Page:The Construction of the Wonderful Canon of Logarithms.djvu/16

xii the University previous to 1566 in order to complete his studies on the Continent.

He was at home in 1571 when the preliminaries were arranged for his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Stirling of Keir. The marriage took place towards the close of 1572. In 1579 his wife died, leaving him one son, Archibald, who, in 1627, was raised to the peerage by the title of Lord Napier, and also one daughter, Jane.

A few years after the death of his first wife he married Agnes, daughter of Sir James Chisholm of Cromlix, who survived him. The offspring of this marriage were five sons and five daughters, the best known of whom is the second son, Robert, his father’s literary executor.

Leaving for a moment the purely personal incidents of Napier’s life, we may here note the dates of a few of the many exciting public events which occurred during the course of it. In 1560 a Presbyterian form of Church government was established by the Scottish Parliament, On 14th August 1561, Queen Mary, the young widow of Francis II., sailed from Calais, receiving an enthusiastic welcome on her arrival in Edinburgh. Within six years, on 24th July 1567, she was compelled to sign her abdication. The year 1572 was signalised by the Massacre of St Bartholomew, which began on 24th August; exactly three months later, John Knox died. On 8th February 1587 Mary was beheaded at Fotheringay, and in May of the year following the Spanish Armada set sail. The last event we need mention was the death of Queen