Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/471

 157&] THE ALENCON MARRIAGE. 451 hopes ; but he saw that he was not to be supported, and that for the present he had no choice but to yield. Ruth ven, Lindsay, Dunfermline, even Gfeorge Buchanan and the burghers of Edinburgh, had for one cause or another turned against him. The Earls advanced to Stirling, and took possession unopposed of the castle and the Government. It 'was decided that James, being now i i T i i i i T i i March, twelve years old, should be held to nave at- tained his majority, and that the Eegency should cease. Morton resigned without objection, and retired to Loch- leven Castle, while the anomalous confederates who had overthrown him came on with the King to Edinburgh to organize a new administration. Having accomplished the only object which they were agreed in desiring, they of course quarrelled among themselves. The General Assembly snatched the moment to vote away the bishops and make demonstrations against the Roman beast. Glamys the chancellor was killed in a brawl by the Earl of Crawford; as Eandolph expressed it, 'all the devils in hell were stirring.' l At length a council of twelve was chosen out of the two factions, Argyle and Athol became the virtual rulers, and sent word of their success to Paris. The opportunity so long waited for appeared to have arrived at last. To rescue the Queen of Scots, punish Elizabeth, and revolutionize England, was the sleeping and waking dream of the princes of the house of Lor* Randolph to Killigrew, March 20 : MSS. Scotland.