1625 accompanied by Bellin, bearing Gustavus's demands. These were thought extravagant, and the more moderate proposals of Christian of Denmark having been accepted, Spens was despatched in March to persuade Gustavus to enter the confederacy as the ally of Denmark. Failing in this, he retired into private life until 1627, when he was despatched to invest Gustavus with the order of the Garter (Historical Manuscript Commission, 5th Rep. p. 304 b; Cal. State Papers, Dom. pp. 62, 119, 180, 213, 233, 275, 578).
In March 1629 Spens was commissioned by Gustavus to urge Charles to support him in the thirty years' war. For the next year he was charged with the superintendence of Gustavus's levies in England, and several letters by him are extant on this subject. They cease in the middle of 1630, but the date of his death is uncertain. He married Agnes Durie, by whom he had two sons, James and David, and a daughter.
[Gardiner's Hist. of England, v. 174, 247, 294, 297, 299, vii. 99; Nichols's Progresses of James I, iii. 132, 450, 540; Wood's East Neuk of Fife, p. 261.]
SPENS, Sir JOHN (1520?–1573), of Condie, queen's advocate, son of James Spens of Condie and Joanna Arnot (Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 1546–80, No. 1389), was born about 1520, and educated at St. Salvator's College, St. Andrews, where he became a determinant in 1543. In 1549 he was, with eight other advocates, chosen by the court of session to plead before them in all cases. On 21 Oct. 1555 he was appointed joint queen's advocate with David Lauder, after whose death in 1560 he was made a judge, but continued to hold at the same time the office of queen's advocate, Robert Crichton having been associated with him as joint queen's advocate from 8 Feb. 1559–60. When Knox, on account of his letter in reference to the mass, was in 1563 accused of treason, Spens, whom Knox describes as ‘a man of gentle nature, and one that professed the doctrine of the Evangel’ (Works, ii. 401), came to him privately to inquire about the matter, and expressed the opinion that he had not been guilty of anything punishable by law (ib.) Knox also states that when Spens was commanded to accuse him before the queen, he did so, but ‘very gently’ (ib. p. 403). He adhered to the queen's party after her marriage to Darnley; and he was officially entrusted with the prosecution of the murderers of Riccio (Reg. P. C. Scotl. i. 468). He also attended officially at the indictment of Bothwell for the murder of Darnley. By some he is identified with the ‘Black John Spens’ who was denounced in the placard affixed to the Tolbooth as one of the murderers; but in all probability the epithet ‘Black’ was made use of to distinguish this John Spens from the advocate, who, had he been the person meant, would certainly have been referred to as queen's advocate. In 1566 he was appointed one of a commission for the revision of the laws (Acta Parl. Scot. i. 29). He remained in office after the imprisonment of the queen until his death in 1573.
[Knox's Works; Reg. P. C. Scotl. vols. i. and ii.; Acta Parl. Scot. vol. i.; Brunton and Haig's Senators of the College of Justice; Omond's Lord Advocates.]
SPENS, THOMAS de (1415?–1480), bishop of Aberdeen, third son of John de Spens of Glen Douglas and Lathallan, and Isabel, daughter of Sir John Wemyss of Rires, ancestor of the earls of Wemyss (Douglas, Baronage), was born about 1415, and educated at Edinburgh. His great abilities, ‘rare sagacity,’ and ‘keen intellectual power, well suited for the conduct of great enterprises’ (Boece, Vit. Ep. Aberd.), soon commended him at the Scottish court. A year's safe-conduct was granted to him by Henry VI on 16 Dec. 1439 (Rotuli Scotiæ, ii. 515) and to Andrew Meldrum, knight. As archdeacon of Moray he received an eight months' safe-conduct from Henry VI on 26 June 1446 (ib. p. 328) for himself and sixty persons, being probably a convoy for the Scottish princesses Joanna and Annabella, who were sent to the French court after the death of the queen-mother, Joan Beaufort (Chron. Enguerrand de Monstrelet). According to Boece, James II then promoted him to be provost of the collegiate church of Lincluden and archdeacon of Galloway. At the same time he sent him on an embassy to Charles VII of France, the letter of credence being dated at Edinburgh on 28 Dec. 1449, and delivered at Alençon on 26 March of the same year (O.S.). He is there styled one of the king's councillors, and a prothonotary to the apostolic see (Stevenson, Letters and Papers, Rolls Ser.). The objects of this embassy were to congratulate Charles on his recent successes over the English in France, and to enlist his aid in marriages proposed for James II's sisters. Spens was well received at the French court, and, with an allowance of 3,000l. per annum, undertook negotiations for Charles with other princes.
On returning to Scotland Spens was commissioned by the king of France to induce James II to espouse the cause of Henry VI against Richard of York. James cordially
