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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II (of
+2), by Henry Glassford Bell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II (of 2)
+
+Author: Henry Glassford Bell
+
+Release Date: August 13, 2011 [EBook #37059]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
+Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  _Just Published, 3 Vols. post 8vo,
+  Price 1l. 4s. boards,_
+
+  THE LAIRDS OF FIFE.
+
+  VELUTI IN SPECULUM.
+
+  PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO., EDINBURGH;
+  AND HURST, CHANCE & CO., LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+VOL. II.
+
+
+
+
+  CONSTABLE'S MISCELLANY OF
+  Original and Selected Publications
+  IN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF
+  LITERATURE SCIENCE, & THE ARTS.
+
+  VOL. XXV.
+
+  LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL. II.
+
+  [Illustration: LOCHLEVEN CASTLE.
+
+  Drawn by W. Brown     Engraved by W. Miller]
+
+  EDINBURGH:
+  PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO. EDINBURGH:
+  AND HURST, CHANCE & CO. LONDON.
+
+  1828.
+
+
+
+
+  LIFE OF
+  MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+  BY HENRY GLASSFORD BELL, ESQ.
+
+  IN TWO VOLUMES.
+
+  VOL. II.
+
+
+  "AYEZ MEMOIRE DE L'AME ET DE L'HONNEUR DE
+  CELLE QUI A ESTE VOTRE ROYNE."
+                          _Mary's own Words._
+
+
+  EDINBURGH:
+  PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO. EDINBURGH;
+  AND HURST, CHANCE & CO. LONDON.
+
+  1828.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
+
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+  CHAPTER I.
+    The Proposal of a Divorce between Mary and Darnley, and the
+    Christening of James VI                                            1
+
+  CHAPTER II.
+    Occurrences immediately preceding Darnley's Death                 19
+
+  CHAPTER III.
+    The Death of Darnley                                              37
+
+  CHAPTER IV.
+    Bothwell's Trial and Acquittal                                    55
+
+  CHAPTER V.
+    Bothwell's Seizure of the Queen's Person, and subsequent
+    Marriage to her                                                   77
+
+  CHAPTER VI.
+    The Rebellion of the Nobles, the Meeting at Carberry Hill,
+    and its Consequences                                              99
+
+  CHAPTER VII.
+    Mary at Loch-Leven, her Abdication, and Murray's Regency         120
+
+  CHAPTER VIII.
+    Mary's Escape from Loch-Leven, and the Battle of Langside        147
+
+  CHAPTER IX.
+    Mary's Reception in England, and the Conferences at York
+    and Westminster                                                  161
+
+  CHAPTER X.
+    Mary's Eighteen Years' Captivity                                 191
+
+  CHAPTER XI.
+    Mary's Trial and Condemnation                                    219
+
+  CHAPTER XII.
+    Mary's Death, and Character                                      245
+
+  An Examination of the Letters, Sonnets, and other Writings,
+  adduced in Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots                    267
+
+  Addendum                                                           335
+
+
+
+
+ERRATA IN VOL. I.
+
+
+Preface, p. v, for "_eminent_," read "_imminent_."
+
+Page 104, for "_On the 25th of August 1561, Mary sailed out of the harbour
+of Calais_," read "_on the 15th of August_," &c.
+
+Page 155, for "_knapsack_," read "_knapscap_."
+
+
+
+
+LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE PROPOSAL OF A DIVORCE BETWEEN MARY AND DARNLEY, AND THE CHRISTENING OF
+JAMES VI.
+
+
+It was in December 1566, during Mary's residence at Craigmillar, that a
+proposal was made to her by her Privy Council, which deserves particular
+attention. It originated with the Earl of Bothwell, who was now an active
+Cabinet Minister and Officer of State. Murray and Darnley, the only two
+persons in her kingdom to whom Mary had been willing to surrender, in a
+great degree, the reins of government, had deceived her; and finding her
+interests betrayed by them, she knew not where to look for an adviser.
+Rizzio had been faithful to her, and to him she listened with some
+deference; but it was impossible that he could ever have supplied the
+place of a Prime Minister. The Earl of Morton was not destitute of
+ambition sufficient to have made him aspire to that office; but he chose,
+unfortunately for himself, to risk his advancement in espousing Darnley's
+cause, in opposition to the Queen. Both, in consequence, fell into
+suspicion; Morton was banished from Court, and Murray again made his
+appearance there. But, though she still had a partiality for her brother,
+Mary could not now trust him, as she had once done. Gratitude and common
+justice called upon her not to elevate him above those men, (particularly
+Huntly and Bothwell), who had enabled her to pass so successfully through
+her recent troubles. She made it her policy, therefore, to preserve as
+nice a balance of power as possible among her ministers. Bothwell's rank
+and services, undoubtedly entitled him to the first place; but this the
+Queen did not choose to concede to him. The truth is, she had never any
+partiality for Bothwell. His turbulent and boisterous behaviour, soon
+after her return from France, gave her, at that period, a dislike to him,
+which she testified, by first committing him to prison, and afterwards
+ordering him into banishment. He had conducted himself better since his
+recall; but experience had taught Mary the deceitfulness of appearances;
+and Bothwell, though much more listened to than before, was not allowed to
+assume any tone of superiority in her councils. She restored Maitland to
+his lands and place at Court, in such direct opposition to the Earl's
+wishes, that, so recently as the month of August (1566), he and Murray
+came to very high words upon the subject in the Queen's presence. After
+Rizzio's murder, some part of Maitland's lands had been given to Bothwell.
+These Murray wished him to restore; but he declared positively, that he
+would part with them only with his life. Murray, enraged at his obstinacy,
+told him, that "twenty as honest men as he should lose their lives, ere he
+saw Lethington robbed;" and through his influence with his sister,
+Maitland was pardoned, and his lands given back.[1] Thus Mary endeavoured
+to divide her favours and friendship among Murray, Bothwell, Maitland,
+Argyle the Justice-General, and Huntly the Chancellor.
+
+It was in this state of affairs, when the contending interests of the
+nobility were in so accurate an equilibrium, that Bothwell's daring spirit
+suggested to him, that there was an opening for one bold and ambitious
+enough to take advantage of it. As yet, his plans were immatured and
+confused; but he began to cherish the belief that a dazzling reach of
+power was within his grasp, were he only to lie in wait for a favourable
+opportunity to seize the prize. With these views, it was necessary for him
+to strengthen and increase his resources as much as possible. His first
+step was to prevail on Murray, Huntly, and Argyle, about the beginning of
+October, to join with him in a bond of mutual friendship and support;[2]
+his second was to lay aside any enmity he may have felt towards Morton,
+and to intimate to him, that he would himself petition the Queen for his
+recall; his third and boldest measure, was that of arranging with the rest
+of the Privy Council the propriety of suggesting to Mary a divorce from
+her husband. Bothwell's conscience seldom troubled him much when he had a
+favourite end in view. He was about to play a hazardous game; but if the
+risk was great, the glory of winning would be proportionate. Darnley had
+fallen into general neglect and odium; yet he stood directly in the path
+of the Earl's ambition. He was resolved that means should be found to
+remove him out of it; and as there was no occasion to have recourse to
+violence until gentler methods had failed, a divorce was the first
+expedient of which he thought. He knew that the proposal would not be
+disagreeable to the nobility; for it had been their policy, for some time
+back, to endeavour to persuade the nation at large, and Mary in
+particular, that it was Darnley's ill conduct that made her unhappy, and
+created all the differences which existed. Nor were these representations
+altogether unfounded; but the Queen's unhappiness arose, not so much from
+her husband's ingratitude, as from the impossibility of retaining his
+regard, and at the same time discharging her duty to the country. Though
+the nobles were determined to shut their eyes upon the fact, it was
+nevertheless the share which they held in the government, and the
+necessity under which Mary lay to avail herself of their assistance, which
+alone prevented her from being much more with her husband, and a great
+deal less with them. There were even times, when, perplexed by all the
+thousand cares of greatness, and grievously disappointed in the fulfilment
+of her most fondly cherished hopes, Mary would gladly have exchanged the
+splendors of her palace for the thatched roof and the contentment of the
+peasant. It was on more than one occasion that Sir James Melville heard
+her "casting great sighs, and saw that she would not eat for no persuasion
+that my Lords of Murray and Mar could make her." "She is in the hands of
+the physicians," Le Croc writes from Craigmillar, "and is not at all well.
+I believe the principal part of her disease to consist in a deep grief and
+sorrow, which it seems impossible to make her forget. She is continually
+exclaiming "Would I were dead!"[3] "But, alas!" says Melville, "she had
+over evil company about her for the time; the Earl Bothwell had a mark of
+his own that he shot at."[4]
+
+One of his bolts Bothwell lost no time in shooting; but it missed the
+mark. By undertaking to sue with them for Morton's pardon, and by making
+other promises, he prevailed on Murray, Huntly, Argyle and Lethington, to
+join him in advising the Queen to consent to a divorce. It could have been
+obtained only through the interference of the Pope, and Murray at first
+affected to have some religious scruples; but as the suggestion was
+secretly agreeable to him, it was not difficult to overcome his
+objections. "Take you no trouble," said Lethington to him, "we shall find
+the means well enough to make her quit of him, so that you and my Lord of
+Huntly will only behold the matter, and not be offended thereat." The
+Lords therefore proceeded to wait upon the Queen, and lay their proposal
+before her. Lethington, who had a better command of words than any among
+them, commenced by reminding her of the "great number of grievous and
+intolerable offences, the King, ungrateful for the honour received from
+her Majesty, had committed." He added, that Darnley "troubled her Grace
+and them all;" and that, if he was allowed to remain with her Majesty, he
+"would not cease till he did her some other evil turn which she would find
+it difficult to remedy." He then proceeded to suggest a divorce,
+undertaking for himself and the rest of the nobility, to obtain the
+consent of Parliament to it, provided she would agree to pardon the Earl
+of Morton, the Lords Ruthven and Lindsay, and their friends, whose aid
+they would require to secure a majority. But Lethington, and the rest,
+soon found that they had little understood Mary's real sentiments towards
+her husband. She would not at first agree even to talk upon the subject at
+all; and it was only after "every one of them endeavoured particularly to
+bring her to the purpose," that she condescended to state two objections,
+which, setting aside every other consideration, she regarded as
+insuperable. The first was, that she did not understand how the divorce
+could be made lawfully; and the second, that it would be to her son's
+prejudice, rather than hurt whom, she declared she "would endure all
+torments." Bothwell endeavoured to take up the argument, and to do away
+with the force of these objections, alleging, that though his father and
+mother had been divorced, there had never been any doubt as to his
+succession to his paternal estates; but his illustrations and
+Lethington's oratory met with the same success. Mary answered firmly, "I
+will that you do nothing, by which any spot may be laid on my honour and
+conscience; and therefore, I pray ye rather let the matter be in the
+estate as it is, abiding till God of his goodness put a remedy to it. That
+you believe would do me service, may possibly turn to my hurt and
+displeasure." As to Darnley, she expressed a hope that he would soon
+change for the better; and, prompted by the ardent desire she felt to get
+rid, for a season, of her many cares, she said she would perhaps go for a
+time to France, and remain there till her husband acknowledged his errors.
+She then dismissed Bothwell and his friends, who retired to meditate new
+plots.[5]
+
+On the 11th of December, Mary proceeded to Stirling, to make the necessary
+arrangements for the baptism of her son, which she determined to celebrate
+with the pomp and magnificence his future prospects justified. Darnley,
+who had been with the Queen a week at Craigmillar Castle, and afterwards
+came into Edinburgh with her, had gone to Stirling two days before.[6]
+Ambassadors had arrived from England, France, Piedmont, and Savoy, to be
+present at the ceremony. The Pope also had proposed sending a nuncio into
+Scotland; but Mary had good sense enough to know, that her bigoted
+subjects would be greatly offended, were she to receive any such servant
+of Antichrist. It may have occurred to her, besides, that his presence
+might facilitate the negotiations for the divorce proposed by her
+nobility, but which she was determined should not take place. She,
+therefore, wrote to the great spiritual Head of her Church, expressing all
+that respect for his authority which a good Catholic was bound to feel;
+but she, at the same time, contrived to prevent his nuncio, Cardinal
+Laurea, from coming further north than Paris.[7]
+
+The splendour of Mary's preparations for the approaching ceremony,
+astonished not a little the sober minds of the Presbyterians. "The
+excessive expenses and superfluous apparel," says Knox, "which were
+prepared at that time, exceeded far all the preparations that ever had
+been devised or set forth before in this country." Elizabeth, as if
+participating in Mary's maternal feelings, ordered the Earl of Bedford,
+her ambassador, to appear at Stirling with a very gorgeous train; and sent
+by him as a present for Mary a font of gold, valued at upwards of 1000_l._
+In her instructions to Bedford, she desired him to say jocularly, that it
+had been made as soon as she heard of the Prince's birth, and that it was
+large enough then; but that, as he had now, she supposed, outgrown it, it
+might be kept for the next child. It was too far in the season to admit of
+Elizabeth's sending any of the Ladies of her own realm into Scotland;
+she, therefore, fixed on the Countess of Argyle to represent her as
+godmother, preferring that lady, because she understood her to be much
+esteemed by Mary. To meet the extraordinary expenditure occasioned by
+entertaining so many ambassadors, the Queen was permitted to levy an
+assessment of 12,000_l._ It may appear strange, how a taxation of this
+kind could be imposed without the consent of Parliament; but it was
+managed thus. The Privy Council called a meeting both of the Lords
+Temporal and Spiritual, and of the representatives of the boroughs, and
+informed them that some of the greatest princes in Christendom had
+requested permission to witness, through their ambassadors, the baptism of
+the Prince. It was therefore moved, and unanimously carried, that their
+Majesties should be allowed to levy a tax for "the honourable expenses
+requisite." The tax was to be proportioned in this way; six thousand
+pounds from the spiritual estate;--four thousand from the barons and
+freeholders;--and two thousand from the boroughs.[8]
+
+Till the ceremony of baptism took place, the Queen gave splendid banquets
+every day to the ambassadors and their suites. At one of these a slight
+disturbance occurred, which, as it serves to illustrate amusingly the
+manners of the times, is worth describing. There seems to have been some
+little jealousy between the English and French envoys upon matters of
+precedence; and Mary on the whole was inclined to favour the English,
+being now more connected with England than with France. It happened,
+however, that at the banquet in question, a kind of mummery was got up,
+under the superintendance of one of Mary's French servants, called
+Sebastian, who was a fellow of a clever wit. He contrived a piece of
+workmanship, in the shape of a great table; and its machinery was so
+ingeniously arranged, that, upon the doors of the great hall in which the
+feast was to be held, being thrown open, it moved in, apparently of its
+own accord, covered with delicacies of all sorts. A band of musicians,
+clothed like maidens, singing and accompanying themselves on various
+instruments, surrounded the pageant. It was preceded, and this was the
+cause of the offence, by a number of men, dressed like satyrs, with long
+tails, and carrying whips in their hands. These satyrs were not content to
+ride round the table, but they put their hands behind them to their tails,
+wagging them in the faces of the Englishmen, who took it into their heads
+that the whole was done in derision of them, "daftly apprehending that
+which they should not seem to have understood." Several of the suite of
+the Earl of Bedford, perceiving themselves thus mocked, as they thought,
+and the satyrs "wagging their tails or rumples," were so exasperated, that
+one of them told Sir James Melville, if it were not in the Queen's
+presence, "he would put a dagger to the heart of the French knave
+Sebastian, whom he alleged did it for despite that the Queen made more of
+them than of the Frenchmen." The Queen and Bedford, who knew that the
+whole was a mere jest, had some trouble in allaying the wrath of the
+hot-headed Southerns.
+
+In the midst of these festivities, Mary had various cares to perplex her,
+and various difficulties to encounter. When she first came to Stirling,
+she found that Darnley had not chosen to go, as usual, to the Castle, but
+was residing in a private house. He left it, however, upon the Queen's
+arrival, and took up his residence in the Castle with her,--a fact of some
+consequence, and one which Murray has himself supplied.[9] But Darnley's
+sentiments towards Mary's ministers, continued unchanged; and it was
+impossible to prevail upon them to act and associate together, with any
+degree of harmony, even in presence of the ambassadors. Mary was extremely
+anxious to prevent her husband from exposing his weakness and waywardness
+to foreigners; but he was as stubborn as ever; and though he had given up
+thoughts of going abroad, it was only because he hoped to put into
+execution some new plot at home. Surrounded by gayeties, he continued
+sullen and discontented, shutting himself up in his own apartment, and
+associating with no one, except his wife and the French envoy, Le Croc,
+for whom he had contracted a sort of friendship. To heighten his bad
+humour, Elizabeth, according to Camden, had forbidden Bedford, or any of
+his retinue, to give him the title of King. The anger inspired by his
+contempt of her authority, on the occasion of his marriage, had not yet
+subsided; and there is not a state paper extant, in which she acknowledges
+Darnley in other terms than as "Henry Stuart, the Queen of Scotland's
+husband." It seems likely that this, added to the other reasons already
+mentioned, was the cause why Darnley refused to be present at the
+christening of his son.[10] Mary had another cause of vexation. The
+baptism was to be performed after the Catholic ritual, and the greater
+part of her nobility, in consequence, not only refused to take any share
+in the ceremony, but even to be present at it. All Mary's influence with
+Murray, Huntly, and Bothwell, was exerted in vain. They did not choose to
+risk their character with the Reformers, to gratify her. "The Queen
+laboured much," says Knox, "with the noblemen, to bear the salt, grease,
+and candles, and such other things, but all refused."
+
+On the 19th of December 1566, the baptism, for which so many preparations
+had been made, took place.[11] The ceremony was performed between five and
+six in the afternoon. The Earls of Athol and Eglinton, and the Lords
+Semple and Ross, being of the Catholic persuasion, carried the
+instruments. The Archbishop of St Andrews, assisted by the Bishops of
+Dumblane, Dunkeld, and Ross, received the Prince at the door of the
+chapel. The Countess of Argyle held the infant at the font, and the
+Archbishop baptized him by the name of Charles James, James Charles,
+Prince and Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of
+the Isles, and Baron of Renfrew; and these names and titles were
+proclaimed three times by heralds, with sound of trumpet. Mary called her
+son Charles, in compliment to the King of France, her brother-in-law; but
+she gave him also the name of James, because, as she said, her father, and
+all the good kings of Scotland, his predecessors, had been called by that
+name. The Scottish nobles of the Protestant persuasion, together with the
+Earl of Bedford, remained at the door of the chapel; and the Countess of
+Argyle had afterwards to do penance for the share she took in the business
+of the day,--a circumstance which shows very forcibly the power of the
+clergy at this time, who were able to triumph over a Queen's
+representative, a King's daughter, and their Sovereign's sister. It is
+also worthy of notice, that of the twelve Earls, and numerous Lords then
+in the castle, only two of the former, and three of the latter, ventured
+to cross the threshold of a Catholic chapel.[12]
+
+Elizabeth was probably not far wrong, in supposing that her font had grown
+too small for the infant James. He was a remarkably stout and healthy
+child, and as Le Croc says, he made his gossips feel his weight in their
+arms. Mary was very proud of her son, and from his earliest infancy, the
+establishment of his household was on the most princely scale. The Lady
+Mar was his governess. A certain Mistress Margaret Little, the spouse of
+Alexander Gray, Burgess of Edinburgh, was his head-nurse; and for her good
+services, there was granted to her and her husband, in February 1567, part
+of the lands of Kingsbarns in Fife, during their lives. The chief nurse
+had four or five women under her, "Keepers of the King's clothes," &c.
+Five ladies of distinction were appointed to the honourable office of
+"Rockers" of the Prince's cradle. For his kitchen, James, at the same
+early age, had a master-cook, a foreman, and three other servitors, and
+one for his pantry, one for his wine, and two for his ale-cellar. He had
+three "chalmer-chields," one "furnisher of coals," and one pastry-cook or
+confectioner. Five musicians or "violars," as they are called, completed
+the number of his household. To fill so many mouths, there was a fixed
+allowance of provisions, consisting of bread, beef, veal, mutton, capons,
+chickens, pigeons, fish, pottages, wine and ale. Thus, upon the life of
+the infant, the comfortable support of a reasonable number of his subjects
+depended.[13]
+
+The captivating grace and affability of Mary's manners, won for her, upon
+the baptismal occasion, universal admiration. She sent home the
+ambassadors with the most favourable impressions, which were not less
+loudly proclaimed, because she enriched them, before they went, with gifts
+of value. To Bedford, in particular, she gave a chain of diamonds, worth
+about six or seven hundred pounds. To other individuals of his suite, she
+gave chains of pearl, rings, and pictures.[14] But she was all the time
+making an effort to appear happier and more contented than she really was.
+"She showed so much earnestness," says Le Croc, "to entertain all the
+goodly company, in the best manner, that this made her forget, in a good
+measure, her former ailments. But I am of the mind, however, that she will
+give us some trouble as yet; nor can I be brought to think otherwise, so
+long as she continues to be so pensive and melancholy. She sent for me
+yesterday, and I found her laid on the bed weeping sore. I am much grieved
+for the many troubles and vexations she meets with." Mary did not weep
+without cause. One source of uneasiness, at the present moment, was the
+determination of her ministers to force from her a pardon for the Earl of
+Morton, and seventy-five of his accomplices. As some one has remarked, her
+whole reign was made up of plots and pardons. Her chief failing indeed,
+was the facility with which she allowed herself to be persuaded to
+forgive the deadliest injuries which could be offered to her. Murray, from
+the representations he had made through Cecil, had induced Elizabeth to
+desire Bedford to join his influence to that of Mary's Privy Council in
+behalf of Morton. The consequence was, that the Queen could no longer
+resist their united importunities, and, with two exceptions, all the
+conspirators against Rizzio were pardoned. These exceptions were, George
+Douglas, who had seized the King's dagger, and struck Rizzio the first
+blow; and Andrew Kerr, who, in the affray, had threatened to shoot the
+Queen herself. Robertson, with great inaccuracy, has said, that it was to
+the solicitations of Bothwell alone that these criminals were indebted for
+their recall. It would have been long before Bothwell, whose weight with
+Mary was never considerable, could have obtained, unassisted, her consent
+to such a measure; and the truth of this assertion is proved by the
+clearest and directest testimony. In a letter which Bedford wrote to Cecil
+on the 30th of December, we meet with the following passage:--"The Queen
+here hath now granted to the Earl of Morton, to the Lords Ruthven and
+Lindsay, their relaxation and pardon.[15] _The Earl of Murray hath done
+very friendly towards the Queen for them, so have I, according to your
+advice_; the Earls Bothwell and Athol, and all other Lords _helped_
+therein, or else such pardons could not so soon have been gotten."[16] It
+is no doubt true, that Bothwell was glad of this opportunity to
+ingratiate himself with Morton, and that, in the words of Melville, he
+"packed up a quiet friendship with him;"--but it is strange that Robertson
+should have been so ignorant of the real influence which secured a
+remission of their offences from Mary.
+
+Darnley was of course greatly offended that any of his former accomplices
+should be received again into favour. They would return only to force him
+a few steps farther down the ladder, to the top of which he had so eagerly
+desired to climb. They were recalled too at the very time when he had it
+in contemplation, according to common report, to seize on the person of
+the young Prince, and, after crowning him, to take upon himself the
+government as his father. Whether this report was true or not, (and
+perhaps it was a belief in it which induced the Queen to remove shortly
+afterwards from Stirling to Edinburgh), it is certain that Darnley
+declared he "could not bear with some of the noblemen that were attending
+in the Court, and that either he or they behoved to leave the same."[17]
+He accordingly left Stirling on the 24th of December, the very day on
+which Morton's pardon was signed, to visit his father at Glasgow. But it
+was not with Mary he had quarrelled, with whom he had been living for the
+last ten days, and whom he intended rejoining in Edinburgh, as soon as she
+had paid some Christmas visits in the neighbourhood of Stirling.[18]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+OCCURRENCES IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING DARNLEY'S DEATH.
+
+
+We are now about to enter upon a part of Mary's history, more important in
+its results, and more interesting in its details, than all that has gone
+before. A deed had been determined on, which, for audacity and villany,
+has but few parallels in either ancient or modern story. The manner of its
+perpetration, and the consequences which ensued, not only threw Scotland
+into a ferment, but astonished the whole of Europe; and, even to this day,
+the amazement and horror it excited, continue to be felt, whenever that
+page of our national history is perused which records the event. Ambition
+has led to the commission of many crimes; but, fortunately for the great
+interests of society, it is only in a few instances, of which the present
+is one of the most conspicuous, that it has been able to involve in
+misery, the innocent as well as the guilty. But, even where this is the
+case, time rescues the virtuous from unmerited disgrace, and, causing the
+mantle of mystery to moulder away, enables us to point out, on one hand,
+those who have been unjustly accused, and, on the other, those who were
+both the passive conspirators and the active murderers. A plain narrative
+of facts, told without violence or party-spirit, is that upon which most
+reliance will be placed, and which will be most likely to advance the
+cause of truth by correcting the mistakes of the careless, and exposing
+the falsehoods of the calumnious.
+
+The Earl of Bothwell was now irrevocably resolved to push his fortunes to
+the utmost. He acted, for the time, in conjunction with the Earl of
+Murray, though independently of him, using his name and authority to
+strengthen his own influence, but communicating to the scarcely less
+ambitious Murray only as much of his plans as he thought he might disclose
+with safety. Bothwell was probably the only Scottish baron of the age over
+whom Murray does not appear ever to have had any control. His character,
+indeed, was not one which would have brooked control. On Mary's return
+home, so soon as he perceived the ascendancy which her brother possessed
+over her, he entered into a conspiracy with Huntly and others, to remove
+him. The conspiracy failed, and Bothwell left the kingdom. He was not
+recalled till Murray had fallen into disgrace; and though the Earl was
+subsequently pardoned, he never regained that superiority in Mary's
+councils he had once enjoyed. But Bothwell hoped to secure the distinction
+for himself; and, that he might not lose it as Murray had done, after it
+was once gained, he daringly aimed at becoming not merely a prime
+minister, but a king. The historians, therefore, (among whom are to be
+included many of Mary's most zealous defenders), who speak of Bothwell as
+only a "cat's-paw" in the hands of Murray and his party, evidently
+mistake both the character of the men, and the positions they relatively
+held. Murray and Bothwell had both considerable influence at Court; but
+there was no yielding on the part of either to the higher authority of the
+other, and the Queen herself endeavoured, upon all occasions, to act
+impartially between them. We have found her frequently granting the
+requests of Murray in opposition to the advice of Bothwell; and there is
+no reason to suppose, that, when she saw cause, she may not have followed
+the advice of her Lord High Admiral, in preference to that of her brother.
+A circumstance which occurred only a few days after the baptism of James
+VI., strikingly illustrates the justice of these observations. It is the
+more deserving of attention, as the spirit of partiality, which has been
+unfortunately so busy in giving an erroneous colouring even to Mary's most
+trifling transactions, has not forgotten to misrepresent that to which we
+now refer.
+
+Darnley's death being resolved, Bothwell began to consider how he was to
+act after it had taken place. He probably made arrangements for various
+contingencies, and trusted to the chapter of accidents, or his own
+ingenuity, to assist him in others. But there was one thing certain, that
+he could never become the legal husband of Mary, so long as he continued
+united to his own wife, the Lady Jane Gordon. Anticipating, therefore, the
+necessity of a divorce, and aware that the emergency of the occasion might
+not permit of his waiting for all the ordinary forms of law, he used his
+interest with the Queen at a time when his real motives were little
+suspected, to revive the ancient jurisdiction of the Catholic
+Consistorial Courts, which had been abolished by the Reformed Parliament
+of 1560, and the ordinary civil judges of Commissary Courts established in
+their place. In accordance with his request, Mary restored the Archbishop
+of St Andrews, the Primate of Scotland, to the ancient Consistorial
+Jurisdiction, granted him by the Canon laws, and discharged the
+Commissaries from the further exercise of their offices. Thus, Bothwell
+not only won the friendship of the Archbishop, but secured for himself a
+court, where the Catholic plea of consanguinity might be advanced,--the
+only plausible pretext he could make use of for annulling his former
+marriage. This proceeding, however, in favour of the Archbishop and the
+old faith, gave great offence to the Reformed party; and when the Primate
+came from St Andrews to Edinburgh, at the beginning of January, for the
+purpose of holding his court, his authority was very strenuously resisted.
+The Earl of Murray took up the subject, and represented to Mary the injury
+she had done to the true religion. Bothwell, of course, used every effort
+to counteract the force of such a representation; but he was unsuccessful.
+By a letter which the Earl of Bedford wrote to Cecil from Berwick, on the
+9th of January 1567, we learn that the Archbishop was not allowed to
+proceed to the hearing of cases, and that "because it was found to be
+contrary to the religion, and therefore not liked of by the townsmen; _at
+the suit of my Lord of Murray_, the Queen was pleased to revoke that which
+she had before granted to the said bishop." Probably the grant of
+jurisdiction was not "revoked," but only suspended, as Bothwell
+subsequently availed himself of it; but even its suspension sufficiently
+testifies, that Mary, at this period, listened implicitly and exclusively
+neither to one nor other of her counsellors.[19]
+
+In the meantime, Darnley, who, as we have seen, left Stirling for Glasgow
+on the 24th of December, had been taken dangerously ill. Historians differ
+a good deal concerning the nature of his illness, which is by some
+confidently asserted to have been occasioned by poison, administered to
+him either before he left Stirling, or on the road, by servants, who had
+been bribed by Bothwell; and by others is as confidently affirmed to have
+been the small-pox, a complaint then prevalent in Glasgow. On the whole,
+the latter opinion seems to be the best supported, as it is confirmed by
+the authority both of the English ambassador, and of the cotemporary
+historians, Lesley and Blackwood. Knox, Buchanan, Melville, Crawford,
+Birrell and others, mention, on the other hand, that the belief was
+prevalent, that the King's sickness was the effect of poison. But as the
+only evidence offered in support of this popular rumour is, that "blisters
+broke out of a bluish colour over every part of his body," and as this may
+have been the symptoms of small-pox as well as of poison, the story does
+not seem well authenticated. Besides, in the letter which Mary is alleged
+to have written a week or two afterwards to Bothwell from Glasgow, she is
+made to say that Darnley told her he was ill of the small-pox. Whether the
+letter be a forgery or not, this paragraph would not have been introduced,
+unless it had contained what was then known to be the fact.
+
+Be this matter as it may, it is of more importance to correct a mistake
+into which Robertson has not unwillingly fallen, regarding the neglect and
+indifference with which he maintains Mary treated her husband, during the
+earlier part of his sickness. We learn, in the first place, by Bedford's
+letter to Cecil, already mentioned, that as soon as Mary heard of
+Darnley's illness, she sent her own physician to attend him.[20] And, in
+the second place, it appears, that it was some time before Darnley's
+complaint assumed a serious complexion; but that, whenever Mary understood
+he was considered in danger, she immediately set out to visit him. "The
+Queen," says Crawford, "was no sooner informed of his danger, than she
+hasted after him."--"As soon as the rumour of his sickness gained
+strength," says Turner (or Barnestaple), "the Queen flew to him, thinking
+more of the person to whom she flew, than of the danger which she herself
+incurred."--"Being advertised," observes Lesley, "that Darnley was
+repentant and sorrowful, she without delay, thereby to renew, quicken, and
+refresh his spirits, and to comfort his heart to the amendment and
+repairing of his health, lately by sickness sore impaired, hasted with
+such speed as she conveniently might, to see and visit him at Glasgow."
+Thus, Robertson's insinuation falls innocuous to the ground.
+
+It was on the 13th of January 1567 that Mary returned from Stirling to
+Edinburgh, having spent the intermediate time, from the 27th of December,
+in paying visits to Sir William Murray, the Comptroller of her household,
+at Tullibardin, and to Lord Drummond at Drummond Castle. As is somewhere
+remarked, "every moment now begins to be critical, and every minuteness
+and specific caution becomes necessary for ascertaining the truth, and
+guarding against slander." The probability is, that Bothwell was not with
+Mary either at Tullibardin or Drummond Castle. Meetings of her Privy
+Council were held by her on the 2d and 10th of January; and it appears by
+the Register, that Bothwell was not present at any of them. Chalmers is of
+opinion, that, during the early part of January he must have been at
+Dunbar, making his preparations, and arranging a meeting with Morton. When
+the Queen arrived at Edinburgh on the 13th, she lodged her son, whom she
+brought with her, in Holyroodhouse. A few days afterwards, she set out
+for Glasgow to see her husband. Her calumniators, on the supposition that
+she had previously quarrelled with Darnley, affect to discover something
+very forced and unnatural in this visit. But _Mary had never quarrelled
+with Darnley_. He had quarrelled with her ministers, and had been enraged
+at the failure of his own schemes of boyish ambition, but against his wife
+he had himself frequently declared he had no cause of complaint. Mary, on
+her part, had always shown herself more grieved by Darnley's waywardness
+than angry at it. Only a day or two before going to Glasgow, she said
+solemnly, in a letter she wrote to her ambassador at Paris,--"As for the
+King, our husband, God knows always our part towards him."--"God willing,
+our doings shall be always such as none shall have occasion to be offended
+with them, or to report of us any way but honourably."[21] So far,
+therefore, from there being any thing uncommon or forced in her journey to
+Glasgow, nothing could be more natural, or more likely to have taken
+place. "Darnley's danger," observes Dr Gilbert Stuart, with the simple
+eloquence of truth, "awakened all the gentleness of her nature, and she
+forgot the wrongs she had endured. Time had abated the vivacity of her
+resentment, and after its paroxysm was past, she was more disposed to weep
+over her afflictions, than to indulge herself in revenge. The softness of
+grief prepared her for a returning tenderness. His distresses effected it.
+Her memory shut itself to his errors and imperfections, and was only open
+to his better qualities and accomplishments. He himself, affected with
+the near prospect of death, thought, with sorrow, of the injuries he had
+committed against her. The news of his repentance was sent to her. She
+recollected the ardour of that affection he had lighted up in her bosom,
+and the happiness with which she had surrendered herself to him in the
+bloom and ripeness of her beauty. Her infant son, the pledge of their
+love, being continually in her sight, inspirited her sensibilities. The
+plan of lenity which she had previously adopted with regard to him; her
+design to excite even the approbation of her enemies by the propriety of
+her conduct; the advices of Elizabeth by the Earl of Bedford to entertain
+him with respect; the apprehension lest the royal dignity might suffer any
+diminution by the universal distaste with which he was beheld by her
+subjects, and her certainty and knowledge of the angry passions which her
+chief counsellors had fostered against him--all concurred to divest her
+heart of every sentiment of bitterness, and to melt it down in sympathy
+and sorrow. Yielding to tender and anxious emotions, she left her capital
+and her palace, in the severest season of the year, to wait upon him. Her
+assiduities and kindnesses communicated to him the most flattering
+solacement; and while she lingered about his person with a fond
+solicitude, and a delicate attention, he felt that the sickness of his
+mind and the virulence of his disease were diminished."
+
+On arriving at Glasgow, Mary found her husband convalescent, though weak
+and much reduced. She lodged in the same house with him; but his disease
+being considered infectious, they had separate apartments. Finding that
+his recent approach to the very brink of the grave had exercised a
+salutary influence over his mind and dispositions, and hoping to regain
+his entire confidence, by carefully and affectionately nursing him during
+his recovery, she gladly acceded to the proposal made by Darnley, that she
+should take him back with her to Edinburgh or its vicinity. She suggested
+that he should reside at Craigmillar Castle, as the situation was open and
+salubrious; but for some reason or other, which does not appear, he
+objected to Craigmillar, and the Queen therefore wrote to Secretary
+Maitland to procure convenient accommodation for her husband, in the town
+of Edinburgh.[22] Darnley disliked the Lords of the Privy Council too much
+to think of living at Holyrood; and besides, it was the opinion of the
+physicians, that the young Prince, even though he should not be brought
+into his father's presence, might catch the infection from the servants
+who would be about the persons of both. But when Mary wrote to Maitland,
+she little knew that she was addressing an accomplice of her husband's
+future murderer. The Secretary showed her letter to Bothwell, and they
+mutually determined on recommending to Darnley the house of the
+Kirk-of-Field, which stood on an airy and healthy situation to the south
+of the town, and which, therefore, appeared well suited for an invalid,
+although _they_ preferred it because it stood by itself, in a
+comparatively solitary part of the town.[23] On Monday, January 27th, Mary
+and Darnley left Glasgow. They appear to have travelled in a wheeled
+carriage, and came by slow and easy stages to Edinburgh. They slept on
+Monday night at Callander. They came on Tuesday to Linlithgow, where they
+remained over Wednesday, and arrived in Edinburgh on Thursday.
+
+The Kirk-of-Field, in which, says Melville, "the King was lodged, as a
+place of good air, where he might best recover his health," belonged to
+Robert Balfour, the Provost or head prebendary of the collegiate church of
+St Mary-in-the-Field, so called because it was beyond the city wall when
+first built. When the wall was afterwards extended, it enclosed the
+Kirk-of-Field, as well as the house of the Provost and Prebendaries. The
+Kirk-of-Field with the grounds pertaining to it, occupied the site of the
+present College, and of those buildings which stand between Infirmary and
+Drummond Street. In the extended line of wall, what was afterwards called
+the Potter-row Port, was at first denominated the Kirk-of-Field Port, from
+its vicinity to the church of that name. The wall ran east from this port
+along the south side of the present College, and the north side of
+Drummond Street, where a part of it is still to be seen in its original
+state. The house stood at some distance from the Kirk, and the latter,
+from the period of the Reformation, had fallen into decay. The city had
+not yet stretched in this direction much farther than the Cowgate. Between
+that street and the town wall, were the Dominican Convent of the
+Blackfriars, with its alms-houses for the poor, and gardens, covering the
+site of the present High School and Royal Infirmary,--and the
+Kirk-of-Field and its Provost's residence. The house nearest to it of any
+note was Hamilton House, which belonged to the Duke of Chatelherault, and
+some part of which is still standing in College Wynd.[24] It was at first
+supposed, that Darnley would have taken up his abode there; but the
+families of Lennox and Hamilton were never on such terms as would have
+elicited this mark of friendship from the King. The Kirk-of-Field House
+stood very nearly on the site of the present north-west corner of Drummond
+Street. It fronted the west, having its southern gavel so close upon the
+town-wall, that a little postern door entered immediately through the wall
+into the kitchen. It contained only four apartments; but these were
+commodious, and were fitted up with great care. Below, a small passage
+went through from the front door to the back of the house; upon the right
+hand of which was the kitchen, and upon the left, a room furnished as a
+bedroom, for the Queen, when she chose to remain all night. Passing out at
+the back-door, there was a turnpike stair behind, which, after the old
+fashion of Scottish houses, led up to the second story. Above, there were
+two rooms corresponding with those below. Darnley's chamber was
+immediately over Mary's; and on the other side of the lobby, above the
+kitchen, a "garde-robe" or "little-gallery," which was used as a servant's
+room, and which had a window in the gavel, looking through the town-wall,
+and corresponding with the postern door below. Immediately beyond this
+wall, was a lane shut in by another wall, to the south of which were
+extensive gardens.[25]
+
+During the ten days which Darnley spent in his new residence, Mary was a
+great deal with him, and slept several nights in the room we have
+described below her husband's, this being more agreeable to her, than
+returning at a late hour to Holyrood Palace. Darnley was still much of an
+invalid, and his constitution had received so severe a shock, that every
+attention was necessary during his convalescence. A bath was put up for
+him, in his own room, and he appears to have used it frequently. He had
+been long extremely unpopular, as has been seen, among the nobles; but
+following the example which Mary set them, some were disposed to forget
+their former disagreements, and used to call upon him occasionally, and
+among others, Hamilton, the Archbishop of St Andrews, who came to
+Edinburgh about this time, and lodged hard by in Hamilton house. Mary
+herself, after sitting for hours in her husband's sick-chamber, used
+sometimes to breathe the air in the neighbouring gardens of the Dominican
+convent; and she sometimes brought up from Holyrood her band of musicians,
+who played and sung to her and Darnley. Thus, every thing went on so
+smoothly, that neither the victim nor his friends could in the least
+suspect that they were all treading the brink of a precipice.
+
+Bothwell had taken advantage of Mary's visit to Glasgow, to proceed to
+Whittingham, in the neighbourhood of Dunbar, where he met the Earl of
+Morton, and obtained his consent to Darnley's murder. To conceal his real
+purpose, Bothwell gave out at Edinburgh, that he was going on a journey to
+Liddesdale; but, accompanied by Secretary Maitland, whom he had by this
+time won over to his designs, and the notorious Archibald Douglas, a
+creature of his own, and a relation of Morton, he went direct to
+Whittingham. There, the trio met Morton, who had only recently returned
+from England, and opened to him their plot. Morton heard of the intended
+murder without any desire to prevent its perpetration; but before he would
+agree to take an active share in it, he insisted upon being satisfied that
+the Queen, as Bothwell had the audacity to assert, was willing that
+Darnley should be removed. "I desired the Earl Bothwell," says Morton in
+his subsequent confession, "to bring me the Queen's hand write of this
+matter for a warrant, and then I should give him an answer; otherwise, I
+would not mell (intermeddle) therewith;--which warrant he never purchased
+(procured) unto me."[26] But though Morton, refused to risk an active, he
+had no objections to take a passive part in this conspiracy. Bothwell,
+Maitland, and Douglas, returned to Edinburgh, and he proceeded to St
+Andrews, with the understanding, that Bothwell was to communicate with
+him, and inform him of the progress of the plot. Accordingly, a day or two
+before the murder was committed, Douglas was sent to St Andrews, to let
+Morton know that the affair was near its conclusion. Bothwell, however,
+was well aware that what he had told the Earl regarding the wishes of the
+Queen, was equally false and calumnious. Of all persons in existence, it
+was from her that he most wished to conceal his design; and as for a
+written approval of it, he knew that he might just as well have applied to
+Darnley himself. Douglas was, therefore, commanded to say to Morton,
+evasively, "that the Queen would bear no speech of the matter appointed to
+him." Morton, in consequence, remained quietly in the neighbourhood of St
+Andrews till the deed was done.[27]
+
+The Earl of Murray was another powerful nobleman, who, when the last act
+of this tragedy was about to be performed, withdrew to a careful distance
+from the scene. It is impossible to say whether Murray was all along
+acquainted with Bothwell's intention; there is certainly no direct
+evidence that he was; but there are very considerable probabilities. When
+a divorce was proposed to Mary at Craigmillar, she was told that Murray
+would look through his fingers at it; and this design being frustrated, by
+the Queen's refusal to agree to it, there is every likelihood that
+Bothwell would not conceal from the cabal he had then formed, his
+subsequent determination. That he disclosed it to Morton and Maitland, is
+beyond a doubt; and that Murray again consented "to look through his
+fingers," is all but proved. It is true he was far too cautious and wily a
+politician, to plunge recklessly, like Bothwell, into such a sea of
+dangers and difficulties; but he was no friend to Darnley,--having lost
+through him much of his former power; and however the matter now ended, if
+he remained quiet, he could not suffer any injury, and might gain much
+benefit. If Bothwell prospered, they would unite their interests,--if he
+failed, then Murray would rise upon his ruin. Only three days before the
+murder, the Lord Robert Stuart, Murray's brother, having heard, as
+Buchanan affirms of the designs entertained against Darnley's life,
+mentioned them to the King. Darnley immediately informed Mary, who sent
+for Lord Robert, and in the presence of her husband and the Earl of
+Murray, questioned him on the subject. Lord Robert, afraid of involving
+himself in danger, retracted what he had formerly said, and denied that he
+had ever repeated to Darnley any such report. High words ensued in
+consequence; and even supposing that Murray had before been ignorant of
+Bothwell's schemes, his suspicions must now have been roused. Perceiving
+that the matter was about to be brought to a crisis, he left town abruptly
+upon Sunday, the very last day of Darnley's life, alleging his wife's
+illness at St Andrews, as the cause of his departure. The fact mentioned
+by Lesley, in his "Defence of Queen Mary's Honour," that on the evening
+of this day, Murray said, when riding through Fife, to one of his most
+trusty servants,--"This night, ere morning, the Lord Darnley shall lose
+his life," is a strong corroboration of the supposition that he was well
+informed upon the subject.[28]
+
+There were others, as has been said, whom Bothwell either won over to
+assist him, or persuaded to remain quiet. One of his inferior accomplices
+afterwards declared, that the Earl showed him a bond, to which were
+affixed the signatures of Huntly, Argyle, Maitland, and Sir James Balfour,
+and that the words of the bond were to this effect:--"That for as much as
+it was thought expedient and most profitable for the commonwealth, by the
+whole nobility and Lords undersubscribed, that such a young fool and proud
+tyrant should not reign, nor bear rule over them, for diverse causes,
+therefore, these all had concluded, that he should be put off by one way
+or other, and who-soever should take the deed in hand, or do it, they
+should defend and fortify it as themselves, for it should be every one of
+their own, reckoned and holden done by themselves."[29] To another of his
+accomplices, Bothwell declared that Argyle, Huntly, Morton, Maitland,
+Ruthven, and Lindsay, had promised to support him; and when he was asked
+what part the Earl of Murray would take, his answer was,--"He does not
+wish to intermeddle with it; he does not mean either to aid or hinder
+us."[30]
+
+But whoever his assistants were, it was Bothwell's own lawless ambition
+that suggested the whole plan of proceeding, and whose daring hand was to
+strike the final and decisive blow. Everything was now arranged. His
+retainers were collected round him;--four or five of the most powerful
+ministers of the crown knew of his design, and did not disapprove of
+it;--the nobles then at court were disposed to befriend him, from motives
+either of political interest or personal apprehension;--Darnley and the
+Queen were unsuspicious and unprotected. A kingly crown glittered almost
+within his grasp; he had only to venture across the Rubicon of guilt, to
+place it on his brow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE DEATH OF DARNLEY.
+
+
+It was on Sunday, the 9th of February 1567, that the final preparations
+for the murder of Darnley were made. To execute the guilty deed, Bothwell
+was obliged to avail himself of the assistance of those ready ministers of
+crime, who are always to be found at the beck of a wealthy and depraved
+patron. There were eight unfortunate men whom he thus used as tools with
+which to work his purpose. Four of these were merely menial
+servants;--their names were, Dalgleish, Wilson, Powrie, and Nicolas
+Haubert, more commonly known by the sobriquet of French Paris. He was a
+native of France, and had been a long while in the service of the Earl of
+Bothwell; but on his master's recommendation, who foresaw the advantages
+he might reap from the change, he was taken into the Queen's service
+shortly before her husband's death. Bothwell was thus able to obtain the
+keys of some of the doors of the Kirk-of-Field house, of which he caused
+counterfeit impressions to be taken.[31] The other four who were at the
+"deed-doing," were persons of somewhat more consequence. They were small
+landed proprietors or _lairds_, who had squandered their patrimony in
+idleness and dissipation, and were willing to run the chance of retrieving
+their ruined fortunes at any risk. They were the Laird of Ormiston, Hob
+Ormiston his uncle, "or father's brother," as he is called, John Hepburn
+of Bolton, and John Hay of Tallo. Bothwell wished Maitland, Morton, and
+one or two others, to send some of their servants also to assist in the
+enterprise; but if they ever promised to do so, it does not appear that
+they kept their word. Archibald Douglas, however, who had linked himself
+to the fortunes of Bothwell, was in the immediate neighbourhood with two
+servants, when the crime was perpetrated.[32]
+
+Till within two days of the murder, Bothwell had not made up his mind how
+the King was to be killed. He held various secret meetings with his four
+principal accomplices, at which the plan first proposed was to attack
+Darnley when walking in the gardens adjoining the Kirk-of-Field, which his
+returning health enabled him to visit occasionally when the weather was
+favourable. But the success of this scheme was uncertain, and there was
+every probability that the assassins would be discovered.[33] It was next
+suggested that the house might easily be entered at midnight, and the King
+stabbed in bed. But a servant commonly lay in the same apartment with him,
+and there were always one or two in the adjoining room, who might have
+resisted or escaped, and afterwards have been able to identify the
+criminals. After much deliberation, it at length occurred that gunpowder
+might be used with effect; and that, if the whole premises were blown up,
+they were likely to bury in their ruins every thing that could fix the
+suspicion on the parties concerned. Powder was therefore secretly brought
+into Edinburgh from the Castle of Dunbar, of which Bothwell had the
+lordship, and was carried to his own lodgings in the immediate vicinity of
+Holyrood Palace.[34] It then became necessary to ascertain on what night
+the house could be blown up, without endangering the safety of the Queen,
+whom Bothwell had no desire should share the fate of her husband. She
+frequently slept at the Kirk-of-Field; and it was difficult to ascertain
+precisely when she would pass the night at Holyrood.[35] In his
+confession, Hay mentions, that "the purpose should have been put in
+execution upon the Saturday night; but the matter failed, because all
+things were not in readiness." It is not in the least unlikely that this
+delay was owing to Mary's remaining with her husband that evening.
+
+On Sunday, Bothwell learned that the Queen intended honouring with her
+presence a masque which was to be given in the Palace, at a late hour, on
+the occasion of the marriage of her French servant Sebastian, to Margaret
+Carwood, one of her waiting-maids. He knew therefore that she could not
+sleep at the Kirk-of-Field that night, and took his measures accordingly.
+At dusk he assembled his accomplices, and told them that the time was come
+when he should have occasion for their services.[36] He was himself to
+sup between seven and eight at a banquet given to the Queen by the Bishop
+of Argyle, but he desired them to be in readiness as soon as the company
+should break up, when he promised to join them.[37] The Queen dined at
+Holyrood, and went from thence to the house of Mr John Balfour, where the
+Bishop lodged. She rose from the supper-table about nine o'clock, and,
+accompanied by the Earls of Argyle, Huntly, and Cassils, she went to visit
+her husband at the Kirk-of-Field. Bothwell, on the contrary, having called
+Paris aside, who was in waiting on the Queen, took him with him to the
+lodgings of the Laird of Ormiston.[38] There he met Hay and Hepburn, and
+they passed down the Blackfriars Wynd together. The wall which surrounded
+the gardens of the Dominican monastery ran near the foot of this wynd.
+They passed through a gate in the wall, which Bothwell had contrived to
+open by stealth, and, crossing the gardens, came to another wall
+immediately behind Darnley's house.[39]
+
+Dalgleish and Wilson had, in the meantime, been employed in bringing up,
+from Bothwell's residence in the Abbey, the gunpowder he had lodged there.
+It had been divided into bags, and the bags were put into trunks, which
+they carried upon horses. Not being able to take it all at once, they were
+obliged to go twice between the Kirk-of-Field and the Palace. They were
+not allowed to come nearer than the Convent-gate at the foot of
+Blackfriars Wynd, where the powder was taken from them by Ormiston,
+Hepburn, and Hay, who carried it up to the house. When they had conveyed
+the whole, they were ordered to return home; and as they passed up the
+Blackfriars' Wynd, Powrie, as if suddenly conscience-struck, said to
+Wilson, "Jesu! whatna a gait is this we are ganging? I trow it be not
+good."[40] Neither of these menials had seen Bothwell, for he kept at a
+distance, walking up and down the Cowgate, until the others received and
+deposited the powder. A large empty barrel had been concealed, by his
+orders, in the Convent gardens, and into it they intended to have put all
+the bags; and the barrel was then to have been carried in at the lower
+back door of Darnley's house, and placed in the Queen's bedroom, which, it
+will be remembered, was immediately under that of the King. Paris, as the
+Queen's valet-de-chambre, kept the keys of the lower flat, and was now in
+Mary's apartment ready to receive the powder. But some delay occurred in
+consequence of the barrel turning out to be so large that it could not be
+taken in by the back door; and it became necessary therefore to carry the
+bags one by one into the bedroom, where they emptied them in a heap on the
+floor. Bothwell, who was walking anxiously to and fro, was alarmed at this
+delay, and came to inquire if all was ready. He was afraid that the
+company up stairs, among whom was the Queen, with several of her nobility
+and ladies in waiting, might come suddenly out upon them, and discover
+their proceedings. "_He bade them haste_," says Hepburn, "_before the
+Queen came forth of the King's house; for if she came forth before they
+were ready, they would not find such commodity_."[41] At length, every
+thing being put into the state they wished, they all left the under part
+of the house, with the exception of Hepburn and Hay, who were locked into
+the room with the gunpowder, and left to keep watch there till the others
+should return.[42]
+
+Bothwell, having dismissed the others, went up stairs and joined the Queen
+and her friends in Darnley's apartment, as if he had that moment come to
+the Kirk-of-Field. Shortly afterwards, Paris also entered; and the Queen,
+being either reminded of, or recollecting her promise, to grace with her
+presence Sebastian's entertainment, rose, about eleven at night, to take
+leave of her husband. It has been asserted, upon the alleged authority of
+Buchanan, that, before going away, she kissed him, and put upon his finger
+a ring, in pledge of her affection. It seems doubtful, however, whether
+this is Buchanan's meaning. He certainly mentions, in his own insidious
+manner, that Mary endeavoured to divert all suspicions from herself, by
+paying frequent visits to her husband, by staying with him many hours at a
+time, by talking lovingly with him, by paying every attention to his
+health, by kissing him, and making him a present of a ring; but he does
+not expressly say that a kiss and ring were given upon the occasion of her
+parting with Darnley for the last time.[43] It is not at all unlikely,
+that the fact may have been as Buchanan is supposed to state; but as it is
+not a circumstance of much importance, it is unnecessary to insist upon
+its being either believed or discredited so long as it is involved in any
+uncertainty. Buchanan mentions another little particular, which may easily
+be conceived to be true,--that, in the course of her conversation with her
+husband this evening, Mary made the remark, that "just about that time
+last year David Rizzio was killed." Bothwell, at such a moment, could not
+have made the observation; but it may have come naturally enough from
+Mary, or Darnley himself.[44]
+
+Accompanied by Bothwell, Argyle, Huntly, Cassils, and others, Mary now
+proceeded to the palace, going first up the Blackfriars' Wynd, and then
+down the Canongate. Just as she was about to enter Holyrood House, she met
+one of the Earl of Bothwell's servants (either Dalgleish or Powrie), whom
+she asked where he had been, that he smelt so strongly of gunpowder? The
+fellow made some excuse, and no further notice was taken of the
+circumstance.[45] The Queen proceeded immediately to the rooms where
+Sebastian's friends were assembled; and Bothwell, who was very anxious to
+avoid any suspicion, and, above all, to prevent Mary from suspecting him,
+continued to attend her assiduously. Paris, who carried in his pocket the
+key of Mary's bed-room at the Kirk-of-Field, in which he had locked Hay
+and Hepburn, followed in the Earl's train. Upon entering the apartment
+where the dancing and masquing was going on, this Frenchman, who had
+neither the courage nor the cunning necessary to carry him through such a
+deed of villany, retired in a melancholy mood to a corner, and stood by
+himself wrapt in a profound reverie. Bothwell, observing him, and fearing
+that his conduct might excite observation, went up to him, and angrily
+demanded why he looked so sad, telling him in a whisper, _that if he
+retained that lugubrious countenance before the Queen, he should be made
+to suffer for it_. Paris answered despondingly, that he did not care what
+became of himself, if he could only get permission to go home to bed, for
+he was ill. "No," said Bothwell, "you must remain with me; would you leave
+those two gentlemen, Hay and Hepburn, locked up where they now
+are?"--"Alas!" answered Paris, "what more must I do this night? I have no
+heart for this business." Bothwell put an end to the conversation, by
+ordering Paris to follow him immediately.[46] It is uncertain whether the
+Queen had retired to her own chamber before Bothwell quitted the Palace,
+or whether he left her at the masque. Buchanan, always ready to fabricate
+calumny, says, that the Queen and Bothwell were "in long talk together, in
+her own chamber after midnight." But the falsehood of this assertion is
+clearly established; for Buchanan himself allows, that it was past eleven
+before Mary left the Kirk-of-Field, and Dalgleish and Powrie both state,
+that Bothwell came to his own lodgings from the Palace about twelve. If,
+therefore, he was at the masque, as we have seen, he had no time to talk
+with the Queen in private; and, if he had talked with the Queen, he could
+not have been at the masque. It is most likely that Mary continued for
+some time after Bothwell's departure at Sebastian's wedding, for Sebastian
+was "in great favour with the Queen, for his skill in music and his merry
+jesting."
+
+As soon as Bothwell came to his "own lodging in the Abbey," he exchanged
+his rich court dress for a more common one. Instead of a black satin
+doublet, bordered with silver, he put on a white canvass doublet, and
+wrapt himself up in his riding-cloak. Taking Paris, Powrie, Wilson and
+Dalgleish with him, he then went down the lane which ran along the wall of
+the Queen's south gardens, and which still exists, joining the foot of the
+Canongate, where the gate of the outer court of the Palace formerly stood.
+Passing by the door of the Queen's garden, where sentinels were always
+stationed, the party was challenged by one of the soldiers, who demanded,
+"Who goes there?" They answered, "Friends." "What friends?" "Friends to my
+Lord Bothwell." They proceeded up the Canongate till they came to the
+Netherbow Port, or lower gate of the city, which was shut. They called to
+the porter, John Galloway, and desired him to open to friends of my Lord
+Bothwell. Galloway was not well pleased to be raised at so late an hour,
+and he kept them waiting for some time. As they entered, he asked, "What
+they did out of their beds at that time of night?" but they gave him no
+answer. As soon as they got into the town, they called at Ormiston's
+lodgings, who lived in a house, called Bassyntine's house, a short way up
+the High Street, on the south side; but they were told that he was not at
+home. They went without him, down a close below the Blackfriars Wynd, till
+they came to the gate of the Convent Gardens already mentioned. They
+entered, and, crossing the gardens, they stopped at the back wall, a short
+way behind Darnley's residence. Here, Dalgleish, Wilson, and Powrie, were
+ordered to remain; and Bothwell and Paris passed in, over the wall. Having
+gone into the lower part of the house, they unlocked the door of the room
+in which they had left Hay and Hepburn, and the four together held a
+consultation regarding the best mode of setting fire to the gunpowder,
+which was lying in a great heap upon the floor. They took a piece of lint,
+three or four inches long, and kindling one end of it, they laid the other
+on the powder, knowing that it would burn slowly enough to give them time
+to retire to a safe distance. They then returned to the Convent gardens;
+and having rejoined the servants whom they had left there, the whole group
+stood together, anxiously waiting for the explosion.
+
+Darnley, meantime, little aware of his impending fate, had gone to bed
+within an hour after the Queen had left him. His servant, William Taylor,
+lay, as was his wont, in the same room. Thomas Nelson, Edward Simmons, and
+a boy, lay in the gallery, or servant's apartment, on the same floor, and
+nearer the town-wall. Bothwell must have been quite aware, that from the
+mode of death he had chosen for Darnley, there was every probability that
+his attendants would also perish. But when lawless ambition once
+commences its work of blood, whether there be only one, or a hundred
+victims, seems to be a matter of indifference.[47]
+
+The conspirators waited for upwards of a quarter of an hour without
+hearing any noise. Bothwell became impatient; and unless the others had
+interfered, and pointed out to him the danger, he would have returned and
+looked in at the back window of the bedroom, to see if the light was
+burning. It must have been a moment of intense anxiety and terror to all
+of them. At length, every doubt was terminated. With an explosion so
+tremendous, that it shook nearly the whole town, and startled the
+inhabitants from their sleep, the house of the Kirk-of-Field blew up into
+a thousand fragments, leaving scarcely a vestige standing of its former
+walls. Paris, who describes the noise as that of a storm of thunder
+condensed into one clap, fell almost senseless, through fear, with his
+face upon the earth. Bothwell himself, though "a bold, bad man," confessed
+a momentary panic. "I have been at many important enterprises," said he,
+"but I never felt before as I do now." Without waiting to ascertain the
+full extent of the catastrophe, he and his accomplices left the scene of
+their guilt with all expedition. They went out at the Convent-gate, and,
+having passed down to the Cowgate, they there separated, and went up by
+different roads to the Netherbow-Port. They were very desirous to avoid
+disturbing the porter again, lest they should excite his suspicion. They
+therefore went down a close, which still exists, on the north side of the
+High Street, immediately above the city gate, expecting that they would be
+able to drop from the wall into Leith Wynd; but Bothwell found it too
+high, especially as a wound he had received at Hermitage Castle, still
+left one of his hands weak. They were forced, therefore, to apply once
+more to John Galloway, who, on being told that they were friends of the
+Earl Bothwell, does not seem to have asked any questions. On getting into
+the Canongate, some people were observed coming up the street; to avoid
+them, Bothwell passed down St Mary's Wynd, and went to his lodgings by the
+back road. The sentinels, at the door of the Queen's garden again
+challenged them, and they made the usual answer, that they were friends of
+the Earl Bothwell, carrying despatches to him from the country. The
+sentinels asked,--"If they knew what noise that was they had heard a short
+time before?" They told them they did not.[48]
+
+When Bothwell came home, he called for a drink; and, taking off his
+clothes, went to bed immediately. He had not lain there above half an hour
+when the news was brought him that the House of the Kirk-of-Field had been
+blown up, and the King slain. Exclaiming that there must be treason
+abroad, and affecting the utmost alarm and indignation, he rose and put on
+the same clothes he had worn when he was last with the Queen. The Earl of
+Huntly and others soon joined him, and, after hearing from them as much as
+was then known of the matter, it was thought advisable to repair to the
+Palace, to inform Mary of what had happened. They found her already
+alarmed, and anxious to see them, some vague rumours of the accident
+having reached her. They disclosed the whole melancholy truth as gradually
+and gently as possible, attributing Darnley's death either to the
+accidental explosion of some gunpowder in the neighbourhood, or to the
+effects of lightning. Mary's distress knew no bounds; and seeing that it
+was hopeless to reason with her in the first anguish of her feelings,
+Bothwell and the other Lords left her just as day began to break, and
+proceeded to the Kirk-of-Field.[49] There they found every thing in a
+state of confusion;--the edifice in ruins, and the town's-people gathered
+round it in dismay. Of the five persons who were in the house at the time
+of the explosion, one only was saved. Darnley, and his servant William
+Taylor, who slept in the room immediately above the gunpowder, had been
+most exposed to its effects, and they were accordingly carried through the
+air over the town wall, and across the lane on the other side, and were
+found lying at a short distance from each other in a garden to the south
+of this lane,--both in their night-dress, and with little external injury.
+Simmons, Nelson, and the boy, being nearer the town-wall, were only
+collaterally affected by the explosion. They were, however, all buried in
+the ruins, out of which Nelson alone had the good fortune to be taken
+alive. The bodies were, by Bothwell's command, removed to an adjoining
+house, and a guard from the Palace set over them.[50]
+
+Darnley and his servant being found at so great a distance, and so
+triflingly injured, it was almost universally supposed at the time, and
+for long afterwards, that they had been first strangled or assassinated,
+and then carried out to the garden. This supposition is now proved, beyond
+a doubt, to have been erroneous. If Darnley had been first murdered, there
+would have been no occasion to have blown up the house; and if this was
+done, that his death might appear to be the result of accident, his body
+would never have been removed to such a distance as might appear to
+disconnect it with the previous explosion. Before the expansive force of
+gunpowder was sufficiently understood, it was not conceived possible that
+it could have acted as in the present instance; and various theories were
+invented, none of which were so simple or so true, as that which accords
+with the facts now established. It is the depositions already quoted that
+set the matter at rest; for, having confessed so much of the truth, there
+could have been no reason for concealing any other part of it. Hepburn
+declared expressly, that "he knew nothing but that Darnley was blown into
+the air, for he was handled with no men's hands that he saw;" and Hay
+deponed that Bothwell, some time afterwards, said to him, "What thought ye
+when ye saw him blown into the air?" Hay answered,--"Alas! my Lord, why
+speak ye of that, for whenever I hear such a thing, the words wound me to
+death, as they ought to do you."[51] There is nothing wonderful in the
+bodies having been carried so far; for it is mentioned by a cotemporary
+author, that "they kindled their train of gunpowder, which inflamed the
+whole timber of the house, and troubled the walls thereof in such sort,
+that great stones of the length of ten feet, and of the breadth of four
+feet, were found blown from the house a far way."[52] Besides, after the
+minute account, which a careful collation of the different confessions and
+depositions has enabled us to give, of the manner in which Bothwell spent
+every minute of his time, from the period of the Queen's leaving Darnley,
+till the unfortunate Prince ceased to exist, it would be a work of
+supererogation to seek to refute, by any stronger evidence, the notion
+that he was strangled.
+
+It is, however, somewhat remarkable, that, even in recent times, authors
+of good repute should have allowed themselves to be misled by the exploded
+errors of earlier writers. "The house," says Miss Benger, "was invested
+with armed men, some of whom watched without, whilst others entered to
+achieve their barbarous purpose; these having strangled Darnley and his
+servant with silken cords, carried their bodies into the garden, and then
+blew up the house with powder."[53] This is almost as foolish as the
+report mentioned by Melville, that he was taken out of his bed, and
+brought down to a stable, where they suffocated him by stopping a napkin
+into his mouth; or, as that still more ridiculous story alluded to by
+Sanderson, that the Earl of Dunbar, and Sir Roger Aston, an Englishman,
+who chose to hoax his countrymen, by telling them that he lodged in the
+King's chamber that night, "having smelt the fire of a match, leapt both
+out at a window into the garden; and that the King catching hold of his
+sword, and suspecting treason, not only against himself, but the Queen and
+the young Prince, who was then at Holyrood House with his mother, desired
+him (Sir Roger Aston) to make all the haste he could to acquaint her of
+it, and that immediately armed men, rushing into the room, seized him
+single and alone, and stabbed him, and then laid him in the garden, and
+afterwards blew up the house."[54] Buchanan, Crawford and others, fall
+into similar mistakes; but Knox, or his continuator, writes more
+correctly, and mentions, besides, that medical men "being convened, at the
+Queen's command, to view and consider the manner of Darnley's death," were
+almost unanimously of opinion that he was blown into the air, although he
+had no mark of fire.[55]
+
+Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany and King of Scotland, perished
+in the twenty-first year of his age, and the eighteenth month of his
+reign. The suddenness and severity of his fate excited a degree of
+compassion, and attached an interest to his memory, which, had he died in
+the ordinary course of nature, would never have been felt. He had been to
+Scotland only a cause of civil war,--to his nobility an object of
+contempt, of pity, or of hatred,--and to his wife a perpetual source of
+sorrow and misfortune. Any praise he may deserve must be given to him
+almost solely on the score of his personal endowments; his mind and
+dispositions had been allowed to run to waste, and were under no controul
+but that of his own wayward feelings and fancies. Keith, in the following
+words, draws a judicious contrast between his animal and intellectual
+qualities. "He is said to have been one of the tallest and handsomest
+young men of the age; that he had a comely face and pleasant countenance;
+that he was a most dexterous horseman, and exceedingly well skilled in all
+genteel exercises, prompt and ready for all games and sports, much given
+to the diversions of hawking and hunting, to horse-racing and music,
+especially playing on the lute; he could speak and write well, and was
+bountiful and liberal enough. But, then, to balance these good natural
+qualifications, he was much addicted to intemperance, to base and unmanly
+pleasures; he was haughty and proud, and so very weak in mind, as to be a
+prey to all that came about him; he was inconstant, credulous, and facile,
+unable to abide by any resolutions, capable to be imposed upon by
+designing men, and could conceal no secret, let it tend ever so much to
+his own welfare or detriment."[56] With all his faults, there was no one
+in Scotland who lamented him more sincerely than Mary. She had loved him
+deeply; and whilst her whole life proves that she was incapable of
+indulging that violent and unextinguishable hatred which prompts to deeds
+of cruelty and revenge, it likewise proves that it was almost impossible
+for her to cease to esteem an object for which she had once formed an
+attachment. Murray must himself have allowed the truth of the first part
+of this statement; and for many days before his death, Darnley had himself
+felt the force of the latter. She had, no doubt, too much good sense to
+believe that Darnley, in his character of king, was a loss to the country;
+but the tears she shed for him, are to be put down to the account, not of
+the queen, but of the woman and the wife.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+BOTHWELL'S TRIAL AND ACQUITTAL.
+
+
+During the whole of the day that succeeded her husband's death, (Monday
+the 10th of February 1567), Mary shut herself up in her own apartment, and
+would see no one. Bothwell was anxious to have conversed with her, but
+overpowered with grief, she was unable to listen to any thing he wished to
+say.[57] In the meantime all was confusion and dismay in Edinburgh, and
+wherever the news of this strange murder arrived, a thousand contradictory
+reports went abroad. Some suspected one thing, and some another; and it
+must be recollected, that although, at a subsequent date, facts came out
+sufficient to fix the guilt upon those who had really committed the crime,
+as yet there was nothing but mere vague conjecture. Mary herself was lost
+in wonder and doubt. Most of the nobility who were near her wished to
+persuade her, at Bothwell's instigation, that her husband's death was
+either the effect of accident, or that it had been brought about by the
+malice and villany of some obscure and ignoble traitors; and every
+endeavour being thus made to mislead her, she was the very last who could
+be expected to know the truth. Accordingly, it appears by a letter she
+wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow, her ambassador at Paris, on Tuesday
+the 11th (two days after the murder), that she was still but very
+imperfectly informed even of the manner of Darnley's death. This letter,
+at once so simple and natural, must not be omitted here. She had, the same
+morning, received a despatch from her ambassador, in which he had
+expressed a fear, that the pardon she had lately given to Morton, Ruthven,
+Lindsay and others, might involve her in trouble. Mary's answer was as
+follows:
+
+"Most Reverend Father in God, and trust Counsellor, we greet you well: We
+have received this morning your letters of the 27th January, by your
+servant Robert Dury, containing in part such advertisement as we find by
+effect over true, albeit the success has not altogether been such as the
+authors of that mischievous fact had preconceived in their mind, and had
+put it in execution, if God in his mercy had not preserved us and reserved
+us, as we trust, to the end that we may take a vigorous vengeance of that
+mischievous deed, which, before it should remain unpunished, we had rather
+lose life and all. The matter is horrible, and so strange, that we believe
+the like was never heard of in any country. This night past, being the 9th
+February, a little after two hours after midnight, the house wherein the
+King was lodged was in an instant blown in the air, he lying sleeping in
+his bed, with such a vehemency, that of the whole lodging, walls, and
+other, there is nothing remaining,--no, not a stone above another, but
+all either carried far away, or dung in dross to the very ground-stone. It
+must be done by force of powder, and appears to have been a mine.[58] By
+whom it has been done, or in what manner, it appears not as yet. We doubt
+not but, according to the diligence our Council has begun already to use,
+the certainty of all shall be obtained shortly; and the same being
+discovered, which we wot God will never suffer to lie hid, we hope to
+punish the same with such rigour, as shall serve for example of this
+cruelty to all ages to come. At all events, whoever has taken this wicked
+enterprise in hand, we assure ourself it was devised as well for us as for
+the King; for we lay all the most part of all the last week in that same
+lodging, and were there accompanied with the most part of the lords that
+are in this town, that same night at midnight, and of very chance tarried
+not all night, by reason of some masque in the Abbey; but we believe it
+was not chance, but God that put it in our head.[59] We despatch this
+bearer upon the sudden, and therefore write to you the more shortly. The
+rest of your letter we shall answer at more leisure, within four or five
+days, by your own servant; and so, for the present, commit you to Almighty
+God.--At Edinburgh, the 11th day of February 1556-7.--MARIE R."[60]
+
+In accordance with the resolution intimated in the above letter, to seek
+out and vigorously punish her husband's murderers, a proclamation was
+issued upon Wednesday the 12th, immediately after an inquisition had been
+taken by the Justice-General, offering a reward of two thousand pounds,
+and "an honest yearly rent," to whosoever should reveal "the persons,
+devisers, counsellors, or actual committers of the said mischievous and
+treasonable murder," and promising besides to the first revealer, although
+a partaker of the crime, a free pardon. The same proclamation declared,
+that as "Almighty God would never suffer so horrible a deed to lie hid,
+so, before it should remain untried, the Queen's Majesty, unto whom of all
+others the case was most grievous, would rather lose life and all."[61] In
+the mean time, not knowing but that the same traitors who had murdered her
+husband, might intend a similar fate for herself, Mary removed to the
+Castle, as a place of greater security than Holyrood Palace. There she
+remained shut up in a dark chamber, hung with black, till after Darnley's
+burial. He lay in the Chapel at Holyrood, from the 12th to the 15th of
+February. His body having been embalmed, he was then interred in the royal
+vault, in which King James V., together with his first wife, Magdalene,
+and his two infant sons, Mary's brothers, lay. Buchanan, and his follower
+Laing, have both insisted upon the nocturnal secrecy and indifference with
+which the funeral ceremony was conducted. "The nobles that were there
+present," says Buchanan, "decreed, that a stately and honourable funeral
+should be made for him; but the Queen ordered it so, that he was carried
+by private bearers in the night-time, and was buried in no manner of
+state." The interpretation to be put upon this insidious passage is, that
+the Protestant Lords proposed to bury Darnley after the Presbyterian form,
+and that Mary refused her consent, and, in consequence, only the Catholics
+attended. "The ceremonies indeed," says Lesley, "were the fewer, because
+that the greatest part of the Council were Protestants, and had before
+interred their own parents without accustomed solemnities."[62] That
+Mary's calumniators should have insisted upon this circumstance at all,
+only shows how eager they were to avail themselves of everything which
+they could pervert to their own purposes. Had Mary wished to act the
+hypocrite, nothing could have been easier for her than to have made a
+great parade at Darnley's funeral.
+
+Bothwell, in the mean time, kept as quiet as possible, attending, as
+usual, at court, and taking care always to be present at the meetings of
+the Privy Council. But he had lighted a torch which was not to be
+extinguished, till it had blazed over Scotland, and kindled his own
+funeral pyre. On whatever grounds the suspicion had gone abroad, (and it
+is difficult to say why public attention should so soon have been directed
+to him as the perpetrator of the late murder, unless we suppose Murray, or
+some of his other accomplices, to have been now eager to publish his
+guilt, in order to accomplish his ruin), it is at all events certain, that
+in a few days after the proclamation for the discovery of the assassins
+had been issued, a placard was set up at night, on the door of the
+Tolbooth of Edinburgh, in which it was affirmed, that the Earl of
+Bothwell, together with a Mr James Balfour, a Mr David Chalmers, and a Mr
+John Spence, were the persons principally concerned in the crime, and that
+the Queen herself was "assenting thereto." It might be reasonably
+concluded, that no notice whatever would be taken of an anonymous paper
+thus expressed; but the Queen, even although it insultingly accused
+herself, was so anxious to have the matter of the murder investigated,
+that she caused another proclamation to be issued, without waiting for the
+advice of her Privy Council, desiring the author of the placard to divulge
+his name, and promising that if he could show there was any truth in any
+part of his averment, he should receive the promised reward.[63] A second
+placard was stuck up in answer, requiring the money to be lodged in honest
+hands, and three of the Queen's servants, whom it named, to be put in
+arrest; and undertaking, as soon as these conditions were complied with,
+that the author and four friends would discover themselves. This was so
+palpable an evasion, that it of course met with no attention. To suppose
+that Government would take upon itself the charge of partiality, and place
+the public money in what an anonymous writer might consider "honest
+hands," was too grossly absurd to have been proposed by any one who really
+wished to do his country a service.
+
+The circumstance of Bothwell's name being mentioned in these placards, in
+conjunction with that of the Queen, probably operated in his favour with
+Mary. Conscious of her own innocence, she would very naturally suppose
+that the charge was equally calumnious in regard to him; for if she knew
+it to be false in one particular, what dependence could she place upon its
+truth in any other? At the same time, she could not of course see her
+husband murdered, almost before her eyes, without making various surmises
+concerning the real author and cause of his death. Her accusers, however,
+seem to suppose that she ought to have been gifted with an almost
+miraculous power of discovering the guilty. Only a few days before, every
+thing had been proceeding smoothly; and she herself, with renovated
+spirits, was enjoying the returning health and affection of her husband.
+In a moment the scene was overclouded; her husband was barbarously slain;
+and all Scotland was in a ferment. Yet around the Queen all wore the same
+aspect. Murray was living quietly in Fife; her secretary Maitland was
+proceeding as usual with the official details of public business; the Earl
+of Morton had not yet returned to Court, and he also was in Fife; the
+Archbishop of St Andrews was busied in bolstering up the last remains of
+Catholicism; Athol, Caithness, Huntly, Argyle, Bothwell, Cassils, and
+Sutherland, were attending their Sovereign, as faithful and attached
+servants ought. Where then was she to look for the traitor who had raised
+his hand against her husband's life and her own happiness? Whom was she to
+suspect? Was it Murray?--he had left town without any sufficient cause, on
+the very day of Darnley's death, and had hated him ever since he put his
+foot in Scotland. Was it Morton?--he had returned recently from
+banishment, and that banishment had been the result of Darnley's
+treachery, and had not Morton assassinated Rizzio, with far less grounds
+of offence? Was it Argyle?--the Lennox family had stripped him of some of
+his possessions, and the King's death might, perhaps, be the means of
+restoring them to him. Was it the Hamiltons?--they were the hereditary
+enemies of the house of Lennox, and Darnley had blasted for ever their
+hopes of succession to the throne. Was it Huntly? Was it Athol? Was it
+Bothwell? It was less likely to be any of these, because Darnley had never
+come into direct collision with them. By what art, or superior
+penetration, was Mary to make a discovery which was baffling the whole of
+Scotland? Was she surrounded by the very men who had done the deed, and
+who used every means to lead her astray from the truth; yet was she to be
+able to single out the criminal at a glance, and hurl upon him her just
+indignation?[64]
+
+Worn out by her griefs and her perplexities, her doubts and her fears,
+Mary's health began to give way, and her friends prevailed upon her to
+leave for a short time her confinement in Edinburgh Castle, and visit
+Seaton House, a country residence of which she was fond, only seven miles
+off. Lesley, after describing Mary's melancholy sojourn in the Castle,
+adds, that she would have "continued a longer time in this lamentable
+wise, had she not been most earnestly dehorted by the vehement
+exhortations and persuasions of her Council, who were moved thereto by her
+physicians informations, declaring to them the great and imminent dangers
+of her health and life, if she did not in all speed break up and leave
+that kind of close and solitary life, and repair to some good open and
+wholesome air; which she did, being thus advised, and earnestly thereto
+solicited by her said council."[65] She went to Seaton on the 16th of
+February, accompanied by a very considerable train, among whom were the
+Earls of Argyle, Huntly, Bothwell, Arbroath, the Archbishop of St Andrews,
+the Lords Fleming and Livingston, and Secretary Maitland.[66] It was here
+that a correspondence took place between the Queen and the Earl of Lennox,
+Darnley's father, which deserves attention.
+
+In his first letter, the Earl thanked her Majesty for the trouble and
+labour she took to discover and bring to trial those who were guilty of
+the "late cruel act;" but as the offenders were not yet known, he
+beseeched her Highness to assemble, with all convenient diligence, the
+whole nobility and estates of the realm, that they, acting in conjunction
+with her Majesty, might take such steps as should seem most likely to make
+manifest the "bloody and cruel actors of the deed." This letter was dated
+the 20th of February 1567. Mary replied to it on the 21st; and in her
+answer, assured Lennox that in showing him all the pleasure and goodwill
+in her power, she did only her duty, and that which her natural affection
+prompted, adding, that on that affection he might always depend, "so long
+as God gave her life." As to the assembling of her nobility, she informed
+him, that shortly before the receipt of his letter, she had desired a
+Parliament to be summoned, and that as soon as it met, the death of
+Darnley would be the first subject which it would be called upon to
+consider. Lennox wrote again on the 26th, to explain, that when he advised
+her Majesty to assemble her nobility, he did not allude to the holding of
+a Parliament, which he knew could not be done immediately. But because he
+had heard of certain placards which had been set up in Edinburgh, in which
+certain persons were named as the devisers of the murder, he requested
+that these persons should be apprehended and imprisoned, that the nobility
+and Council should be assembled, and that the writers of the placards
+should be required to appear before them, and be confronted with those
+whom they had accused; and that if they refused to appear, or did not make
+good their charge, the persons slandered should be exonerated and set at
+liberty. A proposal so very unconstitutional could not have been made by
+Lennox, unless misled by the ardour of his paternal feelings, or
+instigated by some personal enmity towards Bothwell. If Mary had ventured
+to throw into prison every one accused in an anonymous bill, there is no
+saying where the abuse might have ended. The most worthless coward might
+have thus revenged himself upon those he hated; and law and justice would
+have degenerated into despotism, or civil anarchy. The Queen, therefore,
+informed Lennox, that although, as she had already written, she had
+summoned a Parliament, and should lay the matter of the murder before it,
+it was never her intention to allow it to sleep in the mean time. Her
+Lords and Council would of course continue to exert themselves, but her
+_whole_ nobility could not be assembled till the Parliament met. As to his
+desire, that the persons named in the placards should be apprehended,
+there had been so many, and so contrary statements made in these placards,
+that she knew not to which in particular he alluded; and besides, that she
+could not find herself justified in throwing any of her subjects into
+prison upon such authority; but that, if he himself would condescend upon
+the names of such persons as he thought deserved a trial, she would order
+that trial to take place immediately. She was anxious that Lennox should
+take this responsibility upon himself, for she had hitherto been kept much
+in the dark, and was glad to have the assistance of one almost as desirous
+as herself to come to the truth. She invited him, therefore, in her letter
+of the 1st of March, to write to her again immediately, with any other
+suggestion which might occur to him, because she was determined "not to
+omit any occasion which might clear the matter." It was the 17th of March
+before Lennox again addressed the Queen. He thanked her Majesty for her
+attention to his wishes; he marvelled that the names of the persons upon
+the placards, against whom the greatest suspicions were entertained, "_had
+been kept from her Majesty's ears_;" and, as she requested it, he now
+named them himself, putting the Earl of Bothwell first, and several other
+inferior persons after him. He did not undertake to be their accuser,
+confessing that he had no evidence of their guilt; but he said he greatly
+suspected Bothwell, and hoped "her Majesty, now knowing their names, and
+being a party, as well and more than he was, although he was the father,
+would take order in the matter according to the weight of the cause."
+Mary, who had by this time returned to Edinburgh, wrote to Lennox, the
+very day after the receipt of his letter, that she had summoned her
+nobility to come to Edinburgh the first week of April; and that, as soon
+as they came, the persons named in his letter should "abide and underlie
+such trial, as by the laws of the realm was usual."--"They being found
+culpable," Mary added, "in any way of that crime and odious fact, named in
+the placards, and whereof you suspect them, we shall even, according to
+our former letter, see the condign punishment as vigorously and extremely
+executed as the weight of that fact deserves; for, indeed, as you write,
+we esteem ourself a party if we were resolute of the authors." She further
+entreated Lennox to come to Edinburgh, that he might be present at the
+trial, and lend his assistance to it. "You shall there have experience,"
+she concluded, "of our earnest will and effectuous mind to have an end in
+this matter, and the authors of so unworthy a deed really punished."[67]
+
+The Queen, having waited anxiously till something should occur which might
+lead to the detection of the murderers, hoped that a clue to the mystery
+was now about to be discovered. It was a bold and perhaps almost too
+strong a measure, to arraign a nobleman so powerful, and apparently so
+respected as Bothwell, of so serious a crime, upon such vague suspicion;
+but if Mary in this instance exceeded the due limits of her constituted
+authority, it was an error which leant to virtue's side, and the feelings
+of an insulted Queen and afflicted wife must plead her excuse. Her Privy
+Council, which she summoned immediately upon the receipt of Lennox's last
+letter, and before whom she laid it, passed an act directing the trial of
+the Earl of Bothwell, and the other suspected persons named by Lennox. The
+trial was fixed to take place on the 12th day of April 1567; letters were
+directed to the Earl of Lennox to inform him of it, and proclamations were
+made in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumbarton, and other places, calling upon all
+who would accuse Bothwell, or his accomplices, to appear in court on the
+day appointed.[68] The Council, however, would not authorize the
+imprisonment of the suspected persons, seeing that it was only anonymous
+placards which had excited that suspicion.
