594). The castles of several other leaders of the rebellion shared the same fate. The Duke of Lennox was then appointed king's lieutenant in the north. The king offered a full pardon to Huntly if he would deliver up Bothwell, but this Huntly refused (,v. 361). Nevertheless when Argyll, on discovering a conspiracy of Huntly against him, threatened to renew the conflict, he was warded by the king in the castle of Edinburgh. Huntly and Erroll lingered for a time in hope of assistance from Spain, but, having given caution to the Duke of Lennox to leave the kingdom during his majesty's pleasure, Huntly finally set sail from Aberdeen on 19 March 1595 (Bothwell to Douglas 17 June 1595). On 19 Oct. 1596 the Countess of Huntly presented certain offers to the general assembly on his behalf (printed in, v. 441-3). Some time previous to this Huntly had secretly returned, and was reported to have been seen at his wife's residence in the Bog of Gight (Bowes to Burghley, 20 Oct. 1596). As the assembly had heard of this and were greatly scandalised at the connivance of the king in permitting the return of ‘idolaters,’ they ordained a ‘public humiliation’ to be kept, throughout the country on the first Sunday of December, and threatened the summary censures of the kirk against all who should hold intercourse with them. After the ‘No Popery’ riot in Edinburgh the king came to terms with the kirk, and wrote a peremptory letter to Huntly commanding him either to embrace the protestant faith or leave the country for ever. A committee was appointed by the general assembly to confer with the catholic earls and instruct them in the truth (‘Articles for Trying the Earl of Huntly,’ in, v. 616-18),and they having expressed their willingness to ‘satisfye in all humble manner’ (‘The Earl of Huntly's Answers to the Articles,’ ib. pp.633-5), a commission was appointed to absolve them on certain conditions (ib. pp. 639-40), one of these in the case of the Earl of Huntly being that he should ask God's mercy for the Earl of Moray's slaughter. Having consented even to this stipulation, he was formally and with great ceremony received into the bosom of the kirk at Aberdeen on Sunday, 26 June 1597. In the following August the penitent earls were relaxed from the horn by sound of the trumpet at the cross of Edinburgh (ib. p. 655), and at a parliament held on 16 Dec. they were restored to their estates.

On the occasion of the baptism of the Princess Margaret, Huntly was, 7 April 1599, created marquis, and on 9 July he was, along with the Duke of Lennox, constituted lieutenant and justice of the north, with special charge of the project for the colonisation of the island of Lewis (Reg. Privy Council Scotl. vi. 8). The king could now without check exhibit his friendship for Huntly, who it was rumoured passed much of his time with him ‘drinking and wauchting’ (, vi. 100). But as doubts again of his sincerity spread, a commission was appointed in 1602 by the general assembly to deal with him and the other earls (ib. vi. 166-7). Meanwhile the king on 23 Feb. 1602-3 reconciled Huntly with Moray and Argyll after the long feud on account of Huntly's murder of Moray's father (ib. p. 205). After various conferences with Huntly, followed by citations and threats, he was, at a convention held at Linlithgow 10 Dec. 1606, ordained to confine himself with his wife and children in Aberdeen (ib. p. 606). He was summoned to appear before the privy council, 19 March 1606-1607, to answer for his religion (Reg. Privy Council Scotl. vii. 516), but avoided the summons by going to England and appealing to the king. The king was then negotiating with him for the subjugation of the North Isles, and commanded the council to desist in their action pending the result of the negotiations (ib. p. 517). On their failure he was ordered, 16 June 1607, to confine himself within the burgh of Elgin, with an obligation every other Sunday to attend church and hear sermon. In November he was allowed to visit Aberdeen (ib. viii. 487), and afterwards attended various meetings of the council in Edinburgh; but at an assembly of the kirk held at Linlithgow in July 1608 sentence of excommunication was pronounced against him (, vi. 751-8). The king gave the sentence his approval, and on 11 Oct. he was charged to enter himself in ward in Stirling Castle (Reg. Privy Council Scotl. viii. 175), where he remained till 10 Dec. 1610, when on his engaging to subscribe the