Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-11
THE FOUR MARIES.
What History Records Of Them and
Their Several LlYeS
A FAMOUS BALLAD SUBJECT.
Queensof Scots, whose Names Have
Been the Subject OF Romance.
Rhiladelphia Times.)

philadelphia Times)
Yestre'en the Queen had four Maries.
The NIGHT she'll bae buf three
There was Mary Seaton and Mary Bea-
ton
And Mary Carmichael and me.
The old letters, ballads. and histories
OF the latter half OF the sixteenth century
teen with illusions TO the Queens
Mariea." So many are they that the
title became "a general denomination for
female attendants'-as witness an old
ballad quoted by Sir Walter Scott:
Now bear a hand. my Maries a.
And busk me brave and make me fine.
Also the ballad of Lord and Lady Massey:
What's become o. your Maries. Massey?
The term was FIRST applied. however.
10 four young ladies' belonging to the
highest families IN Scotland. who were
chosen TO attend Queen Mary when she
was sent TO Finance to be educated. Ac-
cording TO Keith, with the Queen went
four young virgins all of the name of
Mary-viz., Livingston. Fleming. Seaton,
and Beatoun" One of the ballads Of
the day called them
Marie Seaton and Marie Beaton,
And Marie Carmichael and me CHamllton),
but history fails TO me ntion either
Hamilton or n Camichaef In attendance
On the Queen.
FAIR FLEMING.
The first of the Idaries to be noticed
IN history was fair Fleming" who was
one of six young girls who took the part
OF sibyls in a fete given by Catherine de
Medicis for the amusement of the King.
Henri III. La Belle T. cosolse" acted in
such distinguished COMP any as that OF
the Young Queen of Scots and the future
Queen of Spain, and played her part
with such grace that she attracted the
attention OF the King according to tho
chronjaa,e scandaleuse of the day she
hecame mother by him of the Grand or
pr,aur de France. Henri dAugouleme.
This. however, is ignored by Miss Strick-
land. although she characterizes flemihg
and Beton rs "iightminded coquet'eS
mut n given TO filtration
"Mistress" Fleming was first cousin 10
the Queen, and thought almost her equal
IN beauty: her mother. Lady FLEMING,
the Queens governess was an iilegitimate
daughter of James ~.
The Queens Naries all accompanied her
hack to Scotland. and their dancing and
card-playng were aggravated into crimes
of the first magnitude by that scurrilous
old reformer. John Knox What bruit,'
ne writes the Maries and the rest of
the dancers of the court had. the ballads |
of that age doe witnesse. which we FOR.
modestie's sake omit Virtue in
that court was hated, and ilthinesse not
only maintained but also rewarded; wit
nesse sundry patrimonies given in herl-
tage to shippers and dancers ana daiiiegS
with DANES
WAS HANGED.
An intrigue between I French chamber
woman of the Queen and her MatestyS
anothecary. having resulted in the murder
of their child. John Knox but voiced the
common rumor when he declared the
court was the fountain Of such enormi-
ties" The woman was hanged, and II
was her story which gave rise to the Dal-
lad called 1.-The Lament of TIE queen |
Marie" in which the chamberwomtn OF |
low degree is converted into Marie HAM
ilton. the high-born maid of honor. ana !
the apothecary into THE King. IL COM
menced:
Marie Hamiltons to the kirk game,
WI ribbons in her hair
Than ony that were there.
The last Of the more than two dozen |
stanzas was declared by Burns to be |
more truly the language Of misery IMAM |
anything he had ever read;
o. little did my mother ken :,
That day she Graded me,
The lands | was to travel In
Or the death / should die.
The first OF the Nlaries 10 marry was |
The bonnie lass O. Liviston,
The name ye ken.
She was daughter to Lord-Keeper Law
ingston and had been in love win ana
engaged to John Sempill. THE Dancer
son Of Lord Sempill. She herself was
"surnamed the Lusty' QoVeiO. lhelr
marriage was long deferred. owing 10
the resolution of the Maries not to marry
before their mistress. Queen Mary
knowing how long the two had been
lovers insisted upon the marriage when
took place shortly before her own 10
Darnly; she had the wedding celebrated
with great magnifcence and merriment'
and herself aided in the traditional cere-
monies of drawing the curtain" and
Throwing the stocking" She also en-
dowed them richly with lands, and pre-
scented the bride among other things,
with "a rich bed of scarlet velvet, with
taffety curtains and silk fringes Of same
A-,o~~ Buchanan's Epigrams is one ITO
Mary Beton, queen by lot the day before
the coronation" and the letters OF Mas
ter Thomas Randolph, the English en-
voy. are fun Of illusions to her and the
other Maries "Entangled in the snares
OF his Rapdolph0 deceitfu love" this
fathless confldant gave information of
Queen Mary's most private affairs. which
were straightway written to Cecil the
English Secretary of State. Many of these
letters contained frivolous details which
give an insight into court life. Before the
Queens marriage he wrote: II had the
honor to play part at play called the
bilies billiards. by Mistress Beton and
j against the Queen and my Lord Darnly,
the women to have the winnings. Beton
and having the better. my Lord Darnly
paid the loss. and gave Beton ring and
q broach with two watches worth fifty
crowns
MISTRESS BETON.
In October, 1865 Randolph wrote TO Lei
cester: 1.-The three Maries remain yet I'M
married and heartily wish long since they
had been wives. They are all good" he
continues. but Mistress Beton was 1.-The
most constant. stout. and wise. and think
eth her fortune much the worse that mine
is so evil" For all this, Master Randolph
had no idea of marriage in his love-
making, and after his departure the lady
became Lacy BOynt, wire OF AleSdnuer
Ogilvie, of Boyne The full-length por-
trait was to be seen at Balfour House, in
Fifeshire. in the beginning of the century.
Another of Randolph's gossiping letters
to Leicester--then Lord Robert Dudley
contains the following illusions to Mis-
tress Mary Fleming, who had been so
fortunate as TO cut the bean from the
Twelfth-Nieht cake, thus becoming the
queen Of the revels Queen Mary in
vested her with her own royal robes and
Jewels for the occasion: Fortune" he
writes, was so favorable to fair Flem-
ing that II she could have seen to have
judged Of her virtue and beauty as blindly
as she chose her at venture, she would
sooner have made her a queen for life.
1t was to be seen how fit match
she would be were she TO contend with
Venus In beauty, Minerva in wit, and Juno
In worldly wealth"
Later he writes in quite another strain.
Fair Fleming had been flirting with Kill
legrew and Sir Henry Sidney and she