+
+As soon as the Earl of Lennox got intimation of the intended trial, he set
+out for Edinburgh from his estate in Dumbartonshire. Not choosing to
+proceed thither direct, in consequence of the enmity which he knew
+Bothwell must bear to him, he went to Stirling, where it was understood he
+was engaged in collecting all the evidence in his power. Nor can Bothwell
+be supposed to have felt very easy, under the prospect of his approaching
+trial. He counted, however, on the good offices of his friends among the
+nobility; and having removed all who might have been witnesses against
+him, and brought into Edinburgh a numerous body of retainers, he resolved
+to brazen out the accusation with his usual audacity. He even affected to
+complain that he had not been treated with sufficient fairness; that a
+paper affixed privately to the door of the Tolbooth had been made the
+means of involving him in serious trouble; and that, instead of the usual
+term of forty days, only fifteen had been allowed him to prepare for his
+defence.[69] He assumed the air, therefore, of an injured and innocent
+man; and he was well borne out in this character by the countenance he
+received from most of the Lords then at court. We learn from Killigrew,
+that twenty days after Bothwell had been placarded, he dined with him at
+the Earl of Murray's, who had by this time returned from Fife, in company
+with Huntly, Argyle, and Lethington.[70]
+
+The day of trial now drew near; but, to her astonishment, Mary received a
+letter only twenty-four hours before it was to take place, from the Earl
+of Lennox, who did not exactly see how he was to carry through his
+accusation, and therefore wished that the case should be postponed. The
+letter was dated from Stirling, and mentioned two causes which he said
+would prevent him from coming to Edinburgh; one was sickness, and the
+other the short time which had been allowed him to prepare for making
+good his charge. He asked, therefore, that the Queen would imprison the
+suspected persons, and would delay the trial till he had collected his
+friends and his proofs.[71] This request disappointed Mary exceedingly.
+She had hurried on the trial as much to gratify Lennox as herself; but she
+now saw that, in asking for it at all, he had been guided more by the
+feeling of the moment, than by any rational conviction of its propriety.
+To postpone it without the consent of the accused, who had by this time
+made the necessary preparations for their defence, was of course out of
+the question; and, if the time originally mentioned was too short, why did
+Lennox not write to that effect, as soon as he received intimation of the
+day appointed? If she put off the trial now, for any thing she knew it
+might never come on at all. Her enemies, however, were determined,
+whatever she did, to discover some cause of complaint;--if she urged it
+on, they would accuse her of precipitancy; if she postponed it, they would
+charge her with indifference. Elizabeth, in particular, under the pretence
+of a mighty anxiety that Mary should do what was most honourable and
+requisite, insolently suggested that suspicion might attach to herself,
+unless she complied with the request made by Lennox. "For the love of God,
+Madam," she hypocritically and insidiously wrote to Mary, "conduct
+yourself with such sincerity and prudence, in a case which touches you so
+nearly, that all the world may have reason to pronounce you innocent of a
+crime so enormous, which, unless they did, you would deserve to be blotted
+out from the rank of Princesses, and to become odious even to the vulgar,
+rather than see which, I would wish you an honourable sepulchre."[72] Just
+as if any one _did_ suspect Mary, or as if any monarch in Christendom
+would have dared to hint the possibility of her being an adulterous
+murderess, except her jealous rival Elizabeth, pining in the chagrined
+malevolence of antiquated virginity. The real motives which dictated this
+epistle became the more apparent, when we learn that it was not written
+till the 8th of April, and could not at the very soonest reach Edinburgh
+till the morning of the very day on which the trial was to take place, and
+probably not till after it was over. The truth is, the very moment she
+heard of Darnley's death, Elizabeth had eagerly considered in her own mind
+the possibility of involving "her good sister" in the guilt attached to
+those who had murdered him, and was now the very first who openly
+attempted to lead the thoughts of the Scottish Queen's subjects into that
+channel;--she was the very first who commenced laying the train which
+produced in the end so fatal a catastrophe.
+
+On Saturday, the 12th of April 1567, a Justiciary Court was held in the
+tolbooth of Edinburgh, for the trial of the Earl of Bothwell. The Lord
+High Justice the Earl of Argyle presided, attended by four assessors, or
+legal advisers, two of whom, Mr James MacGill and Mr Henry Balnaves, were
+Senators of the College of Justice; the third was Robert Pitcairn,
+Commendator of Dumfermlin, and the fourth was Lord Lindsay. The usual
+preliminary formalities having been gone through, the indictment was read,
+in which Bothwell was accused of being "art and part of the cruel, odious,
+treasonable, and abominable slaughter and murder, of the umwhile the Right
+High and Mighty Prince the King's Grace, dearest spouse for the time to
+our Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty."[73] He was then called as
+defender on the one side, and Matthew Earl of Lennox, and all others the
+Queen's lieges, who wished to pursue in the matter, on the other. Bothwell
+appeared immediately at the bar, supported by the Earl of Morton, and two
+gentlemen who were to act as his advocates. But the Earl of Lennox, or
+other pursuers, though frequently called, did not appear. At length Robert
+Cunningham, one of Lennox's servants, stepped forward, and produced a
+writing in the shape of a protest, which his master had authorized him to
+deliver. It stated, that the cause of the Earl's absence was the shortness
+of time, and the want of friends and retainers to accompany him to the
+place of trial; and it therefore objected to the decision of any assize
+which might be held that day. In reply to this protest, the letters of the
+Earl of Lennox to the Queen, in which he desired that a short and summary
+process might be taken against the suspected persons, were produced and
+read; and it was maintained by the Earl of Bothwell's counsel, that the
+trial ought to proceed immediately, according to the laws of the realm,
+and the wish of the party accused. The judges, having heard both sides,
+were of opinion that Bothwell had a right to insist upon the trial going
+on. A jury was therefore chosen, which does not seem to have consisted of
+persons particularly friendly to the Earl. It was composed of the Earls of
+Rothes, Caithness, and Cassils, Lord John Hamilton, son to the Duke of
+Chatelherault, Lords Ross, Semple, Herries, Oliphant, and Boyd, the Master
+of Forbes, Gordon of Lochinvar, Cockburn of Langton, Sommerville of
+Cambusnethan, Mowbray of Barnbougle, and Ogilby of Boyne. Bothwell pled
+_not guilty_; and, no evidence appearing against him, the jury retired,
+and were out of court for some time. When they returned, their verdict,
+delivered by the Earl of Caithness, whom they had chosen their chancellor,
+unanimously acquitted Bothwell of the slaughter of the King.[74]
+
+Immediately after his acquittal, Bothwell, as was customary in those
+times, published a challenge, in which he offered to fight hand to hand,
+with any man who would avow that he still suspected him to have had a
+share in the King's death; but nobody ventured openly to accept it.[75] As
+far, therefore, as appearances were concerned, he was now able to stand
+upon higher ground than ever, and boldly to declare, that whosoever was
+guilty, he had been found innocent. Accordingly, at the Parliament which
+met on the 14th of April, he appeared in great state, with banners flying,
+and a numerous body of retainers; and in compliment to him, an act was
+passed, in which it was set forth, that "by a licentious abuse lately come
+into practice within this realm, there had been placards and bills and
+tickets of defamation, set up under silence of night, in diverse public
+places, to the slander, reproach and infamy of the Queen's majesty and
+diverse of the nobility; which disorder, if it were suffered to remain
+longer unpunished, would redound not only to the great hurt and detriment
+of all noblemen in their good fame, private calumniators having by this
+means liberty to backbite them, but also the common weal would be
+disturbed, and occasion of quarrel taken upon false and untrue
+slander;"--it was therefore made criminal to put up any such placards, or
+to abstain from destroying them as soon as they were seen. At this
+Parliament, there was also an act passed on the subject of religion, which
+is deserving of notice. "The same Queen," says Chalmers, "who is charged
+by Robertson with attempting to suppress the Reformed discipline, with the
+aid of the Bishops, passed a law, renouncing all foreign jurisdiction in
+ecclesiastical affairs,--giving toleration to all her subjects to worship
+God in their own way,--and engaging to give some additional privileges."
+This is one of the most satisfactory answers which can be given to the
+supposition, that Mary was in any way a party in the Continental
+persecution of the Hugonots.
+
+The Earl of Murray was not present either at this Parliament, or the trial
+which immediately preceded it. Actuated by motives which do not exactly
+appear, and which historians have not been able satisfactorily to explain,
+he obtained permission from Mary, in the beginning of April, to leave
+Scotland, and, on the 9th, he set off for France, visiting London and the
+Court of Elizabeth on his way. There is something very unaccountable, in a
+man of Murray's ambition thus withdrawing from the scene of action, just
+at the very time when he must have been anticipating political events of
+the last importance. His conduct can be rationally explained, only by
+supposing, that it was suggested by his systematic caution. He was not
+now, nor had he ever been since his rebellion, Mary's exclusive and
+all-powerful Prime Minister;--yet he could not bear to fill a second
+place; and he knew that, if any civil war occurred, the eyes of many would
+immediately be turned towards him. If he remained in the country, he would
+necessarily be obliged to take a side as soon as the dissensions broke
+out, and might find himself again associated with the losing party; but,
+if he kept at a distance for a while, he could throw his influence, when
+he chose, into the heaviest scale, and thus gain an increase of popularity
+and power. These were probably the real motives of his present conduct,
+and, judging by the result, no one can say that he reasoned ill. That he
+was aware of every thing that was about to happen, and that he urged
+Bothwell forward into a net, from whose meshes he knew he could never be
+disengaged, as has been maintained so positively by Whittaker, Chalmers,
+and others, does not appear. The peremptoriness with which these writers
+have asserted the truth of this unfounded theory, is the leading defect of
+their works, and has tended to weaken materially the chain of argument by
+which they would otherwise have established Mary's innocence. That
+Bothwell, as they over and over again repeat, was the mere "cat's-paw" of
+Murray, is a preposterous belief, and argues a decided want of knowledge
+of Bothwell's real character. But supposing that he had been so, nothing
+could be more chimerical than the idea, that after having made him murder
+Darnley, Murray would wish to see him first acquitted of that murder, and
+then married to the Queen, for the vague chance that both might be
+deposed, and he himself called to succeed them as Regent. "Would it ever
+enter into the imagination of a wise man," asks Robertson, "first to raise
+his rival to supreme power, in hopes that, afterwards, he should find some
+opportunity of depriving him of that power? The most adventurous
+politician never hazarded such a dangerous experiment; the most credulous
+folly never trusted such an uncertain chance." Murray probably winked at
+the murder, because he foresaw that it was likely to lead to Bothwell's
+ruin. When he left the country, he may not have been altogether aware of
+Bothwell's more ambitious objects; but if he was, he would still have
+gone, for his staying could not have prevented their attempted execution;
+and if they induced a civil war, whosoever lost, he might contrive to be a
+gainer. He acted selfishly and unpatriotically, but not with that
+deliberate villany with which he has been charged.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+BOTHWELL'S SEIZURE OF THE QUEEN'S PERSON, AND SUBSEQUENT MARRIAGE TO HER.
+
+
+Every thing appeared now to be going smoothly with Bothwell, and he had
+only to take one step more to reach the very height of his ambition.
+Mary's hand and Scotland's crown were the objects he had all along kept
+steadily in view. The latter was to be obtained only through the medium of
+the former, and hence his reason for removing Darnley, and willingly
+submitting to a trial, from which he saw he would come off triumphantly.
+The question he now anxiously asked himself was, whether it was likely
+that Mary could be persuaded to accept him as a husband. He was aware,
+that in the unsettled state of the country, she must feel that, unless
+married to a person of strength and resolution, she would hardly be able
+to keep her turbulent subjects in order; and he was of opinion, that it
+was not improbable she would now cast her eyes upon one of her own
+nobility, as she could no where else find a king who would be so agreeable
+to the national prejudices. Yet he had a lurking consciousness, that he
+himself would not be the object of her choice. She had of late, it was
+true, given him a considerable share in the administration; but he felt
+that she had done so, more as a matter of state policy, and to preserve a
+balance of power between himself and her other ministers, than from any
+personal regard. The most assiduous attentions which it was in his power
+to pay her, had failed to kindle in her bosom any warmer sentiment; for
+though she esteemed him for his fidelity as an officer of state, his
+manners and habits as a man, were too coarse and dissolute to please one
+of so much refinement, sensibility and gentleness, as Mary Stuart.
+Bothwell therefore became secretly convinced that it would be necessary
+for him to have recourse to fraud, and perhaps to force. Had Mary loved
+him, their marriage would have been a matter of mutual agreement, and
+would have taken place whenever circumstances seemed to make it mutually
+advisable; but as it was, artifice and audacity were to be his weapons;
+nor were they wielded by an unskilful hand.
+
+The Parliament which met on the 14th of April 1567, continued to sit only
+till the 19th of the same month; and on the evening of the following day,
+Bothwell invited nearly all the Lords who were then in Edinburgh to a
+great supper, in a tavern kept by a person of the name of Ainsly, from
+which circumstance, the entertainment was afterwards known by the name of
+"_Ainsly's Supper_." After plying his guests with wine, he produced a
+document, which he had himself previously drawn up, and which he requested
+them all to sign. It was in the form of a bond; and in the preamble,
+after expressing their conviction that James Earl of Bothwell, Lord Hales,
+Crichton, and Liddisdale, Great Admiral of Scotland, and Lieutenant to the
+Queen over all the Marches, had been grossly slandered in being suspected
+of having a share in the murder of Darnley, and that his innocence had
+been fully and satisfactorily proved at his late trial, they bound
+themselves, as they should answer to God, that whatever person or persons
+should afterwards renew such calumniation, should be proceeded against by
+them with all diligence and perseverance. After this introduction,
+evidently meant to aid in removing any lingering suspicion which the Queen
+might still entertain of Bothwell's guilt, the bond went on to state,
+that, "Moreover, weighing and considering the present time, and how our
+Sovereign, the Queen's Majesty, is destitute of a husband, in which
+solitary state the common weal of this realm may not permit her Highness
+to continue and endure, but at some time her Highness, in appearance, may
+be inclined to yield unto a marriage,--therefore, in case the former
+affectionate and hearty services of the said Earl (Bothwell), done to her
+Majesty from time to time, and his other good qualities and behaviour, may
+move her Majesty so far to humble herself as, preferring one of her own
+native born subjects unto all foreign princes, to take to husband the said
+Earl, we, and every one of us under subscribing, upon our honours and
+fidelity, oblige ourselves, and promise, not only to further, advance, and
+set forward the marriage to be solemnized and completed betwixt her
+Highness and the said noble Lord, with our votes, counsel, fortification
+and assistance, in word and deed, at such time as it shall please her
+Majesty to think it convenient, and as soon as the laws shall permit it to
+be done; but, in case any should presume, directly or indirectly, openly,
+or under whatsoever colour or pretence, to hinder, hold back, or disturb
+the same marriage, we shall, in that behalf, hold and repute the
+hinderers, adversaries, or disturbers thereof, as our common enemies and
+evil-willers; and notwithstanding the same, take part with, and fortify
+the said Earl to the said marriage, so far as it may please our said
+Sovereign Lady to allow; and therein shall spend and bestow our lives and
+goods against all that live or die, as we shall answer to God, and upon
+our own fidelities and conscience; and in case we do the contrary, never
+to have reputation or credit in no time hereafter, but to be accounted
+unworthy and faithless traitors."[76]
+
+This bond having been read and considered, all the nobles present, with
+the exception of the Earl of Eglinton, who went away unperceived, put
+their signatures to it. "Among the subscribers," says Robertson, "we find
+some who were the Queen's chief confidents, others who were strangers to
+her councils, and obnoxious to her displeasure; some who faithfully
+adhered to her through all the vicissitudes of her fortune, and others who
+became the principal authors of her sufferings; some passionately attached
+to the Romish superstition, and others zealous advocates for the
+Protestant faith. No common interest can be supposed to have united men of
+such opposite interests and parties, in recommending to their Sovereign a
+step so injurious to her honour, and so fatal to her peace. This strange
+coalition was the effect of much artifice, and must be considered as the
+boldest and most masterly stroke of Bothwell's address." It is, indeed,
+impossible to conceive that such a bond was so numerously subscribed on
+the mere impulse of the moment. Before obtaining so solemn a promise of
+support from so many, he must have had recourse to numerous machinations,
+and have brought into action a thousand interests. He must, in the first
+place, have influenced Morton, his brother-in-law Huntly, Argyle, and
+others; and having secured these, he would use them as agents to bring
+over as many more. The rest, finding that so formidable a majority
+approved of the bond, would not have the courage to stand out, for they
+would fear the consequences if Bothwell ever became king. Among the names
+attached to this bond are those of the Archbishop of St Andrews, the
+Bishops of Aberdeen, Dumblane, Brechin, and Ross, the Earls of Huntly,
+Argyle, Morton, Cassils, Sutherland, Errol, Crawfurd, Caithness, and
+Rothes, and the Lords Boyd, Glamis, Ruthven, Semple, Herries, Ogilvie, and
+Fleming.[77] Here was an overwhelming and irresistible force, enlisted by
+Bothwell in his support. The sincerity of many of the subscribers he
+probably had good reason to doubt; but what he wanted was to be able to
+present himself before Mary armed with an argument which she would find it
+difficult to evade, and if she yielded to it, his object would be gained.
+He was afraid, however, to lay the bond openly and fairly before her; he
+dreaded that her aversion to a matrimonial connexion with him might weigh
+more powerfully than even the almost unanimous recommendation of her
+nobility. But having already gone so far, he was resolved that a woman's
+will should not be any serious obstacle to his wishes.
+
+The whole affair of the supper was, for a short time, kept concealed from
+Mary; and though Bothwell's intentions and wishes began to be pretty
+generally talked of throughout the country, she was the very last to hear
+of them. When the Lord Herries ventured on one occasion to come upon the
+subject with the Queen, and mentioned the report as one which had gained
+considerable credit, "her Majesty marvelled," says Melville, "to hear of
+such rumours without meaning, and said _that there was no such thing in
+her mind_." Only a day or two after the bond was signed, she left
+Edinburgh to visit the prince her son, who was then in the keeping of the
+Earl of Mar at Stirling. Before she went, Bothwell ventured to express his
+hopes to her, but she gave him an answer little agreeable to his ambition.
+"The bond being once obtained," Mary afterwards wrote to France, "Bothwell
+began afar off to discover his intention, and to essay if he might by
+humble suit purchase our good will."--"But finding an answer nothing
+correspondent to his desire, and casting from before his eyes all doubts
+that men use commonly to revolve with themselves in similar
+enterprises,--the backwardness of our own mind--the persuasions which our
+friends or his enemies might cast out for his hindrance--the change of
+their minds whose consent he had already obtained, with many other
+incidents which might occur to frustrate him of his expectation,--he
+resolved with himself to follow forth his good fortune, and, all respect
+laid apart, either to tine all in one hour, or to bring to pass that thing
+he had taken in hand."[78] This is a clear and strong statement,
+describing exactly the feelings both of Bothwell and Mary at this period.
+
+The Earl did not long dally on the brink of his fate. Ascertaining that
+Mary was to return from Stirling on the 24th, he left Edinburgh with a
+force of nearly 1000 men well mounted, under the pretence of proceeding
+to quell some riots on the Borders. But he had only gone a few miles
+southward, when he turned suddenly to the west, and riding with all speed
+to Linlithgow, waited for Mary at a bridge over the Almond about a mile
+from that town. The Queen soon made her appearance with a small train,
+which was easily overpowered, and which indeed did not venture to offer
+any resistance. The Earl of Huntly, Secretary Maitland, and Sir James
+Melville, were the only persons of rank who were with the Queen; and they
+were carried captive along with her; but the rest of her attendants were
+dismissed. Bothwell himself seized the bridle of Mary's horse, and turning
+off the road to Edinburgh, conducted her with all speed to his Castle at
+Dunbar.[79]
+
+The leading features of this forcible abduction, or _ravishment_, as it is
+commonly called by the Scottish historians, have been greatly
+misrepresented by Robertson and Laing. Both of these writers mention, as a
+matter of surprise, that Mary yielded without struggle or regret, to the
+insult thus offered her. That she yielded without struggle,--that is to
+say, without any attempt at physical resistance, is exceedingly probable;
+for when was a party of a dozen persons, riding without suspicion of
+danger, able to offer resistance to a thousand armed troopers? There is
+little wonder that they were surrounded and carried off, "without
+opposition," as Laing expresses it; for by a thousand soldiers, a dozen
+Sir William Wallaces would have been made prisoners "without opposition."
+But the very number which Bothwell brought with him, and which even Mary's
+worst enemies allow was not less than six hundred, proves that there was
+no collusion between him and the Queen. Had it been only a pretended
+violence, to afford a decent excuse for Mary's subsequent conduct, fifty
+horsemen would have done as well as a thousand; but Bothwell knew the
+Queen's spirit, and the danger of the attempt, and came prepared
+accordingly. But it is urged, that, if displeased, she must have expressed
+her resentment to those who were near her. And there is certainly no
+reason to suppose that she was silent, though neither Huntly nor
+Lethington would be much influenced by her complaints, for they had both
+secretly attached themselves to Bothwell. Sir James Melville, who was more
+faithful to the Queen, was dismissed from Dunbar the day after her
+capture, lest she should have employed him to solicit aid for her relief,
+as she had formerly done on the occasion of the murder of Rizzio.[80] Mary
+herself, in the letter already quoted, sets the matter beyond dispute, for
+she there gives a long and interesting detail, both of her own
+indignation, and of the arts used by Bothwell to appease it.[81] Nothing,
+indeed, can be more contrary to reason, than to suppose this abduction a
+mere device, mutually arranged to deceive the country. If Mary had really
+loved Bothwell and was anxious to marry him, it would have been the very
+last thing she would have wished to be believed, whether she thought him
+guilty of Darnley's murder or not, that she gave him her hand, after he
+had been publicly acquitted, and all her principal nobility had declared
+in his favour, only in consequence of a treasonable act, committed by him
+against her person. If she hoped to live in peace and happiness with him,
+why should she have allowed it to be supposed, that she acted from
+necessity, rather than from choice, or that she yielded to a seducer, what
+she would not give to a faithful subject? This pre-arranged ravishment,
+would evidently defeat its own purpose, and would serve as a pretence
+suggested by Mary herself, for every malcontent in Scotland to take up
+arms against her and Bothwell. It was a contrivance directly opposed to
+all sound policy, and certainly very unlike the open and straight-forward
+manner in which she usually went about the accomplishment of a favourite
+purpose. "But one object of the seizure," says Laing, "was the vindication
+of her precipitate marriage." Where was the necessity for a precipitate
+marriage at all? Was Mary so eager to become the wife of Bothwell, with
+whom, according to the veracious Buchanan, she had long been indulging an
+illicit intercourse, that she could not wait the time required by common
+decency to wear her widow's garb for Darnley? Was he barbarously murdered
+by her consent on the 9th of February, on the express condition that she
+was to have Bothwell in her arms as her husband on the 15th of May? Was
+she, indeed, so entirely lost to every sense of female delicacy and
+public shame,--so utterly dead to her own interests and reputation,--or so
+very scrupulous about continuing a little longer her unlicensed amours,
+that, rather than suffer the delay of a few months, she would thus run the
+risk of involving herself in eternal infamy? Even supposing that she was
+perfectly assured the artifice would remain undiscovered,--was her
+conscience so hardened, her feelings so abandoned, and her reason so
+perverted, as to enable her to anticipate gratification from a marriage
+thus hastily concluded, with so little queenly dignity, or female modesty,
+and with a man who was not yet divorced from his own wife? There is but
+one answer which can be given to these questions, and that answer comes
+instinctively to the lips, from every generous heart, and well-regulated
+mind.
+
+For ten days Bothwell kept Mary in Dunbar "sequestrated," in her own
+words, "from the company of all her servants, and others of whom she might
+have asked counsel, and seeing those upon whose counsel and fidelity she
+had before depended, already yielded to his appetite, and _so left alone,
+as it were, a prey to him_."[82] Closely shut up as she was, she long
+hoped that some of her more loyal nobles would exert themselves to procure
+her deliverance. But not one of them stirred in her behalf, for Bothwell
+was at this time dreaded or courted by all of them, and finding the person
+of the Queen thus left at his disposal, he did not hesitate to declare to
+her, that he would make her his wife, "who would, or who would not,--yea,
+whether she would herself or not."[83] Mary, in reply, charged him with
+the foulest ingratitude; and his conduct, she told him, grieved her the
+more, because he was one "of whom she doubted less than of any subject she
+had."[84] But he was not now to be driven from his purpose. He spent his
+whole time with Mary; and his whole conversation was directed to the one
+great object he had in view. He called to his aid every variety of
+passion; sometimes flinging himself at her feet, and imploring her to
+pardon a deed which the violence of his love had made imperative; and, at
+other times, giving vent to a storm of rage, and threatening dishonour,
+imprisonment, and death, if she hesitated longer to comply with his
+demands. Mary herself is the best chronicler of these distracting scenes,
+although it must be observed, that she did not write of them till Bothwell
+had achieved his purpose; and consequently, making a virtue of necessity,
+she was anxious to place them in as favourable a point of view as
+possible. "Being at Dunbar," she says, "we reproached him the honour he
+had to be so esteemed of us, the favour we had always shewn him, his
+ingratitude, with all other remonstrances which might serve to rid us out
+of his hands. Albeit we found his doing rude, yet were his answer and
+words but gentle, that he would honour and serve us, and would noways
+offend us, asking pardon of the boldness he had taken to convoy us to one
+of our own houses, whereunto he was driven by force, as well as
+constrained by love, the vehemency whereof had made him to set apart the
+reverence, which naturally, as our subject, he bore to us, as also for
+safety of his own life. And then began to make us a discourse of his whole
+life, how unfortunate he had been to find men his unfriends whom he had
+never offended; how their malice never ceased to assault him on all
+occasions, albeit unjustly; what calumnies they had spread of him,
+touching the odious violence perpetrated in the person of the King our
+late husband; how unable he was to save himself from the conspiracies of
+his enemies, whom he could not know by reason that every man professed
+himself outwardly to be his friend; and yet he found such hidden malice
+that he could not find himself in surety, unless he were insured of our
+favour to endure without alteration; and on no other assurance of our
+favour could he rely, unless it would please us to do him that honour to
+take him to husband, protesting always that he would seek no other
+sovereignty but as formerly, to serve and obey us all the days of our
+life; joining thereunto all the honest language that could be used in such
+a case."[85] But these arguments were of no avail, and he was obliged to
+go a step farther. "When he saw us like to reject all his suit and
+offers," says Mary, "in the end he shewed us how far he had proceeded with
+our whole nobility and principals of our estates, and what they had
+promised him under their handwriting. If we had cause then to be
+astonished, we leave to the judgment of the King and Queen, (of France),
+our uncle, and our other friends." "Many things we resolved with ourself,
+but never could find an outgait (deliverance); and yet he gave us little
+space to meditate with ourself, ever pressing us with continual and
+importunate suit." "As by a bravade in the beginning, he had won the first
+point, so ceased he never till, by persuasions and importunate suit,
+_accompanied not the less with force_, he has finally driven us to end the
+work begun, at such time, and in such form, as he thought might best serve
+his turn; wherein we cannot dissemble that he has used us otherwise than
+we would have wished, or yet have deserved at his hand; having more
+respect to content them, by whose consent granted to him beforehand, he
+thinks he has obtained his purpose, than regarding our contentation, or
+weighing what was convenient for us."[86]
+
+Bothwell had kept Mary at Dunbar for nearly a week, when, in order to
+make it be believed that her residence there was voluntary, he ventured to
+call together a few of the Lords of the Privy Council on whom he could
+depend, and on the 29th of April there was one unimportant act of Council
+passed, concerning provisions for the Royal Household. From the influence
+he at that time possessed over the Scottish nobles, Bothwell might have
+held a Privy Council every day at Dunbar, and whether he allowed the
+Queen, _pro forma_, to be present or not, nobody would have objected to
+any thing he proposed.[87] In the meantime, mutual actions of divorce were
+raised by Bothwell and his wife, the Lady Jane Gordon, and being hurried
+through the courts, only a few days elapsed before they were obtained.[88]
+This is another circumstance which tends to prove, that Bothwell's seizure
+of Mary was not collusive; for had it been so, she would certainly never
+have allowed it to take place till these actions had been decided.
+
+The die was now cast; Mary was in Bothwell's fangs, and her ruin was
+completed. On the 3d of May 1567, he thought it expedient to conduct her,
+closely guarded, from Dunbar to the Castle of Edinburgh. When they came
+near the town, he desired his followers to conceal their arms, lest it
+should be supposed that he was still keeping the Queen an unwilling
+prisoner. But the truth broke out in spite of his precautions; for at the
+foot of the Canongate, Mary was about to turn her horse towards Holyrood,
+upon which Bothwell himself seized the bridle, and conducted her up the
+High Street to the Castle, which was then in the keeping of Sir James
+Balfour, who was entirely subservient to Bothwell.[89] He was now resolved
+that his marriage should be consummated with as little delay as possible,
+having wrung a consent to it from the unfortunate Queen, by means of
+which, it is impossible to think without shuddering. In the state to which
+she was reduced, she had no alternative; she chose the least of two evils,
+in becoming, with an aching heart, the wife of her ravisher. Yet it would
+appear, that she did not herself take a single step to advance the matter.
+Three days after she arrived at the Castle, a person of the name of Thomas
+Hepburn, (probably a relation of the Hepburn who was engaged with Bothwell
+in Darnley's murder), was sent to Craig, Knox's colleague in the church of
+St Giles, to desire that he would proclaim the banns of matrimony betwixt
+the Queen and Bothwell. But the clergyman refused, because Hepburn brought
+no authority from the Queen.[90] Neither Mary nor Bothwell were so
+ignorant as to suppose that any minister would publish banns without
+receiving a written or personal order; and Hepburn would hardly have been
+sent on so idle an errand, had not the Queen been still reluctant to
+surrender herself to one whose person and manners she had never liked, and
+who was now so odious to her. But not a voice was raised,--not a sword was
+drawn to protect her,--and what resource was left? In a day or two, the
+Lord Justice Clerk conveyed a written mandate to Craig; but the preacher,
+had still some scruples: not thinking such a marriage agreeable to the
+laws either of God or man, he insisted upon seeing the Queen and Bothwell,
+before he gave intimation of it. He was admitted to a meeting of the Privy
+Council, where Bothwell presided, but at which Mary does not seem to have
+been present. "In the Council," says Craig, "I laid to his charge the law
+of adultery, the ordinance of the kirk, the law of ravishing, the
+suspicion of collusion betwixt him and his wife, the sudden divorcement
+and proclaiming within the space of four days, and lastly, the suspicion
+of the King's death, which his marriage would confirm; but he answered
+nothing to my satisfaction."--"Therefore, upon Sunday, after I had
+declared what they had done, and how they would proceed, whether we would
+or not, I took heaven and earth to witness, that I abhorred and detested
+that marriage, because it was odious and scandalous to the world; and
+_seeing the best part of the realm did approve it, either by flattery or
+by their silence_, I desired the faithful to pray earnestly, that God
+would turn it to the comfort of this realm."[91]
+
+It was not till after the banns had been twice proclaimed, that Bothwell
+allowed the Queen, on the 12th of May, to come forth from the Castle for
+the first time. He conducted her himself to the Court of Session, where he
+persuaded her to affix her signature to two deeds of great importance to
+him. The bond he had obtained from the nobles, recommending him as a
+husband to the Queen, has been already fully described; but when the Lords
+put their names to it, they were not aware that Bothwell would, in
+consequence, conceive himself entitled to have recourse to violence; and
+they now became alarmed lest the Queen should imagine that they were
+themselves implicated in an act which many of them, though they did not
+yet venture to express their sentiments, viewed with disgust. By way of
+precaution, therefore, they required Bothwell to obtain, from her Majesty,
+a written promise, that she would not at any time hereafter impute to them
+as a crime the consent they had given to the bond. Here is another
+argument against the idea of collusion between Mary and Bothwell; for in
+that case, so far from having any thing to fear, Bothwell's friends would
+have known that nothing could have recommended them more to Mary, than the
+countenance they gave his marriage; and if, for the sake of appearances,
+she wished it to be believed that she was forced into it, she would
+certainly have carefully avoided recording her approval of the previous
+encouragement given to Bothwell by her nobility. Mary's calumniators are
+thus placed between the horns of a dilemma. If she did not consent to the
+abduction, then the marriage was not one of her choice; if she did, then
+why defeat the only object she had in view, which was to deceive her
+subjects, by publicly declaring that the Lords who signed the bond had
+done nothing to displease her? and why, moreover, should such a
+declaration have been thought necessary, either by Bothwell or his
+friends? The deed which Mary signed in the Court of Session, and which,
+taking this view of it, is worthy of every attention, was subjoined to a
+copy of the bond, and expressed in these words: "The Queen's Majesty
+having seen and considered the bond above written, promises, on the word
+of a Princess, that she, nor her successors, shall never impute as crime
+or offence, to any of the persons subscribers thereof, their consent and
+subscription to the matter above written therein contained; nor that they
+nor their heirs shall never be called nor accused therefor; nor yet shall
+the said consent or subscribing be any derogation or spot to their honour,
+or they esteemed undutiful subjects for doing thereof, notwithstanding
+whatever thing can tend or be alleged in the contrary. In witness whereof,
+her Majesty has subscribed the same with her own hand."[92]
+
+On the same day, Mary granted a formal pardon to Bothwell, before all the
+Lords of Session and others, for his late conduct, in taking her to, and
+holding her in Dunbar, "contrary to her Majesty's will and mind," which is
+also very much against the supposition of collusion. It states,--"That
+albeit her Highness was commoved for the present time of her taking at the
+said Earl Bothwell; yet for his good behaviour, and thankful service in
+time past, and for more thankful service in time coming, her Highness
+stands content with the said Earl, and has forgiven and forgives him, and
+all others his accomplices, being with him in company at the time, all
+hatred conceived by her Majesty, for the taking and imprisoning of her, at
+the time foresaid."[93]
+
+All these preparations having been made, Mary at length became the wife of
+Bothwell, after he had been previously created Duke of Orkney. Even in the
+celebration of the marriage ceremony, the despotic power which Bothwell
+now exercised over the unhappy and passive Queen, is but too evident. She,
+who had never before failed in a single instance, to observe the rites of
+her own faith, however tolerant she was to those who professed a different
+persuasion, was now obliged, in opposition to all the prejudices of
+education, and all the principles of her religion, to submit to be married
+according to the form of the Protestant church. Adam Bothwell, Bishop of
+Orkney, who, though holding an Episcopal order, had lately renounced that
+heresy, and joined the Reformers, presided on the occasion. The marriage
+took place, not at mass in the Queen's chapel, but in the Council Chamber,
+where, after a sermon had been delivered, the company separated, with
+little demonstrations of mirth.[94] Melville, who came to Court the same
+evening, mentions some particulars, which show how the dissolute Bothwell
+chose to spend his time:--"When I came to the Court," he says, "I found my
+Lord Duke of Orkney, sitting at his supper. He said I had been a great
+stranger, desiring me to sit down and sup with him. The Earl of Huntly,
+the Justice-Clerk, and diverse others, were sitting at the table with him.
+I said that I had already supped. Then he called for a cup of wine, and
+drank to me, that I might pledge him like a Dutchman. He made me drink it
+out to grow fatter, 'for,' said he, 'the zeal of the commonweal has eaten
+ye up, and made ye lean.' I answered, that every little member should
+serve to some use; but that the care of the commonweal appertained most to
+him, and the rest of the nobility, who should be as fathers to it. Then he
+said, I well knew he would find a pin for every bore. Then he discoursed
+of gentlewomen, speaking such filthy language, that I left him, and passed
+up to the Queen, who was very glad at my coming."[95]
+
+Such was the man who was now inseparably joined to Mary, and who, by fraud
+and villany, had made himself, for the time, so absolute in Scotland, that
+her possession of the throne of her ancestors, nay, her very life, seems
+to have depended upon his will and pleasure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE REBELLION OF THE NOBLES, THE MEETING AT CARBERRY HILL, AND ITS
+CONSEQUENCES.
+
+
+Mary's first step, after her marriage, was to send, at her husband's
+desire, ambassadors into England and France, to explain to these Courts
+the motives by which she had been actuated. The instructions given to
+these ambassadors, as Buchanan has justly remarked, and after him the
+French historians De Thou and Le Clerc, were drawn up with much art. They
+came, no doubt, from the pen of Bothwell's friend, Secretary Maitland; and
+they recapitulate so forcibly all the Earl's services, both to Mary and
+her mother, enlarge so successfully upon his influence in Scotland, his
+favour with the nobility, and their anxiety that he should become King;
+and finally, colour so dexterously his recent conduct, that after their
+perusal, one is almost induced to believe that the Queen could not have
+chosen a better husband in all Christendom. Of course, Mary would herself
+see them before they were despatched, as they are written in her name; and
+the consent she must have given to the attempt made in them to screen her
+husband from blame, confirms the belief that she did not plan, along with
+him, the scheme of the abduction; for she would, in that case, have
+represented, in a much stronger light, the consequences necessarily
+arising from it. If she had consented to such a scheme, it must have been
+with the view of making it be believed that her marriage with a suspected
+murderer (suspected at least by many, though probably not by Mary
+herself), was a matter of necessity; and she could never have been so
+inconsistent as labour to convince her foreign friends, that though
+violence had been used in the first instance, she had ultimately seen the
+propriety of voluntarily becoming Bothwell's wife. But it was her sincere
+and laudable desire, now that she was married, to shelter her husband as
+much as possible; and, conscious of her own innocence, she did not
+anticipate that the measures she took in his behalf might be turned
+against herself. It must indeed be distinctly remembered, in tracing the
+lamentable events which followed this marriage, that though force and
+fraud were not perhaps employed on the very day of its consummation, yet
+that they had previously done their utmost, and that it was not the Queen
+who surrendered herself to Bothwell, but Bothwell who forced himself upon
+the Queen.
+
+Though Mary attempted to conceal her misery from the prying eye of the
+world, they who had an opportunity of being near her person easily saw
+that her peace of mind was wrecked. So little love existed either on the
+one side or the other, that even the days usually set aside for nuptial
+rejoicings, were marked only by suspicions and wranglings. They remained
+together at Holyrood from the 15th of May to the 7th of June; but during
+the whole of that time, Bothwell was so alarmed, lest she should yet break
+from him, and assert her independence, that he kept her "environed with a
+continual guard of two hundred harquebuziers, as well day as night,
+wherever she went;"--and whoever wished an audience with her, "it behoved
+him, before he could come to her presence, to go through the ranks of
+harquebuziers, under the mercy of a notorious tyrant,--a new example,
+wherewith this nation had never been acquainted; and yet few or none were
+admitted to her speech, for his suspicious heart, brought in fear by the
+testimony of an evil conscience, would not suffer her subjects to have
+access to her Majesty as they were wont to do."[96] The letter from which
+these passages are quoted, deserves, at this period of Mary's history,
+every attention, for it was written, scarcely two months after her
+marriage, by the Lords who had associated themselves against Bothwell, but
+who had not yet discovered the necessity of implicating Mary in the guilt
+with which they charged him. The declarations therefore, they then made,
+contrasted with those which ambition and selfishness afterwards prompted,
+prove their sincerity in the first instance, and their wickedness in the
+last. "They firmly believe," they say, "that whether they had risen up
+against her husband or not, _the Queen would not have lived with him half
+a year to an end_, as may be conjectured by the short time they lived
+together, and _the maintaining of his other wife at home at his house_."
+This last fact is no less singular than it is important. It seems
+distinctly to imply, that though Bothwell was divorced from his first
+wife, and that though her brother, the Earl of Huntly, had given his
+consent to the divorce, yet that in reality, the dissolution of the
+marriage was, on the part of Bothwell, merely _pro forma_, to enable him
+to prosecute his scheme of ambition, that his attachment to the Lady Jane
+Gordon continued unabated, and that if Mary had ever loved him, she must
+have loved him, knowing that he did not return her affection. No wonder
+that under such an accumulation of miseries--the suspicion with which she
+was regarded by foreign courts,--the ready hatred of many of her more
+bigoted Presbyterian subjects,--the dependence, almost amounting to a
+state of bondage, in which she was kept,--and the brutal treatment she
+experienced from her worthless husband,--no wonder that Mary was heard, in
+moments almost of distraction, to express an intention of committing
+suicide.[97] Her heart was broken,--her prospects were blighted,--her
+honour, which was dearer to her than life, was doubted. She was a Queen
+without the command of her subjects,--a wife without the love of her
+husband. The humblest peasant in Scotland was more to be envied than the
+last daughter of the royal line.
+
+But Bothwell was not permitted to triumph long in the success of his
+villany. Many, even of his own friends, now began to think that he had
+carried through his measures with too high a hand. They were willing that
+he should have won Mary by fair means, but not by foul; and when they saw
+that he had not only imperatively thrust himself upon her as a husband,
+but was taking rapid strides towards making himself absolute in Scotland,
+they trembled for the freedom of the Constitution, and the safety of the
+Commonweal. With an imprudence equal to his audacity, Bothwell was at no
+pains either to disguise his wishes, or to conciliate the good will of
+those whose assistance might have been valuable. With the restless
+uneasiness of one conscious of guilt, and dreading its probable
+consequences, he scrupled not to avow his anxiety to get into his
+possession the person of the young Prince, and had even "made a vaunt
+already among his familiars, that if he could get him once into his own
+hands, he should warrant him from revenging his father's death."[98] But
+the Prince was lodged in the Castle of Stirling, in the custody of the
+Earl of Mar, a nobleman of approved fidelity and honour, who positively
+refused to deliver him up. It was not easy, however, to divert Bothwell
+from his object; and though the Queen did not countenance it, being, on
+the contrary, rather desirous that her son should remain with Mar, yet he
+ceased not to cajole and threaten, by turns, until all Scotland was roused
+into suspicion and anger.[99] A number of the nobility met at Stirling,
+and entered into an association to defend the person of the Prince; and
+they soon saw, or thought they saw, the necessity of taking active
+measures to that effect. On the 28th of May, proclamations were issued at
+Edinburgh, intimating the intention of the Queen and Bothwell to proceed,
+with a strong force, to the Borders, to suppress some disturbances there,
+and requiring all loyal subjects to assemble in arms at Melrose. It was
+immediately rumoured that this expedition was only a pretence, and that
+Bothwell's real design was to march to Stirling, there to make himself
+master of the Castle and its inhabitants. In a second proclamation, made
+for the purpose, this suspicion was characterized as most unfounded; but
+whether just or not, it had taken a strong hold of the public mind, and
+was not easily removed. The Prince's Lords, as they were called, the chief
+of whom were Argyle, Athol, Morton, Mar, and Glencairn, busied themselves
+in collecting their followers, as if in compliance with the requisition to
+assemble at Melrose. On the 6th or 7th of June 1567, Bothwell took the
+Queen with him from the Palace of Holyrood to the Castle of Borthwick,
+situated about eight miles to the south of Edinburgh, having discovered,
+only a day or two before, that Edinburgh was no longer a safe residence
+for him. Sir James Balfour, the Governor of the Castle, seeing so strong a
+party start up against his former patron, had allowed himself to be
+tampered with, and Bothwell now suspected that he held the Castle not for
+him, but for the Lords at Stirling. He feared, that Balfour might be
+persuaded by them to sally down to Holyrood with a party of troops, and
+carry him off a prisoner to the Castle, and therefore thought it wise to
+withdraw to a safer distance.
+
+It was not long before the nobility at Stirling heard of Bothwell's
+retreat to Borthwick, and they resolved to take advantage of it. They
+advanced unexpectedly from Stirling, and, marching past Edinburgh,
+suddenly invested the Castle of Borthwick. It was with great difficulty
+that Bothwell and the Queen escaped to Dunbar, and the Lords then fell
+back upon Edinburgh. Huntly commanded there for Bothwell; but though, at
+his request, the magistrates shut the gates of the city, the opposite
+party found little difficulty in forcibly effecting an entrance. Huntly,
+and the rest of Bothwell's friends, still trusting to Sir James Balfour's
+fidelity, retreated into the Castle. The opposite faction, with Morton at
+its head, immediately issued proclamations, in which they demanded the
+assistance of all loyal subjects, on the grounds, "that the Queen's
+Majesty, being detained in captivity, was neither able to govern her
+realm, nor try the murder of her husband, and that they had assembled to
+deliver her and preserve the Prince."[100] These proclamations prove, that
+no feelings of hostility were as yet entertained or expressed against
+Mary. One of them, issued at Edinburgh on the 12th of June, commences
+thus:--"The Lords of Secret Council and Nobility, understanding that
+James, Earl of Bothwell, put violent hands on our Sovereign Lady's most
+noble person upon the 24th day of April last, and thereafter warded
+(imprisoned) her Highness in the Castle of Dunbar, which he had in
+keeping, and, before a long space thereafter, conveyed her Majesty,
+environed with men of war, and such friends and kinsmen of his as would do
+for him, ever into such places where he had most dominion and power, her
+Grace being destitute of all counsel and servants, during which time the
+said Earl seduced, by unlawful ways, our said Sovereign to a dishonest
+marriage with himself, which, from the beginning, is null and of no
+effect." And the proclamation concludes with announcing their
+determination, "to deliver the Queen's Majesty's most noble person forth
+of captivity and prison," and to bring Bothwell and his accomplices to
+trial, both for the murder of Darnley, and for "the ravishing and
+detaining of the Queen's Majesty's person," as well as to prevent the
+enterprise intended against the Prince.[101] Can any thing establish an
+historical fact more explicitly than such evidence?
+
+Bothwell was, in the meantime, busily collecting his friends at Dunbar. In
+a few days, upwards of 2000 men had resorted to him, more because the
+Queen was with him, than from any love they bore himself; and, as he was
+unwilling that the hostile Lords should be allowed time to collect their
+strength, he marched, with this force, from Dunbar on the 14th of June.
+When the news of his approach reached Edinburgh, the Lords immediately
+advanced to meet him, though with a somewhat inferior strength. The two
+armies did not come in sight of each other till the morning of the 15th,
+when Bothwell's troops were discovered upon Carberry Hill, a rising ground
+of some extent between Musselburgh and Dalkeith. The Lords, who had spent
+the night at Musselburgh, made a circuit towards Dalkeith, that they also
+might get on the high ground, and took up a position to the west of
+Bothwell. It was here discovered that neither party was very anxious to
+commence an engagement; and the French ambassador, Le Croc, spent several
+hours in riding between both armies, and endeavouring to bring them to
+terms of mutual accommodation, being authorized on the part of the Queen,
+to promise that the present insurrection would be willingly forgiven, if
+the Lords would lay down their arms and disband their followers. But the
+Earl of Morton answered, "that they had taken up arms _not against the
+Queen_, but against the murderer of the King, whom, if she would deliver
+to be punished, or at least put from her company, she should find a
+continuation of dutiful obedience from them and all other good
+subjects."[102] Le Croc, despairing of effecting his purpose, unwillingly
+quitted the field, and returned to Edinburgh. But both parties were still
+desirous to temporize,--Bothwell, because he hourly expected
+reinforcements from Lord Herries and others,--and the Lords, because they
+also looked for an accession of strength, and because the day was hot, and
+the sun shining strong in their faces.[103] To draw out the time, Bothwell
+made a bravado of offering to end the quarrel, by engaging in single
+combat any Lord of equal rank who would encounter him. Kircaldy of Grange,
+one of the best soldiers of the day, and Murray of Tullibardin, both
+expressed their willingness to accept the challenge, but were rejected on
+the score of inferiority in rank. Lord Lindsay then offered himself, and
+him Bothwell had no right to refuse. It was expected, therefore, that the
+whole quarrel would be referred to them, the Queen herself, though at the
+head of an army superior to that of her opponents, having consented, that
+a husband to whom she had so short a while been married, and for whom the
+veracious Buchanan would have us believe she entertained so extravagant an
+affection, should thus unnecessarily risk his life. Twenty gentlemen on
+either side were to attend, and the ground was about to be marked out,
+when the Lords changed their minds, and declared they did not choose that
+Lord Lindsay should take upon himself the whole burden of a quarrel in
+which they all felt equally interested.[104]
+
+In these negotiations the day passed over. It was now between seven and
+eight in the evening, and a battle must have ensued, either that night or
+next morning, had not an unexpected step been taken by the Queen. Without
+betraying Bothwell, she formed a resolution to rid herself from the
+bondage in which he kept her. She sent to desire that Kircaldy of Grange
+should come to speak with her, and she intimated to him her willingness to
+part from Bothwell as was demanded, if Morton and the other Lords would
+undertake to conduct her safely into Edinburgh, and there return to their
+allegiance. This overture, on being reported by Grange, was at once
+accepted, provided Mary agreed to dismiss Bothwell on the field. It may be
+easily conceived that to Bothwell himself such an arrangement was not
+particularly agreeable, and could never have entered the imagination, much
+less have been the deliberate proposal, of a loving and obedient wife.
+Historians, we think, have not sufficiently insisted on the strong
+presumption in Mary's favour, afforded by her conduct at Carberry Hill. It
+is true, that there might have been an understanding between her and
+Bothwell, that as soon as she was re-instated in her power, she would
+recall him to a share of her throne and bed. But even supposing that,
+notwithstanding the alleged violence of her love, she had been willing to
+consent to a temporary separation, both she and Bothwell knew the spirit
+of the men they had to deal with too well, to trust to the chance of
+outwitting them, after yielding to their demands. Mary must have been
+aware, that if she parted with Bothwell at all, she in all probability
+parted with him for ever. Had she truly loved him, she would rather have
+braved all risks (as she did with Darnley when Murray rebelled) than have
+abandoned him just at the crisis of his fortune. But she had at no period
+felt more than the commonest friendship for Bothwell; and since she had
+been seized by him at the Bridge of Almond, she had absolutely hated him.
+Melville, accordingly, expresses himself regarding this transaction in
+these terms. "Albeit her Majesty was at Carberry Hill, I cannot name it to
+be her army; for many of them that were with her, were of opinion that she
+had intelligence with the Lords; chiefly such as understood of the Earl
+Bothwell's mishandling of her, and many indignities that he had both said
+and done unto her since their marriage. He was so beastly and suspicious,
+that he suffered her not to pass a day in patience, or without giving her
+cause to shed abundance of salt tears. Thus, part of his own company
+detested him; and the other part believed that her Majesty would fain
+have been quit of him, but thought shame to be the doer thereof directly
+herself."[105] Melville adds, that so determined was Bothwell not to leave
+the field if he could avoid it, that he ordered a soldier to shoot Grange
+when he overheard the arrangement which he and the Queen were making. It
+was "not without great difficulty," says another cotemporary writer, that
+Mary prevailed upon Bothwell to mount his horse, and ride away with a few
+followers back to Dunbar.[106] There is no wonder;--but that a wife of one
+month's standing, who is said for his sake to have murdered her former
+husband, should permit, nay beseech him, thus to sneak off a field he
+might have won, had she allowed him to fight, is indeed strange and
+unaccountable. When Bothwell left Carberry Hill, he turned his back upon a
+Queen and a throne;--he left hope behind, and must have seen only ruin
+before.
+
+As soon as her husband had departed, Mary desired Grange to lead her to
+the Lords. Morton and the rest came forward to meet her, and received her
+with all due respect. The Queen was on horseback, and Grange himself
+walked at her bridle. On riding up to the associated Nobles, she said to
+them,--"My Lords, I am come to you, not out of any fear I had of my life,
+nor yet doubting of the victory, if matters had gone to the worst; but I
+abhor the shedding of Christian blood, especially of those that are my own
+subjects; and therefore I yield to you, and will be ruled hereafter by
+your counsels, trusting you will respect me as your born Princess and
+Queen."[107] Alas! Mary had not calculated either on the perfidy of the
+men to whom she had surrendered herself, or on the vulgar virulence of
+their hired retainers, who, having been disappointed in their hopes of a
+battle, thought they might take their revenge, by insulting the person of
+a Roman Catholic Sovereign, now for the first time standing before them
+somewhat in the light of a suitor and a prisoner. They led her into
+Edinburgh between eight and nine in the evening; and the citizens, hearing
+of the turn which affairs had taken, came out in great crowds, and lined
+the way as they passed. The envy and hatred of the more bigoted part of
+the rabble did not fail to exhibit itself. Royalty in misfortune, like a
+statue taken from its pedestal, is often liable to the rudest handling,
+simply because it has fallen from a height which previously kept it at a
+distance from the multitude. There had long rancoured in the bosoms of the
+more zealous and less honest Presbyterians, an ill-concealed jealousy of
+Mary's superiority; and in the mob which now gathered round her, the
+turbulent and unprincipled led the way, as they commonly do in a mob, to
+insult and outrage. So far from being allowed to return to Edinburgh as a
+Queen, and to take possession of her wonted state, Mary was forced to ride
+as a captive in a triumphal show. The hatred which was borne towards
+Bothwell was transferred to her, and the Lords, at the head of whom was
+the crafty Morton, forgetting the proclamation they had made only two
+days before, announcing their intention to rescue the Queen from the
+bondage in which she was held, only took her from one tyrant to retain her
+in the hands of many. As the cavalcade proceeded, a banner was displayed
+in front, on which was represented the King lying dead at the foot of a
+tree, and the young Prince upon his knees near him, exclaiming--"Judge and
+revenge my cause, O Lord!" The people shouted with savage exultation, as
+this ensign was carried past, and turning their eyes on the Queen, who was
+dissolved in tears, they scrupled not, by the coarse malice of their
+expressions, to add to the agony of her feelings.
+
+When Mary arrived in Edinburgh, and found she was not to be taken to
+Holyrood House, (from which, indeed, the Lords had previously carried off
+much of her valuable furniture), she gave up all for lost, and in her
+despair called upon all who came near her to rescue her from the hands of
+traitors. But an excitement had just been given to the public mind, which
+it required some hours of sober reflection to allay. No one interfering in
+her behalf, she was taken to the Provost's house in the High Street, where
+she was lodged for the night. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the Lords
+were left to themselves to arrange their future plan of procedure.
+Kircaldy of Grange, was the only one among them who was disposed to act
+honourably. He reminded them that he had been commissioned to assure the
+Queen of their loyal services, provided she parted from Bothwell, and came
+over to them,--and as she had fulfilled her part of the agreement, he did
+not think it right that they should fail in theirs. Influenced by these
+representations, a division might thus have taken place among themselves,
+had not Morton fallen on an expedient to silence the scruples of Grange.
+He produced a letter, which he alleged Mary had just written to Bothwell,
+and which he had intercepted, in which she was made to declare, that she
+was resolved never to abandon him, although for a time she might be
+obliged to yield to circumstances. Kircaldy, possessing all the blunt
+sincerity of a soldier, and being little given to suspicion, was startled
+by this letter, and left Morton, in consequence, to take his own way. That
+the pretended epistle was in truth a mere hasty forgery, is proved to
+demonstration, by the fact that, important as such a document would have
+been, it was never afterwards alluded to by the Lords, nor produced in
+evidence along with the other papers they so laboriously collected to lay
+before Elizabeth's Commissioners. From this specimen of their honesty, we
+may guess what reliance is to be placed on the authenticity of writings,
+subsequently scraped together by men who, on the spur of the moment,
+executed a forgery so clumsily, that they were unable to avail themselves
+of it on any future occasion. But Morton's intriguing spirit was again
+busily at work; and having the Queen's person once more in his possession,
+and being apparently supported by the people, he was determined on taking
+a step which would secure him Elizabeth's lasting gratitude, and might
+ultimately raise him to the regency of Scotland. He, therefore, veered
+suddenly round; and though he had asserted, on the 12th of June, that Mary
+was kept in unwilling bondage by Bothwell, he saw it prudent to maintain
+on the 15th, that there was no man in Scotland to whom she was so
+passionately attached. In support of this assertion, the letter became a
+necessary fabrication; and Morton well knew that a political falsehood,
+though credited only for a day, may be made a useful engine in the hands
+of a skilful workman.
+
+It would appear, however, that a night's reflection operated a
+considerable change in the minds of the ever-fluctuating populace. In the
+course of the 16th, they collected before the Provost's house; and the
+Queen having come several times to the window, and represented to them
+strongly the iniquity of the constraint in which she was kept by her own
+nobles who had betrayed her, a general feeling began to manifest itself in
+her favour. Morton and his colleagues no sooner perceived this change,
+than they waited on the Queen, and, with the most consummate hypocrisy,
+protested that she had quite mistaken their intentions, and that, to
+convince her of their sincerity, they should immediately replace her in
+the palace of Holyrood. Mary listened to them, and was again deceived. In
+the evening, as if to fulfil their promise, they conducted her to
+Holyrood, Morton walking respectfully on one side of her horse, and Athol
+on the other. But when she reached the Palace, she was as strictly watched
+as ever; and about midnight, to her terror and surprise, they suddenly
+came to her, and forcing her to disguise herself in an ordinary
+riding-habit, mounted her on horseback, and rode off, without informing
+her whither she was going. She was escorted by the Lords Ruthven and
+Lindsay, and, after riding all night, arrived at the castle of Loch-Leven
+early in the morning. This castle was a place of considerable strength,
+standing on a small island in the centre of the lake, which is ten or
+twelve miles in circumference. It was possessed by Lady Douglas, the Lady
+of Loch-Leven, as she was commonly called, the widow of Sir Robert
+Douglas, and mother to the Earl of Murray, by James V. "It is needless to
+observe," says Keith, "how proper a place this was for the design of the
+rebels, the house being surrounded with water on all sides, for the space,
+at shortest, of half a mile; and the proprietors of it being so nearly
+related to some principal persons among them, in whom, therefore, they
+could the more securely confide. And indeed it has been said, that the
+Lady Loch-Leven answered the expectation of the Lords to the full, having
+basely insulted the captive Queen's misfortune, and bragged, besides, that
+she herself was King James V.'s lawful wife, and her son, the Earl of
+Murray, his legitimate issue, and true heir of the crown. The Lady
+Loch-Leven was not only mother to the Earl of Murray, but likewise to the
+Lord Lindsay's lady, by her husband Robert Douglas of Loch-Leven. The
+family of Loch-Leven was moreover heirs-apparent to that of Morton; and to
+that family they did actually succeed some time after. The Lord Ruthven
+also had to wife a natural daughter of the Earl of Angus;--all which
+considerations centering together in one, made the house of Loch-Leven,
+humanly speaking, a most sure and close prison for the Royal
+captive."[108]
+
+To give an air of something like justice to a measure so violent and
+unexpected, Morton and his friends endeavoured to sanction it by what they
+were pleased to term an Act of Privy Council. They experienced, however,
+no little difficulty in determining on the proper mode of expressing this
+act. They recollected the proclamations in the Queen's favour to which
+they had so recently put their names; they recollected also the solemn
+engagement into which they had entered at Carberry Hill; and though
+_might_ was with them of greater value than _right_, they did not choose,
+if they could avoid it, to stand convicted of treason in the face of the
+whole country. They tried, therefore, to excuse the step they had taken,
+by asserting, that though they still believed her Majesty had unwillingly
+married Bothwell, and had been kept in bondage by him, and that, though
+she had quitted his company for theirs at Carberry, yet that after they
+had "opened and declared unto her Highness her own estate and condition,
+and the miserable estate of this realm, with the danger that her dearest
+son the Prince stood in, requiring that she would suffer and command the
+murder and authors thereof to be punished, they found in her Majesty such
+untowardness and repugnance thereto, that rather she appeared to fortify
+and maintain the said Earl Bothwell and his accomplices in the said wicked
+crimes." The truth of this statement is directly contradicted by the
+transactions of the 15th of June, when Mary, though at the head of an
+army, had agreed to do every thing the Lords desired, and when, with a
+degree of facility only to be accounted for on the supposition that she
+was anxious to escape from his company, she had separated herself finally
+from Bothwell in the face of the whole world. So far from charging her
+with "fortifying" and "maintaining" him in his crimes, these Lords
+themselves declared, on the 11th, that they had assembled "to deliver
+their sovereign's most noble person out of bondage and captivity;" and, a
+month afterwards, they told the English ambassador they "firmly believed
+the Queen would not have lived with Bothwell half a year to an end."[109]
+
+In addition to this act of Privy Council, which was no doubt the
+production of Morton, and is signed by him and Athol, and six other
+noblemen of less note, a bond of association was drawn up the same day, in
+which an explanation was given at greater length, of the system on which
+the Lords were about to proceed. It is a remarkable feature of this bond,
+that, in so far as Mary is concerned, it very materially contradicts the
+act of Council. Instead of containing any accusation against her, it
+represents her throughout as having been the victim of force and fraud. It
+commences by stating the conviction of the subscribers, that Bothwell was
+the murderer of Darnley, and that, had he himself not taken means to
+prevent a fair trial, he would have been convicted of the crime. It goes
+on to assert, that, adding wickedness to wickedness, the Earl had
+treasonably, and without any reverence for his native Prince, carried her
+prisoner to his castle at Dunbar, and had afterwards pretended unlawfully
+to marry her; which being accomplished, his cruel and ambitious nature
+immediately showed itself, "no nobleman daring to resort to her Majesty
+to speak with her without suspicion, unless in his presence and hearing,
+and her chamber-doors being continually watched by armed men." It is
+therefore maintained that their interference was necessary, both on
+account of the "shameful thraldom" in which the Queen was kept, and the
+great danger of the young Prince, her only son. They had taken up arms,
+they say, against Bothwell, and to deliver their sovereign; and though
+they had already chased him from his unlawful authority, they considered
+themselves obliged to continue in arms till "the authors of the murder and
+ravishing were condignly punished, the pretended marriage dissolved, their
+sovereign relieved of the thraldom, bondage, and ignominy, which she had
+sustained, and still underlies by the said Earl's fault, the person of the
+innocent prince placed in safety, and, finally, justice restored and
+uprightly administered to all the subjects of the realm."[110]
+
+This, then, was all the length to which Morton and the other Lords, as yet
+ventured. They had sent Mary to Loch-Leven, merely to keep her at a safe
+distance from Bothwell; and as soon as they had seized his person, or
+driven him from the kingdom, it was of course implied that they would
+restore their sovereign to her throne. They did not hint, in the most
+distant manner, that she was in the least implicated in the guilt of her
+husband's death; and they expressly declared that, for every thing which
+had taken place since, Bothwell alone was to blame. Judging by their own
+words, they entertained as much respect for the Queen as ever; and the
+impression they gave to the country was, that they intended she should
+remain at Loch-Leven only for a short time, and that so far from meaning
+to punish one whom they accused of no crime, by forcing from her an
+abdication of her crown, and condemning her to perpetual imprisonment,
+they would soon be found rallying round her, and conducting her back to
+her capital in triumph. These may have been the hopes entertained by some;
+but they forgot that Morton, who was at the head of the new faction, had
+assassinated Rizzio, and countenanced the murder of Darnley;--and that
+Murray, though at present in France, had left the country only till new
+disturbances should afford new prospects for his inordinate ambition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+MARY AT LOCHLEVEN, HER ABDICATION, AND MURRAY'S REGENCY.
+
+
+Scotland was now in the most unfortunate condition in which a country
+could possibly be. Like a ship without a pilot, it was left at the mercy
+of a hundred contrary opinions; and it was not long before there sprung
+out of these two opposing currents or distinct parties, known by the name
+of the Queen's and the Prince's. Morton and his friends calling themselves
+the Prince's Lords, continued at Edinburgh; whilst the Queen's nobles
+assembled at Hamilton Palace in very considerable force, having among
+them, besides the Hamiltons, Huntly, (who had been allowed by Sir James
+Balfour to escape from the Castle of Edinburgh, in which he had taken
+shelter some time before), Argyle, (who, though he had at first joined
+with Morton and Mar at Stirling, when they announced their determination
+to keep the Prince out of Bothwell's hands, never intended taking up arms
+against the Queen), Rothes, Caithness, Crawfurd, Boyd, Herries,
+Livingston, Seaton, Ogilvie, and others.[111] Morton laboured to effect a
+coalition with these Lords; but though he employed the mediation of the
+General Assembly, they would not consent to any proposals he made them.
+Buchanan himself is forced to allow, that affairs took a very different
+turn from what was expected. "For popular envy being abated, partly by
+time, and partly by the consideration of the uncertainty of human affairs,
+commiseration succeeded; nay, some of the nobility did then no less bewail
+the Queen's calamity than they had before execrated her cruelty."[112] The
+truth is, that Mary's friends were at this time much more numerous than
+her enemies; but unfortunately they were not sufficiently unanimous in
+their councils, to be able to take any decisive steps in her behalf.
+
+Morton earnestly laboured to increase the popularity of his faction by
+every means in his power. To please the multitude, he apprehended several
+persons, whom he accused of being implicated in the murder of Darnley; and
+though he probably knew them to be innocent, they were all condemned and
+executed, with the exception of Sebastian, the Queen's servant, who was
+seized with the view of casting suspicion on Mary herself, but who
+contrived to escape.[113] Thus, they who blamed Mary for being too remiss
+in seeking out and punishing the murderers, were able to console
+themselves with the reflection, that, under the new order of things,
+persons were iniquitously executed for the sake of appearances, by those
+who had themselves been Bothwell's accomplices. Against Bothwell himself,
+Morton, for his own sake, proceeded with more caution. It was not till
+the 26th of June, that letters were addressed to the keeper of the Castle
+at Dunbar, ordering him to deliver up his charge, because he had received
+and protected Bothwell; and, on the same day, a proclamation was issued,
+offering the moderate reward of a thousand crowns to any one who should
+apprehend the Earl.[114] It is singular that these Lords, who were so
+fully convinced of his criminality, not only allowed him to depart
+unmolested from Carberry Hill, but took no steps, for ten days afterwards,
+towards securing his person.
+
+The precise period at which Bothwell left Dunbar, the efforts he made to
+regain his authority in Scotland, and in general, most of the particulars
+of his subsequent fate, are not accurately known. He entered, no doubt,
+into correspondence with the noblemen assembled at Hamilton; but probably
+received from them little encouragement, as it was the Queen's cause, not
+his, in which they were interested. He then retired to the North, where he
+possessed estates as Duke of Orkney, and some influence with his kinsman,
+the Bishop of Murray. As soon as his flight thither was known, Grange and
+Tullibardin were sent in pursuit of him, with several vessels which were
+fitted out on purpose. Hearing of their approach, Bothwell fled towards
+the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and, being closely followed, was there
+very nearly captured. His pursuers were at one time within gun-shot of his
+ship, and it must have been taken, had not the vessels of Grange and
+Tullibardin, in the very heat of the chase, both struck upon a sunken
+rock, which Bothwell, either because his pilot was better acquainted with
+the seas, or because his ship was lighter, avoided. They were, however,
+fortunate enough to seize some of his accomplices, who were brought to
+Edinburgh, and having been tried and condemned, made the confessions which
+have been already referred to, and by which the particulars of the murder
+became known. Bothwell himself proceeded to Denmark, imagining that the
+King of that country, Frederick II., who was distantly related to Mary,
+through her great-grandmother Margaret of Denmark, the spouse of James
+III., might be disposed to interest himself in his behalf. But finding
+that the circumstances under which he had left Scotland, would prevent him
+from appearing at the Danish Court with so much _eclat_ as he desired, he
+ventured on enriching his treasury, by making a seizure of one or two
+merchantmen, trading in the North Seas. These practices were discovered; a
+superior force was fitted out against him; and he was carried into a
+Danish port, not as an exiled prince, but as a captive pirate. He was
+there thrown into prison without ceremony; and though he lost no time in
+letting his name and rank be known to the government, it does not appear
+that the discovery operated greatly in his favour. He was retained in
+durance for many years, the King of Denmark neither choosing to surrender
+him to Elizabeth or his enemies in Scotland, nor thinking it right to
+offend them by restoring him to liberty, so long at least as Mary herself
+remained a prisoner. Broken down by misfortune, and perhaps assailed by
+remorse, Bothwell is believed to have been in a state of mental
+derangement for several years before his death. There can be no doubt
+that he died miserably; and he seems, even in this life, to have paid the
+penalty of his crimes, if any earthly penalty could atone for the misery
+he brought on the innocent victim of his lawless ambition and systematic
+villany. His character may be summed up in the words of our great poet:--
+
+  "Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy;
+  Thy schooldays frightful, desp'rate, wild, and furious;
+  Thy prime of manhood daring, bold, and venturous;
+  Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody."[115]
+
+In the meantime, foreign courts were not inattentive to the state of
+affairs in Scotland. An ambassador arrived from Mary's friends in France;
+but finding, to his astonishment, that she was imprisoned, and that some
+of the nobility had usurped the government, he refused to acknowledge
+their authority, and immediately left the country. Elizabeth's messenger,
+who came about the same time, was less scrupulous; and, indeed, few things
+could have given that Queen greater satisfaction, than the turn which
+Scottish affairs had recently taken. In the letters she sent by her
+ambassador Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, are discovered all that duplicity,
+affected sincerity, and real heartlessness, which so constantly
+distinguish the despatches of Cecil and his mistress. After taking it for
+granted, in direct opposition to the declarations of the rebel Lords
+themselves, that Mary had given her consent to the hasty marriage with
+Bothwell, and that she was consequently implicated in all his guilt,
+Elizabeth proceeds with no little contradiction, to assure her good sister
+that she considers her imprisonment entirely unjustifiable. But the
+insincerity of her desire, that the Queen of Scots should recover her
+liberty, is evinced by the very idle conditions she suggests should first
+be imposed upon her. These are, that the murderers of Darnley should be
+immediately prosecuted and punished, and that the young Prince should be
+preserved free from all danger;--just as if Mary could punish murderers
+before they were discovered or taken, unless, indeed, she chose to follow
+the example of her Lords, and condemn the innocent; and as if she had lost
+the natural affection of a mother, and would have delivered her only son
+to be butchered, as his father had been. In short, Morton and his
+colleagues had no difficulty in perceiving, that though Elizabeth thought
+it necessary, for the sake of appearances, to pretend to be displeased
+with them, yet that they had, in truth, never stood higher in her good
+graces. They well knew, as they had observed in the case of Murray, and
+experienced in their own, that Elizabeth seldom said what she meant, or
+meant what she said.
+
+But to put her conduct on the present occasion in a still clearer light,
+the reader will be somewhat surprised to learn, that Throckmorton brought
+with him into Scotland two distinct sets of "Instructions," both bearing
+the same date (June 30th 1567), the one of which was to be shown to Mary,
+and the other to the rebel Lords. In the former, she expresses the
+greatest indignation at the Queen's imprisonment, and threatens vengeance
+on all her enemies. In the latter, the Lords are spoken of in a much more
+confidential and friendly manner. They are told, that Elizabeth thought it
+requisite to send an ambassador; but that he came to solicit nothing that
+was not for the general weal of the realm; and that, if she were allowed
+to mediate between their Queen and them, "they should have no just cause
+to mislike her doings," because she would consent to nothing that was not
+"for their security hereafter, and for quietness to the realm." Nay, she
+even desired Throckmorton to assure them, that she "meant not to allow of
+such faults as she hears _by report_ are imputed to the Queen of Scots,
+but had given him strictly in charge to lay before, and to _reprove her_,
+in her name, for the same."--"And in the end also," she adds, "we mean not
+with any such partiality to deal for her, but that her princely state
+being preserved, she should conform herself to all reasonable devices that
+may bring a good accord betwixt her and her nobility and people." Thus she
+was to take upon herself to reprove Mary for faults which "_she heard by
+report were imputed to her_;" and to insist, though she herself was of
+opinion that she had been unlawfully imprisoned, that she should enter
+into negotiations with her rebel subjects, which would compromise her
+dignity, and even impugn her character.[116]
+
+When Throckmorton came into Scotland, in July 1567, although he was
+allowed no more access to the Queen than had been granted to the French
+ambassador, yet, as his instructions authorized him to treat with the
+Lords of Secret Council, he of course remained. From them he received an
+explanation of their late proceedings, containing some of the most glaring
+contradictions ever exhibited in a State paper. They do not throw out the
+most distant suspicion of the Queen being implicated in Bothwell's guilt;
+on the contrary, they continue to express their conviction that she became
+his wife very unwillingly, and only after force had been used; but they
+allege, as their reason for imprisoning her, the change which took place
+in her mind an hour or two after she parted with her husband at Carberry
+Hill. They state, that, immediately after, Bothwell, "caring little or
+nothing for her Majesty" left her to save himself, and that after she,
+caring as little for him, had parted company from him, and voluntarily
+come with them to Edinburgh, they all at once, and most unexpectedly,
+"found her passion so prevail in maintenance of him and his cause, that
+she would not with patience hear speak any thing to his reproof, or
+suffer his doings to be called in question; but, on the contrary, offered
+to give over the realm and all, so that she might be suffered to enjoy
+him, with many threatenings to be revenged on every man who had dealt in
+the matter."[117] This was surely a very sudden and inexplicable change of
+mind; for, in the very same letter, with an inconsistency which might
+almost have startled themselves, these veracious Lords declare, that "the
+Queen, their Sovereign, had been led captive, and, by fear, force, and
+other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to become
+bed-fellow to another wife's husband;" that even though they had not
+interfered, "she would not have lived with him half a year to an end;" and
+that at Carberry Hill, a separation voluntary on both sides took place.
+Was it, therefore, for a moment to be credited, that during the short
+interval of a few hours, which elapsed between this separation and Mary's
+imprisonment in Loch-Leven, she could either have so entirely altered her
+sentiments regarding Bothwell, or, if they had in truth never been
+unfavourable, so foolishly and unnecessarily betrayed them, as to convince
+her nobility, that to secure their own safety, and force her to live apart
+from him, no plan would be of any avail, but that of shutting her up in a
+strong and remote castle? And even if this expedient appeared advisable at
+the moment, did they think that, if Mary was now restored to liberty, she
+would set sail for Denmark, and join Bothwell in his prison there? No;
+they did not go so far; for, in conclusion, they assured Throckmorton,
+that, "knowing the great wisdom wherewith God hath endowed her," they
+anticipated that within a short time her mind would be settled, and that
+as soon as "by a just trial they had made the truth appear, she would
+conform herself to their doings."[118]
+
+"By the above answer," says Keith, "I make no doubt but my readers will be
+ready enough to prognosticate what shall be the upshot of Sir Nicholas
+Throckmorton's negotiations with the rebels in favour of our Queen." There
+can be no doubt that the same motives (whatever these might be) which led
+to Mary's imprisonment, would have equal force in keeping her there. The
+whole history of this conspiracy may be explained in a few words. When
+Morton and the other Lords took up arms at Stirling, they were, to a
+certain extent, sincere; they believed (especially those of them who had
+been his accomplices) that Bothwell was the murderer of Darnley, and that
+he was anxiously endeavouring to get the young Prince into his power. This
+they determined to prevent, and having won over Sir James Balfour, the
+governor of the Castle, they advanced to Edinburgh. Bothwell retired to
+Dunbar, taking the Queen along with him. But the Lords knew that Mary
+entertained no affection for her husband, and they therefore hoped to
+create a division between them. They accomplished this object at Carberry
+Hill, and reconducted the Queen to Edinburgh. There, though not sorry
+that she had parted from her husband, Mary did not express any high
+approbation of the conduct of Lords who, when she was first seized by
+Bothwell, did not draw a sword in her defence, and now that she had become
+his wife, according to their own express recommendation recorded in the
+bond they had given him, openly rebelled against the authority with which
+they had induced her to intrust him. Morton recollected at the same time
+his share in Rizzio's assassination, and the disastrous consequences which
+ensued, as soon as Mary made her escape from the thraldom in which he had
+then kept her for several days. He determined not to expose himself to a
+similar risk now, especially as he had an army at his command; if he
+disbanded it, he might be executed as a traitor,--if he remained at the
+head of it, he might become Regent of Scotland. These were the secret
+motives by which his conduct was regulated;--having taken one step he
+thought he might venture to go on with another; he commenced with
+defending the son, and ended by dethroning the mother.
+
+Four different plans were now in agitation, by adopting any of which it
+was thought the troubles of the kingdom might be brought to a conclusion.
+The first was suggested by the Queen's friends assembled at Hamilton;
+their proposal was, to restore the Queen to her liberty and throne, having
+previously bound her, by an express agreement, to pardon the rebel Lords,
+to watch over the safety of the Prince, to consent to a divorce from
+Bothwell, and to punish all persons implicated in the murder of Darnley.
+The other three schemes came from Morton and his party, and were worthy of
+the source from which they came. The _first_ was, to make the Queen
+resign all government and regal authority in favour of her son, under whom
+a Council of the nobility should govern the realm, whilst she herself
+should retire to France or England, and never again return to her own
+country. The _second_ was, to have the Queen tried, to condemn her, to
+keep her in prison for life, and to crown the Prince. The _third_ was, to
+have her tried, condemned, and executed,--a measure which would have
+disgraced Scotland in even its most barbarous times, and which nothing but
+the violence of party feeling could now have suggested.[119] The English
+ambassador, knowing the wishes of his mistress, did not hesitate to assure
+her that there was no probability of any of the more lenient proposals
+being adopted; and he took care to remind the Lords, that "it would be
+convenient for them so to proceed, as that by their doings they should not
+wipe away the Queen's infamy, and the Lord Bothwell's detestable murder,
+and by their outrageous dealings bring all the slander upon themselves."
+At Morton's request, he likewise suggested to Elizabeth, that it would be
+proper to send a supply of ten or twelve thousand crowns to aid the Lords
+in their present increased expenditure; and this he said was the more
+necessary, because Lethington and others had reminded him that,
+notwithstanding all her Majesty's fair words, Murray, Morton, and the
+rest, "had in their troubles found cold relief and small favour at her
+Majesty's hands."[120] No wonder that, in moments when his better nature
+prevailed, Throckmorton felt disgusted with the double part he was obliged
+to act, and spoke "honestly and plainly" of it to Melville. "Yea," says
+Sir James, "he detested the whole counsel of England for the time, and
+told us friendly what reasoning they held among themselves to that end;
+namely, how that one of their finest counsellors (Cecil) proposed openly
+to the rest, that it was needful for the welfare of England, to foster and
+nourish the civil wars, as well in France and in Flanders, as in Scotland;
+whereby England might reap many advantages, and be sought after by all
+parties, and in the meantime live in rest, and gather great riches. This
+advice and proposition was well liked by most part of the Council; yet an
+honest counsellor stood up and said, it was a very worldly advice, and had
+little or nothing to do with a Christian commonweal."[121]
+
+The Earl of Murray was in the meantime anxiously watching the progress of
+affairs in Scotland, and, though still in France, had so contrived, that
+he possessed as much influence in the counsels of the nation as Morton
+himself. The Lords indeed had long been in close correspondence with him.
+Letters from them were forwarded to him by Cecil, who exchanged frequent
+communications with Murray; and, on the 26th of June, four days before
+Throckmorton left London for Scotland, Cecil wrote to the English
+ambassador at Paris, that "Murray's return into Scotland was much desired,
+for the weal both of England and Scotland."[122] But as Murray had
+attempted to ingratiate himself at the French Court, by exaggerating his
+fidelity to Mary, he found it impossible to disengage himself immediately
+from the connexions he had there made, not anticipating so sudden a
+revolution in the state of affairs at home. He sent, however, an agent
+into Scotland, of the name of Elphinston, whom he commissioned to attend
+to his interests, and whom the Lords allowed to visit the Queen at
+Loch-Leven, though they refused every body else. It is not likely that
+Morton, who had thus a second time been engaged in setting up a ladder for
+Murray to ascend by, was altogether pleased to find that he could not
+obtain the first place for himself. As soon as he determined to force Mary
+to abdicate the Crown, he saw that he would be obliged to yield the
+Regency to Murray, supported as that nobleman was, both by his numerous
+friends in England and Scotland, and the earnest recommendations of Knox
+and the other preachers, who, in their anxiety to see their old patron
+once more Lord of the ascendant, "took pieces of Scripture, and inveighed
+vehemently against the Queen, and persuaded extremities against her, by
+application of the text."[123] Morton, however, consoled himself with the
+reflection, that he was in great favour with Murray, and that, by acting
+in concert with him, he would enjoy a scarcely inferior degree of power
+and honour.
+
+Preparatory to extorting from her an abdication, the Lords anxiously
+circulated a report, that the Queen was devotedly and almost insanely
+attached to Bothwell. They did not venture, it is true, to put this
+attachment to the test, by publicly offering her reasonable terms of
+accommodation, which, if she had refused, all men would have acknowledged
+her infatuation, and deserted her cause;--they brought her to no
+trial,--they proved her guilty of no crime; all they did was to endeavour
+to impose upon the vulgar. They asserted that Mary would not agree to
+prosecute the perpetrators of the murder, after she had already prosecuted
+them,--and that she would not consent to abandon a husband whom she had
+already abandoned, and with whom, they themselves had declared, only a few
+weeks before, she could not, under any circumstances, have lived for many
+months. Throckmorton, who was willing enough to propagate all the absurd
+falsehoods they told him, wrote to Elizabeth,--"she avoweth constantly
+that she will live and die with him; and saith, that if it were put to her
+choice to relinquish her Crown and kingdom, or the Lord Bothwell, she
+would leave her kingdom and dignity, to go as a simple damsel with him;
+and that she will never consent that he shall fare worse, or have more
+harm than herself."[124] But the numerous party in favour of the Queen
+openly avowed their disbelief of these reports; and Elizabeth herself, who
+began to fear that, in sending Throckmorton to the rebel Lords, she had
+countenanced the weaker side, wrote to her ambassador on the 29th of
+August in the following terms, which, as they are used by an enemy so
+determined as Elizabeth, speak volumes in favour of Mary:--"We cannot
+perceive, that they, with whom they have dealt, can answer the doubts
+moved by the Hamiltons, who, howsoever they may be carried for their
+private respects, yet those things which they move will be allowed by all
+reasonable persons. For if they may not, being noblemen of the realm, be
+suffered to hear the Queen, their Sovereign, declare her mind concerning
+the reports which are made of her by such as keep her in captivity, how
+should they believe the reports, or obey them which do report it?"[125]
+
+That Mary refused to return to her throne, unless Bothwell was placed upon
+it beside her, is an assertion so ridiculous, that no time need be lost in
+refuting it. That she may not have chosen to submit to an immediate
+divorce from one whom all her nobility had recommended to her as a
+husband, and by whom she might possibly have a child, is within the verge
+of probability. She would naturally be anxious to avoid doing any thing
+which would be equivalent with acknowledging her belief of his guilt, and
+might have appeared to implicate her in the suspicion attached to him. She
+had not married Bothwell till he had been judicially acquitted; and were
+she to consent to be divorced from him before he was again tried, she
+would seem to confess, that she had previously sanctioned a procedure
+possessing the show of justice, without the substance.[126] There can be
+no doubt, however, that if Bothwell's guilt had been distinctly proved to
+her, and if she could have disunited herself from him without injury to
+her reputation or her prospects, she would have been the very last person
+to have objected either to see Darnley's death revenged, or herself freed
+from an alliance into which she had been forced against her will.
