heir to the
crown by his grandmother, daughter of James III.; and on that account
seemed best entitled to possess that high office into which the cardinal
had intruded himself. The prospect also of his succession after a
princess who was in such tender infancy, procured him many partisans;
and though his character indicated little spirit, activity, or ambition,
a propensity which he had discovered for the new opinions had attached
to him all the zealous promoters of those innovations. By means of these
adherents, joined to the vassals of his own family, he had been able to
make opposition to the cardinal's administration; and the suspicion
of Beaton's forgery, with the accession of the noblemen who had been
prisoners in England, assisted too by some money sent from London,
was able to turn the balance in his favor. The earl of Angus and his
brother, having taken the present opportunity of returning into their
native country, opposed the cardinal with all the credit of that
powerful family; and the majority of the convention had now embraced
opposite interests to those which formerly prevailed. Arran was declared
governor; the cardinal was committed to custody under the care of
Lord Seton; and a negotiation was commenced with Sir Ralph Sadler, the
English ambassador, for the marriage of the infant queen with the prince
of Wales. The following conditions were quickly agreed on: that the
queen should remain in Scotland till she should be ten years of age;
that she should then be sent to England to be educated; that six
Scottish noblemen should immediately be delivered as hostages to Henry;
and that the kingdom, notwithstanding its union with England, should
still retain its laws and privileges.[*] By means of these equitable
conditions, the war between the nations, which had threatened Scotland
with such dismal calamities, seemed to be fully composed, and to be
changed into perpetual concord and amity.

But the cardinal primate, having prevailed on Seton to restore him to
his liberty, was able, by his intrigues, to confound all these measures,
which appeared so well concerted. He assembled the most considerable
ecclesiastics; and having represented to them the imminent danger to
which their revenues and privileges were exposed, he persuaded them to
collect privately from the clergy a large sum of money, by which, if
intrusted to his management, he engaged to overturn the schemes of
their enemies.[**] Besides the partisans