e nobility appeared very much united
in their measures for promoting the interest of religion; this was soon
at an end, for the noblemen at court broke out into factions: Among whom
the earl of Bothwel, envying the prosperity of Moray, stirred up some
feuds between him and the Hamiltons, which increased to that height,
that they laid a plot for his life, which Bothwel took in hand to
execute, while he was with the queen his sister at Falkland; but the
earl of Arran detesting such an action, sent a letter privately to the
earl of Moray discovering the whole conspiracy, by which he escaped that
danger: Bothwel fled from justice into France, but his emissaries were
not less active in his absence than they had been while he headed them
in person, for another design was formed against his life, by one
Gordon, while he was with the queen at Dumbarton. But this proved
ineffectual also.

Soon after, the queen received letters from the pope and her uncles the
Guises of France, requesting her to put the earl of Moray out of the
way, because, they found by experience, that their interest in Scotland
could not prosper while he was alive; upon this the faction against him
became more insolent and appeared in arms: they were at first
suppressed, but soon assembled again, to the number of eight hundred
men: This body he was obliged to fight, with little more strength, in
which he could confide, than an hundred horse; notwithstanding this
disparity, by the divine blessing, he obtained a complete victory,
killing of them a hundred and twenty, and taking a hundred prisoners,
among whom were Huntly himself and his two sons; it is said he did not
lose a single man. He returned to Aberdeen with the prisoners, late in
the night, where he had appointed a minister of the gospel to meet him,
with whom he returned thanks to God for such a deliverance, exceeding
the expectations of all men.

The earl of Bothwel was soon after this recalled by the queen from
France; upon his arrival, Moray accused him for his former treasonable
practices, and commenced a process at law against him. Bothwel knew he
could not stand an open scrutiny, but relied upon the queen's favour,
which he knew he possessed in a very high degree, and which increased so
much the more as her enmity to Moray on account of his popularity was
augmented. This led her to join more warmly in the conspiracy with
Bothwel against his life; a new plot was the result of their joint
deliber