+
+But the Lords of Secret Council, conscious as they were of the injustice
+of their proceedings, had gone too far to recede, and were determined not
+to rest satisfied with any half-measures. On the 24th of July 1567, Lord
+Lindsay and Sir Robert Melville (brother to Sir James), were commissioned
+to pass to Loch-Leven, and to carry with them deeds or instruments of
+abdication.[127] These instruments were three in number. By the first,
+Mary was made to resign the Crown in favour of her son,--by the second, to
+constitute the Earl of Murray Regent during his nonage,--and, by the
+third, to appoint a Council to administer the Government until Murray's
+return home, and, if he should refuse to accept of the regency, until her
+son's majority. It was of course well known to the rebels, that the Queen
+would not willingly affix her signature to deeds by which she was to
+surrender all power, and to reduce herself at once to the station of a
+subject, without receiving in return any promise of liberty, or the
+enjoyment of a single worldly good. Yet they had the effrontery to aver,
+that rather than submit to a separation from one with whom "she could not
+have lived half-a-year to an end," she preferred becoming a landless and
+crownless pensioner, on the bounty of such men as Morton and his
+accomplices.
+
+Were we to single out the day in Mary's whole life in which it might be
+fairly concluded that she suffered the most intense mental anguish, we
+should fix on the 25th of July 1567, the day on which the Commissioners
+had their audience. Shut up in a gloomy edifice, which, though dignified
+with the name of a castle, was little else than a square tower of three
+stories; and instead of a numerous assemblage of obsequious nobles,
+attended by only three or four female servants;--it must have required a
+more than common spirit of queenly fortitude to support so great a reverse
+of fortune.[128] But the misery of her situation was now to be increased a
+hundred fold, by a blow the severest she had yet experienced. When the
+report first reached her, that it was in contemplation to force her to
+abdicate her crown, she indignantly refused to believe so lawless an
+attempt possible. Mary had been all her life fond of power, and proud of
+her illustrious birth and rank; and there were few subjects on which she
+dwelt with greater pleasure, than her unsullied descent from a "centenary
+line of kings." Was she now, without a struggle, to surrender the crown of
+the Stuarts into the hands of the bastard Murray, or the blood-stained
+Morton? Was she to submit to the bitter mockery, introduced in the very
+preamble to the instrument of demission, which stated, that, ever since
+her arrival in her realm, she had "employed her body, spirit, whole senses
+and forces, to govern in such sort, that her royal and honourable estate
+might stand and continue with her and her posterity, and that her loving
+and kind lieges might enjoy the quietness of true subjects;" but that,
+being now wearied with the fatigues of administration, she wished to lay
+down her sceptre?[129] Even though prepared to lay it down, was she also
+to countenance falsehood, and practise dissimulation?
+
+When the commissioners arrived at Lochleven, Sir Robert Melville, knowing
+that Lindsay was personally disagreeable to his Sovereign, came to her at
+first alone. Opening to her his errand, and, addressing her with respect,
+and professions of attachment (for she had often employed him before about
+her person, or as her ambassador to foreign courts), he urged every
+argument he could think of to persuade her to affix her signature to the
+deeds. She listened to him with calm dignity and unshaken resolution. She
+heard him describe the distracted state of Scotland--the impossibility of
+ever prevailing on all parties to submit again to her sway--the virulence
+of her enemies, and the apparent lukewarmness of her friends. She allowed
+him to proceed from these more general topics, to others more intimately
+connected with her own person. She listened to his assurance, that, if she
+continued obstinate, it was determined to bring her to trial,--to blacken
+her character, by accusing her of incontinency, not only with Bothwell,
+but with others, and of the murder of her late husband, and, upon whatever
+evidence, to condemn and execute her.[130] But she remained unmoved, and
+preserved the same composure of manner, though not without many a secret
+throb of pain, at the discovery of the utter ingratitude and perfidy of
+those whom she had so often befriended and advanced. As a last expedient,
+Melville produced a letter from Throckmorton, in which the ambassador
+advised her to consult her personal safety, by consenting to an
+abdication--a somewhat singular advice to be given by one who affected to
+have come into Scotland for the express purpose of securing her
+restoration to the throne.[131] But she only remarked on this letter, that
+it convinced her of the insincerity of Elizabeth's promises of assistance.
+
+Melville now saw that there was no alternative, and that Lindsay must be
+called in to his assistance. Notorious for being one of the most
+passionate men in Scotland, Lindsay burst into the Queen's presence, with
+the instruments in his hands, and rage sparkling in his eyes. Mary, for
+the first time, became agitated, for she recollected the evening of
+Rizzio's murder, when Lindsay stood beside the gaunt form of Ruthven,
+instigating him to the commission of that deed of cruelty. With fearful
+oaths and imprecations, this unmannered barbarian, entitled to be called a
+man only because he bore the external form of one, vowed, that unless she
+subscribed the deeds without delay, he would sign them himself with her
+blood, and seal them on her heart.[132] Mary had a bold and masculine
+spirit; but, trembling under the prospect of immediate destruction, and
+imagining that she saw Lindsay's dagger already drawn, she became
+suddenly pale and motionless, and would have fallen in a swoon, had not a
+flood of tears afforded her relief. Melville, moved perhaps to contrition
+by the depth of her misery, whispered in her ear, that instruments signed
+in captivity could not be considered valid, if she chose to revoke them
+when she regained her liberty. This suggestion may have had some weight;
+but almost before she had time to attend to it, Lindsay's passion again
+broke forth, and, pointing to the lake which surrounded her confined
+residence, he swore that it should become her immediate grave, if she
+hesitated one moment longer. Driven to distraction, and scarcely knowing
+what she did, Mary seized a pen, and without reading a line of the
+voluminous writings before her, she affixed her name to each of them, as
+legibly as her tears would permit. The Commissioners then took their
+departure, secretly congratulating themselves, that, by a mixture of
+cunning and ferocity, they had gained their end. Mary, no longer a Queen,
+was left alone to the desolate solitude of her own gloomy thoughts.[133]
+
+As soon as Lord Lindsay returned to Edinburgh, and notified the success of
+his mission, it was determined by Morton and his associates that the
+Prince should be crowned with as little delay as possible. Sir James
+Melville, who was considered a moderate man by both parties, was sent to
+the Lords at Hamilton, to invite their concurrence and presence on the
+occasion. He was received courteously; but the nobility there would not
+agree to countenance proceedings which they denounced as treasonable. On
+the contrary, perceiving the turn which matters were about to take, they
+retired from Hamilton to Dumbarton, where they prepared for more active
+opposition. They signed a bond of mutual defence and assistance, in which
+they declared, that owing to the state of captivity in which the Queen was
+detained at Loch-Leven, her Majesty's subjects were prevented from having
+free access to her, and that it therefore became their duty to endeavour
+to procure her freedom, by all lawful means, however strong the opposition
+that might be offered. This bond was signed by many persons of rank and
+influence, among whom were the Archbishop of St Andrews, the Earls of
+Argyle and Huntly, and the Lords Ross, Fleming, and Herries.[134]
+
+On the 29th of July 1567, James was publicly crowned at Stirling. He was
+anointed by Adam, Bishop of Orkney, in the parish church, and the Earl of
+Morton took the oath of coronation in the Prince's name, who was little
+more than a year old. On returning in procession to the Castle, the Earl
+of Athol carried the crown, Morton the sceptre, Glencairn the sword, and
+Mar the new made King. All public writs were thenceforth issued, and the
+government was established, in the name and authority of James VI.[135]
+The infant King was in the power of his mother's deadliest enemies; and of
+course they resolved that neither her religion nor modes of thinking
+should be transmitted to her son. Buchanan was appointed his principal
+tutor, and if early precept can ever counteract natural affection, there
+is good reason to suppose, that, together with her crown, the filial love
+of her child was taken from Mary.
+
+Only a few days after the coronation, the Earl of Murray returned to
+Scotland. He came by the way of London, where he concocted his future
+measures with Cecil and Elizabeth. He had some difficulty in fixing on the
+course which would be most expedient for him to pursue. He knew that the
+regency was about to be offered to him; but he also knew how unlawfully
+his sister's abdication had been obtained, and that there was a strong
+party in Scotland who were still bent on supporting her authority. Were he
+at once to place himself at the head of a faction which might afterwards
+turn out to be the weaker of the two, he incurred the risk of falling from
+his temporary eminence lower than ever. He resolved therefore, with his
+usual caution, to feel his way before he took any decisive step. Sir James
+Melville was sent to meet him at Berwick; and from him he learned that
+even Morton's Lords had by this time split into two parties, and that
+while one-half were of opinion that Murray should accept of the regency
+without delay, and give his approval to all that had been done in his
+absence, the other, among whom were Mar, Athol, Lethington, Tullibardin,
+and Grange, prayed him to bear himself gently and humbly towards the
+Queen, and to get as much into her favour as possible, as her Majesty was
+of "a clear wit, and princely inclination," and the time might come when
+they would all wish her at liberty to rule over them.[136] Murray, who
+adopted on this occasion Elizabeth's favourite maxim,--"_Video et taceo_,"
+disclosed his mind to no one, until he ascertained for himself the precise
+state of affairs, and of public feeling in Scotland.
+
+To be the better informed, he determined on visiting the Queen personally
+at Loch-Leven. He was accompanied by Athol, Morton, and Lindsay. When Mary
+saw her brother, a crowd of recollections rushing into her mind, she burst
+into tears, and it was some time before she could enter into conversation
+with him. At length she desired that the others would retire, and they had
+then a long private conference, of which the particulars are not fully
+known. Mary had flattered herself that she might place some reliance on
+Murray's affection and gratitude, but she had egregiously mistaken his
+character. Having, by this time, secretly resolved to accept the regency
+at all hazards, his only desire was to impress her with a belief, that he
+assumed that office principally with the view of saving her from a severer
+fate, and that he was actually conferring a favour on her by taking her
+sceptre into his own hands. Reduced already to despair, the Queen
+listened, with tears in her eyes, to Murray's representations, and at
+length became convinced of his sincerity, and thanked him for his promises
+of protection. Thus the Earl and his friends were able to give out, that
+Mary confirmed, by word of mouth, what she had formerly signed with her
+hand, and that she entreated her brother to accept the Government.[137]
+Besides, if she were ever restored to the throne, she would not be
+disposed to treat with severity one who had been artful enough to persuade
+her, that, in usurping her authority, he was doing her a service.
+
+On the 22d of August 1567, James, Earl of Murray, was proclaimed Regent;
+and, in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, before the Justice Clerk and others, he
+took the oaths, and accepted the charge. He first, however, made a long
+discourse, in which, with overacted humility, he stated his own
+insufficiency, and expressed a desire that the office had been conferred
+on some more worthy nobleman.[138] But his scruples were easily conquered;
+and, under the title of Regent, he became, in fact, King of Scotland,
+until James VI. should attain the age of seventeen.[139] He proceeded to
+establish himself in his Government by prudent and vigorous measures. He
+made himself master of the Castles of Edinburgh and Dunbar, and other
+places of strength; he contrived either to bring over to his own side, or
+to overawe and keep quiet, most of the Queen's Lords; and he severely
+chastised such districts as continued disaffected. A Parliament was
+summoned in December, at which the imprisoning and dethroning of the Queen
+were declared lawful, and, what is remarkable, the reason assigned for
+these measures had never been hinted at before Murray's return,--that
+there was certain proof that she was implicated in the murder of Darnley.
+This proof was stated to consist in certain "private letters, written
+wholly with the Queen's own hand." They were not produced at the time, but
+will come to be examined more particularly afterwards. All that need be
+remarked here, is the sudden change introduced by the Regent into the
+nature of the allegations against Mary. It had been always given out
+previously, that she was kept in Loch-Leven, because she evinced a
+determination to be again united to Bothwell; but now, an entirely new and
+more serious cause was assigned for her detention.[140]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+MARY'S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN, AND THE BATTLE OF LANGSIDE.
+
+
+With few comforts and no enjoyments, Mary remained closely confined in the
+Castle of Loch-Leven. Her only resources were in herself, and in the
+religion whose precepts she was ever anxious not only to profess, but to
+practise. Though deprived of liberty and the delights of a court, she was
+able to console herself with the reflection, that there is no prison for a
+soul that puts its trust in its God, and that all the world belongs to one
+who knows how to despise its vanities. Yet the misfortunes which had
+overtaken her were enough to appal the stoutest heart. Her husband had
+been murdered, she herself forced into an unwilling marriage, her kingdom
+taken from her, her child raised up against her, her honour defamed, and
+her person insulted,--all within the short space of four months. History
+records few reverses so sudden and so complete. Many a masculine spirit
+would have felt its energies give way under so dreadful a change of
+fortune; and if Mary was able to put in practice the Roman maxim, _Ne
+cedere malis, sed contra audentior ire_, it would be to exalt vice and
+libel virtue to suppose, that she could have been inspired with strength
+for so arduous a task by aught but her own integrity.
+
+It was not these more serious calamities alone whose load she was doomed
+to bear; there were many petty annoyances to which she was daily and
+hourly subject. Margaret Erskine, the Lady of Loch-Leven, and widow of Sir
+Robert Douglas, who fell at the battle of Pinkie one-and-twenty years
+before, was a woman of a proud temper and austere disposition. Soured by
+early disappointment, for, previous to her marriage with Sir Robert, she
+had been one of the rejected mistresses of James V., she chose to indulge
+her more malignant nature in continually exalting her illegitimate
+offspring the Earl of Murray above his lawful Queen, now her prisoner. Her
+servants, of course, took their tone from their mistress; and there was
+one in particular, named James Drysdale, who held a place of some
+authority in her household, and who, having had some concern in the murder
+of Rizzio, and being a bigoted and unprincipled fanatic, entertained the
+most deadly hatred against Mary, and had been heard to declare, that it
+would give him pleasure to plunge a dagger into her heart's blood. This
+savage probably succeeded in spreading similar sentiments among the other
+domestics; and thus the Queen's very life seemed to hang upon the
+prejudices and caprices of menials.[141]
+
+But numerous and violent as Mary's enemies may have been, few could
+remain near her person, without becoming ardently attached to her. Hence,
+throughout all her misfortunes, her own immediate attendants continued
+more than faithful. At Loch-Leven, it is true, although her rebellious
+nobles had been willing to allow her a suitable train, the absence of
+accommodation would have rendered their residence there impossible. One or
+two female, and three or four male servants, were all, over whom Mary, the
+Queen of Scotland, and Dowager of France, could now exercise the slightest
+control. Of these, John Beaton was the individual upon whose assiduity she
+placed most reliance. But the influence which the fascination of her
+manners, and the beauty of her person, obtained for her, over two of the
+younger branches of the House of Loch-Leven, made up for the want of many
+of her former attendants. The persons alluded to were George Douglas, the
+youngest son of Lady Douglas, about five-and-twenty years of age, and
+William Douglas, an orphan youth of sixteen or seventeen, a relative of
+the family, and resident in the Castle. So forcibly was George Douglas, in
+particular, impressed with the injustice of Mary's treatment, that he
+resolved on sparing no pains till he accomplished her escape; and his
+friend William, though too young to be of equal service, was not less
+ardent in the cause.[142] George commenced operations, by informing Mary's
+friends in the adjoining districts of Scotland, of the design he had in
+view, and establishing a communication with them. At his suggestion, Lord
+Seaton, with a considerable party, arrived secretly in the neighbourhood
+of Loch-Leven, and held themselves in readiness to receive the Queen as
+soon as she should be able to find her way across the lake. Nor was it
+long before Mary made an attempt to join her friends. On the 25th of March
+1568, she had a glimpse of liberty so enlivening, that nothing could
+exceed the bitterness of her disappointment. Suffering as she did, both in
+health and spirits, she had contracted a habit of spending a considerable
+part of the morning in bed. On the day referred to, her laundress came
+into her room before she was up, when Mary, according to a scheme which
+Douglas had contrived, immediately rose, and resigning her bed to the
+washer-woman, dressed herself in the habiliments of the latter. With a
+bundle of clothes in her hand, and a muffler over her face, she went out,
+and passed down unsuspected to the boat which was waiting to take the
+laundress across the lake. The men in it belonged to the Castle; but did
+not imagine any thing was wrong, for some time. At length one of them
+observing, that Mary was very anxious to keep her face concealed, said in
+jest,--"Let us see what kind of a looking damsel this is;" and attempted
+to pull away her muffler. The Queen put up her hands to prevent him, which
+were immediately observed to be particularly soft and white, and a
+discovery took place in consequence. Mary, finding it no longer of any
+use, threw aside her disguise, and, assuming an air of dignity, told the
+men that she was their Queen, and charged them upon their lives to row
+her over to the shore. Though surprised and overawed, they resolutely
+refused to obey, promising, however, that if she would return quietly to
+the castle, they would not inform Sir William Douglas or his mother that
+she had ever left it. But they promised more than they were able to
+perform, for the whole affair was soon known, and George Douglas, together
+with Beaton and Sempil, two of Mary's servants, were ordered to leave the
+island, and took up their residence in the neighbouring village of
+Kinross.[143]
+
+But neither the Queen nor her friends gave up hope. George Douglas
+continued indefatigable, though separated from her; and William supplied
+his place within the Castle, and acted with a degree of cautious and
+silent enterprise beyond his years. It was probably in reference to what
+might be done by him, that a small picture was secretly conveyed to Mary,
+representing the deliverance of the lion by the mouse.[144] Little more
+than a month elapsed from the failure of the first attempt, before another
+was adventured, and with better success. On Sunday, the second of May,
+about seven in the evening, William Douglas, when sitting at supper with
+the rest of the family, managed to get into his possession the keys of the
+Castle, which his relation, Sir William, had put down beside his plate on
+the table. The young man immediately left the room with the prize, and,
+locking the door of the apartment from without, proceeded to the Queen's
+chamber, whom he conducted with all speed, through a little postern gate,
+to a boat which had been prepared for her reception. One of her maids, of
+the name of Jane Kennedy, lingered a few moments behind, and as Douglas
+had locked the postern gate in the interval, she leapt from a window, and
+rejoined her mistress without injury. Lord Seaton, James Hamilton of
+Rochbank, and others who were in the neighbourhood, had been informed by a
+few words which Mary traced with charcoal on one of her handkerchiefs, and
+contrived to send to them, that she was about to make another effort to
+escape, and were anxiously watching the arrival of the boat. Nor did they
+watch in vain. Sir William Douglas and his retainers, were locked up in
+their own castle; and the Queen, her maid, and young escort, had already
+put off across the lake. It is said that Douglas, not being accustomed to
+handle the oar, was making little or no progress, until Mary herself,
+taking one into her own hands, lent him all the aid in her power. It was
+not long before they arrived safely at the opposite shore, where Lord
+Seaton, Hamilton, Douglas, Beaton, and the rest, received the Queen with
+every demonstration of joyful loyalty. Little time was allowed, however,
+for congratulations; they mounted her immediately upon horseback, and
+surrounding her with a strong party, they galloped all night, and having
+rested only an hour or two at Lord Seaton's house of Niddry, in West
+Lothian, they arrived early next forenoon at Hamilton. Mary's first
+tumultuous feelings of happiness, on being thus delivered from captivity,
+can hardly be imagined by those who have never been deprived of the
+blessing of liberty. It is fair, however, to state, that her happiness was
+neither selfish nor exclusive; and it deserves to be recorded to her
+honour, that till the very latest day of her life, she never forgot the
+services of those who so essentially befriended her on this occasion. She
+bestowed pensions upon both the Douglases,--the elder of whom, became
+afterwards a favourite with her son James VI., and the younger is
+particularly mentioned in Mary's last will and testament. Nor was the
+faithful Beaton allowed to go unrewarded.[145]
+
+The news that Mary was arrived at Hamilton, and that noblemen and troops
+were flocking to her from all quarters, was so astounding, that the
+Regent, who was not many miles off, holding courts of justice at Glasgow,
+refused at first to credit the report. He would soon, however, (without
+other evidence) have discovered its truth, from the very visible change
+which took place even among those whom he had previously considered his
+best friends. "A strange alteration," says Keith, "might be discovered in
+the minds and faces of a great many; some slipped privately away, others
+sent quietly to beg the Queen's pardon, and not a few went publicly over
+to her Majesty." In this state of matters, Murray was earnestly advised to
+retire to Stirling, where the young King resided; but he was afraid that
+his departure from Glasgow might be considered a flight, which would at
+once have animated his enemies and discouraged his friends. He, therefore,
+resolved to continue where he was, making every exertion to collect a
+sufficient force with as little delay as possible. He was not allowed to
+remain long in suspense regarding Mary's intentions, for she sent him a
+message in a day or two, requiring him to surrender his Regency and
+replace her in her just government; and before the Earls, Bishops, Lords,
+and others, who had now gathered round her, she solemnly protested, that
+the instruments she had subscribed at Loch-Leven were all extorted from
+her by fear. Sir Robert Melville, one of those who, in this new turn of
+affairs, left Murray's party for the Queen's, gave his testimony to the
+truth of this protest, as he had been a witness of the whole proceeding.
+The abdication, therefore, was pronounced _ipso facto_ null and void; and
+Murray having issued a proclamation, in which he refused to surrender the
+Regency, both parties prepared for immediate hostilities. The principal
+Lords who had joined the Queen, were Argyle, Huntly, Cassils, Rothes,
+Montrose, Fleming, Livingston, Seaton, Boyd, Herries, Ross, Maxwell,
+Ogilvy, and Oliphant. There were, in all, nine Earls, nine Bishops,
+eighteen Lords, and many Barons and Gentlemen. In a single week, she
+found herself at the head of an army of 6000 men. Hamilton, not being a
+place of strength, they determined to march to Dumbarton, and to keep her
+Majesty there peaceably, until she assembled a Parliament, which should
+determine on the measures best suited for the safety of the common
+weal.[146]
+
+On Thursday the 13th of May 1568, Murray was informed that the Queen with
+her troops was on her way from Hamilton to Dumbarton, and would pass near
+Glasgow. He instantly determined to intercept her on the road; for should
+she reach Dumbarton, which was then, and had long been in the possession
+of the Hamiltons, she would be comparatively beyond his reach, and would
+have time to collect so great a strength, that she might once more chase
+him out of Scotland. Besides, the loss of a battle, where the army on
+either side consisted of only a few thousand men, though it might in all
+probability be fatal to Mary, was not of so much consequence to the
+Regent. He therefore assembled his troops, which mustered about 4000
+strong, on the Green of Glasgow; and being informed that the Queen was
+marching upon the south side of the Clyde, he crossed that river, and met
+her at a small village called Langside, on the Water of Cart, about two
+miles to the south of Glasgow. Mary was anxious to avoid a battle, for she
+knew that Murray himself possessed no inconsiderable military talent, and
+that Kircaldy of Grange, the best soldier in Scotland, was with him. But
+party spirit ran so high, and the Hamiltons and the Lennoxes, in
+particular, were so much exasperated against each other, that as soon as
+they came within sight, it was evident that nothing but blows would
+satisfy them. The main body of the Queen's army was under the command of
+the Earl of Argyle; the van was led by Claud Hamilton, second son of the
+Duke of Chatelherault; and the cavalry was under the conduct of Lord
+Herries. The Earl of Huntly would have held a conspicuous place in the
+battle, but he had set off from Hamilton a few days before to collect his
+followers, and did not return till it was too late. Murray himself
+commanded his main body, and the Earl of Morton the van; whilst to Grange
+was intrusted the special charge of riding about over the whole field, and
+making such alterations in the position of the battle as he deemed
+requisite.
+
+Nothing now intervened between the two armies but a hill, of which both
+were anxious to gain possession, the one marching from the east, and the
+other from the west. It happened, however, that the ascent on the side
+next Mary's troops was the steepest, and a stratagem suggested by Grange
+secured the vantage-ground to the Regent. He ordered every man who was
+mounted to take up a foot soldier behind him, and ride with all speed to
+the top of the hill, where they were set down, and instantly formed into
+line. Argyle was therefore obliged to take his position on a lesser hill,
+over against that occupied by Murray. A cannonading commenced upon both
+sides, and continued for about half an hour but without much effect. At
+length, Argyle led his forces forward, and determined if possible to carry
+the heights sword in hand. The engagement soon became general, and
+advantages were obtained upon both sides. The Earl of Morton, who came
+down the hill to meet Argyle, succeeded in driving back the Queen's
+cannoneers and part of her infantry; whilst on the other hand, Lord
+Herries, making a vigorous charge on Murray's cavalry, put them to rout.
+Judiciously abstaining from a long pursuit, he returned to attack some of
+the enemy's battalions of foot, but as he was obliged to advance directly
+up hill, he was unable to make much impression on them. In the meantime,
+with the view of obtaining more equal ground, Argyle endeavoured to lead
+his troops round towards the west, and it was to counteract this movement
+that the most desperate part of the engagement took place. All the forces
+of both parties were gradually drawn off from their previous positions,
+and the whole strength of the battle on either side was concentrated upon
+this new ground. For half an hour the fortune of the day continued
+doubtful; but at length the Queen's troops began to waver, and a
+re-inforcement of two hundred Highlanders, which arrived just at the
+fortunate moment for Murray, and broke in upon Argyle's flank, decided the
+victory. The flight soon afterwards became general; and though the loss of
+lives on the Queen's side did not exceed three hundred, a great number of
+her best officers and soldiers were made prisoners.[147]
+
+Mary had taken her station upon a neighbouring eminence to watch the
+progress of the fight. Her heart beat high with a thousand hopes and
+fears, for she was either to regain the crown of her forefathers, or to
+become a fugitive and a wanderer she knew not where. It must have been
+with emotions of no common kind, that her eye glanced from one part of the
+field to another;--it must have been with throbbing brow and palpitating
+heart, that she saw her troops either advance or retreat; and when at
+length she beheld the goodly array she had led forth in the morning,
+scattered over the country, and all the Lords who had attended her with
+pride and loyalty, seeking safety in flight, no wonder if she burst into a
+passion of tears, and lamented that she had ever been born. But the
+necessity of the moment fortunately put a check to this overwhelming
+ebullition of her feelings. With a very small retinue of trusty friends,
+among whom was the Lord Herries, she was quickly hurried away from the
+scene of her disasters. She rode off at full speed, taking a southerly
+direction towards Galloway, because from thence she could secure a passage
+either by sea or land into England or France. She never stopped or closed
+her eyes till she reached Dundrennan, an abbey about two miles from
+Kirkcudbright, and at least sixty from the village of Langside.[148]
+
+She remained two days at Dundrennan, and there held several anxious
+consultations with the few friends, who had either accompanied her in her
+flight, or who joined her afterwards. Lord Herries, her principal adviser,
+gave it as his decided opinion, that she ought to sail immediately for
+France, where she had relations on whose affection she could depend, even
+though they should not be able to secure her restoration to the throne of
+Scotland. But Mary could not brook the idea of returning as a fugitive to
+a country she had left as a Queen; and besides, had she placed herself
+under the protection of Catholics, she might have exasperated her own
+subjects, and would certainly have displeased Elizabeth and the people of
+England. She was disposed also to place some reliance on the assurances of
+friendship she had lately received from the English Queen. She was well
+aware of the hollowness of most of Elizabeth's promises; but in her
+present extremity, she thought that to cross the sea would be to resign
+her crown forever. After much hesitation, she finally determined on going
+into England, and desired Herries to write to Elizabeth's Warden at
+Carlisle, to know whether she might proceed thither. Without waiting for
+an answer, she rode to the coast on Sunday the 16th of May, and with
+eighteen or twenty persons in her train, embarked in a fishing-boat, and
+sailed eighteen miles along the shore, till she came to the small harbour
+of Workington, in Cumberland. Thence she proceeded to the town of
+Cockermouth, about twenty-six miles from Carlisle. Lord Scroope, the
+Warden on these frontiers, was at this time in London; but his deputy, a
+gentleman of the name of Lowther, having sent off an express to the Court,
+to intimate the arrival of the Queen of Scots, assembled, on his own
+responsibility, the men of rank and influence in the neighbourhood, and
+having come out to meet the Queen, conducted her honourably to the Castle
+of Carlisle, with the assurance, that, until Elizabeth's pleasure was
+known, he would protect her from all her enemies.
+
+As soon as the important news reached Elizabeth, that Mary was now within
+her dominions, and consequently at her disposal, she perceived that the
+great end of all her intrigues was at length achieved. It was necessary,
+however, to proceed with caution, for she did not yet know either the
+precise strength of Mary's party in Scotland, or the degree of interest
+which might be taken by France in her future fate. She, therefore,
+immediately despatched Lord Scroope, and Sir Francis Knollys her
+Vice-Chamberlain, to Carlisle, with messages of comfort and condolence.
+Mary, who anxiously waited their arrival, anticipated that they would
+bring consolatory assurances. Her spirits began to revive, and she was
+willing to believe that Elizabeth would prove her friendship by deeds, as
+well as by words. But this delusion was destined to be of only momentary
+duration.[149]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MARY'S RECEPTION IN ENGLAND, AND THE CONFERENCES AT YORK AND WESTMINSTER.
+
+
+If there had been a single generous feeling still lurking in Elizabeth's
+bosom, the time was now arrived when it should have discovered itself.
+Mary was no longer a rival Queen, but an unfortunate sister, who, in her
+hour of distress, had thrown herself into the arms of her nearest
+neighbour and ally. During her imprisonment in Scotland, Elizabeth had
+avowed her conviction of its injustice; and, if it was unjust that her own
+subjects should retain her in captivity, it would of course be much more
+iniquitous in one who had no right to interfere with her affairs, and who
+had already condemned such conduct in others. If it was too much to expect
+that the English Queen would supply her with money and arms, to enable her
+to win back the Crown she had lost, it was surely not to be doubted that
+she would either allow her to seek assistance in France, or, if she
+remained in England, would treat her with kindness and hospitality. All
+these hopes were fallacious; for, "with Elizabeth and her counsellors,"
+as Robertson has justly observed, "the question was, not what was most
+just or generous, but what was most beneficial to herself and the English
+nation."
+
+On the 29th of May 1568, Lord Scroope and Sir Francis Knollys arrived at
+Carlisle. They were met at some little distance from the town by Lord
+Herries, who told them, that what the Queen his mistress most desired, was
+a personal interview with Elizabeth. But they had been instructed to
+answer, that they doubted whether her Majesty could receive the Queen of
+Scots, until her innocence from any share in the murder of her husband was
+satisfactorily established.[150] Thus, the ground which Elizabeth had
+resolved to take was at once discovered. She was to affect to treat the
+Scottish Queen with empty civility, whilst in reality she detained her a
+prisoner, until she had arranged with Murray the precise accusation which
+was to be brought against her, and which, if it succeeded in blackening
+her character, might justify subsequent severities. Mary could not at
+first believe that she would be treated with so much treachery; but
+circumstances occurred every day to diminish her confidence in the good
+intentions of the English Queen. Under the pretence that there was too
+great a concourse of strangers from Scotland, Lord Scroope and Sir Francis
+Knollys ordered the fortifications of Carlisle Castle to be repaired, and
+Mary was not allowed to ride out to any distance. The most distinguished
+of the few friends who were now with her, and who remained faithful to
+her to the end of her life, were Lesley, Bishop of Ross,--the Lords
+Herries, Livingston, and Fleming, and George and William Douglas. She had
+also her two secretaries, Curl and Nawe, who afterwards betrayed her,--and
+among other servants, Beaton, and Sebastian the Frenchman; there were
+likewise the Ladies Livingston and Fleming, Mary Seaton, Lord Seaton's
+daughter, and other female attendants.[151]
+
+Mary's first interview with the envoys from Elizabeth, prepossessed them
+both in her favour. "We found her," they said, "to have an eloquent tongue
+and a discreet head, and it seems by her doings, that she has stout
+courage, and a liberal heart adjoined thereto." When they told her that
+the Queen, their mistress, refused to admit her to her presence, Mary
+burst into tears, and expressed the bitterest disappointment. Checking her
+grief, however, and assuming a tone of becoming dignity, she said, that if
+she did not receive without delay, the aid she had been induced to expect,
+she would immediately demand permission to pass into France, where she did
+not doubt she would obtain what the English Queen denied.[152] In the
+meantime, as she was not allowed to proceed to London herself, she
+despatched Lord Herries to superintend her interests there; and shortly
+afterwards, it being represented to her that her person was not in safety
+so long as she continued so near the Borders, she consented to be removed
+further into England, and was conveyed to Bolton Castle, a seat of Lord
+Scroope, in the North Riding of Yorkshire.[153]
+
+The Regent Murray, on his part, was any thing but inactive. He forced the
+Earl of Huntly, who had collected upwards of 2000 men, and was marching to
+the Queen's assistance when he heard of the unfortunate battle of
+Langside, to retire to the North, and disband the greater part of his
+troops; he put to flight the remains of the Queen's army, which had been
+again gathered by Argyle and Cassils; and, assembling a Parliament, he
+procured acts of forfeiture and banishment against many of the most
+powerful Lords of the opposite party. Elizabeth, perceiving his success,
+had no desire to check the progress of his usurped authority, whatever
+professions to the contrary she chose to make to Mary. On the 8th of June,
+she wrote Murray a letter, in which she addressed him as her "right
+trusty, and right well-beloved cousin;" told him falsely that the Queen of
+Scots had confided to her the examination of the differences between
+herself and her subjects; and advised him to take such steps as would
+place his own side of the question in the most favourable point of view.
+Murray had no objection to make Elizabeth the umpire between himself and
+his sister, well assured that she would ultimately decide in his favour,
+lest the rival, whom she had once found so formidable, should again become
+a source of jealousy and alarm.
+
+But Mary had never dreamt of appealing to Elizabeth as to a judge, and she
+now learned with indignation that her rebellious nobles were to be
+encouraged to come before that Queen on the same footing with herself.
+When she asked for a personal interview, it was that she might speak to
+her cousin as to a friend and equal, of the wrongs she had suffered. She
+had voluntarily undertaken to satisfy the English Queen, as soon as they
+conversed together, of her innocence from all the charges which had been
+brought against her; but she was not to degrade herself by entering into a
+controversy with her subjects regarding these charges. Accordingly, as
+soon as she discovered Elizabeth's insidious policy, she addressed a
+letter to her, in which she openly protested against it. The letter was in
+French, and to the following effect:--
+
+"Madam, my good sister, I came into your dominions to ask your assistance,
+and not to save my life. Scotland and the world have not renounced me. I
+was conscious of innocence; I was disposed to lay all my transactions
+before you; and I was willing to do you honour, by making you the
+restorer of a Queen. But you have afforded me no aid, and no consolation.
+You even deny me admittance to your presence. I escaped from a prison, and
+I am again a captive. Can it expose you to censure, to hear the complaints
+of the unfortunate? You received my bastard brother when he was in open
+rebellion; I am a Princess, and your equal, and you refuse me this
+indulgence. Permit me then to leave your dominions. Your severity
+encourages my enemies, intimidates my friends, and is most cruelly
+destructive to my interests. You keep me in fetters, and allow my enemies
+to conquer my realm. I am defenceless; and they enjoy my authority,
+possess themselves of my revenues, and hold out to me the points of their
+swords. In the miserable condition to which I am reduced, you invite them
+to accuse me. Is it too small a misfortune for me to lose my kingdom? Must
+I, also, be robbed of my integrity and my reputation? Excuse me, if I
+speak without dissimulation. In your dominions I will not answer to their
+calumnies and criminations. To you, in a personal conference, I shall at
+all times be ready to vindicate my conduct; but to sink myself into a
+level with my rebellious subjects, and to be a party in a suit or trial
+with them, is an indignity so vile, that I can never submit to it. I can
+die, but I cannot meet dishonour. Consult, I conjure you, what is right
+and proper, and entitle yourself to my warmest gratitude; or, if you are
+inclined not to know me as a sister, and to withhold your kindness,
+abstain at least from rigour and injustice. Be neither my enemy nor my
+friend; preserve yourself in the coldness of neutrality; and let me be
+indebted to other princes for my re-establishment in my kingdom."[154]
+
+Unmoved by the forcible representations contained in this and other
+letters, Elizabeth resolved to treat the Queen of Scots only with greater
+severity than before, in the hope of intimidating her into a compliance
+with her wishes. It was with this view that she had removed her to Bolton,
+where she took care that she should be strictly guarded, and not allowed
+to hold any intercourse with the loyal part of her Scottish subjects. Lord
+Fleming, too, whom Mary wished to send as her ambassador to France, was
+stopped; and she was given distinctly to understand, that she must not
+expect any of her commands to be obeyed, unless they met with Elizabeth's
+approval. The English Privy Council, of course, sanctioned their
+Sovereign's severity; and gave it as their opinion, that, until an inquiry
+had taken place into the whole conduct of the Scottish Queen, it would not
+be consistent with the honour or safety of the realm to afford her the aid
+she required. The result of all these machinations,--a result which
+Elizabeth contrived to bring about with the most consummate art,--was,
+that Mary agreed to nominate Commissioners to meet the Earl of Murray and
+the Lords associated with him, and to authorize them, before Commissioners
+to be appointed by Elizabeth, to state the grievances of which their
+mistress, the Queen of Scots, complained. Murray approved of this
+arrangement, because he foresaw from the first how it would end; and Mary
+consented to it, because she was led to believe, that Murray and his
+accomplices were summoned solely that they might answer to her complaints.
+Well aware that their answer could not be satisfactory, she fondly
+imagined that she would soon be restored to the power they had usurped.
+
+The important _Conference_, as it was termed, between the three sets of
+Commissioners, was appointed to be held at York. Mary's Commissioners were
+Lesley, Bishop of Ross, the Lords Herries, Livingston, and Boyd, Gavin
+Hamilton, Commendator of Kilwinning, Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, and Sir
+James Cockburn of Stirling.[155] Murray associated with himself the Earl
+of Morton, Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, Pitcairn, Commendator of
+Dunfermlin, and Lord Lindsay. Macgill and Balnaves, two civilians,
+Buchanan, whose pen was always at the Regent's command "through good
+report and bad report," Secretary Maitland, and one or two others, came
+with them as legal advisers and literary assistants.[156] On the part of
+Elizabeth, the Commissioners were Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, Thomas
+Ratcliffe Earl of Sussex, and Sir Ralph Sadler; and they were invested
+with full authority to arrange all the differences and controversies
+existing between her "dear sister and cousin, Mary Queen of Scots," and
+James Earl of Murray.[157]
+
+On the 4th of October 1568, the conference was opened with much solemnity
+at York. "The great abilities of the deputies on both sides," observes
+Robertson, "the dignity of the judges before whom they were to appear, the
+high rank of the persons whose cause was to be heard, and the importance
+of the points in dispute, rendered the whole transaction no less
+illustrious than it was singular. The situation in which Elizabeth
+appeared on this occasion, strikes us with an air of magnificence. Her
+rival, an independent queen, and the heir of an ancient race of monarchs,
+was a prisoner in her hands, and appeared, by her ambassadors, before her
+tribunal. The Regent of Scotland, who represented the Majesty, and
+possessed the authority of a king, stood in person at her bar, and the
+fate of a kingdom, whose power her ancestors had often dreaded, but could
+never subdue, was now absolutely at her disposal." It may, however, be
+remarked, that the "magnificence" of power depends, in a great degree, on
+the manner in which that power has been acquired; and when it is
+recollected that, by secretly and diligently fomenting civil disturbances
+in Scotland, Elizabeth first attacked Mary's peace, and then undermined
+her authority, and that, having subsequently assumed the mask of a friend,
+only to conceal the scowl of an enemy, she had forcibly arrogated the rank
+of a judge, her "air of magnificence" is discovered to be little else than
+stage-trick.
+
+The "Instructions" given to her Commissioners, are of themselves
+sufficient to show that her desire was not to extinguish, but to encourage
+animosities between the Queen of Scots and her subjects. She had
+previously assured Mary, in order to induce her to send Commissioners to
+York at all, that so far from intending to use any form or process by
+which her subjects should become her accusers, "she meant rather to have
+such of them, as the Queen of Scots should name, called into the realm, to
+be charged with such crimes as the said Queen should please to object
+against them; _and if any form of judgment should be used, it should be
+against them_."[158] But as soon as she had persuaded Mary, by these
+specious promises, to come into Court, she resolved to alter the features
+of the cause. She instructed her Commissioners to listen particularly to
+the requests and complaints of the Earl of Murray, and to assure him
+privately, that if he could prove Mary to have been implicated in her
+husband's murder, she should never be restored to the throne. Nay, she
+went further; she desired it to be intimated to the Regent, that even
+though he could not prove Mary's guilt, yet, that if he could attach
+sufficient suspicion to her, it would be left to himself and his friends
+to determine under what conditions they would again consent to receive her
+into Scotland. This was as much encouragement as Murray could desire; for
+he knew that, by artifice and effrontery, a shade of suspicion might be
+made to attach itself even to the most perfect. Mary's Commissioners, on
+the other hand, though doubting much the impartiality of the party which
+was to arbitrate between them, felt strong in the justice of their cause;
+and after protesting that their appearance was not to be construed as
+implying any surrender of her independence on the part of their mistress,
+or of feudal inferiority to the Crown of England, they proceeded to give
+in their complaint. It contained a short review of the injuries the Queen
+of Scots had suffered since her marriage with Bothwell;--of the rebellion
+of Morton and others,--of her voluntary surrender at Carberry Hill,--of
+her imprisonment in Loch-Leven,--of the abdication that had been forced
+from her,--of the coronation of her infant son, and the assumed regency of
+the Earl of Murray,--of her defeat at Langside,--and of the undutiful
+conduct in which the Regent had since persevered.[159]
+
+To this complaint it was answered, at great length, by Murray, that the
+Earl of Bothwell having forcibly carried off the person of the Queen to
+the Castle of Dunbar, and kept her there a prisoner for some time, had, in
+the end, suddenly accomplished "a pretended marriage," which, confirming
+the nobility in the belief that the Earl was the chief author of the
+murder of the King, made them determine to take up arms to relieve those
+who were unjustly calumniated, and to rescue the Queen from the bondage of
+a tyrant, who had presumptuously attempted to ravish and marry her, though
+he could neither be her lawful husband, nor she his lawful wife;--that
+Bothwell came against these nobility, "leading the Queen in his company,
+as a defence and cloak to his wickedness;" but that, as the quarrel was
+intended only against him, the Queen was received by the nobles, and led
+by them into Edinburgh, as soon as she consented to part from the
+Earl;--that she was then requested to agree that the murderers should be
+punished, and that the pretended marriage into which she had been led,
+should be dissolved;--that to this request she only answered, by
+rigorously menacing all who had taken up arms in her cause, and declaring
+she would surrender her realm altogether, "so she might be suffered to
+possess the murderer of her husband;"--that, perceiving the inflexibility
+of her mind, they had been compelled to "sequestrate her person" for a
+season;--that, during this time, she had voluntarily renounced the
+Government, finding herself wearied by its fatigues, and perceiving that
+she and her people could not well agree; and that she had appointed,
+during the minority of her son, the Earl of Murray Regent of the realm,
+and that every thing he had done since had been in accordance with the
+legal authority with which she had thus invested him;--and that he
+therefore required, in behalf of his Sovereign Lord the King, to be
+allowed peaceably to enjoy and govern the country.[160]
+
+The "Reply" of Mary's Commissioners, to this feeble and disingenuous
+"Answer" of the Earl of Murray, was quite as candid as it was conclusive.
+It was stated for Mary, that, so far from having been aware, at the time
+of her marriage, that Bothwell was "known," or "affirmed," to be the
+"chief author" of the horrible murder committed on her late husband, she
+had seen him solemnly acquitted of all suspicion by a regular trial,
+according to the laws of the realm, and that most of her principal
+nobility had solicited her to accept of him as a husband, promising him
+service, and her Highness loyal obedience,--not one of them, either before
+or after the marriage, having warned her to avoid it, or expressed their
+discontent with it, till they suddenly appeared in arms;--that, at
+Carberry Hill, she willingly parted with Bothwell, as they themselves had
+seen; but that, if he were in truth guilty of the crimes imputed to him,
+which she did not then believe, they were to blame for permitting him to
+escape;--that, upon being taken into Edinburgh, where they had promised to
+reverence her as their Queen, she found herself treated as their
+captive;--that, so far from showing any persevering attachment to
+Bothwell, she repeatedly declared it to be her wish, that the estates of
+the realm should examine into all the charges which had been made against
+him;--that, notwithstanding, she had been forcibly carried off under shade
+of night, and imprisoned against her will in the Castle of Loch-Leven,
+where she was afterwards made to subscribe instruments of abdication, only
+through the fear of present death;--that, consequently, the pretended
+coronation of her son was an unlawful and treasonable proceeding, and the
+pretended nomination of the Earl of Murray as Regent, a proof of itself
+that force and fraud had been used; for, even supposing she had been
+willing to abdicate, if she had been left to her own free choice, there
+were others whom she would have preferred to appoint to the chief rule
+during her son's minority;--that, therefore, she required the Queen of
+England to support and fortify her in the peaceable enjoyment and
+government of her realm, and to declare the pretended authority usurped by
+others null from the beginning.[161]
+
+"So far," says Hume, "the Queen of Scots seemed plainly to have the
+advantage in the contest; and the English Commissioners might have been
+surprised, that Murray had made so weak a defence." The truth is, that not
+only were the English Commissioners surprised, but the Regent himself felt
+painfully conscious, that he had entirely failed to offer even a plausible
+pretext for the dethronement of his sister, and his own usurpation.
+Elizabeth also, anxious as she was to befriend him, saw that she would be
+imperatively required, by every principle of justice and good government,
+to take measures against him, were the discussion allowed to terminate at
+the point to which it had now been brought. Means were therefore taken to
+inform Murray, that unless he was able to strengthen his case, and to
+bring his charges more directly home, the matter would in all probability
+go against him. Upon this the Regent held a consultation with his friends,
+Maitland and Buchanan, and the necessity of bringing into play a new
+device, which had been prepared as a corps-de-reserve, was by all of them
+felt and acknowledged. Though no evidence had been adduced against her,
+Mary had already been accused by her brother of having had a share in the
+murder of Darnley. But as the charge was made soon after his return from
+France, it was strongly suspected to have been invented only to justify
+himself for retaining her in Loch-Leven. Now, however, seeing the
+emergency of his affairs, he determined that something like evidence of
+its truth should be produced. This evidence consisted of a collection of
+certain letters and sonnets, alleged to be in the Queen's own hand, and
+addressed to the Earl of Bothwell, containing passages which testified at
+once her love for him, and her guilt towards Darnley. But here the
+question very naturally occurs, why these important documents should not
+have been brought forward in the earlier part of the conference; and as
+Robertson, in endeavouring to account for the delay, appears to have
+fallen into a mistake, it will be worth while examining, for a moment, the
+soundness of his hypothesis.
+
+The Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth's principal Commissioner, was one of the
+most powerful of all her nobility, and, since Mary's arrival in England,
+he had formed the ambitious project of ascending the Scottish throne by
+means of a marriage with her. With this view, he had already engaged
+extensively in secret intrigues, and had, in particular, prevailed on
+Lethington to approve of his plans, and promise him his support. But
+Robertson asserts further, that soon after his arrival at York, he won
+over Murray also to his views, and persuaded him to keep back, for a time,
+the heaviest part of his accusation against Mary, that her character might
+not be so fatally blackened. The historian's assertion, however, is
+unsupported by the evidence he adduces in its favour, his references to
+Anderson, to Goodall, and to his own Appendix, being quite unsatisfactory.
+Whatever promises Murray may, at a subsequent date, have made to Norfolk,
+it clearly appears that no charge against Mary was delayed one hour at
+York, in consequence of any understanding between these two noblemen.
+
+It had been all along the Regent's determination, not to have recourse to
+the letters, if he could make out a case without them; and even after he
+perceived that he would require their aid, he did not produce them openly,
+till they had been first shown privately to the English Commissioners, and
+their opinion obtained concerning them. It was on the 4th of October that
+the conference commenced; and on the 10th, Lethington, Macgill, and
+Buchanan, in a secret interview with Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler, laid
+before them the mysterious documents. The nature of their contents was
+communicated to Elizabeth on the 11th, and she was requested to mention in
+reply, whether, when publicly adduced and authenticated, they would be
+sufficient to secure Mary's condemnation. Murray, therefore, cannot at
+this time, have entered into any agreement with the Duke of Norfolk; for,
+so far from keeping back his box-full of letters, he was nervously anxious
+to ascertain, as speedily as possible, whether Elizabeth would attach any
+weight to them, or allow them to be branded as palpable forgeries. Had
+Robertson attended a little more to dates, he would have discovered, that
+so far from wishing to favour the views of the Duke of Norfolk, Murray
+informed Elizabeth regarding the letters and their contents, on the very
+day on which he gave in his first "Answer" to Mary's Commissioners. Nor
+had these letters been entirely unheard of till now; for, though they had
+never been exhibited, they had been expressly alluded to nearly a year
+before, in an act published by the Lords of Secret Council, on the 4th of
+December 1567, in which it was asserted, that by the discovery of certain
+of the Queen's private letters, sent by her to the Earl of Bothwell, it
+was "most certain that she was art and part of the actual device and deed
+of the murder of the King."[162] The same assertion was subsequently
+repeated, founded upon the same alleged proof, in one of the Acts of the
+Parliament called by Murray. The only legitimate conclusion therefore to
+be drawn from his unwillingness to bring forward these letters at York,
+and make good, by their means the sole charge against the Queen which
+could justify his usurpation of her authority, is, that he was afraid to
+expose such fabrications to the eye of day, until he should have received
+Elizabeth's assurance that she would treat them with becoming
+consideration, and assign to them an air of importance, even though
+forgery, with brazen audacity, was stamped upon their face.[163]
+
+As soon as Elizabeth heard of the letters, and reflected on the turn which
+they might give to the case, she determined on taking the whole of the
+proceedings under her own immediate superintendence, and with this view
+removed the conference from York to Westminster. To the Commissioners
+previously appointed, she there added the Earls of Arundel and Leicester,
+Lord Clinton, Sir Nicolas Bacon, and Sir William Cecil. Mary at first
+expressed satisfaction at this new arrangement, but several circumstances
+soon occurred which proved, that no favour was intended to her by the
+change. That which galled her most, was the marked attention paid to the
+Earl of Murray. Though Elizabeth refused Mary a personal interview, she
+admitted her rebellious brother to that honour, and thus glaringly
+deviated from the impartiality which ought to have been observed by an
+umpire. Accordingly, the Queen of Scots commanded her Commissioners, the
+Bishop of Ross and Lord Herries, to complain of this injustice. Not to be
+received into Elizabeth's presence, she could regard in no other light but
+as an assumption of superiority,--a parade of rigid righteousness,--and an
+affected dread of contamination, which, whilst it was meant to imply the
+purity of the maiden Queen, aimed at exciting suspicion of the purity of
+another. Continuing to believe that her Scottish rebels had been called
+before the English Commissioners at her instance, Mary had consented that
+her representatives should proceed from York to Westminster, to make her
+complaints as a free Sovereign. In her instructions to the Bishop of Ross,
+and those associated with him, she expressly told them, that the
+conference was appointed "only for making a pacification between her and
+her rebellious subjects, and restoring her to her realm and authority."
+She never lost sight of the fact, that she did not appeal to Elizabeth as
+a suppliant, but as an equal; and she always took care to preserve high
+and dignified ground. But to depart from this, and before the tribunal of
+Hampton Court, in which such men as Cecil were able to procure any
+decision they chose, to undertake to answer every calumnious charge which
+might be brought against her, never entered into her imagination. "It is
+not unknown to us," she wrote to her Commissioners from Bolton, "how
+hurtful and prejudicial it would be to us, our posterity and realm, to
+enter into foreign judgment or arbitrement before the Queen our good
+sister, her Council, or Commissioners, either for our estate, Crown,
+dignity or honour;--we will and command you, therefore, that you pass to
+the presence of our said dearest sister, her Council and Commissioners,
+and there, in our name, extend our clemency toward our disobedient
+subjects, and give them appointment for their offences committed against
+us and our realm,--so that they may live, in time coming, in surety under
+us their head."--"And, in case they will otherwise proceed, then we will
+and command you to dissolve this present diet and negotiation, and proceed
+no further therein, for the causes foresaid."[164]
+
+It may well be conceived, therefore, that when Mary heard of Elizabeth's
+kind and familiar treatment of the Earl of Murray, "the principal of her
+rebels," she was not a little indignant. She immediately sent word to her
+Commissioners, that, before proceeding a step further in the negotiation,
+she considered it right that she should be put on at least an equal
+footing with the pretended Regent,--for she did not choose that greater
+respect should be shown to her rebels than to her and her true subjects.
+There were other three points, of which she thought she had also just
+cause to complain. _First_, that though she had come into England on the
+assurance of friendship, and of her own free will, she had not only seen
+no steps taken to restore her to her realm and authority, but had most
+unexpectedly found herself detained a prisoner, and her confinement
+rendered closer every day;--_second_, that though, at Elizabeth's request,
+she had desired her loyal subjects in Scotland to abstain from
+hostilities, yet the Earl of Murray had not been prevented from molesting
+and invading them;--and, _third_, that having already established the
+utter groundlessness of the charges brought against her, instead of
+finding herself reinstated on her throne, the conference had been merely
+removed to a greater distance, where she could not communicate with her
+Commissioners so frequently and speedily as was necessary. In
+consideration of these premises, and especially in consideration of the
+treatment of the Earl of Murray, "you shall break the conference," she
+continued, "and proceed no further therein, but take your leave, and come
+away. And if our sister allege that, at the beginning, she were content
+our cause should be conferred on by Commissioners, it is true. But since
+our principal rebels have free access towards her to accuse us in her
+presence, and the same is denied to us, personally to declare our
+innocence, and answer to their calumnies, being held as prisoner, and
+transported from place to place, though we came into her realm, of our
+free will, to seek her support and natural amity, we have resolved to have
+nothing further conferred on, except we be present before her, as the said
+rebels."[165]
+
+In the mean time, before these letters arrived, the Commissioners had held
+several sittings at Westminster; and Elizabeth having personally informed
+Murray, that if he would accuse the Queen of Scots of a share in the
+murder of Darnley, and produce the letters he had in his possession, she
+would authorize his continuance in the Regency, he no longer hesitated. On
+the 26th of November, after protesting that he had been anxious to save,
+as long as possible, the mother of his gracious King, James VI., from the
+perpetual infamy which the discovery of her shame would attach to her, and
+that he was now forced to disclose it, in his own defence, because it was
+maintained, that his previous answer to the complaint made against him was
+not sufficient, Murray, in conjunction with his colleagues, presented to
+the English Commissioners an "Eik" or addition to their "Answer," in which
+they formally charged Mary with the murder. As to the reluctance so
+hypocritically avowed, it has been already seen, that so far back as
+December 1567, precisely the same charge, though unsupported by any
+evidence, was brought forward in the Scottish Parliament; and having then
+served its purpose, was allowed to lie dormant for eleven months. It is
+true, that there was then, no less than now, a palpable contradiction
+between this accusation, and the grounds which had always previously been
+assigned, both for Mary's "sequestration" in Loch-Leven, and her alleged
+voluntary abdication. It was not till the public mind had been inflamed,
+and till opposing interests contributed to involve the truth in obscurity,
+that the notorious fact was denied or concealed, that Mary had been forced
+into an unwilling marriage with Bothwell, and that her abduction, and
+imprisonment in the Castle of Dunbar, were themselves an answer to any
+suspicion, that she was one of his accomplices in Darnley's slaughter. But
+now that Mary was a prisoner, in the hands of a jealous rival, the Regent
+naturally supposed, that some contradictions would be overlooked; and all
+at once, assuming a tone of the utmost confidence, and undertaking "to
+manifest the naked truth," he ventured on couching his assertion in these
+terms:--"It is certain, and we boldly and constantly affirm, that as
+James, some time Earl of Bothwell, was the chief executor of the horrible
+and unworthy murder, perpetrated in the person of King Henry, of good
+memory, father to our Sovereign Lord, and the Queen's lawful husband,--so
+was she of the fore-knowledge, counsel, and device, persuader and
+commander of the said murder to be done, maintainer and fortifier of the
+executors thereof, by impeding and stopping of the inquisition and
+punishment due for the same, according to the laws of the realm, and,
+consequently, by marriage with the said James, some time Earl Bothwell,
+dilated and universally esteemed chief author of the above named
+murder."[166] In support of this new charge, the letters and other
+documents were referred to, and it was promised to produce them as soon as
+they were called for.
+
+Before they were able to inform their mistress of the unexpected turn
+which affairs had taken, Mary's Commissioners received her instructions
+from Bolton, to proceed no further in the conference. They therefore
+stated to Elizabeth, that though they were heartily sorry to perceive
+their countrymen, with a view to colour their unjust and ungrateful
+doings, had committed to writing a charge of so shameful a sort, they
+nevertheless could not condescend to answer it, having begun the
+conference at York as plaintives, and having afterwards found their
+relative positions altered, Murray being admitted into her Majesty's
+presence, to advance his calumnious falsehoods, and Mary being expected to
+defend herself against them, though kept in imprisonment at a distance. At
+the same time, according to Mary's commands, they said that, although the
+proceedings of the Regent were altogether intolerable and injurious, they
+would not yet dissolve the conference, provided their mistress were
+permitted to appear in her own person before the Queen of England and her
+nobility.[167] To this request Elizabeth would not agree. Her real motive
+was the fear of truth; that which she assigned was sufficiently
+preposterous. "As to your desire," she said to Mary's Commissioners, "that
+your Sovereign should come to my presence to declare her innocence in this
+cause, you will understand, that from the beginning why she was debarred
+therefrom, was through the bruit and slander that was passed upon her,
+that she was participant of such a heinous crime as the murder of her
+husband; and I thought it best for your mistress's weal and honour, and
+also for mine own, that trial should be taken thereof before her coming to
+me; _for I could never believe, nor yet will, that ever she did assent
+thereto_."[168] If Elizabeth had been anxious to see justice done, she
+could very easily have overcome the squeamish dread of being brought into
+contact with Mary, the more especially as she arrogated for herself the
+superior character of judge, as it was only "bruit and slander" that
+implicated her "dearest sister," and as she did not, according to her own
+confession, believe her guilty, _even after she had been informed of the
+existence of the love-letters, and made acquainted with their contents_.
+Both parties, however, continuing alike resolute, the Commissioners of the
+Queen of Scots intimated, that in so far as they were concerned, the
+conference might be considered closed.
+
+It is here of some importance to point out, that both Robertson and Hume
+have deduced an argument against Mary, from their own erroneous manner of
+stating the proceedings of the conference at Westminster. According to the
+narrative of both these historians, the reader is led to believe, that
+Mary was perfectly willing to go on till the moment that Murray accused
+her of being a sharer in Darnley's murder, but that, as soon as this
+charge was made, she drew back as if afraid to meet it. Robertson and Hume
+would have themselves discovered how unfair this view of the matter was,
+had they taken the trouble to attend to the dates of the documents
+connected with the transaction. By these they would have seen, that Mary
+refused to proceed on the 22d of November 1568, unless admitted equally
+with the Earl of Murray into Elizabeth's presence, and that Murray's
+accusation was not produced till the 26th.[169] Thus so far from
+"recoiling from the inquiry at the critical moment," as Hume expresses it,
+she did not hesitate to proceed until she had rebutted every thing which
+had been advanced against her, and stood on even higher ground than
+before. It will besides be immediately found, that notwithstanding her
+previous determination to the contrary, she was no sooner informed of the
+existence of letters alleged to have been written by her to Bothwell, than
+she was willing to enter into a proof of their authenticity.
+
+It would not have suited Elizabeth's views to allow the contending parties
+to slip through her fingers, before arriving at any definite conclusion.
+She therefore fell upon an expedient by which she hoped, although the
+Queen of Scots had withdrawn from the conference, and it consequently
+should have been considered at an end, to attach to her so great a degree
+of suspicion, that she might safely detain her from her own realm. She
+ordered Murray and his colleagues to be called before her Commissioners;
+and the scene having been arranged before-hand with them, she commanded
+the Regent to be rebuked for accusing his native Sovereign of a crime so
+horrible, that if it could be proved true, she would be infamous to all
+princes in the world. The Regent readily answered, that finding he had
+displeased her Majesty, he had no objections to show the Commissioners "a
+collection made in writing of the presumptions and circumstances" by which
+he had been guided in the charge he had advanced against Mary, and which
+would satisfy them that it had not been made without due grounds and
+consideration. This was all that Elizabeth wished. In however glaring a
+point of view it placed her injustice, she rejoiced that Mary's
+Commissioners were no longer attending the conference; for she would now
+be able to represent to the world, without fear of contradiction, the
+overwhelming strength of Murray's evidences, and hold them out as the
+justification of her own severity. These hopes and plans, however, were
+very nearly frustrated by the boldness and decision of Mary's conduct. As
+soon as she received intelligence of this new accusation, and of the means
+by which it was to be supported, she resolved that her own innocence and
+its falsehood should be made apparent; and for this purpose, she even
+consented to depart from her former demand of being personally admitted to
+Elizabeth's presence. She wrote to her Commissioners to resume the duties
+which they had intermitted, and to renew the conference once more. "We
+have seen the copy," she said, "which you have sent us of the false and
+unlawful accusation presented against us by some of our rebels, together
+with the declarations and protestations made by you thereon before the
+Queen of England, our good sister's Commissioners, wherein you have obeyed
+our commands to refuse consenting to any further proceedings, if the
+presence of our sister were refused us. But that our rebels may see that
+they have not closed your mouths, you may offer a reply to the pretended
+excuse and cloak of their wicked actions, falsity and disloyalty, whereof
+you had no information before, it being a thing so horrible, that neither
+we nor you could have imagined it would have fallen into the thoughts of
+the said rebels."[170]
+
+A reply was accordingly made, in which the "Eik" was maintained to be
+false in every particular, and nothing but a device, contrived to justify
+Murray's own "detestable doings and ambitious purpose." The writings, or
+at least copies of them, which had been adduced in support of the Regent's
+charge, were required to be delivered; and it was intimated, that Mary
+would undertake to prove, that the very men who now accused her of murder,
+were themselves the first inventors, and some of them the executors of the
+deed. It will at first appear hardly credible, but it is nevertheless
+true, that Elizabeth refused to allow duplicates of the evidence against
+her to be sent to Mary. On the contrary, she now hastened to break up the
+conference; Murray was sent back to his Regency, and the Queen of Scots
+detained in closer captivity than ever; and though she even yet petitioned
+to see the writings, Elizabeth refused to surrender them, except upon
+conditions with which Mary's Commissioners would not comply. They had
+formally accused the Regent and his adherents of a share in Bothwell's
+guilt; yet the latter had been permitted "to depart into Scotland without
+abiding to hear the defence of the Queen of Scotland's innocency, nor the
+trial and proof of their detection, which was offered to verify and prove
+them guilty of the same crime, but were fully released, and no end put to
+the cause, according to the equity and justice thereof. It did not appear
+meet, therefore, that their Sovereign should make any further answer,
+unless her rebels were made to remain within the realm until the trial
+ended."[171]
+
+As no decision had been pronounced against Mary, and as the Regent had
+been allowed to depart, leave was also asked for her to return to
+Scotland, or proceed to France, as she might think fit. This, however, was
+expressly refused; but it was insultingly promised, that if she would
+yield up the crown and government of Scotland in favour of her son the
+Prince, she would be permitted to remain privately and quietly in England.
+Mary, of course, rejected the proposal with scorn. "The eyes of all
+Europe," she said, "are upon me at this moment; and were I thus tamely to
+yield to my adversaries, I should be pronouncing my own condemnation. A
+thousand times rather would I submit to death, than inflict this stain
+upon my honour. The last words I speak shall be those of the Queen of
+Scotland."[172]
+
+Thus ended this famous conference, which Elizabeth had opened with so many
+professions of friendship, which she conducted with so much duplicity, and
+which she concluded without any conclusion, except that of endeavouring to
+blacken the character of her sister Mary, and give plausibility to her
+continued imprisonment. To a certain extent it answered her purpose. She
+had won the reputation, in the eyes of those who looked only at the
+surface of things, of having endeavoured to do justice between the Queen
+of Scots and her nobility; she had secured the favour of the Regent; and
+had obtained a strong hold of the person of her rival, whom she now doomed
+to lingering and hopeless captivity.[173]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+MARY'S EIGHTEEN YEARS' CAPTIVITY.
+
+
+The last eighteen years of Mary's life were spent in imprisonment, and are
+comparatively a blank in her personal history. She was transported, at
+intervals, from castle to castle, and was intrusted sometimes to the
+charge of one nobleman, and sometimes of another; but for her the active
+scenes of life were past,--the splendour and the dignity of a throne were
+to be enjoyed no longer,--the sceptre of her native country was never more
+to grace her hand,--her will ceased to influence a nation,--her voice did
+not travel beyond the walls that witnessed her confinement. She came into
+England at the age of twenty-five, in the prime of womanhood, the full
+vigour of health, and the rapidly ripening strength of her intellectual
+powers. She was there destined to feel in all its bitterness, that "hope
+delayed maketh the heart sick." Year after year passed slowly on, and year
+after year her spirits became more exhausted, her health feebler, and her
+doubts and fears confirmed, till they at length settled into despair.
+Premature old age overtook her, before she was past the meridian of life;
+and for some time before her death, her hair was white "with other snows
+than those of age." Yet, during the whole of this long period, amid
+sufferings which would have broken many a masculine spirit, and which,
+even in our own times, have been seen to conquer those who had conquered
+empires, Mary retained the innate grace and dignity of her character,
+never forgetting that she had been born a queen, or making her calamities
+an excuse for the commission of any petty meanness, which she would have
+scorned in the day of her prosperity. Full of incident as her previous
+life had been,--brilliant in many of its achievements, fortunate in some,
+and honourable in all, it may be doubted whether the forbearance,
+fortitude, and magnanimity, displayed in her latter years, does not
+redound more highly to her praise, than all that preceded. Many important
+events took place, and intrigues of various kinds were carried on, between
+the years 1569, and 1586, but as it is not the intention of this work to
+illustrate any parts of the history either of Scotland or England, which
+do not bear immediate reference to the Queen of Scots, nothing but a
+summary of them, in so far as they were connected with her, need be
+introduced here.
+
+It was on the 12th of January 1569, that the Earl of Murray and the
+Scottish Commissioners obtained permission to return home, the Regent
+having previously received from Elizabeth a loan of 5000_l._, lent him
+"for the maintenance of peace between the realms of England and Scotland,"
+or in other words, as a bribe to secure his co-operation in all time
+coming.[174] Mary, on the contrary, was removed from Bolton, to the Castle
+of Tutbury in Staffordshire, farther in the interior of England, and was
+placed under the charge of Lord Shrewsbury, to whom Tutbury belonged.
+Elizabeth was unwilling to allow her captive to remain long in any one
+place, lest she should form connections and friendships, which might lead
+to arrangements for an escape. Besides, Sir Francis Knollys had
+represented, that unless it was determined to keep the Scottish Queen so
+close a prisoner, that she should not be allowed to ride out occasionally,
+which would be death to her, she could not remain any longer at Bolton,
+for want of forage and provisions.[175] During the year, she was taken
+about by Shrewsbury, on occasional visits, to several mansions which he
+possessed in different parts of England; but Tutbury was her
+head-quarters; and wherever she went, she was very strictly guarded. "If I
+might give advice," says one of Cecil's friends, in a letter he wrote to
+him about this time, "there should very few subjects of this land have
+access to a conference with this lady; for, beside that she is a goodly
+personage (and yet in truth not comparable to our Sovereign), she hath
+withal an alluring grace, a pretty Scotch speech, and a searching wit,
+clouded with mildness. The greatest person about her is the Lord
+Livingston, and the lady his wife, which is a fair gentlewoman. She hath
+nine women more, fifty persons in her household, with ten horses. Lord
+Shrewsbury is very watchful of his charge; but the Queen overwatches them
+all, for it is one of the clock at least every night ere she go to bed. I
+asked her Grace, since the weather did cut off all exercise abroad, how
+she passed the time within? She said, that all the day she wrought with
+her needle, and that the diversity of the colours made the work seem less
+tedious; and she continued so long till even pain made her give over; and
+with that laid her hand upon her left side, and complained of an old grief
+newly increased there. She then entered upon a pretty disputable
+comparison between carving, painting, and working with the needle,
+affirming painting, in her own opinion, for the most commendable
+quality."[176]
+
+But though Mary thus attempted to beguile her solitude, the thought of her
+unjust imprisonment never ceased to prey upon her mind. Elizabeth and
+Cecil tried to defend themselves upon four grounds; but they were all
+alike weak. They said, _first_, that she was a lawful prisoner by good
+treaties. But as they did not mention to what treaties they alluded,
+Chalmers supposes they meant the same kind of treaties "which justify the
+Barbary Powers to detain all Christians as slaves." They said, _secondly_,
+that she could not be suffered to depart, till she had satisfied the wrong
+she had done to Elizabeth, in openly claiming the crown of England, and
+not making any just recompense. But the disavowal of that claim was all
+the recompense that was necessary; and though Mary had made the claim when
+married to Francis, she had expressly given it up ever since his death.
+They said, _thirdly_, that Elizabeth possessed a superiority over the
+crown of Scotland. But this antiquated notion, arising from the
+subservience of John Baliol to Edward I., in 1292, had long been
+relinquished, and had never been acknowledged in any treaty between the
+two nations. They said, _fourthly_, that the Queen of England was bound to
+attend to the petition of her subjects "in matters of blood." But though
+Lord and Lady Lennox had been brought forward to present a petition
+against Mary, it was evident that Elizabeth had no power either to grant
+or refuse such petition, the Queen of Scots not being one of her subjects.
+
+Though Mary's enemies, however, prevailed, her friends were by no means
+discomfited. In Scotland, Murray found that only one half of the kingdom
+was disposed to submit to his authority; and it was not till after a
+protracted and disastrous civil war, that he was able to free himself from
+the resolute hostility of Chatelherault, Argyle, Huntly, and others. In
+England, the Duke of Norfolk was more active than ever in his intrigues.
+So far from being alarmed by the pretended discoveries to her prejudice,
+he openly expressed his conviction of their falsehood, and prevailed upon
+a number of the English nobility to second, to the best of their power,
+his honourable proposals to the Queen of Scots.[177] Though it does not
+appear that he was able to obtain a personal interview with Mary, many
+letters passed between them; and as she soon perceived that her best
+chance of restoration to the throne of Scotland was by joining her
+interests with those of Norfolk, (whose power and estates were so
+extensive, that Melville calls him the greatest subject in Europe,) she
+promised that, though little disposed to form a new alliance, after the
+experience she had already had of matrimony, she would nevertheless bestow
+her hand on him as soon as she should regain her liberty, through his
+means. The Duke's machinations, however, which had been hitherto carefully
+concealed from Elizabeth, at length reached her ears, and in the utmost
+indignation she scrupled not, with her usual arbitrary violence, to send
+him to the Tower, where she kept him a close prisoner for upwards of nine
+months,--while the Earls of Arundel, Pembroke, and Leicester, who had
+favoured his views, all fell into disgrace. Mary was watched more narrowly
+than before; and Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, who pretended a superior
+right to the English succession, was joined with Shrewsbury in the
+commission of superintending her imprisonment.
+
+Norfolk had not been long in the Tower, when an open rebellion broke out
+in the Northern counties, headed by the Earls of Northumberland and
+Westmoreland. It is difficult to ascertain the precise causes which led to
+it. Though there is no reason to believe that Mary gave it any
+encouragement, it seems to have borne some reference to her; for in the
+"Declaration" published by the Earls, one ground of complaint was the want
+of a law for settling the succession. They marched also towards Tutbury,
+with the evident intention of restoring Mary to freedom, which they might
+have succeeded in doing, had she not been removed with all expedition to
+Coventry. Elizabeth sent an army against the rebels, and they were
+speedily dispersed;--Westmoreland concealed himself on the Borders; but
+Northumberland, proceeding further into Scotland, was seized by Murray,
+and confined in the castle of Loch-Leven,--probably in the very apartments
+which Mary had occupied.
+
+The year 1570 opened with an event which materially affected the state of
+public affairs in Scotland, and which to Mary was the occasion of many
+mingled feelings. Elizabeth, perceiving the danger which accrued to
+herself from detaining a prisoner of so much importance, had commenced a
+negotiation with the Earl of Murray for replacing his sister in his hands,
+when she received the unexpected and unwelcome intelligence of his
+assassination. The manner and cause of his death are sufficiently known to
+all who are acquainted with Scottish History; and though nothing can
+justify a murder committed to gratify private revenge, yet it is
+impossible to read the story of the wrongs which the Regent had heaped
+upon Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, without feeling towards the latter more of
+pity than of hatred.
+
+Next to Mary herself, no one had held so prominent a place in Scotland as
+the Earl of Murray; and there is no one concerning whose character
+historians have more widely differed. There can be no doubt that, like
+most human characters, it was a very mixed one; but it is to be feared
+that the evil preponderated. Ambition was his ruling passion, and the
+temptations which his birth, rank, and fortune, held out for its
+indulgence, unfortunately led him into errors and crimes which, had he
+been contented with an humbler sphere, he would in all probability have
+avoided. There are various sorts of ambition, and the most dangerous is
+not always that which is most apparent and reckless. Murray was ambitious
+under the cloak of patriotism, and the mask of religion. He had enough of
+knowledge of mankind to be aware, that no one could so safely play the
+villain as he who maintained a high name for integrity. Hence, though he
+may have loved honesty to a certain extent, for its own sake, he loved it
+a great deal more for the sake of the advantages to be derived from a
+reputation for possessing it. He was perhaps constitutionally religious;
+but though he was very willing to fight as a leader in the armies of the
+Reformation, it is somewhat questionable that he would have served the
+good cause with equal zeal, had he been obliged to fill only a subordinate
+place in its ranks. There is every reason to believe that in many cases he
+did good only that he might the more safely do wrong; and that he rigidly
+observed all the external forms of religion, only that the less suspicion
+might attach to him when he infringed its precepts. He had enough of moral
+rectitude to understand the distinctions between right and wrong, but too
+much selfishness to observe them unostentatiously, and too much prudence
+to disregard them openly. Thus to the casual observer he appeared strong
+in unshaken integrity, and full of the odour of sanctity. He possessed
+the art, which few but profound politicians can acquire, of going in the
+wrong path, as if he were in the right, and of gaining more estimation for
+his errors, than others do for their virtues. His conduct towards his
+sister was altogether unjustifiable; yet with the exception of his
+rebellion on the occasion of her marriage with Darnley, which was the
+least objectionable, because the boldest and most straight-forward part of
+the whole, he contrived to inflict, and to see inflicted, the deadliest
+injuries, as if he unwillingly submitted to them, rather than actively
+instigated them. He had little warmth of feeling; but what he had,
+prompted him to affect to feel as he never in reality did. He possessed
+all the talent compatible with cunning; he had abundance of military
+skill, and was not deficient in personal courage. He was not often cruel,
+because he saw it for his interest to be humane; he was a patron of
+literature, and attentive to his friends, because patronage and a numerous
+body of friends confer power. He affected nevertheless an ostentatious
+austerity in his manners, which it was impossible to reconcile with the
+worldliness of his pursuits. In short, he had so involved his whole
+character in disingenuousness, under a show of every thing that was
+exactly the reverse, that he was probably not aware himself when he acted
+from good, and when from bad motives. He had far too much ambition to be
+an upright man, and far too much good sense to be an undisguised villain.
+Notwithstanding all the ill usage she had received from him, Mary shed
+tears when she heard of his untimely death; and to record this fact, is
+the highest euloguim which need be passed on his memory.
+
+The Scots chose the Earl of Lennox Regent in the place of Murray, whilst
+Elizabeth, says Robertson, "adhering to her old system with regard to
+Scottish affairs, laboured, notwithstanding the solicitations of Mary's
+friends, to multiply and to perpetuate the factions which tore in pieces
+the kingdom." At the same time, she pretended to enter into a new
+negotiation with Mary, as she frequently did at subsequent periods, when
+hard pressed by any of the more powerful friends of the Queen of Scots.
+But after appointing Commissioners, and requiring Morton and others to
+meet them from Scotland, the affair ended as it began; Mary still
+continued in her prison, and Morton returned home, no proposals having
+been made, to which either of the parties would agree. About this period
+Elizabeth's temper was particularly soured, by an excommunication which
+Pope Pius V. issued against her, and which she erroneously supposed had
+been prepared in concert with Mary. A person of the name of Felton,
+affixed a copy of the Pope's Bull on the gate of the Bishop of London's
+palace, and, refusing either to fly or conceal himself, he was seized and
+executed for the crime. In her ill humour, Elizabeth also ordered that
+Mary should not be allowed to go abroad, and she did not revoke this
+order, until strong representations were made to her of the cruel effect
+produced by it on the health of the Queen, whose constitution was now much
+broken. The weakness in one of her sides which had long pained her, had of
+late greatly increased, and she was obliged to have recourse to
+strengthening baths of white wine.[178] During this year she was removed
+from Tutbury to Chatsworth, and from Chatsworth she was taken to the Earl
+of Shrewsbury's castle at Sheffield,--"a town," says Camden, "of great
+renown for the smiths therein." She had not at the most above thirty
+attendants, among whom the principal were Lord and Lady Livingston, her
+young friend William Douglas, Castel her French physician, and Roulet her
+French Secretary. The latter died when she was at Sheffield, and his death
+afflicted her much. All communication with her friends at a distance was
+denied her; and her letters were continually intercepted, and either
+copies, or the originals, sent to Cecil. Yet she had too proud a spirit to
+give way to unavailing complaints; and when she wrote to inquire after her
+faithful servant the Bishop of Ross, whom Elizabeth had put into
+confinement, from a jealousy of his exertions for his mistress, all she
+allowed herself to say was, that she pitied poor prisoners, for she was
+used like one herself.
+
+In the year 1571, the Duke of Norfolk, who had been by this time
+discharged from the Tower, had the imprudence to renew his intrigues for
+the liberation of Mary, and his own marriage with her. The secret
+correspondence was renewed between them; and the Queen of Scots sent him,
+says Stranguage, "a long commentary of her purposes, and certain
+love-letters in a private character, known to them two." The Duke was now
+resolved either to make or mar his fortune; and, deeply engaging in the
+dangerous game he was playing, he scrupled not to have recourse to many
+highly treasonable practices. He set on foot negotiations both with one
+Rodolphi, a Florentine merchant, residing in London, and an agent of the
+Court of Rome, and with the Spanish ambassador; and with them he boldly
+entered into an extensive conspiracy, which, if successful, would entirely
+have subverted the Government. His plan was, that the Duke of Alva should
+land in England with a numerous army, and should be immediately joined by
+himself and friends. They were then to proclaim Mary's right to the
+throne, call upon all good Catholics to support them, and march direct for
+London. The Pope, and the King of Spain, readily entered into the scheme;
+and every thing appeared to be proceeding according to his wishes, when
+the treachery of one of Norfolk's servants made Elizabeth acquainted with
+the whole conspiracy. The Duke was immediately seized, and thrown into
+prison; and, after several private examinations, he was tried for high
+treason, found guilty, and condemned to death. Elizabeth, who cultivated a
+reputation for extreme sensibility, affected the greatest reluctance to
+sign the warrant for Norfolk's execution. But she was at length able to
+shut her heart against his many noble qualities, his princely spirit, and
+valuable services, and she ordered him to be led to the scaffold. He there
+confessed that he had been justly found guilty, in so far as he had dealt
+with the Queen of Scots, in weighty and important business, without the
+knowledge of his own Queen. He died, as he had lived, with undaunted
+courage. When the executioner offered him a napkin to cover his eyes, he
+refused it, saying, "I fear not death;" and, laying his head on the block,
+it was taken off at one blow.
+
+Elizabeth was extremely anxious to implicate Mary in Norfolk's guilt, and,
+for this purpose, sent Commissioners to her to reproach her with her
+offences. Mary heard all they had to say with the utmost calmness; and,
+when they called upon her for her answer, she replied, that though she was
+a free Queen, and did not consider herself accountable, either to them or
+their mistress, she had, nevertheless, no hesitation to assure them of the
+injustice of their accusations. She protested that she had never imagined
+any detriment to Elizabeth by her marriage with Norfolk,--that she had
+never encouraged him to raise rebellion, or been privy to it, but was, on
+the contrary, most ready to reveal any conspiracy against the Queen of
+England which might come to her ears,--that though Rodolphi had been of
+use to her in the transmission of letters abroad, she had never received
+any from him,--that as to attempting an escape, she willingly gave ear to
+all who offered to assist her, and in hope of effecting her deliverance,
+had corresponded with several in cipher,--that so far from having any hand
+in the Bull of excommunication, when a copy of it was sent her, she burned
+it after she had read it,--and that she held no communication with any
+foreign State, upon any matters unconnected with her restoration to her
+own kingdom. Satisfied with this reply, the Commissioners returned to
+London.[179]
+
+All the miseries of civil war were in the meantime desolating the kingdom
+of Scotland. The Earl of Lennox was a feeble and very incompetent
+successor to Murray. Perceiving him unable to maintain his authority, and
+observing that the current of popular feeling was becoming stronger
+against the unjust imprisonment which Mary was suffering, many of those
+who had stood by Murray deserted to the opposite faction. Among the rest
+were Secretary Maitland and Kircaldy of Grange, the first the ablest
+statesman, and the second the best soldier in the country. It was now
+almost impossible to say which side preponderated. Both parties levied
+armies, convoked Parliaments, fought battles, besieged towns, and ordered
+executions. "Fellow-citizens, friends, brothers," says Robertson, "took
+different sides, and ranged themselves under the standards of the
+contending factions. In every county, and almost in every town and
+village, _Kingsmen_ and _Queensmen_ were names of distinction. Political
+hatred dissolved all natural ties, and extinguished the reciprocal
+good-will and confidence which hold mankind together in society. Religious
+zeal mingled itself with these civil distinctions, and contributed not a
+little to heighten and to inflame them." One of the most successful
+exploits performed by the Regent, was the taking of the Castle of
+Dumbarton from the Queen's Lords. The Archbishop of St Andrews, whom he
+found in it, was condemned to be hanged without a trial, and the sentence
+was immediately executed. No Bishop had ever suffered in Scotland so
+ignominiously before; and while the King's adherents were glad to get rid
+of one who had been very zealous against them, the nobles who supported
+the Queen were exasperated to the last degree by so violent a measure, and
+their watchword became,--"Think on the Archbishop of St Andrews!" Lennox
+was sacrificed to his memory; for the town of Stirling having been
+suddenly taken, in an expedition contrived by Grange, Lennox, after he had
+surrendered himself prisoner, was shot by command of Lord Claud Hamilton,
+brother to the deceased Archbishop; and in his room, the Earl of Mar was
+elected Regent.
+
+In the year 1572, Mary's cause sustained a serious injury, by the
+atrocious massacre of the Hugonots in France, which exasperated all the
+Protestants throughout Europe, and made the very name of a Catholic
+Sovereign odious. Although Mary herself, so far from having lent any
+countenance to this massacre, had expressly avowed her unwillingness to
+constrain the conscience of any one, and had been all her life the
+strenuous advocate of toleration, yet, recollecting her connexion with
+Charles IX. and Catharine de Medicis, whose sanguinary fury made itself so
+conspicuous on this melancholy occasion, her enemies took care that she
+should not escape from some share of the blame. Elizabeth, in particular,
+taking advantage of the excitement which had been given to public feeling,
+used every exertion to secure the circulation of Buchanan's notorious
+"Detection of Mary's Doings," which had been published a short time
+before. She ordered Cecil to send a number of copies to Walsingham, her
+ambassador at Paris, that they might be presented to the King, and leading
+persons of the French Court. "It is not amiss," Cecil wrote, "to have
+divers of Buchanan's little Latin books to present, if need be, to the
+King, as from yourself, and likewise to some of the other noblemen of his
+Council; for they will serve to good effect to disgrace her, _which must
+be done before other purposes can be attained_." Cecil himself printed and
+circulated a small treatise, in the shape of a letter, from London to a
+friend at a distance, giving an account of the "Detection," and the credit
+it deserved. The publication, on the other hand, of Bishop Lesley's
+"Defence of Queen Mary's Honour," was positively interdicted; and Lesley
+was obliged to send the manuscript abroad, before he was able to present
+it to the world. To such low and cowardly devices were Elizabeth and her
+Minister under the necessity of resorting, to blacken the character of
+Mary, and justify their own iniquitous proceedings![180]
+
+In Scotland, too, Mary's party, beginning to see the hopelessness of the
+cause, was gradually dwindling away. Through Mar's exertions, a general
+peace might have been obtained, had not Morton's superior influence and
+persevering cruelty drawn out the civil war to the last dregs. Mar,
+finding himself thwarted in every measure he proposed for the tranquillity
+of his country, fell into a deep melancholy, which ended in his death,
+before he had been a year in office. Morton succeeded him without
+opposition, and immediately proceeded to very violent measures against all
+the Queen's friends, who were now divided into two parties, the one
+headed by Chatelherault and Huntly, and the other by Maitland and Grange.
