s of
Knox--strange conjunction!--took place, and friendship was made between
the two enemies. Knox made them a little oration as they embraced each
other, exhorting them to "study that amitie may ensure all former
offences being forgotten."

This is strange enough when one remembers the terrible tragedy which was
soon to burst these walls asunder; but stranger still was to follow. The
two adversaries thus reconciled came to the sermon together next day,
and there was much rejoicing over the new penitent. But four days after,
Arran, with a distracted countenance, followed Knox home after the
preaching, and calling out "I am treacherously betrayed," burst into
tears. He then narrated with many expressions of horror the cause of his
distress. Bothwell had made a proposal to him to carry off the Queen and
place her in Dunkeld Castle in Arran's hands (who was known to be half
distraught with love of Mary), and to kill Murray, Lethington, and the
others that now misguided her, so that he and Arran should rule alone.
The agitation of the unfortunate young man, his wild looks, his
conviction that he was himself ruined and shamed for ever, seem to have
enlightened Knox at once as to the state of his mind. Arran sent letters
all over the country--to his father, to the Queen, to Murray--repeating
this strange tale, but soon betrayed by the endless delusions which took
possession of him that his mind was entirely disordered. The story
remains one of those historical puzzles which it is impossible to solve.
Was there truth in it--a premature betrayal of the scheme which
afterwards made Bothwell infamous? did this wild suggestion drive
Arran's mind, never too strong, off the balance? or was it some strange
insight of madness into the other's dark spirit? These are questions
which no one will ever be able to answer. It seems to have caused much
perturbation in the Court and its surroundings for the moment, but is
not, strangely enough, ever referred to when events quicken and Bothwell
shows himself as he was in the madman's dream.

The chief practical question on which Knox's mind and his vigorous pen
were engaged during this early period of Mary's reign was the
all-important question to the country and Church of the provision for
the maintenance of ministers, for education, and for the poor--the
revenues, in short, of the newly-established Church, these three objects
being conjoined together as belonging to the spiritual dominion. T