" At this moment, however, the
Earl of Glencairn, at the head of a body of two thousand five hundred
Ayrshire Protestants, made his way to within six miles of Perth. Thus
checkmated, the Regent was again driven to a compromise; and on the
conditions that she should quarter no French troops in the town, and
grant perfect freedom of worship, the gates were at length thrown open
to her. Thus closed the first act of the drama of the Scottish
Reformation.
This good understanding was of short duration. Again the action of the
Regent gave rise to an accusation of broken pledges. She kept to the
letter of the late compact, but she evaded its spirit. She did not
quarter French troops in the town, but she occupied it with Scottish
soldiers in French pay, and, in further disregard of her pledges,
treated the Protestants with a harshness which gave rise to bitter
complaint on the part of their leaders. Argyle and the lord James, the
two most prominent of these leaders, had accompanied her into Perth (May
29th), but, indignant at these proceedings, they secretly quitted the
town and at once took action to make good their protests. Summoning the
Protestant gentlemen of Angus and the Mearns to meet them in St.
Andrew's on June 3d, they proceeded to that town, as the best centre of
action after Perth.
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