+After gaining some advantages over both, he concluded a peace with the
+former; and having invested the Castle of Edinburgh on all sides, in
+conjunction with some troops which Elizabeth sent to his assistance, he at
+length forced the latter to surrender. Kircaldy of Grange, the bravest and
+most honest man in Scotland, was hanged at the Cross of Edinburgh; and
+Secretary Maitland, who, with all his talents, had vacillated too much to
+be greatly respected, anticipating a similar fate, avoided it by a
+voluntary death, "ending his days," says Melville, "after the old Roman
+fashion."
+
+About the same time, John Knox concluded his laborious, and, in many
+respects, useful life, in the 67th year of his age. Appearing as he did,
+in treacherous and turbulent times, the rough unpolished integrity of Knox
+demands the higher praise, because it enabled him the more successfully to
+maintain an influence over the minds of his countrymen, and effect those
+important revolutions in their modes of thought and belief, which his
+superior abilities pointed out to him as conducive to the moral and
+religious improvement of the land. He had many failings, but they were to
+be attributed more to the age to which he belonged, than to any fault of
+his own. His very violence and acrimony, his strong prejudices, and no
+less confirmed partialities, were perhaps the very best instruments he
+could have used for advancing the cause of the Reformation. He was without
+the cunning of Murray, the fickleness of Maitland, or the ferocity of
+Morton. He pursued a steady and undeviating course; and though loved by
+few, he was reverenced by many. Courage, in particular,--and not the mere
+common-place courage inspired by the possession of physical strength, but
+the far nobler courage arising from a consciousness of innate
+integrity,--was the leading feature of his mind. Morton never spoke more
+truly than when he said at the grave of Knox,--"Here lies he who never
+feared the face of man."
+
+In the year 1573, Mary, at her own earnest request, was removed, for the
+benefit of her health, from Sheffield to the Wells at Buxton. The news she
+had lately received from Scotland, and the apparent annihilation of all
+her hopes, had affected her not a little. "Though she makes little show of
+any grief," the Earl of Shrewsbury wrote to Cecil, "yet this news nips her
+very sore." At Buxton, which was then the most fashionable watering-place
+in England, she was obliged to live in complete seclusion; and it may
+easily be conceived, that the waters could be of little benefit to her,
+without the aid of air, exercise, and amusement. Lesley, though detained
+at a distance, took every means in his power to afford her consolation,
+and wrote two treatises, after the manner of Seneca, expressly applicable
+to her condition; both of which he sent to her. The first was
+entitled,--"_Piæ afflicti animi meditationes divinaque remedia_," and the
+second,--"_Tranquillitatis animi conservatio et munimentum_." She thanked
+him for both of these productions, and assured him, that she had received
+much benefit from their perusal. With many parts of the first, in
+particular, she was so pleased, that she occupied herself in paraphrasing
+them into French verse.[181] Lesley was soon afterwards allowed by
+Elizabeth to pass into France, where he long continued to exert himself in
+the cause of his mistress, visiting, on her account, several foreign
+courts, and exposing himself to many inconveniences and hardships. He died
+at a good old age in 1596, and his memory deserves to be cherished, both
+for the many amiable qualities he possessed in private life, and his
+inflexible fidelity and attachment to the Queen of Scots.[182]
+
+In 1574, a fresh misfortune overtook Mary, in the death of her
+brother-in-law, Charles IX. He was succeeded on the throne by the Duke of
+Anjou, who took the title of Henry III., and was little inclined to exert
+himself in the cause of his sister, having been long at enmity with the
+house of Guise. But a still more fatal blow was the death of her uncle,
+the Cardinal of Lorraine, who had ever made it a part of his policy to
+identify her interests with his own, and to whom she had always been
+accustomed to turn, with confidence, in her greatest distresses.
+
+From this period to the year 1581, Mary seems to have been nearly
+forgotten by all parties. Elizabeth, satisfied with keeping her rival
+securely imprisoned, busied herself with other affairs of political
+moment; and, in Scotland, as the Prince grew up, and years passed on,
+death, or other causes, gradually diminished the number of Mary's
+adherents; and though the country was far from being in tranquillity, the
+dissensions assumed a new shape, for even they who opposed the regency of
+the Earl of Morton, found it more for their interest to associate
+themselves with the young King than with the absent Queen. Mary became
+gradually more solitary and more depressed. Though yet only in the prime
+of womanhood, she had lived to see almost all her best friends, and some
+of her worst enemies, depart from the world before her. The specious
+Murray,--the imbecile Lennox,--Hamilton, the last supporter of
+Catholicism,--Knox, the great champion of the Reformation,--the gentle
+Mar,--the brilliant but misguided Norfolk,--the gallant Kircaldy,--and the
+sagacious Maitland,--had all been removed from the scene; and in the
+melancholy solitude of her prison, she wept to think that she should have
+been destined to survive them. But Elizabeth had no sympathy for her
+griefs, and every rumour which reached her ear, only served as an excuse
+for narrowing and rendering more irksome Mary's captivity. Even the few
+female friends who had been at first allowed to attend her, were taken
+from her; no congenial society of any sort was allowed her; it was rarely,
+indeed, that she was permitted to hunt or hawk, or take any exercise out
+of doors; and the wearisome monotony of her sedentary life, at once
+impaired her health and broke down her spirits. The manner in which she
+spoke of her own situation, in letters she wrote about this period to
+France and elsewhere, is not the less affecting, that it is characterized
+by that mental dignity and queenly spirit which no afflictions could
+overcome. "I find it necessary," she wrote from Tutbury in 1680, "to
+renew the memorial of my grievances respecting the remittance of my dowry,
+the augmentation of my attendants, and a change of
+residence,--circumstances apparently trivial, and of small importance to
+the Queen, my good sister, but which I feel to be essential to the
+preservation of my existence. Necessity alone could induce me to descend
+to earnest and reiterated supplications, the dearest price at which any
+boon can be purchased. To convey to you an idea, of my present situation,
+I am on all sides enclosed by fortified walls, on the summit of a hill
+which lies exposed to every wind of heaven: within these bounds, not
+unlike the wood of Vincennes, is a very old edifice, originally a hunting
+lodge, built merely of lath and plaster, the plaster in many places
+crumbling away. This edifice, detached from the walls, about twenty feet,
+is sunk so low, that the rampart of earth behind the wall is level with
+the highest part of the building, so that here the sun can never
+penetrate, neither does any pure air ever visit this habitation, on which
+descend drizzling damps and eternal fogs, to such excess, that not an
+article of furniture can be placed beneath the roof, but in four days it
+becomes covered with green mould. I leave you to judge in what manner such
+humidity must act upon the human frame; and, to say every thing in one
+word, the apartments are in general more like dungeons prepared for the
+reception of the vilest criminals, than suited to persons of a station far
+inferior to mine, inasmuch as I do not believe there is a lord or
+gentleman, or even yeoman in the kingdom, who would patiently endure the
+penance of living in so wretched an habitation. With regard to
+accommodation, I have for my own person but two miserable little
+chambers, so intensely cold during the night, that but for ramparts and
+entrenchments of tapestry and curtains, it would be impossible to prolong
+my existence; and of those who have sat up with me during my illness, not
+one has escaped malady. Sir Amias can testify that three of my women have
+been rendered ill by this severe temperature, and even my physician
+declines taking charge of my health the ensuing winter, unless I shall be
+permitted to change my habitation. With respect to convenience, I have
+neither gallery nor cabinet, if I except two little pigeon-holes, through
+which the only light admitted is from an aperture of about nine feet in
+circumference; for taking air and exercise, either on foot or in my chair,
+I have but about a quarter of an acre behind the stables, round which
+Somers last year planted a quickset hedge, a spot more proper for swine
+than to be cultivated as a garden; there is no shepherd's hut but has more
+grace and proportion. As to riding on horseback during the winter, I am
+sure to be impeded by floods of water or banks of snow, nor is there a
+road in which I could go for one mile in my coach without putting my limbs
+in jeopardy; abstracted from these real and positive inconveniences, I
+have conceived for this spot an antipathy, which, in one ill as I am,
+might alone claim some humane consideration. As it was here that I first
+began to be treated with rigour and indignity, I have conceived, from that
+time, this mansion to be singularly unlucky to me, and in this sinister
+impression I have been confirmed by the tragical catastrophe of the poor
+priest of whom I wrote to you, who, having been tortured for his
+religion, was at length found hanging in front of my window."[183]
+
+In 1581, Mary made a still more melancholy representation of her
+condition. "I am reduced to such an excessive weakness," she says,
+"especially in my legs, that I am not able to walk a hundred steps, and
+yet I am at this moment better than I have been for these six months past.
+Ever since last Easter, I have been obliged to make my servants carry me
+in a chair; and you may judge how seldom I am thus transported from one
+spot to another, when there are so few people about me fit for such an
+employment."[184] In the midst of all this distress, it was only from
+resources within herself that she was able to derive any consolation. Her
+religious duties she attended to with the strictest care, and devoted much
+of her time to reading and writing. At rare intervals, she remembered her
+early cultivation of the Muses; and she even yet attempted occasionally to
+beguile the time with the charms of poetry. She produced several short
+poetical compositions during her imprisonment; and of these, the following
+Sonnet, embodying so simply and forcibly her own feelings, cannot fail to
+be read with peculiar interest:
+
+  "Que suis je, helas! et de quoi sert ma vie?
+  Je ne suis fors q'un corps privé de coeur;
+  Un ombre vain, un objet de malheur,
+  Qui n'a plus rien que de mourir envie.
+  Plus ne portez, O ennemis, d'envie
+  A qui n'a plus l'esprit à la grandeur!
+  Je consomme d'excessive douleur,--
+  Votre ire en bref ce voira assouvie;
+  Et vous amis, qui m'avez tenu chere,
+  Souvenez vous, que sans heur--sans santé
+  Je ne saurois aucun bon oeuvre faire:
+  Souhaitez donc fin de calamité;
+  Et que ci bas étant assez punie,
+  J'aye ma part en la joye infinie."[185]
+
+But the most celebrated of all Mary's efforts during her captivity, is a
+long and eloquent letter she addressed to Elizabeth, in 1582, when she
+heard that her son's person had been seized at the Raid of Ruthven,--and
+when, dreading, with maternal anxiety, that he might be involved in the
+woes which had overtaken herself, she gave vent to those feelings which
+had long agitated her bosom, and which she now, with pathetic force, laid
+before Elizabeth, as the author of all her misfortunes. The ability and
+vigour with which this letter is written, well entitle it, as Dr Stuart
+has remarked, to survive in the history of the Scottish nation. It was
+Mary's own wish that it should do so. "I am no longer able," she says,
+"to resist laying my heart before you; and while I desire that my just
+complaints shall be engraved in your conscience, it is my hope that they
+will also descend to posterity, to prove the misery into which I have been
+brought by the injustice and cruelty of my enemies. Having in vain looked
+to you for support against their various devices, I shall now carry my
+appeal to the Eternal God, the Judge of both, whose dominion is over all
+the princes of the earth. I shall appeal to him to arbitrate between us;
+and would request you, Madam, to remember, that in his sight nothing can
+be disguised by the paint and artifices of the world." She proceeds to
+recapitulate the injuries she had sustained from Elizabeth ever since she
+came to the throne of Scotland,--reminding her, that she had busied
+herself in corrupting her subjects and encouraging rebellion; that when
+imprisoned in Loch-Leven, she had assured her, through her ambassador,
+Throckmorton, that any deed of abdication she might subscribe, was
+altogether invalid; yet that, upon her escape, though she at first allured
+her by fair promises into England, she had no sooner arrived there, than
+she was thrown into captivity, in which she had been kept alive only to
+suffer a thousand deaths; that she had tried for years to accommodate
+herself to that captivity, to reduce the number of her attendants, to make
+no complaint of the plainness of her diet, and the want of ordinary
+exercise, to live quietly and peaceably, as if she were of a far inferior
+rank, and even to abstain from correspondence with her friends in
+Scotland; but that the only return she had experienced for her good
+intentions was neglect, calumny, and increasing severity. "To take away
+every foundation of dispute and misunderstanding between us," Mary
+continued, "I invite you, Madam, to examine into every report against me,
+and to grant to every person the liberty of accusing me publicly; and
+while I freely solicit you to take every advantage to my prejudice, I only
+request that you will not condemn me without a hearing. If it be proved
+that I have done evil, let me suffer for it; if I am guiltless, do not
+take upon yourself the responsibility, before God and man, of punishing me
+unjustly. Let not my enemies be afraid that I aim any longer at
+dispossessing them of their usurped authority. I look now to no other
+kingdom but that of Heaven, and would wish to prepare myself for it,
+knowing that my sorrows will never cease till I arrive there." She then
+speaks of her son, and entreats that Elizabeth would interfere in his
+behalf. She concludes with requesting, that some honourable churchman
+should be sent to her, to remind her daily of the road she had yet to
+finish, and to instruct her how to pursue it, according to her religion,
+in which she would wish to die as she had lived. "I am very weak and
+helpless," she adds, "and do beseech you to give me some solitary mark of
+your friendship. Bind your own relations to yourself; let me have the
+happiness of knowing, before I die, that a reconciliation has taken place
+between us, and that, when my soul quits my body, it will not be necessary
+for it to carry complaints of your injustice to the throne of my
+Creator."[186] The only result which this letter produced, was a
+remonstrance from Elizabeth which she sent by Beal, the Clerk of her Privy
+Council, against such unnecessary complaints.[187]
+
+In Scotland, meanwhile, the event of greatest consequence which had taken
+place, was the trial and execution of the Earl of Morton, for having been
+_art_ and _part_ in the murder of Darnley. Morton's intolerable tyranny
+having rendered him odious to the greater part of the nobility, and the
+young King having nearly arrived at an age when he could act and think for
+himself, he found it necessary, very unwillingly, to retire from office.
+He did not, even then, desist from carrying on numerous intrigues; and it
+was rumoured, that he intended seizing the King's person, and carrying him
+captive into England. Whether there was any truth in this report or not,
+it is certain that James became anxious to get rid of so factious and
+dangerous a nobleman. The only plausible expedient which occurred to him,
+or his Council, was, to accuse Morton of a share in Bothwell's guilt. His
+trial does not seem to have been conducted with any very scrupulous regard
+to justice. But a jury of his peers was allowed him; and they, having
+heard the evidence in support of the charges, found him guilty of having
+been in the council or knowledge of the conspiracy against the late King,
+of concealing it, and of being _art_ and _part_ in the murder. It was to
+the latter part of this verdict alone that Morton objected. He confessed
+that he knew of the intended murder, and had concealed it, but positively
+disclaimed having been _art_ and _part_ in it. This seems, however, to
+have been a distinction without a difference. On the 1st of June 1581, he
+was condemned to the block, and next day the sentence was executed. The
+instrument called the _Maiden_, which was used to behead him, he had
+himself brought into Scotland, and he was the first to suffer by it. His
+head was placed on the public gaol at Edinburgh, and his body buried
+privately by a few menials. He had been universally hated, and there was
+hardly one who lamented his death.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MARY'S TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION.
+
+
+The closing scene of Mary's life was now rapidly approaching. Debilitated
+as she was by her long confinement, and the many painful thoughts which
+had been incessantly preying on her peace of mind, it is not likely that
+she could have long survived, even though she had been left unmolested
+within the walls of her prison. But she had been the source of two much
+jealousy and uneasiness to Elizabeth, to be either forgotten or forgiven.
+Weak as she was in body, and destitute alike of wealth and power, her name
+had nevertheless continued a watchword and a tower of strength, not only
+to all her own friends throughout Christendom, but to all who were
+disposed, from whatever cause, to stir up civil dissensions and broils in
+England. Scarcely a conspiracy against Elizabeth's person and authority
+had been contrived for the last sixteen years, with which the Queen of
+Scots was not supposed to be either remotely or immediately connected. Nor
+is it to be denied, that appeals were made to her sufferings and cruel
+treatment, to give plausibility to many an enterprise which was
+anti-constitutional in its object, and criminal in its execution. Other
+less objectionable enterprises Mary herself expressly countenanced, for
+she always openly declared, that being detained a captive by force, she
+considered herself fully entitled to take every means that offered to
+effect her escape. She acted solely upon a principle of self-defence.
+Whenever a nobleman of influence like Norfolk, or a man of integrity like
+Lesley, undertook to arrange a scheme for her release, she willingly
+listened to their proposals, and was ever ready to act in concert with
+them. She had been detained in strict ward in a realm into which she had
+come voluntarily, or rather into which she had been seduced by specious
+promises and offers of assistance; and it would have been against every
+dictate of common sense and common justice, to suppose that she had not a
+right to free herself from her unwarrantable imprisonment. It is true,
+that many of her attempts, mixed up as they were with the interested and
+ambitious projects of others, gave Elizabeth no little inconvenience and
+anxiety. But this was the price she must have laid her account with paying
+for the pleasure of seeing the Queen of Scots a helpless hostage in her
+hands.
+
+To discourage the numerous plots which were formed, either by Mary's real
+or pretended adherents, a number of persons of the first rank in the
+kingdom entered into a solemn "Association," in which they bound
+themselves to defend Elizabeth against all her enemies, "and if any
+violence should be offered to her life, in order to favour the title of
+any pretender to the crown, not only never to allow or acknowledge the
+person or persons _by_ whom, or _for_ whom such a detestable act should be
+committed, but, as they should answer to the Eternal God, to prosecute
+such person or persons to the death, and pursue them with the utmost
+vengeance to their overthrow and extirpation." The Parliament, which met
+in 1585, sanctioned this Association; and, alarmed by the recent discovery
+of a fanatical design, on the part of a Roman Catholic, to assassinate the
+Queen, because she had been excommunicated by the Pope, they passed an
+Act, by which they determined, with the most arbitrary injustice, "That if
+any rebellion should be excited in the kingdom, or any thing attempted to
+the hurt of her Majesty's person, _by_ or _for_ any person pretending a
+title to the crown, the Queen should empower twenty-four persons, by a
+commission under the Great Seal, to examine into and pass sentence upon
+such offences; and that, after judgment given, a proclamation should be
+issued, declaring the persons whom they found guilty excluded from any
+right to the crown; and her Majesty's subjects might lawfully pursue every
+one of them to the death; and that, if any design against the life of the
+Queen took effect, the persons _by_ or _for_ whom such a detestable act
+was executed, and their issues, being in any wise assenting or privy to
+the same, should be disabled for ever from pretending to the crown, and be
+pursued to death, in the like manner." That the persons _by_ whom any of
+these faults were committed, should be punished, was in strict accordance
+with equity; but that the persons _for_ whom they might be supposed to be
+done, should be considered as much involved in their guilt, was alike
+contrary to law and reason. The discontented were forming plots every year
+against Elizabeth, and, with the very existence of many of these plots,
+Mary was unacquainted; yet, by this statute, she was made answerable for
+all of them. There is little wonder, therefore, if she considered it only
+a forerunner of greater severities; and it was not long before an occasion
+occurred which afforded a plausible pretext for making a practical
+application of it.
+
+In the year 1586, three English priests, who had been educated in a
+Catholic seminary at Rheims, and over whose minds the most illiberal
+superstition held unlimited sway, actually conceived the belief, that the
+bull of excommunication, issued by Pope Pius V. against Elizabeth, had
+been dictated under the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost. They
+looked, consequently, upon that Sovereign with a fanatical hatred, which
+they determined, if possible, to gratify. Having contrived to win over one
+or two others to their own way of thinking, and, in particular, an officer
+of the name of Savage, and another priest of the name of Ballard, they
+sent them into England to disseminate their principles among all on whose
+co-operation they thought they could depend; and, in the meantime, they
+set on foot a negotiation with the Spanish ambassador in Paris, through
+whose means they hoped to obtain the assistance of a foreign force. He
+gave them a promise of encouragement, only on condition that they secured
+a strong party in England, and that means were taken to remove Elizabeth.
+Among the first persons to whom Savage and Ballard communicated their
+designs, was Anthony Babington, a young gentleman of estate and fortune in
+Derbyshire. Having resided for some time in France, he had formed an
+acquaintance with the Archbishop of Glasgow, and from him had heard so
+many eulogiums on Mary, that he became inspired with the most enthusiastic
+feelings in her favour, and cherished a romantic desire of performing some
+exploit which might secure for him her gratitude and esteem. By his advice
+and assistance, a knowledge of the conspiracy was intrusted to a number of
+persons of respectability of the Roman Catholic persuasion; and a secret
+correspondence was set on foot with the Queen of Scots, through the medium
+of her Secretaries Naw and Curl. Mary, however, was not disposed to give
+the conspirators much encouragement. She had been now so long accustomed
+to despair, and was so convinced of the fallaciousness of hope, that she
+was almost inclined to turn away from it, as from something painful. She
+had grown indifferent about her future fate, and had endeavoured to resign
+herself to the prospect of ending her days in captivity. Besides, she had
+the recent Act of Parliament before her eyes; and she was well aware, that
+though she did nothing but attempt an escape, she would be held
+responsible for the whole plot, whatever its extent or criminality might
+be. It is, however, not at all unlikely that she may, notwithstanding,
+have authorized her Secretaries to write once or twice to Babington and
+his associates; but that she gave them any support in their designs
+against Elizabeth, was never proved, and is not to be believed. It was
+indeed with no little difficulty that Mary was able to hold any epistolary
+communication at all with her friends, so strictly was she watched by Sir
+Amias Paulet and Sir Drue Drury, to whose custody she had been committed,
+and who kept her in the Castle of Chartley in Staffordshire. The
+conspirators were obliged to bribe one of the servants, who conveyed to
+the Queen or her Secretaries, the letters which they deposited in a hole
+in the wall, and put the answers into the same place, from which they took
+them privately, when it was dark.
+
+Every thing seemed to proceed smoothly, and all the necessary arrangements
+were now concluded. The different conspirators had different tasks
+allotted to them; by some a rebellion was to be excited in several parts
+of the kingdom at once; six others bound themselves by solemn oaths to
+assassinate Elizabeth; and Babington himself undertook to head a strong
+party, which he was to lead to the rescue of the Queen of Scots. Nor were
+they to be destitute of foreign assistance as soon as the first blow was
+struck, and the first symptoms of internal commotion appeared. So inspired
+were these infatuated men with an idea of the glory of the revolution they
+were about to achieve, that they had medals prepared representing
+themselves assembled together, with Babington in the midst, and bearing
+the motto,--"_Hi mihi sunt comites quos ipsa pericula ducunt._" But in all
+their fancied security and enthusiasm, they were ignorant that every step
+they took was known to Elizabeth and her minister Walsingham, and that
+they were advancing only to the foot of their own scaffold. It was through
+the treachery of one of their own associates of the name of Polly, one of
+Walsingham's accredited spies, who had joined them only that he might
+betray them, that all their proceedings were discovered, and attentively
+watched. Savage, Ballard, and the other four who were bent on the murder
+of Elizabeth, had already come up to London, and were lying in wait for
+the first favourable opportunity to execute their purpose; and, as
+Walsingham was anxious to have complete evidence of their guilt in his
+possession before apprehending them, they were allowed to remain
+unmolested for some time. The Queen, however, fearing for her personal
+safety, at length insisted on their being seized, remarking, that, "in not
+taking heed of a danger when she might, she seemed more to tempt God than
+to hope in him." Ballard was first arrested; his accomplices, struck with
+astonishment and dismay, fled out of London; but, after lurking for some
+days in woods and byeways, cutting off their hair, disfiguring their
+faces, and submitting to every kind of deprivation and hardship to avoid
+the hot search which was made for them, they were at length taken; and so
+much had the public feeling been excited against them, that, when they
+were brought into London, the bells of the city were rung, and bonfires
+kindled in the streets. Walsingham had arranged his measures so
+effectively, that all the other conspirators, who were scattered
+throughout the kingdom, were also seized and brought to the capital within
+a very short time. Fourteen of the principal inventors of the plot were
+immediately tried, condemned, and executed. No mercy whatever was shown
+to them; for Elizabeth seldom forgave her enemies.[188]
+
+But, in the death of these men, only one part of Elizabeth's vengeance was
+gratified. The wrongs and the merits of the Queen of Scots had been the
+means of imparting to this conspiracy a degree of respectability; and she,
+therefore, was regarded as the chief culprit. Walsingham had ascertained,
+that communications of some sort or another had passed between Mary's
+secretaries and the conspirators; and before she was aware that
+Babington's plot had been discovered, he sent down Sir Thomas Gorges to
+Chartley to take her by surprise, and endeavour to discover some
+additional grounds of suspicion. Sir Thomas arrived just as she was about
+to ride out in a wheeled carriage which had been procured for her, and,
+without permitting her to alight, he rudely told her of Babington's fate;
+then entering the Castle, he committed Naw and Curl into custody; and,
+breaking into the private cabinets of the Queen, he seized all her letters
+and papers, and sent them off immediately to Elizabeth. He took possession
+too of all her money, "lest she should use it for corruption." She herself
+was not allowed to return to Chartley for some days, but conveyed about
+from one castle to another. When she was at length brought back, and saw
+how she had been plundered in her absence, she could not refrain from
+weeping bitterly. "There are two things, however," she said in the midst
+of her tears, "which they cannot take away,--my birth and my
+religion."[189]
+
+In the excited state of feeling which then prevailed in the nation, and
+the fears which her subjects entertained for the safety of their
+Sovereign, Elizabeth perceived that she might now safely proceed to those
+extremities against Mary which she had so long meditated, but which
+considerations of selfish prudence had hitherto prevented her from putting
+into execution. She asserted, that not only her own life, but the religion
+and peace of the country were at stake, and that either the Queen of Scots
+must be removed, or the whole realm given up as a sacrifice. By her own
+injustice, she had involved herself in inconveniences; and as soon as she
+began to feel their effects, she pretended to be indignant at the innocent
+victim of her tyranny. But it was not without difficulty that she brought
+all her ministers to think on this subject precisely as she herself did.
+Many of them did not hesitate to state their conviction, that Mary had
+neither set on foot nor countenanced Babington's plot, and that, however
+the conspirators might have interwoven her name with it, she could not be
+punished for what she could not have prevented. Besides, they urged that
+she was not likely to live long at any rate, and that it would be more for
+the honour of the kingdom to leave her unmolested for the short remainder
+of her days. Nevertheless, by Elizabeth's exertions, and those of
+Walsingham, who had always courted the favour of his mistress by the most
+persevering persecution of Mary, opposition was at length silenced, and
+the trial of the Queen of Scots finally determined. To give as much
+dignity, and as great a semblance of justice as possible to a proceeding
+so unwarrantable as that of calling upon her to answer for an imaginary
+offence, forty of the most illustrious persons in the kingdom were
+appointed Commissioners, and were intrusted with the charge of hearing the
+cause, and deciding upon the question of life or death.
+
+On the 25th of September 1586, Mary had been taken from Chartley to the
+Castle of Fotheringay in Northamptonshire, where she was more strictly
+watched than ever by Sir Amias Paulet, who was a harsh and inflexible
+gaoler. On the 11th of October, Elizabeth's Commissioners arrived, the
+great hall of the Castle having been previously fitted up as a court-room
+for their reception. They would have proceeded with the trial immediately;
+but a difficulty occurred, which, though they scarcely can have failed to
+anticipate, they were not prepared to obviate. Mary refused to acknowledge
+their jurisdiction, denying that they possessed any right either to
+arraign or try her. "I am no subject to Elizabeth," she said, "but an
+independent Queen as well as she; and I will consent to nothing unbecoming
+the majesty of a crowned head. Worn out as my body is, my mind is not yet
+so enfeebled as to make me forget what is due to myself, my ancestors, and
+my country. Whatever the laws of England may be, I am not subject to them;
+for I came into the realm only to ask assistance from a sister Queen, and
+I have been detained an unwilling prisoner." For two days the
+Commissioners laboured in vain to induce Mary to appear before them; and
+as she assigned reasons for refusing, which it was impossible for fair
+argument to invalidate, recourse was at length had to threats. They told
+her that they would proceed with the trial, whether she consented to be
+present or not; and that, though they were anxious to hear her
+justification, they would nevertheless conclude that she was guilty, and
+pronounce accordingly, if she refused to defend herself. It would have
+been well had Mary allowed them to take their own way; but, conscious that
+she was accused unjustly, she could not bear to think that she excited
+suspicion, by refusing the opportunity of establishing her innocence.
+Actuated by this honourable motive, she at length yielded, after solemnly
+protesting that she did not, and never would, acknowledge the authority
+which Elizabeth arrogated over her.
+
+On the 14th of October the trial commenced. The upper half of the great
+hall of Fotheringay Castle was railed off, and at the higher end was
+placed a chair of state, under a canopy, for the Queen of England. Upon
+both sides of the room benches were arranged in order, where the Lord
+Chancellor Bromley, the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, fourteen Earls, thirteen
+Barons, and Knights and Members of the Privy Council, sat. In the centre
+was a table, at which the Lord Chief Justice, several Doctors of the Civil
+Law, Popham, the Queen's Attorney, her Solicitors, Sergeants and Notaries,
+took their places. At the foot of this table, and immediately opposite
+Elizabeth's chair of state, a chair, without any canopy, was placed for
+the Queen of Scots. Behind, was the rail which ran across the hall, the
+lower part of which was fitted up for the accommodation of persons who
+were not in the commission.[190]
+
+There was never, perhaps, an occasion throughout the whole of Mary's life
+on which she appeared to greater advantage than this. In the presence of
+all the pomp, learning, and talent of England, she stood alone and
+undaunted; evincing, in the modest dignity of her bearing, a mind
+conscious of its own integrity, and superior to the malice of fortune.
+Elizabeth's craftiest lawyers and ablest politicians were assembled to
+probe her to the quick,--to press home every argument against her, which
+ingenuity could devise and eloquence embellish,--to dazzle her with a
+blaze of erudition, or involve her in a maze of technical perplexities.
+Mary had no counsellor--no adviser--no friend. Her very papers, to which
+she might have wished to refer, had been taken from her; and there was not
+one to plead her cause, or defend her innocence. Yet was she not dismayed.
+She knew that she had a higher Judge than Elizabeth; and that great as was
+the array of Lords and Barons that appeared against her, posterity was
+greater than they, and that to its decision all things would be finally
+referred. Her bodily infirmities imparted only a greater lustre to her
+mental pre-eminence; and not in all the fascinating splendor of her youth
+and beauty--not on the morning of her first bridal day, when Paris rang
+with acclamations in her praise--was Mary Stuart so much to be admired, as
+when, weak and worn out, she stood calmly before the myrmidons of a rival
+Queen, to hear and refute their unjust accusations, her eye radiant once
+more with the brilliancy of earlier years, and the placid benignity of a
+serene conscience, lending to her countenance its undying grace.
+
+Elizabeth's Attorney-General opened the pleadings. He began by referring
+to the act of Parliament, in which it was made capital to be the person
+_for_ whom any design was undertaken against the life of the Queen. He
+then described the late conspiracy, and attempted to establish Mary's
+connexion with it, by producing copies of letters which, he alleged, she
+had written to Babington himself and several of his accomplices. To these
+having added letters from Babington to her, and the declarations and
+confessions which had been extorted from her secretaries, he asserted that
+the case was made out, and wound up his speech with a laboured display of
+legal knowledge and forensic oratory.
+
+Mary was now called upon for her defence; and she entered on it with
+composure and dignity. She denied all connexion with Babington's
+conspiracy, in so far as he entertained any designs injurious to
+Elizabeth's safety or the welfare of her kingdom;--she allowed that the
+letters which he was said to have addressed to her might be genuine, but
+it had not been proved that she ever received them;--she maintained that
+her own letters were all garbled or fabricated;[191] that as to the
+confessions of her secretaries, they had been extorted by fear, and were
+therefore not to be credited; but that, if they were in any particulars
+true, these particulars must have been disclosed at the expense of the
+oath of fidelity they had come under to her when they entered her service,
+and that men who would perjure themselves in one instance were not to be
+trusted in any;--she objected besides that they had not been confronted
+with her according to an express law enacted in the thirteenth year of
+Elizabeth's reign "that no one should be arraigned for intending the
+destruction of the Prince's life, but by the testimony and oath of two
+lawful witnesses, _to be produced face to face before him_;"--she
+maintained, that even supposing she were to allow the authenticity of many
+of the papers adduced against her, they would not prove her guilty of any
+crime; for she was surely doing no wrong, if, after a calamitous captivity
+of nineteen years, in which she had lost forever her youth, her health,
+and her happiness, she made one last effort to regain the liberty of
+which she had been so unfairly robbed; but that as to scheming against the
+life of the Queen her sister, it was an infamy she abhored;--"I would
+disdain," said she "to purchase all that is most valuable on earth by the
+assasination of the meanest of the human race; and worn out, as I now am,
+with cares and sufferings, the prospect of a crown is not so inviting that
+I should ruin my soul in order to obtain it. Neither am I a stranger to
+the feelings of humanity, nor unacquainted with the duties of religion,
+and it is my nature to be more inclined to the devotion of Esther, than to
+the sword of Judith. If ever I have given consent by my words, or even by
+my thoughts, to any attempt against the life of the Queen of England, far
+from declining the judgment of men, I shall not even pray for the mercy of
+God."[192]
+
+Elizabeth's advocates were not a little surprised at the eloquent and able
+manner in which Mary conducted her defence. They had expected to have
+every thing their own way, and to gain an easy victory over one
+unacquainted with the forms of legal procedure, and unable to cope with
+their own professional talents. But they were disappointed and baffled;
+and in order to maintain their ground even plausibly, they were obliged to
+protract the proceedings for two whole days. Nor, after all, did the
+Commissioners venture to pronounce judgment, but adjourned the court to
+the Star-Chamber at Westminster, where they knew that Mary would not be
+present, and where, consequently, they would have no opposition to
+fear.[193] On the 25th of October, they assembled there, and having again
+examined the Secretaries, Naw and Curl, who appear to have been persons of
+little fidelity or constancy, and who confirmed their former declarations,
+a unanimous judgment was delivered, that "Mary, commonly called Queen of
+Scots and dowager of France, was accessary to Babington's conspiracy, and
+had compassed and imagined divers matters within the realm of England,
+tending to the hurt, death, and destruction of the royal person of
+Elizabeth, in opposition to the statute framed for her protection."[194]
+
+Elizabeth ordered this verdict to be laid before her Parliament, which
+assembled a few days afterwards; and, at Walsingham's instigation, its
+legality was not only confirmed, but the Lord Chancellor was sent up with
+an address to the Queen, in which, after stating their conviction that her
+security was incompatible with Mary's life, they requested that she would
+give the sentence effect, by ordering her immediate execution. Elizabeth,
+though conscious that, if her personal safety had been endangered, she had
+herself to blame, was rejoiced at the opportunity at length afforded her,
+for gratifying her long cherished hatred. She affected, however, to be
+greatly perplexed how to act. She declared that, if she were not afraid of
+endangering the welfare of her people, she would freely pardon Mary for
+all her treasonable practices, and she beseeched the House to endeavour to
+discover some less severe method of procedure. The Parliament, as she
+expected, replied firmly, that they could not recommend any more lenient
+measure; and in the pedantic language of the day, called to Elizabeth's
+remembrance the examples of God's vengeance upon Saul for sparing Agag,
+and on Ahab for sparing Benhadad. Elizabeth still affected to be
+irresolute; and indeed it was not unlikely that she was so in reality;
+for, though anxious to have Mary removed, she was not so hardened and
+insane as not to know, that however it might be sanctioned by the world,
+murder was as criminal and as contrary to the unchanging code of moral
+justice, when commanded by a Queen, as when perpetrated by a peasant. She
+desired that her Parliament should be content for the present "with an
+answer without an answer." "If I should say, that I will not do what you
+request, I might say perhaps more than I intend; and if I should say I
+will do it, I might plunge myself into as much inconvenience as you
+endeavour to preserve me from." All this manoeuvring was for the purpose
+of conveying to the nation an impression of her extreme sensibility, and
+generous hesitation.
+
+Another reason why Elizabeth did not choose to be over-precipitate, was
+her fear of giving any deadly offence to foreign courts. She ordered the
+sentence against Mary to be published both throughout her own kingdom and
+abroad, and she waited anxiously to observe the sensation which it should
+create, and the steps that might be taken in consequence. She need not,
+however, have given herself much uneasiness upon this score. Henry III. of
+France had never been more than a very lukewarm advocate for the Queen of
+Scots, and the remonstrances he occasionally made in her behalf, were
+rather for the sake of appearances, than because he was anxious that they
+should be successful. On the present occasion, startled by the imminence
+of his cousin's danger, he seems to have been a little more in earnest,
+and ordered his ambassador to make as forcible a representation as
+possible against the iniquitous severity that was intended. But Elizabeth
+knew that his rage would evaporate in words, and paid little attention to
+the harangue. In Scotland, the young King, James, was surrounded by
+ministers who had sold themselves to England, and Elizabeth was well
+aware, that though he might bark, he dared not bite. Besides, the
+sentiments regarding his mother, which had been carefully instilled into
+him from his earliest years, were not such as were likely to inspire him
+with any decided wish to protect and avenge her. He had been constantly
+surrounded by her deadliest enemies, and the lesson which Buchanan taught
+him daily, was a lesson of hatred towards his only surviving parent. His
+succession also to the English crown, greatly depended on the friendship
+of Elizabeth; and she was able, in consequence, to maintain an ascendancy
+over him, which he dared not venture to resist. He was not, however, so
+entirely destitute of all ordinary filial sentiments as to consent to
+remain a quiet spectator of his mother's execution. "His opinion is,"
+said his worthless minion the Master of Gray, "that it cannot stand with
+his honour to be a consenter to take his mother's life, but he does not
+care how strictly she be kept; and is content that all her old knavish
+servants should be hanged."[195] To prevent if possible a catastrophe
+which "did not stand with his honour," he sent the Master of Gray and Sir
+Robert Melville as his ambassadors to London, to press his objections upon
+the attention of Elizabeth. The latter was true to the cause in which he
+had been sent, and his remonstrances were vigorous and sincere. But Gray,
+wishing to curry favour with Elizabeth, assured her that she had no cause
+to fear the King's resentment, for he was of an irresolute character and
+timid disposition, and that whatever might happen, he would never think of
+embroiling himself in a disastrous war with England. Elizabeth listened
+with evident satisfaction to these artful insinuations; and desired her
+minister Walsingham, to inform the Scottish monarch, that Mary's doom was
+already fixed by the decision of the nation, and that his mistress the
+Queen had it not in her power to save her. James received this
+intelligence with grief, but not with the spirit that became the only
+child of Mary Stuart. Instead of putting himself at the head of an army,
+and marching into the heart of England, he was contented to communicate
+his mother's unfortunate condition to his subjects, and order prayers to
+be said for her in all the churches,--"that it might please God to
+enlighten her with the light of his truth, and to protect her from the
+danger which was hanging over her."
+
+In the mean time, messengers had been sent to the Queen of Scots, to
+report to her the sentence of the Commissioners, and to prepare her for
+the consequences which might be expected to follow. So far from receiving
+the news with dismay, Mary solemnly raised her hands to heaven, and
+thanked God that she was so soon to be relieved from her troubles. They
+were not yet, however, at a close; and even during the short remainder of
+her life, she was to be still further insulted. Her keepers, Sir Amias
+Paulet and Sir Drue Drury, refused any longer to treat her with the
+reverence and respect due to her rank and sex. The canopy of state, which
+she had always ordered to be put up in her apartment wherever she went,
+was taken down, and every badge of royalty removed. It was intimated to
+her, that she was no longer to be regarded as a Princess, but as a
+criminal; and the persons who came into her presence stood before her
+without uncovering their heads, or paying her any obeisance. The
+attendance of a Catholic priest was refused, and an Episcopalian bishop
+sent in his stead, to point out and correct the errors of her ways. Mary
+bore all these indignities with a calm spirit, which rose superior to
+them, and which proved their unworthiness, by bringing them into contrast
+with her own elevation of mind. "In despite of your Sovereign and her
+subservient judges," said she, "I will die a Queen. My royal character is
+indelible, and I will surrender it with my spirit to the Almighty God,
+from whom I received it, and to whom my honour and my innocence are fully
+known."[196] In December 1586, she wrote her last letter to Elizabeth; and
+though from an unfriended prisoner to an envied and powerful Sovereign, it
+evinces so much magnanimity and calm consciousness of mental serenity,
+that it is impossible to peruse it, without confessing Elizabeth's
+inferiority, and Mary's triumph. It was couched in the following terms:
+
+"Madam, I thank God from the bottom of my heart, that, by the sentence
+which has been passed against me, he is about to put an end to my tedious
+pilgrimage. I would not wish it prolonged, though it were in my power,
+having had enough of time to experience its bitterness. I write at present
+only to make three last requests which, as I can expect no favour from
+your implacable ministers, I should wish to owe to your Majesty, and to no
+other. _First_, as in England, I cannot hope to be buried according to the
+solemnities of the Catholic church, (the religion of the ancient Kings,
+your ancestors and mine, being now changed,) and as in Scotland they have
+already violated the ashes of my progenitors, I have to request, that, as
+soon as my enemies have bathed their hands in my innocent blood, my
+domestics may be allowed to inter my body in some consecrated ground; and,
+above all, that they may be permitted to carry it to France, where the
+bones of the Queen, my most honoured mother, repose. Thus, that poor
+frame, which has never enjoyed repose so long as it has been joined to my
+soul, may find it at last when they will be separated. _Second_, as I
+dread the tyranny of the harsh men, to whose power you have abandoned me,
+I entreat your Majesty that I may not be executed in secret, but in the
+presence of my servants and other persons, who may bear testimony of my
+faith and fidelity to the true church, and guard the last hours of my
+life, and my last sighs from the false rumours which my adversaries may
+spread abroad. _Third_, I request that my domestics, who have served me
+through so much misery, and with so much constancy, may be allowed to
+retire without molestation wherever they choose, to enjoy for the
+remainder of their lives the small legacies which my poverty has enabled
+me to bequeath to them. I conjure you, Madam, by the blood of Jesus
+Christ, by our consanguinity, by the memory of Henry VII., our common
+father, and by the royal title which I carry with me to death, not to
+refuse me those reasonable demands, but to assure me, by a letter under
+your own hand, that you will comply with them; and I shall then die as I
+have lived, your affectionate sister and prisoner, MARY, Queen of
+Scots."[197]
+
+Whether Elizabeth ever answered this letter, does not appear; but it
+produced so little effect, that epistles from her to Sir Amias Paulet
+still exist, which prove that, in her anxiety to avoid taking upon herself
+the responsibility of Mary's death, she wished to have her privately
+assassinated or poisoned. Paulet, however, though a harsh and violent man,
+positively refused to sanction so nefarious a scheme. Yet in the very act
+of instigating murder, Elizabeth could close her eyes against her own
+iniquity, and affect indignation at the alleged offences of another.[198]
+But perceiving at length, that no alternative remained, she ordered her
+secretary Davidson to bring her the warrant for Mary's execution, and
+after perusing it, she deliberately affixed her signature. She then
+desired him to carry it to Walsingham, saying, with an ironical smile, and
+in a "merry tone," that she feared he would die of grief when he saw it.
+Walsingham sent the warrant to the Chancellor, who affixed the Great Seal
+to it, and despatched it by Beal, with a commission to the Earls of
+Shrewsbury, Kent, Derby, and others, to see it put in execution. Davidson
+was afterwards made the victim of Elizabeth's artifice,--who, to complete
+the solemn farce she had been playing, pretended he had obeyed her orders
+too quickly, and doomed him in consequence to perpetual
+imprisonment.[199]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+MARY'S DEATH, AND CHARACTER.
+
+
+On the 7th of February 1587, the Earls, who had been commissioned to
+superintend Mary's execution, arrived at Fotheringay. After dining
+together, they sent to inform the Queen, that they desired to speak with
+her. Mary was not well, and in bed; but as she was given to understand
+that it was an affair of moment, she rose, and received them in her own
+chamber. Her six waiting maids, together with her physician, her surgeon,
+and apothecary, and four or five male servants, were in attendance. The
+Earl of Shrewsbury, and the others associated with him, standing before
+her respectfully, with their heads uncovered, communicated, as gently as
+possible, the disagreeable duty with which they had been intrusted. Beal
+was then desired to read the warrant for Mary's execution, to which she
+listened patiently; and making the sign of the cross, she said, that
+though she was sorry it came from Elizabeth, she had long been expecting
+the mandate for her death, and was not unprepared to die. "For many
+years," she added, "I have lived in continual affliction, unable to do
+good to myself or to those who are dear to me;--and as I shall depart
+innocent of the crime which has been laid to my charge, I cannot see why I
+should shrink from the prospect of immortality." She then laid her hand on
+the New Testament, and solemnly protested that she had never either
+devised, compassed, or consented to the death of the Queen of England. The
+Earl of Kent, with more zeal than wisdom, objected to the validity of this
+protestation, because it was made on a Catholic version of the Bible; but
+Mary replied, that it was the version, in the truth of which she believed,
+and that her oath should be therefore only the less liable to suspicion.
+She was advised to hold some godly conversation with the Dean of
+Peterborough, whom they had brought with them to console her; but she
+declined the offer, declaring that she would die in the faith in which she
+had lived, and beseeching them to allow her to see her Catholic Confessor,
+who had been for some time debarred her presence. This however they in
+their turn positively refused.[200]
+
+Other topics were introduced, and casually discussed. Before leaving the
+world, Mary felt a natural curiosity to be informed upon several subjects
+of public interest, which, though connected with herself, and generally
+known, had not penetrated the walls of her prison. She asked if no foreign
+princes had interfered in her behalf,--if her secretaries were still
+alive,--if it was intended to punish them as well as her,--if they brought
+no letters from Elizabeth or others,--and above all, if her son, the King
+of Scotland, was well, and had evinced any interest in the fate of a
+mother who had always loved and never wronged him. Being satisfied upon
+these points, she proceeded to inquire when her execution was to take
+place? Shrewsbury replied, that it was fixed for the next morning at
+eight. She appeared startled and agitated for a few minutes, saying that
+it was more sudden than she had anticipated, and that she had yet to make
+her will, which she had hitherto deferred, in the expectation that the
+papers and letters which had been forcibly taken from her, would be
+restored. She soon, however, regained her self-possession; and informing
+the Commissioners that she desired to be left alone to make her
+preparations, she dismissed them for the night.
+
+During the whole of this scene, astonishment, indignation, and grief,
+overwhelmed her attendants, all of whom were devoted to her. As soon as
+the Earls and their retinue retired, they gave full vent to their
+feelings, and Mary herself was the only one who remained calm and
+undisturbed. Bourgoine, her physician, loudly exclaimed against the
+iniquitous precipitancy with which she was to be hurried out of existence.
+More than a few hours' notice was allowed, he said, to the very meanest
+criminal; and to limit a Princess, with numerous connections both at home
+and abroad, to so brief a space, was a degree of rigour which no guilt
+could authorize. Mary told him, that she must submit with resignation to
+her fate, and learn to regard it as the will of God. She then requested
+her attendants to kneel with her, and she prayed fervently for some time
+in the midst of them. Afterwards, while supper was preparing, she employed
+herself in putting all the money she had by her into separate purses, and
+affixed to each, with her own hand, the name of the person for whom she
+intended it. At supper, though she sat down to table, she eat little. Her
+mind, however, was in perfect composure; and during the repast, though she
+spoke little, placid smiles were frequently observed to pass over her
+countenance. The calm magnanimity of their mistress, only increased the
+distress of her servants. They saw her sitting amongst them in her usual
+health, and, with almost more than her usual cheerfulness, partaking of
+the viands that were set before her; yet they knew that it was the last
+meal at which they should ever be present together; and that the
+interchange of affectionate service upon their part, and of condescending
+attention and endearing gentleness on her's, which had linked them to her
+for so many years, was now about to terminate for ever. Far from
+attempting to offer her consolation, they were unable to discover any for
+themselves. As soon as the melancholy meal was over, Mary desired that a
+cup of wine should be given to her; and putting it to her lips, drank to
+the health of each of her attendants by name. She requested that they
+would pledge her in like manner; and each, falling on his knee, and
+mingling tears with the wine, drank to her, asking pardon at the same
+time, for all the faults he had ever committed. In the true spirit of
+Christian humility, she not only willingly forgave them, but asked their
+pardon also, if she had ever forgotten her duty towards them. She
+beseeched them to continue constant to their religion, and to live in
+peace and charity together, and with all men. The inventory of her
+wardrobe and furniture was then brought to her; and she wrote in the
+margin, opposite each article, the name of the person to whom she wished
+it should be given. She did the same with her rings, jewels, and all her
+most valuable trinkets; and there was not one of her friends or servants,
+either present or absent, to whom she forgot to leave a memorial.[201]
+
+These duties being discharged, Mary sat down to her desk to arrange her
+papers, to finish her will, and to write several letters. She previously
+sent to her confessor, who, though in the Castle, was not allowed to see
+her, entreating that he would spend the night in praying for her, and that
+he would inform her what parts of Scripture he considered most suited for
+her perusal at this juncture. She then drew up her last will and
+testament; and without ever lifting her pen from the paper, or stopping at
+intervals to think, she covered two large sheets with close writing,
+forgetting nothing of any moment, and expressing herself with all that
+precision and clearness which distinguished her style in the very happiest
+moments of her life. She named as her four executors, the Duke of Guise,
+her cousin-german; the Archbishop of Glasgow, her ambassador in France;
+Lesley, Bishop of Ross; and Monsieur de Ruysseau, her Chancellor. She next
+wrote a letter to her brother-in-law, the King of France, in which she
+apologized for not being able to enter into her affairs at greater length,
+as she had only an hour or two to live, and had not been informed till
+that day after dinner that she was to be executed next morning. "Thanks be
+unto God, however," she added, "I have no terror at the idea of death,
+and solemnly declare to you, that I meet it innocent of every crime. The
+bearer of this letter, and my other servants, will recount to you how I
+comported myself in my last moments." The letter concluded with earnest
+entreaties, that her faithful followers should be protected and rewarded.
+Her anxiety on their account, at such a moment, indicated all that amiable
+generosity of disposition, which was one of the leading features of Mary's
+character.[202] About two in the morning, she sealed up all her papers and
+said she would now think no more of the affairs of this world, but would
+spend the rest of her time in prayer and commune with her own conscience.
+She went to bed for some hours; but she did not sleep. Her lips were
+observed in continual motion, and her hands were frequently folded and
+lifted up towards Heaven.[203]
+
+On the morning of Wednesday the 8th of February, Mary rose with the break
+of day; and her domestics, who had watched and wept all night immediately
+gathered round her. She told them that she had made her will, and
+requested that they would see it safely deposited in the hands of her
+executors. She likewise beseeched them not to separate until they had
+carried her body to France; and she placed a sum of money in the hands of
+her physician to defray the expenses of the journey. Her earnest desire
+was, to be buried either in the Church of St Dennis, in Paris, beside her
+first husband Francis, or at Rheims, in the tomb which contained the
+remains of her mother. She expressed a wish too, that, besides her friends
+and servants, a number of poor people and children from different
+hospitals should be present at her funeral, clothed in mourning at her
+expense, and each, according to the Catholic custom, carrying in his hand
+a lighted taper.[204]
+
+She now renewed her devotions, and was in the midst of them, with her
+servants praying and weeping round her, when a messenger from the
+Commissioners knocked at the door, to announce that all was ready. She
+requested a little longer time to finish her prayers, which was granted.
+As soon as she desired the door to be opened, the Sheriff, carrying in his
+hand the white wand of office, entered to conduct her to the place of
+execution. Her servants crowded round her, and insisted on being allowed
+to accompany her to the scaffold. But contrary orders having been given by
+Elizabeth, they were told that she must proceed alone. Against a piece of
+such arbitrary cruelty they remonstrated loudly, but in vain; for as soon
+as Mary passed into the gallery, the door was closed, and believing that
+they were separated from her forever, the shrieks of the women and the
+scarcely less audible lamentations of the men were heard in distant parts
+of the castle.
+
+At the foot of the staircase leading down to the hall below, Mary was met
+by the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury; and she was allowed to stop to take
+farewell of Sir Andrew Melvil, the master of her household, whom her
+keepers had not allowed to come into her presence for some time before.
+With tears in his eyes, Melvil knelt before her, kissed her hand, and
+declared that it was the heaviest hour of his life. Mary assured him, that
+it was not so to her. "I now feel, my good Melvil," said she, "that all
+this world is vanity. When you speak of me hereafter, mention that I died
+firm in my faith, willing to forgive my enemies, conscious that I had
+never disgraced Scotland my native country, and rejoicing in the thought
+that I had always been true to France, the land of my happiest years. Tell
+my son," she added, and when she named her only child of whom she had been
+so proud in his infancy, but in whom all her hopes had been so fatally
+blasted, her feelings for the first time overpowered her, and a flood of
+tears flowed from her eyes,--"tell my son that I thought of him in my last
+moments, and that I have never yielded, either by word or deed, to aught
+that might lead to his prejudice; desire him to preserve the memory of his
+unfortunate parent, and may he be a thousand times more happy and more
+prosperous than she has been."
+
+Before taking leave of Melvil, Mary turned to the Commissioners and told
+them, that her three last requests were, that her secretary Curl, whom she
+blamed less for his treachery than Naw, should not be punished; that her
+servants should have free permission to depart to France; and that some of
+them should be allowed to come down from the apartments above to see her
+die. The Earls answered, that they believed the two former of these
+requests would be granted; but that they could not concede the last,
+alleging, as their excuse, that the affliction of her attendants would
+only add to the severity of her sufferings. But Mary was resolved that
+some of her own people should witness her last moments. "I will not submit
+to the indignity," she said, "of permitting my body to fall into the hands
+of strangers. You are the servants of a maiden Queen, and she herself,
+were she here, would yield to the dictates of humanity, and permit some of
+those who have been so long faithful to me to assist me at my death.
+Remember, too, that I am cousin to your mistress, and the descendant of
+Henry VII.; I am the Dowager of France, and the anointed Queen of
+Scotland." Ashamed of any further opposition, the Earls allowed her to
+name four male and two female attendants, whom they sent for, and
+permitted to remain beside her for the short time she had yet to
+live.[205]
+
+The same hall in which the trial had taken place, was prepared for the
+execution. At the upper end was the scaffold, covered with black cloth,
+and elevated about two feet from the floor. A chair was placed on it for
+the Queen of Scots. On one side of the block stood two executioners, and
+on the other, the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury; Beal and the Sheriff were
+immediately behind. The scaffold was railed off from the rest of the
+hall, in which Sir Amias Paulet with a body of guards, the other
+Commissioners, and some gentlemen of the neighbourhood, amounting
+altogether to about two hundred persons, were assembled. Mary entered
+leaning on the arm of her physician, while Sir Andrew Melvil carried the
+train of her robe. She was in full dress, and looked as if she were about
+to hold a drawing-room, not to lay her head beneath the axe. She wore a
+gown of black silk, bordered with crimson velvet, over which was a satin
+mantle; a long veil of white crape, stiffened with wire, and edged with
+rich lace, hung down almost to the ground; round her neck was suspended an
+ivory crucifix; and the beads which the Catholics use in their prayers,
+were fastened to her girdle. The symmetry of her fine figure had long been
+destroyed by her sedentary life; and years of care had left many a trace
+on her beautiful features. But the dignity of the Queen was still
+apparent; and the calm grace of mental serenity imparted to her
+countenance at least some share of its former loveliness. With a composed
+and steady step she passed through the hall, and ascended the
+scaffold,--and as she listened unmoved, whilst Beal read aloud the warrant
+for her death, even the myrmidons of Elizabeth looked upon her with
+admiration.[206]
+
+Beal having finished, the Dean of Peterborough presented himself at the
+foot of the scaffold, and with more zeal than humanity, addressed Mary on
+the subject of her religion. She mildly told him, that as she had been
+born, so she was resolved to die, a Catholic, and requested that he would
+not annoy her any longer with useless reasonings. But finding that he
+would not be persuaded to desist, she turned away from him, and falling on
+her knees, prayed fervently aloud,--repeating, in particular, many
+passages from the Psalms. She prayed for her own soul, and that God would
+send his Holy Spirit to comfort her in the agony of death; she prayed for
+all good monarchs, for the Queen of England, for the King her son, for her
+friends, and for all her enemies. She spoke with a degree of earnest
+vehemence, and occasional strength of gesticulation, which deeply affected
+all who heard her. She held a small crucifix in her hands, which were
+clasped, and raised to Heaven; and at intervals a convulsive sob choked
+her voice. As soon as her prayers were ended, she prepared to lay her head
+on the block. Her two female attendants, as they assisted her to remove
+her veil and head-dress, trembled so violently that they were hardly able
+to stand. Mary gently reproved them,--"Be not thus overcome," she said; "I
+am happy to leave the world, and you also ought to be happy to see me die
+so willingly." As she bared her neck, she took from around it a cross of
+gold, which she wished to give to Jane Kennedy; but the executioner, with
+brutal coarseness, objected, alleging that it was one of his perquisites.
+"My good friend," said Mary, "she will pay you much more than its value;"
+but his only answer was, to snatch it rudely from her hand. She turned
+from him, to pronounce a parting benediction on all her servants, to kiss
+them, and bid them affectionately farewell. Being now ready, she desired
+Jane Kennedy to bind her eyes with a rich handkerchief, bordered with
+gold, which she had brought with her for the purpose; and laying her head
+upon the block, her last words were,--"O Lord, in thee I have hoped, and
+into thy hands I commit my spirit." The executioner, either from a want of
+skill, or from agitation, or because the axe he used was blunt, struck
+three blows before he separated her head from her body. His comrade then
+lifted the head by the hair, (which, falling in disorder, was observed to
+be quite grey), and called out, "God save Elizabeth, Queen of England!"
+The Earl of Kent added, "Thus perish all her enemies;"--but, overpowered
+by the solemnity and horror of the scene, none were able to respond,
+"Amen!"[207]
+
+Mary's remains were immediately taken from her servants, who wished to pay
+them the last sad offices of affection, and were carried into an adjoining
+apartment, where a piece of old green baize, taken from a billiard-table,
+was thrown over that form which had once lived in the light of a nation's
+eyes. It lay thus for some time; but was at length ordered to be embalmed,
+and buried, with royal pomp, in the Cathedral at Peterborough,--a vulgar
+artifice used by Elizabeth to stifle the gnawing remorse of her own
+conscience, and make an empty atonement for her cruelty. Twenty-five years
+afterwards, James VI. wishing to perform an act of tardy justice to the
+memory of his mother, ordered her remains to be removed from Peterborough
+to Henry VII.'s Chapel, in Westminster Abbey. A splendid monument was
+there erected, adorned with an inscription, which, if it spoke truth,
+James must have blushed with shame and indignation whenever he thought of
+his mother's fate.
+
+Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, died in the forty-fifth year of her age. If
+the events of her life have been faithfully recorded in the preceding
+pages, the estimate which is to be formed of her character cannot be a
+matter of much doubt. To great natural endowments,--to feelings
+constitutionally warm,--and to a disposition spontaneously excellent, were
+added all the advantages which education could confer or wealth purchase.
+That she was one of the most accomplished and talented women of the age,
+even her enemies allow. But talents do not always insure success, nor
+accomplishments command happiness; and by few persons in the whole range
+of history was this truth more fatally experienced than by Mary Stuart. At
+first sight, her life and fate seem almost a paradox. That one upon whom
+most of the common goods of fortune had been heaped with so lavish a
+hand,--one who was born to the enjoyment of all the rank and splendour
+which earth possesses,--one whose personal charms and fascinations
+obtained for her an empire over the heart, more lasting and honourable
+than that which her birth gave her over a nation,--that even she should
+have lived to lament that she had ever beheld the light of day, is one of
+those striking examples of the uncertainty of all human calculations
+regarding happiness, which, while it inspires the commonest mind with
+wonder, teaches a deeper lesson of philosophy to the wisely reflective.
+Circumstances are not so much the slaves of men, as men are of
+circumstances. Mary lived at an age, and in a country, which only rendered
+her risk the greater the more exalted her station. In France, where
+civilization had made more progress, she might perhaps have avoided the
+evils which overtook her at home; but in Scotland, a Princess possessing
+the refinement of a foreign court, and though with a large proportion of
+the virtues and captivations of her sex, not entirely destitute of some of
+its weaknesses, could hardly expect to cope with the turbulent spirit, the
+fanatical enthusiasm, the semi-barbarous prejudices of the times, without
+finding her own virtues immerged in the crowd of contending interests, and
+the vortex of fierce passions that surrounded her.
+
+Mary's failings, almost without an exception, "leant to virtue's side."
+They arose partly from too enthusiastic a temperament, and partly from a
+want of experience. Although she lived forty-four years and two months, it
+ought to be remembered that she was just twenty-five when she came into
+England, and that all the most important events of her history happened
+between sixteen and twenty-five. With feelings whose strength kept pace
+with the unsuspicious generosity of her nature, Mary was one who, in an
+especial manner, stood in need of experience, to teach what the world
+calls wisdom. The great mass of mankind, endowed with no finer
+susceptibilities, and influenced by no hidden impulses of soul or sense,
+fall into the common track naturally and easily. But they whom heaven has
+either cursed or blessed with minds, over which external circumstances
+exercise a deeper sway, whose fancies are more vivid, and whose
+impressions are more acute, require the aid of time to clip the wings of
+imagination,--to cast a soberer shade over the glowing pictures of
+hope,--and to teach the art of reducing an ideal standard of felicity and
+virtue, to one less romantic, but more practical. Had she continued longer
+in public life, there is every probability that the world would have been
+forced to own, without a dissenting voice, the talent which Mary
+possessed. In youth, genius is often indicated only by eccentricity and
+imprudence; but its errors are errors of judgment, which have their origin
+in an exuberance of sensibility. The sentiments of the heart have burst
+forth into precocious blossom long before the reasoning faculties have
+reached maturity. Her youth was Mary's chief misfortune, or rather it was
+the source from which most of her misfortunes sprung. She judged of
+mankind not as they were, but as she wished them to be. Conscious of the
+sincerity of her own character, and the affectionate nature of her own
+dispositions, she formed attachments too rashly, and trusted too
+indiscriminately. She often found, when it was too late, that she had been
+deceived; and the consequence was, that she became diffident of her own
+judgment, and anxious to be guided by that of others. Here again, however,
+she fell into an opposite extreme. In yielding, on her return to Scotland,
+so implicitly to the counsels of Murray, she did what few queens, young
+and flattered as she had been, would have done, and what, had she been
+older, or more experienced, she ought not to have done.
+
+But the highest degree of excellence, both in the material and the moral
+world, arises out of the skilful combination of many discordant elements.
+Time must be allowed them to settle down into an harmonious arrangement;
+and time is all that is required. Before the age of five-and-twenty, it is
+not to be supposed that Mary's character had acquired that strength and
+stability which it would afterwards have attained. Nor was it desirable
+that it should; for an old head upon youthful shoulders is contrary to
+nature, and the anomaly frequently ends with a youthful head upon old
+shoulders. Mary was young--she was beautiful--she was admired--she was a
+woman; and to expect to have found, in the spring-time of her life, the
+undeviating consistency, and the cool calculations of riper years, would
+have been to imagine her that "faultless monster whom the world ne'er
+saw." But, considering the situation in which she was placed--the persons
+by whom she was surrounded--the stormy temper of the age--the pious and
+deep-rooted prejudices of her subjects against the creed which she
+professed--the restless jealousy of the Sovereign who reigned over the
+neighbouring and more powerful country of England--the unfortunate though
+not precipitate marriage with Lord Darnley,--it may be very safely asked,
+where there is to be found an example of so much moderation, prudence, and
+success, in one so recently introduced to the arduous cares of government?
+Had Mary been vain, headstrong, opinionative, and bigotted, she would
+never have yielded, as she did, to the current of popular opinion which
+then ran so tumultuously;--she would never have condescended to
+expostulate with Knox,--she would never have been ruled by Murray,--she
+would never have so easily forgiven injuries and stifled resentments. She
+was in truth only too facile. She submitted too tamely to the insolence of
+Knox; she was too diffident of herself, and too willing to be swayed by
+Murray; she was too ready to pardon those who had given her the justest
+cause of offence; she was too candid and open, too distrustful of her own
+capacity, too gentle, too generous, and too engaging.
+
+But if her faults consisted only in an excess of amiable qualities, or in
+those strong feelings which, though properly directed, were not always
+properly proportioned, the question naturally occurs, why the Queen of
+Scots should have suffered so much misery? "To say that she was always
+unfortunate," observes Robertson, "will not account for that long and
+almost uninterrupted succession of calamities which befel her; we must
+likewise add, that she was often imprudent." Here the historian first
+mistates the fact, and then draws an inference from that mistatement. No
+"long and uninterrupted succession of calamities" befel Mary. She
+experienced an almost unparalleled reverse of fortune, but that reverse
+was sudden and complete. She sunk at once from a queen into a
+captive,--from power to weakness,--from splendor to obscurity. So long as
+she was permitted to be the arbitress of her own fortune, she met and
+overcame every difficulty; but when lawless and ambitious men wove their
+web around her, she was caught in it, and could never again escape from
+its meshes. Had she stumbled on from one calamity to another, continuing
+all the while a free agent, Robertson's remark would have been just. But
+such was not her case;--the morning saw her a queen, and the evening found
+her a captive. The blow was as sudden as it was decisive; and her future
+life was an ineffectual struggle to escape from the chains which had been
+thrown round her in a moment, and which pressed her irresistibly to the
+ground. A calamity which no foresight could anticipate, or prudence avert,
+may overtake the wisest and the best; and such to Mary was the murder of
+Darnley, and Bothwell's subsequent treason and violence. If to these be
+added the scarcely less iniquitous conduct of Elizabeth, the treachery of
+Morton, the craftiness of Murray, and the disastrous defeat at Langside,
+it needs no research or ingenuity to discover, that her miseries were not
+of her own making.
+
+Should a still more comprehensive view of this subject be taken, and the
+whole life of the Queen of Scots reviewed, from her birth to her death, it
+will be found that, however great her advantages, they were almost always
+counterbalanced by some evil, which necessarily attended or sprung out of
+them. She was a queen when only a few months old; but she was also an
+orphan. She was destined, from her earliest childhood, to be the wife of
+the future monarch of France; but she was, in consequence, taken away from
+her native country, and the arms of her mother. The power and talents of
+her uncles of Guise were constantly exerted in her behalf; but she shared,
+therefore, in the hatred and jealousy in which they were held by a
+numerous party, both at home and abroad. Her residence and education, at
+the Court of Henry II., insured the refinement of her manners and the
+cultivation of her mind; but it excited the suspicions and the fears of
+the people of Scotland. She was beautiful even to a proverb; but her
+beauty obtained for her as much envy as praise. She possessed the heart of
+her husband Francis; but she only felt his loss the more acutely. She
+returned to her own kingdom as the Queen-dowager of France; but her power
+and her pretensions made the English dread, and did not prevent her
+heretical subjects from openly braving, her authority. She married Darnley
+in the hopes of brightening her prospects, and securing her happiness; but
+he was the main cause of overclouding the one, and destroying the other.
+She was freed, by his death, from the wayward caprices of his ill-governed
+temper; but she escaped from one yoke only to be forced into another a
+thousand times worse. She loved her brother, and loaded him with favours;
+but he repaid them by placing himself upon her throne, and chasing her
+from the country. She escaped into England; but there she met with
+reproaches instead of assistance, a prison instead of an asylum, a mortal
+enemy instead of a sister, an axe and a scaffold instead of sympathy and
+protection.[208]
+
+Mary's misfortunes, therefore, may be safely asserted not to have been the
+result of her imprudence or her errors. But justice is not satisfied with
+this merely negative praise. The Queen of Scots was one who needed only to
+have been prosperous, to be in the eyes of the world all that was great
+and good. And though the narrow-minded are only too ready, at all times,
+to triumph over the fallen, and to fancy, that where there is misery
+there is also guilt, they must nevertheless own, that there are some whose
+character only rises the higher, the more it is tried. If, on the one
+hand, the temptations to which Mary was exposed be duly considered,--her
+youth,--the prejudices of her education,--and the designing ministers by
+whom she was surrounded;--and, on the other, her conduct towards the
+Reformers, towards her enemies, towards her friends, towards all her
+subjects,--the deliberate judgment of calm impartiality, not of hasty
+enthusiasm, must be, that illustrious as her birth and rank were, she
+possessed virtues and talents which not only made her independent of the
+former, but raised her above them. In her better days, the vivacity and
+sweetness of her manners, her openness, her candour, her generosity, her
+polished wit, her extensive information, her cultivated taste, her easy
+affability, her powers of conversation, her native dignity and grace, were
+all conspicuous, though too little appreciated by the less refined
+frequenters of the Scottish Court. Nor did she appear to less advantage in
+the season of calamity. On the contrary, she had an opportunity of
+displaying in adversity a fortitude and nobility of soul, which she
+herself might not have known that she possessed, had she been always
+prosperous. Her piety and her constancy became more apparent in a prison
+than on a throne; and of none could it be said more truly than of
+her,--"_ponderibus virtus innata resistit_." In the glory of victory and
+the pride of success, it is easy for a conquering monarch to float down
+the stream of popularity; but it is a far more arduous task to gain a
+victory over the natural weaknesses of one's own nature, and, in the
+midst of sufferings, to triumph over one's enemies. Mary did this; and was
+a thousand times more to be envied, when kneeling at her solitary
+devotions in the Castle of Fotheringhay, than Elizabeth surrounded with
+all the heartless splendor of Hampton Court. As she laid her head upon the
+block, the dying graces threw upon her their last smiles; and the sublime
+serenity of her death was an argument in her favour, the force of which
+must be confessed by incredulity itself. Mary was not destined to obtain
+the crown of England, but she gained instead the crown of martyrdom.[209]
+
+"Many of us," said the Archbishop of Bruges, who was appointed to preach
+Mary's funeral sermon in the church of Notre Dame at Paris, "Many of us
+have seen in this very place the Queen whom we now deplore, on her bridal
+morning and in her royal robes, so resplendent with jewels, that they
+shone like the light of day, or like her own beauty, which was more
+resplendent still. Nothing was to be discovered around or within but
+embroidered hangings, and cloth of gold, and precious tapestry, and
+couches and thrones occupied by kings and queens, and princes and nobles,
+who had come from all parts to be present at the festival. In the palace
+were magnificent banquets, and pageants, and masquerades; in the streets
+and squares, joustings, tournaments, and processions. It seemed as if the
+overwhelming brilliancy of our age was destined to surpass the richest
+pomp of every preceding age,--even the times when Greece and Rome were in
+all their splendor. A brief space has passed away like a cloud, and we
+have seen _her_ a captive whom we saw in triumph,--a prisoner, who set the
+prisoners free,--poor, who gave away so liberally,--disdained, who was the
+fountain of honour. We have seen _her_, who was a two-fold Queen, in the
+hands of a common executioner, and that fair form, which graced the
+nuptial couch of the greatest monarch in Christendom, dishonoured on a
+scaffold. We have seen that loveliness, which was one of the wonders of
+the world, broken down by long captivity, and at length effaced by an
+ignominious death. If this fatal reverse teaches the uncertainty and
+vanity of all human things, the patience and incomparable fortitude of the
+Queen we have lost, also teach a more profitable lesson, and afford a
+salutary consolation. Every new calamity gave her an opportunity of
+gaining a new victory, and of evincing new proofs of her piety and
+constancy. It seems certain, indeed, that Providence made her affliction
+conspicuous, only to make her virtue more conspicuous. Others leave to
+their successors the care of building monuments, to preserve their name
+from oblivion; but the life and death of this lady are her monument.
+Marble, and brass, and iron decay, or are devoured by rust; but in no age,
+however long the world may endure, will the memory of Mary Stuart, Queen
+of Scots, and Dowager of France, cease to be cherished with affection and
+admiration."[210]
+
+
+
+
+AN EXAMINATION OF THE LETTERS, SONNETS, AND OTHER WRITINGS, ADDUCED IN
+EVIDENCE AGAINST MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+  O place and greatness! millions of false eyes
+  Are stuck upon thee! Volumes of report
+  Run with these false and most contrarious guests
+  Upon thy doings! Thousand 'scapes of wit
+  Make thee the father of their idle dream,
+  And rack thee in their fancies.----
+                                SHAKESPEARE.
+
+
+Considering the very opposite opinions which have been long entertained,
+regarding the character and conduct of the Queen of Scots, no memoirs of
+her life would be complete, that did not contain some examination of the
+evidence upon which they who believe her guilty principally rest their
+conviction. This evidence consists of eight Letters, eleven Love-Sonnets,
+and one Marriage Contract, all alleged to have been written in the Queen's
+own hand, and addressed to the Earl of Bothwell. In corroboration of
+these, another Contract, said to have been written by the Earl of Huntly,
+and signed by the Queen; and the Confessions and Depositions of some of
+the persons who were known to be implicated in Bothwell's guilt, were
+likewise produced. Of the Letters, two were supposed to have been written
+from Glasgow, at the time Mary went thither to visit Darnley when he was
+ill, and are intended to prove her criminal connection with Bothwell; two
+or three from the Kirk-of-Field, for the purpose of facilitating the
+arrangements regarding the murder; and the rest after that event, and
+before her abduction, to show that the whole scheme of the pretended
+ravishment was preconcerted between them. The precise time at which it is
+pretended the Sonnets were composed, does not appear; but expressions in
+them prove, that it must have been posterior to the Queen's residence at
+Dunbar. The Contract of Marriage, in Mary's own hand, though without date,
+must have been written very soon after Darnley's death, and contained a
+promise never to marry any one but Bothwell. The Contract, said to be in
+Huntly's hand, was dated at Seton, the 5th of April 1567, eight weeks
+after Darnley's death, a week before Bothwell's trial and acquittal, and
+three weeks before he was divorced from his first wife. The Confessions
+and Depositions are various, but only in one or two of them is any
+allusion made to Mary. The Letters, Sonnets, and Contracts, were said to
+have been discovered in a small gilt coffer, which the Earl of Bothwell
+left in the Castle of Edinburgh, in the custody of Sir James Balfour, at
+the time he fled from Edinburgh to Borthwick, about a month after his
+marriage, and shortly before the affair at Carberry Hill. After his
+discomfiture there, he is stated to have sent his servant, Dalgleish, into
+Edinburgh from Dunbar, to demand the coffer from Balfour. Sir James, it
+was said, delivered it up, but at the same time gave intimation to the
+Earl of Morton, who seized Dalgleish, and made himself master of the box
+and its contents. The Letters and Sonnets, which were written in French,
+were afterwards all translated into Scotch, and three into Latin.
+
+Anxious to put beyond a doubt, either the forgery or the authenticity of
+these writings, numerous authors have exercised their ingenuity and
+talents, in a most minute and laborious examination, not only of their
+leading features, but of every line, and almost of every word. It would
+seem, however, not to be necessary, in so far as the great interests of
+truth are concerned, to descend to such microscopic investigation, and
+tedious verbal criticism, as have extended pages into volumes, and
+rendered confused and tiresome, disquisitions which might otherwise have
+been simple and interesting. If Mary's innocence is to be established, it
+must not be by the discovery of petty inconsistencies, or trifling
+inaccuracies. If her guilt is to be proved, the impartial reader is not to
+be satisfied with vague suspicions or ingenious suggestions, but must have
+a body of evidence set before him, which, if it does not amount to actual
+demonstration, contains a circumstantial strength equally calculated to
+convince.
+
+It may be observed, at the outset, that unless the conclusions, to which
+these writings would lead, be corroborated by the established facts of
+History, it cannot be expected that a great deal of weight will be
+attached to them. Besides, it must not be forgotten, that as the originals
+have been lost, it is by means of translations alone that their alleged
+contents are known to the world. Upon their authority, Mary is accused of
+having first committed adultery, and then murder. Whatever opinion may
+have been formed of her from her behaviour during the rest of her
+existence,--however gentle her dispositions may have appeared,--however
+strong her sense of the distinction between right and wrong,--however
+constant her religious principles,--however wise her government,--however
+excellent the culture of her mind,--if the letters are to be credited, the
+whole was either hypocrisy from beginning to end, or, (overcome by some
+sudden impulse,) a year of gross criminality was introduced into the very
+middle of a well spent life. If she made so rapid a descent into a career
+of vice, she as rapidly rose again; and reassuming the character she had
+laid aside, lived and died with the purity of a saint, and the fortitude
+of a martyr. It cannot therefore be upon slight grounds that evidence so
+fatal to her reputation is to be admitted; and there will be little
+necessity to engage in minute cavilling, or to enter upon points of minor
+importance, if, by a distinct statement of some of the leading arguments
+against its authenticity, the whole shall be made to appear nugatory,
+improbable, and unentitled to credit.
+
+The evidences naturally divide themselves into the two heads of
+_external_ and _internal_; and, without further preface, it will be best
+to consider these in succession.
+
+THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCES.--It was on the 20th of June 1567, that Dalgleish
+was seized, with the box and writings. The official account given by
+Buchanan is,--"That in the Castle of Edinburgh there was left by the Earl
+Bothwell, before his flying away, and was sent for by one George
+Dalgleish, his servant, who was taken by the Earl of Morton, a small gilt
+coffer, not fully a foot long, being garnished in sundry places with the
+Roman letter F, under a king's crown, wherein were certain letters and
+writings well known, and by oaths, to be affirmed to have been written
+with the Queen of Scots own hand, to the Earl of Bothwell."[211] The
+question to be decided is, whether these letters and writings are genuine,
+or whether they can be proved to be fabrications? That the latter is the
+correct conclusion, appears on the following grounds.
+
+_First_, The conduct of Murray, Morton, and others of the Scottish
+nobility, on various occasions, proves that ambition was the ruling
+passion of their lives. Murray's iniquitous extermination of the Gordons
+in 1562, the influence he afterwards exercised in Mary's councils, and his
+unjustifiable opposition to her marriage with Darnley, carried even the
+length of open rebellion, illustrate his character no less clearly, than
+the share he had in the murder of Rizzio, and his proceedings after the
+meeting at Carberry Hill, do that of Morton. A train of events, arising
+out of the audacious machinations of Bothwell, placed Mary at the disposal
+of men thus devoted to the attainment of power. Yielding to their
+irresistible desire to secure its possession, they first imprisoned, and
+then dethroned their sovereign. She escaped from their hands, and, though
+driven from the country, threatened to return with foreign aid, to place
+herself at the head of her own party, which was still powerful, and to
+force from them their usurped authority. The urgency of the case called
+for a bold and decisive remedy. If Mary could prove, as there was no doubt
+she could, that, according to all the facts yet before the world, she had
+suffered severely and unjustly, they must either fall upon some means to
+vindicate their own actions, or be ruined for ever. Nothing would more
+naturally suggest itself than the expedient they adopted. The circumstance
+of Mary having been actually married to the man who murdered her former
+husband, opened a door to the very worst suspicions; and if they could
+artfully conceal the events which led to the marriage, and which not only
+justified it, but made it a matter of necessity, they hoped still to
+retain possession of the government. They were aware, indeed, that by
+their own proclamations and acts of council, they had acknowledged Mary's
+innocence, and pointed out the real cause of her connection with Bothwell;
+and it was now not enough, after they had involved themselves in deeper
+responsibility, merely to retract their former allegations. They were
+called upon to show _why_ they departed from them;--they were called upon
+to prove, that when they first imprisoned her, though they confessed the
+Queen was innocent, they were now satisfied she was guilty. There was a
+positive necessity for the appearance of the letters; and if they had not
+been fortunately discovered, just at the proper time, Murray and his
+colleagues must either have had recourse to some other expedient, or have
+consented to Mary's restoration, and their own disgrace.
+
+_Second_, That Mary may have written love-letters to Francis II., and to
+Darnley, before and after she was married to them, is not unlikely; that
+she wrote sonnets and letters of affection to many of her friends, both
+male and female, is beyond a doubt; but that she would ever have written
+such letters and sonnets to the Earl of Bothwell, whom she never loved,
+whom she at one time threw into prison, and at another sent into
+banishment, whom she knew to be a married man, and whose marriage she had
+herself countenanced and encouraged, is against all probability. If
+Bothwell had never become Mary's husband, history does not record one
+circumstance, which would at all lead to the belief, that she was attached
+to him. Her very marriage, when fairly and fully considered, only makes
+the fact more certain, that she had no regard for Bothwell, else there
+would have been no forcible abduction on his part, or pretended reluctance
+on hers. Even though she had consented to marry Bothwell, which the
+clearest evidence proves her not to have done, it would afford no
+presumption against her, that he was afterwards discovered to have been
+the murderer of Darnley. He had not only been legally acquitted, but all
+her chief nobility had recommended him to her as a husband, stating the
+grounds of their recommendation to be the high opinion they entertained of
+his worth and loyalty. Robertson, Laing, and others, it is true, copying
+Buchanan, have laboured to show, that Mary discovered in various ways her
+extreme partiality for Bothwell. Most of their arguments have been already
+considered elsewhere; but it will be worth while attending for a moment to
+such of the circumstances collected by Robertson, and drawn up in
+formidable array, in the "Critical Dissertation" subjoined to his History
+of Scotland, as have not yet been noticed. The answers and explanations
+which immediately suggest themselves are so entirely satisfactory, that we
+can only wonder the historian did not himself perceive them.
+
+Robertson states, that on the 15th of February 1567, five days after the
+murder, Mary bestowed on Bothwell the reversion of the superiority of the
+town of Leith, and that this grant was of much importance, as it gave him
+both the command of the principal port in the kingdom, and a great
+ascendancy over the citizens of Edinburgh. But this assignation, as is
+expressly stated in the charter, was made to Bothwell as a reward for his
+faithful services, both to Mary's mother and to herself, especially on the
+occasion of Rizzio's death, and must have been in contemplation for some
+time; nor can it be supposed to have occupied the Queen's thoughts, at a
+moment when she was refusing to see any one, and was shut up by herself in
+a dark room, a prey to the bitterest regrets. It ought to be recollected,
+besides, that she had not yet conferred on Bothwell any adequate
+recompense for his fidelity and exertions after her escape from Morton;
+and that the grant of the superiority of the town of Leith, was only a
+very tardy acknowledgment of her obligations. She made presents of a
+similar description to others of her nobility about the same time: if any
+of them had afterwards forced her into a marriage, these gifts might have
+been raked up with equal plausibility, to prove that she was then in love
+with Morton, Huntly, Secretary Maitland, or any body else. At the
+Parliament which assembled on the 14th of April 1567, ratifications of
+grants were passed to many of the principal persons in the realm; and
+among others to the Earl of Mar, Morton, Crawford, Caithness, and Lord
+Robert Stuart.[212] It will not be asserted, that Mary was attached to any
+of these persons; and is there any thing wonderful that she included in
+the list of those to whom she made donations, her Lord High Admiral? The
+case, no doubt, would have been worse, had she known that Bothwell was the
+murderer of Darnley, but throughout the whole of this discussion, it must
+be remembered, that if Mary was really innocent, she could not believe
+Bothwell guilty till he had been actually proved so.
