The poem was written in an effort to placate Mary's displeasure following her official reception into the City of Edinburgh organised by its burgh council in August 1561, at which Protestant imagery was highlighted.
The imagery used in her formal entry into Edinburgh was deliberately used to impress the authority claimed by the reformed kirk over the practice of religion in Scotland.
Scott's poem was designed to redress the bluntness of the royal entry's message, suggesting a more moderate middle way in the interest of the 'common weill' of the realm.
[3] That Scott was able to do this suggests his status and the recognition by the court and the burgh of him as someone suitable to articulate this advice to the young queen.
'It goes on to express hopes of a fruitful marriage for her and the arrival of an heir, and a time of 'peace, tranquility and rest' following the religious and political upheavals of the preceding years.