496
the enraged parent disowned him. "Alas!" groans
the archbishop, "to what an extent will bigotry
drive us in matters of religion." The young count,
who had now reached the mature age of sixteen, put
himself under the protection of his new friends, and
accompanied them on a pilgrimage to Loretto.
Here he formed an acquaintance with the Capuchin
fathers of St. Francis, and particularly with Ange
Joyeuse, a noble Frenchman, who had exchanged
rank and wealth for the cord of St. Francis. On
the departure of his friends he intimated his intention
of remaining at Rome to prepare for the conversion
of his miserable family: he expressed a desire to enter
the fraternity of St. Francis, but was horrified to
discover that certain bulls prohibited the reception
of newly-converted heretics. The ingenuity of his
friend Ange attempted to relieve him from this
dilemma. It was represented that there was a ra-
tional distinction betwixt heretics in a Catholic coun-
try and the children of Huguenots, who had no means
of knowing the true faith. The distinction, how-
ever, was not satisfactory to the general of the order,
and Lesley formed the bold design of bursting into
the papal presence, and enforcing his request. When
the youth lifted up his adoring eyes, to look at the
countenance of the vicegerent of God, the whole
chamber beamed with a dazzling light, more lumin-
ous than the sun, the brighter rays of light being
there accumulated to form a tiara for the majesty of
the sacred head;—a phenomenon which we are con-
fidentially assured by the biographer always attends
the pontifical presence, although it is not often visible
to the naked eye. By the intervention of the pope
he was received into the order, and became a Capu-
chin, and assuming the ecclesiastical name of Arch-
angel, he preached with edification. Twenty years
had elapsed since his departure from Scotland, when
his mother, hearing that he had disgraced his family
by joining a fraternity of beggars, at first (according
to the charitable presumption of the archbishop)
wished to assassinate him, but preferred the more
humane alternative of sending her second son, the
Baron of Torry, to convert him. It would be tedi-
ous to tell how the brothers met, and how the re-
verse of what was expected took place, by the baron
joining the true faith, and both forming a project for
the conversion of their mother and the other inhabi-
tants of Scotland. The baron was the first to return
to Scotland, and accident soon revealed the change
in his faith; in the meantime Lesley was chosen
Capuchin preacher at the court of Mary of Medicis,
Queen-regent of France, and on the institution of
the college depropaganda fide, by Gregory XV., he
was appointed papal emissary to Scotland, to procure
the restoration of that lost land to the true faith, at
the same time accepting the additional situation of
interpreter to the Spanish ambassador in England.
Lesley, or as his biographer at this period com-
monly terms him, Archangel, wrote a letter to his
mother, which with much discretion he delivered
himself. He was received with considerable cold
politeness, and entertained in the castle; where,
however, he could not eat his dinner in peace from
being compelled to sit beside a heretic clergyman,
who pocketed 300 crowns annually for teaching the
doctrines of damnation, to whom, says his author,
whenever he turned his eyes, he thought the banquet
assumed the aspect of a funeral meal. Archangel
kept his secret about six days, when a remark which
he made connected with a change in the establish-
ment, proved him not to be a stranger, and he was
compelled to make himself known. The rejoicings
at this event can scarcely be described in words.
The old lady received thousands of visits of congra-
tulation, the fame of the event reached even to Aber-
deen (about twenty-five miles), fires of rejoicing were
lighted up on the castle of Monymusk,1 and the in-
habitants of the town 2 discharged culverins and let
off sky-rockets. He commenced a vigorous discharge
of the duties of his mission; he led the people to an
adjoining mountain, where he had not been preach-
ing half a quarter of an hour, when the people shud-
dered, changed colour, and knelt at his feet—he
converted 4000 to the true faith in eight months.
He now naturally turned his eyes towards the salva-
tion of his mother, to which he was resolved to make
his way through the heretical priest. The reverend
gentleman at first declined any discussion, but he was
at length compelled to come to issue. He was asked
what was the denomination of his peculiar faith, and
with much simplicity answered, it was the church of
Geneva. Archangel then asked if the church of
Geneva was ever mentioned in Scripture? this was
a home-thrust to the minister, who had seen no
more in Scripture about the church of Geneva than
about the stipend of Monymusk. Like a prudent
man, however, he promised to produce what was
wanted if he could get time; but after repeated delays
having failed, Archangel triumphantly pointed to the
epistle to the Romans as a proof of the existence of
his church; the heretic was dismissed for incapability
and error, and his mistress' faith ceded to the victor.
The conversion of the mother was followed by that
of the other members of the family and the whole
establishment of the castle. A splendid chapel was
fitted up for the celebration of the rites of the Roman
Catholic church, and the object of the mission made
rapid progress for two years, at the end of which
period one of King James' edicts against Roman
Catholics compelled Archangel to retire to England,
and there prosecute his mission in secrecy, having
been compelled to leave his books and papers as a
prey to the enemy. His mother's goods were con-
fiscated, and she was reduced to the utmost misery
by Protestant persecution. In these circumstances
her son resolved to visit her, and dressing himself as
an itinerant vender of herbs, passed through the
streets of Monymusk, vociferating "Buy my greens:"
he obtained an interview with his mother, who was
reduced to the necessity of being compelled to pur-
chase some of his commodity, and a scene ensued,
which our limits will not permit us to describe.
Being interrupted in his visit by the Protestant "in-
quisitors," he was compelled to return to England,
whence he was summoned to Italy to attend the head
of his order, on the ground of some alleged malver-
sation, the cause of which is not very lucidly ex-
plained. The plague raged in Italy during his
journey, and he for some time occupied himself in
attending the sick at Cremona. He was then ap-
pointed guardian of the convent of Mount George in
the diocese of Fermo. Here he became acquainted
with the archbishop who has so lucidly written his
memoirs, and through a mutual miracle a second
mission to Britain was concocted between them.
Archangel set out, accompanied by another Scottish
Capuchin called Epiphanes; their vessel was over-
taken by a violent storm, and after a few amiable
discussions about tossing overboard some useless
hands, in order to lighten her, she was wrecked, the
two Capuchins being miraculously saved, along with
some passengers, among whom were two English
gentlemen, whom Archangel converted by the fol-
lowing comfortable argument: " We hold that you
cannot be saved, you admit that we may; judge, then,
1 The castle of Monymusk is a neat old Flemish building,
which would make a rather diminutive modern mansion.
- The hamlet of Monymusk contains about fifty inhabitants.