Earl of Morton

“ MORTON, JAMES DOUGLAS, 4th Earl of (c. 1525–1581) , Scottish statesman, was the second son of Sir George Douglas of Pittendriech. Before 1543 he married Elizabeth (d. 1574) , daughter of James Douglas, 3rd earl of Morton, a grandson of James Douglas (d. c. 1500) , who was created earl of Morton in 1458. The 3rd earl’s wife was Catherine, an illegitimate daughter of James IV. In 1553 James Douglas succeeded to the title and estates of his father-in-law, and in 1563 he became lord high chancellor of Scotland. ”

“ His funeral was attended by the earl of Morton regent, other lords, and a great multitude of people of all ranks. When he was laid in the grave, the earl of Morton said, "There lies a man, who, in his life, never feared the face of man: who hath been often threatened with dag and dagger, but hath ended his days in peace and honour." ”

“ From this period he begins to figure as one of the most prominent of the nobles in whom the king reposed his special confidence, and who finally effected Morton's execution. When the Earl of Mar, at the instigation of Morton, resolved to assume his rights as keeper of Stirling Castle, in which the king resided, Montrose, at the instance of the new privy council, hurried from Edinburgh to Stirling ”

“ We have rabbits trussed and broiled, noble sir, capons roasted and boiled, stewed partridges, and the great side o' beef whilk thou seest turning before the fire; but that is for my lord the Earl of Morton, quha to-day cometh in frae his castle of Dalkeith, and the best in cellar and larder maun be keepit for him. Earls, ye ken, are folk that canna thole steering. ”

“ His dress and deportment at the gallows were equally gay with those which he assumed at his trial. As the Earl of Morton was the first man executed by the “Maiden,” so was Brodie the first who proved the excellence of an improvement he had formerly made on the apparatus of the gibbet. ”

“ Morton the only agent busy in doing all he could 'to ripen the design of a general rising.' During January and February, 1655, messengers passed to and fro through the Northern and Western districts of England to prepare the way for the Earl of Rochester and his associates, who spread abroad rumours that the 'Levellers were to be aiding and abetting the Cavaliers,' and that on the 8th of March, a general rising would take place. Two men can be traced who thus prepared Wiltshire for insurrection, one of whom was the chief instigator of Wagstaff's rising at Salisbury. ”

“ It was therefore suggested by Morton, and readily assented to by the duke, that the only means of overturning the present usurpation, was to unite the opposite factions, by contracting a marriage between the earl of Richmond and the princess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of King Edward, and thereby blending together the opposite pretensions of their families, which had so long been the source of public disorders and convulsions. They were sensible, that the people were extremely desirous of repose after so many bloody and destructive commotions ”

“ The ensuing execution of these men, the bravest and the ablest Scotsmen of that age, put an end to the last chance of Mary’s restoration by native support. But while all seemed to favour Morton, there were under-currents which combined to procure his fall. The Presbyterian clergy were alienated by his leaning to Episcopacy, and all parties in the divided Church by his seizure of its estates. Andrew Melville, who had succeeded to the leadership of Knox, was more decided than Knox against any departure from the Presbyterian model, and refused to be won by a place in his household. ”

“ From this specimen of their honesty, we may guess what reliance is to be placed on the authenticity of writings, subsequently scraped together by men who, on the spur of the moment, executed a forgery so clumsily, that they were unable to avail themselves of it on any future occasion. But Morton’s intriguing spirit was again busily at work; and having the Queen’s person once more in his possession, and being apparently supported by the people, he was determined on taking a step which would secure him Elizabeth’s lasting gratitude, and might ultimately raise him to the regency of Scotland. ”

“ He had been told that the King's niece, Elizabeth, once appeared at Court in a dress similar to that of the Queen. Instead of the obvious deduction that Queen Anne had kindly provided the girl with a dress like her own, we are treated to dark hints about a rival who was to supplant the Queen, and modern historians have taken the old monk's nonsense in all seriousness. Morton would have found such a man quite ready to accept without further inquiry any statement he might make, and to be the channel of any rumour he chose to spread. ”