+
+Robertson states further, that two days after the trial, Mary allowed
+Bothwell to carry the sceptre before her when she went to open the
+Parliament; that she there granted him a ratification of all the vast
+possessions and honours which she had conferred upon him; and that, when
+Sir James Melville warned her of the danger which would attend a marriage
+with that nobleman, she not only disregarded his admonition, but
+discovered to Bothwell what had passed. But, as to the carrying of the
+sceptre, it was surely not to be expected, that after a full acquittal,
+without even the shadow of evidence being advanced against him, Mary could
+have ventured to refuse his accustomed honours to the most powerful noble
+in the realm. As to the Parliamentary ratification of "all the vast
+possessions and honours which she had conferred upon him," the
+misrepresentation is glaring in the extreme; for she never conferred on
+Bothwell any vast possessions and honours, and the ratification alluded
+only to certain lands which were given him, to defray his charges in
+keeping the Castle of Dunbar.[213] Bothwell no doubt enjoyed "vast
+possessions and honours;" but they were mostly hereditary, or had been
+obtained by him before Mary came into the kingdom. And as to the manner in
+which Mary took Sir James Melville's warning,--the facts were these:--Sir
+James received a letter out of England, from a person of the name of
+Bishop, telling him that it had been rumoured (and there is no wonder,
+considering the bond which had been previously obtained from the nobility)
+that Bothwell was to be married to her Majesty, and assuring him, that if
+she consented to such an alliance, it would be much against her own
+reputation and interest. When Sir James showed this letter to Mary, she
+immediately sent, not for Bothwell, but for Secretary Maitland, to whom
+she handed it, expressing her surprise at its contents, and her suspicion
+that it was only a device on the part of some of Bothwell's enemies, who
+wished to ruin him in her estimation. She afterwards took an opportunity
+to speak of it to Bothwell himself, who affected to be highly indignant,
+and was so enraged against Melville, that, had not Mary interfered, he
+would have forced him to fly from the Court to save his life. Bothwell's
+rage is easily accounted for, considering the designs he then had in view,
+and the necessity for concealing them. But had he known that Mary was
+disposed to favour them, he would of course have taken the whole matter
+much more coolly. When Melville came upon the subject with Mary, she
+assured him that she did not contemplate any such alliance, and she had in
+like manner previously told Lord Herries, that "there was no such thing in
+her mind."[214] If deductions like those of Robertson, so contrary to the
+premises on which they are founded, be allowed, it is impossible to say to
+what belief they may not be made to lead.
+
+Robertson states, lastly, that even after Mary had been separated from
+Bothwell, and confined in Loch-Leven, her affection for him did not abate;
+and that the fair conclusion from all these circumstances is, that had
+Mary really been accessory to the murder of her husband, "she could
+scarcely have taken any other steps than those she took, nor could her
+conduct have been more repugnant to all the maxims of prudence or of
+decency." But that Mary's affection for a man she had never loved,
+continued after she had left him to his fate, at Carberry Hill, and gone
+publicly over in the face of the whole world to his bitterest enemies, (on
+whose authority alone Robertson's assertion is made, though expressly
+contradicted by their own previous declarations, as well as by Mary's
+statements whenever she regained her liberty), is not to be believed; and
+had she been really innocent, "she could scarcely have taken any other
+steps than those she took," nor could her conduct have been more accordant
+with all the maxims of prudence and propriety.
+
+_Third_, Supposing Mary to have actually written the letters to Bothwell,
+it may very fairly be asked,--Why he was so imprudent as preserve
+them?--why he chose to keep only eight?--why he put them all into the same
+box?--and why he should ever have intrusted that box to the custody of Sir
+James Balfour? It is extremely difficult to answer satisfactorily any of
+these questions. The only explanation which the first admits of, is, that
+Bothwell was afraid lest Mary should afterwards quarrel with him, and
+resolved therefore not to destroy the evidence of her participation in the
+murder. But if he acted upon this principle, why did he limit himself to a
+collection of eight letters? If Mary ever corresponded with him at all, he
+must have had in his possession many more of her epistles; for the first
+of the series which has been preserved, is evidently not the letter of one
+commencing a correspondence, but of one who writes as a matter of course,
+to a person whom she has often written to before. It may be said, perhaps,
+that none of her previous letters bore upon the subject of Darnley's
+murder; but they must at all events have contained expressions of
+affection, which would have served as an indirect proof of her guilt. If,
+by preserving these documents, and running the risk of their falling into
+the hands of his enemies, who would so eagerly use them to his
+disadvantage, Bothwell thought he was choosing the least of two dangers,
+he would certainly have been anxious to make his evidence of Mary's
+connexion with him as full and complete as possible. Accordingly, some
+love-sonnets, and a contract of marriage, were said to have been put into
+the same box, but only eight letters; as if, during the whole course of
+his amour with the Queen, and all its anxious days and nights, she had
+limited herself to eight epistolary testimonials of her love. But having
+preserved them, and having limited their number to eight, and having
+chosen to put them, not into a strong iron box locked and pad-locked, of
+which he alone kept the key, but into a "small gilt coffer" which never
+belonged to him at all, but had been a gift to Mary from her first husband
+Francis,--why was he so very absurd as send them to Sir James Balfour in
+the Castle of Edinburgh, at the very time that a rebellion was rising in
+the nation, and that he was beginning to suspect Balfour's fidelity? They
+were sent, we are informed, "before his flying away" from Edinburgh, in
+the beginning of June 1567. Was this the moment at which he would be
+disposed to part with writings he had so carefully treasured? If he was
+afraid that his enemies would advance upon Edinburgh, why did he not take
+the "small gilt coffer" with him to Dunbar, instead of sending it to the
+very place where it was sure to become their prey? If the letters were in
+truth forged, it was necessary for the forgers to concoct as plausible a
+story concerning them as possible. They knew it was not likely that
+Bothwell would send them to the Castle tied up as an open packet; and the
+idea of a box would therefore occur to them. But as they had not in their
+possession any box which belonged to Bothwell, they were forced to make
+use of what they could get; and finding at Holyrood, when they rifled the
+palace of most of the Queen's valuables, the coffer in question, they
+would readily avail themselves of it. It would further occur to them, that
+Bothwell could not be supposed to have left the letters at Holyrood, which
+was not a place of any strength; and as they had not followed him to
+Dunbar, they were obliged to give out that he had made the Castle of
+Edinburgh their hiding-place. But if the letters had not been forgeries,
+and if they had been really preserved by Bothwell, they would have been
+more numerous,--they would not have been kept in one of Mary's
+trinket-boxes,--and they would never have found their way out of his own
+hands into the custody of Sir James Balfour.
+
+_Fourth_, The next improbability connected with this story, is, that
+Bothwell sent to reclaim the letters at the time alleged. On the 15th of
+September 1568, Murray, before going into England, to attend the
+conference at York, gave the Earl of Morton a receipt for the "silver box,
+overgilt with gold, with all missive letters, contracts or obligations for
+marriage, sonnets or love ballads, and all other letters contained
+therein, sent and passed betwixt the Queen and James, sometime Earl
+Bothwell; which box, and whole pieces within the same, were taken and
+found with umwhile George Dalgleish, servant to the said Earl Bothwell,
+upon the 20th day of June, in the year of God 1567."[215] This, then, was
+exactly five days after Bothwell had fled from Carberry Hill, and when
+Edinburgh was in the possession of the opposite faction, with whom Sir
+James Balfour had now associated himself. Dalgleish, it appears, who was
+well known to be a servant of Bothwell, was able not only to effect an
+entrance into Edinburgh, though the city was strictly guarded, but was
+received into the Castle, and had the box actually delivered to him by
+Balfour. How he happened to be afterwards discovered, and his property
+taken from him, is not made out. If Balfour privately intimated to Morton
+what he had done, then he at once acted knavishly towards Bothwell, and
+most inconsiderately towards those whom he wished to befriend; for
+Dalgleish might have either baffled pursuit, or he might have secreted the
+box, or destroyed its contents before he was taken. Thus we have a tissue
+of improbabilities, pervading the whole of this part of the narrative.
+Bothwell could never send to Edinburgh Castle for writings he would never
+have deposited there: and most especially he would never send, when he
+himself was a fugitive, and that fortress, along with the adjacent town,
+in the hands of his enemies. Nor would Balfour have surrendered a box so
+precious; nor, if he did, would Dalgleish have allowed it again to become
+the prey of those from whom it was most wished to conceal it.
+
+_Fifth_, What was done with the letters immediately after Morton and the
+other Lords got possession of them? Bothwell had been already accused of
+the murder of Darnley; his former acquittal had been declared unjust; he
+had been separated from the Queen; and she herself had been sequestrated
+in Loch-Leven, until the whole affair should be duly investigated. Surely,
+then, the discovery of these letters would be regarded with signal
+satisfaction, and the associated Lords would lose not a moment in
+announcing their existence to the nation, as the best justification of
+their own proceedings. They had sent Mary, it is true, to Loch-Leven,
+somewhat precipitately, five days before they were aware of her enormous
+guilt; but if their own ambition had prompted that step, they would now be
+able to free themselves from blame, and would silence at once the boldest
+of the Queen's defenders. As it appears by the records, that a meeting of
+Privy Council was held on the 21st of June, the very day after Dalgleish
+was seized, we shall surely find that all the papers were produced, and
+their contents impressively recorded in the Council-books. Nothing of the
+kind took place; and though Morton was present at the meeting, not a
+single word was said of the letters.[216] Again, on the 26th of June, an
+act was passed for sanctioning the imprisonment of the Queen in
+Loch-Leven, and a proclamation issued for apprehending the Earl of
+Bothwell; but though the latter was accused of having "treasonably
+ravished" the person of her Highness the Queen, and also of being the
+"principal author of the late cruel murder," no hint was given of the
+evidence which had been recently discovered against him, and which,
+indeed, had it been in their possession, would have directly contradicted
+the assertion, that Bothwell had been guilty Of "treasonable ravishment,"
+or of keeping the Queen in "thraldom and bondage;" for it would have
+appeared, that he had obtained her previous consent for every thing he had
+done.[217] Between this date and the 11th of July, several other meetings
+of Council were held, and acts published, but not a whisper was heard
+concerning these important letters. When Sir Nicolas Throckmorton was sent
+by Elizabeth, as her ambassador into Scotland, the Lords presented him, on
+the 11th of July, with a formal justification of their doings; but, in all
+that long and laboured paper, the letters were never once alluded to. On
+the contrary, in direct opposition to them, such passages as the following
+occur more than once:--"How shamefully the Queen, our Sovereign, was led
+captive, and, by fear, force, and (as by many conjectures may be well
+suspected) other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to
+become bed-fellow to another wife's husband, and to him who, not three
+months before, had in his bed most cruelly murdered her husband, is
+manifest to the world, to the great dishonour of her Majesty, us all, and
+this whole nation."--"It behoved us, assuredly, to have recommended the
+soul of our Prince, and of the most part of ourselves, to God's hands;
+and as we may firmly believe the soul also of our Sovereign the Queen,
+who should not have lived with him half a year to an end, as may be
+conjectured by the short time they lived together, and the maintaining of
+his other wife at home in his house."--"The respects aforesaid, with many
+others, and very necessity, moved us to enterprise the quarrel we have in
+hand, which was only intended against the Earl of Bothwell's person, to
+dissolve the dishonourable and unlawful conjunction under the name of
+marriage."[218] These are positive declarations, which not only bear no
+reference to the box of love-letters, but which deliberately and
+conclusively give the lie to their contents. When was it, then, that these
+momentous letters were introduced to the world? The Lords, not satisfied
+with "sequestrating the person" of the Queen, forced from her an
+abdication of her throne on the 25th of July. Surely, before venturing on
+so audacious a proceeding, these criminal writings would be made known to
+the country. But no; we in vain expect to hear any thing of
+them;--"shadows, clouds, and darkness" still rest upon them.
+
+At length, a fresh actor returned to that scene, in which he had formerly
+played with so much success; and _his_ inventive genius brought the
+mystery to light. Early in August, the Earl of Murray rejoined his old
+associates; and on the 22d of that month, he was proclaimed Regent. It was
+necessary for him, shortly afterwards, to hold a Parliament; and the
+Queen's party being then almost as strong as his own, it was still more
+necessary for him to fall upon some means to justify his usurpation, as
+well as those severe proceedings against Mary to which he had given his
+sanction. Accordingly, after he had been in Scotland four months, and had
+cautiously prepared his body of written evidence, we find it mentioned,
+_for the first time_, in an act of Council, passed on the 4th of December,
+only ten days before the meeting of Parliament, and evidently in
+anticipation of that event. In this act it is expressly declared, "that
+the cause and occasion of the private conventions of the Lords, Barons and
+others, and consequently their taking of arms, and coming to the field,
+and the cause and occasion of the taking of the Queen's person, upon the
+15th day of June last, and holding and detaining of the same within the
+house and place of Loch Leven, continually since, presently, and in all
+time coming, and generally all other things invented, spoken, or written
+by them since the 10th day of February last, (upon which day umwhile King
+Henry was shamefully and horribly murdered), unto the day and date hereof,
+touching the Queen's person, cause, and all things depending thereon, was
+in the said Queen's own default, in as far as, by diverse her privy
+letters, written and subscribed with her own hand, and sent by her to
+James Earl of Bothwell, chief executor of the said horrible murder, as
+well before the committing thereof as after, and by her ungodly and
+dishonourable proceeding in a private marriage with him, suddenly and
+unprovisedly thereafter, it is most certain that she was privy, art and
+part, and of the actual device and deed of the forementioned
+murder."[219] The ensuing Parliament passed an act, which, after a
+preamble expressed in nearly the same words, sanctioned the Queen's
+imprisonment and Murray's Regency;[220] and nothing more whatever is known
+or heard of these "privy letters," till nearly the end of the following
+year, 1568.
+
+With regard to these acts of Council and Parliament, it is to be remarked,
+in the first place, that they refer to the Letters as the grounds upon
+which the nobles took up arms, separated the Queen from Bothwell at
+Carberry Hill, and imprisoned her at Loch-Leven; although, according to a
+subsequent confession, the Letters were not discovered till after she had
+been in captivity for five days, and although, in all the proclamations
+and acts of the time, Mary's innocence was openly allowed, and the bondage
+in which she had been kept by Bothwell as openly proclaimed. It is to be
+remarked, in the second place, that no account is given, either of the
+contents of these Letters, of the time of their discovery, or of the
+evidence by which their authenticity was ascertained. Dalgleish was at the
+very moment in custody, and a few days afterwards was tried and executed
+for his share in Darnley's death, of which he made a full confession. But
+why was he not brought forward and examined concerning the Letters; and
+why is there not a word about them in his confession?[221] Why was
+Dalgleish never mentioned as having any connection with the Letters at all
+till after he was dead? And if it was originally intended to refer to the
+Letters as the authorities on which the Lords sent Mary to Loch-Leven,
+may it not be fairly concluded, that the idea of their having been taken
+from Dalgleish on the 20th of June, was an after-thought, when it became
+necessary to account for the manner in which they had fallen into their
+hands? Was it, besides, enough to satisfy the nation to allude, in vague
+and general terms, to the existence of documents of so much weight? If
+they were thus obscurely locked up in Murray's custody,--if nothing
+further was said about them but that they existed,--if all the nobility of
+Scotland were not requested to come and examine them,--if they were not
+printed and published that the people might see them, and feel convinced
+that the Lords had acted justly, can it be cause of wonder, that, not only
+all Mary's friends, but even Elizabeth herself, intimated doubts of their
+authenticity?
+
+_Sixth_, If it is strange that these important writings were so long kept
+from the public eye, it is no less strange, that, when they were at length
+produced, a degree of caution and hesitation was observed regarding them
+not a little suspicious. If the Regent had been satisfied of their
+authenticity, he would fearlessly have exhibited them to all who were
+interested in their contents. Even allowing that he had a fair excuse for
+concealing them so long, he would have been eager to challenge for them,
+when he at last determined to bring them forward, the minutest
+examination, so that the most sceptical might be convinced they were
+genuine. If he acted honestly, and, on the authority of these writings,
+believed his sister unworthy of continuing on the Scottish throne, he must
+have been anxious that the whole country should acknowledge the propriety
+of his conduct; or if he had himself been misled, he ought not to have
+been unwilling to have had the forgery pointed out to him, and Mary
+restored to the government. But we look in vain for any thing frank, open,
+and candid, in Murray's proceedings.
+
+When the conference began at York, there was not a word said of the
+letters, till it was found that, without their aid, no plausible answer
+could be given to the complaints made by Mary. Even then they were not
+boldly produced, and openly laid before the Commissioners; but Maitland,
+Macgill, Wood, and Buchanan, were sent to hold a "private and secret
+conference" with Norfolk and his colleagues, in which they produced the
+letters and other papers, and asked their opinion concerning them.[222] As
+soon as Elizabeth was informed of their contents, she removed the
+conference to Westminster; and Mary sent her Commissioners thither, still
+ignorant of the alleged existence of any such writings. It was not till
+the 8th of December 1568 that the letters made their appearance in an
+official manner. As Elizabeth herself, departing from the impartiality of
+an umpire, had already secretly encouraged their production, and as she
+had evidently entered into Murray's views regarding them, there was now
+surely no further trepidation or concealment. But what is the fact? On
+only _two_ occasions were the originals of these writings ever shown; and
+on neither occasion does their authenticity appear to have been at all
+determined. On the 8th of December, "they produced seven several writings,
+written in French, and avowed by them to be written by the said Queen;
+which seven writings being copied, were read in French, and a due
+collation made thereof, as near as could be, by reading and inspection,
+and made to accord with the originals, which the said Earl of Murray
+required to be re-delivered, and did thereupon deliver the copies, being
+collationed."[223] Here, therefore, nothing was done except comparing
+copies with what were called originals, to see that they agreed. These
+copies were left in the hands of the Commissioners, and the originals, by
+whoever they were written, were immediately returned to Murray. On the
+14th of December, they again made their appearance, for the second and
+last time; "and being read, were duly conferred and compared, for the
+manner of writing and fashion of orthography, with sundry other letters,
+long since heretofore written, and sent by the said Queen of Scots to the
+Queen's Majesty."[224] Was this all the proof that was offered? Yes; the
+whole. Elizabeth, who was no less anxious than Murray himself to blacken
+the character of the Queen of Scots, was allowed to supply the letters
+with which the other writings were to be compared; and, for any thing that
+is known to the contrary, these "other letters, long since heretofore
+written," were only a few more forgeries from the same hand, prepared for
+the very use to which they were applied. And be this as it may, is it
+likely that, by a hasty collation of this kind, any accurate decision
+could be formed; or that, in a single forenoon, a number of different
+individuals could come to a conclusion on so very nice a point as a
+comparison of hands, especially having before them so great a number of
+documents to decide upon? It is a maxim in law, that "_fallacissimum genus
+probandi sit per comparationem litterarum_;" and surely the fallaciousness
+of such a proof was not diminished by the hasty examination given to them
+by some English nobles, probably unacquainted previously with the writing
+of the Queen of Scots.
+
+But could Mary herself, it will be asked, refuse to acknowledge her own
+hand? Her Commissioners would of course be allowed to see the original
+letters; if not the whole, at least some of them, would be given to them,
+that they might transmit them to their mistress; and she being either
+unable to deny them, would confess her guilt, or, perceiving them to be
+fabrications, would point out the proofs. But nothing of all this was
+done. Mary's Commissioners were not present at the only meetings at which
+the originals were produced; and when they afterwards applied for a sight
+of them, or for copies, they were put off from time to time till the
+conference was dissolved, and Murray sent back to Scotland. "Suppose a
+man," says Tytler, "was to swear a debt against me, and offered to prove
+it by bond or bill of my handwriting; if I knew this bond to be a false
+writing, what would be my defence? Show me the bond itself, and I will
+prove it a forgery. If he withdrew the bond, and refused to let me see it,
+what would be the presumption? Surely that the bond was forged, and that
+the user was himself the forger. The case is precisely similar to the
+point in hand. The Queen, we have seen, repeatedly demands to see the
+principal writings themselves, which she asserts are forged. Elizabeth
+herself says the demand is most reasonable. What follows? Is this
+reasonable demand of Mary complied with? Far from it; so far from seeing
+or having inspection of the originals, even copies of them are refused to
+her and her Commissioners."[225] Under these circumstances, and as the
+writings were seen only twice by a few of the English nobility, and then
+locked up again in Murray's box, that they once existed may perhaps be
+granted, but that they were what they pretended to be, cannot be believed
+to have been ever proved.
+
+_Seventh_, Having effected the purpose they were meant to achieve, it
+might have been expected that these letters would be carefully preserved
+in the public archives of the Scottish nation;--that, as they had been the
+means of bringing about a revolution in the country, they would be
+regarded not as private, but as public property;--and that Murray would be
+anxious to lodge them where they might be referred to, both by his
+cotemporaries and posterity, as documents with which his own reputation,
+no less than that of his sister, was indissolubly connected. Here again,
+however, the impartial inquirer is disappointed. The Regent appears to
+have kept these writings close in his own possession till his death, and
+they then fell into the hands of his successor, the Earl of Lennox.
+Towards the end of January 1571, Lennox delivered them to Morton; and
+after Morton's execution, the box and its contents became the property of
+the Earl of Gowrie. Knowing that he would be less anxious to maintain
+their authenticity, not being influenced by any of the motives which had
+actuated Murray, Lennox, and Morton, and fearing lest the whole trick
+should be discovered, Elizabeth became now very anxious to obtain them.
+She ordered her ambassador in Scotland, in 1582, to promise Gowrie, that
+if he would surrender them, he should "be requited to his comfort and
+contentment, with princely thanks and gratuity." But Gowrie was neither to
+be bribed nor persuaded; he knew the value of the papers too well, and the
+power which their possession gave him, both over James and Elizabeth. As
+long as they befriended him, he would be silent; but should he ever be
+cast off by them, he would proclaim their fabrication, and remove the
+stains they had cast upon Mary's honour. Elizabeth's earnest endeavours to
+get them into her own possession can be accounted for, only on the
+supposition that she knew them to be forgeries; for it was in that case
+alone, that any dangerous use could have been made of them. Subsequent to
+the correspondence with Gowrie, in 1582, nothing further is known of these
+writings. In 1584, Gowrie was executed as a traitor, on account of the
+conspiracy in which he had engaged, and many of his effects fell into the
+hands of James VI.; but whether these documents were among them, is
+uncertain. In so far as the originals are concerned, this celebrated body
+of evidence is little else than a mere shadow. It was never spoken of at
+all, till long after it had been discovered,--it was not produced till
+long after it had been first spoken of,--it appeared only for a few hours
+before persons predisposed to give it all credit,--it then returned to
+its former obscurity, and not even _copies_ but merely _translations_, are
+all that were ever presented to the world, on which to form an opinion. It
+is strange that any importance should have ever been attached to papers,
+which were never fairly exposed to the light, and which the jaws of
+darkness so soon devoured.[226]
+
+_Eighth_, Though it would be perhaps as difficult to prove a negative, as
+to demonstrate the spuriousness of writings which do not exist, and which
+were hardly ever seen, the presumption against them is increased a
+hundred-fold, if it can be clearly established, that the same men who
+produced them were more than once guilty of deliberate forgery. This could
+be done in many instances; but it will be enough to mention two, which are
+sufficiently glaring. The first is the letter which Morton exhibited
+before Mary was taken to Loch-Leven, and which was never afterwards
+referred to or produced, even at the time when evidence of all kinds was
+raked up against her. It was a letter which would not only have gone a
+great way to corroborate the others, but, as it did not implicate the
+Queen in Darnley's murder, was exactly the sort of apology that was wished
+for keeping her "sequestrated" at Loch-Leven, and forcing from her an
+abdication. Even though all the other epistles had been kept back, this
+might have been safely engrossed in the minutes of Morton's Privy Council,
+and referred to again and again by the King's Lords, as the great
+justification of their conduct. If by any chance a reason could be found,
+why it was first produced, and again concealed, it would still be
+impossible to discover why it alone was withdrawn, when all the rest were
+laid before Elizabeth. There is but one solution of the enigma, which is,
+that it was too hasty a fabrication to bear minute examination, and that,
+though it misled Kircaldy of Grange, Morton and Murray were themselves
+ashamed of it.
+
+A second and even more remarkable example of forgery is to be found in one
+of the papers which Murray showed to the English Commissioners at York,
+but which he afterwards thought it prudent to withdraw when the writings
+were more publicly produced at Westminster. This paper was described
+as,--"The Queen's consent given to the Lords who subscribed the bond for
+the promotion of the said James Earl Bothwell to her marriage."[227] In
+the "private and secret Conference," which Lethington, MacGill, Wood, and
+Buchanan, had with the Commissioners at York; "they showed unto us," say
+the latter, "a copy of a band, bearing date the 19th of April 1567, to the
+which the most part of the Lords and Counsellors of Scotland have put to
+their hands; and, as they say, more for fear than any liking they had of
+the same. Which band contained two special points,--the one a declaration
+of Bothwell's purgation of the murder of the Lord Darnley, and the other
+a general consent to his marriage with the Queen, so far forth as the law
+and her own liking should allow. And yet, in proof that they did it not
+willingly, they procured a warrant which was now showed unto us, bearing
+date the 19th of April, signed with the Queen's hand, whereby she gave
+them license to agree to the same; affirming, that before they had such a
+warrant, there was none of them that did or would set to their hands,
+saving only the Earl of Huntly."[228] This must have been a very curious
+and interesting warrant; and it is somewhat surprising, that it had never
+been heard of before. It was a very strong link in the chain; and spoke
+volumes of Mary's love for Bothwell, which carried her so far that she not
+only secretly wished, but openly requested her nobles to recommend him to
+her as a husband. Besides, if the warrant was genuine, it must have been
+seen by all the Lords who were present at "Ainsly's supper;" and they must
+have been consequently well aware that there was no such thing as a
+forcible abduction of the Queen's person. So far from supposing that
+Bothwell ever kept her in "unlawful bondage," or forced her into a
+"pretended marriage," they would know that she had shown greater anxiety
+to possess him than he had to secure her. Their only wonder would be, that
+after so far overcoming the natural modesty of her sex, as to point out to
+them one of her own subjects, whom she asked them to advise her to marry,
+she should so palpably have contradicted herself, as to give out
+afterwards that it was not till she had been carried off, and till every
+argument had been used which power could supply, or passion suggest, that
+she reluctantly agreed to become his wife. If she openly and formally
+licensed her nobles to recommend him, what was the use of all her
+subsequent affected reluctance? But it was not Murray's business to
+explain this problem. The warrant spoke for itself, and it was with it
+only that he had to do. What, then, were the comments which he made on it
+at Westminster, and the conclusive presumptions against Mary which he drew
+from it? _The "Warrant" was not produced at Westminster at all, and not a
+single allusion was made to it._[229] This fact alone is sufficient to
+mark the credit it deserves. It could do no harm to show it privately to
+Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler; but it would not have answered so well to
+have advanced it publicly, as all the nobility of Scotland would at once
+have known it to be a fabrication. The probability is, that this
+"Warrant," or "Consent," was neither more nor less than a garbled copy of
+the pardon which Bothwell obtained from Mary, for the Lords who had signed
+the bond, when he brought her out of the Castle of Edinburgh on the 14th
+of May, the day previous to her marriage; and she would never have been
+asked for this pardon if she had before recommended the bond.[230] If
+Murray and his party are thus detected in fabrications so gross, that they
+themselves, however anxious to bolster up their cause, were afraid to
+make use of them, what dependence is to be placed upon the authenticity of
+any writings they chose to produce?
+
+_Ninth_, It was Bothwell who murdered Darnley; it was Bothwell who seized
+the person of the Queen; it was Bothwell who was married to her; it was
+Bothwell whose daring ambition waded through blood and crime, till at
+length he set his foot upon a throne. But his triumph was of short
+duration. The Queen left him, and went over to his enemies; and he himself
+was forced into a miserable exile. It was this reverse of fortune which he
+had all along dreaded; and it was to be prepared for the evil day, that he
+had preserved the eight letters and love-sonnets so carefully in the small
+gilt box. He had determined, that whatever might happen, he should never
+lose his hold over Mary, but that, as she had participated in his guilt,
+she should be made to share his subsequent fortunes. He cannot have been
+well pleased with her conduct at Carberry Hill; and it was perhaps to
+revenge himself upon her, that he sent Dalgleish for the casket, part of
+the contents of which he may have intended to disclose to the world.
+Dalgleish and the casket were seized, but the secret of Mary's criminality
+was still in Bothwell's possession; and there was surely no occasion that
+he should become odious in the eyes of all men, whilst his paramour and
+accomplice preserved her reputation. Did he never, then, throughout the
+whole course of his life, utter a word, or issue a declaration, or make a
+confession which in the slightest degree implicated Mary? It is surely a
+strong presumption in her favour if he never did.
+
+Before Darnley was murdered, Bothwell went to meet Morton at Whittingham,
+to consult him on the subject. Morton told him, that unless he could
+produce proof, under the Queen's hand, of her consent to have her husband
+removed, he would not interfere in the matter. Before going to
+Whittingham, Bothwell must have received the two letters which Mary is
+alleged to have written to him from Glasgow; _yet he was unable to show
+Morton any writing to corroborate his assertion, that the Queen would not
+be offended at the proposed murder_. He promised, however, that he would
+do all he could to procure the warrant which Morton desired. Some time
+afterwards, "I being at St Andrews," says Morton in his confession, "to
+visit the Earl of Angus a little before the murder, Mr Archibald Douglas
+came to me there, both with write and credit of the Earl Bothwell, to show
+unto me that the purpose of the King's murder was to be done, and near a
+point; and to request my concurrence and assistance thereunto. My answer
+to him was, that I would give no answer to that purpose, seeing I had not
+got the Queen's warrant in write, which was promised; and therefore,
+seeing the Earl Bothwell never reported any warrant of the Queen to me, I
+never meddled further with it."[231] As all that Morton wished, before
+giving Bothwell his active support, was "the Queen's hand-write of the
+matter for a warrant," what would have been more natural or easy for
+Bothwell than to have produced any of the letters he had got from Mary,
+which would exactly have answered the purpose, and satisfied all Morton's
+scruples? As Bothwell told him that the Queen approved of the design, he
+could not have any objection to make good that assertion, by any written
+evidence in his possession. He need not even have shown the whole of any
+one letter, but only such detached parts of it as bore directly on the
+subject in question. It is strange, that Bothwell should have gone so far,
+and should have been so anxious to secure the co-operation of Morton; yet,
+that he did not obviate the only objection which Morton started, by
+putting into his hands a letter, or letters, which, if they ever existed,
+he must have then had.[232]
+
+Various occasions occurred afterwards, which held out every inducement to
+Bothwell to produce the letters and accuse the Queen. Passing over his
+silence at Carberry Hill, notwithstanding her desertion of him there, and
+during all the rest of the time that he remained in Scotland, it may be
+mentioned, that Murray, shortly after he had been appointed Regent, wrote
+to the King of Denmark, to request that Bothwell should be delivered up to
+him. The King refused, on several grounds, and among others, that Bothwell
+maintained he had been unjustly driven from the kingdom,--that he had been
+legally tried and acquitted,--that he had been lawfully married to the
+Queen,--and that _no blame whatever attached to her_.[233] Not at all
+satisfied with this answer, Mr Thomas Buchanan was afterwards sent out to
+Denmark, to procure, if possible, Bothwell's surrender. Buchanan, of
+course, made himself acquainted with all that Bothwell had been saying and
+doing, since he fled from Scotland; and in January 1571, he sent home a
+full account of his discoveries to his constituents. The letter was
+addressed to the Earl of Lennox, who was then Regent; but it fell first
+into the Earl of Morton's hands, who was at the time in London. Perceiving
+that it contained matter by no means favourable to their cause, and afraid
+lest it might produce some effect on the mind of Elizabeth, he played the
+same game with her he had formerly been so successful in with Mary, and
+passed off upon her a garbled copy as a genuine transcript of the
+original. "We had no will," the Earl of Morton wrote to Lennox, "that the
+contents of the letter should be known, fearing that some words and
+matters mentioned in the same being dispersed here as news, would rather
+have hindered than furthered our cause. And, therefore, being desired at
+Court to show the letter, we gave to understand that we had sent the
+principal away, and delivered a copy, omitting such things as we thought
+not meet to be shown, as your Grace may perceive by the like copy, which
+also we have sent you herewith; which you may communicate to such as your
+Grace thinks it not expedient to communicate the whole contents of the
+principal letter unto."[234] Both the original despatch and the spurious
+copy have unfortunately been lost, or were more probably destroyed by
+Lennox himself; so that their contents can only be conjectured; but it is
+evident, that so far from tending to hurt Mary's reputation, they must
+rather have served to exculpate her.
+
+In the year 1576, Mary wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow, that she had
+received intelligence of Bothwell's death, and that, before his decease,
+he had declared himself the murderer of Darnley, and expressly freed her
+from any share in it, attesting her innocence in the most solemn manner.
+"If this be true," Mary added, "this testimony will be of great importance
+to me against the false calumnies of my enemies. I therefore beseech you
+to take every means in your power to discover the real state of the
+case."[235] The Archbishop proposed, in consequence, to send a messenger
+to Denmark, to procure a properly authenticated copy of the testament, but
+for want of money and other causes, it appears that he was never able to
+carry his intentions into effect. The confession was transmitted to
+Elizabeth by the King of Denmark, but its publication was anxiously
+suppressed by her;[236] and is now lost. Its place, however, has been not
+unsatisfactorily supplied by a discovery which has recently been made in
+the Royal library at Drottningholm, entitled, a "Declaration of the Earl
+of Bothwell," made by him when a prisoner at Copenhagen in the year 1568.
+It contains a full account of all the principal events of his past life;
+and though it was written, not as a confession, but as a justification,
+and is consequently an artful piece of special pleading in his own
+defence, and not always particularly accurate in its detail of facts, it
+cannot fail nevertheless to be regarded as an interesting and important
+document. One thing is especially to be remarked, that throughout the
+whole, he never attempts in the most distant manner to implicate Mary in
+the blame attachable to his own conduct. On the contrary, he speaks of her
+throughout with the utmost respect. It may be said, that if Bothwell had
+accused Mary, he could not have defended himself, and that he abstained
+only from a selfish motive. There were, however, a thousand different
+degrees of responsibility with which he might have charged Mary. There was
+no necessity to have accused her of the murder of Darnley, or of a
+criminal attachment to him; but if it had been the truth, it would
+certainly have been for his own interest, to have proved that the Queen
+loved him sincerely and warmly. Even this he does not venture to state;
+and the impression left by the whole tone of the declaration
+unquestionably is, that he felt it would be for his advantage to say as
+little about Mary as possible, knowing that, of all others he had offended
+most against her, and that to attempt to cast any imputation upon her
+innocence, would be only to throw a darker shade over his own
+villany.[237]
+
+_Tenth._--Some historians have ventured to assert, that however little
+credit they might be disposed to give to the statements of such men as
+Murray and Morton, they have been somewhat startled to find that Mary
+herself never denied them very positively, or evinced much indignation
+against them. These historians cannot have looked very deeply into the
+records on this subject, else they would have found that the fact was
+exactly the reverse of what they suppose it to have been. "And yet is
+there one injury more," says Bishop Lesley, "that doth grieve and molest
+this good guiltless lady more than all their foretold villanous pranks
+played by them against her, and surely not without just cause of grief;
+for, indeed, it far passeth and exceedeth them all, and that is, their
+shameful and most traitorous defaming her, being altogether innocent
+therein, with the death of her husband, as though that she had suborned
+the Earl of Bothwell thereto, and rewarded him therefor with the marriage
+of her own body."[238] It is altogether unnecessary to refer to any
+particular authorities upon this subject; for a volume might be easily
+filled with Letters, Despatches, and Instructions from Mary, which not
+only deny her guilt, but, by the arguments they contain, go very far to
+establish her innocence. A communication, which she addressed, in the year
+1569, to the States of Scotland, must, however, be mentioned, as it
+distinctly shows what her feelings then were towards Bothwell; for whom,
+indeed, she had so little affection, that, very soon after her arrival in
+England, she lent a favourable ear to the proposals of marriage made by
+the Duke of Norfolk. Her letter to the Scottish Parliament is to be
+considered in connection with this contemplated marriage. Its purpose was,
+to obtain the sanction of the States to a divorce from Bothwell; and she
+alluded to him in the following terms: "Forasmuch as we are credibly
+informed, by sundry and diverse noblemen of our realm, that the pretended
+marriage, some time contracted, and in a manner solemnized, between us and
+James Earl of Bothwell, was, for diverse respects, unlawful, and may not
+of good conscience and law stand betwixt us, (albeit it seemed otherwise
+to us and our Council at that time);--considering, therefore, with
+ourselves, and thinking that the same does touch us as highly in honour
+and conscience that it daily and hourly troubles and vexes our spirit
+quite through, we are moved to seek remedy."[239] The very Lords, however,
+who had before affected so much anxiety to free her from that "ungodly
+alliance," now refused to take any steps towards forwarding the divorce;
+and they were thus convicted of another inconsistency.[240] Little more
+than eighteen months had elapsed since they had not only imprisoned her,
+but forced her to surrender her crown, because, as they alleged, she
+"would not consent, by any persuasion, to abandon the Lord Bothwell for
+her husband, but avowed constantly that she would live and die with him,
+saying, that if it were put to her choice to relinquish her crown and
+kingdom, or the Lord Bothwell, she would leave her kingdom and dignity to
+go as a simple damsel with him, and would never consent that he would fare
+worse, or have more harm than herself."[241] Yet she now expressly asked
+a divorce from this Lord Bothwell, her connection with whom had "daily and
+hourly troubled and vexed her spirit;" and the Lords, forgetting all their
+former protestations, were not disposed to accede to it.
+
+Nor was it by Mary herself alone, that a direct contradiction was given to
+the defamatory accusations of the regent and his associates. Numerous
+state papers exist which show, that all the impartial and disinterested
+part, not only of her own nobility, but of Elizabeth's, considered her
+entirely innocent. In the year 1568, letters were addressed to the Queen
+of England, by many of the Lords of Scotland, which spoke very strongly in
+her favour. Among the signatures to these, will be found the names of the
+Archbishop of St Andrews, the Earl of Huntly, Argyle, Crawfurd, Errol,
+Rothes, Cassils, Eglinton, and Caithness, and the Lords Fleming, Ross,
+Sanquhar, Ogilvy, Boyd, Oliphant, Drummond, Maxwell, and others.[242] In
+England, the great number of Lords and gentlemen of the first rank who
+joined with Norfolk in aid of Mary, affords perhaps a still stronger
+presumption in her favour. But Robertson, on the other hand, asserts that
+her father and mother-in-law, Lord and Lady Lennox, were convinced of her
+guilt. By attaching himself to the Prince's faction, Lennox came to be
+elected Regent, and that he was willing to believe, or affect to believe,
+all that Mary's enemies advanced, cannot be matter of much wonder; for he
+had in truth identified his interests with those of Murray and Morton, and
+if their fabrications had been detected, he must have suffered along with
+them. But in so far as regards the Countess of Lennox, Robertson's
+statement is directly contrary to the fact. He quotes a letter, it is
+true, written by Mary to that Lady in the year 1570, in which, with
+ingenuous sincerity, the Queen laments that the Countess should allow
+herself to be persuaded to think evil of her; and it was perhaps partly in
+consequence of this appeal, that Lady Lennox began to consider the subject
+more seriously. Robertson either did not know, or chose to conceal the
+fact, that she saw cause soon after receiving Mary's letter decidedly to
+change her opinions. In 1578, Mary wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow to
+this effect:--"The Countess of Lennox, my mother-in-law, died about a
+month ago. This good lady, thanks to God, has been in very good
+intelligence and correspondence with me for the last five or six years.
+She has confessed to me, by diverse letters under her hand which I
+carefully keep, the wrong she did me in the unjust prosecutions which she
+allowed to proceed against me in her name, and which originated, partly in
+erroneous information, but principally in the express commands of the
+Queen of England, and persuasions of those of her Council who were always
+averse to our reconciliation. As soon as she became persuaded of my
+innocence, she desisted from these prosecutions, and resolutely refused to
+countenance the proceedings which were carried on against me under her
+name."[243] Thus, however prejudiced her husband necessarily was, the
+Countess was unable to resist the force of truth, as soon as she was
+allowed to judge for herself. It may further be mentioned, that in France
+there was scarcely an individual who thought Mary guilty; and that the
+funeral orations which were ordered by the Government to be preached upon
+her death, were attended by hundreds, who wept over the injuries and the
+misfortunes of their beloved Queen-dowager.[244] It appears, therefore,
+both by Mary's own declarations, repeated over and over again with
+undeviating consistency, up to the very hour of her death, when she passed
+into the presence of her Maker, solemnly protesting her innocence, and by
+the deliberate opinions of nearly all her cotemporaries who are deserving
+of credit, that the strongest and most positive contradiction was given to
+the malicious insinuations of the opposite party.
+
+_Eleventh, and Lastly._--A considerable number of Bothwell's accomplices
+were tried, condemned and executed, for their share in the murder; and
+before their death, they all made Depositions and Confessions which still
+exist, and have been printed by Goodall, Anderson, Laing, and others.
+Among these are the Examinations, Depositions, and Confessions, of Powrie,
+Dalgleish, Hay, Hepburn and Paris; the evidence of Nelson, Darnley's
+servant, and the Confessions of Ormiston, and the Earl of Morton. Here,
+then, is a tolerably voluminous collection of facts, supplied by those who
+were most intimate with Bothwell, and who, if he had any undue intimacy
+with the Queen, would in all probability have known something concerning
+it, and have had it in their power to throw some light upon the subject.
+These Documents, therefore, will be anxiously read by all who aim at
+discovering the real perpetrators and devisers of the murder. The result
+of their readings will be the discovery, that in every one of these
+documents, which is properly authenticated and ascertained to be genuine,
+Bothwell, and Bothwell alone, is mentioned as the executor of the deed;
+and there is not a syllable in any of them which can be construed to the
+disadvantage of the Queen. On the contrary, various particulars are
+mentioned, which have a direct tendency to disprove her connexion with
+him. Some of these have been already alluded to; but a few of the
+circumstances most decisive in the Queen's favour may be recapitulated
+here. 1. Hepburn deponed, that as it took longer time to get the powder
+into the lower part of Darnley's house than was expected, Bothwell became
+impatient, and told them to make haste, for they would not find so much
+commodity if the Queen came out.[245] 2. Hepburn and Paris deponed, that
+Bothwell got false keys made for opening all the doors of the house in
+which Darnley lodged, for which he would have had no occasion, if the
+Queen had been in the plot with him.[246] 3. Ormiston being asked if ever
+the Queen spoke to him at any time concerning the murder, or if he knew
+what was her mind unto it, replied--"As I shall answer to God, she spoke
+never to me, nor I to her, of it, nor I know nothing of her part, but as
+my Lord Bothwell told me." As if alluding to some bribe which had been
+offered him, if he would accuse the Queen, he added,--"I will not speak
+but the truth for all the gold of the earth, which I desire you, good
+minister, bear record of, and as you have written, I pray you read over to
+me; let me also see it."[247] 4. Paris can have had no suspicion that the
+Queen countenanced the proposed murder; for, in the conversation he had
+with Bothwell, when the Earl first disclosed his intention to him, he
+beseeched him to desist from his enterprise, telling him that he was
+"already the most powerful nobleman in the country, and that, having
+lately married, he ought now or never to be anxious to keep himself out of
+trouble."[248] 5. Paris further deponed, that Bothwell asked him to
+procure the key of the Queen's chamber, at the Kirk-of-Field, telling him
+that he had got him transferred to the Queen's service, solely in the hope
+of finding him useful on this occasion. Had Mary herself known of the
+plot, Bothwell need not have run the risk of disclosing it to Paris.[249]
+6. Though Dalgleish was minutely examined regarding all the circumstances
+of the murder, not one question was put to him upon the subject of the box
+and letters which were of so much importance; nor was it ever mentioned
+till after his death, that the casket had been in his custody. On the 20th
+of June 1567, Dalgleish is said to have been seized, and this is probably
+the fact; he was examined six days afterwards, before Morton and the other
+Lords of the Privy Council, and his examination has been preserved entire.
+"This remarkable particular," says Tytler, "naturally occurs to be
+observed in it, that it was surely of great importance for Morton, who
+then had the box in his custody, to have confronted Dalgleish with the
+persons who apprehended him, and to have asked him some questions relating
+to this box; such as, Whether or not this box was in his custody when he
+was seized?--What orders he received from his master Bothwell concerning
+it?--Who delivered it to him? or where he found it?--Whether open, or
+locked?--If open, what it contained? and where he was to have carried it?
+Dalgleish, and the persons who seized him, in a matter so recent, only six
+days before, could have given distinct answers to those questions."[250]
+There can be little doubt, that as no such questions were put, no such
+transaction, as the seizure of a box and papers had taken place. Laing
+endeavours to account for this very suspicious circumstance in the
+following manner: "The depositions are strictly confined to the murder, as
+the design was to procure judicial evidence against Bothwell and his
+associates, not to implicate the Queen in his guilt." But in the first
+place, these letters were themselves the very best "judicial evidence"
+they could have found; and in the second, questions might have been put
+concerning them, without, in the mean time making any disclosure of their
+contents. The total silence of the Privy Council, and of Dalgleish, is
+fatal to their supposed existence. 7. The Earl of Morton confessed, that
+though he told Bothwell he would give him more active assistance if he
+could show him any writing of the Queen, which proved that she sanctioned
+the murder; yet that Bothwell, after undertaking to procure such writing,
+was never able to fulfil his promise; and this was at a time posterior to
+the date of some of the love-letters, which Mary was afterwards alleged to
+have written to him. Thus, these Confessions, Depositions, and
+Examinations, though they were collected with the anxious wish of
+eliciting some circumstances which would seem to criminate Mary, must have
+been felt by the rebel Lords themselves, to be as much in her favour as it
+was possible for any negative evidence to be.[251]
+
+Having thus stated the leading External Evidences against the genuineness
+of these Letters, it will be worth while to examine, for a moment,
+Robertson's "external proofs" in support of them,--which, when contrasted
+with those stated above, will be found to be of little weight. The
+Historian argues for their authenticity, on the following
+grounds:--_First_, "Murray and the nobles who adhered to him, affirmed,
+upon their word and honour, that the letters were written with the Queen's
+own hand, with which they were well acquainted." This is a very powerful
+argument to begin with, as if men who forged letters for a particular
+purpose, would themselves confess that they were forged. _Second_, "The
+Letters were publicly produced in the Parliament of Scotland, December
+1567, and were so far considered as genuine, that they are mentioned in
+the Act against Mary, as one chief argument of her guilt." This is nothing
+but a repetition, in other words, of the former powerful argument; for the
+Parliament of December 1567 was the Parliament assembled by Murray, after
+he had been elected Regent, and he was able to secure the passing of any
+act he chose. Where Robertson learned, that at this Parliament "the
+letters were publicly produced," does not appear, as his reference to
+Goodall (vol. ii. p. 66) by no means authorizes the assertion. _Third_,
+"The Letters seem to have been considered genuine by Elizabeth's
+Commissioners, both at York and Westminster, as appears by letters which
+Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler, wrote from York; and as, in the journal of
+the proceedings at Hampton Court, it is said that, when the letters
+supposed to be written by the Queen of Scots, 'were duly conferred and
+compared for the manner of writing and fashion of orthography, with sundry
+other letters long since heretofore written, and sent by the said Queen of
+Scots to the Queen's Majesty, in the collation no difference was found.'"
+It has been seen, however, that whatever Norfolk chose to write concerning
+those letters with the view of pleasing Elizabeth, and concealing from her
+his own engagements and designs, he was, in truth, so little influenced by
+them, that he avowed a passion for Mary, and risked his life and fortune
+in order to become her husband. It has been also seen, that the hasty
+collation, made by the nobles at Hampton Court, of these pretended
+letters, with others, "long since heretofore written" and furnished by
+Elizabeth herself, is, in truth, no collation at all, or one upon which no
+dependence be placed. _Fourth_, "The Earl of Lennox, both in public, and
+in a private letter he wrote to his own wife, so expressed himself, that
+it is plain he not only thought the Queen guilty, but believed the
+authenticity of her letters to Bothwell." This matter has been already
+investigated. The Regent Lennox was obliged to maintain Mary's guilt for
+his own sake; and it is scarcely to be supposed he would have been so
+imprudent as write to his wife, to inform her that the opinions he had so
+strenuously supported before the world were not those of his heart and
+conscience. Murray himself would as soon have acknowledged that the
+letters were fabricated as Lennox. But it is a strong fact, that, though
+she had every inducement to think as her husband did, Lady Lennox believed
+Mary innocent. These are all Robertson's "external proofs of the
+genuineness of Mary's letters."[252]
+
+The external evidence against these writings, is probably enough to
+convince every impartial reader that they are forgeries. But, as they
+exist in one shape or other, it may be as well to go a step further, and
+see whether their perusal will strengthen or weaken the belief of their
+fabrication. This brings us to the second division of the subject, which
+will not detain us so long as the first.
+
+INTERNAL EVIDENCES.--Considering the weight which Mary's enemies have
+attached to these letters, the first question the impartial inquirer
+would naturally ask is, whether properly authenticated copies of what Mary
+is alleged to have written can still be seen,--whether the _ipsissima
+verba_ which she used have been preserved,--and whether an opportunity can
+thus be had of judging of the precise shade of meaning of particular
+passages, and of the general style and tenor of these strange
+compositions. In answer to these inquiries it has to be stated, that the
+letters, as taken out of the casket, were exhibited only to a few
+noblemen, who acted under Elizabeth; and that nothing but translations of
+them are now extant. The Latin edition of Buchanan's "Detection,"
+published in 1571, contained only the three first letters translated into
+Latin; in the Scottish edition, all the eight letters were translated into
+Scotch.[253] The originals were thus left at the mercy of translators;
+and, in particular, at the mercy of such a translator as Buchanan, who
+cannot be supposed to have had any great desire to be scrupulously
+accurate. In 1572, a French edition of the "Detection" was published at
+London, to which were subjoined seven French letters and the love-sonnets.
+For two hundred years, no one doubted but that these were Mary's original
+letters, and they were always referred to as such in any controversies
+which took place on the subject. In 1754, however, Mr Walter Goodall,
+keeper of the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, published his "Examination
+of the Letters," and showed, in the clearest manner, that these seven
+French letters were nothing but re-translations from the Latin and
+Scottish translations which had been previously published. This was
+certainly an important and interesting discovery, although it scarcely
+warranted the conclusion which Goodall thought he was entitled to draw
+from it, that no French copy of the letters had, in reality, ever existed
+until the Latin and Scottish editions were first fabricated. Robertson and
+others have maintained more justly, that, though they acknowledge Goodall
+to have proved that the existing French copies of the letters are only
+translations from translations, there is, nevertheless, no reason to
+believe that these are the French letters which were produced by Murray at
+York and Westminster, copies of which they grant have never been given to
+the world. That this is the true state of the case, appears by the French
+editor's own admission in his Preface. "The letters subjoined to this
+work," he says, "were written by the Queen, partly in French and partly in
+Scotch, and were afterwards translated altogether into Latin; but having
+no knowledge of the Scottish language, I have preferred translating
+accurately from the Latin copy, lest, by being over scrupulous about
+changing a single syllable, I might frustrate the reader in his desire to
+ascertain precisely to whom the fault of the execrable murder, and other
+enormities mentioned in them, ought to be ascribed."[254] Thus, both by
+the ignorance which this translator evinces, in alleging, contrary to the
+assertions which had been made by Murray, that the letters were
+originally written partly in French and partly in Scotch, and, by his own
+confession, that he preferred translating from the Latin wherever he could
+get it, rather than from the Scotch, it is perfectly evident that no such
+thing as the original French letters have ever appeared, and that the
+French letters which do exist, are not so much to be depended on as even
+the Scotch or Latin, which were probably translated directly from the
+epistles which Murray produced.
+
+In what condition, then, do we find these wonderful letters about which so
+much has been written? We have three in Latin, eight in Scotch, and seven
+in French. The French are only re-translations from the Latin and
+Scottish; and they, in their turn, are translations from the invisible
+French originals. And under whose superintendence were these translations,
+into the Scottish and Latin, made? It must have been either under that of
+Murray, or of Elizabeth and Cecil. The former, after merely showing the
+letters at Westminster, took them back with him to Scotland; but intrusted
+the latter with copies.[255] It is not very likely that the Scottish
+translation could be made in England; and the three that have been
+rendered into Latin, have been commonly attributed to George Buchanan.
+Laing, however, labours to show, that this is a mistake, and that the
+translation was made by a Dr Wilson, Elizabeth's master of requests. Be
+this as it may, in what court of law or equity would such documents as
+these be admitted as evidence? The grossest errors have often been made
+by translators, even where they were anxious to be as faithful as
+possible. Yet we are now called upon to form an opinion of letters, which
+exist in languages different from that in which they were originally
+written, and which are either translations from translations, or
+translations executed by those who had every motive and desire to pervert
+the original, and make it appear much worse than it really was. What jury
+would for a moment look at such letters? What impartial judge would allow
+his mind to be biassed by them, altered and garbled as they must
+unquestionably be, even supposing that their originals once existed? It
+was to Buchanan's Detection that these letters were always subjoined. At
+Westminster, Murray produced a Book of Articles, in five parts, containing
+certain presumptions, likelihoods and circumstances, whereby it should
+evidently appear, that as Bothwell was the chief murderer of the King, so
+was the Queen a deviser and maintainer thereof. "From the explanation
+given in Buchanan's History," says Laing, "the book of articles
+corresponds, and was undoubtedly the same with the Detection of the doings
+of Mary."[256] Buchanan, identifying as he did, his interests with those
+of Murray, was from the first one of the most active of the Queen's
+prosecutors. The dependence to be placed upon his accuracy and honesty as
+a controversialist, has been already pretty clearly established; and the
+sort of translations he would make, of any of Mary's writings, may be very
+easily conjectured.
+
+Laing, however, claims the merit of a discovery, which, at first sight,
+appears somewhat remarkable. It is a copy of one of the eight
+Love-letters, in the original French, and found in the State-Paper Office
+in a book containing, "Letters upon Scottish Affairs to Queen Elizabeth."
+Whether it be in the original French or not, it is certainly different
+from the French translation published with the French edition of the
+Detection in 1572, and has altogether a greater air of originality about
+it. But being confessedly only a copy, it is quite impossible to say
+whether it is Mary's French, or that of some one who chose to write French
+in her name. It is, besides, remarkable, that, even though it could be
+proved to demonstration to be a copy of a genuine letter, it does not
+contain a single word which, in the slightest degree, implicates Mary.
+Introduced, it is true, as one of a series, all of which, it is
+maintained, were addressed to Bothwell, something suspicious might easily
+be made out of it. But, as it stands by itself, it must be taken by
+itself; and as it bears no address or date, it may just as well be
+supposed to have been written to Darnley, or even to a female friend. The
+subject spoken of, is the ungrateful conduct of one of Mary's female
+attendants; and the advice of the person to whom it is written is asked,
+as to what is proper to be done in consequence. To this person, whoever it
+was, several natural terms of endearment are also applied, such as, "_Mon
+coeur_," and, "_Ma chere vie_;" and these are all the grounds of
+suspicion which this "Copy from the State-Paper Office," contains.[257]
+
+Having thus shown the extreme uncertainty which must attend any argument
+against Mary, founded on any minute or literal examination of these
+Letters, a very few objections further may be stated to them, upon
+evidences which they themselves afford.
+
+Although it is impossible to form any opinion of the _words_ which Mary
+may have used in these letters, some conclusions may be drawn from the
+_sentiments_ which the translators of course pretend not to have altered.
+These are, in many respects, directly contradictory of the character which
+history proves her to have possessed. Whatever follies Mary may have
+committed--whatever weaknesses she may have fallen into--it cannot be
+denied, even by her worst enemies, that she was a woman of a proud
+spirit, and too much accustomed to admiration and flattery, to consider
+her esteem a gift of little value. Yet, through all these writings, she is
+made to evince a degree of ardour and forwardness of affection for
+Bothwell, at once against every notion of female delicacy, and all
+probability. She is continually made to express fears that he does not
+return her love with an equal warmth,--that he loves his wife, the Lady
+Jane Gordon, better than he does her,--and that he is not so zealous in
+bringing about their mutual purposes as she could wish. If Bothwell had
+ever carried on these criminal intrigues with Mary, one of his first
+objects would have been to remove from her mind all suspicion that he was
+not in truth devotedly attached to her. Whether he was successful in
+deceiving her or not, is it likely that Mary Queen of Scots, whose hand
+had been sought by all the first Princes in Christendom, would have
+condescended to servility, meanness, and abject cringing in her advances
+to him? If the letters were forged, Murray would naturally wish to put in
+as strong a point of view as possible, Mary's anxiety to urge Bothwell on
+to all the crimes which he perpetrated. But if letters had been really
+written by her, many compunctious visitings of conscience would surely be
+apparent in them,--many a fear would be expressed,--many a symptom would
+be discovered of the reluctance with which she yielded to the overwhelming
+strength of Bothwell's passion and entreaties. Yet in these letters
+nothing of the kind is to be found. Passages occur continually, in which,
+far from there being any of the conscious confusion and hesitation which
+would necessarily have marked the style of one who was, for the first
+time, deviating so far from the paths of virtue, nothing is to be
+discovered but the hardened vice and shameless effrontery of a confirmed
+and _masculine villain_.
+
+Another peculiarity is to be observed in the first and longest of these
+letters. In describing a conversation which she had with Darnley at
+Glasgow, Mary is made to give very minutely all his defence of his own
+conduct, in reply to some charges which she brought against him; and to
+make it evident that he was in the right, and that she herself, even when
+instigating Bothwell to his murder, must have felt him to be so. "This is
+another proof of forgery," says Whittaker; "that the Queen should repeat
+all the King's defences of himself, and should not repeat her replies to
+them, is contrary to every principle of the human heart. Our natural
+fondness for ourselves puts us constantly upon a conduct the very reverse
+of all this. We shorten the defences, we lengthen the replies; or, if we
+are fair enough to give the full substance of the former, we are always
+partial enough to do the same by the latter."[258] The forger, however, in
+his anxiety to throw as much odium as possible upon Mary, was willing to
+diminish some of even Bothwell's responsibility, and disposed to vindicate
+Darnley entirely; but he took a clumsy method of effecting his purpose.
+
+Notwithstanding these considerations, Robertson was of opinion, as usual,
+that the style and sentiments of these letters tended on the whole to
+prove that they were genuine. His principal reason for entertaining this
+belief is, that "there are only imperfect hints, obscure intimations, and
+dark expressions in the letters, which, however convincing evidence they
+might furnish if found in real letters, bear no resemblance to that glare
+and superfluity of evidence which forgeries commonly contain." "Had Mary's
+enemies been so base as to have recourse to forgery, is it not natural to
+think, that they would have produced something more explicit and
+decisive?"--"Mary's letters, especially the first, are filled with a
+multiplicity of circumstances extremely natural in a real correspondence,
+but altogether foreign to the purpose of the Queen's enemies, and which it
+would have been perfect folly to have inserted, if they had been
+altogether imaginary and without foundation." There is some plausibility
+in this view of the subject; and Laing and others have dwelt upon it at
+great length, and with much confidence. But it is divested of all force as
+soon as we come to consider the manner in which these letters would be
+prepared, if they were in truth forgeries. The long time which elapsed
+after Mary's imprisonment in Loch-Leven, before any allusion was made to
+them, and the still longer time they were allowed to lie dormant after
+their existence had been first asserted, has been already described. Upon
+the hypothesis that they were fabrications, it was during this period that
+Murray and his associates were engaged in preparing them; and they would
+probably reason on the following grounds, as to what ought to be the
+nature of their contents. The point they wished to establish was, "that as
+the Earl of Bothwell was chief executor of the horrible and unworthy
+murder; so was the Queen of the fore-knowledge, counsel, device,
+persuader and commander of the said murder to be done." They knew that, in
+so far as appearances went, nothing made this latter part of the assertion
+in the least probable, except the circumstance of Mary having been married
+to Bothwell, which they themselves had declared was a forced marriage, and
+which Mary had proved to be so by taking the first opportunity which
+occurred to desert him. It had become necessary, however, even at the
+expense of their own consistency to accuse the Queen of having acted in
+concert with Bothwell throughout. No evidence whatever would establish
+this fact, (the more especially as all the confessions and depositions of
+Bothwell's accomplices tended to exculpate her), except writings under her
+own hand acknowledging her guilt. In order to make it appear possible that
+Mary had committed an account of that guilt to paper, the idea of letters
+to a confidential friend naturally suggested itself; and to none could
+these letters with so much propriety be addressed as to Bothwell himself;
+because, having subsequently married him, it was to be shown that it was
+her inordinate affection for him that induced her to wish for the death of
+Darnley. The train being thus laid, the next question was, in what precise
+manner Mary was to be made to address Bothwell. The forgers would at once
+perceive, that it would not do to make her speak straight out, and in
+plain terms command the perpetration of the murder, and arrange all the
+preliminary steps for it. This would have been to represent Mary as at
+once a Messalina and a Medea,--which even Murray felt would have been
+going too far. The letters were to show her guilt, but to show it in such
+a manner as she herself might be naturally supposed to have exhibited it,
+had she actually written them;--and nothing therefore was to be introduced
+but those "imperfect hints, obscure intimations, and dark expressions,"
+which, without the "glare and superfluity" of common forgeries, furnished
+convincing evidence when found in letters alleged to be real. Murray,
+Morton, Maitland, and Buchanan, were no ordinary forgers; and if they were
+not able to conceive and express the whole so artfully, that it would cost
+some difficulty to detect them, then, forgery in every instance must be
+hopeless and manifest.
+
+There were, besides, two circumstances which afforded them peculiar
+facilities, and of which they were no doubt glad to avail themselves. The
+first was, that Mary's hand-writing was not very difficult of imitation.
+"It was formed," says Goodall, "after what is commonly called Italic
+print, which it much resembled both in beauty and regularity."[259] All
+the letters being shaped according to certain definite rules, there would
+be fewer singularities in the writing, and less danger of the forger
+committing mistakes. Mary herself alluded to the facility with which her
+hand could be imitated, in her instructions to her Commissioners on the
+opening of the conferences, and mentioned also another important fact. "In
+case they allege," she says, "that they have any writings of mine, which
+may infer presumption against me, you shall desire the principals to be
+produced, and that I myself may have inspection thereof, and make answer
+thereto. For you shall affirm, in my name, I never wrote any thing
+concerning that matter to any creature; and if any such writings be, they
+are false and feigned, forged and invented by themselves, only to my
+dishonour and slander. And there are divers in Scotland, both men and
+women, that can counterfeit my hand-writing, and write the like manner of
+writing which I use, as well as myself, and principally such as are in
+company with themselves."[260] "There are sundry who can counterfeit her
+hand-write," says Lesley, "who have been brought up in her company, of
+whom there are some assisting themselves, as well of other nations as of
+Scotland. And I doubt not but your Majesty," (he is addressing Elizabeth),
+"and divers others of your Highness's Court, has seen sundry letters sent
+here from Scotland, which would not be known from her own hand-write; and
+it may be well presumed, in so weighty a cause, that they who have put
+hands on their Prince, imprisoned her person, and committed such heinous
+crimes, if a counterfeit letter be sufficient to save them, to maintain
+their cause, and conquer for them a kingdom, will not leave the same
+unforged, '_cum si violandum est jus, imperii causa violandum est_.'" In
+still further confirmation of these facts, Blackwood mentions that the
+hand-writing of Mary Beaton, one of her maids of honour, could not
+possibly be distinguished from that of the Queen;[261] and Camden and
+other contemporary authors speak of it as a matter of established
+notoriety, that Maitland often counterfeited her hand.[262]
+
+The second facility which the forgers enjoyed, arose from their either
+possessing among them, or having access to, many genuine letters of Mary.
+This is a circumstance of some consequence, and has scarcely been
+sufficiently attended to by the various writers on the subject. It at once
+obviates Robertson's cause of wonder, that the letters should be "filled
+with a multiplicity of circumstances, extremely natural in a real
+correspondence, but altogether foreign to the purpose of the Queen's
+enemies." In all probability, Mary wrote to her Secretary Maitland from
+Glasgow, and had of course written to him a hundred times before. There is
+every reason to believe also, that she corresponded with Maitland's wife,
+Mary Fleming, who had been one of her friends and attendants from infancy.
+Murray must have had in his possession numerous letters from his sister.
+Where then was the difficulty of founding these forgeries upon writings
+which were not forgeries, and of making it almost impossible for any one
+but Mary herself to detect what was genuine in them from what was
+fabricated? Many passages might be introduced which Mary had actually
+written, but which she had applied in some very different manner; and here
+and there might be artfully interwoven a few sentences which she never
+wrote, but which seemed so naturally connected with the rest, that they
+fixed upon her soul the guilt of adultery and murder. There is nothing
+which ought to be more constantly borne in mind, whenever these writings
+are read or discussed, than the probability, we might almost say the
+certainty, that the originals contained parts which had been actually
+written by Mary, although neither addressed to Bothwell, nor ever meant to
+be twisted into the sense which was afterwards put upon them; and which
+appeared the true meaning only, in consequence of their having been so
+much garbled and disfigured.
+
+Were we disposed to enter still more minutely into an examination of these
+writings, it would not be difficult to show, as Goodall, Tytler, Whittaker
+and Chalmers, have in various instances done, that they abound in many
+other symptoms of forgery, which, though not perhaps conclusive, when
+taken separately, make up, when combined, a very strong presumption
+against them. It might be shown, for example, _first_, that as Mary, in
+all probability, did not set off for Glasgow till Friday the 24th of
+January 1567, and staid a night at Callendar on the way, it is quite
+impossible she could have been at Glasgow on Saturday the 25th, though her
+second letter ends with these words:--"From Glasgow, this Saturday, in the
+morning."[263] She is thus made to have written two letters from Glasgow,
+one of them a very long one, by Saturday morning; while, in point of fact,
+she could not have reached that town till Saturday afternoon. "_Non sunt
+hæc satis divisa temporibus._"[264] It might be shown, _second_, that
+these letters were neither addressed, signed, nor sealed; and that, in the
+words of Whittaker, "it violates every principle of probability to
+suppose, that letters with such a plenitude of murderous evidence in them
+should be sent open."[265] It might be shown, _third_, that before the
+appearance of the letters, they were differently described at different
+times, as if they were gradually undergoing changes;--that in the Act of
+Privy Council, in which they are first referred to, they are mentioned as
+Mary's "Privy Letters, written and _subscribed_ with her own hand;"--but
+in the Act of Parliament passed a few weeks afterwards, they are only
+spoken of as "_written wholly_ with her own hand," not, "written and
+subscribed;"[266]--that though at first nothing was spoken of as having
+been found in the box but the "Privy Letters," "written and subscribed
+with her own hand," and afterwards only "wholly written with her own
+hand," yet, before the box made its appearance at York, love-sonnets and
+contracts of marriage were also found in it;--and that at York and
+Westminster only five letters were laid before the Commissioners, though
+the number afterwards printed was eight. "Did the three remaining
+letters," asks Whittaker, "lie still lower in the box, under the contracts
+and sonnets, and so escape the notice of the rebels?"[267] It might be
+shown, _fourth_, that all the letters are contradicted and overthrown by
+the first three lines of the ninth sonnet, which are, in French,
+
+  ----"Pour luy aussi J'ay jeté mainte larme,
+  Premier qu'il fust de ce corps possesseur,
+  _Du quel alors il n'avoit pas le coeur_;"
+
+and in English--"For him also I shed many a tear, when he first made
+himself possessor of this body, _of which he did not then possess the
+heart_."[268] In the letters, Mary is made, with the most violent
+protestations of love, to suggest arrangements for her pretended abduction
+by Bothwell; yet here she expressly says, that when he first carried her
+off, he did not possess her heart. How then could she have written him
+love-letters before this event? These and other things might be insisted
+on. The sonnets and contracts of marriage might be also minutely examined
+and proved, both to contradict one another, and to be liable, in a still
+stronger degree, to almost all the objections which have been advanced
+against the letters.[269] But it is much better to rest Mary's innocence
+on the broad basis of her life and character, and a distinct statement of
+leading and incontrovertible facts, than on wranglings about dates, or
+disputations concerning detached incidents and ill-authenticated papers.
+
+From a full review of the proof on both sides, and an ample examination of
+all the principal facts advanced in the controversy, it appears evident
+that one of two conclusions must be formed. Either that Mary, having
+formed a criminal attachment to Bothwell, encouraged him to perpetrate
+the murder, and that, having thus become responsible for at least an equal
+share of the guilt, was justly imprisoned and dethroned; or that, never
+having had any excessive love for Bothwell, she was altogether ignorant of
+his designs, and irresponsible for his crimes, of which his own lawless
+ambition made her the victim, and with which the treachery of Murray,
+Morton and Elizabeth, too successfully contrived to involve her for the
+remainder of her life. That the latter conclusion is that to which
+impartial inquiry must inevitably lead, these Memoirs, it is hoped, have
+sufficiently established. That the arguments in Mary's favour, drawn from
+the history of her life and death, are not invalidated by the contents of
+the "gilt coffer," it has been the object of the present Examination to
+prove.
+
+It has been seen, first, by external evidence, that these papers are
+spurious, because the notorious ambition of Morton and Murray, and the
+perilous predicament in which it finally placed them, rendered their
+fabrication necessary to save themselves from ruin,--because Mary could
+not have written any love-letters or sonnets to Bothwell, for whom, at
+best, she never felt any thing but common regard, and who was obliged to
+seize and carry off her person, in order to force her into an unwilling
+marriage,--because such letters, if they had been written, would not have
+been preserved by Bothwell, or, if preserved, would have been more
+numerous,--because the story of their discovery is altogether improbable,
+since Bothwell, for the most satisfactory reasons, would never have
+thought of sending for them to the Castle of Edinburgh on the 20th of June
+1567,--because not a word was said about them long after they were
+discovered, but, on the contrary, motives quite inconsistent with their
+contents assigned for sequestrating Mary's person in Loch-Leven,--because,
+though Dalgleish was tried, condemned, and executed, not a question was
+put to him, as appears by his examination, still extant, concerning these
+letters,--because the originals were only produced twice, and _that_ under
+suspicious and unsatisfactory circumstances,--because nothing but
+translations, and translations from translations, of these originals, now
+exist, from which no fair arguments can be drawn,--because Murray and his
+associates have been convicted of open forgery in several other instances,
+and are therefore the more liable to be doubted in this,--because Bothwell
+not only never accused Mary, but was unable to show Morton any writing of
+her's sanctioning the murder, and, by subsequent declarations, seems to
+have exculpated her from all share in it,--because Mary herself invariably
+denied that she had ever written such letters, undertaking to prove that
+they were fabrications, if the originals, or even copies, were shown to
+her,--because Lady Lennox, Darnley's mother, many of the most respectable
+of the Scottish nobility, Norfolk, and a numerous party in England, and
+all her Continental friends, avowed their belief of her
+innocence,--because the confessions and depositions of Bothwell's
+accomplices, so far from implicating, tended to acquit her of all blame,
+though the persons by whom the depositions were made had every inducement
+to accuse her, if it had been in their power,--and because the external
+evidence, advanced in support of the letters by Robertson and others, is
+entirely nugatory.
+
+It has been seen, second, by internal evidence, that the Letters are
+spurious,--because the translations differ from each other,--because the
+style and composition of many passages, are not such as could ever have
+come from Mary's pen,--because every facility was given to forgery by the
+nature of her handwriting, and by the access which the forgers had to
+genuine letters and papers, of which they could make a partial
+use,--because, at the time in which they are alleged to have been written,
+Mary was, in all probability, not at the places from which they are
+dated,--because the letters contradict each other, and are all
+contradicted by the sonnets,--and because the arguments in support of
+them, drawn from internal evidence by Robertson and others, are equally
+inconclusive with their external proofs.
+
+If Mary's innocence, from all the blacker crimes with which she has been
+charged, must still continue matter of doubt, it is not too much to
+declare all history uncertain, and virtue and vice merely convertible
+terms.
+
+
+
+
+ADDENDUM.
+
+
+Through the kindness of William Traill, Esq. of Woodwick, Orkney, we are
+enabled to give the following authentic genealogical account of the manner
+in which the interesting portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, engraved for
+this Work, and particularly described in Vol. I. Chap. IV., came into the
+possession of his family.
+
+"Sir Robert Stewart of Strathdon, son of King James V., by Eupham,
+daughter of Alexander, 1st Lord Elphingston, obtained a grant of the Crown
+lands of Orkney and Shetland from his sister Queen Mary in 1565. He was
+created Earl of Orkney by his uncle James VI., 28th October 1581. He
+married Lady Jean Kennedy, daughter of Gilbert, fourth Earl of Cassils.
+
+"George Traill, son of the Laird of Blebo in Fife, married, first, Jean
+Kennedy of Carmunks, a relative of the Earl's Lady. He accompanied the
+Earl to Orkney; got a grant from the Earl of the lands of Quandale, in the
+Island of Ronsay, and, as stewart or factor, managed the affairs of the
+earldom. By Jean Kennedy he had one son, the first Thomas Traill of
+Holland. He afterwards married Isobel Craigie of Gairsay, by whom he had
+James Traill of Quandale, who married Ann Baikie of Burness. Lady Barbara
+Stewart, the Earl's youngest daughter, married Hugh Halcro of Halcro, a
+descendant of the Royal Family of Denmark, and who possessed a great part
+of the Islands of Orkney. For her patrimony, the Earl wadset to Halcro
+lands, in Widewall, Ronaldsvoe, and in South Ronaldshay, which lands were
+afterwards redeemed by Patrick Stewart, the Earl's eldest son, 1598.
+_Vide_ Bishop Law's Rentall 1614. Lady Barbara, being the youngest and
+the last of the Earl's family, succeeded to her father's furniture, plate,
+pictures, and other moveables, and amongst the rest, the family picture of
+Queen Mary. Hugh Halcro of that Ilk, the eldest son of this marriage,
+succeeded his father, and married Jean, daughter of William Stewart of
+Mains and Burray. _Vid._ Charters 1615 and 1620. In 1644, this Hugh Halcro
+executed a settlement in favour of Hugh his Oye, and his heirs; whom
+failing, to Patrick his brother; whom failing, to Harry fiar of Aikrs;
+whom failing, to Edward of Hauton; whom all failing, to the name of
+Halcro. Hugh the Oye, married Margaret, daughter of James Stewart of
+Gromsay. _Vid._ Charter by him in her favour of lands in South Ronaldshay
+and the Island Cava, 12th June 1630. Their son, Hugh Halcro of that Ilk,
+married Barbara Greem, by whom he had two daughters, Jean and Sibella
+Halcro. Jean married Alexander Mouat Swenze, and Sibella married James
+Baikie of Burness; and the estate of Halcro was divided between these
+families by decreet-arbitral, 21st and 22d December 1677,--Arthur Baikie
+of Tankerness, and John Kennaday of Carmunks, arbiters; which decreet is
+in the possession of the present William Traill of Woodwick, Esquire, as
+is the picture of Queen Mary, and other family relics."
+
+
+END OF VOLUME SECOND.
+
+  PRINTED BY J. HUTCHISON,
+  FOR THE HEIRS OF D. WILLISON.
+
+
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XVII.
+
+[2] Keith, Appendix, p. 139.
+
+[3] Keith, Preface, p. vii.
+
+[4] Melville's Memoirs, p. 170.
+
+[5] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 316.--Keith, p. 355; Appendix, p. 136.--Anderson,
+vol. ii. p. 270. vol. iv. p. 183 and 188.--"Martyre de Marie," in Jebb,
+vol. ii. p. 210. It would be difficult to explain why Robertson, who, in
+the Dissertation subjoined to his History, allows the authenticity of the
+documents which detail the particulars of this important conference at
+Craigmillar, should not have taken the slightest notice of it in his
+History. There is surely something indicative of partiality in the
+omission. Miss Benger, who is not always over-favourable to Mary, remarks
+on her decision regarding a divorce;--"It is difficult to develope the
+motives of Mary's refusal. Had she secretly loved Bothwell, she would
+probably have embraced the means of liberty; and had she already embarked
+in a criminal intrigue, she would not have resisted the persuasions of her
+paramour. If, influenced alone by vindictive feelings, she sought her
+husband's life, she must have been sensible that, when the nuptial tie was
+dissolved, he would be more easily assailable. Why then did she recoil
+from the proposal, unless she feared to compromise herself by endangering
+Darnley's safety, or that some sentiments of affection still lingered in
+her heart? It has been supposed, that she dreaded the censures which might
+be passed on her conduct in France; or that she feared to separate her
+interests from those of her husband, lest she should injure her title to
+the English crown. All these objections are valid when addressed to
+reason, but passion would have challenged stronger arguments."--Memoirs,
+vol. ii. p. 301.--Blackwood, in his _Martyre de Marie_, mentions, that
+Mary upon this occasion told her nobility, that "her husband was yet
+young, and might be brought back to the right path, having left it
+principally in consequence of the bad advice of those who were no less his
+enemies than her's."--"This answer," adds Blackwood, "was far from being
+agreeable to the Lords, proving to them that her Majesty's present
+estrangement from her husband was more from the necessity of the times,
+than because she had ceased to love him."
+
+[6] Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 173.--Keith, Preface, p. vii.
+
+[7] The above transaction, in which there is so little mystery, has been
+converted by Robertson into "a negociation, secretly carried on by Mary,
+for subverting the Reformed Church." He cannot, it is true, very easily
+reconcile the "negotiation" with the fact that, "at the very time, she did
+not scruple publicly to employ her authority towards obtaining for the
+ministers of that Church a more certain and comfortable subsistence."
+"During this year," he tells us, "she issued several proclamations and
+Acts of Council for that purpose, and readily approved of every scheme
+which was proposed for the more effectual payment of their stipends." The
+historian might have inquired a little more closely into the real nature
+of her correspondence with the Court of Rome, before charging Mary with
+"falsehood and deceit," and availing himself of the subject to point a
+moral.
+
+[8] Keith, p. 359.
+
+[9] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 271.
+
+[10] That Darnley was actually absent upon this occasion, we are not quite
+satisfied. Robertson says he was, on the authority of Le Croc's letter in
+Keith, preface, p. vii.; and after him, most writers on the subject state
+the fact as beyond a doubt. All, however, that Le Croc says is this:--"The
+King had still given out, that he would depart two days before the
+baptism; but when the time came on, he made no sign of removing at all,
+only he still kept close within his own apartment. The very day of the
+baptism, he sent three several times, desiring me either to come and see
+him, or to appoint him an hour, that he might come to me in my lodgings."
+This is no direct evidence that the King was absent from the christening.
+Neither does Buchanan furnish us with any; he merely says, with his usual
+accuracy and love of calumny, that "her lawful husband was not allowed
+necessaries at the christening; nay, was forbid to come in sight of the
+ambassadors, who were advised not to enter into discourse with the King,
+though they were in the same part of the castle the most part of the
+day."--History, Book XVIII. Nor does Knox say any thing definite upon the
+subject; but Keith, Crawford, and Spottswood, though not referred to by
+Robertson, seem to support his opinion. Let the fact, however, be as it
+may, it is not of great consequence. The erroneousness of the popular
+belief, that Darnley, during the whole of this time, resided in a
+citizen's house in the town of Stirling, is more deserving of being
+pointed out and corrected.
+
+[11] Knox, p. 400.--Keith, Preface, p. vii.
+
+[12] Keith, p. 369.--Knox, p. 400.--The Historie of King James the Sext,
+p. 5.
+
+[13] Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 176.
+
+[14] Melville, p. 192.
+
+[15] The Ruthven here spoken of is the son of the Lord Ruthven, who took
+so active a part in the murder.
+
+[16] Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 175 and 342.
+
+[17] Keith--Preface, p. viii.
+
+[18] Keith, p. 364.
+
+[19] Keith, p. 151.--Laing, vol. ii. p. 76.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p.
+268.--Whittaker, in endeavouring to prove (vol. ii. p. 322) that the
+Catholic Ecclesiastical Courts had never been deprived of their
+jurisdiction, and that, consequently, there was no _restoration_ of power
+to the Archbishop of St Andrews, evidently takes an erroneous view of this
+matter. In direct opposition to such a view, Knox, or his continuator, has
+the following account of the transaction:--"At the same time, the Bishop
+of St Andrews, by means of the Earl of Bothwell, procured a writing from
+the Queen's Majesty, to be obeyed within the Diocess of his Jurisdiction,
+in all such causes as before, in time of Popery, were used in the
+Consistory, and, therefore, to discharge the new Commissioners; and for
+the same purpose, came to Edinburgh in January, having a company of one
+hundred horses, or more, intending to take possession according to his
+gift lately obtained. The Provost being advertised thereof by the Earl of
+Murray, they sent to the Bishop three or four of the Council, desiring him
+to desist from the said matter, for fear of trouble and sedition that
+might rise thereupon; whereby he was persuaded to desist at that
+time."--Knox, p. 403. This account is not quite correct, in so far as the
+Earl of Murray alone, unsupported by Mary's authority, is described as
+having diverted the Archbishop from his purpose.
+
+[20] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 199; and vol. ii. p. 176.
+
+[21] Keith, Preface p. viii.
+
+[22] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 165.--Goodall, vol. ii. p. 76.
+
+[23] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 76.--et seq.
+
+[24] Birrel's Dairy, p. 6.--Laing, vol. i. p. 30.
+
+[25] Keith, p. 364.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 67.--Goodall, vol. ii. p.
+244.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 203.--vol. ii. p. 180, and 271.--Laing, vol. i.
+p. 30.--and vol. ii. p. 17.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 258, and
+283.--Arnot's History of Edinburgh, p. 237. Whittaker has made several
+mistakes regarding the House of the Kirk-of-Field. He describes it as much
+larger than it really was; and, misled by the appearance of a gun-port
+still remaining in one part of the old wall, and which Arnot supposed had
+been the postern-door in the gavel of the house, he fixes its situation at
+too great a distance from the College, and too near the Infirmary. Sir
+Walter Scott, in his "Tales of a Grandfather," (vol. iii. p. 187.) has
+oddly enough fallen into the error of describing the Kirk-of-Field, as
+standing "just _without_ the walls of the city."
+
+[26] Morton's Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 354; and Archibald
+Douglas's Letter, ibid. p. 363.
+
+[27] Idem.
+
+[28] Lesley's Defence in Anderson, vol. i. p. 75.--Buchanan's History, p.
+350.--Laing, vol. ii. p. 34.
+
+[29] Ormiston's Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 322.
+
+[30] Paris's Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 298-9.
+
+[31] Paris's Deposition in Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.
+
+[32] Laing, vol. ii. p. 282 and 370.
+
+[33] Deposition of Hepburn--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.
+
+[34] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.
+
+[35] Keith, Preface, p. viii.
+
+[36] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 179.
+
+[37] Ibid. vol. ii. p. 184.
+
+[38] Laing, Appendix, p. 304.
+
+[39] Deposition of John Hay in Anderson, vol. ii. p. 177.
+
+[40] Deposition of William Powrie, in Anderson, vol. ii. p. 165.
+
+[41] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.
+
+[42] Ibid. vol. ii. p. 181.
+
+[43] Buchanan's _History_, Book XVIII. may be compared with his
+_Detection_ in Anderson, vol. i. p. 22 and 72.
+
+[44] Buchanan's _History_, Book XVIII.
+
+[45] Freebairn's Life of Mary, p. 112 and 114.
+
+[46] Deposition of Paris in Laing, vol. ii. p. 305.
