and affrightment did seize upon her persone, that she knew not what to resolve on. Some tymes she thought it fitt to acquaint her father and mother with her feares; and then againe, without acquainting them with her thoughts, to slip doune to Lamingtounehouse, or the toune of Douglasse. But as modesty tyed up her tongue from the first, soe the shortness of tyme, and (the want of) ane handsome pretext, hindered the later, for it was not possible to have keeped the knowledge of her removeall that day from the king, which might have incensed him exceedingly against her father, the greatest part of whose fortune was mostly at that tyme at the king's disposeing, as heretable keeper of the castle of Craufuird. Thus, unresolved what to doe, or how to carry towards the king, in great trouble of spirit, poor lady, she remained in a carelesse dresse untill his majestie's arryveall.
"The king, haveing breakfasted and heard messe att the colledge church of Carnwath, made foirward on his journey to the castle of Craufuird, being accompanyed with non but the Lord Somervill, and these few he brought from Edinburgh with him. He was mett by the captaine of Craufuird with some horsemen, some few myles on this side of the castle, with whom he discoursed familiarly untill ther arryveall at the house, where his majestie was receaved at the gate by the lady and two of her daughters. What entertainement his majestie receaved from the captaine and his lady, and kyndenesse from ther beautifull daughter upon his amorouse addresse to her, is noe part of that which I have in hand; yet I am apt to believe, from several! circumstances and papers that I have seen, that this interview proceeded noe farther than to useher the way, and give opportunitie to these more particular and privat favoures his majestie receaved eftirward from this lady in the same house. Whatever wer the intysing motives that prevailled over her vertue, and brought her to the king's embracement, was best knoune to herself; and although noe act of this nature be warrantable before God, yet much may be said to take off the reproach, and justifie her to the world. It was her king, not a subject, that made love to her; a gallant young prince, for persone and parts die world then had not the better, laying asyde his dignitie and that supreme orbe wherein he moved. One of meaner degree, with half of these qualifications wherewith this royall king was indued, might have prevailed much upon the budding aft'ectiones of a tender virgin, unacquainted with the blandishment of great ones and the entertainements of a royal court, whereinto your court ladyes are soe accustomed to addresses of persones of eminency, that they can putt oft' or conferre ther private favores as ther interest or inclinatione leades them; and yet if they trip, you shall not know it, Memorie of the Somervilles. or if you doe, you must not divulge it, unlesse you be desperately resolved to forfault both your life and fortune to the fury of ther amoures. Besydes these inducements, and her father's interest, she might have before her eyes the example of Elizabeth Moore, Rowallane's daughter, who bare to King Robert the Second three sones, long before her marriage; and at lenth, notwithstanding of the king's haveing two sons in marriage by the Earle of Rosse's daughter, she dying, and herself taken to be his queen, her sones was reputed and declared righteous successores to the crowne, and that by consent of Parliament.
"These reasones, with the splendent aspect of royall majestie, backed with a soveraigne power, might prevaill much upon this innocent lady, and inclyne her to a complyance, as not weill knowing how to refuise the kynde offeres of soe obleidgeing a prince, the effects whereof, in four yeares tyme, made her mother of two boyes and ane daughter to the king."
The reader will observe in what a style of courtly submission the author talks of the insult offered by the royal visitor, both to his own ancestor the Lady Somerville, and to the Captain of Crawfurd's family. In several posterior passages we find hints of the manner in which he regarded this sort of royal condescension. The ladies so honoured seem to be not a whit more contaminated by it in his eyes, than they were in those of his kinsman, the Laird of Cambusnethan, who married successively two concubines of James V. These ladies, according to one passage, "very much illustrate the family;" and in another we are told, that their husband "was a plain country gentleman, and an excellent housekeeper, happy in both his marriages for beautiffull and verfuous ladies." Vol. 2. p. 19. A second long digression is made in another place, in vindication of the character of one of them, and the noble author concludes in these words—"Thus far have I digressed in vindication of this excellent lady, that it may appear it was neither her choyse, nor any vitious habit that prevailled over her chastity, but ane ineviteable fate that the strongest resistance could scarcely withstand"—Vol. 1. p. 388—anticipating, as the Editor has already observed, the indulgent maxim of Prior,
"That when weak women go astray
Their stars are more in fault than they."