“ Mor. Well, never despair.
Ash. I never do, zur. It is not my way. When the sun do shine I never think of voul weather, not I; and when it do begin to rain, I always think that's a zure zign it will give auver.
Mor. Is that young man your son?
Ash. No, zur—I do wish he were wi' all my heart and zoul.
Gerald. [To Morrington.] Sir, remember.
Mor. Doubt not my prudence. Young man, your appearance interests me;—how can I serve you?
Henry. By informing me who are my parents.
Mor. That I cannot do.
Henry. Then, by removing from me the hatred of Sir Philip Blandford.
Mor. Does Sir Philip hate you? ”

“ The earth is the Lord's. My country is wherever goodness is. Let God be glorified, it will not be in your power to hang or exile His truth." Morton felt himself outdared and outdone by the courage and calmness of this humble servant of Christ.
Morton resigned the regency in 1578, to make way for James VI. to ascend the throne, who continued the war against the Presbyterians. He asserted that his crown depended on the office of the bishop. "No bishop, no king," was his motto. He aspired to become dictator to the Church. The General Assembly resisted his claim. ”

“ In the discussions regarding the final disposal of the queen, Morton, probably acting in accordance with instructions from Moray, did not commit himself definitely to any of the first proposals. It was chiefly through his mediation that the demission of the government in favour of the prince and the establishment of a regency under Moray was agreed upon. At the coronation of the infant prince at Stirling, Morton took the oath on his behalf, promising to maintain the protestant religion (Reg. Privy Council, i. 542) . ”

“ Lord Morton is an upright man and a just; but for years he hath tried in vain to curb the wildness of young Sir Boris. Drink and dice have been the young lord’s ruin as of many a better man before. Only a fortnight since, Lord Morton forbade him, on pain of his worst displeasure, to bring any dice, those tools of the Devil, into Morton Hall. More than that, he drove from the very door two of the young bloods from Shrewsbury who had been the young lord’s boon companions in drinking and gaming. ”

“ It probably originated with Morton while he was lurking in the fens, and ceased to exist when he sailed for Flanders. His own narrative, as we have received it, comes to an abrupt termination while he is conversing with the Duke of Buckingham at Brecknock. If it had been continued, we should doubtless have had a highly coloured version of the rumour mentioned in the Croyland Chronicle. Morton and his slanders went abroad together. The rumour that the young princes had been put to death appeared no more in England during Richard's life. But as soon as Morton went to France, it appeared there. ”

“ He removed to London, but kept up his connection with the university (ib. p. 584) , practising chiefly as an ecclesiastical lawyer in the court of arches. Here he came under the notice of Bourchier, archbishop of Canterbury, who became his patron. Morton was at once admitted to the privy council, and was appointed chancellor of the duchy of Cornwall and a master in chancery. From this time he had much preferment, and was a great pluralist. In 1450 he became subdean of Lincoln, in 1453 he held the principalship of Peckwater Inn at Oxford and the living of Bloxworth in Dorset. ”

“ J. S. God a-mercy, Wat; and ere we have done.
We will be lords every one.
Hob. Gentle Jack Straw,
In one line let us draw,
And we'll not leave a man of law,
Nor a paper worth a haw,
And make him worse than a daw,
That shall stand against Jack Straw.
Mor. Methinks you might do well to answer the king, in the name of the whole company: some dozen or twenty men for the nonce, that may deliver the minds of you all in few words.
[Pg 392]
J. S. Sir John Morton, you are an ass to tell us what we have to do;
Hold your prating, you were best.
W. T. I tell thee, Sir John, thou abusest us ”

“ Some lectures on philosophy which he read in his own rooms were attended by several students from the college, and one or two discontented scholars desired to become inmates of his house, but these proceedings gave offence to the governing body. The letter of request to him to refrain from receiving these persons is printed in the ‘Mather Papers’ (Massachusetts Hist. Soc. Collections, 4th ser. viii. 111–12) . Morton was solemnly inducted as minister of the first church in Charlestown, New England, on 5 Nov. 1686, and was the first clergyman of the town who solemnised marriages. ”