+
+[47] Evidence of Thomas Nelson, Anderson, vol. iv. p. 165.
+
+[48] The Confessions and Depositions in Anderson, vol. ii. and vol. iv;
+and in Laing, vol. ii.
+
+[49] Melville's Memoirs, p. 174. Lesley in Anderson, vol. i. p. 24.
+Freebairn, p. 115.
+
+[50] Anderson, vol. i. p. 36.--Goodall, vol. ii. p. 245.
+
+[51] Laing, vol. ii. p. 289 et 290.
+
+[52] Historie of King James the Sext, p. 6.
+
+[53] Miss Benger, vol. ii. p. 313.
+
+[54] Sanderson's Life of Mary, p. 48.--Freebairn, p. 113.
+
+[55] Knox, p. 404.
+
+[56] Keith, p. 365.
+
+[57] Melville, p. 174.
+
+[58] The notion that the powder, with which the Kirk-of-Field was blown
+up, had been placed in a mine, dug for the purpose, was for a while very
+prevalent. Mary, of course, never suspected that it had been put into her
+own bedroom; but the truth came out as soon as the depositions of
+Bothwell's accomplices were published. Why Whittaker should still have
+continued to believe that a mine had been excavated, it is difficult to
+understand. Laing very justly ridicules the absurdity of such a belief.
+
+[59] There is a sincere piety in this rejection of the word "chance." Mary
+was steadily religious all her life, and certainly nothing but a pure and
+upright spirit could have induced her, on the present occasion, to appeal
+to her Creator, and say, "It was not chance, but God."
+
+[60] Keith, Preface, p. viii.
+
+[61] Anderson, vol. i. p. 36.
+
+[62] Lesley in Anderson, vol. i. p. 23.
+
+[63] Keith, p. 368.
+
+[64] Laing's remarks upon this subject, are exceedingly weak. He seems to
+suppose that Mary, for the mere sake of appearances, ought to have thrown
+into prison some of her most powerful nobility. He adds,--"If innocent,
+she must have suspected somebody, and the means of detection were
+evidently in her hands. The persons who provided or furnished the
+lodging,--the man to whom the house belonged,--the servants of the Queen,
+who were intrusted with the keys,--the King's servants who had previously
+withdrawn, or were preserved, at his death,--her brother, Lord Robert, who
+had apprised him of his danger, were the first objects for suspicion or
+inquiry; and their evidence would have afforded the most ample detection."
+Laing does not seem to be aware, that he is here suggesting the very steps
+which Mary actually took. She had not, indeed, herself examined witnesses,
+which would have been alike contrary to her general habits and her
+feelings at the time; but she had ordered the legal authorities to
+assemble every day, till they ascertained all the facts which could be
+collected. Nor does Laing seem to remember, that Bothwell had it in his
+power to exercise over these legal authorities no inconsiderable control,
+and to prevail upon them, as he in truth did, to garble and conceal
+several circumstances of importance which came out.
+
+[65] Killigrew, the English ambassador, sent by Elizabeth to offer her
+condolence, mentions, that he "found the Queen's Majesty in a dark chamber
+so as he could not see her face, but by her words she seemed very
+doleful."--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 209.
+
+[66] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 208.
+
+[67] _Vide_ these Letters in Anderson, vol. i. p. 40, or Keith, p. 369.
+
+[68] Anderson, vol. i. p. 50.
+
+[69] Goodall, vol. i. p. 346, _et seq._
+
+[70] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 209. The above fact is no proof, as Chalmers
+alleges, that Murray was connected with the conspirators; but it shows,
+that whatever his own suspicions or belief were, he did not choose to
+discountenance Bothwell. Could Mary ever suppose that the _godly_ Earl of
+Murray would entertain a murderer at his table?
+
+[71] Anderson, vol. i. p. 52.
+
+[72] Robertson--Appendix to vol. i. No. XIX.
+
+[73] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 103.
+
+[74] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 104, et seq.--and Keith, p. 375, et seq.
+
+[75] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 157.
+
+[76] Anderson, vol. i. p. 107; and Keith, p. 381.
+
+[77] Keith, p. 382.--There are extant two lists of the names of the
+subscribers, and these differ in one or two particulars from each other;
+but the one was only a list given to Cecil from memory by John Reid,
+Buchanan's clerk; the other is a document authenticated by the
+subscription of Sir James Balfour, who was at the time Clerk of Register
+and Privy Council. The chief difference between these two copies is, that
+Reid's list contains the name of the Earl of Murray, though on the 20th of
+April he was out of the realm of Scotland. It has been supposed that the
+bond, though not produced, might have been drawn up some time before, and
+that Murray put his name to it before going away. This is possible, but,
+considering Murray's cautious character, not probable. The point does not
+seem one of great importance, though by those who are anxious to make out
+a case against Murray rather than against Bothwell, it is deemed necessary
+to insist upon it at length. Perhaps Bothwell forged Murray's signature,
+to give his bond greater weight both with the nobles and with the Queen;
+although one name more or less could not make much difference either to
+her or them.
+
+[78] Keith, p. 390.
+
+[79] Keith, p. 383.--Melville's Memoirs, p. 177.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p.
+106 and 356.
+
+[80] Melville, p. 177.
+
+[81] Keith, p. 390.
+
+[82] Anderson, vol. i. p. 97.--Keith, p. 390.
+
+[83] Melville, p. 197.
+
+[84] Anderson, vol. i. p. 95.
+
+[85] Anderson, vol. i. p. 95.
+
+[86] Anderson, vol. i. p. 97. et seq. There is something so peculiar in
+the last passage quoted above, and Bothwell's conduct was so despotic,
+during the whole of the time he had Mary's person at his disposal, that
+Whittaker's supposition seems by no means unlikely, that the _force_ to
+which Mary alludes was of the most culpable and desperate kind.
+"Throughout the whole of the Queen's own account of these transactions,"
+he observes, "the delicacy of the lady, and the prudence of the wife, are
+in a continual struggle with facts,--willing to lay open the whole for her
+own vindication, yet unable to do it for her own sake and her husband's,
+and yet doing it in effect." Vide Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 112. et
+seq.--Melville is still more explicit upon the subject, p. 177. And in a
+letter from "the Lords of Scotland," written to the English ambassador,
+six weeks after the ravishment, it is expressly said, that "the Queen was
+led captive, and by fear, force, and (as by many conjectures may be well
+suspected) other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to
+become the bedfellow to another wife's husband."--See the letter in Keith
+p. 418.
+
+[87] Vide Laing, vol. i. p. 86, and vol. ii. p. 105, and Whittaker, vol.
+iii. p. 116.
+
+[88] Keith, p. 383.
+
+[89] History of James VI., p. 10.--Buchanan's History, Book XVII.--Keith,
+p. 384.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 120.
+
+[90] "I plainly refused," says Craig, in his account of this matter, which
+still remains among the records of the General Assembly, "because he
+(Hepburn) had not her handwriting; and also the constant bruit that my
+Lord had both ravished her and kept her in captivity."--Anderson, vol. ii.
+p. 299.
+
+[91] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 280.
+
+[92] Anderson, vol. i. p. 111.--Keith, p. 384.
+
+[93] Anderson, vol. i. p. 87.
+
+[94] History of James VI. p. 10.--Keith, p. 386.--Melville, p.
+78.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 127. et seq. Upon this subject, Lord Hailes
+has judiciously remarked:--"After Mary had remained a fortnight under the
+power of a daring profligate adventurer, few foreign princes would have
+solicited her hand. Some of her subjects might still have sought that
+honour, but her compliance would have been humiliating beyond measure. It
+would have left her at the mercy of a capricious husband,--it would have
+exposed her to the disgrace of being reproached in some sullen hour, for
+the adventure at Dunbar. Mary was so situated, at this critical period,
+that she was reduced to this horrid alternative, either to remain in a
+friendless and most hazardous celibacy, or to yield her hand to
+Bothwell."--_Remarks on the History of Scotland_, _p._ 204.
+
+[95] Melville, p. 178.
+
+[96] Letter from the Lords of Scotland to Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, in
+Keith, p. 417.
+
+[97] Melville, p. 180.
+
+[98] Melville, p. 199.
+
+[99] Keith, p. 394.--Melville, p. 179.--Knox, p. 406.
+
+[100] Anderson, vol. i. p. 131.
+
+[101] Anderson, vol. i. p. 128.
+
+[102] Knox, p. 409.
+
+[103] Laing, Appendix, p. 115.
+
+[104] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 116. Knox says that it was Bothwell who
+drew back; but the authority to which we have referred is more to be
+depended on.
+
+[105] Melville, p. 182.
+
+[106] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 116.
+
+[107] Keith, p. 402.
+
+[108] Keith, p. 403.--Melville, p. 184.--Knox, p. 409.--Laing, Appendix,
+vol. ii. p. 117.
+
+[109] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 119.--Anderson, vol. i. p. 128.--Keith,
+p. 418.
+
+[110] Anderson, vol. i. p. 134.
+
+[111] Keith, p. 408.
+
+[112] Buchanan's History, Book XVIII.
+
+[113] Keith, p. 406, et seq.
+
+[114] Anderson, vol. i. p. 139.
+
+[115] The above account of Bothwell's adventures and fate, after he left
+Scotland, is taken principally from Melville, and the History of James VI.
+But an interesting and original manuscript, entitled a "Declaration of the
+Earl of Bothwell," which was made at Copenhagen, in the year 1568, for the
+satisfaction apparently of the Danish government, has recently been
+discovered, and an authenticated copy of it having been transmitted to
+this country in August 1824, a careful translation from the old French in
+which it is written, was presented to the public in "The New Monthly
+Magazine," for June 1825. Satisfied as we are of the authenticity of this
+"Declaration," we have availed ourselves of some of the information it
+supplies, though, of course, great allowance must be made for the
+colouring Bothwell has artfully given to the transactions he details. We
+shall have more to say of this "Declaration" afterwards; at present, it is
+necessary only to refer to it.
+
+[116] Keith, p. 411 and 414.
+
+[117] Keith, p. 418. It is worth noticing, that no proof of this absurd
+falsehood is offered--no allusion being even made to the letter which had
+been shown to Grange, and which, though only the first of a series of
+forgeries, yet having been hastily prepared to serve the purpose of the
+hour, seems to have been destroyed immediately.
+
+[118] Keith, Ibid.
+
+[119] Keith, p. 420.
+
+[120] Throckmorton's Letter in Keith, p. 420, et seq.
+
+[121] Melville's Memoirs, p. 197.
+
+[122] Whittaker, vol. i. p. 228.
+
+[123] Throckmorton in Keith, p. 422.
+
+[124] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XXI.
+
+[125] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XXII.
+
+[126] Throckmorton, in one of his letters, mentions explicitly, that Mary
+had given him the very reasons stated above for refusing to renounce
+Bothwell. But as Throckmorton could communicate with Mary only through the
+channel of the rebel Lords, who, he says, "_had sent him word_," it is not
+at all improbable, that her message may have been a good deal garbled by
+the way. The passage in Throckmorton's letter is as follows:--"I have also
+persuaded her to conform herself to renounce Bothwell for her husband, and
+to be contented to suffer a divorce to pass betwixt them. She hath sent me
+word, that she will in no wise consent unto that, but rather die:
+grounding herself upon this reason, taking herself to be seven weeks gone
+with child; by renouncing Bothwell, she should acknowledge herself to be
+with child of a bastard, and to have forfeited her honour, which she will
+not do to die for it. I have persuaded her to save her own life and her
+child, to choose the least hard condition." Robertson--Appendix to vol. i.
+No. XXII. It was, perhaps, this passage in Throckmorton's despatch to
+England, that gave rise to a vulgar rumour, which was of course much
+improved by the time it reached France. Le Laboureur, an historian of much
+respectability, actually asserts that the Queen of Scots had a daughter to
+Bothwell, who was educated as a religieuse in the Convent of Notre Dame at
+Soissons. _Vide_ Laboureur Addit. aux Mem. de Castelnau, p. 610. Of
+course, the assertion is altogether unfounded.
+
+[127] Some historians have asserted, that Lord Ruthven accompanied the two
+Commissioners mentioned in the text. But this is not the case, for he was
+present at a conference with the English ambassador, Throckmorton, on the
+very day the others were at Lochleven. Throckmorton in Keith, p. 426.
+
+[128] Pennant, in his "Tour in Scotland," thus describes Lochleven, and
+the island where the Queen resided:--"Lochleven, a magnificent piece of
+water, very broad but irregularly indented; is about twelve miles in
+circumference, and its greatest depth about twenty-four fathoms. Some
+islands are dispersed in this great expanse of water, one of which is
+large enough to feed several head of cattle; but the most remarkable is
+that distinguished by the captivity of Mary Stuart, which stands almost in
+the middle of the lake. The castle still remains, consists of a _square
+tower_, a small yard with two round towers, a chapel, and the ruins of a
+building, where (it is said) the unfortunate Princess was lodged. In the
+square tower is a DUNGEON, with a vaulted room above, over which had been
+three other stories."--Tour in Scotland, vol. i. p. 64.
+
+[129] Keith, p. 431.
+
+[130] Keith, p. 426.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 299.
+
+[131] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 166, and 344.
+
+[132] Leslie, p. 37.--Jebb, vol. ii. p. 221 and 222.
+
+[133] Goodall, ibid.--Freebairn, p. 147.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 301. _et
+seq._--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 248.
+
+[134] Keith, p. 436.
+
+[135] History of James VI. p. 17. Keith, p. 438.
+
+[136] Melville's Memoirs, p. 193. Keith, p. 442. et seq.
+
+[137] Throckmorton's Letter in Keith, p. 444 et seq.
+
+[138] What Mark Antony, according to Shakespeare, said of Cæsar, might be,
+with propriety, applied to the Earl of Murray:
+
+  "You all did see that, on the Lupercal,
+  I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
+  Which he did thrice refuse.--Was this ambition?"
+
+[139] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 251 and 254.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 355.
+
+[140] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 206 et seq.
+
+[141] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 299, and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275 and 278.
+
+[142] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 230.--Keith, p. 471--and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275.
+
+[143] Sir William Drury's Letter in Keith, p. 470.
+
+[144] Buchanan's Cameleon, p. 13.
+
+[145] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 65 and 230.--Keith, p. 471.--Freebairn, p. 152, et
+seq.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 277, et seq. The interest taken in Queen Mary
+by George Douglas, is ascribed by Mackenzie to a motive less pure than the
+affection of a good subject. His chief characteristic, we are told by that
+author, was an excessive love of money, and it was by bribing him, he
+asserts, with the best part of what gold and jewels she had about her,
+that Mary prevailed upon him to assist her. But this statement does not
+seem well authenticated. Another story, still more improbable, was told by
+the Earl of Murray to the English ambassador, Sir William Drury, namely,
+that Mary had entreated him to allow her to have a husband, and had named
+George Douglas as the person she would wish to marry. Murray must have
+fabricated this falsehood, in order to lower the dignity of the Queen; but
+he surely forgot that the reason assigned in justification of her
+imprisonment in Loch-Leven, was her alleged determination not to consent
+to a separation from Bothwell. How then did she happen to wish to marry
+another? See Sir William Drury's Letter in Keith, p. 469.
+
+[146] Keith, p. 472, et seq.
+
+[147] Buchanan, Book xix.--Melville's Memoirs, p. 200. et seq.--Keith, p.
+477.--Calderwood, Crawfurd, and Holinshed. The accounts which historians
+give of this battle are so confused and contradictory, that it is almost
+impossible to furnish any very distinct narrative of it, even by collating
+them all. Robertson hardly attempts any detail, and the few particulars
+which he does mention, are in several instances erroneous.
+
+[148] Keith, p. 481 and 482.--Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1.
+
+[149] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1. et seq.--Keith, p. 481.
+
+[150] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 69.
+
+[151] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 283.
+
+[152] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 71.
+
+[153] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 6.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 288. Even at
+Carlisle, Mary was always strictly watched. In one of his letters to
+Cecil, Knollys writes thus:--"Yesterday, her Grace went out at a postern,
+to walk on the playing green, towards Scotland; and we, with twenty-two
+halberdeers, diverse gentlemen and other servants, waited upon her. About
+twenty of her retinue played at foot-ball before her the space of two
+hours, very strongly, nimbly, and skilfully,--without any foul play
+offered, the smallness of their ball occasioning their fair play. And
+before yesterday, since our coming, she went but twice out of the town,
+once to the like play of foot-ball, in the same place, and once she rode
+out a hunting the hare, she galloping so fast upon every occasion, and her
+whole retinue being so well horsed, that we, upon experience thereof,
+doubting that, upon a set course, some of her friends out of Scotland
+might invade and assault us upon the sudden, for to rescue and take her
+from us; we mean hereafter, if any such riding pastimes be required that
+way, so much to fear the endangering of her person by some sudden invasion
+of her enemies, that she must hold us excused, in that behalf."
+
+[154] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 95.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 300. It is of Dr
+Stuart's translation that we have availed ourselves.
+
+[155] Anderson, vol. iv. part ii. p. 33.
+
+[156] Buchanan, book xix. It is worth remarking, that of these particular
+friends of Murray, the two Commissioners, Lord Lindsay and the Commendator
+of Dunfermlin, and the two lawyers, Macgill and Balnaves, sat on the trial
+of Bothwell when he was unanimously acquitted. Yet they afterwards accused
+the Queen of consenting to an unfair trial.
+
+[157] Anderson, vol. iv. Part ii. p. 3.
+
+[158] Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 12.
+
+[159] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 128.
+
+[160] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 144.
+
+[161] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 162.
+
+[162] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 62.
+
+[163] We do not at present stop the course of our narrative to examine
+these letters more minutely, but we shall devote some time to their
+consideration afterwards.
+
+[164] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 182.
+
+[165] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 184.
+
+[166] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 206.
+
+[167] Ibid. p. 220.
+
+[168] Ibid. p. 221.
+
+[169] Ibid. p. 184 and 206.
+
+[170] Ibid. p. 283.
+
+[171] Ibid. p. 312.
+
+[172] Ibid. p. 300 and 301.
+
+[173] There is one other circumstance connected with this conference,
+which, though not bearing any immediate reference to Mary, is worth
+mentioning. We allude to the challenges which passed between Lord Lindsay,
+one of Murray's Commissioners, and Lord Herries, one of Mary's most
+constant and faithful servants. Lindsay, whose passionate violence we have
+formerly had occasion to notice, attempted to force a quarrel upon
+Herries, by writing him the following letter:
+
+"Lord Herries,--I am informed that you have spoken and affirmed, that my
+Lord Regent's Grace and his company here present, were guilty of the
+abominable murder of the late King, our Sovereign Lord's father. If you
+have so spoken, you have said untruly, and have lied in your throat, which
+I will maintain, God willing, against you, as becomes me of honour and
+duty. And hereupon I desire your answer. Subscribed with my hand, at
+Kingston, the twenty-second day of December 1568. PATRICK LINDSAY."
+
+To this epistle Lord Herries made the following spirited reply:
+
+"Lord Lindsay,--I have seen a writing of yours, the 22d of December, and
+thereby understand,--'You are informed that I have said and affirmed, that
+the Earl of Murray, whom you call your Regent, and his company, are guilty
+of the Queen's husband's slaughter, father to our Prince; and if I said
+it, I have lied in my throat, which you will maintain against me as
+becomes you of honour and duty.' In respect they have accused the Queen's
+Majesty, mine and your native Sovereign, of that foul crime, far from the
+duty that good subjects owed, or ever have been seen to have done to their
+native Sovereign,--I have said--'There is of that company present with the
+Earl of Murray, guilty of that abominable treason, in the fore-knowledge
+and consent thereto.' That you were privy to it, Lord Lindsay, I know not;
+and if you will say that I have specially spoken of you, you lie in your
+throat; and that I will defend as of my honour and duty becomes me. But
+let any of the principal that is of them subscribe the like writing you
+have sent to me, and I shall point them forth, and fight with some of the
+traitors therein; for meetest it is that traitors should pay for their own
+treason. HERRIES. London, 22d of December 1568."
+
+No answer appears to have been returned to this letter, and so the affair
+was dropped.--Goodall, vol. ii. p. 271.
+
+[174] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 313.
+
+[175] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 327.
+
+[176] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 332.
+
+[177] Anderson, vol. i. p. 80.
+
+[178] Strype, vol. i. p. 538.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 337.
+
+[179] Stranguage, p. 114.
+
+[180] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 375.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 261.--Stuart, vol.
+ii. p. 59.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 349.
+
+[181] Anderson, vol. iii. p. 248.
+
+[182] See "An Account of the Life and Actions of the Reverend Father in
+God, John Lesley, Bishop of Ross," in Anderson, vol. iii. p. vii.
+
+[183] Miss Benger, vol. ii. p. 439.
+
+[184] Additions to the Memoirs of Castelnau, p. 589, et seq.
+
+[185] Laing, vol. ii. p. 285.
+
+  Alas! what am I?--what avails my life?
+    Does not my body live without a soul?--
+  A shadow vain--the sport of anxious strife,
+    That wishes but to die, and end the whole.
+  Why should harsh enmity pursue me more?
+    The false world's greatness has no charms for me;
+  Soon will the struggle and the grief be o'er;--
+    Soon the oppressor gain the victory.
+  Ye friends! to whose remembrance I am dear,
+    No strength to aid you, or your cause, have I;
+  Cease then to shed the unavailing tear,--
+    I have not feared to live, nor dread to die;
+  Perchance the pain that I have suffered here,
+  May win me more of bliss thro' God's eternal year.
+
+[186] See the whole of this letter in Whittaker, vol. iv. p. 399. Camden
+translated it into Latin, and introduced it into his History; but he
+published only an abridged edition of it, which Dr Stuart has paraphrased
+and abridged still further; and Mademoiselle de Keralio has translated Dr
+Stuart's paraphrased abridgment into French, supposing it to have been the
+original letter. Stuart, vol. ii. p. 164.--Keralio, Histoire d'Elisabethe,
+vol. v. p. 349.
+
+[187] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 395.
+
+[188] They were hanged on two successive days, seven on each day; and the
+first seven, among whom were Ballard, Babington, and Savage, were cut down
+before they were dead, embowelled, and then quartered.--_Stranguage_, _p._
+177.
+
+[189] Stranguage, p. 176.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 427 et seq.
+
+[190] In the first series of Ellis's Collection of "Original Letters
+illustrative of English History," there is given a fac simile of the plan,
+in Lord Burleigh's hand, for the arrangement to be observed at the trial
+of the Queen of Scots. As it is interesting, and brings the whole scene
+more vividly before us, the following explanatory copy of it will be
+perused with interest.
+
+[Illustration: The upper end of the Gret Chambre at Fordynghay Cast.]
+
+_Below, in another hand, apparently in answer to Lord Burleigh's
+direction, is the following_:
+
+"This will be most convenientlye in the greatt Chamber; the lengthe
+whereof is in all xxiij. yerds with the windowe: whereof there may be fr.
+the neither part beneth the barre viij. yerds: and the rest for the upper
+parte. The breadeth of the chamber is vij. yerds.
+
+"There is another chambre for the Lords to dyne in, the lengthe is xiiij.
+yerds; the breadeth, vij. yerdes; and the deppeth iij. yerdes dim."
+
+[191] As an example of some of the mistakes which the fabricators of these
+letters committed, it may be mentioned, that in one of them, dated the
+27th of July 1586, Mary is made to say,--"I am not yet brought so low but
+that I am able to handle my cross-bow for killing a deer, and to gallop
+after the hounds on horseback, as this afternoon I intend to do, within
+the limits of this park, and could otherwhere if it were permitted." Yet
+on the 3d of June previous, Sir Amias Paulet informed Walsingham--"The
+Scottish Queen is getting a little strength, and has been out in her
+coach, and is sometimes carried in a chair to one of the adjoining ponds
+to see the diversion of duck-hunting; but she is not able to walk without
+support on each side." See Chalmers, vol. i. p. 426.
+
+[192] Camden, p. 519, et seq.--Stranguage, p. 192, et seq.--Robertson,
+Book VII.--Stuart, vol. ii. p. 268, et seq.
+
+[193] It deserves notice, that no particulars of the trial at Fotheringay
+have been recorded, either by Mary herself, or any of her friends, but are
+all derived from the narrative of two of Elizabeth's notaries. If Mary's
+triumph was so decided, even by their account, it may easily be conceived
+that it would have appeared still more complete, had it been described by
+less partial writers.
+
+[194] Camden, p. 525, et seq.
+
+[195] Murdin, p. 569.
+
+[196] Camden.
+
+[197] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 91.
+
+[198] Tytler, vol. ii. p. 319, et seq., and p. 403.--Chalmers, vol. i. p.
+447.--Tytler gives a strong and just exposition of the shameful nature of
+the Queen's correspondence with Paulet. The reader cannot fail to peruse
+the following passage with interest:
+
+"The letters written by Elizabeth to Sir Amias Paulet, Queen Mary's keeper
+in her prison at Fotheringay Castle, disclose to us the true sentiments of
+her heart, and her steady purpose to have Mary privately assassinated.
+Paulet, a rude but an honest man, had behaved with great insolence and
+harshness to Queen Mary, and treated her with the utmost disrespect. He
+approached her person without any ceremony, and usually came covered into
+her presence, of which she had complained to Queen Elizabeth. He was
+therefore thought a fit person for executing the above purpose. The
+following letter from Elizabeth displays a strong picture of her artifice
+and flattery, in order to raise his expectations to the highest pitch.
+
+'TO MY LOVING AMIAS.
+
+'_Amias, my most faithful and careful servant_, God reward thee treblefold
+for the most troublesome charge so well discharged. If you knew, _my
+Amias_, how kindly, beside most dutifully, my grateful heart accepts and
+praiseth your spotless endeavours and faithful actions, performed in so
+dangerous and crafty a charge, it would ease your travail, and rejoice
+your heart; in which I charge you to carry this most instant thought, that
+I cannot balance in any weight of my judgment the value that I prize you
+at, and suppose no treasure can countervail such a faith. And you shall
+condemn me in that fault that yet I never committed, if I reward not such
+desert; yea let me lack when I most need it, if I acknowledge not such a
+merit, _non omnibus datum_.'[*]
+
+Having thus buoyed up his hopes and wishes, Walsingham, in his letters to
+Paulet and Drury, mentions the proposal in plain words to them. 'We find,
+by a speech lately made by her Majesty, that she doth note in you both a
+lack of that care and zeal for her service, that she looketh for at your
+hands, in that you have not in all this time (of yourselves, without any
+other provocation) found out some way to shorten the life of the Scots
+Queen, considering the great peril she is hourly subject to, so long as
+the said Queen shall live.'--In a Post-script: 'I pray you, let both this
+and the enclosed be committed to the fire; as your answer shall be, after
+it has been communicated to her Majesty, for her satisfaction.' In a
+subsequent letter: 'I pray you let me know what you have done with my
+letters, because they are not fit to be kept, that I may satisfy her
+Majesty therein, who might otherwise take offence thereat.'
+
+What a cruel snare is here laid for this faithful servant! He is tempted
+to commit a murder, and at the same time has orders from his Sovereign to
+destroy the warrant for doing it. He was too wise and too honourable to do
+either the one or the other. Had he fallen into the snare, we may guess,
+from the fate of Davidson, what would have been his. Paulet, in return,
+thus writes to Walsingham:--'Your letters of yesterday coming to my hand
+this day, I would not fail, according to your directions, to return my
+answer with all possible speed; which I shall deliver unto you with great
+grief and bitterness of mind, in that I am so unhappy, as living to see
+this unhappy day, in which I am required, by direction of my most gracious
+Sovereign, to do an act which God and the law forbiddeth. My goods and
+life are at her Majesty's disposition, and I am ready to lose them the
+next morrow if it shall please her. But God forbid I should make so foul a
+shipwreck of my conscience, or leave so great a blot to my poor posterity,
+as shed blood without law or warrant."
+
+    [*] What a picture have we here, of the heroine of England! Wooing a
+    faithful servant to commit a clandestine murder, which she herself
+    durst not avow! The portrait of King John, in the same predicament,
+    practising with Hubert to murder his nephew, then under his charge,
+    shows how intimately the great Poet was acquainted with nature.
+
+                          O my gentle Hubert,
+        We owe thee much! Within this wall of flesh,
+        There is a soul, counts thee her creditor,
+        And with advantage means to pay thy love,
+        And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
+        Lives in this bosom dearly cherished.
+
+[199] Mackenzie's Lives of the Scottish Writers, vol. iii. p.
+336.--Robertson, vol. ii. p. 194.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 449.
+
+[200] La Mort de la Royne d'Ecosse in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 611.
+
+[201] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 622. et seq.
+
+[202] "Mary's testament and letters," says Ritson the antiquarian, "which
+I have seen, blotted with her tears in the Scotch College, Paris, will
+remain perpetual monuments of singular abilities, tenderness, and
+affection,--of a head and heart of which no other Queen in the world was
+probably ever possessed."
+
+[203] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 628, et seq.
+
+[204] History of Fotheringay, p. 79.
+
+[205] Among these attendants were her physician Bourgoine, who afterwards
+wrote a long and circumstantial narrative of her death, and Jane Kennedy,
+formerly mentioned on the occasion of Mary's escape from Loch-Leven.
+
+[206] Narratio Supplicii Mortis Mariae Stuart in Jebb, vol. ii. p.
+163.--La Mort de la Royne d'Ecosse in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 636 and
+639.--Camden, p. 535.
+
+[207] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 640, et seq.
+
+[208] See Mezeray, Histoire de France, tome iii.
+
+[209] "We may say of Mary, I believe, with strict propriety," observes
+Whittaker, "what has been said of one of her Royal predecessors,--'the
+gracious Duncan,' that she
+
+  "Had borne her faculties so meek, had been
+  So clear in her great office, that her virtues,
+  Will plead, like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
+  _The deep damnation of her taking off_."
+
+[210] "Oraison Funebre" in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 671.
+
+[211] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 92.
+
+[212] Keith, p. 79.
+
+[213] Anderson, vol. i. p. 117.--Keith, p. 379.
+
+[214] Melville, p. 175. et seq.
+
+[215] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 90.
+
+[216] Keith, p. 406.
+
+[217] Anderson, vol. i. p. 139.
+
+[218] Keith, p. 417.
+
+[219] Haynes, p. 454.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 361.
+
+[220] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.
+
+[221] Keith, p. 467.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 173.
+
+[222] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 140.
+
+[223] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235.
+
+[224] Ibid. 256.
+
+[225] Tytler, vol. i. p. 144.
+
+[226] There is preserved at Hamilton Palace, a small silver box, said to
+be the very casket which once contained the Letters. Laing, who appears to
+believe in the genuineness of this relic somewhat too hastily, mentions,
+that "the casket was purchased from a Papist by the Marchioness of Douglas
+(a daughter of the Huntly family) about the period of the Restoration.
+After her death, her plate was sold to a goldsmith, from whom her
+daughter-in-law Anne, heiress and Dutchess of Hamilton, repurchased the
+casket."
+
+"For the following accurate and satisfactory account of the casket," adds
+Mr Laing, "I am indebted to Mr Alexander Young, W. S., to whom I
+transmitted the description of it given in Morton's receipt, and in the
+Memorandum prefixed to the Letters in Buchanan's 'Detection.'"
+
+"'The silver box is carefully preserved in the Charter-room at Hamilton
+Palace, and answers exactly the description you have given of it, both in
+size and general appearance. I examined the outside very minutely. On the
+first glance I was led to state, that it had none of those ornaments to
+which you allude, and, in particular, that it wanted the crowns, with the
+Italic letter _F_. Instead of these, I found on one of the sides the arms
+of the house of Hamilton, which seemed to have been engraved on a
+compartment, which had previously contained some other ornament. On the
+top of the lock, which is of curious workmanship, there is a large
+embossed crown with _fleurs de lis_, but without any letters. Upon the
+bottom, however, of the casket, there are two other small ornaments--one
+near each end, which, at first sight, I thought resembled our
+silver-smiths' marks; but, on closer inspection, I found they consisted
+each of a royal crown above a _fleur de lis_, surmounting the Italic
+letter _F_.'"--Laing, vol. ii. p. 235.
+
+Upon this description of the box, it may be remarked, that it does _not_
+exactly agree with the account given of it by Buchanan; for it would
+appear, that in the casket preserved at Hamilton, there are only two
+Italic _F's_; while Buchanan describes it as "a small gilt coffer, not
+fully a foot long, being _garnished in sundry places_ with the Roman
+letter F, under a king's crown," an expression he would not have used, had
+there been only two of these letters. Besides, there seems to have been a
+king's crown above each; but on the coffer at Hamilton, there is only one
+crown on the top of the lock, and not above the letter F. Antiquarians,
+however, have investigated subjects of less curiosity, and have been
+willing to believe upon far more slender data.
+
+[227] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 87.
+
+[228] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 140.
+
+[229] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235; and p. 257.
+
+[230] The authentic "Warrant" and "Consent," has been already described,
+_supra_, vol. ii. p. 95, and may be seen at length in Anderson, vol. i. p.
+87.
+
+[231] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 356.
+
+[232] See in further corroboration of the facts stated above, a Letter of
+Archibald Douglas to the Queen of Scots, in Robertson's Appendix, or in
+Laing, vol. ii. p. 363.
+
+[233] "Nec ullam hac in causa reginæ accusationem intervenire."--See the
+King of Denmark's Letter in Laing, vol. ii. p. 328.
+
+[234] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 382.
+
+[235] Keith, Appendix, p. 141.
+
+[236] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 227.--Keith, Appendix, p. 143.
+
+[237] See the New Monthly Magazine, No. LIV. p. 521.
+
+[238] Lesley's "Defence" in Anderson, vol. i. p. 40.
+
+[239] Miss Benger, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 494.
+
+[240] Buchanan, book xix.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 460.
+
+[241] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. xxii.
+
+[242] Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 120 and 125.
+
+[243] Keith, Appendix, p. 145.
+
+[244] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 671.
+
+[245] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 185.
+
+[246] Anderson, ibid. p. 187.--Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.
+
+[247] Laing, Appendix p. 323.
+
+[248] Laing, vol. ii. p. 298.
+
+[249] Ibid. p. 300.
+
+[250] Tytler, vol. i. p. 20.
+
+[251] It is unnecessary to enter into any discussion regarding the second
+Confession of Paris, which has been so satisfactorily proved to be
+spurious, by Tytler, Whittaker, and Chalmers, and on which Robertson
+acknowledges "no stress is to be laid," on account of the "improbable
+circumstances" it contains. See Tytler, vol. i. p. 286.--Whittaker, vol.
+ii. p. 305.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 50.--Robertson, vol. iii. p. 20.
+
+[252] Robertson, vol. iii. p. 21.
+
+[253] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 371 and 375.--Robertson, vol. iii. p. 28.
+
+[254] The French edition of the Detection, p. 2.--Goodall, vol. i. p. 103.
+
+[255] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235.
+
+[256] Laing, vol. i. p. 250.
+
+[257] See the Letter in Laing, vol. ii. p. 202; and an unsuccessful
+attempt to give a criminal interpretation to it, in vol. i. p. 311. It is
+quite unnecessary to allude here to several other flimsy forgeries which,
+at a later period, have been attempted to be palmed upon the world as
+genuine letters of Mary. In 1726, a book was published, entitled, "The
+genuine Letters of Mary Queen of Scots, to James Earl of Bothwell, found
+in his Secretary's Closet after his Decease, and now in the Possession of
+a Gentleman at Oxford. Translated from the French by Edward Simmons, late
+of Christ-Church College, Oxford." These had only to be read, to be seen
+to be fabrications. Yet so late as the year 1824, a compilation was
+published by Dr Hugh Campbell, containing, among other things, eleven
+letters, which the Doctor thought were original love-letters of the Queen
+to Bothwell, although, with a very trifling variation, they were the same
+as those published in 1726; only, not being described as translations, and
+being written in comparatively modern English, which Mary never could
+write, they bear still more evidently the stamp of forgery. This is put
+beyond a doubt, by a short Examination of them, published by Murray,
+London, 1825, and entitled, "A Detection of the Love-Letters, lately
+attributed, in Hugh Campbell's Work, to Mary Queen of Scots; wherein his
+Plagiarisms are proved, and his fictions fixed."
+
+[258] Whittaker, vol. ii. p. 79.
+
+[259] Goodall, vol. i. p. 79--Laing, vol. i. p. 209.
+
+[260] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 342.
+
+[261] Jebb, vol. ii. 244.
+
+[262] Camden, p. 143.--Tytler, vol. i. p. 101.
+
+[263] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 31.
+
+[264] It is proper to state, that Robertson has considered this argument
+at some length; and though he has not overturned, he has certainly
+invalidated the strength of the evidence adduced by Goodall in support of
+it.--Goodall, vol. i. p. 118.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 383.--Chalmers, vol.
+ii. p. 375.--Laing, vol. i. p. 315.
+
+[265] Whittaker, vol. i. p. 332.
+
+[266] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 64 & 67.
+
+[267] Whittaker, vol. i. p. 408.
+
+[268] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 51.
+
+[269] Regarding these sonnets, the curious reader may consult Whittaker,
+vol. iii. p. 55.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 395.--Jebb, vol. ii. p. 481--and
+Laing, vol. i. p. 230. 347. 349. and 368. For remarks on the
+marriage-contracts, see Goodall, vol. ii. p. 54 & 56, and vol. i. p.
+126.--Whittaker, vol. i, p. 392, and Stuart, vol, i. p. 397.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II (of
+2), by Henry Glassford Bell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II (of 2)
+
+Author: Henry Glassford Bell
+
+Release Date: August 13, 2011 [EBook #37059]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
+Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+<div class="verts">
+<p class="center"><i>Just Published, 3 Vols. post 8vo,</i><br />
+<i>Price 1l. 4s. boards,</i></p>
+<p class="center"><span class="huge">THE LAIRDS OF FIFE.</span></p>
+<p class="center"><small>VELUTI IN SPECULUM.</small></p>
+<p class="center">PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE &amp; CO., EDINBURGH;<br />
+AND HURST, CHANCE &amp; CO., LONDON.</p></div>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p class="center"><span class="giant">LIFE</span></p>
+<p class="center"><small>OF</small></p>
+<p class="center"><span class="giant">MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">VOL. II.</span></p>
+
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/titlename2.jpg" alt="CONSTABLE&#8217;S MISCELLANY OF Original and Selected Publications IN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF LITERATURE SCIENCE, &amp; THE ARTS. VOL. XXV." /></div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+
+<p class="center"><span class="large">LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL. II.</span></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/title2.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+<p class="center"><small>Drawn by W. Brown</small><span class="spacer">&nbsp;</span><span class="spacer">&nbsp;</span><small>Engraved by W. Miller</small></p>
+<p class="center">LOCHLEVEN CASTLE.</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="center">EDINBURGH:<br />
+PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE &amp; C<sup>o.</sup> EDINBURGH:<br />
+AND HURST, CHANCE &amp; C<sup>o.</sup> LONDON.</p>
+<p class="center">1828.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center"><span class="huge">LIFE</span></p>
+<p class="center"><small>OF</small></p>
+<p class="center"><span class="huge">MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center"><small>BY</small><br />
+<span class="large">HENRY GLASSFORD BELL, <span class="smcap">Esq.</span></span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center">IN TWO VOLUMES.</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center">VOL. II.</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" summary="table">
+<tr><td>&#8220;AYEZ MEMOIRE DE L&#8217;AME ET DE L&#8217;HONNEUR DE<br />
+CELLE QUI A ESTE VOTRE ROYNE.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 12em;"><i>Mary&#8217;s own Words.</i></span></td></tr></table>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center">EDINBURGH:<br />
+PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE &amp; CO. EDINBURGH;<br />
+AND HURST, CHANCE &amp; CO. LONDON.</p>
+<p class="center">1828.</p>
+
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<h2>CONTENTS OF VOL. II.</h2>
+
+<table width="65%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="table">
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td><td align="right"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_I.2">CHAPTER I.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">The Proposal of a Divorce between Mary and Darnley, and the Christening of James VI</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.1">1</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_II.2">CHAPTER II.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Occurrences immediately preceding Darnley&#8217;s Death</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.19">19</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_III.2">CHAPTER III.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">The Death of Darnley</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.37">37</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV.2">CHAPTER IV.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Bothwell&#8217;s Trial and Acquittal</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.55">55</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_V.2">CHAPTER V.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Bothwell&#8217;s Seizure of the Queen&#8217;s Person, and subsequent Marriage to her</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.77">77</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI.2">CHAPTER VI.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">The Rebellion of the Nobles, the Meeting at Carberry Hill, and its Consequences</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.99">99</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII.2">CHAPTER VII.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Mary at Loch-Leven, her Abdication, and Murray&#8217;s Regency</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.120">120</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII.2">CHAPTER VIII.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Mary&#8217;s Escape from Loch-Leven, and the Battle of Langside</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.147">147</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX.2">CHAPTER IX.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Mary&#8217;s Reception in England, and the Conferences at York and Westminster</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.161">161</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_X.2">CHAPTER X.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Mary&#8217;s Eighteen Years&#8217; Captivity</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.191">191</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XI.2">CHAPTER XI.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Mary&#8217;s Trial and Condemnation</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.219">219</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XII.2">CHAPTER XII.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="dent">Mary&#8217;s Death, and Character</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.245">245</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>An Examination of the Letters, Sonnets, and other Writings, adduced in Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.267">267</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td>Addendum</td>
+    <td valign="bottom" align="right"><a href="#Page_2.335">335</a></td></tr></table>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p class="center"><span class="large">ERRATA IN VOL. I.</span></p>
+
+<div class="errata">
+<p>Preface, p. v, for &#8220;<i>eminent</i>,&#8221; read &#8220;<i>imminent</i>.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Page 104, for &#8220;<i>On the 25th of August 1561, Mary sailed out of the harbour
+of Calais</i>,&#8221; read &#8220;<i>on the 15th of August</i>,&#8221; &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>Page 155, for &#8220;<i>knapsack</i>,&#8221; read &#8220;<i>knapscap</i>.&#8221;</p></div>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.1" id="Page_2.1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<p class="center"><span class="giant">LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I.2" id="CHAPTER_I.2"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">THE PROPOSAL OF A DIVORCE BETWEEN MARY AND DARNLEY, AND THE CHRISTENING OF JAMES VI.</span></p>
+
+<p>It was in December 1566, during Mary&#8217;s residence at Craigmillar, that a
+proposal was made to her by her Privy Council, which deserves particular
+attention. It originated with the Earl of Bothwell, who was now an active
+Cabinet Minister and Officer of State. Murray and Darnley, the only two
+persons in her kingdom to whom Mary had been willing to surrender, in a
+great degree, the reins of government, had deceived her; and finding her
+interests betrayed by them, she knew not where to look for an adviser.
+Rizzio had been faithful to her, and to him she listened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.2" id="Page_2.2">[Pg 2]</a></span> with some
+deference; but it was impossible that he could ever have supplied the
+place of a Prime Minister. The Earl of Morton was not destitute of
+ambition sufficient to have made him aspire to that office; but he chose,
+unfortunately for himself, to risk his advancement in espousing Darnley&#8217;s
+cause, in opposition to the Queen. Both, in consequence, fell into
+suspicion; Morton was banished from Court, and Murray again made his
+appearance there. But, though she still had a partiality for her brother,
+Mary could not now trust him, as she had once done. Gratitude and common
+justice called upon her not to elevate him above those men, (particularly
+Huntly and Bothwell), who had enabled her to pass so successfully through
+her recent troubles. She made it her policy, therefore, to preserve as
+nice a balance of power as possible among her ministers. Bothwell&#8217;s rank
+and services, undoubtedly entitled him to the first place; but this the
+Queen did not choose to concede to him. The truth is, she had never any
+partiality for Bothwell. His turbulent and boisterous behaviour, soon
+after her return from France, gave her, at that period, a dislike to him,
+which she testified, by first committing him to prison, and afterwards
+ordering him into banishment. He had conducted himself better since his
+recall; but experience had taught Mary the deceitfulness of appearances;
+and Bothwell, though much more listened to than before, was not allowed to
+assume any tone of superiority in her councils. She restored Maitland to
+his lands and place at Court, in such direct opposition to the Earl&#8217;s
+wishes, that, so recently as the month of August<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.3" id="Page_2.3">[Pg 3]</a></span> (1566), he and Murray
+came to very high words upon the subject in the Queen&#8217;s presence. After
+Rizzio&#8217;s murder, some part of Maitland&#8217;s lands had been given to Bothwell.
+These Murray wished him to restore; but he declared positively, that he
+would part with them only with his life. Murray, enraged at his obstinacy,
+told him, that &#8220;twenty as honest men as he should lose their lives, ere he
+saw Lethington robbed;&#8221; and through his influence with his sister,
+Maitland was pardoned, and his lands given back.<a name='fna_1' id='fna_1' href='#f_1'><small>[1]</small></a> Thus Mary endeavoured
+to divide her favours and friendship among Murray, Bothwell, Maitland,
+Argyle the Justice-General, and Huntly the Chancellor.</p>
+
+<p>It was in this state of affairs, when the contending interests of the
+nobility were in so accurate an equilibrium, that Bothwell&#8217;s daring spirit
+suggested to him, that there was an opening for one bold and ambitious
+enough to take advantage of it. As yet, his plans were immatured and
+confused; but he began to cherish the belief that a dazzling reach of
+power was within his grasp, were he only to lie in wait for a favourable
+opportunity to seize the prize. With these views, it was necessary for him
+to strengthen and increase his resources as much as possible. His first
+step was to prevail on Murray, Huntly, and Argyle, about the beginning of
+October, to join with him in a bond of mutual friendship and support;<a name='fna_2' id='fna_2' href='#f_2'><small>[2]</small></a>
+his second was to lay aside any enmity he may have felt towards Morton,
+and to intimate to him, that he would himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.4" id="Page_2.4">[Pg 4]</a></span> petition the Queen for his
+recall; his third and boldest measure, was that of arranging with the rest
+of the Privy Council the propriety of suggesting to Mary a divorce from
+her husband. Bothwell&#8217;s conscience seldom troubled him much when he had a
+favourite end in view. He was about to play a hazardous game; but if the
+risk was great, the glory of winning would be proportionate. Darnley had
+fallen into general neglect and odium; yet he stood directly in the path
+of the Earl&#8217;s ambition. He was resolved that means should be found to
+remove him out of it; and as there was no occasion to have recourse to
+violence until gentler methods had failed, a divorce was the first
+expedient of which he thought. He knew that the proposal would not be
+disagreeable to the nobility; for it had been their policy, for some time
+back, to endeavour to persuade the nation at large, and Mary in
+particular, that it was Darnley&#8217;s ill conduct that made her unhappy, and
+created all the differences which existed. Nor were these representations
+altogether unfounded; but the Queen&#8217;s unhappiness arose, not so much from
+her husband&#8217;s ingratitude, as from the impossibility of retaining his
+regard, and at the same time discharging her duty to the country. Though
+the nobles were determined to shut their eyes upon the fact, it was
+nevertheless the share which they held in the government, and the
+necessity under which Mary lay to avail herself of their assistance, which
+alone prevented her from being much more with her husband, and a great
+deal less with them. There were even times, when, perplexed by all the
+thousand cares of greatness, and grievously disappointed in the fulfilment
+of her most fondly <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.5" id="Page_2.5">[Pg 5]</a></span>cherished hopes, Mary would gladly have exchanged the
+splendors of her palace for the thatched roof and the contentment of the
+peasant. It was on more than one occasion that Sir James Melville heard
+her &#8220;casting great sighs, and saw that she would not eat for no persuasion
+that my Lords of Murray and Mar could make her.&#8221; &#8220;She is in the hands of
+the physicians,&#8221; Le Croc writes from Craigmillar, &#8220;and is not at all well.
+I believe the principal part of her disease to consist in a deep grief and
+sorrow, which it seems impossible to make her forget. She is continually
+exclaiming &#8220;Would I were dead!&#8221;<a name='fna_3' id='fna_3' href='#f_3'><small>[3]</small></a> &#8220;But, alas!&#8221; says Melville, &#8220;she had
+over evil company about her for the time; the Earl Bothwell had a mark of
+his own that he shot at.&#8221;<a name='fna_4' id='fna_4' href='#f_4'><small>[4]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>One of his bolts Bothwell lost no time in shooting; but it missed the
+mark. By undertaking to sue with them for Morton&#8217;s pardon, and by making
+other promises, he prevailed on Murray, Huntly, Argyle and Lethington, to
+join him in advising the Queen to consent to a divorce. It could have been
+obtained only through the interference of the Pope, and Murray at first
+affected to have some religious scruples; but as the suggestion was
+secretly agreeable to him, it was not difficult to overcome his
+objections. &#8220;Take you no trouble,&#8221; said Lethington to him, &#8220;we shall find
+the means well enough to make her quit of him, so that you and my Lord of
+Huntly will only behold the matter, and not be offended thereat.&#8221; The
+Lords<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.6" id="Page_2.6">[Pg 6]</a></span> therefore proceeded to wait upon the Queen, and lay their proposal
+before her. Lethington, who had a better command of words than any among
+them, commenced by reminding her of the &#8220;great number of grievous and
+intolerable offences, the King, ungrateful for the honour received from
+her Majesty, had committed.&#8221; He added, that Darnley &#8220;troubled her Grace
+and them all;&#8221; and that, if he was allowed to remain with her Majesty, he
+&#8220;would not cease till he did her some other evil turn which she would find
+it difficult to remedy.&#8221; He then proceeded to suggest a divorce,
+undertaking for himself and the rest of the nobility, to obtain the
+consent of Parliament to it, provided she would agree to pardon the Earl
+of Morton, the Lords Ruthven and Lindsay, and their friends, whose aid
+they would require to secure a majority. But Lethington, and the rest,
+soon found that they had little understood Mary&#8217;s real sentiments towards
+her husband. She would not at first agree even to talk upon the subject at
+all; and it was only after &#8220;every one of them endeavoured particularly to
+bring her to the purpose,&#8221; that she condescended to state two objections,
+which, setting aside every other consideration, she regarded as
+insuperable. The first was, that she did not understand how the divorce
+could be made lawfully; and the second, that it would be to her son&#8217;s
+prejudice, rather than hurt whom, she declared she &#8220;would endure all
+torments.&#8221; Bothwell endeavoured to take up the argument, and to do away
+with the force of these objections, alleging, that though his father and
+mother had been divorced, there had never been any doubt as to his
+succession to his paternal estates; but his <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.7" id="Page_2.7">[Pg 7]</a></span>illustrations and
+Lethington&#8217;s oratory met with the same success. Mary answered firmly, &#8220;I
+will that you do nothing, by which any spot may be laid on my honour and
+conscience; and therefore, I pray ye rather let the matter be in the
+estate as it is, abiding till God of his goodness put a remedy to it. That
+you believe would do me service, may possibly turn to my hurt and
+displeasure.&#8221; As to Darnley, she expressed a hope that he would soon
+change for the better; and, prompted by the ardent desire she felt to get
+rid, for a season, of her many cares, she said she would perhaps go for a
+time to France, and remain there till her husband acknowledged his errors.
+She then dismissed Bothwell and his friends, who retired to meditate new
+plots.<a name='fna_5' id='fna_5' href='#f_5'><small>[5]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.8" id="Page_2.8">[Pg 8]</a></span>On the 11th of December, Mary proceeded to Stirling, to make the necessary
+arrangements for the baptism of her son, which she determined to celebrate
+with the pomp and magnificence his future prospects justified. Darnley,
+who had been with the Queen a week at Craigmillar Castle, and afterwards
+came into Edinburgh with her, had gone to Stirling two days before.<a name='fna_6' id='fna_6' href='#f_6'><small>[6]</small></a>
+Ambassadors had arrived from England, France, Piedmont, and Savoy, to be
+present at the ceremony. The Pope also had proposed sending a nuncio into
+Scotland; but Mary had good sense enough to know, that her bigoted
+subjects would be greatly offended, were she to receive any such servant
+of Antichrist. It may have occurred to her, besides, that his presence
+might facilitate the negotiations for the divorce proposed by her
+nobility, but which she was determined should not take place. She,
+therefore, wrote to the great spiritual Head of her Church, expressing all
+that respect for his authority which a good Catholic was bound to feel;
+but she, at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.9" id="Page_2.9">[Pg 9]</a></span> the same time, contrived to prevent his nuncio, Cardinal
+Laurea, from coming further north than Paris.<a name='fna_7' id='fna_7' href='#f_7'><small>[7]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The splendour of Mary&#8217;s preparations for the approaching ceremony,
+astonished not a little the sober minds of the Presbyterians. &#8220;The
+excessive expenses and superfluous apparel,&#8221; says Knox, &#8220;which were
+prepared at that time, exceeded far all the preparations that ever had
+been devised or set forth before in this country.&#8221; Elizabeth, as if
+participating in Mary&#8217;s maternal feelings, ordered the Earl of Bedford,
+her ambassador, to appear at Stirling with a very gorgeous train; and sent
+by him as a present for Mary a font of gold, valued at upwards of 1000<i>l.</i>
+In her instructions to Bedford, she desired him to say jocularly, that it
+had been made as soon as she heard of the Prince&#8217;s birth, and that it was
+large enough then; but that, as he had now, she supposed, outgrown it, it
+might be kept for the next child. It was too far in the season to admit of
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.10" id="Page_2.10">[Pg 10]</a></span>Elizabeth&#8217;s sending any of the Ladies of her own realm into Scotland;
+she, therefore, fixed on the Countess of Argyle to represent her as
+godmother, preferring that lady, because she understood her to be much
+esteemed by Mary. To meet the extraordinary expenditure occasioned by
+entertaining so many ambassadors, the Queen was permitted to levy an
+assessment of 12,000<i>l.</i> It may appear strange, how a taxation of this
+kind could be imposed without the consent of Parliament; but it was
+managed thus. The Privy Council called a meeting both of the Lords
+Temporal and Spiritual, and of the representatives of the boroughs, and
+informed them that some of the greatest princes in Christendom had
+requested permission to witness, through their ambassadors, the baptism of
+the Prince. It was therefore moved, and unanimously carried, that their
+Majesties should be allowed to levy a tax for &#8220;the honourable expenses
+requisite.&#8221; The tax was to be proportioned in this way; six thousand
+pounds from the spiritual estate;&mdash;four thousand from the barons and
+freeholders;&mdash;and two thousand from the boroughs.<a name='fna_8' id='fna_8' href='#f_8'><small>[8]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Till the ceremony of baptism took place, the Queen gave splendid banquets
+every day to the ambassadors and their suites. At one of these a slight
+disturbance occurred, which, as it serves to illustrate amusingly the
+manners of the times, is worth describing. There seems to have been some
+little jealousy between the English and French envoys upon matters of
+precedence; and Mary on the whole was inclined to favour the English,
+being now more connected with England than with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.11" id="Page_2.11">[Pg 11]</a></span> France. It happened,
+however, that at the banquet in question, a kind of mummery was got up,
+under the superintendance of one of Mary&#8217;s French servants, called
+Sebastian, who was a fellow of a clever wit. He contrived a piece of
+workmanship, in the shape of a great table; and its machinery was so
+ingeniously arranged, that, upon the doors of the great hall in which the
+feast was to be held, being thrown open, it moved in, apparently of its
+own accord, covered with delicacies of all sorts. A band of musicians,
+clothed like maidens, singing and accompanying themselves on various
+instruments, surrounded the pageant. It was preceded, and this was the
+cause of the offence, by a number of men, dressed like satyrs, with long
+tails, and carrying whips in their hands. These satyrs were not content to
+ride round the table, but they put their hands behind them to their tails,
+wagging them in the faces of the Englishmen, who took it into their heads
+that the whole was done in derision of them, &#8220;daftly apprehending that
+which they should not seem to have understood.&#8221; Several of the suite of
+the Earl of Bedford, perceiving themselves thus mocked, as they thought,
+and the satyrs &#8220;wagging their tails or rumples,&#8221; were so exasperated, that
+one of them told Sir James Melville, if it were not in the Queen&#8217;s
+presence, &#8220;he would put a dagger to the heart of the French knave
+Sebastian, whom he alleged did it for despite that the Queen made more of
+them than of the Frenchmen.&#8221; The Queen and Bedford, who knew that the
+whole was a mere jest, had some trouble in allaying the wrath of the
+hot-headed Southerns.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of these festivities, Mary had <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.12" id="Page_2.12">[Pg 12]</a></span>various cares to perplex her,
+and various difficulties to encounter. When she first came to Stirling,
+she found that Darnley had not chosen to go, as usual, to the Castle, but
+was residing in a private house. He left it, however, upon the Queen&#8217;s
+arrival, and took up his residence in the Castle with her,&mdash;a fact of some
+consequence, and one which Murray has himself supplied.<a name='fna_9' id='fna_9' href='#f_9'><small>[9]</small></a> But Darnley&#8217;s
+sentiments towards Mary&#8217;s ministers, continued unchanged; and it was
+impossible to prevail upon them to act and associate together, with any
+degree of harmony, even in presence of the ambassadors. Mary was extremely
+anxious to prevent her husband from exposing his weakness and waywardness
+to foreigners; but he was as stubborn as ever; and though he had given up
+thoughts of going abroad, it was only because he hoped to put into
+execution some new plot at home. Surrounded by gayeties, he continued
+sullen and discontented, shutting himself up in his own apartment, and
+associating with no one, except his wife and the French envoy, Le Croc,
+for whom he had contracted a sort of friendship. To heighten his bad
+humour, Elizabeth, according to Camden, had forbidden Bedford, or any of
+his retinue, to give him the title of King. The anger inspired by his
+contempt of her authority, on the occasion of his marriage, had not yet
+subsided; and there is not a state paper extant, in which she acknowledges
+Darnley in other terms than as &#8220;Henry Stuart, the Queen of Scotland&#8217;s
+husband.&#8221; It seems likely that this, added to the other reasons already
+mentioned, was the cause why Darnley refused to be present at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.13" id="Page_2.13">[Pg 13]</a></span>
+christening of his son.<a name='fna_10' id='fna_10' href='#f_10'><small>[10]</small></a> Mary had another cause of vexation. The
+baptism was to be performed after the Catholic ritual, and the greater
+part of her nobility, in consequence, not only refused to take any share
+in the ceremony, but even to be present at it. All Mary&#8217;s influence with
+Murray, Huntly, and Bothwell, was exerted in vain. They did not choose to
+risk their character with the Reformers, to gratify her. &#8220;The Queen
+laboured much,&#8221; says Knox, &#8220;with the noblemen, to bear the salt, grease,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.14" id="Page_2.14">[Pg 14]</a></span>
+and candles, and such other things, but all refused.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>On the 19th of December 1566, the baptism, for which so many preparations
+had been made, took place.<a name='fna_11' id='fna_11' href='#f_11'><small>[11]</small></a> The ceremony was performed between five and
+six in the afternoon. The Earls of Athol and Eglinton, and the Lords
+Semple and Ross, being of the Catholic persuasion, carried the
+instruments. The Archbishop of St Andrews, assisted by the Bishops of
+Dumblane, Dunkeld, and Ross, received the Prince at the door of the
+chapel. The Countess of Argyle held the infant at the font, and the
+Archbishop baptized him by the name of Charles James, James Charles,
+Prince and Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of
+the Isles, and Baron of Renfrew; and these names and titles were
+proclaimed three times by heralds, with sound of trumpet. Mary called her
+son Charles, in compliment to the King of France, her brother-in-law; but
+she gave him also the name of James, because, as she said, her father, and
+all the good kings of Scotland, his predecessors, had been called by that
+name. The Scottish nobles of the Protestant persuasion, together with the
+Earl of Bedford, remained at the door of the chapel; and the Countess of
+Argyle had afterwards to do penance for the share she took in the business
+of the day,&mdash;a circumstance which shows very forcibly the power of the
+clergy at this time, who were able to triumph over a Queen&#8217;s
+representative, a King&#8217;s daughter, and their Sovereign&#8217;s sister. It is
+also worthy of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.15" id="Page_2.15">[Pg 15]</a></span>notice, that of the twelve Earls, and numerous Lords then
+in the castle, only two of the former, and three of the latter, ventured
+to cross the threshold of a Catholic chapel.<a name='fna_12' id='fna_12' href='#f_12'><small>[12]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth was probably not far wrong, in supposing that her font had grown
+too small for the infant James. He was a remarkably stout and healthy
+child, and as Le Croc says, he made his gossips feel his weight in their
+arms. Mary was very proud of her son, and from his earliest infancy, the
+establishment of his household was on the most princely scale. The Lady
+Mar was his governess. A certain Mistress Margaret Little, the spouse of
+Alexander Gray, Burgess of Edinburgh, was his head-nurse; and for her good
+services, there was granted to her and her husband, in February 1567, part
+of the lands of Kingsbarns in Fife, during their lives. The chief nurse
+had four or five women under her, &#8220;Keepers of the King&#8217;s clothes,&#8221; &amp;c.
+Five ladies of distinction were appointed to the honourable office of
+&#8220;Rockers&#8221; of the Prince&#8217;s cradle. For his kitchen, James, at the same
+early age, had a master-cook, a foreman, and three other servitors, and
+one for his pantry, one for his wine, and two for his ale-cellar. He had
+three &#8220;chalmer-chields,&#8221; one &#8220;furnisher of coals,&#8221; and one pastry-cook or
+confectioner. Five musicians or &#8220;violars,&#8221; as they are called, completed
+the number of his household. To fill so many mouths, there was a fixed
+allowance of provisions, consisting of bread, beef, veal, mutton, capons,
+chickens, pigeons, fish,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.16" id="Page_2.16">[Pg 16]</a></span> pottages, wine and ale. Thus, upon the life of
+the infant, the comfortable support of a reasonable number of his subjects
+depended.<a name='fna_13' id='fna_13' href='#f_13'><small>[13]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The captivating grace and affability of Mary&#8217;s manners, won for her, upon
+the baptismal occasion, universal admiration. She sent home the
+ambassadors with the most favourable impressions, which were not less
+loudly proclaimed, because she enriched them, before they went, with gifts
+of value. To Bedford, in particular, she gave a chain of diamonds, worth
+about six or seven hundred pounds. To other individuals of his suite, she
+gave chains of pearl, rings, and pictures.<a name='fna_14' id='fna_14' href='#f_14'><small>[14]</small></a> But she was all the time
+making an effort to appear happier and more contented than she really was.
+&#8220;She showed so much earnestness,&#8221; says Le Croc, &#8220;to entertain all the
+goodly company, in the best manner, that this made her forget, in a good
+measure, her former ailments. But I am of the mind, however, that she will
+give us some trouble as yet; nor can I be brought to think otherwise, so
+long as she continues to be so pensive and melancholy. She sent for me
+yesterday, and I found her laid on the bed weeping sore. I am much grieved
+for the many troubles and vexations she meets with.&#8221; Mary did not weep
+without cause. One source of uneasiness, at the present moment, was the
+determination of her ministers to force from her a pardon for the Earl of
+Morton, and seventy-five of his accomplices. As some one has remarked, her
+whole reign was made up of plots and pardons. Her chief failing indeed,
+was the facility with which she allowed herself to be persuaded to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.17" id="Page_2.17">[Pg 17]</a></span>
+forgive the deadliest injuries which could be offered to her. Murray, from
+the representations he had made through Cecil, had induced Elizabeth to
+desire Bedford to join his influence to that of Mary&#8217;s Privy Council in
+behalf of Morton. The consequence was, that the Queen could no longer
+resist their united importunities, and, with two exceptions, all the
+conspirators against Rizzio were pardoned. These exceptions were, George
+Douglas, who had seized the King&#8217;s dagger, and struck Rizzio the first
+blow; and Andrew Kerr, who, in the affray, had threatened to shoot the
+Queen herself. Robertson, with great inaccuracy, has said, that it was to
+the solicitations of Bothwell alone that these criminals were indebted for
+their recall. It would have been long before Bothwell, whose weight with
+Mary was never considerable, could have obtained, unassisted, her consent
+to such a measure; and the truth of this assertion is proved by the
+clearest and directest testimony. In a letter which Bedford wrote to Cecil
+on the 30th of December, we meet with the following passage:&mdash;&#8220;The Queen
+here hath now granted to the Earl of Morton, to the Lords Ruthven and
+Lindsay, their relaxation and pardon.<a name='fna_15' id='fna_15' href='#f_15'><small>[15]</small></a> <i>The Earl of Murray hath done
+very friendly towards the Queen for them, so have I, according to your
+advice</i>; the Earls Bothwell and Athol, and all other Lords <i>helped</i>
+therein, or else such pardons could not so soon have been gotten.&#8221;<a name='fna_16' id='fna_16' href='#f_16'><small>[16]</small></a> It
+is no doubt true, that Bothwell was glad of this opportunity to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.18" id="Page_2.18">[Pg 18]</a></span>ingratiate himself with Morton, and that, in the words of Melville, he
+&#8220;packed up a quiet friendship with him;&#8221;&mdash;but it is strange that Robertson
+should have been so ignorant of the real influence which secured a
+remission of their offences from Mary.</p>
+
+<p>Darnley was of course greatly offended that any of his former accomplices
+should be received again into favour. They would return only to force him
+a few steps farther down the ladder, to the top of which he had so eagerly
+desired to climb. They were recalled too at the very time when he had it
+in contemplation, according to common report, to seize on the person of
+the young Prince, and, after crowning him, to take upon himself the
+government as his father. Whether this report was true or not, (and
+perhaps it was a belief in it which induced the Queen to remove shortly
+afterwards from Stirling to Edinburgh), it is certain that Darnley
+declared he &#8220;could not bear with some of the noblemen that were attending
+in the Court, and that either he or they behoved to leave the same.&#8221;<a name='fna_17' id='fna_17' href='#f_17'><small>[17]</small></a>
+He accordingly left Stirling on the 24th of December, the very day on
+which Morton&#8217;s pardon was signed, to visit his father at Glasgow. But it
+was not with Mary he had quarrelled, with whom he had been living for the
+last ten days, and whom he intended rejoining in Edinburgh, as soon as she
+had paid some Christmas visits in the neighbourhood of Stirling.<a name='fna_18' id='fna_18' href='#f_18'><small>[18]</small></a></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.19" id="Page_2.19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II.2" id="CHAPTER_II.2"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">OCCURRENCES IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING DARNLEY&#8217;S DEATH.</span></p>
+
+<p>We are now about to enter upon a part of Mary&#8217;s history, more important in
+its results, and more interesting in its details, than all that has gone
+before. A deed had been determined on, which, for audacity and villany,
+has but few parallels in either ancient or modern story. The manner of its
+perpetration, and the consequences which ensued, not only threw Scotland
+into a ferment, but astonished the whole of Europe; and, even to this day,
+the amazement and horror it excited, continue to be felt, whenever that
+page of our national history is perused which records the event. Ambition
+has led to the commission of many crimes; but, fortunately for the great
+interests of society, it is only in a few instances, of which the present
+is one of the most conspicuous, that it has been able to involve in
+misery, the innocent as well as the guilty. But, even where this is the
+case, time rescues the virtuous from unmerited disgrace, and, causing the
+mantle of mystery to moulder away, enables us to point out, on one hand,
+those who have been unjustly accused, and, on the other, those who were
+both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.20" id="Page_2.20">[Pg 20]</a></span> the passive conspirators and the active murderers. A plain narrative
+of facts, told without violence or party-spirit, is that upon which most
+reliance will be placed, and which will be most likely to advance the
+cause of truth by correcting the mistakes of the careless, and exposing
+the falsehoods of the calumnious.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Bothwell was now irrevocably resolved to push his fortunes to
+the utmost. He acted, for the time, in conjunction with the Earl of
+Murray, though independently of him, using his name and authority to
+strengthen his own influence, but communicating to the scarcely less
+ambitious Murray only as much of his plans as he thought he might disclose
+with safety. Bothwell was probably the only Scottish baron of the age over
+whom Murray does not appear ever to have had any control. His character,
+indeed, was not one which would have brooked control. On Mary&#8217;s return
+home, so soon as he perceived the ascendancy which her brother possessed
+over her, he entered into a conspiracy with Huntly and others, to remove
+him. The conspiracy failed, and Bothwell left the kingdom. He was not
+recalled till Murray had fallen into disgrace; and though the Earl was
+subsequently pardoned, he never regained that superiority in Mary&#8217;s
+councils he had once enjoyed. But Bothwell hoped to secure the distinction
+for himself; and, that he might not lose it as Murray had done, after it
+was once gained, he daringly aimed at becoming not merely a prime
+minister, but a king. The historians, therefore, (among whom are to be
+included many of Mary&#8217;s most zealous defenders), who speak of Bothwell as
+only a &#8220;cat&#8217;s-paw&#8221; in the hands of Murray<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.21" id="Page_2.21">[Pg 21]</a></span> and his party, evidently
+mistake both the character of the men, and the positions they relatively
+held. Murray and Bothwell had both considerable influence at Court; but
+there was no yielding on the part of either to the higher authority of the
+other, and the Queen herself endeavoured, upon all occasions, to act
+impartially between them. We have found her frequently granting the
+requests of Murray in opposition to the advice of Bothwell; and there is
+no reason to suppose, that, when she saw cause, she may not have followed
+the advice of her Lord High Admiral, in preference to that of her brother.
+A circumstance which occurred only a few days after the baptism of James
+VI., strikingly illustrates the justice of these observations. It is the
+more deserving of attention, as the spirit of partiality, which has been
+unfortunately so busy in giving an erroneous colouring even to Mary&#8217;s most
+trifling transactions, has not forgotten to misrepresent that to which we
+now refer.</p>
+
+<p>Darnley&#8217;s death being resolved, Bothwell began to consider how he was to
+act after it had taken place. He probably made arrangements for various
+contingencies, and trusted to the chapter of accidents, or his own
+ingenuity, to assist him in others. But there was one thing certain, that
+he could never become the legal husband of Mary, so long as he continued
+united to his own wife, the Lady Jane Gordon. Anticipating, therefore, the
+necessity of a divorce, and aware that the emergency of the occasion might
+not permit of his waiting for all the ordinary forms of law, he used his
+interest with the Queen at a time when his real motives were little
+suspected, to revive the ancient<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.22" id="Page_2.22">[Pg 22]</a></span> jurisdiction of the Catholic
+Consistorial Courts, which had been abolished by the Reformed Parliament
+of 1560, and the ordinary civil judges of Commissary Courts established in
+their place. In accordance with his request, Mary restored the Archbishop
+of St Andrews, the Primate of Scotland, to the ancient Consistorial
+Jurisdiction, granted him by the Canon laws, and discharged the
+Commissaries from the further exercise of their offices. Thus, Bothwell
+not only won the friendship of the Archbishop, but secured for himself a
+court, where the Catholic plea of consanguinity might be advanced,&mdash;the
+only plausible pretext he could make use of for annulling his former
+marriage. This proceeding, however, in favour of the Archbishop and the
+old faith, gave great offence to the Reformed party; and when the Primate
+came from St Andrews to Edinburgh, at the beginning of January, for the
+purpose of holding his court, his authority was very strenuously resisted.
+The Earl of Murray took up the subject, and represented to Mary the injury
+she had done to the true religion. Bothwell, of course, used every effort
+to counteract the force of such a representation; but he was unsuccessful.
+By a letter which the Earl of Bedford wrote to Cecil from Berwick, on the
+9th of January 1567, we learn that the Archbishop was not allowed to
+proceed to the hearing of cases, and that &#8220;because it was found to be
+contrary to the religion, and therefore not liked of by the townsmen; <i>at
+the suit of my Lord of Murray</i>, the Queen was pleased to revoke that which
+she had before granted to the said bishop.&#8221; Probably the grant of
+jurisdiction was not &#8220;revoked,&#8221; but only suspended, as Bothwell
+subsequently availed himself of it; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.23" id="Page_2.23">[Pg 23]</a></span> even its suspension sufficiently
+testifies, that Mary, at this period, listened implicitly and exclusively
+neither to one nor other of her counsellors.<a name='fna_19' id='fna_19' href='#f_19'><small>[19]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In the meantime, Darnley, who, as we have seen, left Stirling for Glasgow
+on the 24th of December, had been taken dangerously ill. Historians differ
+a good deal concerning the nature of his illness, which is by some
+confidently asserted to have been occasioned by poison, administered to
+him either before he left Stirling, or on the road, by servants, who had
+been bribed by Bothwell; and by others is as confidently affirmed to have
+been the small-pox, a complaint then prevalent in Glasgow. On the whole,
+the latter opinion seems<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.24" id="Page_2.24">[Pg 24]</a></span> to be the best supported, as it is confirmed by
+the authority both of the English ambassador, and of the cotemporary
+historians, Lesley and Blackwood. Knox, Buchanan, Melville, Crawford,
+Birrell and others, mention, on the other hand, that the belief was
+prevalent, that the King&#8217;s sickness was the effect of poison. But as the
+only evidence offered in support of this popular rumour is, that &#8220;blisters
+broke out of a bluish colour over every part of his body,&#8221; and as this may
+have been the symptoms of small-pox as well as of poison, the story does
+not seem well authenticated. Besides, in the letter which Mary is alleged
+to have written a week or two afterwards to Bothwell from Glasgow, she is
+made to say that Darnley told her he was ill of the small-pox. Whether the
+letter be a forgery or not, this paragraph would not have been introduced,
+unless it had contained what was then known to be the fact.</p>
+
+<p>Be this matter as it may, it is of more importance to correct a mistake
+into which Robertson has not unwillingly fallen, regarding the neglect and
+indifference with which he maintains Mary treated her husband, during the
+earlier part of his sickness. We learn, in the first place, by Bedford&#8217;s
+letter to Cecil, already mentioned, that as soon as Mary heard of
+Darnley&#8217;s illness, she sent her own physician to attend him.<a name='fna_20' id='fna_20' href='#f_20'><small>[20]</small></a> And, in
+the second place, it appears, that it was some time before Darnley&#8217;s
+complaint assumed a serious complexion; but that, whenever Mary understood
+he was considered in danger, she immediately set out to visit him. &#8220;The
+Queen,&#8221; says Crawford, &#8220;was no sooner informed of his danger, than she
+hasted after <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.25" id="Page_2.25">[Pg 25]</a></span>him.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;As soon as the rumour of his sickness gained
+strength,&#8221; says Turner (or Barnestaple), &#8220;the Queen flew to him, thinking
+more of the person to whom she flew, than of the danger which she herself
+incurred.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;Being advertised,&#8221; observes Lesley, &#8220;that Darnley was
+repentant and sorrowful, she without delay, thereby to renew, quicken, and
+refresh his spirits, and to comfort his heart to the amendment and
+repairing of his health, lately by sickness sore impaired, hasted with
+such speed as she conveniently might, to see and visit him at Glasgow.&#8221;
+Thus, Robertson&#8217;s insinuation falls innocuous to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>It was on the 13th of January 1567 that Mary returned from Stirling to
+Edinburgh, having spent the intermediate time, from the 27th of December,
+in paying visits to Sir William Murray, the Comptroller of her household,
+at Tullibardin, and to Lord Drummond at Drummond Castle. As is somewhere
+remarked, &#8220;every moment now begins to be critical, and every minuteness
+and specific caution becomes necessary for ascertaining the truth, and
+guarding against slander.&#8221; The probability is, that Bothwell was not with
+Mary either at Tullibardin or Drummond Castle. Meetings of her Privy
+Council were held by her on the 2d and 10th of January; and it appears by
+the Register, that Bothwell was not present at any of them. Chalmers is of
+opinion, that, during the early part of January he must have been at
+Dunbar, making his preparations, and arranging a meeting with Morton. When
+the Queen arrived at Edinburgh on the 13th, she lodged her son, whom she
+brought with her, in Holyroodhouse. A few days <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.26" id="Page_2.26">[Pg 26]</a></span>afterwards, she set out
+for Glasgow to see her husband. Her calumniators, on the supposition that
+she had previously quarrelled with Darnley, affect to discover something
+very forced and unnatural in this visit. But <i>Mary had never quarrelled
+with Darnley</i>. He had quarrelled with her ministers, and had been enraged
+at the failure of his own schemes of boyish ambition, but against his wife
+he had himself frequently declared he had no cause of complaint. Mary, on
+her part, had always shown herself more grieved by Darnley&#8217;s waywardness
+than angry at it. Only a day or two before going to Glasgow, she said
+solemnly, in a letter she wrote to her ambassador at Paris,&mdash;&#8220;As for the
+King, our husband, God knows always our part towards him.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;God willing,
+our doings shall be always such as none shall have occasion to be offended
+with them, or to report of us any way but honourably.&#8221;<a name='fna_21' id='fna_21' href='#f_21'><small>[21]</small></a> So far,
+therefore, from there being any thing uncommon or forced in her journey to
+Glasgow, nothing could be more natural, or more likely to have taken
+place. &#8220;Darnley&#8217;s danger,&#8221; observes Dr Gilbert Stuart, with the simple
+eloquence of truth, &#8220;awakened all the gentleness of her nature, and she
+forgot the wrongs she had endured. Time had abated the vivacity of her
+resentment, and after its paroxysm was past, she was more disposed to weep
+over her afflictions, than to indulge herself in revenge. The softness of
+grief prepared her for a returning tenderness. His distresses effected it.
