MELVILLE, Sir James, whose name is familiarly known to the readers of Scottish history, was born in the year 1535. He was the third son of Sir John Melville of Raith in Fife-shire, by his wife Helen, the eldest daughter of Sir Alexander Napier of Merchiston. At the age of fourteen he had the misfortune to lose his father, who, having espoused the Reformed doctrines, was, at the instigation of Archbishop Hamilton, brought to the scaffold at Stirling, convicted of high treason. The archbishop having found means of seizing upon his estate, Melville's widow and children were reduced to a state of penury. Through the influence of the queen-regent, young Melville was attached to Monluc, Bishop of Valence, as a page of honour. After a series of curious adventures, the young Scot reached Paris, where, during his master's absence at Rome, he was left to improve his education. Young Melville having accidentally come under the notice of Montmorenci, the great constable, after obtaining the bishop's consent, took him into his service. In this position he witnessed several campaigns in France and Flanders during 1553. The kindness of his patron procured him a pension from the king during the following year.
In 1557 he bore arms at the battle of St Quentin, where the constable's army was totally defeated, and he was himself wounded and taken prisoner. He attended the constable during his captivity; from which he was delivered by the treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, concluded in the year 1559. In the course of the same year the king, at Montmorenci's suggestion, sent him on a secret mission to Scotland, where, under the pretext of paying a visit to his relations, he was instructed to use his best endeavours for ascertaining the real views of the Prior of St Andrews and his adherents. During Melville's absence the constable, his master, had the misfortune to kill his sovereign, Henri II., in a tournament, which led to his removal from the court. Melville, although received with the greatest kindness, judged it expedient to try his fortune in another country, and he now directed his views towards Germany. He entered the service of the elector palatine, and was employed by that prince on various diplomatic missions. In company with the elector's second son Casimir he visited France during 1561; and he there made a tender of his services to Queen Mary, who was on the eve of returning to Scotland. She received him very graciously, and urged him "when he was to retire him out of Germany, to come hame and serve his Majesty, with friendly and favorable offers."
Having received communications from Moray and Maitland, requiring him, in the name of their royal mistress, to return home for the purpose of being employed in some affairs of consequence, Melville took leave of the elector palatine, and after executing a commission to the Queen of England with which he had been intrusted by his German master, he directed his steps towards Scotland, and
1 James Melville was afterwards permitted to reside at Berwick, where he died on the 19th of January 1614, in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and the eighth of his banishment. He was twice married, and left several children. He appears to have been an upright and disinterested man: his zeal, less fiery than that of his uncle, was equally uniform and consistent, nor did the offer of a bishopric shake his attachment to presbytery. His talents were much inferior to those of his uncle. He is the author of various works in the Latin and Scottish languages. His Diary, recently printed for the Bannatyne Club, contains much curious information relative to the ecclesiastical and literary history of that age.
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presented himself to Mary at Perth on the 5th May 1564. The Queen of Scots received him graciously, and engaged him in her service, bestowing upon him a pension of a thousand marks.
After an interval of a few months, Melville was intrusted with an embassy to the Queen of England. Of his proceedings on this occasion he has given a circumstantial and characteristic account, in which the characteristic weaknesses of Elizabeth are very prominently displayed. He continued his attendance at court after the queen's marriage with Darnley, and must sometimes have had a difficult and delicate part to perform. On the birth of a prince, 19th June 1566, he was instantly despatched to convey the intelligence to Elizabeth, and returned to his royal mistress with a choice collection of court gossip respecting the serious manner in which Elizabeth took to heart the news which had just come from Scotland of the birth of a prince. During the following year, when Mary was intercepted by the Earl of Bothwell, he was among her other attendants, and along with her was conducted to Dunbar Castle, but was only detained for a single day. Amidst the civil commotions which succeeded he appears to have pursued a prudent and cautious tenor of conduct, and to have abstained from involving himself too deeply with either of the adverse factions. He had adhered to the queen till she was committed to Lochleven Castle. During the eventful regency which ensued Melville had some concern in public affairs; and after the king received the reins of government into his own hands he was appointed a gentleman of the bed-chamber, and a member of the Privy Council. He was not, however, acceptable to James's favourite, the Earl of Arran, through whose influence his name was in 1584 expunged from the list of privy councillors. He did not entirely lose the king's favour, but was soon afterwards consulted on various occasions; and was in 1590 attached to the queen's household.
When the king succeeded to the crown of England his majesty was anxious to retain his services, but he being desirous to "spend the remainder of his days in contemplation, begged his Majesty's permission thereto." He died on the 13th of November 1617, at the mature age of eighty-two. (Wood's Peerage, vol. ii., p. 112.) From the eldest brother of Sir James Melville is descended the noble family of Leven and Melville.
Melville employed some portion of his declining age in writing memoirs of his public life; and the work was published by his grandson, George Scott of Pitloch, sixty-six years after the death of the author. The Memoirs of Sir James Melville of Hal-hill; containing an impartial Account of the most remarkable Affairs of State during the last Age, &c., London, 1683, fol.; Edinburgh, 1735, 8vo.; Glasgow, 1751, 12mo. The fidelity of the editor, however, was liable to strong suspicion, which was naturally augmented by the consideration that no early copies of the memoirs could be traced in any public or private library. But a manuscript, apparently in the handwriting of the author, was at length discovered in the collection bequeathed to the Rose family by the Earl of Marchmont. From this manuscript the work was printed for the Bannatyne Club: Memoirs of his own Life by Sir James Melville of Hal-hill. M.D.XLIX.-M.D.XCIII.; Edinburgh, 1827, 4to. Melville's memoirs, in this authentic form, are a most valuable accession to the stock of original materials for Scottish history.