The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

He had before at the first coming in, spoken with the Queen Regent, at the fair Block-house of the Castle of Edinburgh: Whether she had enchanted him or not, we know not, but by suspicion of that day in which he deceived the expectation of many, and so far as man could judge, was the cause of that great repulse; some ascribed the shortness of the Ladders to him; but that omitted which might have proceeded of negligence, his absence from the pursuit of his Quarter, was the cause that such French as were appointed there to defend, seeing no pursuer came to the relief of their fellows, and so they two joining together, with great slaughter gave the repulse to our Company. The French-mens harlots, of whom the most part were Scottish whores, did no less cruelty then did the Soldiers: For besides that they charged their Pieces, and ministered unto them other weapons, some continually cast stones, some carried Chimneys of burning fire, some brought Timber and other impediments ⟨p. 243⟩of weight, which with great violence they threw over the wall upon our men, but especially when they began to turn back. Now albeit in all this we acknowledge,¹ to be the secret work of God, who by such means would beat down as well the pride of England as of Scotland, yet neither ought the feebleness nor falsehood of man be excused, neither yet the cruelty of the adversaries concealed. The Queen Regent sat all the time of the assault (which was both terrible and long) upon the fore-Wall of the Castle of Edinburgh, and when she perceived the overthrow of us, and that the Ensigns of the French were again displayed upon the Walls, she gave a gawfe of laughter, and said; Now will I go to the Mass, and praise God for that which mine eyes have seen. And so was Friar Black ready for that purpose, whom she her self a little before had deprehended with his Harlot in the Chapel. But Whoredom and Idolatry agree well together, and that our Court can witness this day, the 16 of May 1566. The French proud of the Victory,² stripped naked all the slain, and laid their dead carcasses before the hot Sun along the wall, where they suffered them to lie more days then one: Unto the which, when the Queen Regent looked,³ for mirth, she leapt, and said; Yonder is the fairest tapestry that ever I saw, I would that the whole fields that is betwixt this place and you were strewed with the same stuff.