+Her memory shut itself to his errors and imperfections, and was only open
+to his better qualities and accomplishments. He <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.27" id="Page_2.27">[Pg 27]</a></span>himself, affected with
+the near prospect of death, thought, with sorrow, of the injuries he had
+committed against her. The news of his repentance was sent to her. She
+recollected the ardour of that affection he had lighted up in her bosom,
+and the happiness with which she had surrendered herself to him in the
+bloom and ripeness of her beauty. Her infant son, the pledge of their
+love, being continually in her sight, inspirited her sensibilities. The
+plan of lenity which she had previously adopted with regard to him; her
+design to excite even the approbation of her enemies by the propriety of
+her conduct; the advices of Elizabeth by the Earl of Bedford to entertain
+him with respect; the apprehension lest the royal dignity might suffer any
+diminution by the universal distaste with which he was beheld by her
+subjects, and her certainty and knowledge of the angry passions which her
+chief counsellors had fostered against him&mdash;all concurred to divest her
+heart of every sentiment of bitterness, and to melt it down in sympathy
+and sorrow. Yielding to tender and anxious emotions, she left her capital
+and her palace, in the severest season of the year, to wait upon him. Her
+assiduities and kindnesses communicated to him the most flattering
+solacement; and while she lingered about his person with a fond
+solicitude, and a delicate attention, he felt that the sickness of his
+mind and the virulence of his disease were diminished.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>On arriving at Glasgow, Mary found her husband convalescent, though weak
+and much reduced. She lodged in the same house with him; but his disease
+being considered infectious, they had separate apartments. Finding that
+his recent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.28" id="Page_2.28">[Pg 28]</a></span> approach to the very brink of the grave had exercised a
+salutary influence over his mind and dispositions, and hoping to regain
+his entire confidence, by carefully and affectionately nursing him during
+his recovery, she gladly acceded to the proposal made by Darnley, that she
+should take him back with her to Edinburgh or its vicinity. She suggested
+that he should reside at Craigmillar Castle, as the situation was open and
+salubrious; but for some reason or other, which does not appear, he
+objected to Craigmillar, and the Queen therefore wrote to Secretary
+Maitland to procure convenient accommodation for her husband, in the town
+of Edinburgh.<a name='fna_22' id='fna_22' href='#f_22'><small>[22]</small></a> Darnley disliked the Lords of the Privy Council too much
+to think of living at Holyrood; and besides, it was the opinion of the
+physicians, that the young Prince, even though he should not be brought
+into his father&#8217;s presence, might catch the infection from the servants
+who would be about the persons of both. But when Mary wrote to Maitland,
+she little knew that she was addressing an accomplice of her husband&#8217;s
+future murderer. The Secretary showed her letter to Bothwell, and they
+mutually determined on recommending to Darnley the house of the
+Kirk-of-Field, which stood on an airy and healthy situation to the south
+of the town, and which, therefore, appeared well suited for an invalid,
+although <i>they</i> preferred it because it stood by itself, in a
+comparatively solitary part of the town.<a name='fna_23' id='fna_23' href='#f_23'><small>[23]</small></a> On Monday, January 27th, Mary
+and Darnley left Glasgow. They appear to have travelled in a wheeled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.29" id="Page_2.29">[Pg 29]</a></span>
+carriage, and came by slow and easy stages to Edinburgh. They slept on
+Monday night at Callander. They came on Tuesday to Linlithgow, where they
+remained over Wednesday, and arrived in Edinburgh on Thursday.</p>
+
+<p>The Kirk-of-Field, in which, says Melville, &#8220;the King was lodged, as a
+place of good air, where he might best recover his health,&#8221; belonged to
+Robert Balfour, the Provost or head prebendary of the collegiate church of
+St Mary-in-the-Field, so called because it was beyond the city wall when
+first built. When the wall was afterwards extended, it enclosed the
+Kirk-of-Field, as well as the house of the Provost and Prebendaries. The
+Kirk-of-Field with the grounds pertaining to it, occupied the site of the
+present College, and of those buildings which stand between Infirmary and
+Drummond Street. In the extended line of wall, what was afterwards called
+the Potter-row Port, was at first denominated the Kirk-of-Field Port, from
+its vicinity to the church of that name. The wall ran east from this port
+along the south side of the present College, and the north side of
+Drummond Street, where a part of it is still to be seen in its original
+state. The house stood at some distance from the Kirk, and the latter,
+from the period of the Reformation, had fallen into decay. The city had
+not yet stretched in this direction much farther than the Cowgate. Between
+that street and the town wall, were the Dominican Convent of the
+Blackfriars, with its alms-houses for the poor, and gardens, covering the
+site of the present High School and Royal Infirmary,&mdash;and the
+Kirk-of-Field and its Provost&#8217;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.30" id="Page_2.30">[Pg 30]</a></span> residence. The house nearest to it of any
+note was Hamilton House, which belonged to the Duke of Chatelherault, and
+some part of which is still standing in College Wynd.<a name='fna_24' id='fna_24' href='#f_24'><small>[24]</small></a> It was at first
+supposed, that Darnley would have taken up his abode there; but the
+families of Lennox and Hamilton were never on such terms as would have
+elicited this mark of friendship from the King. The Kirk-of-Field House
+stood very nearly on the site of the present north-west corner of Drummond
+Street. It fronted the west, having its southern gavel so close upon the
+town-wall, that a little postern door entered immediately through the wall
+into the kitchen. It contained only four apartments; but these were
+commodious, and were fitted up with great care. Below, a small passage
+went through from the front door to the back of the house; upon the right
+hand of which was the kitchen, and upon the left, a room furnished as a
+bedroom, for the Queen, when she chose to remain all night. Passing out at
+the back-door, there was a turnpike stair behind, which, after the old
+fashion of Scottish houses, led up to the second story. Above, there were
+two rooms corresponding with those below. Darnley&#8217;s chamber was
+immediately over Mary&#8217;s; and on the other side of the lobby, above the
+kitchen, a &#8220;garde-robe&#8221; or &#8220;little-gallery,&#8221; which was used as a servant&#8217;s
+room, and which had a window in the gavel, looking through the town-wall,
+and corresponding with the postern door below. Immediately beyond this
+wall, was a lane shut in by <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.31" id="Page_2.31">[Pg 31]</a></span>another wall, to the south of which were
+extensive gardens.<a name='fna_25' id='fna_25' href='#f_25'><small>[25]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>During the ten days which Darnley spent in his new residence, Mary was a
+great deal with him, and slept several nights in the room we have
+described below her husband&#8217;s, this being more agreeable to her, than
+returning at a late hour to Holyrood Palace. Darnley was still much of an
+invalid, and his constitution had received so severe a shock, that every
+attention was necessary during his convalescence. A bath was put up for
+him, in his own room, and he appears to have used it frequently. He had
+been long extremely unpopular, as has been seen, among the nobles; but
+following the example which Mary set them, some were disposed to forget
+their former disagreements, and used to call upon him occasionally, and
+among others, Hamilton, the Archbishop of St Andrews, who came to
+Edinburgh about this time, and lodged hard by in Hamilton house. Mary
+herself, after sitting for hours in her husband&#8217;s sick-chamber, used
+sometimes to breathe the air in the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.32" id="Page_2.32">[Pg 32]</a></span>neighbouring gardens of the Dominican
+convent; and she sometimes brought up from Holyrood her band of musicians,
+who played and sung to her and Darnley. Thus, every thing went on so
+smoothly, that neither the victim nor his friends could in the least
+suspect that they were all treading the brink of a precipice.</p>
+
+<p>Bothwell had taken advantage of Mary&#8217;s visit to Glasgow, to proceed to
+Whittingham, in the neighbourhood of Dunbar, where he met the Earl of
+Morton, and obtained his consent to Darnley&#8217;s murder. To conceal his real
+purpose, Bothwell gave out at Edinburgh, that he was going on a journey to
+Liddesdale; but, accompanied by Secretary Maitland, whom he had by this
+time won over to his designs, and the notorious Archibald Douglas, a
+creature of his own, and a relation of Morton, he went direct to
+Whittingham. There, the trio met Morton, who had only recently returned
+from England, and opened to him their plot. Morton heard of the intended
+murder without any desire to prevent its perpetration; but before he would
+agree to take an active share in it, he insisted upon being satisfied that
+the Queen, as Bothwell had the audacity to assert, was willing that
+Darnley should be removed. &#8220;I desired the Earl Bothwell,&#8221; says Morton in
+his subsequent confession, &#8220;to bring me the Queen&#8217;s hand write of this
+matter for a warrant, and then I should give him an answer; otherwise, I
+would not mell (intermeddle) therewith;&mdash;which warrant he never purchased
+(procured) unto me.&#8221;<a name='fna_26' id='fna_26' href='#f_26'><small>[26]</small></a> But though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.33" id="Page_2.33">[Pg 33]</a></span> Morton, refused to risk an active, he
+had no objections to take a passive part in this conspiracy. Bothwell,
+Maitland, and Douglas, returned to Edinburgh, and he proceeded to St
+Andrews, with the understanding, that Bothwell was to communicate with
+him, and inform him of the progress of the plot. Accordingly, a day or two
+before the murder was committed, Douglas was sent to St Andrews, to let
+Morton know that the affair was near its conclusion. Bothwell, however,
+was well aware that what he had told the Earl regarding the wishes of the
+Queen, was equally false and calumnious. Of all persons in existence, it
+was from her that he most wished to conceal his design; and as for a
+written approval of it, he knew that he might just as well have applied to
+Darnley himself. Douglas was, therefore, commanded to say to Morton,
+evasively, &#8220;that the Queen would bear no speech of the matter appointed to
+him.&#8221; Morton, in consequence, remained quietly in the neighbourhood of St
+Andrews till the deed was done.<a name='fna_27' id='fna_27' href='#f_27'><small>[27]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Murray was another powerful nobleman, who, when the last act
+of this tragedy was about to be performed, withdrew to a careful distance
+from the scene. It is impossible to say whether Murray was all along
+acquainted with Bothwell&#8217;s intention; there is certainly no direct
+evidence that he was; but there are very considerable probabilities. When
+a divorce was proposed to Mary at Craigmillar, she was told that Murray
+would look through his fingers at it; and this design being frustrated, by
+the Queen&#8217;s refusal to agree to it, there is every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.34" id="Page_2.34">[Pg 34]</a></span> likelihood that
+Bothwell would not conceal from the cabal he had then formed, his
+subsequent determination. That he disclosed it to Morton and Maitland, is
+beyond a doubt; and that Murray again consented &#8220;to look through his
+fingers,&#8221; is all but proved. It is true he was far too cautious and wily a
+politician, to plunge recklessly, like Bothwell, into such a sea of
+dangers and difficulties; but he was no friend to Darnley,&mdash;having lost
+through him much of his former power; and however the matter now ended, if
+he remained quiet, he could not suffer any injury, and might gain much
+benefit. If Bothwell prospered, they would unite their interests,&mdash;if he
+failed, then Murray would rise upon his ruin. Only three days before the
+murder, the Lord Robert Stuart, Murray&#8217;s brother, having heard, as
+Buchanan affirms of the designs entertained against Darnley&#8217;s life,
+mentioned them to the King. Darnley immediately informed Mary, who sent
+for Lord Robert, and in the presence of her husband and the Earl of
+Murray, questioned him on the subject. Lord Robert, afraid of involving
+himself in danger, retracted what he had formerly said, and denied that he
+had ever repeated to Darnley any such report. High words ensued in
+consequence; and even supposing that Murray had before been ignorant of
+Bothwell&#8217;s schemes, his suspicions must now have been roused. Perceiving
+that the matter was about to be brought to a crisis, he left town abruptly
+upon Sunday, the very last day of Darnley&#8217;s life, alleging his wife&#8217;s
+illness at St Andrews, as the cause of his departure. The fact mentioned
+by Lesley, in his &#8220;Defence of Queen Mary&#8217;s Honour,&#8221; that on the evening
+of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.35" id="Page_2.35">[Pg 35]</a></span> this day, Murray said, when riding through Fife, to one of his most
+trusty servants,&mdash;&#8220;This night, ere morning, the Lord Darnley shall lose
+his life,&#8221; is a strong corroboration of the supposition that he was well
+informed upon the subject.<a name='fna_28' id='fna_28' href='#f_28'><small>[28]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>There were others, as has been said, whom Bothwell either won over to
+assist him, or persuaded to remain quiet. One of his inferior accomplices
+afterwards declared, that the Earl showed him a bond, to which were
+affixed the signatures of Huntly, Argyle, Maitland, and Sir James Balfour,
+and that the words of the bond were to this effect:&mdash;&#8220;That for as much as
+it was thought expedient and most profitable for the commonwealth, by the
+whole nobility and Lords undersubscribed, that such a young fool and proud
+tyrant should not reign, nor bear rule over them, for diverse causes,
+therefore, these all had concluded, that he should be put off by one way
+or other, and who-soever should take the deed in hand, or do it, they
+should defend and fortify it as themselves, for it should be every one of
+their own, reckoned and holden done by themselves.&#8221;<a name='fna_29' id='fna_29' href='#f_29'><small>[29]</small></a> To another of his
+accomplices, Bothwell declared that Argyle, Huntly, Morton, Maitland,
+Ruthven, and Lindsay, had promised to support him; and when he was asked
+what part the Earl of Murray would take, his answer was,&mdash;&#8220;He does not
+wish to intermeddle with it; he does not mean either to aid or hinder
+us.&#8221;<a name='fna_30' id='fna_30' href='#f_30'><small>[30]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.36" id="Page_2.36">[Pg 36]</a></span>But whoever his assistants were, it was Bothwell&#8217;s own lawless ambition
+that suggested the whole plan of proceeding, and whose daring hand was to
+strike the final and decisive blow. Everything was now arranged. His
+retainers were collected round him;&mdash;four or five of the most powerful
+ministers of the crown knew of his design, and did not disapprove of
+it;&mdash;the nobles then at court were disposed to befriend him, from motives
+either of political interest or personal apprehension;&mdash;Darnley and the
+Queen were unsuspicious and unprotected. A kingly crown glittered almost
+within his grasp; he had only to venture across the Rubicon of guilt, to
+place it on his brow.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.37" id="Page_2.37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III.2" id="CHAPTER_III.2"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">THE DEATH OF DARNLEY.</span></p>
+
+<p>It was on Sunday, the 9th of February 1567, that the final preparations
+for the murder of Darnley were made. To execute the guilty deed, Bothwell
+was obliged to avail himself of the assistance of those ready ministers of
+crime, who are always to be found at the beck of a wealthy and depraved
+patron. There were eight unfortunate men whom he thus used as tools with
+which to work his purpose. Four of these were merely menial
+servants;&mdash;their names were, Dalgleish, Wilson, Powrie, and Nicolas
+Haubert, more commonly known by the sobriquet of French Paris. He was a
+native of France, and had been a long while in the service of the Earl of
+Bothwell; but on his master&#8217;s recommendation, who foresaw the advantages
+he might reap from the change, he was taken into the Queen&#8217;s service
+shortly before her husband&#8217;s death. Bothwell was thus able to obtain the
+keys of some of the doors of the Kirk-of-Field house, of which he caused
+counterfeit impressions to be taken.<a name='fna_31' id='fna_31' href='#f_31'><small>[31]</small></a> The other four who were at the
+&#8220;deed-doing,&#8221;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.38" id="Page_2.38">[Pg 38]</a></span> were persons of somewhat more consequence. They were small
+landed proprietors or <i>lairds</i>, who had squandered their patrimony in
+idleness and dissipation, and were willing to run the chance of retrieving
+their ruined fortunes at any risk. They were the Laird of Ormiston, Hob
+Ormiston his uncle, &#8220;or father&#8217;s brother,&#8221; as he is called, John Hepburn
+of Bolton, and John Hay of Tallo. Bothwell wished Maitland, Morton, and
+one or two others, to send some of their servants also to assist in the
+enterprise; but if they ever promised to do so, it does not appear that
+they kept their word. Archibald Douglas, however, who had linked himself
+to the fortunes of Bothwell, was in the immediate neighbourhood with two
+servants, when the crime was perpetrated.<a name='fna_32' id='fna_32' href='#f_32'><small>[32]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Till within two days of the murder, Bothwell had not made up his mind how
+the King was to be killed. He held various secret meetings with his four
+principal accomplices, at which the plan first proposed was to attack
+Darnley when walking in the gardens adjoining the Kirk-of-Field, which his
+returning health enabled him to visit occasionally when the weather was
+favourable. But the success of this scheme was uncertain, and there was
+every probability that the assassins would be discovered.<a name='fna_33' id='fna_33' href='#f_33'><small>[33]</small></a> It was next
+suggested that the house might easily be entered at midnight, and the King
+stabbed in bed. But a servant commonly lay in the same apartment with him,
+and there were always one or two in the adjoining room, who might have
+resisted or escaped, and afterwards have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.39" id="Page_2.39">[Pg 39]</a></span> able to identify the
+criminals. After much deliberation, it at length occurred that gunpowder
+might be used with effect; and that, if the whole premises were blown up,
+they were likely to bury in their ruins every thing that could fix the
+suspicion on the parties concerned. Powder was therefore secretly brought
+into Edinburgh from the Castle of Dunbar, of which Bothwell had the
+lordship, and was carried to his own lodgings in the immediate vicinity of
+Holyrood Palace.<a name='fna_34' id='fna_34' href='#f_34'><small>[34]</small></a> It then became necessary to ascertain on what night
+the house could be blown up, without endangering the safety of the Queen,
+whom Bothwell had no desire should share the fate of her husband. She
+frequently slept at the Kirk-of-Field; and it was difficult to ascertain
+precisely when she would pass the night at Holyrood.<a name='fna_35' id='fna_35' href='#f_35'><small>[35]</small></a> In his
+confession, Hay mentions, that &#8220;the purpose should have been put in
+execution upon the Saturday night; but the matter failed, because all
+things were not in readiness.&#8221; It is not in the least unlikely that this
+delay was owing to Mary&#8217;s remaining with her husband that evening.</p>
+
+<p>On Sunday, Bothwell learned that the Queen intended honouring with her
+presence a masque which was to be given in the Palace, at a late hour, on
+the occasion of the marriage of her French servant Sebastian, to Margaret
+Carwood, one of her waiting-maids. He knew therefore that she could not
+sleep at the Kirk-of-Field that night, and took his measures accordingly.
+At dusk he assembled his accomplices, and told them that the time was come
+when he should have occasion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.40" id="Page_2.40">[Pg 40]</a></span> for their services.<a name='fna_36' id='fna_36' href='#f_36'><small>[36]</small></a> He was himself to
+sup between seven and eight at a banquet given to the Queen by the Bishop
+of Argyle, but he desired them to be in readiness as soon as the company
+should break up, when he promised to join them.<a name='fna_37' id='fna_37' href='#f_37'><small>[37]</small></a> The Queen dined at
+Holyrood, and went from thence to the house of Mr John Balfour, where the
+Bishop lodged. She rose from the supper-table about nine o&#8217;clock, and,
+accompanied by the Earls of Argyle, Huntly, and Cassils, she went to visit
+her husband at the Kirk-of-Field. Bothwell, on the contrary, having called
+Paris aside, who was in waiting on the Queen, took him with him to the
+lodgings of the Laird of Ormiston.<a name='fna_38' id='fna_38' href='#f_38'><small>[38]</small></a> There he met Hay and Hepburn, and
+they passed down the Blackfriars Wynd together. The wall which surrounded
+the gardens of the Dominican monastery ran near the foot of this wynd.
+They passed through a gate in the wall, which Bothwell had contrived to
+open by stealth, and, crossing the gardens, came to another wall
+immediately behind Darnley&#8217;s house.<a name='fna_39' id='fna_39' href='#f_39'><small>[39]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Dalgleish and Wilson had, in the meantime, been employed in bringing up,
+from Bothwell&#8217;s residence in the Abbey, the gunpowder he had lodged there.
+It had been divided into bags, and the bags were put into trunks, which
+they carried upon horses. Not being able to take it all at once, they were
+obliged to go twice between the Kirk-of-Field and the Palace. They were
+not allowed to come nearer than the Convent-gate at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.41" id="Page_2.41">[Pg 41]</a></span> foot of
+Blackfriars Wynd, where the powder was taken from them by Ormiston,
+Hepburn, and Hay, who carried it up to the house. When they had conveyed
+the whole, they were ordered to return home; and as they passed up the
+Blackfriars&#8217; Wynd, Powrie, as if suddenly conscience-struck, said to
+Wilson, &#8220;Jesu! whatna a gait is this we are ganging? I trow it be not
+good.&#8221;<a name='fna_40' id='fna_40' href='#f_40'><small>[40]</small></a> Neither of these menials had seen Bothwell, for he kept at a
+distance, walking up and down the Cowgate, until the others received and
+deposited the powder. A large empty barrel had been concealed, by his
+orders, in the Convent gardens, and into it they intended to have put all
+the bags; and the barrel was then to have been carried in at the lower
+back door of Darnley&#8217;s house, and placed in the Queen&#8217;s bedroom, which, it
+will be remembered, was immediately under that of the King. Paris, as the
+Queen&#8217;s valet-de-chambre, kept the keys of the lower flat, and was now in
+Mary&#8217;s apartment ready to receive the powder. But some delay occurred in
+consequence of the barrel turning out to be so large that it could not be
+taken in by the back door; and it became necessary therefore to carry the
+bags one by one into the bedroom, where they emptied them in a heap on the
+floor. Bothwell, who was walking anxiously to and fro, was alarmed at this
+delay, and came to inquire if all was ready. He was afraid that the
+company up stairs, among whom was the Queen, with several of her nobility
+and ladies in waiting, might come suddenly out upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.42" id="Page_2.42">[Pg 42]</a></span> them, and discover
+their proceedings. &#8220;<i>He bade them haste</i>,&#8221; says Hepburn, &#8220;<i>before the
+Queen came forth of the King&#8217;s house; for if she came forth before they
+were ready, they would not find such commodity</i>.&#8221;<a name='fna_41' id='fna_41' href='#f_41'><small>[41]</small></a> At length, every
+thing being put into the state they wished, they all left the under part
+of the house, with the exception of Hepburn and Hay, who were locked into
+the room with the gunpowder, and left to keep watch there till the others
+should return.<a name='fna_42' id='fna_42' href='#f_42'><small>[42]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Bothwell, having dismissed the others, went up stairs and joined the Queen
+and her friends in Darnley&#8217;s apartment, as if he had that moment come to
+the Kirk-of-Field. Shortly afterwards, Paris also entered; and the Queen,
+being either reminded of, or recollecting her promise, to grace with her
+presence Sebastian&#8217;s entertainment, rose, about eleven at night, to take
+leave of her husband. It has been asserted, upon the alleged authority of
+Buchanan, that, before going away, she kissed him, and put upon his finger
+a ring, in pledge of her affection. It seems doubtful, however, whether
+this is Buchanan&#8217;s meaning. He certainly mentions, in his own insidious
+manner, that Mary endeavoured to divert all suspicions from herself, by
+paying frequent visits to her husband, by staying with him many hours at a
+time, by talking lovingly with him, by paying every attention to his
+health, by kissing him, and making him a present of a ring; but he does
+not expressly say that a kiss and ring were given upon the occasion of her
+parting with Darnley for the last<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.43" id="Page_2.43">[Pg 43]</a></span> time.<a name='fna_43' id='fna_43' href='#f_43'><small>[43]</small></a> It is not at all unlikely,
+that the fact may have been as Buchanan is supposed to state; but as it is
+not a circumstance of much importance, it is unnecessary to insist upon
+its being either believed or discredited so long as it is involved in any
+uncertainty. Buchanan mentions another little particular, which may easily
+be conceived to be true,&mdash;that, in the course of her conversation with her
+husband this evening, Mary made the remark, that &#8220;just about that time
+last year David Rizzio was killed.&#8221; Bothwell, at such a moment, could not
+have made the observation; but it may have come naturally enough from
+Mary, or Darnley himself.<a name='fna_44' id='fna_44' href='#f_44'><small>[44]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Accompanied by Bothwell, Argyle, Huntly, Cassils, and others, Mary now
+proceeded to the palace, going first up the Blackfriars&#8217; Wynd, and then
+down the Canongate. Just as she was about to enter Holyrood House, she met
+one of the Earl of Bothwell&#8217;s servants (either Dalgleish or Powrie), whom
+she asked where he had been, that he smelt so strongly of gunpowder? The
+fellow made some excuse, and no further notice was taken of the
+circumstance.<a name='fna_45' id='fna_45' href='#f_45'><small>[45]</small></a> The Queen proceeded immediately to the rooms where
+Sebastian&#8217;s friends were assembled; and Bothwell, who was very anxious to
+avoid any suspicion, and, above all, to prevent Mary from suspecting him,
+continued to attend her assiduously. Paris, who carried in his pocket the
+key of Mary&#8217;s bed-room at the Kirk-of-Field,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.44" id="Page_2.44">[Pg 44]</a></span> in which he had locked Hay
+and Hepburn, followed in the Earl&#8217;s train. Upon entering the apartment
+where the dancing and masquing was going on, this Frenchman, who had
+neither the courage nor the cunning necessary to carry him through such a
+deed of villany, retired in a melancholy mood to a corner, and stood by
+himself wrapt in a profound reverie. Bothwell, observing him, and fearing
+that his conduct might excite observation, went up to him, and angrily
+demanded why he looked so sad, telling him in a whisper, <i>that if he
+retained that lugubrious countenance before the Queen, he should be made
+to suffer for it</i>. Paris answered despondingly, that he did not care what
+became of himself, if he could only get permission to go home to bed, for
+he was ill. &#8220;No,&#8221; said Bothwell, &#8220;you must remain with me; would you leave
+those two gentlemen, Hay and Hepburn, locked up where they now
+are?&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;Alas!&#8221; answered Paris, &#8220;what more must I do this night? I have no
+heart for this business.&#8221; Bothwell put an end to the conversation, by
+ordering Paris to follow him immediately.<a name='fna_46' id='fna_46' href='#f_46'><small>[46]</small></a> It is uncertain whether the
+Queen had retired to her own chamber before Bothwell quitted the Palace,
+or whether he left her at the masque. Buchanan, always ready to fabricate
+calumny, says, that the Queen and Bothwell were &#8220;in long talk together, in
+her own chamber after midnight.&#8221; But the falsehood of this assertion is
+clearly established; for Buchanan himself allows, that it was past eleven
+before Mary left the Kirk-of-Field, and Dalgleish and Powrie both state,
+that Bothwell came to his own<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.45" id="Page_2.45">[Pg 45]</a></span> lodgings from the Palace about twelve. If,
+therefore, he was at the masque, as we have seen, he had no time to talk
+with the Queen in private; and, if he had talked with the Queen, he could
+not have been at the masque. It is most likely that Mary continued for
+some time after Bothwell&#8217;s departure at Sebastian&#8217;s wedding, for Sebastian
+was &#8220;in great favour with the Queen, for his skill in music and his merry
+jesting.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As soon as Bothwell came to his &#8220;own lodging in the Abbey,&#8221; he exchanged
+his rich court dress for a more common one. Instead of a black satin
+doublet, bordered with silver, he put on a white canvass doublet, and
+wrapt himself up in his riding-cloak. Taking Paris, Powrie, Wilson and
+Dalgleish with him, he then went down the lane which ran along the wall of
+the Queen&#8217;s south gardens, and which still exists, joining the foot of the
+Canongate, where the gate of the outer court of the Palace formerly stood.
+Passing by the door of the Queen&#8217;s garden, where sentinels were always
+stationed, the party was challenged by one of the soldiers, who demanded,
+&#8220;Who goes there?&#8221; They answered, &#8220;Friends.&#8221; &#8220;What friends?&#8221; &#8220;Friends to my
+Lord Bothwell.&#8221; They proceeded up the Canongate till they came to the
+Netherbow Port, or lower gate of the city, which was shut. They called to
+the porter, John Galloway, and desired him to open to friends of my Lord
+Bothwell. Galloway was not well pleased to be raised at so late an hour,
+and he kept them waiting for some time. As they entered, he asked, &#8220;What
+they did out of their beds at that time of night?&#8221; but they gave him no
+answer. As soon as they got into the town,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.46" id="Page_2.46">[Pg 46]</a></span> they called at Ormiston&#8217;s
+lodgings, who lived in a house, called Bassyntine&#8217;s house, a short way up
+the High Street, on the south side; but they were told that he was not at
+home. They went without him, down a close below the Blackfriars Wynd, till
+they came to the gate of the Convent Gardens already mentioned. They
+entered, and, crossing the gardens, they stopped at the back wall, a short
+way behind Darnley&#8217;s residence. Here, Dalgleish, Wilson, and Powrie, were
+ordered to remain; and Bothwell and Paris passed in, over the wall. Having
+gone into the lower part of the house, they unlocked the door of the room
+in which they had left Hay and Hepburn, and the four together held a
+consultation regarding the best mode of setting fire to the gunpowder,
+which was lying in a great heap upon the floor. They took a piece of lint,
+three or four inches long, and kindling one end of it, they laid the other
+on the powder, knowing that it would burn slowly enough to give them time
+to retire to a safe distance. They then returned to the Convent gardens;
+and having rejoined the servants whom they had left there, the whole group
+stood together, anxiously waiting for the explosion.</p>
+
+<p>Darnley, meantime, little aware of his impending fate, had gone to bed
+within an hour after the Queen had left him. His servant, William Taylor,
+lay, as was his wont, in the same room. Thomas Nelson, Edward Simmons, and
+a boy, lay in the gallery, or servant&#8217;s apartment, on the same floor, and
+nearer the town-wall. Bothwell must have been quite aware, that from the
+mode of death he had chosen for Darnley, there was every probability that
+his attendants would also perish. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.47" id="Page_2.47">[Pg 47]</a></span> when lawless ambition once
+commences its work of blood, whether there be only one, or a hundred
+victims, seems to be a matter of indifference.<a name='fna_47' id='fna_47' href='#f_47'><small>[47]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The conspirators waited for upwards of a quarter of an hour without
+hearing any noise. Bothwell became impatient; and unless the others had
+interfered, and pointed out to him the danger, he would have returned and
+looked in at the back window of the bedroom, to see if the light was
+burning. It must have been a moment of intense anxiety and terror to all
+of them. At length, every doubt was terminated. With an explosion so
+tremendous, that it shook nearly the whole town, and startled the
+inhabitants from their sleep, the house of the Kirk-of-Field blew up into
+a thousand fragments, leaving scarcely a vestige standing of its former
+walls. Paris, who describes the noise as that of a storm of thunder
+condensed into one clap, fell almost senseless, through fear, with his
+face upon the earth. Bothwell himself, though &#8220;a bold, bad man,&#8221; confessed
+a momentary panic. &#8220;I have been at many important enterprises,&#8221; said he,
+&#8220;but I never felt before as I do now.&#8221; Without waiting to ascertain the
+full extent of the catastrophe, he and his accomplices left the scene of
+their guilt with all expedition. They went out at the Convent-gate, and,
+having passed down to the Cowgate, they there separated, and went up by
+different roads to the Netherbow-Port. They were very desirous to avoid
+disturbing the porter again, lest they should excite his suspicion. They
+therefore went down a close,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.48" id="Page_2.48">[Pg 48]</a></span> which still exists, on the north side of the
+High Street, immediately above the city gate, expecting that they would be
+able to drop from the wall into Leith Wynd; but Bothwell found it too
+high, especially as a wound he had received at Hermitage Castle, still
+left one of his hands weak. They were forced, therefore, to apply once
+more to John Galloway, who, on being told that they were friends of the
+Earl Bothwell, does not seem to have asked any questions. On getting into
+the Canongate, some people were observed coming up the street; to avoid
+them, Bothwell passed down St Mary&#8217;s Wynd, and went to his lodgings by the
+back road. The sentinels, at the door of the Queen&#8217;s garden again
+challenged them, and they made the usual answer, that they were friends of
+the Earl Bothwell, carrying despatches to him from the country. The
+sentinels asked,&mdash;&#8220;If they knew what noise that was they had heard a short
+time before?&#8221; They told them they did not.<a name='fna_48' id='fna_48' href='#f_48'><small>[48]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>When Bothwell came home, he called for a drink; and, taking off his
+clothes, went to bed immediately. He had not lain there above half an hour
+when the news was brought him that the House of the Kirk-of-Field had been
+blown up, and the King slain. Exclaiming that there must be treason
+abroad, and affecting the utmost alarm and indignation, he rose and put on
+the same clothes he had worn when he was last with the Queen. The Earl of
+Huntly and others soon joined him, and, after hearing from them as much as
+was then known of the matter, it was thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.49" id="Page_2.49">[Pg 49]</a></span> advisable to repair to the
+Palace, to inform Mary of what had happened. They found her already
+alarmed, and anxious to see them, some vague rumours of the accident
+having reached her. They disclosed the whole melancholy truth as gradually
+and gently as possible, attributing Darnley&#8217;s death either to the
+accidental explosion of some gunpowder in the neighbourhood, or to the
+effects of lightning. Mary&#8217;s distress knew no bounds; and seeing that it
+was hopeless to reason with her in the first anguish of her feelings,
+Bothwell and the other Lords left her just as day began to break, and
+proceeded to the Kirk-of-Field.<a name='fna_49' id='fna_49' href='#f_49'><small>[49]</small></a> There they found every thing in a
+state of confusion;&mdash;the edifice in ruins, and the town&#8217;s-people gathered
+round it in dismay. Of the five persons who were in the house at the time
+of the explosion, one only was saved. Darnley, and his servant William
+Taylor, who slept in the room immediately above the gunpowder, had been
+most exposed to its effects, and they were accordingly carried through the
+air over the town wall, and across the lane on the other side, and were
+found lying at a short distance from each other in a garden to the south
+of this lane,&mdash;both in their night-dress, and with little external injury.
+Simmons, Nelson, and the boy, being nearer the town-wall, were only
+collaterally affected by the explosion. They were, however, all buried in
+the ruins, out of which Nelson alone had the good fortune to be taken
+alive. The bodies were, by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.50" id="Page_2.50">[Pg 50]</a></span> Bothwell&#8217;s command, removed to an adjoining
+house, and a guard from the Palace set over them.<a name='fna_50' id='fna_50' href='#f_50'><small>[50]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Darnley and his servant being found at so great a distance, and so
+triflingly injured, it was almost universally supposed at the time, and
+for long afterwards, that they had been first strangled or assassinated,
+and then carried out to the garden. This supposition is now proved, beyond
+a doubt, to have been erroneous. If Darnley had been first murdered, there
+would have been no occasion to have blown up the house; and if this was
+done, that his death might appear to be the result of accident, his body
+would never have been removed to such a distance as might appear to
+disconnect it with the previous explosion. Before the expansive force of
+gunpowder was sufficiently understood, it was not conceived possible that
+it could have acted as in the present instance; and various theories were
+invented, none of which were so simple or so true, as that which accords
+with the facts now established. It is the depositions already quoted that
+set the matter at rest; for, having confessed so much of the truth, there
+could have been no reason for concealing any other part of it. Hepburn
+declared expressly, that &#8220;he knew nothing but that Darnley was blown into
+the air, for he was handled with no men&#8217;s hands that he saw;&#8221; and Hay
+deponed that Bothwell, some time afterwards, said to him, &#8220;What thought ye
+when ye saw him blown into the air?&#8221; Hay answered,&mdash;&#8220;Alas! my Lord, why
+speak ye of that, for whenever I hear such a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.51" id="Page_2.51">[Pg 51]</a></span> thing, the words wound me to
+death, as they ought to do you.&#8221;<a name='fna_51' id='fna_51' href='#f_51'><small>[51]</small></a> There is nothing wonderful in the
+bodies having been carried so far; for it is mentioned by a cotemporary
+author, that &#8220;they kindled their train of gunpowder, which inflamed the
+whole timber of the house, and troubled the walls thereof in such sort,
+that great stones of the length of ten feet, and of the breadth of four
+feet, were found blown from the house a far way.&#8221;<a name='fna_52' id='fna_52' href='#f_52'><small>[52]</small></a> Besides, after the
+minute account, which a careful collation of the different confessions and
+depositions has enabled us to give, of the manner in which Bothwell spent
+every minute of his time, from the period of the Queen&#8217;s leaving Darnley,
+till the unfortunate Prince ceased to exist, it would be a work of
+supererogation to seek to refute, by any stronger evidence, the notion
+that he was strangled.</p>
+
+<p>It is, however, somewhat remarkable, that, even in recent times, authors
+of good repute should have allowed themselves to be misled by the exploded
+errors of earlier writers. &#8220;The house,&#8221; says Miss Benger, &#8220;was invested
+with armed men, some of whom watched without, whilst others entered to
+achieve their barbarous purpose; these having strangled Darnley and his
+servant with silken cords, carried their bodies into the garden, and then
+blew up the house with powder.&#8221;<a name='fna_53' id='fna_53' href='#f_53'><small>[53]</small></a> This is almost as foolish as the
+report mentioned by Melville, that he was taken out of his bed, and
+brought down to a stable, where they suffocated him by stopping a napkin
+into his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.52" id="Page_2.52">[Pg 52]</a></span> mouth; or, as that still more ridiculous story alluded to by
+Sanderson, that the Earl of Dunbar, and Sir Roger Aston, an Englishman,
+who chose to hoax his countrymen, by telling them that he lodged in the
+King&#8217;s chamber that night, &#8220;having smelt the fire of a match, leapt both
+out at a window into the garden; and that the King catching hold of his
+sword, and suspecting treason, not only against himself, but the Queen and
+the young Prince, who was then at Holyrood House with his mother, desired
+him (Sir Roger Aston) to make all the haste he could to acquaint her of
+it, and that immediately armed men, rushing into the room, seized him
+single and alone, and stabbed him, and then laid him in the garden, and
+afterwards blew up the house.&#8221;<a name='fna_54' id='fna_54' href='#f_54'><small>[54]</small></a> Buchanan, Crawford and others, fall
+into similar mistakes; but Knox, or his continuator, writes more
+correctly, and mentions, besides, that medical men &#8220;being convened, at the
+Queen&#8217;s command, to view and consider the manner of Darnley&#8217;s death,&#8221; were
+almost unanimously of opinion that he was blown into the air, although he
+had no mark of fire.<a name='fna_55' id='fna_55' href='#f_55'><small>[55]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany and King of Scotland, perished
+in the twenty-first year of his age, and the eighteenth month of his
+reign. The suddenness and severity of his fate excited a degree of
+compassion, and attached an interest to his memory, which, had he died in
+the ordinary course of nature, would never have been felt. He had been to
+Scotland only a cause of civil war,&mdash;to his nobility an object of
+contempt,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.53" id="Page_2.53">[Pg 53]</a></span> of pity, or of hatred,&mdash;and to his wife a perpetual source of
+sorrow and misfortune. Any praise he may deserve must be given to him
+almost solely on the score of his personal endowments; his mind and
+dispositions had been allowed to run to waste, and were under no controul
+but that of his own wayward feelings and fancies. Keith, in the following
+words, draws a judicious contrast between his animal and intellectual
+qualities. &#8220;He is said to have been one of the tallest and handsomest
+young men of the age; that he had a comely face and pleasant countenance;
+that he was a most dexterous horseman, and exceedingly well skilled in all
+genteel exercises, prompt and ready for all games and sports, much given
+to the diversions of hawking and hunting, to horse-racing and music,
+especially playing on the lute; he could speak and write well, and was
+bountiful and liberal enough. But, then, to balance these good natural
+qualifications, he was much addicted to intemperance, to base and unmanly
+pleasures; he was haughty and proud, and so very weak in mind, as to be a
+prey to all that came about him; he was inconstant, credulous, and facile,
+unable to abide by any resolutions, capable to be imposed upon by
+designing men, and could conceal no secret, let it tend ever so much to
+his own welfare or detriment.&#8221;<a name='fna_56' id='fna_56' href='#f_56'><small>[56]</small></a> With all his faults, there was no one
+in Scotland who lamented him more sincerely than Mary. She had loved him
+deeply; and whilst her whole life proves that she was incapable of
+indulging that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> violent and unextinguishable hatred which prompts to deeds
+of cruelty and revenge, it likewise proves that it was almost impossible
+for her to cease to esteem an object for which she had once formed an
+attachment. Murray must himself have allowed the truth of the first part
+of this statement; and for many days before his death, Darnley had himself
+felt the force of the latter. She had, no doubt, too much good sense to
+believe that Darnley, in his character of king, was a loss to the country;
+but the tears she shed for him, are to be put down to the account, not of
+the queen, but of the woman and the wife.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.55" id="Page_2.55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV.2" id="CHAPTER_IV.2"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">BOTHWELL&#8217;S TRIAL AND ACQUITTAL.</span></p>
+
+<p>During the whole of the day that succeeded her husband&#8217;s death, (Monday
+the 10th of February 1567), Mary shut herself up in her own apartment, and
+would see no one. Bothwell was anxious to have conversed with her, but
+overpowered with grief, she was unable to listen to any thing he wished to
+say.<a name='fna_57' id='fna_57' href='#f_57'><small>[57]</small></a> In the meantime all was confusion and dismay in Edinburgh, and
+wherever the news of this strange murder arrived, a thousand contradictory
+reports went abroad. Some suspected one thing, and some another; and it
+must be recollected, that although, at a subsequent date, facts came out
+sufficient to fix the guilt upon those who had really committed the crime,
+as yet there was nothing but mere vague conjecture. Mary herself was lost
+in wonder and doubt. Most of the nobility who were near her wished to
+persuade her, at Bothwell&#8217;s instigation, that her husband&#8217;s death was
+either the effect of accident, or that it had been brought about by the
+malice and villany of some obscure and ignoble traitors;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.56" id="Page_2.56">[Pg 56]</a></span> and every
+endeavour being thus made to mislead her, she was the very last who could
+be expected to know the truth. Accordingly, it appears by a letter she
+wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow, her ambassador at Paris, on Tuesday
+the 11th (two days after the murder), that she was still but very
+imperfectly informed even of the manner of Darnley&#8217;s death. This letter,
+at once so simple and natural, must not be omitted here. She had, the same
+morning, received a despatch from her ambassador, in which he had
+expressed a fear, that the pardon she had lately given to Morton, Ruthven,
+Lindsay and others, might involve her in trouble. Mary&#8217;s answer was as
+follows:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Most Reverend Father in God, and trust Counsellor, we greet you well: We
+have received this morning your letters of the 27th January, by your
+servant Robert Dury, containing in part such advertisement as we find by
+effect over true, albeit the success has not altogether been such as the
+authors of that mischievous fact had preconceived in their mind, and had
+put it in execution, if God in his mercy had not preserved us and reserved
+us, as we trust, to the end that we may take a vigorous vengeance of that
+mischievous deed, which, before it should remain unpunished, we had rather
+lose life and all. The matter is horrible, and so strange, that we believe
+the like was never heard of in any country. This night past, being the 9th
+February, a little after two hours after midnight, the house wherein the
+King was lodged was in an instant blown in the air, he lying sleeping in
+his bed, with such a vehemency, that of the whole lodging, walls, and
+other, there is nothing remaining,&mdash;no, not a stone above <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.57" id="Page_2.57">[Pg 57]</a></span>another, but
+all either carried far away, or dung in dross to the very ground-stone. It
+must be done by force of powder, and appears to have been a mine.<a name='fna_58' id='fna_58' href='#f_58'><small>[58]</small></a> By
+whom it has been done, or in what manner, it appears not as yet. We doubt
+not but, according to the diligence our Council has begun already to use,
+the certainty of all shall be obtained shortly; and the same being
+discovered, which we wot God will never suffer to lie hid, we hope to
+punish the same with such rigour, as shall serve for example of this
+cruelty to all ages to come. At all events, whoever has taken this wicked
+enterprise in hand, we assure ourself it was devised as well for us as for
+the King; for we lay all the most part of all the last week in that same
+lodging, and were there accompanied with the most part of the lords that
+are in this town, that same night at midnight, and of very chance tarried
+not all night, by reason of some masque in the Abbey; but we believe it
+was not chance, but God that put it in our head.<a name='fna_59' id='fna_59' href='#f_59'><small>[59]</small></a> We despatch this
+bearer upon the sudden, and therefore write to you the more shortly. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.58" id="Page_2.58">[Pg 58]</a></span>
+rest of your letter we shall answer at more leisure, within four or five
+days, by your own servant; and so, for the present, commit you to Almighty
+God.&mdash;At Edinburgh, the 11th day of February 1556-7.&mdash;<span class="smcap">Marie R.</span>&#8221;<a name='fna_60' id='fna_60' href='#f_60'><small>[60]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In accordance with the resolution intimated in the above letter, to seek
+out and vigorously punish her husband&#8217;s murderers, a proclamation was
+issued upon Wednesday the 12th, immediately after an inquisition had been
+taken by the Justice-General, offering a reward of two thousand pounds,
+and &#8220;an honest yearly rent,&#8221; to whosoever should reveal &#8220;the persons,
+devisers, counsellors, or actual committers of the said mischievous and
+treasonable murder,&#8221; and promising besides to the first revealer, although
+a partaker of the crime, a free pardon. The same proclamation declared,
+that as &#8220;Almighty God would never suffer so horrible a deed to lie hid,
+so, before it should remain untried, the Queen&#8217;s Majesty, unto whom of all
+others the case was most grievous, would rather lose life and all.&#8221;<a name='fna_61' id='fna_61' href='#f_61'><small>[61]</small></a> In
+the mean time, not knowing but that the same traitors who had murdered her
+husband, might intend a similar fate for herself, Mary removed to the
+Castle, as a place of greater security than Holyrood Palace. There she
+remained shut up in a dark chamber, hung with black, till after Darnley&#8217;s
+burial. He lay in the Chapel at Holyrood, from the 12th to the 15th of
+February. His body having been embalmed, he was then interred in the royal
+vault, in which King James V.,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.59" id="Page_2.59">[Pg 59]</a></span> together with his first wife, Magdalene,
+and his two infant sons, Mary&#8217;s brothers, lay. Buchanan, and his follower
+Laing, have both insisted upon the nocturnal secrecy and indifference with
+which the funeral ceremony was conducted. &#8220;The nobles that were there
+present,&#8221; says Buchanan, &#8220;decreed, that a stately and honourable funeral
+should be made for him; but the Queen ordered it so, that he was carried
+by private bearers in the night-time, and was buried in no manner of
+state.&#8221; The interpretation to be put upon this insidious passage is, that
+the Protestant Lords proposed to bury Darnley after the Presbyterian form,
+and that Mary refused her consent, and, in consequence, only the Catholics
+attended. &#8220;The ceremonies indeed,&#8221; says Lesley, &#8220;were the fewer, because
+that the greatest part of the Council were Protestants, and had before
+interred their own parents without accustomed solemnities.&#8221;<a name='fna_62' id='fna_62' href='#f_62'><small>[62]</small></a> That
+Mary&#8217;s calumniators should have insisted upon this circumstance at all,
+only shows how eager they were to avail themselves of everything which
+they could pervert to their own purposes. Had Mary wished to act the
+hypocrite, nothing could have been easier for her than to have made a
+great parade at Darnley&#8217;s funeral.</p>
+
+<p>Bothwell, in the mean time, kept as quiet as possible, attending, as
+usual, at court, and taking care always to be present at the meetings of
+the Privy Council. But he had lighted a torch which was not to be
+extinguished, till it had blazed over Scotland, and kindled his own
+funeral pyre. On whatever grounds the suspicion had gone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.60" id="Page_2.60">[Pg 60]</a></span> abroad, (and it
+is difficult to say why public attention should so soon have been directed
+to him as the perpetrator of the late murder, unless we suppose Murray, or
+some of his other accomplices, to have been now eager to publish his
+guilt, in order to accomplish his ruin), it is at all events certain, that
+in a few days after the proclamation for the discovery of the assassins
+had been issued, a placard was set up at night, on the door of the
+Tolbooth of Edinburgh, in which it was affirmed, that the Earl of
+Bothwell, together with a Mr James Balfour, a Mr David Chalmers, and a Mr
+John Spence, were the persons principally concerned in the crime, and that
+the Queen herself was &#8220;assenting thereto.&#8221; It might be reasonably
+concluded, that no notice whatever would be taken of an anonymous paper
+thus expressed; but the Queen, even although it insultingly accused
+herself, was so anxious to have the matter of the murder investigated,
+that she caused another proclamation to be issued, without waiting for the
+advice of her Privy Council, desiring the author of the placard to divulge
+his name, and promising that if he could show there was any truth in any
+part of his averment, he should receive the promised reward.<a name='fna_63' id='fna_63' href='#f_63'><small>[63]</small></a> A second
+placard was stuck up in answer, requiring the money to be lodged in honest
+hands, and three of the Queen&#8217;s servants, whom it named, to be put in
+arrest; and undertaking, as soon as these conditions were complied with,
+that the author and four friends would discover themselves. This was so
+palpable an evasion, that it of course met with no attention. To suppose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.61" id="Page_2.61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+that Government would take upon itself the charge of partiality, and place
+the public money in what an anonymous writer might consider &#8220;honest
+hands,&#8221; was too grossly absurd to have been proposed by any one who really
+wished to do his country a service.</p>
+
+<p>The circumstance of Bothwell&#8217;s name being mentioned in these placards, in
+conjunction with that of the Queen, probably operated in his favour with
+Mary. Conscious of her own innocence, she would very naturally suppose
+that the charge was equally calumnious in regard to him; for if she knew
+it to be false in one particular, what dependence could she place upon its
+truth in any other? At the same time, she could not of course see her
+husband murdered, almost before her eyes, without making various surmises
+concerning the real author and cause of his death. Her accusers, however,
+seem to suppose that she ought to have been gifted with an almost
+miraculous power of discovering the guilty. Only a few days before, every
+thing had been proceeding smoothly; and she herself, with renovated
+spirits, was enjoying the returning health and affection of her husband.
+In a moment the scene was overclouded; her husband was barbarously slain;
+and all Scotland was in a ferment. Yet around the Queen all wore the same
+aspect. Murray was living quietly in Fife; her secretary Maitland was
+proceeding as usual with the official details of public business; the Earl
+of Morton had not yet returned to Court, and he also was in Fife; the
+Archbishop of St Andrews was busied in bolstering up the last remains of
+Catholicism; <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.62" id="Page_2.62">[Pg 62]</a></span>Athol, Caithness, Huntly, Argyle, Bothwell, Cassils, and
+Sutherland, were attending their Sovereign, as faithful and attached
+servants ought. Where then was she to look for the traitor who had raised
+his hand against her husband&#8217;s life and her own happiness? Whom was she to
+suspect? Was it Murray?&mdash;he had left town without any sufficient cause, on
+the very day of Darnley&#8217;s death, and had hated him ever since he put his
+foot in Scotland. Was it Morton?&mdash;he had returned recently from
+banishment, and that banishment had been the result of Darnley&#8217;s
+treachery, and had not Morton assassinated Rizzio, with far less grounds
+of offence? Was it Argyle?&mdash;the Lennox family had stripped him of some of
+his possessions, and the King&#8217;s death might, perhaps, be the means of
+restoring them to him. Was it the Hamiltons?&mdash;they were the hereditary
+enemies of the house of Lennox, and Darnley had blasted for ever their
+hopes of succession to the throne. Was it Huntly? Was it Athol? Was it
+Bothwell? It was less likely to be any of these, because Darnley had never
+come into direct collision with them. By what art, or superior
+penetration, was Mary to make a discovery which was baffling the whole of
+Scotland? Was she surrounded by the very men who had done the deed, and
+who used every means to lead her astray from the truth; yet was she to be
+able to single out the criminal at a glance, and hurl upon him her just
+indignation?<a name='fna_64' id='fna_64' href='#f_64'><small>[64]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.63" id="Page_2.63">[Pg 63]</a></span>Worn out by her griefs and her perplexities, her doubts and her fears,
+Mary&#8217;s health began to give way, and her friends prevailed upon her to
+leave for a short time her confinement in Edinburgh Castle, and visit
+Seaton House, a country residence of which she was fond, only seven miles
+off. Lesley, after describing Mary&#8217;s melancholy sojourn in the Castle,
+adds, that she would have &#8220;continued a longer time in this lamentable
+wise, had she not been most earnestly dehorted by the vehement
+exhortations and persuasions of her Council, who were moved thereto by her
+physicians informations, declaring to them the great and imminent dangers
+of her health and life, if she did not in all speed break up and leave
+that kind of close and solitary life, and repair to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.64" id="Page_2.64">[Pg 64]</a></span> some good open and
+wholesome air; which she did, being thus advised, and earnestly thereto
+solicited by her said council.&#8221;<a name='fna_65' id='fna_65' href='#f_65'><small>[65]</small></a> She went to Seaton on the 16th of
+February, accompanied by a very considerable train, among whom were the
+Earls of Argyle, Huntly, Bothwell, Arbroath, the Archbishop of St Andrews,
+the Lords Fleming and Livingston, and Secretary Maitland.<a name='fna_66' id='fna_66' href='#f_66'><small>[66]</small></a> It was here
+that a correspondence took place between the Queen and the Earl of Lennox,
+Darnley&#8217;s father, which deserves attention.</p>
+
+<p>In his first letter, the Earl thanked her Majesty for the trouble and
+labour she took to discover and bring to trial those who were guilty of
+the &#8220;late cruel act;&#8221; but as the offenders were not yet known, he
+beseeched her Highness to assemble, with all convenient diligence, the
+whole nobility and estates of the realm, that they, acting in conjunction
+with her Majesty, might take such steps as should seem most likely to make
+manifest the &#8220;bloody and cruel actors of the deed.&#8221; This letter was dated
+the 20th of February 1567. Mary replied to it on the 21st; and in her
+answer, assured Lennox that in showing him all the pleasure and goodwill
+in her power, she did only her duty, and that which her natural affection
+prompted, adding, that on that affection he might always depend, &#8220;so long
+as God gave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.65" id="Page_2.65">[Pg 65]</a></span> her life.&#8221; As to the assembling of her nobility, she informed
+him, that shortly before the receipt of his letter, she had desired a
+Parliament to be summoned, and that as soon as it met, the death of
+Darnley would be the first subject which it would be called upon to
+consider. Lennox wrote again on the 26th, to explain, that when he advised
+her Majesty to assemble her nobility, he did not allude to the holding of
+a Parliament, which he knew could not be done immediately. But because he
+had heard of certain placards which had been set up in Edinburgh, in which
+certain persons were named as the devisers of the murder, he requested
+that these persons should be apprehended and imprisoned, that the nobility
+and Council should be assembled, and that the writers of the placards
+should be required to appear before them, and be confronted with those
+whom they had accused; and that if they refused to appear, or did not make
+good their charge, the persons slandered should be exonerated and set at
+liberty. A proposal so very unconstitutional could not have been made by
+Lennox, unless misled by the ardour of his paternal feelings, or
+instigated by some personal enmity towards Bothwell. If Mary had ventured
+to throw into prison every one accused in an anonymous bill, there is no
+saying where the abuse might have ended. The most worthless coward might
+have thus revenged himself upon those he hated; and law and justice would
+have degenerated into despotism, or civil anarchy. The Queen, therefore,
+informed Lennox, that although, as she had already written, she had
+summoned a Parliament, and should lay the matter of the murder before it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.66" id="Page_2.66">[Pg 66]</a></span>
+it was never her intention to allow it to sleep in the mean time. Her
+Lords and Council would of course continue to exert themselves, but her
+<i>whole</i> nobility could not be assembled till the Parliament met. As to his
+desire, that the persons named in the placards should be apprehended,
+there had been so many, and so contrary statements made in these placards,
+that she knew not to which in particular he alluded; and besides, that she
+could not find herself justified in throwing any of her subjects into
+prison upon such authority; but that, if he himself would condescend upon
+the names of such persons as he thought deserved a trial, she would order
+that trial to take place immediately. She was anxious that Lennox should
+take this responsibility upon himself, for she had hitherto been kept much
+in the dark, and was glad to have the assistance of one almost as desirous
+as herself to come to the truth. She invited him, therefore, in her letter
+of the 1st of March, to write to her again immediately, with any other
+suggestion which might occur to him, because she was determined &#8220;not to
+omit any occasion which might clear the matter.&#8221; It was the 17th of March
+before Lennox again addressed the Queen. He thanked her Majesty for her
+attention to his wishes; he marvelled that the names of the persons upon
+the placards, against whom the greatest suspicions were entertained, &#8220;<i>had
+been kept from her Majesty&#8217;s ears</i>;&#8221; and, as she requested it, he now
+named them himself, putting the Earl of Bothwell first, and several other
+inferior persons after him. He did not undertake to be their accuser,
+confessing that he had no evidence of their guilt;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.67" id="Page_2.67">[Pg 67]</a></span> but he said he greatly
+suspected Bothwell, and hoped &#8220;her Majesty, now knowing their names, and
+being a party, as well and more than he was, although he was the father,
+would take order in the matter according to the weight of the cause.&#8221;
+Mary, who had by this time returned to Edinburgh, wrote to Lennox, the
+very day after the receipt of his letter, that she had summoned her
+nobility to come to Edinburgh the first week of April; and that, as soon
+as they came, the persons named in his letter should &#8220;abide and underlie
+such trial, as by the laws of the realm was usual.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;They being found
+culpable,&#8221; Mary added, &#8220;in any way of that crime and odious fact, named in
+the placards, and whereof you suspect them, we shall even, according to
+our former letter, see the condign punishment as vigorously and extremely
+executed as the weight of that fact deserves; for, indeed, as you write,
+we esteem ourself a party if we were resolute of the authors.&#8221; She further
+entreated Lennox to come to Edinburgh, that he might be present at the
+trial, and lend his assistance to it. &#8220;You shall there have experience,&#8221;
+she concluded, &#8220;of our earnest will and effectuous mind to have an end in
+this matter, and the authors of so unworthy a deed really punished.&#8221;<a name='fna_67' id='fna_67' href='#f_67'><small>[67]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The Queen, having waited anxiously till something should occur which might
+lead to the detection of the murderers, hoped that a clue to the mystery
+was now about to be discovered. It was a bold and perhaps almost too
+strong a measure, to arraign a nobleman so powerful, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.68" id="Page_2.68">[Pg 68]</a></span> apparently so
+respected as Bothwell, of so serious a crime, upon such vague suspicion;
+but if Mary in this instance exceeded the due limits of her constituted
+authority, it was an error which leant to virtue&#8217;s side, and the feelings
+of an insulted Queen and afflicted wife must plead her excuse. Her Privy
+Council, which she summoned immediately upon the receipt of Lennox&#8217;s last
+letter, and before whom she laid it, passed an act directing the trial of
+the Earl of Bothwell, and the other suspected persons named by Lennox. The
+trial was fixed to take place on the 12th day of April 1567; letters were
+directed to the Earl of Lennox to inform him of it, and proclamations were
+made in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumbarton, and other places, calling upon all
+who would accuse Bothwell, or his accomplices, to appear in court on the
+day appointed.<a name='fna_68' id='fna_68' href='#f_68'><small>[68]</small></a> The Council, however, would not authorize the
+imprisonment of the suspected persons, seeing that it was only anonymous
+placards which had excited that suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the Earl of Lennox got intimation of the intended trial, he set
+out for Edinburgh from his estate in Dumbartonshire. Not choosing to
+proceed thither direct, in consequence of the enmity which he knew
+Bothwell must bear to him, he went to Stirling, where it was understood he
+was engaged in collecting all the evidence in his power. Nor can Bothwell
+be supposed to have felt very easy, under the prospect of his approaching
+trial. He counted, however, on the good offices of his friends among the
+nobility; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.69" id="Page_2.69">[Pg 69]</a></span> having removed all who might have been witnesses against
+him, and brought into Edinburgh a numerous body of retainers, he resolved
+to brazen out the accusation with his usual audacity. He even affected to
+complain that he had not been treated with sufficient fairness; that a
+paper affixed privately to the door of the Tolbooth had been made the
+means of involving him in serious trouble; and that, instead of the usual
+term of forty days, only fifteen had been allowed him to prepare for his
+defence.<a name='fna_69' id='fna_69' href='#f_69'><small>[69]</small></a> He assumed the air, therefore, of an injured and innocent
+man; and he was well borne out in this character by the countenance he
+received from most of the Lords then at court. We learn from Killigrew,
+that twenty days after Bothwell had been placarded, he dined with him at
+the Earl of Murray&#8217;s, who had by this time returned from Fife, in company
+with Huntly, Argyle, and Lethington.<a name='fna_70' id='fna_70' href='#f_70'><small>[70]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The day of trial now drew near; but, to her astonishment, Mary received a
+letter only twenty-four hours before it was to take place, from the Earl
+of Lennox, who did not exactly see how he was to carry through his
+accusation, and therefore wished that the case should be postponed. The
+letter was dated from Stirling, and mentioned two causes which he said
+would prevent him from coming to Edinburgh; one was sickness, and the
+other the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.70" id="Page_2.70">[Pg 70]</a></span> short time which had been allowed him to prepare for making
+good his charge. He asked, therefore, that the Queen would imprison the
+suspected persons, and would delay the trial till he had collected his
+friends and his proofs.<a name='fna_71' id='fna_71' href='#f_71'><small>[71]</small></a> This request disappointed Mary exceedingly.
+She had hurried on the trial as much to gratify Lennox as herself; but she
+now saw that, in asking for it at all, he had been guided more by the
+feeling of the moment, than by any rational conviction of its propriety.
+To postpone it without the consent of the accused, who had by this time
+made the necessary preparations for their defence, was of course out of
+the question; and, if the time originally mentioned was too short, why did
+Lennox not write to that effect, as soon as he received intimation of the
+day appointed? If she put off the trial now, for any thing she knew it
+might never come on at all. Her enemies, however, were determined,
+whatever she did, to discover some cause of complaint;&mdash;if she urged it
+on, they would accuse her of precipitancy; if she postponed it, they would
+charge her with indifference. Elizabeth, in particular, under the pretence
+of a mighty anxiety that Mary should do what was most honourable and
+requisite, insolently suggested that suspicion might attach to herself,
+unless she complied with the request made by Lennox. &#8220;For the love of God,
+Madam,&#8221; she hypocritically and insidiously wrote to Mary, &#8220;conduct
+yourself with such sincerity and prudence, in a case which touches you so
+nearly, that all the world may have reason to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.71" id="Page_2.71">[Pg 71]</a></span> pronounce you innocent of a
+crime so enormous, which, unless they did, you would deserve to be blotted
+out from the rank of Princesses, and to become odious even to the vulgar,
+rather than see which, I would wish you an honourable sepulchre.&#8221;<a name='fna_72' id='fna_72' href='#f_72'><small>[72]</small></a> Just
+as if any one <i>did</i> suspect Mary, or as if any monarch in Christendom
+would have dared to hint the possibility of her being an adulterous
+murderess, except her jealous rival Elizabeth, pining in the chagrined
+malevolence of antiquated virginity. The real motives which dictated this
+epistle became the more apparent, when we learn that it was not written
+till the 8th of April, and could not at the very soonest reach Edinburgh
+till the morning of the very day on which the trial was to take place, and
+probably not till after it was over. The truth is, the very moment she
+heard of Darnley&#8217;s death, Elizabeth had eagerly considered in her own mind
+the possibility of involving &#8220;her good sister&#8221; in the guilt attached to
+those who had murdered him, and was now the very first who openly
+attempted to lead the thoughts of the Scottish Queen&#8217;s subjects into that
+channel;&mdash;she was the very first who commenced laying the train which
+produced in the end so fatal a catastrophe.</p>
+
+<p>On Saturday, the 12th of April 1567, a Justiciary Court was held in the
+tolbooth of Edinburgh, for the trial of the Earl of Bothwell. The Lord
+High Justice the Earl of Argyle presided, attended by four assessors, or
+legal advisers, two of whom, Mr James MacGill and Mr Henry Balnaves, were
+Senators of the College of Justice; the third was Robert Pitcairn,
+Commendator of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.72" id="Page_2.72">[Pg 72]</a></span> Dumfermlin, and the fourth was Lord Lindsay. The usual
+preliminary formalities having been gone through, the indictment was read,
+in which Bothwell was accused of being &#8220;art and part of the cruel, odious,
+treasonable, and abominable slaughter and murder, of the umwhile the Right
+High and Mighty Prince the King&#8217;s Grace, dearest spouse for the time to
+our Sovereign Lady the Queen&#8217;s Majesty.&#8221;<a name='fna_73' id='fna_73' href='#f_73'><small>[73]</small></a> He was then called as
+defender on the one side, and Matthew Earl of Lennox, and all others the
+Queen&#8217;s lieges, who wished to pursue in the matter, on the other. Bothwell
+appeared immediately at the bar, supported by the Earl of Morton, and two
+gentlemen who were to act as his advocates. But the Earl of Lennox, or
+other pursuers, though frequently called, did not appear. At length Robert
+Cunningham, one of Lennox&#8217;s servants, stepped forward, and produced a
+writing in the shape of a protest, which his master had authorized him to
+deliver. It stated, that the cause of the Earl&#8217;s absence was the shortness
+of time, and the want of friends and retainers to accompany him to the
+place of trial; and it therefore objected to the decision of any assize
+which might be held that day. In reply to this protest, the letters of the
+Earl of Lennox to the Queen, in which he desired that a short and summary
+process might be taken against the suspected persons, were produced and
+read; and it was maintained by the Earl of Bothwell&#8217;s counsel, that the
+trial ought to proceed immediately, according to the laws of the realm,
+and the wish of the party accused. The judges, having heard both sides,
+were of opinion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.73" id="Page_2.73">[Pg 73]</a></span> that Bothwell had a right to insist upon the trial going
+on. A jury was therefore chosen, which does not seem to have consisted of
+persons particularly friendly to the Earl. It was composed of the Earls of
+Rothes, Caithness, and Cassils, Lord John Hamilton, son to the Duke of
+Chatelherault, Lords Ross, Semple, Herries, Oliphant, and Boyd, the Master
+of Forbes, Gordon of Lochinvar, Cockburn of Langton, Sommerville of
+Cambusnethan, Mowbray of Barnbougle, and Ogilby of Boyne. Bothwell pled
+<i>not guilty</i>; and, no evidence appearing against him, the jury retired,
+and were out of court for some time. When they returned, their verdict,
+delivered by the Earl of Caithness, whom they had chosen their chancellor,
+unanimously acquitted Bothwell of the slaughter of the King.<a name='fna_74' id='fna_74' href='#f_74'><small>[74]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Immediately after his acquittal, Bothwell, as was customary in those
+times, published a challenge, in which he offered to fight hand to hand,
+with any man who would avow that he still suspected him to have had a
+share in the King&#8217;s death; but nobody ventured openly to accept it.<a name='fna_75' id='fna_75' href='#f_75'><small>[75]</small></a> As
+far, therefore, as appearances were concerned, he was now able to stand
+upon higher ground than ever, and boldly to declare, that whosoever was
+guilty, he had been found innocent. Accordingly, at the Parliament which
+met on the 14th of April, he appeared in great state, with banners flying,
+and a numerous body of retainers;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.74" id="Page_2.74">[Pg 74]</a></span> and in compliment to him, an act was
+passed, in which it was set forth, that &#8220;by a licentious abuse lately come
+into practice within this realm, there had been placards and bills and
+tickets of defamation, set up under silence of night, in diverse public
+places, to the slander, reproach and infamy of the Queen&#8217;s majesty and
+diverse of the nobility; which disorder, if it were suffered to remain
+longer unpunished, would redound not only to the great hurt and detriment
+of all noblemen in their good fame, private calumniators having by this
+means liberty to backbite them, but also the common weal would be
+disturbed, and occasion of quarrel taken upon false and untrue
+slander;&#8221;&mdash;it was therefore made criminal to put up any such placards, or
+to abstain from destroying them as soon as they were seen. At this
+Parliament, there was also an act passed on the subject of religion, which
+is deserving of notice. &#8220;The same Queen,&#8221; says Chalmers, &#8220;who is charged
+by Robertson with attempting to suppress the Reformed discipline, with the
+aid of the Bishops, passed a law, renouncing all foreign jurisdiction in
+ecclesiastical affairs,&mdash;giving toleration to all her subjects to worship
+God in their own way,&mdash;and engaging to give some additional privileges.&#8221;
+This is one of the most satisfactory answers which can be given to the
+supposition, that Mary was in any way a party in the Continental
+persecution of the Hugonots.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Murray was not present either at this Parliament, or the trial
+which immediately preceded it. Actuated by motives which do not exactly
+appear, and which historians have not been able satisfactorily to explain,
+he obtained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.75" id="Page_2.75">[Pg 75]</a></span> permission from Mary, in the beginning of April, to leave
+Scotland, and, on the 9th, he set off for France, visiting London and the
+Court of Elizabeth on his way. There is something very unaccountable, in a
+man of Murray&#8217;s ambition thus withdrawing from the scene of action, just
+at the very time when he must have been anticipating political events of
+the last importance. His conduct can be rationally explained, only by
+supposing, that it was suggested by his systematic caution. He was not
+now, nor had he ever been since his rebellion, Mary&#8217;s exclusive and
+all-powerful Prime Minister;&mdash;yet he could not bear to fill a second
+place; and he knew that, if any civil war occurred, the eyes of many would
+immediately be turned towards him. If he remained in the country, he would
+necessarily be obliged to take a side as soon as the dissensions broke
+out, and might find himself again associated with the losing party; but,
+if he kept at a distance for a while, he could throw his influence, when
+he chose, into the heaviest scale, and thus gain an increase of popularity
+and power. These were probably the real motives of his present conduct,
+and, judging by the result, no one can say that he reasoned ill. That he
+was aware of every thing that was about to happen, and that he urged
+Bothwell forward into a net, from whose meshes he knew he could never be
+disengaged, as has been maintained so positively by Whittaker, Chalmers,
+and others, does not appear. The peremptoriness with which these writers
+have asserted the truth of this unfounded theory, is the leading defect of
+their works, and has tended to weaken materially<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.76" id="Page_2.76">[Pg 76]</a></span> the chain of argument by
+which they would otherwise have established Mary&#8217;s innocence. That
+Bothwell, as they over and over again repeat, was the mere &#8220;cat&#8217;s-paw&#8221; of
+Murray, is a preposterous belief, and argues a decided want of knowledge
+of Bothwell&#8217;s real character. But supposing that he had been so, nothing
+could be more chimerical than the idea, that after having made him murder
+Darnley, Murray would wish to see him first acquitted of that murder, and
+then married to the Queen, for the vague chance that both might be
+deposed, and he himself called to succeed them as Regent. &#8220;Would it ever
+enter into the imagination of a wise man,&#8221; asks Robertson, &#8220;first to raise
+his rival to supreme power, in hopes that, afterwards, he should find some
+opportunity of depriving him of that power? The most adventurous
+politician never hazarded such a dangerous experiment; the most credulous
+folly never trusted such an uncertain chance.&#8221; Murray probably winked at
+the murder, because he foresaw that it was likely to lead to Bothwell&#8217;s
+ruin. When he left the country, he may not have been altogether aware of
+Bothwell&#8217;s more ambitious objects; but if he was, he would still have
+gone, for his staying could not have prevented their attempted execution;
+and if they induced a civil war, whosoever lost, he might contrive to be a
+gainer. He acted selfishly and unpatriotically, but not with that
+deliberate villany with which he has been charged.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.77" id="Page_2.77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V.2" id="CHAPTER_V.2"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">BOTHWELL&#8217;S SEIZURE OF THE QUEEN&#8217;S PERSON, AND SUBSEQUENT MARRIAGE TO HER.</span></p>
+
+<p>Every thing appeared now to be going smoothly with Bothwell, and he had
+only to take one step more to reach the very height of his ambition.
+Mary&#8217;s hand and Scotland&#8217;s crown were the objects he had all along kept
+steadily in view. The latter was to be obtained only through the medium of
+the former, and hence his reason for removing Darnley, and willingly
+submitting to a trial, from which he saw he would come off triumphantly.
+The question he now anxiously asked himself was, whether it was likely
+that Mary could be persuaded to accept him as a husband. He was aware,
+that in the unsettled state of the country, she must feel that, unless
+married to a person of strength and resolution, she would hardly be able
+to keep her turbulent subjects in order; and he was of opinion, that it
+was not improbable she would now cast her eyes upon one of her own
+nobility, as she could no where else find a king who would be so agreeable
+to the national <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.78" id="Page_2.78">[Pg 78]</a></span>prejudices. Yet he had a lurking consciousness, that he
+himself would not be the object of her choice. She had of late, it was
+true, given him a considerable share in the administration; but he felt
+that she had done so, more as a matter of state policy, and to preserve a
+balance of power between himself and her other ministers, than from any
+personal regard. The most assiduous attentions which it was in his power
+to pay her, had failed to kindle in her bosom any warmer sentiment; for
+though she esteemed him for his fidelity as an officer of state, his
+manners and habits as a man, were too coarse and dissolute to please one
+of so much refinement, sensibility and gentleness, as Mary Stuart.
+Bothwell therefore became secretly convinced that it would be necessary
+for him to have recourse to fraud, and perhaps to force. Had Mary loved
+him, their marriage would have been a matter of mutual agreement, and
+would have taken place whenever circumstances seemed to make it mutually
+advisable; but as it was, artifice and audacity were to be his weapons;
+nor were they wielded by an unskilful hand.</p>
+
+<p>The Parliament which met on the 14th of April 1567, continued to sit only
+till the 19th of the same month; and on the evening of the following day,
+Bothwell invited nearly all the Lords who were then in Edinburgh to a
+great supper, in a tavern kept by a person of the name of Ainsly, from
+which circumstance, the entertainment was afterwards known by the name of
+&#8220;<i>Ainsly&#8217;s Supper</i>.&#8221; After plying his guests with wine, he produced a
+document, which he had himself previously drawn up, and which he requested
+them all to sign. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.79" id="Page_2.79">[Pg 79]</a></span> in the form of a bond; and in the preamble,
+after expressing their conviction that James Earl of Bothwell, Lord Hales,
+Crichton, and Liddisdale, Great Admiral of Scotland, and Lieutenant to the
+Queen over all the Marches, had been grossly slandered in being suspected
+of having a share in the murder of Darnley, and that his innocence had
+been fully and satisfactorily proved at his late trial, they bound
+themselves, as they should answer to God, that whatever person or persons
+should afterwards renew such calumniation, should be proceeded against by
+them with all diligence and perseverance. After this introduction,
+evidently meant to aid in removing any lingering suspicion which the Queen
+might still entertain of Bothwell&#8217;s guilt, the bond went on to state,
+that, &#8220;Moreover, weighing and considering the present time, and how our
+Sovereign, the Queen&#8217;s Majesty, is destitute of a husband, in which
+solitary state the common weal of this realm may not permit her Highness
+to continue and endure, but at some time her Highness, in appearance, may
+be inclined to yield unto a marriage,&mdash;therefore, in case the former
+affectionate and hearty services of the said Earl (Bothwell), done to her
+Majesty from time to time, and his other good qualities and behaviour, may
+move her Majesty so far to humble herself as, preferring one of her own
+native born subjects unto all foreign princes, to take to husband the said
+Earl, we, and every one of us under subscribing, upon our honours and
+fidelity, oblige ourselves, and promise, not only to further, advance, and
+set forward the marriage to be solemnized and completed betwixt her
+Highness and the said noble Lord, with our votes, counsel, fortification<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.80" id="Page_2.80">[Pg 80]</a></span>
+and assistance, in word and deed, at such time as it shall please her
+Majesty to think it convenient, and as soon as the laws shall permit it to
+be done; but, in case any should presume, directly or indirectly, openly,
+or under whatsoever colour or pretence, to hinder, hold back, or disturb
+the same marriage, we shall, in that behalf, hold and repute the
+hinderers, adversaries, or disturbers thereof, as our common enemies and
+evil-willers; and notwithstanding the same, take part with, and fortify
+the said Earl to the said marriage, so far as it may please our said
+Sovereign Lady to allow; and therein shall spend and bestow our lives and
+goods against all that live or die, as we shall answer to God, and upon
+our own fidelities and conscience; and in case we do the contrary, never
+to have reputation or credit in no time hereafter, but to be accounted
+unworthy and faithless traitors.&#8221;<a name='fna_76' id='fna_76' href='#f_76'><small>[76]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>This bond having been read and considered, all the nobles present, with
+the exception of the Earl of Eglinton, who went away unperceived, put
+their signatures to it. &#8220;Among the subscribers,&#8221; says Robertson, &#8220;we find
+some who were the Queen&#8217;s chief confidents, others who were strangers to
+her councils, and obnoxious to her displeasure; some who faithfully
+adhered to her through all the vicissitudes of her fortune, and others who
+became the principal authors of her sufferings; some passionately attached
+to the Romish superstition, and others zealous advocates for the
+Protestant faith. No common interest can be supposed to have united men of
+such opposite <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.81" id="Page_2.81">[Pg 81]</a></span>interests and parties, in recommending to their Sovereign a
+step so injurious to her honour, and so fatal to her peace. This strange
+coalition was the effect of much artifice, and must be considered as the
+boldest and most masterly stroke of Bothwell&#8217;s address.&#8221; It is, indeed,
+impossible to conceive that such a bond was so numerously subscribed on
+the mere impulse of the moment. Before obtaining so solemn a promise of
+support from so many, he must have had recourse to numerous machinations,
+and have brought into action a thousand interests. He must, in the first
+place, have influenced Morton, his brother-in-law Huntly, Argyle, and
+others; and having secured these, he would use them as agents to bring
+over as many more. The rest, finding that so formidable a majority
+approved of the bond, would not have the courage to stand out, for they
+would fear the consequences if Bothwell ever became king. Among the names
+attached to this bond are those of the Archbishop of St Andrews, the
+Bishops of Aberdeen, Dumblane, Brechin, and Ross, the Earls of Huntly,
+Argyle, Morton, Cassils, Sutherland, Errol, Crawfurd, Caithness, and
+Rothes, and the Lords Boyd, Glamis, Ruthven, Semple, Herries, Ogilvie, and
+Fleming.<a name='fna_77' id='fna_77' href='#f_77'><small>[77]</small></a> Here<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.82" id="Page_2.82">[Pg 82]</a></span> was an overwhelming and irresistible force, enlisted by
+Bothwell in his support. The sincerity of many of the subscribers he
+probably had good reason to doubt; but what he wanted was to be able to
+present himself before Mary armed with an argument which she would find it
+difficult to evade, and if she yielded to it, his object would be gained.
+He was afraid, however, to lay the bond openly and fairly before her; he
+dreaded that her aversion to a matrimonial connexion with him might weigh
+more powerfully than even the almost unanimous recommendation of her
+nobility. But having already gone so far, he was resolved that a woman&#8217;s
+will should not be any serious obstacle to his wishes.</p>
+
+<p>The whole affair of the supper was, for a short time, kept concealed from
+Mary; and though Bothwell&#8217;s intentions and wishes began to be pretty
+generally talked of throughout the country, she was the very last to hear
+of them. When the Lord Herries ventured on one occasion to come upon the
+subject with the Queen, and mentioned the report as one which had gained
+considerable credit, &#8220;her Majesty marvelled,&#8221; says<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.83" id="Page_2.83">[Pg 83]</a></span> Melville, &#8220;to hear of
+such rumours without meaning, and said <i>that there was no such thing in
+her mind</i>.&#8221; Only a day or two after the bond was signed, she left
+Edinburgh to visit the prince her son, who was then in the keeping of the
+Earl of Mar at Stirling. Before she went, Bothwell ventured to express his
+hopes to her, but she gave him an answer little agreeable to his ambition.
+&#8220;The bond being once obtained,&#8221; Mary afterwards wrote to France, &#8220;Bothwell
+began afar off to discover his intention, and to essay if he might by
+humble suit purchase our good will.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;But finding an answer nothing
+correspondent to his desire, and casting from before his eyes all doubts
+that men use commonly to revolve with themselves in similar
+enterprises,&mdash;the backwardness of our own mind&mdash;the persuasions which our
+friends or his enemies might cast out for his hindrance&mdash;the change of
+their minds whose consent he had already obtained, with many other
+incidents which might occur to frustrate him of his expectation,&mdash;he
+resolved with himself to follow forth his good fortune, and, all respect
+laid apart, either to tine all in one hour, or to bring to pass that thing
+he had taken in hand.&#8221;<a name='fna_78' id='fna_78' href='#f_78'><small>[78]</small></a> This is a clear and strong statement,
+describing exactly the feelings both of Bothwell and Mary at this period.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl did not long dally on the brink of his fate. Ascertaining that
+Mary was to return from Stirling on the 24th, he left Edinburgh with a
+force of nearly 1000 men well mounted, under the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.84" id="Page_2.84">[Pg 84]</a></span> pretence of proceeding
+to quell some riots on the Borders. But he had only gone a few miles
+southward, when he turned suddenly to the west, and riding with all speed
+to Linlithgow, waited for Mary at a bridge over the Almond about a mile
+from that town. The Queen soon made her appearance with a small train,
+which was easily overpowered, and which indeed did not venture to offer
+any resistance. The Earl of Huntly, Secretary Maitland, and Sir James
+Melville, were the only persons of rank who were with the Queen; and they
+were carried captive along with her; but the rest of her attendants were
+dismissed. Bothwell himself seized the bridle of Mary&#8217;s horse, and turning
+off the road to Edinburgh, conducted her with all speed to his Castle at
+Dunbar.<a name='fna_79' id='fna_79' href='#f_79'><small>[79]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The leading features of this forcible abduction, or <i>ravishment</i>, as it is
+commonly called by the Scottish historians, have been greatly
+misrepresented by Robertson and Laing. Both of these writers mention, as a
+matter of surprise, that Mary yielded without struggle or regret, to the
+insult thus offered her. That she yielded without struggle,&mdash;that is to
+say, without any attempt at physical resistance, is exceedingly probable;
+for when was a party of a dozen persons, riding without suspicion of
+danger, able to offer resistance to a thousand armed troopers? There is
+little wonder that they were surrounded and carried off, &#8220;without
+opposition,&#8221; as Laing expresses it; for by a thousand soldiers, a dozen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.85" id="Page_2.85">[Pg 85]</a></span>
+Sir William Wallaces would have been made prisoners &#8220;without opposition.&#8221;
+But the very number which Bothwell brought with him, and which even Mary&#8217;s
+worst enemies allow was not less than six hundred, proves that there was
+no collusion between him and the Queen. Had it been only a pretended
+violence, to afford a decent excuse for Mary&#8217;s subsequent conduct, fifty
+horsemen would have done as well as a thousand; but Bothwell knew the
+Queen&#8217;s spirit, and the danger of the attempt, and came prepared
+accordingly. But it is urged, that, if displeased, she must have expressed
+her resentment to those who were near her. And there is certainly no
+reason to suppose that she was silent, though neither Huntly nor
+Lethington would be much influenced by her complaints, for they had both
+secretly attached themselves to Bothwell. Sir James Melville, who was more
+faithful to the Queen, was dismissed from Dunbar the day after her
+capture, lest she should have employed him to solicit aid for her relief,
+as she had formerly done on the occasion of the murder of Rizzio.<a name='fna_80' id='fna_80' href='#f_80'><small>[80]</small></a> Mary
+herself, in the letter already quoted, sets the matter beyond dispute, for
+she there gives a long and interesting detail, both of her own
+indignation, and of the arts used by Bothwell to appease it.<a name='fna_81' id='fna_81' href='#f_81'><small>[81]</small></a> Nothing,
+indeed, can be more contrary to reason, than to suppose this abduction a
+mere device, mutually arranged to deceive the country. If Mary had really
+loved Bothwell and was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.86" id="Page_2.86">[Pg 86]</a></span> anxious to marry him, it would have been the very
+last thing she would have wished to be believed, whether she thought him
+guilty of Darnley&#8217;s murder or not, that she gave him her hand, after he
+had been publicly acquitted, and all her principal nobility had declared
+in his favour, only in consequence of a treasonable act, committed by him
+against her person. If she hoped to live in peace and happiness with him,
+why should she have allowed it to be supposed, that she acted from
+necessity, rather than from choice, or that she yielded to a seducer, what
+she would not give to a faithful subject? This pre-arranged ravishment,
+would evidently defeat its own purpose, and would serve as a pretence
+suggested by Mary herself, for every malcontent in Scotland to take up
+arms against her and Bothwell. It was a contrivance directly opposed to
+all sound policy, and certainly very unlike the open and straight-forward
+manner in which she usually went about the accomplishment of a favourite
+purpose. &#8220;But one object of the seizure,&#8221; says Laing, &#8220;was the vindication
+of her precipitate marriage.&#8221; Where was the necessity for a precipitate
+marriage at all? Was Mary so eager to become the wife of Bothwell, with
+whom, according to the veracious Buchanan, she had long been indulging an
+illicit intercourse, that she could not wait the time required by common
+decency to wear her widow&#8217;s garb for Darnley? Was he barbarously murdered
+by her consent on the 9th of February, on the express condition that she
+was to have Bothwell in her arms as her husband on the 15th of May? Was
+she, indeed, so entirely lost to every sense of female<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.87" id="Page_2.87">[Pg 87]</a></span> delicacy and
+public shame,&mdash;so utterly dead to her own interests and reputation,&mdash;or so
+very scrupulous about continuing a little longer her unlicensed amours,
+that, rather than suffer the delay of a few months, she would thus run the
+risk of involving herself in eternal infamy? Even supposing that she was
+perfectly assured the artifice would remain undiscovered,&mdash;was her
+conscience so hardened, her feelings so abandoned, and her reason so
+perverted, as to enable her to anticipate gratification from a marriage
+thus hastily concluded, with so little queenly dignity, or female modesty,
+and with a man who was not yet divorced from his own wife? There is but
+one answer which can be given to these questions, and that answer comes
+instinctively to the lips, from every generous heart, and well-regulated
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>For ten days Bothwell kept Mary in Dunbar &#8220;sequestrated,&#8221; in her own
+words, &#8220;from the company of all her servants, and others of whom she might
+have asked counsel, and seeing those upon whose counsel and fidelity she
+had before depended, already yielded to his appetite, and <i>so left alone,
+as it were, a prey to him</i>.&#8221;<a name='fna_82' id='fna_82' href='#f_82'><small>[82]</small></a> Closely shut up as she was, she long
+hoped that some of her more loyal nobles would exert themselves to procure
+her deliverance. But not one of them stirred in her behalf, for Bothwell
+was at this time dreaded or courted by all of them, and finding the person
+of the Queen thus left at his disposal, he did not hesitate to declare to
+her, that he would make her his wife, &#8220;who would, or who would <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.88" id="Page_2.88">[Pg 88]</a></span>not,&mdash;yea,
+whether she would herself or not.&#8221;<a name='fna_83' id='fna_83' href='#f_83'><small>[83]</small></a> Mary, in reply, charged him with
+the foulest ingratitude; and his conduct, she told him, grieved her the
+more, because he was one &#8220;of whom she doubted less than of any subject she
+had.&#8221;<a name='fna_84' id='fna_84' href='#f_84'><small>[84]</small></a> But he was not now to be driven from his purpose. He spent his
+whole time with Mary; and his whole conversation was directed to the one
+great object he had in view. He called to his aid every variety of
+passion; sometimes flinging himself at her feet, and imploring her to
+pardon a deed which the violence of his love had made imperative; and, at
+other times, giving vent to a storm of rage, and threatening dishonour,
+imprisonment, and death, if she hesitated longer to comply with his
+demands. Mary herself is the best chronicler of these distracting scenes,
+although it must be observed, that she did not write of them till Bothwell
+had achieved his purpose; and consequently, making a virtue of necessity,
+she was anxious to place them in as favourable a point of view as
+possible. &#8220;Being at Dunbar,&#8221; she says, &#8220;we reproached him the honour he
+had to be so esteemed of us, the favour we had always shewn him, his
+ingratitude, with all other remonstrances which might serve to rid us out
+of his hands. Albeit we found his doing rude, yet were his answer and
+words but gentle, that he would honour and serve us, and would noways
+offend us, asking pardon of the boldness he had taken to convoy us to one
+of our own houses, whereunto he was driven by force, as well as
+constrained by love, the vehemency whereof had made him to set apart the
+reverence,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.89" id="Page_2.89">[Pg 89]</a></span> which naturally, as our subject, he bore to us, as also for
+safety of his own life. And then began to make us a discourse of his whole
+life, how unfortunate he had been to find men his unfriends whom he had
+never offended; how their malice never ceased to assault him on all
+occasions, albeit unjustly; what calumnies they had spread of him,
+touching the odious violence perpetrated in the person of the King our
+late husband; how unable he was to save himself from the conspiracies of
+his enemies, whom he could not know by reason that every man professed
+himself outwardly to be his friend; and yet he found such hidden malice
+that he could not find himself in surety, unless he were insured of our
+favour to endure without alteration; and on no other assurance of our
+favour could he rely, unless it would please us to do him that honour to
+take him to husband, protesting always that he would seek no other
+sovereignty but as formerly, to serve and obey us all the days of our
+life; joining thereunto all the honest language that could be used in such
+a case.&#8221;<a name='fna_85' id='fna_85' href='#f_85'><small>[85]</small></a> But these arguments were of no avail, and he was obliged to
+go a step farther. &#8220;When he saw us like to reject all his suit and
+offers,&#8221; says Mary, &#8220;in the end he shewed us how far he had proceeded with
+our whole nobility and principals of our estates, and what they had
+promised him under their handwriting. If we had cause then to be
+astonished, we leave to the judgment of the King and Queen, (of France),
+our uncle, and our other friends.&#8221; &#8220;Many things we resolved with ourself,
+but never could find an <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.90" id="Page_2.90">[Pg 90]</a></span>outgait (deliverance); and yet he gave us little
+space to meditate with ourself, ever pressing us with continual and
+importunate suit.&#8221; &#8220;As by a bravade in the beginning, he had won the first
+point, so ceased he never till, by persuasions and importunate suit,
+<i>accompanied not the less with force</i>, he has finally driven us to end the
+work begun, at such time, and in such form, as he thought might best serve
+his turn; wherein we cannot dissemble that he has used us otherwise than
+we would have wished, or yet have deserved at his hand; having more
+respect to content them, by whose consent granted to him beforehand, he
+thinks he has obtained his purpose, than regarding our contentation, or
+weighing what was convenient for us.&#8221;<a name='fna_86' id='fna_86' href='#f_86'><small>[86]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Bothwell had kept Mary at Dunbar for nearly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.91" id="Page_2.91">[Pg 91]</a></span> a week, when, in order to
+make it be believed that her residence there was voluntary, he ventured to
+call together a few of the Lords of the Privy Council on whom he could
+depend, and on the 29th of April there was one unimportant act of Council
+passed, concerning provisions for the Royal Household. From the influence
+he at that time possessed over the Scottish nobles, Bothwell might have
+held a Privy Council every day at Dunbar, and whether he allowed the
+Queen, <i>pro forma</i>, to be present or not, nobody would have objected to
+any thing he proposed.<a name='fna_87' id='fna_87' href='#f_87'><small>[87]</small></a> In the meantime, mutual actions of divorce were
+raised by Bothwell and his wife, the Lady Jane Gordon, and being hurried
+through the courts, only a few days elapsed before they were obtained.<a name='fna_88' id='fna_88' href='#f_88'><small>[88]</small></a>
+This is another circumstance which tends to prove, that Bothwell&#8217;s seizure
+of Mary was not collusive; for had it been so, she would certainly never
+have allowed it to take place till these actions had been decided.</p>
+
+<p>The die was now cast; Mary was in Bothwell&#8217;s fangs, and her ruin was
+completed. On the 3d of May 1567, he thought it expedient to conduct her,
+closely guarded, from Dunbar to the Castle of Edinburgh. When they came
+near the town, he desired his followers to conceal their arms, lest it
+should be supposed that he was still keeping the Queen an unwilling
+prisoner. But the truth broke out in spite of his precautions; for at the
+foot of the Canongate, Mary was about to turn her horse towards Holyrood,
+upon which Bothwell<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.92" id="Page_2.92">[Pg 92]</a></span> himself seized the bridle, and conducted her up the
+High Street to the Castle, which was then in the keeping of Sir James
+Balfour, who was entirely subservient to Bothwell.<a name='fna_89' id='fna_89' href='#f_89'><small>[89]</small></a> He was now resolved
+that his marriage should be consummated with as little delay as possible,
+having wrung a consent to it from the unfortunate Queen, by means of
+which, it is impossible to think without shuddering. In the state to which
+she was reduced, she had no alternative; she chose the least of two evils,
+in becoming, with an aching heart, the wife of her ravisher. Yet it would
+appear, that she did not herself take a single step to advance the matter.
