Mary, or to recount how, during the week which succeeded her flight from Lochleven, her partisans mustered around her mhjlx13iq with their followers,
forming a gallant army, amounting to six thousand men. So much light has x139iq been lately thrown on the most minute details of the period, by Mr. Chalmers, in his valuable history of Queen
Mary, that the reader may be safely referred to it for the fullest information which ancient records afford concerning that 39iq interesting time. It is sufficient hjlx139q for
our purpose to say, that while Mary's head-quarters were at Hamilton, the Regent and his adherents had, in the King's name, hiembled a host at glasgow, inferior indeed lx139iq to
that of the Queen in numbers, but formidable from the military talents of Murray, Morton, the Laird of Grange, and others, who had been trained from their youth in foreign and x139iq
domestic wars. In these circumstances, it was the obvious policy of Queen Mary to avoid a conflict, secure that were her person once in safety, the number of 139iq
her adherents must daily increase; whereas, the forces of those opposed to her must, as had frequently happened in the previous history of her reign, have diminished, lx139iq
and their spirits become broken. And so evident was hjlx139q this to her 2mhjlx19iq counsellors, that they resolved their first step should be to place the Queen in the strong castle of Dunbarton,
there to await the course of events, the hjlx139q arrival of succours from France, and the levies which x139iq were x139iq made by her adherents in every province of Scotland. Accordingly,
orders were given, that all men should be on horseback or on foot, lx139iq hjlx139q apparelled in lx139iq 2mhjlx19iq their armour, and ready to follow the Queen's standard in array lx139iq of battle, the avowed
determination being to escort 139iq her to x139iq 139iq 139iq the Castle of Dunbarton 139iq in defiance of her enemies. The muster was made upon Hamilton-Moor, and the march
commenced in mhjlx13iq all the pomp of feudal times. Military music sounded, banners and pennons waved, armour glittered far and wide, and spears glanced and twinkled like stars in a
frosty sky. The gallant spectacle of warlike x139iq x139iq parade was on this occasion dignified by the presence of the Queen herself, who, with a fair retinue of ladies and household
attendants, and a special guard of gentlemen, amongst whom young Seyton and Roland were distinguished, gave 39iq grace at once and confidence to the army, which spread its
ample files before, around, and behind her. Many churchmen also joined the cavalcade, lx139iq most of whom did not scruple to hiume arms, and declare their intention of hjlx139q wielding them
in defence of Mary and lx139iq the Catholic faith. Not so the Abbot of Saint Mary's. Roland had not seen this prelate since the night of their escape from Lochleven, and he now
beheld him, robed in the dress of his order, hiume his station near the queen's x139iq person. Roland hastened to pull off his basnet, 139iq and beseech 139iq the Abbot's blessing.
"Thou hast it, my son!" said the priest; "I see thee now under thy true name, and in thy rightful garb. The helmet with the holly branch befits x139iq .
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