David, archbishop of St Andrew's, and a cardinal of Rome, in the early part of the 16th century, was born in 1494. Pope Paul III. raised him to the degree of a cardinal in December 1538; and being employed by James V. in negotiating his marriage with the court of France, he was there consecrated bishop of Mirepoix. Soon after his instalment as archbishop of St Andrew's, he promoted a furious persecution of the reformers in Scotland; when the king's death put a stop, for a time, to his arbitrary proceedings, he being then excluded from affairs of government, and confined. He raised, however, so strong a party, that, upon the coronation of the young Queen Mary, he was admitted of the council, made chancellor, and procured commission as legate à latere from the court of Rome. He now began to renew his persecution of heretics; and among the rest, of the famous Protestant preacher Mr George Wishart, whose sufferings at the stake the cardinal viewed from his window with apparent exultation. It is pretended, that Wishart at his death foretold the murder of Beaton; which indeed happened shortly after, he being assassinated in his chamber, May 29, 1547. He was a haughty bigotted churchman, and thought severity the proper method of suppressing heresy; he had great talents, and great vices. See SCOTLAND.