“ I don’t know if it’s admiration, young lady, but I have learned that Mr. Morton knows what’s right. There isn’t a man anywheres that can teach him much! You can build on him and never get left. If he says a thing—it’s so; and if he stands up for you you’re all right. And then, he ain’t putting the load on the other fellow, either! When it comes to hard knocks, he takes his share—and takes it without a [148] murmur. He is square, is Mr, John—and white all through! ”

“ From Windsor the King passed through his manor of Woodstock to Oxford, and it being fine summer weather, the people kept high holiday on the route of the royal progress. At the University he appears to have been particularly well received, and acceded to their petition to release Morton, the Bishop of Ely, from his durance in the Tower, as that prelate was a special favourite with them, and having done so, consigned him to the gentler and freer espionage of his friend the Duke of Buckingham, who sent the Bishop down to his Castle of Brecknock in South Wales. ”

“ Lady Handy, some of your people were inquiring for you.
Lady H. Thank you, sir. Come, Sir Abel.
[Exit.
Sir Abel. Yes, my lady—I say [To Evergreen.] cou'dn't you give me a hint of the way he had—
Lady H. [Without.] Sir Abel!
Sir Abel. Coming, my soul!
[Exit.
Sir Philip. So! you have well obeyed my orders in keeping this Henry from my presence.
Everg. I was not to blame, master.
Sir Philip. Has Farmer Ashfield left the Castle?
Everg. No, sir.
Sir Philip. Send him hither. [Exit Evergreen.] That boy must be driven far, far from my sight—but where?—no matter! the world is large enough. ”

“ Compared with this castle, the Cretan labyrinth was intelligible; and unless some kind Ariadne gives me a clue, I shan't have the pleasure of seeing you above once a-week.
Sir Philip. I beg your pardon, I have been an inattentive host.
Handy, jun. Oh, no; but when a house is so devilish large, and the party so very small, they ought to keep together; for, to say the truth, though no one on earth feels a warmer regard for Robert Handy than I do—I soon get heartily sick of his company—whatever he may be to others, he's a cursed bore to me.
Sir Philip. Where's your worthy father? ”

“ I cannot boast such a shield from his vengeance, and expect to meet it."
"But Major Bellenden," said Morton, 'may surrender, in order to preserve your life."
"Never while there is one man to defend the battlement, and that man has one crust to eat. I know his gallant resolution, and grieved I should be if he changed it for my sake."
Morton hastened to acquaint him with the mutiny among the dragoons, and their resolution to surrender the Castle, and put the ladies of the family, as well as the Major, into the hands of the enemy. ”

“ During the short regency of Moray, Morton was his chief adviser both in his policy towards Mary and in the measures he undertook for the pacification of Scotland. He approved of, if he did not counsel, the apprehension of his old ally Maitland of Lethington, who had now joined the queen's party, and of the influence of whose diplomacy on Elizabeth, Moray and Morton were no doubt greatly in dread. On the day appointed for Maitland's trial for Darnley's murder, Morton lay at Dalkeith with three thousand men, ready to obey the regent's commands should the necessity arise (Calderwood, ii. 506) ”

“ On my honour and soul, it does seem to me a strange thing, that here poor Morton, who would have done service to everybody on earth, who was as good as he was brave, and as clever as he was good, should fall at the very first shot, and I go through the whole business with nothing but this scratch of the hand. I did my best to get myself killed, too; for I will swear that I was the last man upon our part that left the bank of the Boyne. ”

“ Elizabeth's refusal to pay the king's English rents had no doubt considerable effect in making Morton disregard her remonstrances against the prosecution of the Hamiltons for the murder of the two regents, Moray and Lennox. By the pacification of Perth it was provided that the regent Morton could not of his own authority engage in it, and would be guided by the advice of Elizabeth, but Morton could plead that he was not now regent, and that the king having accepted the government the matter could no longer be deferred. ”

“ While, therefore, it would seem that grave charges were in general circulation against Morton, connecting him with some deed of violence, it is necessary to bear in mind that considerable allowance must be made before any accusation against him can be accepted on the word of either the Massachusetts or the Plymouth authorities, or those in sympathy with them. Yet Morton was a reckless man, and he lived in a time when no great degree of sanctity attached to human life ”