+Three days after she arrived at the Castle, a person of the name of Thomas
+Hepburn, (probably a relation of the Hepburn who was engaged with Bothwell
+in Darnley&#8217;s murder), was sent to Craig, Knox&#8217;s colleague in the church of
+St Giles, to desire that he would proclaim the banns of matrimony betwixt
+the Queen and Bothwell. But the clergyman refused, because Hepburn brought
+no authority from the Queen.<a name='fna_90' id='fna_90' href='#f_90'><small>[90]</small></a> Neither Mary nor Bothwell were so
+ignorant as to suppose that any minister would publish banns without
+receiving a written or personal order; and Hepburn would hardly have been
+sent on so idle an errand, had not the Queen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.93" id="Page_2.93">[Pg 93]</a></span> been still reluctant to
+surrender herself to one whose person and manners she had never liked, and
+who was now so odious to her. But not a voice was raised,&mdash;not a sword was
+drawn to protect her,&mdash;and what resource was left? In a day or two, the
+Lord Justice Clerk conveyed a written mandate to Craig; but the preacher,
+had still some scruples: not thinking such a marriage agreeable to the
+laws either of God or man, he insisted upon seeing the Queen and Bothwell,
+before he gave intimation of it. He was admitted to a meeting of the Privy
+Council, where Bothwell presided, but at which Mary does not seem to have
+been present. &#8220;In the Council,&#8221; says Craig, &#8220;I laid to his charge the law
+of adultery, the ordinance of the kirk, the law of ravishing, the
+suspicion of collusion betwixt him and his wife, the sudden divorcement
+and proclaiming within the space of four days, and lastly, the suspicion
+of the King&#8217;s death, which his marriage would confirm; but he answered
+nothing to my satisfaction.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;Therefore, upon Sunday, after I had
+declared what they had done, and how they would proceed, whether we would
+or not, I took heaven and earth to witness, that I abhorred and detested
+that marriage, because it was odious and scandalous to the world; and
+<i>seeing the best part of the realm did approve it, either by flattery or
+by their silence</i>, I desired the faithful to pray earnestly, that God
+would turn it to the comfort of this realm.&#8221;<a name='fna_91' id='fna_91' href='#f_91'><small>[91]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>It was not till after the banns had been twice proclaimed, that Bothwell
+allowed the Queen, on the 12th of May, to come forth from the Castle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.94" id="Page_2.94">[Pg 94]</a></span> for
+the first time. He conducted her himself to the Court of Session, where he
+persuaded her to affix her signature to two deeds of great importance to
+him. The bond he had obtained from the nobles, recommending him as a
+husband to the Queen, has been already fully described; but when the Lords
+put their names to it, they were not aware that Bothwell would, in
+consequence, conceive himself entitled to have recourse to violence; and
+they now became alarmed lest the Queen should imagine that they were
+themselves implicated in an act which many of them, though they did not
+yet venture to express their sentiments, viewed with disgust. By way of
+precaution, therefore, they required Bothwell to obtain, from her Majesty,
+a written promise, that she would not at any time hereafter impute to them
+as a crime the consent they had given to the bond. Here is another
+argument against the idea of collusion between Mary and Bothwell; for in
+that case, so far from having any thing to fear, Bothwell&#8217;s friends would
+have known that nothing could have recommended them more to Mary, than the
+countenance they gave his marriage; and if, for the sake of appearances,
+she wished it to be believed that she was forced into it, she would
+certainly have carefully avoided recording her approval of the previous
+encouragement given to Bothwell by her nobility. Mary&#8217;s calumniators are
+thus placed between the horns of a dilemma. If she did not consent to the
+abduction, then the marriage was not one of her choice; if she did, then
+why defeat the only object she had in view, which was to deceive her
+subjects, by publicly declaring that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.95" id="Page_2.95">[Pg 95]</a></span> Lords who signed the bond had
+done nothing to displease her? and why, moreover, should such a
+declaration have been thought necessary, either by Bothwell or his
+friends? The deed which Mary signed in the Court of Session, and which,
+taking this view of it, is worthy of every attention, was subjoined to a
+copy of the bond, and expressed in these words: &#8220;The Queen&#8217;s Majesty
+having seen and considered the bond above written, promises, on the word
+of a Princess, that she, nor her successors, shall never impute as crime
+or offence, to any of the persons subscribers thereof, their consent and
+subscription to the matter above written therein contained; nor that they
+nor their heirs shall never be called nor accused therefor; nor yet shall
+the said consent or subscribing be any derogation or spot to their honour,
+or they esteemed undutiful subjects for doing thereof, notwithstanding
+whatever thing can tend or be alleged in the contrary. In witness whereof,
+her Majesty has subscribed the same with her own hand.&#8221;<a name='fna_92' id='fna_92' href='#f_92'><small>[92]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>On the same day, Mary granted a formal pardon to Bothwell, before all the
+Lords of Session and others, for his late conduct, in taking her to, and
+holding her in Dunbar, &#8220;contrary to her Majesty&#8217;s will and mind,&#8221; which is
+also very much against the supposition of collusion. It states,&mdash;&#8220;That
+albeit her Highness was commoved for the present time of her taking at the
+said Earl Bothwell; yet for his good behaviour, and thankful service in
+time past, and for more thankful service in time coming, her Highness
+stands content with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.96" id="Page_2.96">[Pg 96]</a></span> the said Earl, and has forgiven and forgives him, and
+all others his accomplices, being with him in company at the time, all
+hatred conceived by her Majesty, for the taking and imprisoning of her, at
+the time foresaid.&#8221;<a name='fna_93' id='fna_93' href='#f_93'><small>[93]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>All these preparations having been made, Mary at length became the wife of
+Bothwell, after he had been previously created Duke of Orkney. Even in the
+celebration of the marriage ceremony, the despotic power which Bothwell
+now exercised over the unhappy and passive Queen, is but too evident. She,
+who had never before failed in a single instance, to observe the rites of
+her own faith, however tolerant she was to those who professed a different
+persuasion, was now obliged, in opposition to all the prejudices of
+education, and all the principles of her religion, to submit to be married
+according to the form of the Protestant church. Adam Bothwell, Bishop of
+Orkney, who, though holding an Episcopal order, had lately renounced that
+heresy, and joined the Reformers, presided on the occasion. The marriage
+took place, not at mass in the Queen&#8217;s chapel, but in the Council Chamber,
+where, after a sermon had been delivered, the company separated, with
+little demonstrations of mirth.<a name='fna_94' id='fna_94' href='#f_94'><small>[94]</small></a> <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.97" id="Page_2.97">[Pg 97]</a></span>Melville, who came to Court the same
+evening, mentions some particulars, which show how the dissolute Bothwell
+chose to spend his time:&mdash;&#8220;When I came to the Court,&#8221; he says, &#8220;I found my
+Lord Duke of Orkney, sitting at his supper. He said I had been a great
+stranger, desiring me to sit down and sup with him. The Earl of Huntly,
+the Justice-Clerk, and diverse others, were sitting at the table with him.
+I said that I had already supped. Then he called for a cup of wine, and
+drank to me, that I might pledge him like a Dutchman. He made me drink it
+out to grow fatter, &#8216;for,&#8217; said he, &#8216;the zeal of the commonweal has eaten
+ye up, and made ye lean.&#8217; I answered, that every little member should
+serve to some use; but that the care of the commonweal appertained most to
+him, and the rest of the nobility, who should be as fathers to it. Then he
+said, I well knew he would find a pin for every bore. Then he discoursed
+of gentlewomen, speaking such filthy language, that I left him, and passed
+up to the Queen, who was very glad at my coming.&#8221;<a name='fna_95' id='fna_95' href='#f_95'><small>[95]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.98" id="Page_2.98">[Pg 98]</a></span>Such was the man who was now inseparably joined to Mary, and who, by fraud
+and villany, had made himself, for the time, so absolute in Scotland, that
+her possession of the throne of her ancestors, nay, her very life, seems
+to have depended upon his will and pleasure.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.99" id="Page_2.99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI.2" id="CHAPTER_VI.2"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">THE REBELLION OF THE NOBLES, THE MEETING AT CARBERRY HILL, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.</span></p>
+
+<p>Mary&#8217;s first step, after her marriage, was to send, at her husband&#8217;s
+desire, ambassadors into England and France, to explain to these Courts
+the motives by which she had been actuated. The instructions given to
+these ambassadors, as Buchanan has justly remarked, and after him the
+French historians De Thou and Le Clerc, were drawn up with much art. They
+came, no doubt, from the pen of Bothwell&#8217;s friend, Secretary Maitland; and
+they recapitulate so forcibly all the Earl&#8217;s services, both to Mary and
+her mother, enlarge so successfully upon his influence in Scotland, his
+favour with the nobility, and their anxiety that he should become King;
+and finally, colour so dexterously his recent conduct, that after their
+perusal, one is almost induced to believe that the Queen could not have
+chosen a better husband in all Christendom. Of course, Mary would herself
+see them before they were despatched, as they are written in her name; and
+the consent she must have given to the attempt made in them to screen her
+husband from blame, confirms the belief that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.100" id="Page_2.100">[Pg 100]</a></span> she did not plan, along with
+him, the scheme of the abduction; for she would, in that case, have
+represented, in a much stronger light, the consequences necessarily
+arising from it. If she had consented to such a scheme, it must have been
+with the view of making it be believed that her marriage with a suspected
+murderer (suspected at least by many, though probably not by Mary
+herself), was a matter of necessity; and she could never have been so
+inconsistent as labour to convince her foreign friends, that though
+violence had been used in the first instance, she had ultimately seen the
+propriety of voluntarily becoming Bothwell&#8217;s wife. But it was her sincere
+and laudable desire, now that she was married, to shelter her husband as
+much as possible; and, conscious of her own innocence, she did not
+anticipate that the measures she took in his behalf might be turned
+against herself. It must indeed be distinctly remembered, in tracing the
+lamentable events which followed this marriage, that though force and
+fraud were not perhaps employed on the very day of its consummation, yet
+that they had previously done their utmost, and that it was not the Queen
+who surrendered herself to Bothwell, but Bothwell who forced himself upon
+the Queen.</p>
+
+<p>Though Mary attempted to conceal her misery from the prying eye of the
+world, they who had an opportunity of being near her person easily saw
+that her peace of mind was wrecked. So little love existed either on the
+one side or the other, that even the days usually set aside for nuptial
+rejoicings, were marked only by suspicions and wranglings. They remained
+together at Holyrood from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.101" id="Page_2.101">[Pg 101]</a></span> the 15th of May to the 7th of June; but during
+the whole of that time, Bothwell was so alarmed, lest she should yet break
+from him, and assert her independence, that he kept her &#8220;environed with a
+continual guard of two hundred harquebuziers, as well day as night,
+wherever she went;&#8221;&mdash;and whoever wished an audience with her, &#8220;it behoved
+him, before he could come to her presence, to go through the ranks of
+harquebuziers, under the mercy of a notorious tyrant,&mdash;a new example,
+wherewith this nation had never been acquainted; and yet few or none were
+admitted to her speech, for his suspicious heart, brought in fear by the
+testimony of an evil conscience, would not suffer her subjects to have
+access to her Majesty as they were wont to do.&#8221;<a name='fna_96' id='fna_96' href='#f_96'><small>[96]</small></a> The letter from which
+these passages are quoted, deserves, at this period of Mary&#8217;s history,
+every attention, for it was written, scarcely two months after her
+marriage, by the Lords who had associated themselves against Bothwell, but
+who had not yet discovered the necessity of implicating Mary in the guilt
+with which they charged him. The declarations therefore, they then made,
+contrasted with those which ambition and selfishness afterwards prompted,
+prove their sincerity in the first instance, and their wickedness in the
+last. &#8220;They firmly believe,&#8221; they say, &#8220;that whether they had risen up
+against her husband or not, <i>the Queen would not have lived with him half
+a year to an end</i>, as may be conjectured by the short time they lived
+together, and <i>the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.102" id="Page_2.102">[Pg 102]</a></span> maintaining of his other wife at home at his house</i>.&#8221;
+This last fact is no less singular than it is important. It seems
+distinctly to imply, that though Bothwell was divorced from his first
+wife, and that though her brother, the Earl of Huntly, had given his
+consent to the divorce, yet that in reality, the dissolution of the
+marriage was, on the part of Bothwell, merely <i>pro forma</i>, to enable him
+to prosecute his scheme of ambition, that his attachment to the Lady Jane
+Gordon continued unabated, and that if Mary had ever loved him, she must
+have loved him, knowing that he did not return her affection. No wonder
+that under such an accumulation of miseries&mdash;the suspicion with which she
+was regarded by foreign courts,&mdash;the ready hatred of many of her more
+bigoted Presbyterian subjects,&mdash;the dependence, almost amounting to a
+state of bondage, in which she was kept,&mdash;and the brutal treatment she
+experienced from her worthless husband,&mdash;no wonder that Mary was heard, in
+moments almost of distraction, to express an intention of committing
+suicide.<a name='fna_97' id='fna_97' href='#f_97'><small>[97]</small></a> Her heart was broken,&mdash;her prospects were blighted,&mdash;her
+honour, which was dearer to her than life, was doubted. She was a Queen
+without the command of her subjects,&mdash;a wife without the love of her
+husband. The humblest peasant in Scotland was more to be envied than the
+last daughter of the royal line.</p>
+
+<p>But Bothwell was not permitted to triumph long in the success of his
+villany. Many, even of his own friends, now began to think that he had
+carried through his measures with too high a hand. They were willing that
+he should have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.103" id="Page_2.103">[Pg 103]</a></span> won Mary by fair means, but not by foul; and when they saw
+that he had not only imperatively thrust himself upon her as a husband,
+but was taking rapid strides towards making himself absolute in Scotland,
+they trembled for the freedom of the Constitution, and the safety of the
+Commonweal. With an imprudence equal to his audacity, Bothwell was at no
+pains either to disguise his wishes, or to conciliate the good will of
+those whose assistance might have been valuable. With the restless
+uneasiness of one conscious of guilt, and dreading its probable
+consequences, he scrupled not to avow his anxiety to get into his
+possession the person of the young Prince, and had even &#8220;made a vaunt
+already among his familiars, that if he could get him once into his own
+hands, he should warrant him from revenging his father&#8217;s death.&#8221;<a name='fna_98' id='fna_98' href='#f_98'><small>[98]</small></a> But
+the Prince was lodged in the Castle of Stirling, in the custody of the
+Earl of Mar, a nobleman of approved fidelity and honour, who positively
+refused to deliver him up. It was not easy, however, to divert Bothwell
+from his object; and though the Queen did not countenance it, being, on
+the contrary, rather desirous that her son should remain with Mar, yet he
+ceased not to cajole and threaten, by turns, until all Scotland was roused
+into suspicion and anger.<a name='fna_99' id='fna_99' href='#f_99'><small>[99]</small></a> A number of the nobility met at Stirling,
+and entered into an association to defend the person of the Prince; and
+they soon saw, or thought they saw, the necessity of taking active
+measures to that effect. On the 28th of May, proclamations were issued at
+Edinburgh, intimating the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.104" id="Page_2.104">[Pg 104]</a></span>intention of the Queen and Bothwell to proceed,
+with a strong force, to the Borders, to suppress some disturbances there,
+and requiring all loyal subjects to assemble in arms at Melrose. It was
+immediately rumoured that this expedition was only a pretence, and that
+Bothwell&#8217;s real design was to march to Stirling, there to make himself
+master of the Castle and its inhabitants. In a second proclamation, made
+for the purpose, this suspicion was characterized as most unfounded; but
+whether just or not, it had taken a strong hold of the public mind, and
+was not easily removed. The Prince&#8217;s Lords, as they were called, the chief
+of whom were Argyle, Athol, Morton, Mar, and Glencairn, busied themselves
+in collecting their followers, as if in compliance with the requisition to
+assemble at Melrose. On the 6th or 7th of June 1567, Bothwell took the
+Queen with him from the Palace of Holyrood to the Castle of Borthwick,
+situated about eight miles to the south of Edinburgh, having discovered,
+only a day or two before, that Edinburgh was no longer a safe residence
+for him. Sir James Balfour, the Governor of the Castle, seeing so strong a
+party start up against his former patron, had allowed himself to be
+tampered with, and Bothwell now suspected that he held the Castle not for
+him, but for the Lords at Stirling. He feared, that Balfour might be
+persuaded by them to sally down to Holyrood with a party of troops, and
+carry him off a prisoner to the Castle, and therefore thought it wise to
+withdraw to a safer distance.</p>
+
+<p>It was not long before the nobility at Stirling heard of Bothwell&#8217;s
+retreat to Borthwick, and they resolved to take advantage of it. They
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.105" id="Page_2.105">[Pg 105]</a></span>advanced unexpectedly from Stirling, and, marching past Edinburgh,
+suddenly invested the Castle of Borthwick. It was with great difficulty
+that Bothwell and the Queen escaped to Dunbar, and the Lords then fell
+back upon Edinburgh. Huntly commanded there for Bothwell; but though, at
+his request, the magistrates shut the gates of the city, the opposite
+party found little difficulty in forcibly effecting an entrance. Huntly,
+and the rest of Bothwell&#8217;s friends, still trusting to Sir James Balfour&#8217;s
+fidelity, retreated into the Castle. The opposite faction, with Morton at
+its head, immediately issued proclamations, in which they demanded the
+assistance of all loyal subjects, on the grounds, &#8220;that the Queen&#8217;s
+Majesty, being detained in captivity, was neither able to govern her
+realm, nor try the murder of her husband, and that they had assembled to
+deliver her and preserve the Prince.&#8221;<a name='fna_100' id='fna_100' href='#f_100'><small>[100]</small></a> These proclamations prove, that
+no feelings of hostility were as yet entertained or expressed against
+Mary. One of them, issued at Edinburgh on the 12th of June, commences
+thus:&mdash;&#8220;The Lords of Secret Council and Nobility, understanding that
+James, Earl of Bothwell, put violent hands on our Sovereign Lady&#8217;s most
+noble person upon the 24th day of April last, and thereafter warded
+(imprisoned) her Highness in the Castle of Dunbar, which he had in
+keeping, and, before a long space thereafter, conveyed her Majesty,
+environed with men of war, and such friends and kinsmen of his as would do
+for him, ever into such places where he had most dominion and power, her
+Grace being destitute of all counsel and servants, during which time the
+said Earl <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.106" id="Page_2.106">[Pg 106]</a></span>seduced, by unlawful ways, our said Sovereign to a dishonest
+marriage with himself, which, from the beginning, is null and of no
+effect.&#8221; And the proclamation concludes with announcing their
+determination, &#8220;to deliver the Queen&#8217;s Majesty&#8217;s most noble person forth
+of captivity and prison,&#8221; and to bring Bothwell and his accomplices to
+trial, both for the murder of Darnley, and for &#8220;the ravishing and
+detaining of the Queen&#8217;s Majesty&#8217;s person,&#8221; as well as to prevent the
+enterprise intended against the Prince.<a name='fna_101' id='fna_101' href='#f_101'><small>[101]</small></a> Can any thing establish an
+historical fact more explicitly than such evidence?</p>
+
+<p>Bothwell was, in the meantime, busily collecting his friends at Dunbar. In
+a few days, upwards of 2000 men had resorted to him, more because the
+Queen was with him, than from any love they bore himself; and, as he was
+unwilling that the hostile Lords should be allowed time to collect their
+strength, he marched, with this force, from Dunbar on the 14th of June.
+When the news of his approach reached Edinburgh, the Lords immediately
+advanced to meet him, though with a somewhat inferior strength. The two
+armies did not come in sight of each other till the morning of the 15th,
+when Bothwell&#8217;s troops were discovered upon Carberry Hill, a rising ground
+of some extent between Musselburgh and Dalkeith. The Lords, who had spent
+the night at Musselburgh, made a circuit towards Dalkeith, that they also
+might get on the high ground, and took up a position to the west of
+Bothwell. It was here discovered that neither party was very anxious to
+commence an engagement; and the French ambassador, Le<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.107" id="Page_2.107">[Pg 107]</a></span> Croc, spent several
+hours in riding between both armies, and endeavouring to bring them to
+terms of mutual accommodation, being authorized on the part of the Queen,
+to promise that the present insurrection would be willingly forgiven, if
+the Lords would lay down their arms and disband their followers. But the
+Earl of Morton answered, &#8220;that they had taken up arms <i>not against the
+Queen</i>, but against the murderer of the King, whom, if she would deliver
+to be punished, or at least put from her company, she should find a
+continuation of dutiful obedience from them and all other good
+subjects.&#8221;<a name='fna_102' id='fna_102' href='#f_102'><small>[102]</small></a> Le Croc, despairing of effecting his purpose, unwillingly
+quitted the field, and returned to Edinburgh. But both parties were still
+desirous to temporize,&mdash;Bothwell, because he hourly expected
+reinforcements from Lord Herries and others,&mdash;and the Lords, because they
+also looked for an accession of strength, and because the day was hot, and
+the sun shining strong in their faces.<a name='fna_103' id='fna_103' href='#f_103'><small>[103]</small></a> To draw out the time, Bothwell
+made a bravado of offering to end the quarrel, by engaging in single
+combat any Lord of equal rank who would encounter him. Kircaldy of Grange,
+one of the best soldiers of the day, and Murray of Tullibardin, both
+expressed their willingness to accept the challenge, but were rejected on
+the score of inferiority in rank. Lord Lindsay then offered himself, and
+him Bothwell had no right to refuse. It was expected, therefore, that the
+whole quarrel would be referred to them, the Queen herself, though at the
+head of an army superior to that of her opponents, having consented, that
+a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.108" id="Page_2.108">[Pg 108]</a></span> husband to whom she had so short a while been married, and for whom the
+veracious Buchanan would have us believe she entertained so extravagant an
+affection, should thus unnecessarily risk his life. Twenty gentlemen on
+either side were to attend, and the ground was about to be marked out,
+when the Lords changed their minds, and declared they did not choose that
+Lord Lindsay should take upon himself the whole burden of a quarrel in
+which they all felt equally interested.<a name='fna_104' id='fna_104' href='#f_104'><small>[104]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In these negotiations the day passed over. It was now between seven and
+eight in the evening, and a battle must have ensued, either that night or
+next morning, had not an unexpected step been taken by the Queen. Without
+betraying Bothwell, she formed a resolution to rid herself from the
+bondage in which he kept her. She sent to desire that Kircaldy of Grange
+should come to speak with her, and she intimated to him her willingness to
+part from Bothwell as was demanded, if Morton and the other Lords would
+undertake to conduct her safely into Edinburgh, and there return to their
+allegiance. This overture, on being reported by Grange, was at once
+accepted, provided Mary agreed to dismiss Bothwell on the field. It may be
+easily conceived that to Bothwell himself such an arrangement was not
+particularly agreeable, and could never have entered the imagination, much
+less have been the deliberate proposal, of a loving and obedient wife.
+Historians, we think, have not <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.109" id="Page_2.109">[Pg 109]</a></span>sufficiently insisted on the strong
+presumption in Mary&#8217;s favour, afforded by her conduct at Carberry Hill. It
+is true, that there might have been an understanding between her and
+Bothwell, that as soon as she was re-instated in her power, she would
+recall him to a share of her throne and bed. But even supposing that,
+notwithstanding the alleged violence of her love, she had been willing to
+consent to a temporary separation, both she and Bothwell knew the spirit
+of the men they had to deal with too well, to trust to the chance of
+outwitting them, after yielding to their demands. Mary must have been
+aware, that if she parted with Bothwell at all, she in all probability
+parted with him for ever. Had she truly loved him, she would rather have
+braved all risks (as she did with Darnley when Murray rebelled) than have
+abandoned him just at the crisis of his fortune. But she had at no period
+felt more than the commonest friendship for Bothwell; and since she had
+been seized by him at the Bridge of Almond, she had absolutely hated him.
+Melville, accordingly, expresses himself regarding this transaction in
+these terms. &#8220;Albeit her Majesty was at Carberry Hill, I cannot name it to
+be her army; for many of them that were with her, were of opinion that she
+had intelligence with the Lords; chiefly such as understood of the Earl
+Bothwell&#8217;s mishandling of her, and many indignities that he had both said
+and done unto her since their marriage. He was so beastly and suspicious,
+that he suffered her not to pass a day in patience, or without giving her
+cause to shed abundance of salt tears. Thus, part of his own company
+detested him; and the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.110" id="Page_2.110">[Pg 110]</a></span> part believed that her Majesty would fain
+have been quit of him, but thought shame to be the doer thereof directly
+herself.&#8221;<a name='fna_105' id='fna_105' href='#f_105'><small>[105]</small></a> Melville adds, that so determined was Bothwell not to leave
+the field if he could avoid it, that he ordered a soldier to shoot Grange
+when he overheard the arrangement which he and the Queen were making. It
+was &#8220;not without great difficulty,&#8221; says another cotemporary writer, that
+Mary prevailed upon Bothwell to mount his horse, and ride away with a few
+followers back to Dunbar.<a name='fna_106' id='fna_106' href='#f_106'><small>[106]</small></a> There is no wonder;&mdash;but that a wife of one
+month&#8217;s standing, who is said for his sake to have murdered her former
+husband, should permit, nay beseech him, thus to sneak off a field he
+might have won, had she allowed him to fight, is indeed strange and
+unaccountable. When Bothwell left Carberry Hill, he turned his back upon a
+Queen and a throne;&mdash;he left hope behind, and must have seen only ruin
+before.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as her husband had departed, Mary desired Grange to lead her to
+the Lords. Morton and the rest came forward to meet her, and received her
+with all due respect. The Queen was on horseback, and Grange himself
+walked at her bridle. On riding up to the associated Nobles, she said to
+them,&mdash;&#8220;My Lords, I am come to you, not out of any fear I had of my life,
+nor yet doubting of the victory, if matters had gone to the worst; but I
+abhor the shedding of Christian blood, especially of those that are my own
+subjects; and therefore I yield to you, and will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.111" id="Page_2.111">[Pg 111]</a></span> be ruled hereafter by
+your counsels, trusting you will respect me as your born Princess and
+Queen.&#8221;<a name='fna_107' id='fna_107' href='#f_107'><small>[107]</small></a> Alas! Mary had not calculated either on the perfidy of the
+men to whom she had surrendered herself, or on the vulgar virulence of
+their hired retainers, who, having been disappointed in their hopes of a
+battle, thought they might take their revenge, by insulting the person of
+a Roman Catholic Sovereign, now for the first time standing before them
+somewhat in the light of a suitor and a prisoner. They led her into
+Edinburgh between eight and nine in the evening; and the citizens, hearing
+of the turn which affairs had taken, came out in great crowds, and lined
+the way as they passed. The envy and hatred of the more bigoted part of
+the rabble did not fail to exhibit itself. Royalty in misfortune, like a
+statue taken from its pedestal, is often liable to the rudest handling,
+simply because it has fallen from a height which previously kept it at a
+distance from the multitude. There had long rancoured in the bosoms of the
+more zealous and less honest Presbyterians, an ill-concealed jealousy of
+Mary&#8217;s superiority; and in the mob which now gathered round her, the
+turbulent and unprincipled led the way, as they commonly do in a mob, to
+insult and outrage. So far from being allowed to return to Edinburgh as a
+Queen, and to take possession of her wonted state, Mary was forced to ride
+as a captive in a triumphal show. The hatred which was borne towards
+Bothwell was transferred to her, and the Lords, at the head of whom was
+the crafty Morton, forgetting the proclamation they had made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.112" id="Page_2.112">[Pg 112]</a></span> only two
+days before, announcing their intention to rescue the Queen from the
+bondage in which she was held, only took her from one tyrant to retain her
+in the hands of many. As the cavalcade proceeded, a banner was displayed
+in front, on which was represented the King lying dead at the foot of a
+tree, and the young Prince upon his knees near him, exclaiming&mdash;&#8220;Judge and
+revenge my cause, O Lord!&#8221; The people shouted with savage exultation, as
+this ensign was carried past, and turning their eyes on the Queen, who was
+dissolved in tears, they scrupled not, by the coarse malice of their
+expressions, to add to the agony of her feelings.</p>
+
+<p>When Mary arrived in Edinburgh, and found she was not to be taken to
+Holyrood House, (from which, indeed, the Lords had previously carried off
+much of her valuable furniture), she gave up all for lost, and in her
+despair called upon all who came near her to rescue her from the hands of
+traitors. But an excitement had just been given to the public mind, which
+it required some hours of sober reflection to allay. No one interfering in
+her behalf, she was taken to the Provost&#8217;s house in the High Street, where
+she was lodged for the night. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the Lords
+were left to themselves to arrange their future plan of procedure.
+Kircaldy of Grange, was the only one among them who was disposed to act
+honourably. He reminded them that he had been commissioned to assure the
+Queen of their loyal services, provided she parted from Bothwell, and came
+over to them,&mdash;and as she had fulfilled her part of the agreement, he did
+not think it right that they should fail in theirs. Influenced by these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.113" id="Page_2.113">[Pg 113]</a></span>
+representations, a division might thus have taken place among themselves,
+had not Morton fallen on an expedient to silence the scruples of Grange.
+He produced a letter, which he alleged Mary had just written to Bothwell,
+and which he had intercepted, in which she was made to declare, that she
+was resolved never to abandon him, although for a time she might be
+obliged to yield to circumstances. Kircaldy, possessing all the blunt
+sincerity of a soldier, and being little given to suspicion, was startled
+by this letter, and left Morton, in consequence, to take his own way. That
+the pretended epistle was in truth a mere hasty forgery, is proved to
+demonstration, by the fact that, important as such a document would have
+been, it was never afterwards alluded to by the Lords, nor produced in
+evidence along with the other papers they so laboriously collected to lay
+before Elizabeth&#8217;s Commissioners. From this specimen of their honesty, we
+may guess what reliance is to be placed on the authenticity of writings,
+subsequently scraped together by men who, on the spur of the moment,
+executed a forgery so clumsily, that they were unable to avail themselves
+of it on any future occasion. But Morton&#8217;s intriguing spirit was again
+busily at work; and having the Queen&#8217;s person once more in his possession,
+and being apparently supported by the people, he was determined on taking
+a step which would secure him Elizabeth&#8217;s lasting gratitude, and might
+ultimately raise him to the regency of Scotland. He, therefore, veered
+suddenly round; and though he had asserted, on the 12th of June, that Mary
+was kept in unwilling bondage by Bothwell, he saw<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.114" id="Page_2.114">[Pg 114]</a></span> it prudent to maintain
+on the 15th, that there was no man in Scotland to whom she was so
+passionately attached. In support of this assertion, the letter became a
+necessary fabrication; and Morton well knew that a political falsehood,
+though credited only for a day, may be made a useful engine in the hands
+of a skilful workman.</p>
+
+<p>It would appear, however, that a night&#8217;s reflection operated a
+considerable change in the minds of the ever-fluctuating populace. In the
+course of the 16th, they collected before the Provost&#8217;s house; and the
+Queen having come several times to the window, and represented to them
+strongly the iniquity of the constraint in which she was kept by her own
+nobles who had betrayed her, a general feeling began to manifest itself in
+her favour. Morton and his colleagues no sooner perceived this change,
+than they waited on the Queen, and, with the most consummate hypocrisy,
+protested that she had quite mistaken their intentions, and that, to
+convince her of their sincerity, they should immediately replace her in
+the palace of Holyrood. Mary listened to them, and was again deceived. In
+the evening, as if to fulfil their promise, they conducted her to
+Holyrood, Morton walking respectfully on one side of her horse, and Athol
+on the other. But when she reached the Palace, she was as strictly watched
+as ever; and about midnight, to her terror and surprise, they suddenly
+came to her, and forcing her to disguise herself in an ordinary
+riding-habit, mounted her on horseback, and rode off, without informing
+her whither she was going. She was escorted by the Lords Ruthven and
+Lindsay, and, after riding all night, arrived at the castle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.115" id="Page_2.115">[Pg 115]</a></span> of Loch-Leven
+early in the morning. This castle was a place of considerable strength,
+standing on a small island in the centre of the lake, which is ten or
+twelve miles in circumference. It was possessed by Lady Douglas, the Lady
+of Loch-Leven, as she was commonly called, the widow of Sir Robert
+Douglas, and mother to the Earl of Murray, by James V. &#8220;It is needless to
+observe,&#8221; says Keith, &#8220;how proper a place this was for the design of the
+rebels, the house being surrounded with water on all sides, for the space,
+at shortest, of half a mile; and the proprietors of it being so nearly
+related to some principal persons among them, in whom, therefore, they
+could the more securely confide. And indeed it has been said, that the
+Lady Loch-Leven answered the expectation of the Lords to the full, having
+basely insulted the captive Queen&#8217;s misfortune, and bragged, besides, that
+she herself was King James V.&#8217;s lawful wife, and her son, the Earl of
+Murray, his legitimate issue, and true heir of the crown. The Lady
+Loch-Leven was not only mother to the Earl of Murray, but likewise to the
+Lord Lindsay&#8217;s lady, by her husband Robert Douglas of Loch-Leven. The
+family of Loch-Leven was moreover heirs-apparent to that of Morton; and to
+that family they did actually succeed some time after. The Lord Ruthven
+also had to wife a natural daughter of the Earl of Angus;&mdash;all which
+considerations centering together in one, made the house of Loch-Leven,
+humanly speaking, a most sure and close prison for the Royal
+captive.&#8221;<a name='fna_108' id='fna_108' href='#f_108'><small>[108]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.116" id="Page_2.116">[Pg 116]</a></span>To give an air of something like justice to a measure so violent and
+unexpected, Morton and his friends endeavoured to sanction it by what they
+were pleased to term an Act of Privy Council. They experienced, however,
+no little difficulty in determining on the proper mode of expressing this
+act. They recollected the proclamations in the Queen&#8217;s favour to which
+they had so recently put their names; they recollected also the solemn
+engagement into which they had entered at Carberry Hill; and though
+<i>might</i> was with them of greater value than <i>right</i>, they did not choose,
+if they could avoid it, to stand convicted of treason in the face of the
+whole country. They tried, therefore, to excuse the step they had taken,
+by asserting, that though they still believed her Majesty had unwillingly
+married Bothwell, and had been kept in bondage by him, and that, though
+she had quitted his company for theirs at Carberry, yet that after they
+had &#8220;opened and declared unto her Highness her own estate and condition,
+and the miserable estate of this realm, with the danger that her dearest
+son the Prince stood in, requiring that she would suffer and command the
+murder and authors thereof to be punished, they found in her Majesty such
+untowardness and repugnance thereto, that rather she appeared to fortify
+and maintain the said Earl Bothwell and his accomplices in the said wicked
+crimes.&#8221; The truth of this statement is directly contradicted by the
+transactions of the 15th of June, when Mary, though at the head of an
+army, had agreed to do every thing the Lords desired, and when, with a
+degree of facility only to be accounted for on the supposition that she
+was anxious to escape from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.117" id="Page_2.117">[Pg 117]</a></span> company, she had separated herself finally
+from Bothwell in the face of the whole world. So far from charging her
+with &#8220;fortifying&#8221; and &#8220;maintaining&#8221; him in his crimes, these Lords
+themselves declared, on the 11th, that they had assembled &#8220;to deliver
+their sovereign&#8217;s most noble person out of bondage and captivity;&#8221; and, a
+month afterwards, they told the English ambassador they &#8220;firmly believed
+the Queen would not have lived with Bothwell half a year to an end.&#8221;<a name='fna_109' id='fna_109' href='#f_109'><small>[109]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In addition to this act of Privy Council, which was no doubt the
+production of Morton, and is signed by him and Athol, and six other
+noblemen of less note, a bond of association was drawn up the same day, in
+which an explanation was given at greater length, of the system on which
+the Lords were about to proceed. It is a remarkable feature of this bond,
+that, in so far as Mary is concerned, it very materially contradicts the
+act of Council. Instead of containing any accusation against her, it
+represents her throughout as having been the victim of force and fraud. It
+commences by stating the conviction of the subscribers, that Bothwell was
+the murderer of Darnley, and that, had he himself not taken means to
+prevent a fair trial, he would have been convicted of the crime. It goes
+on to assert, that, adding wickedness to wickedness, the Earl had
+treasonably, and without any reverence for his native Prince, carried her
+prisoner to his castle at Dunbar, and had afterwards pretended unlawfully
+to marry her; which being accomplished, his cruel and ambitious nature
+immediately showed itself, &#8220;no nobleman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.118" id="Page_2.118">[Pg 118]</a></span> daring to resort to her Majesty
+to speak with her without suspicion, unless in his presence and hearing,
+and her chamber-doors being continually watched by armed men.&#8221; It is
+therefore maintained that their interference was necessary, both on
+account of the &#8220;shameful thraldom&#8221; in which the Queen was kept, and the
+great danger of the young Prince, her only son. They had taken up arms,
+they say, against Bothwell, and to deliver their sovereign; and though
+they had already chased him from his unlawful authority, they considered
+themselves obliged to continue in arms till &#8220;the authors of the murder and
+ravishing were condignly punished, the pretended marriage dissolved, their
+sovereign relieved of the thraldom, bondage, and ignominy, which she had
+sustained, and still underlies by the said Earl&#8217;s fault, the person of the
+innocent prince placed in safety, and, finally, justice restored and
+uprightly administered to all the subjects of the realm.&#8221;<a name='fna_110' id='fna_110' href='#f_110'><small>[110]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>This, then, was all the length to which Morton and the other Lords, as yet
+ventured. They had sent Mary to Loch-Leven, merely to keep her at a safe
+distance from Bothwell; and as soon as they had seized his person, or
+driven him from the kingdom, it was of course implied that they would
+restore their sovereign to her throne. They did not hint, in the most
+distant manner, that she was in the least implicated in the guilt of her
+husband&#8217;s death; and they expressly declared that, for every thing which
+had taken place since, Bothwell alone was to blame. Judging by their own
+words, they entertained as much respect for the Queen as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.119" id="Page_2.119">[Pg 119]</a></span> ever; and the
+impression they gave to the country was, that they intended she should
+remain at Loch-Leven only for a short time, and that so far from meaning
+to punish one whom they accused of no crime, by forcing from her an
+abdication of her crown, and condemning her to perpetual imprisonment,
+they would soon be found rallying round her, and conducting her back to
+her capital in triumph. These may have been the hopes entertained by some;
+but they forgot that Morton, who was at the head of the new faction, had
+assassinated Rizzio, and countenanced the murder of Darnley;&mdash;and that
+Murray, though at present in France, had left the country only till new
+disturbances should afford new prospects for his inordinate ambition.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.120" id="Page_2.120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII.2" id="CHAPTER_VII.2"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">MARY AT LOCHLEVEN, HER ABDICATION, AND MURRAY&#8217;S REGENCY.</span></p>
+
+<p>Scotland was now in the most unfortunate condition in which a country
+could possibly be. Like a ship without a pilot, it was left at the mercy
+of a hundred contrary opinions; and it was not long before there sprung
+out of these two opposing currents or distinct parties, known by the name
+of the Queen&#8217;s and the Prince&#8217;s. Morton and his friends calling themselves
+the Prince&#8217;s Lords, continued at Edinburgh; whilst the Queen&#8217;s nobles
+assembled at Hamilton Palace in very considerable force, having among
+them, besides the Hamiltons, Huntly, (who had been allowed by Sir James
+Balfour to escape from the Castle of Edinburgh, in which he had taken
+shelter some time before), Argyle, (who, though he had at first joined
+with Morton and Mar at Stirling, when they announced their determination
+to keep the Prince out of Bothwell&#8217;s hands, never intended taking up arms
+against the Queen), Rothes, Caithness, Crawfurd, Boyd, Herries,
+Livingston, Seaton, Ogilvie, and others.<a name='fna_111' id='fna_111' href='#f_111'><small>[111]</small></a> Morton laboured to effect a
+coalition<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.121" id="Page_2.121">[Pg 121]</a></span> with these Lords; but though he employed the mediation of the
+General Assembly, they would not consent to any proposals he made them.
+Buchanan himself is forced to allow, that affairs took a very different
+turn from what was expected. &#8220;For popular envy being abated, partly by
+time, and partly by the consideration of the uncertainty of human affairs,
+commiseration succeeded; nay, some of the nobility did then no less bewail
+the Queen&#8217;s calamity than they had before execrated her cruelty.&#8221;<a name='fna_112' id='fna_112' href='#f_112'><small>[112]</small></a> The
+truth is, that Mary&#8217;s friends were at this time much more numerous than
+her enemies; but unfortunately they were not sufficiently unanimous in
+their councils, to be able to take any decisive steps in her behalf.</p>
+
+<p>Morton earnestly laboured to increase the popularity of his faction by
+every means in his power. To please the multitude, he apprehended several
+persons, whom he accused of being implicated in the murder of Darnley; and
+though he probably knew them to be innocent, they were all condemned and
+executed, with the exception of Sebastian, the Queen&#8217;s servant, who was
+seized with the view of casting suspicion on Mary herself, but who
+contrived to escape.<a name='fna_113' id='fna_113' href='#f_113'><small>[113]</small></a> Thus, they who blamed Mary for being too remiss
+in seeking out and punishing the murderers, were able to console
+themselves with the reflection, that, under the new order of things,
+persons were iniquitously executed for the sake of appearances, by those
+who had themselves been Bothwell&#8217;s accomplices. Against Bothwell himself,
+Morton, for his own sake, proceeded with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.122" id="Page_2.122">[Pg 122]</a></span> more caution. It was not till
+the 26th of June, that letters were addressed to the keeper of the Castle
+at Dunbar, ordering him to deliver up his charge, because he had received
+and protected Bothwell; and, on the same day, a proclamation was issued,
+offering the moderate reward of a thousand crowns to any one who should
+apprehend the Earl.<a name='fna_114' id='fna_114' href='#f_114'><small>[114]</small></a> It is singular that these Lords, who were so
+fully convinced of his criminality, not only allowed him to depart
+unmolested from Carberry Hill, but took no steps, for ten days afterwards,
+towards securing his person.</p>
+
+<p>The precise period at which Bothwell left Dunbar, the efforts he made to
+regain his authority in Scotland, and in general, most of the particulars
+of his subsequent fate, are not accurately known. He entered, no doubt,
+into correspondence with the noblemen assembled at Hamilton; but probably
+received from them little encouragement, as it was the Queen&#8217;s cause, not
+his, in which they were interested. He then retired to the North, where he
+possessed estates as Duke of Orkney, and some influence with his kinsman,
+the Bishop of Murray. As soon as his flight thither was known, Grange and
+Tullibardin were sent in pursuit of him, with several vessels which were
+fitted out on purpose. Hearing of their approach, Bothwell fled towards
+the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and, being closely followed, was there
+very nearly captured. His pursuers were at one time within gun-shot of his
+ship, and it must have been taken, had not the vessels of Grange and
+Tullibardin, in the very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.123" id="Page_2.123">[Pg 123]</a></span> heat of the chase, both struck upon a sunken
+rock, which Bothwell, either because his pilot was better acquainted with
+the seas, or because his ship was lighter, avoided. They were, however,
+fortunate enough to seize some of his accomplices, who were brought to
+Edinburgh, and having been tried and condemned, made the confessions which
+have been already referred to, and by which the particulars of the murder
+became known. Bothwell himself proceeded to Denmark, imagining that the
+King of that country, Frederick II., who was distantly related to Mary,
+through her great-grandmother Margaret of Denmark, the spouse of James
+III., might be disposed to interest himself in his behalf. But finding
+that the circumstances under which he had left Scotland, would prevent him
+from appearing at the Danish Court with so much <i>eclat</i> as he desired, he
+ventured on enriching his treasury, by making a seizure of one or two
+merchantmen, trading in the North Seas. These practices were discovered; a
+superior force was fitted out against him; and he was carried into a
+Danish port, not as an exiled prince, but as a captive pirate. He was
+there thrown into prison without ceremony; and though he lost no time in
+letting his name and rank be known to the government, it does not appear
+that the discovery operated greatly in his favour. He was retained in
+durance for many years, the King of Denmark neither choosing to surrender
+him to Elizabeth or his enemies in Scotland, nor thinking it right to
+offend them by restoring him to liberty, so long at least as Mary herself
+remained a prisoner. Broken down by misfortune, and perhaps assailed by
+remorse, Bothwell is believed to have been in a state of mental
+derangement<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.124" id="Page_2.124">[Pg 124]</a></span> for several years before his death. There can be no doubt
+that he died miserably; and he seems, even in this life, to have paid the
+penalty of his crimes, if any earthly penalty could atone for the misery
+he brought on the innocent victim of his lawless ambition and systematic
+villany. His character may be summed up in the words of our great poet:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="poem">&#8220;Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy;<br />
+Thy schooldays frightful, desp&#8217;rate, wild, and furious;<br />
+Thy prime of manhood daring, bold, and venturous;<br />
+Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody.&#8221;<a name='fna_115' id='fna_115' href='#f_115'><small>[115]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In the meantime, foreign courts were not inattentive to the state of
+affairs in Scotland. An ambassador arrived from Mary&#8217;s friends in France;
+but finding, to his astonishment, that she was imprisoned, and that some
+of the nobility had usurped the government, he refused to acknowledge
+their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.125" id="Page_2.125">[Pg 125]</a></span> authority, and immediately left the country. Elizabeth&#8217;s messenger,
+who came about the same time, was less scrupulous; and, indeed, few things
+could have given that Queen greater satisfaction, than the turn which
+Scottish affairs had recently taken. In the letters she sent by her
+ambassador Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, are discovered all that duplicity,
+affected sincerity, and real heartlessness, which so constantly
+distinguish the despatches of Cecil and his mistress. After taking it for
+granted, in direct opposition to the declarations of the rebel Lords
+themselves, that Mary had given her consent to the hasty marriage with
+Bothwell, and that she was consequently implicated in all his guilt,
+Elizabeth proceeds with no little contradiction, to assure her good sister
+that she considers her imprisonment entirely unjustifiable. But the
+insincerity of her desire, that the Queen of Scots should recover her
+liberty, is evinced by the very idle conditions she suggests should first
+be imposed upon her. These are, that the murderers of Darnley should be
+immediately prosecuted and punished, and that the young Prince should be
+preserved free from all danger;&mdash;just as if Mary could punish murderers
+before they were discovered or taken, unless, indeed, she chose to follow
+the example of her Lords, and condemn the innocent; and as if she had lost
+the natural affection of a mother, and would have delivered her only son
+to be butchered, as his father had been. In short, Morton and his
+colleagues had no difficulty in perceiving, that though Elizabeth thought
+it necessary, for the sake of appearances, to pretend to be displeased
+with them, yet that they had, in truth, never stood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.126" id="Page_2.126">[Pg 126]</a></span> higher in her good
+graces. They well knew, as they had observed in the case of Murray, and
+experienced in their own, that Elizabeth seldom said what she meant, or
+meant what she said.</p>
+
+<p>But to put her conduct on the present occasion in a still clearer light,
+the reader will be somewhat surprised to learn, that Throckmorton brought
+with him into Scotland two distinct sets of &#8220;Instructions,&#8221; both bearing
+the same date (June 30th 1567), the one of which was to be shown to Mary,
+and the other to the rebel Lords. In the former, she expresses the
+greatest indignation at the Queen&#8217;s imprisonment, and threatens vengeance
+on all her enemies. In the latter, the Lords are spoken of in a much more
+confidential and friendly manner. They are told, that Elizabeth thought it
+requisite to send an ambassador; but that he came to solicit nothing that
+was not for the general weal of the realm; and that, if she were allowed
+to mediate between their Queen and them, &#8220;they should have no just cause
+to mislike her doings,&#8221; because she would consent to nothing that was not
+&#8220;for their security hereafter, and for quietness to the realm.&#8221; Nay, she
+even desired Throckmorton to assure them, that she &#8220;meant not to allow of
+such faults as she hears <i>by report</i> are imputed to the Queen of Scots,
+but had given him strictly in charge to lay before, and to <i>reprove her</i>,
+in her name, for the same.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;And in the end also,&#8221; she adds, &#8220;we mean not
+with any such partiality to deal for her, but that her princely state
+being preserved, she should conform herself to all reasonable devices that
+may bring a good accord betwixt her and her nobility and people.&#8221; Thus she
+was to take upon herself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.127" id="Page_2.127">[Pg 127]</a></span> to reprove Mary for faults which &#8220;<i>she heard by
+report were imputed to her</i>;&#8221; and to insist, though she herself was of
+opinion that she had been unlawfully imprisoned, that she should enter
+into negotiations with her rebel subjects, which would compromise her
+dignity, and even impugn her character.<a name='fna_116' id='fna_116' href='#f_116'><small>[116]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>When Throckmorton came into Scotland, in July 1567, although he was
+allowed no more access to the Queen than had been granted to the French
+ambassador, yet, as his instructions authorized him to treat with the
+Lords of Secret Council, he of course remained. From them he received an
+explanation of their late proceedings, containing some of the most glaring
+contradictions ever exhibited in a State paper. They do not throw out the
+most distant suspicion of the Queen being implicated in Bothwell&#8217;s guilt;
+on the contrary, they continue to express their conviction that she became
+his wife very unwillingly, and only after force had been used; but they
+allege, as their reason for imprisoning her, the change which took place
+in her mind an hour or two after she parted with her husband at Carberry
+Hill. They state, that, immediately after, Bothwell, &#8220;caring little or
+nothing for her Majesty&#8221; left her to save himself, and that after she,
+caring as little for him, had parted company from him, and voluntarily
+come with them to Edinburgh, they all at once, and most unexpectedly,
+&#8220;found her passion so prevail in maintenance of him and his cause, that
+she would not with patience hear speak any thing to his reproof,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.128" id="Page_2.128">[Pg 128]</a></span> or
+suffer his doings to be called in question; but, on the contrary, offered
+to give over the realm and all, so that she might be suffered to enjoy
+him, with many threatenings to be revenged on every man who had dealt in
+the matter.&#8221;<a name='fna_117' id='fna_117' href='#f_117'><small>[117]</small></a> This was surely a very sudden and inexplicable change of
+mind; for, in the very same letter, with an inconsistency which might
+almost have startled themselves, these veracious Lords declare, that &#8220;the
+Queen, their Sovereign, had been led captive, and, by fear, force, and
+other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to become
+bed-fellow to another wife&#8217;s husband;&#8221; that even though they had not
+interfered, &#8220;she would not have lived with him half a year to an end;&#8221; and
+that at Carberry Hill, a separation voluntary on both sides took place.
+Was it, therefore, for a moment to be credited, that during the short
+interval of a few hours, which elapsed between this separation and Mary&#8217;s
+imprisonment in Loch-Leven, she could either have so entirely altered her
+sentiments regarding Bothwell, or, if they had in truth never been
+unfavourable, so foolishly and unnecessarily betrayed them, as to convince
+her nobility, that to secure their own safety, and force her to live apart
+from him, no plan would be of any avail, but that of shutting her up in a
+strong and remote castle? And even if this expedient appeared advisable at
+the moment, did they think that, if Mary was now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.129" id="Page_2.129">[Pg 129]</a></span> restored to liberty, she
+would set sail for Denmark, and join Bothwell in his prison there? No;
+they did not go so far; for, in conclusion, they assured Throckmorton,
+that, &#8220;knowing the great wisdom wherewith God hath endowed her,&#8221; they
+anticipated that within a short time her mind would be settled, and that
+as soon as &#8220;by a just trial they had made the truth appear, she would
+conform herself to their doings.&#8221;<a name='fna_118' id='fna_118' href='#f_118'><small>[118]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;By the above answer,&#8221; says Keith, &#8220;I make no doubt but my readers will be
+ready enough to prognosticate what shall be the upshot of Sir Nicholas
+Throckmorton&#8217;s negotiations with the rebels in favour of our Queen.&#8221; There
+can be no doubt that the same motives (whatever these might be) which led
+to Mary&#8217;s imprisonment, would have equal force in keeping her there. The
+whole history of this conspiracy may be explained in a few words. When
+Morton and the other Lords took up arms at Stirling, they were, to a
+certain extent, sincere; they believed (especially those of them who had
+been his accomplices) that Bothwell was the murderer of Darnley, and that
+he was anxiously endeavouring to get the young Prince into his power. This
+they determined to prevent, and having won over Sir James Balfour, the
+governor of the Castle, they advanced to Edinburgh. Bothwell retired to
+Dunbar, taking the Queen along with him. But the Lords knew that Mary
+entertained no affection for her husband, and they therefore hoped to
+create a division between them. They accomplished this object at Carberry
+Hill, and reconducted the Queen to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.130" id="Page_2.130">[Pg 130]</a></span>Edinburgh. There, though not sorry
+that she had parted from her husband, Mary did not express any high
+approbation of the conduct of Lords who, when she was first seized by
+Bothwell, did not draw a sword in her defence, and now that she had become
+his wife, according to their own express recommendation recorded in the
+bond they had given him, openly rebelled against the authority with which
+they had induced her to intrust him. Morton recollected at the same time
+his share in Rizzio&#8217;s assassination, and the disastrous consequences which
+ensued, as soon as Mary made her escape from the thraldom in which he had
+then kept her for several days. He determined not to expose himself to a
+similar risk now, especially as he had an army at his command; if he
+disbanded it, he might be executed as a traitor,&mdash;if he remained at the
+head of it, he might become Regent of Scotland. These were the secret
+motives by which his conduct was regulated;&mdash;having taken one step he
+thought he might venture to go on with another; he commenced with
+defending the son, and ended by dethroning the mother.</p>
+
+<p>Four different plans were now in agitation, by adopting any of which it
+was thought the troubles of the kingdom might be brought to a conclusion.
+The first was suggested by the Queen&#8217;s friends assembled at Hamilton;
+their proposal was, to restore the Queen to her liberty and throne, having
+previously bound her, by an express agreement, to pardon the rebel Lords,
+to watch over the safety of the Prince, to consent to a divorce from
+Bothwell, and to punish all persons implicated in the murder of Darnley.
+The other three schemes came from Morton and his party, and were worthy of
+the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.131" id="Page_2.131">[Pg 131]</a></span> source from which they came. The <i>first</i> was, to make the Queen
+resign all government and regal authority in favour of her son, under whom
+a Council of the nobility should govern the realm, whilst she herself
+should retire to France or England, and never again return to her own
+country. The <i>second</i> was, to have the Queen tried, to condemn her, to
+keep her in prison for life, and to crown the Prince. The <i>third</i> was, to
+have her tried, condemned, and executed,&mdash;a measure which would have
+disgraced Scotland in even its most barbarous times, and which nothing but
+the violence of party feeling could now have suggested.<a name='fna_119' id='fna_119' href='#f_119'><small>[119]</small></a> The English
+ambassador, knowing the wishes of his mistress, did not hesitate to assure
+her that there was no probability of any of the more lenient proposals
+being adopted; and he took care to remind the Lords, that &#8220;it would be
+convenient for them so to proceed, as that by their doings they should not
+wipe away the Queen&#8217;s infamy, and the Lord Bothwell&#8217;s detestable murder,
+and by their outrageous dealings bring all the slander upon themselves.&#8221;
+At Morton&#8217;s request, he likewise suggested to Elizabeth, that it would be
+proper to send a supply of ten or twelve thousand crowns to aid the Lords
+in their present increased expenditure; and this he said was the more
+necessary, because Lethington and others had reminded him that,
+notwithstanding all her Majesty&#8217;s fair words, Murray, Morton, and the
+rest, &#8220;had in their troubles found cold relief and small favour at her
+Majesty&#8217;s hands.&#8221;<a name='fna_120' id='fna_120' href='#f_120'><small>[120]</small></a> No wonder that, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.132" id="Page_2.132">[Pg 132]</a></span> moments when his better nature
+prevailed, Throckmorton felt disgusted with the double part he was obliged
+to act, and spoke &#8220;honestly and plainly&#8221; of it to Melville. &#8220;Yea,&#8221; says
+Sir James, &#8220;he detested the whole counsel of England for the time, and
+told us friendly what reasoning they held among themselves to that end;
+namely, how that one of their finest counsellors (Cecil) proposed openly
+to the rest, that it was needful for the welfare of England, to foster and
+nourish the civil wars, as well in France and in Flanders, as in Scotland;
+whereby England might reap many advantages, and be sought after by all
+parties, and in the meantime live in rest, and gather great riches. This
+advice and proposition was well liked by most part of the Council; yet an
+honest counsellor stood up and said, it was a very worldly advice, and had
+little or nothing to do with a Christian commonweal.&#8221;<a name='fna_121' id='fna_121' href='#f_121'><small>[121]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Murray was in the meantime anxiously watching the progress of
+affairs in Scotland, and, though still in France, had so contrived, that
+he possessed as much influence in the counsels of the nation as Morton
+himself. The Lords indeed had long been in close correspondence with him.
+Letters from them were forwarded to him by Cecil, who exchanged frequent
+communications with Murray; and, on the 26th of June, four days before
+Throckmorton left London for Scotland, Cecil wrote to the English
+ambassador at Paris, that &#8220;Murray&#8217;s return into Scotland was much desired,
+for the weal both of England and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.133" id="Page_2.133">[Pg 133]</a></span> Scotland.&#8221;<a name='fna_122' id='fna_122' href='#f_122'><small>[122]</small></a> But as Murray had
+attempted to ingratiate himself at the French Court, by exaggerating his
+fidelity to Mary, he found it impossible to disengage himself immediately
+from the connexions he had there made, not anticipating so sudden a
+revolution in the state of affairs at home. He sent, however, an agent
+into Scotland, of the name of Elphinston, whom he commissioned to attend
+to his interests, and whom the Lords allowed to visit the Queen at
+Loch-Leven, though they refused every body else. It is not likely that
+Morton, who had thus a second time been engaged in setting up a ladder for
+Murray to ascend by, was altogether pleased to find that he could not
+obtain the first place for himself. As soon as he determined to force Mary
+to abdicate the Crown, he saw that he would be obliged to yield the
+Regency to Murray, supported as that nobleman was, both by his numerous
+friends in England and Scotland, and the earnest recommendations of Knox
+and the other preachers, who, in their anxiety to see their old patron
+once more Lord of the ascendant, &#8220;took pieces of Scripture, and inveighed
+vehemently against the Queen, and persuaded extremities against her, by
+application of the text.&#8221;<a name='fna_123' id='fna_123' href='#f_123'><small>[123]</small></a> Morton, however, consoled himself with the
+reflection, that he was in great favour with Murray, and that, by acting
+in concert with him, he would enjoy a scarcely inferior degree of power
+and honour.</p>
+
+<p>Preparatory to extorting from her an abdication,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.134" id="Page_2.134">[Pg 134]</a></span> the Lords anxiously
+circulated a report, that the Queen was devotedly and almost insanely
+attached to Bothwell. They did not venture, it is true, to put this
+attachment to the test, by publicly offering her reasonable terms of
+accommodation, which, if she had refused, all men would have acknowledged
+her infatuation, and deserted her cause;&mdash;they brought her to no
+trial,&mdash;they proved her guilty of no crime; all they did was to endeavour
+to impose upon the vulgar. They asserted that Mary would not agree to
+prosecute the perpetrators of the murder, after she had already prosecuted
+them,&mdash;and that she would not consent to abandon a husband whom she had
+already abandoned, and with whom, they themselves had declared, only a few
+weeks before, she could not, under any circumstances, have lived for many
+months. Throckmorton, who was willing enough to propagate all the absurd
+falsehoods they told him, wrote to Elizabeth,&mdash;&#8220;she avoweth constantly
+that she will live and die with him; and saith, that if it were put to her
+choice to relinquish her Crown and kingdom, or the Lord Bothwell, she
+would leave her kingdom and dignity, to go as a simple damsel with him;
+and that she will never consent that he shall fare worse, or have more
+harm than herself.&#8221;<a name='fna_124' id='fna_124' href='#f_124'><small>[124]</small></a> But the numerous party in favour of the Queen
+openly avowed their disbelief of these reports; and Elizabeth herself, who
+began to fear that, in sending Throckmorton to the rebel Lords, she had
+countenanced the weaker side, wrote to her <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.135" id="Page_2.135">[Pg 135]</a></span>ambassador on the 29th of
+August in the following terms, which, as they are used by an enemy so
+determined as Elizabeth, speak volumes in favour of Mary:&mdash;&#8220;We cannot
+perceive, that they, with whom they have dealt, can answer the doubts
+moved by the Hamiltons, who, howsoever they may be carried for their
+private respects, yet those things which they move will be allowed by all
+reasonable persons. For if they may not, being noblemen of the realm, be
+suffered to hear the Queen, their Sovereign, declare her mind concerning
+the reports which are made of her by such as keep her in captivity, how
+should they believe the reports, or obey them which do report it?&#8221;<a name='fna_125' id='fna_125' href='#f_125'><small>[125]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>That Mary refused to return to her throne, unless Bothwell was placed upon
+it beside her, is an assertion so ridiculous, that no time need be lost in
+refuting it. That she may not have chosen to submit to an immediate
+divorce from one whom all her nobility had recommended to her as a
+husband, and by whom she might possibly have a child, is within the verge
+of probability. She would naturally be anxious to avoid doing any thing
+which would be equivalent with acknowledging her belief of his guilt, and
+might have appeared to implicate her in the suspicion attached to him. She
+had not married Bothwell till he had been judicially acquitted; and were
+she to consent to be divorced from him before he was again tried, she
+would seem to confess, that she had previously sanctioned a procedure
+possessing the show of justice, without the substance.<a name='fna_126' id='fna_126' href='#f_126'><small>[126]</small></a> There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.136" id="Page_2.136">[Pg 136]</a></span> can be
+no doubt, however, that if Bothwell&#8217;s guilt had been distinctly proved to
+her, and if she could have disunited herself from him without injury to
+her reputation or her prospects, she would have been the very last person
+to have objected either to see Darnley&#8217;s death revenged, or herself freed
+from an alliance into which she had been forced against her will.</p>
+
+<p>But the Lords of Secret Council, conscious as they were of the injustice
+of their proceedings, had gone too far to recede, and were determined not
+to rest satisfied with any half-measures. On the 24th of July 1567, Lord
+Lindsay and Sir Robert Melville (brother to Sir James), were commissioned
+to pass to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.137" id="Page_2.137">[Pg 137]</a></span> Loch-Leven, and to carry with them deeds or instruments of
+abdication.<a name='fna_127' id='fna_127' href='#f_127'><small>[127]</small></a> These instruments were three in number. By the first,
+Mary was made to resign the Crown in favour of her son,&mdash;by the second, to
+constitute the Earl of Murray Regent during his nonage,&mdash;and, by the
+third, to appoint a Council to administer the Government until Murray&#8217;s
+return home, and, if he should refuse to accept of the regency, until her
+son&#8217;s majority. It was of course well known to the rebels, that the Queen
+would not willingly affix her signature to deeds by which she was to
+surrender all power, and to reduce herself at once to the station of a
+subject, without receiving in return any promise of liberty, or the
+enjoyment of a single worldly good. Yet they had the effrontery to aver,
+that rather than submit to a separation from one with whom &#8220;she could not
+have lived half-a-year to an end,&#8221; she preferred becoming a landless and
+crownless pensioner, on the bounty of such men as Morton and his
+accomplices.</p>
+
+<p>Were we to single out the day in Mary&#8217;s whole life in which it might be
+fairly concluded that she suffered the most intense mental anguish, we
+should fix on the 25th of July 1567, the day on which the Commissioners
+had their audience. Shut up in a gloomy edifice, which, though dignified
+with the name of a castle, was little else than a square tower of three
+stories; and instead of a numerous assemblage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.138" id="Page_2.138">[Pg 138]</a></span> of obsequious nobles,
+attended by only three or four female servants;&mdash;it must have required a
+more than common spirit of queenly fortitude to support so great a reverse
+of fortune.<a name='fna_128' id='fna_128' href='#f_128'><small>[128]</small></a> But the misery of her situation was now to be increased a
+hundred fold, by a blow the severest she had yet experienced. When the
+report first reached her, that it was in contemplation to force her to
+abdicate her crown, she indignantly refused to believe so lawless an
+attempt possible. Mary had been all her life fond of power, and proud of
+her illustrious birth and rank; and there were few subjects on which she
+dwelt with greater pleasure, than her unsullied descent from a &#8220;centenary
+line of kings.&#8221; Was she now, without a struggle, to surrender the crown of
+the Stuarts into the hands of the bastard Murray, or the blood-stained
+Morton? Was she to submit to the bitter mockery, introduced in the very
+preamble to the instrument of demission, which stated, that, ever since
+her arrival in her realm, she had &#8220;employed her body, spirit, whole senses
+and forces, to govern in such sort,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.139" id="Page_2.139">[Pg 139]</a></span> that her royal and honourable estate
+might stand and continue with her and her posterity, and that her loving
+and kind lieges might enjoy the quietness of true subjects;&#8221; but that,
+being now wearied with the fatigues of administration, she wished to lay
+down her sceptre?<a name='fna_129' id='fna_129' href='#f_129'><small>[129]</small></a> Even though prepared to lay it down, was she also
+to countenance falsehood, and practise dissimulation?</p>
+
+<p>When the commissioners arrived at Lochleven, Sir Robert Melville, knowing
+that Lindsay was personally disagreeable to his Sovereign, came to her at
+first alone. Opening to her his errand, and, addressing her with respect,
+and professions of attachment (for she had often employed him before about
+her person, or as her ambassador to foreign courts), he urged every
+argument he could think of to persuade her to affix her signature to the
+deeds. She listened to him with calm dignity and unshaken resolution. She
+heard him describe the distracted state of Scotland&mdash;the impossibility of
+ever prevailing on all parties to submit again to her sway&mdash;the virulence
+of her enemies, and the apparent lukewarmness of her friends. She allowed
+him to proceed from these more general topics, to others more intimately
+connected with her own person. She listened to his assurance, that, if she
+continued obstinate, it was determined to bring her to trial,&mdash;to blacken
+her character, by accusing her of incontinency, not only with Bothwell,
+but with others, and of the murder of her late husband, and, upon whatever
+evidence, to condemn and execute her.<a name='fna_130' id='fna_130' href='#f_130'><small>[130]</small></a> But she remained unmoved, and
+preserved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.140" id="Page_2.140">[Pg 140]</a></span> the same composure of manner, though not without many a secret
+throb of pain, at the discovery of the utter ingratitude and perfidy of
+those whom she had so often befriended and advanced. As a last expedient,
+Melville produced a letter from Throckmorton, in which the ambassador
+advised her to consult her personal safety, by consenting to an
+abdication&mdash;a somewhat singular advice to be given by one who affected to
+have come into Scotland for the express purpose of securing her
+restoration to the throne.<a name='fna_131' id='fna_131' href='#f_131'><small>[131]</small></a> But she only remarked on this letter, that
+it convinced her of the insincerity of Elizabeth&#8217;s promises of assistance.</p>
+
+<p>Melville now saw that there was no alternative, and that Lindsay must be
+called in to his assistance. Notorious for being one of the most
+passionate men in Scotland, Lindsay burst into the Queen&#8217;s presence, with
+the instruments in his hands, and rage sparkling in his eyes. Mary, for
+the first time, became agitated, for she recollected the evening of
+Rizzio&#8217;s murder, when Lindsay stood beside the gaunt form of Ruthven,
+instigating him to the commission of that deed of cruelty. With fearful
+oaths and imprecations, this unmannered barbarian, entitled to be called a
+man only because he bore the external form of one, vowed, that unless she
+subscribed the deeds without delay, he would sign them himself with her
+blood, and seal them on her heart.<a name='fna_132' id='fna_132' href='#f_132'><small>[132]</small></a> Mary had a bold and masculine
+spirit; but, trembling under the prospect of immediate destruction, and
+imagining that she saw<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.141" id="Page_2.141">[Pg 141]</a></span> Lindsay&#8217;s dagger already drawn, she became
+suddenly pale and motionless, and would have fallen in a swoon, had not a
+flood of tears afforded her relief. Melville, moved perhaps to contrition
+by the depth of her misery, whispered in her ear, that instruments signed
+in captivity could not be considered valid, if she chose to revoke them
+when she regained her liberty. This suggestion may have had some weight;
+but almost before she had time to attend to it, Lindsay&#8217;s passion again
+broke forth, and, pointing to the lake which surrounded her confined
+residence, he swore that it should become her immediate grave, if she
+hesitated one moment longer. Driven to distraction, and scarcely knowing
+what she did, Mary seized a pen, and without reading a line of the
+voluminous writings before her, she affixed her name to each of them, as
+legibly as her tears would permit. The Commissioners then took their
+departure, secretly congratulating themselves, that, by a mixture of
+cunning and ferocity, they had gained their end. Mary, no longer a Queen,
+was left alone to the desolate solitude of her own gloomy thoughts.<a name='fna_133' id='fna_133' href='#f_133'><small>[133]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>As soon as Lord Lindsay returned to Edinburgh, and notified the success of
+his mission, it was determined by Morton and his associates that the
+Prince should be crowned with as little delay as possible. Sir James
+Melville, who was considered a moderate man by both parties, was sent to
+the Lords at Hamilton, to invite their concurrence and presence on the
+occasion. He was received<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.142" id="Page_2.142">[Pg 142]</a></span> courteously; but the nobility there would not
+agree to countenance proceedings which they denounced as treasonable. On
+the contrary, perceiving the turn which matters were about to take, they
+retired from Hamilton to Dumbarton, where they prepared for more active
+opposition. They signed a bond of mutual defence and assistance, in which
+they declared, that owing to the state of captivity in which the Queen was
+detained at Loch-Leven, her Majesty&#8217;s subjects were prevented from having
+free access to her, and that it therefore became their duty to endeavour
+to procure her freedom, by all lawful means, however strong the opposition
+that might be offered. This bond was signed by many persons of rank and
+influence, among whom were the Archbishop of St Andrews, the Earls of
+Argyle and Huntly, and the Lords Ross, Fleming, and Herries.<a name='fna_134' id='fna_134' href='#f_134'><small>[134]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>On the 29th of July 1567, James was publicly crowned at Stirling. He was
+anointed by Adam, Bishop of Orkney, in the parish church, and the Earl of
+Morton took the oath of coronation in the Prince&#8217;s name, who was little
+more than a year old. On returning in procession to the Castle, the Earl
+of Athol carried the crown, Morton the sceptre, Glencairn the sword, and
+Mar the new made King. All public writs were thenceforth issued, and the
+government was established, in the name and authority of James VI.<a name='fna_135' id='fna_135' href='#f_135'><small>[135]</small></a>
+The infant King was in the power of his mother&#8217;s deadliest enemies; and of
+course they resolved that neither her religion nor modes of thinking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.143" id="Page_2.143">[Pg 143]</a></span>
+should be transmitted to her son. Buchanan was appointed his principal
+tutor, and if early precept can ever counteract natural affection, there
+is good reason to suppose, that, together with her crown, the filial love
+of her child was taken from Mary.</p>
+
+<p>Only a few days after the coronation, the Earl of Murray returned to
+Scotland. He came by the way of London, where he concocted his future
+measures with Cecil and Elizabeth. He had some difficulty in fixing on the
+course which would be most expedient for him to pursue. He knew that the
+regency was about to be offered to him; but he also knew how unlawfully
+his sister&#8217;s abdication had been obtained, and that there was a strong
+party in Scotland who were still bent on supporting her authority. Were he
+at once to place himself at the head of a faction which might afterwards
+turn out to be the weaker of the two, he incurred the risk of falling from
+his temporary eminence lower than ever. He resolved therefore, with his
+usual caution, to feel his way before he took any decisive step. Sir James
+Melville was sent to meet him at Berwick; and from him he learned that
+even Morton&#8217;s Lords had by this time split into two parties, and that
+while one-half were of opinion that Murray should accept of the regency
+without delay, and give his approval to all that had been done in his
+absence, the other, among whom were Mar, Athol, Lethington, Tullibardin,
+and Grange, prayed him to bear himself gently and humbly towards the
+Queen, and to get as much into her favour as possible, as her Majesty was
+of &#8220;a clear wit, and princely inclination,&#8221; and the time might come when
+they would all wish her at liberty to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.144" id="Page_2.144">[Pg 144]</a></span> rule over them.<a name='fna_136' id='fna_136' href='#f_136'><small>[136]</small></a> Murray, who
+adopted on this occasion Elizabeth&#8217;s favourite maxim,&mdash;&#8220;<i>Video et taceo</i>,&#8221;
+disclosed his mind to no one, until he ascertained for himself the precise
+state of affairs, and of public feeling in Scotland.</p>
+
+<p>To be the better informed, he determined on visiting the Queen personally
+at Loch-Leven. He was accompanied by Athol, Morton, and Lindsay. When Mary
+saw her brother, a crowd of recollections rushing into her mind, she burst
+into tears, and it was some time before she could enter into conversation
+with him. At length she desired that the others would retire, and they had
+then a long private conference, of which the particulars are not fully
+known. Mary had flattered herself that she might place some reliance on
+Murray&#8217;s affection and gratitude, but she had egregiously mistaken his
+character. Having, by this time, secretly resolved to accept the regency
+at all hazards, his only desire was to impress her with a belief, that he
+assumed that office principally with the view of saving her from a severer
+fate, and that he was actually conferring a favour on her by taking her
+sceptre into his own hands. Reduced already to despair, the Queen
+listened, with tears in her eyes, to Murray&#8217;s representations, and at
+length became convinced of his sincerity, and thanked him for his promises
+of protection. Thus the Earl and his friends were able to give out, that
+Mary confirmed, by word of mouth, what she had formerly signed with her
+hand, and that she entreated her brother to accept the Government.<a name='fna_137' id='fna_137' href='#f_137'><small>[137]</small></a>
+Besides,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.145" id="Page_2.145">[Pg 145]</a></span> if she were ever restored to the throne, she would not be
+disposed to treat with severity one who had been artful enough to persuade
+her, that, in usurping her authority, he was doing her a service.</p>
+
+<p>On the 22d of August 1567, James, Earl of Murray, was proclaimed Regent;
+and, in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, before the Justice Clerk and others, he
+took the oaths, and accepted the charge. He first, however, made a long
+discourse, in which, with overacted humility, he stated his own
+insufficiency, and expressed a desire that the office had been conferred
+on some more worthy nobleman.<a name='fna_138' id='fna_138' href='#f_138'><small>[138]</small></a> But his scruples were easily conquered;
+and, under the title of Regent, he became, in fact, King of Scotland,
+until James VI. should attain the age of seventeen.<a name='fna_139' id='fna_139' href='#f_139'><small>[139]</small></a> He proceeded to
+establish himself in his Government by prudent and vigorous measures. He
+made himself master of the Castles of Edinburgh and Dunbar, and other
+places of strength; he contrived either to bring over to his own side, or
+to overawe and keep quiet, most of the Queen&#8217;s Lords; and he severely
+chastised such districts as continued disaffected. A Parliament was
+summoned in December, at which the imprisoning and dethroning of the Queen
+were declared lawful, and, what is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.146" id="Page_2.146">[Pg 146]</a></span> remarkable, the reason assigned for
+these measures had never been hinted at before Murray&#8217;s return,&mdash;that
+there was certain proof that she was implicated in the murder of Darnley.
+This proof was stated to consist in certain &#8220;private letters, written
+wholly with the Queen&#8217;s own hand.&#8221; They were not produced at the time, but
+will come to be examined more particularly afterwards. All that need be
+remarked here, is the sudden change introduced by the Regent into the
+nature of the allegations against Mary. It had been always given out
+previously, that she was kept in Loch-Leven, because she evinced a
+determination to be again united to Bothwell; but now, an entirely new and
+more serious cause was assigned for her detention.<a name='fna_140' id='fna_140' href='#f_140'><small>[140]</small></a></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.147" id="Page_2.147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII.2" id="CHAPTER_VIII.2"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">MARY&#8217;S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN, AND THE BATTLE OF LANGSIDE.</span></p>
+
+<p>With few comforts and no enjoyments, Mary remained closely confined in the
+Castle of Loch-Leven. Her only resources were in herself, and in the
+religion whose precepts she was ever anxious not only to profess, but to
+practise. Though deprived of liberty and the delights of a court, she was
+able to console herself with the reflection, that there is no prison for a
+soul that puts its trust in its God, and that all the world belongs to one
+who knows how to despise its vanities. Yet the misfortunes which had
+overtaken her were enough to appal the stoutest heart. Her husband had
+been murdered, she herself forced into an unwilling marriage, her kingdom
+taken from her, her child raised up against her, her honour defamed, and
+her person insulted,&mdash;all within the short space of four months. History
+records few reverses so sudden and so complete. Many a masculine spirit
+would have felt its energies give way under so dreadful a change of
+fortune; and if Mary was able to put in practice the Roman maxim, <i>Ne
+cedere malis, sed contra audentior ire</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.148" id="Page_2.148">[Pg 148]</a></span> it would be to exalt vice and
+libel virtue to suppose, that she could have been inspired with strength
+for so arduous a task by aught but her own integrity.</p>
+
+<p>It was not these more serious calamities alone whose load she was doomed
+to bear; there were many petty annoyances to which she was daily and
+hourly subject. Margaret Erskine, the Lady of Loch-Leven, and widow of Sir
+Robert Douglas, who fell at the battle of Pinkie one-and-twenty years
+before, was a woman of a proud temper and austere disposition. Soured by
+early disappointment, for, previous to her marriage with Sir Robert, she
+had been one of the rejected mistresses of James V., she chose to indulge
+her more malignant nature in continually exalting her illegitimate
+offspring the Earl of Murray above his lawful Queen, now her prisoner. Her
+servants, of course, took their tone from their mistress; and there was
+one in particular, named James Drysdale, who held a place of some
+authority in her household, and who, having had some concern in the murder
+of Rizzio, and being a bigoted and unprincipled fanatic, entertained the
+most deadly hatred against Mary, and had been heard to declare, that it
+would give him pleasure to plunge a dagger into her heart&#8217;s blood. This
+savage probably succeeded in spreading similar sentiments among the other
+domestics; and thus the Queen&#8217;s very life seemed to hang upon the
+prejudices and caprices of menials.<a name='fna_141' id='fna_141' href='#f_141'><small>[141]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>But numerous and violent as Mary&#8217;s enemies<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.149" id="Page_2.149">[Pg 149]</a></span> may have been, few could
+remain near her person, without becoming ardently attached to her. Hence,
+throughout all her misfortunes, her own immediate attendants continued
+more than faithful. At Loch-Leven, it is true, although her rebellious
+nobles had been willing to allow her a suitable train, the absence of
+accommodation would have rendered their residence there impossible. One or
+two female, and three or four male servants, were all, over whom Mary, the
+Queen of Scotland, and Dowager of France, could now exercise the slightest
+control. Of these, John Beaton was the individual upon whose assiduity she
+placed most reliance. But the influence which the fascination of her
+manners, and the beauty of her person, obtained for her, over two of the
+younger branches of the House of Loch-Leven, made up for the want of many
+of her former attendants. The persons alluded to were George Douglas, the
+youngest son of Lady Douglas, about five-and-twenty years of age, and
+William Douglas, an orphan youth of sixteen or seventeen, a relative of
+the family, and resident in the Castle. So forcibly was George Douglas, in
+particular, impressed with the injustice of Mary&#8217;s treatment, that he
+resolved on sparing no pains till he accomplished her escape; and his
+friend William, though too young to be of equal service, was not less
+ardent in the cause.<a name='fna_142' id='fna_142' href='#f_142'><small>[142]</small></a> George commenced operations, by informing Mary&#8217;s
+friends in the adjoining districts of Scotland, of the design he had in
+view, and establishing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.150" id="Page_2.150">[Pg 150]</a></span> a communication with them. At his suggestion, Lord
+Seaton, with a considerable party, arrived secretly in the neighbourhood
+of Loch-Leven, and held themselves in readiness to receive the Queen as
+soon as she should be able to find her way across the lake. Nor was it
+long before Mary made an attempt to join her friends. On the 25th of March
+1568, she had a glimpse of liberty so enlivening, that nothing could
+exceed the bitterness of her disappointment. Suffering as she did, both in
+health and spirits, she had contracted a habit of spending a considerable
+part of the morning in bed. On the day referred to, her laundress came
+into her room before she was up, when Mary, according to a scheme which
+Douglas had contrived, immediately rose, and resigning her bed to the
+washer-woman, dressed herself in the habiliments of the latter. With a
+bundle of clothes in her hand, and a muffler over her face, she went out,
+and passed down unsuspected to the boat which was waiting to take the
+laundress across the lake. The men in it belonged to the Castle; but did
+not imagine any thing was wrong, for some time. At length one of them
+observing, that Mary was very anxious to keep her face concealed, said in
+jest,&mdash;&#8220;Let us see what kind of a looking damsel this is;&#8221; and attempted
+to pull away her muffler. The Queen put up her hands to prevent him, which
+were immediately observed to be particularly soft and white, and a
+discovery took place in consequence. Mary, finding it no longer of any
+use, threw aside her disguise, and, assuming an air of dignity, told the
+men that she was their Queen, and charged them upon their lives to row
+her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.151" id="Page_2.151">[Pg 151]</a></span> over to the shore. Though surprised and overawed, they resolutely
+refused to obey, promising, however, that if she would return quietly to
+the castle, they would not inform Sir William Douglas or his mother that
+she had ever left it. But they promised more than they were able to
+perform, for the whole affair was soon known, and George Douglas, together
+with Beaton and Sempil, two of Mary&#8217;s servants, were ordered to leave the
+island, and took up their residence in the neighbouring village of
+Kinross.<a name='fna_143' id='fna_143' href='#f_143'><small>[143]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>But neither the Queen nor her friends gave up hope. George Douglas
+continued indefatigable, though separated from her; and William supplied
+his place within the Castle, and acted with a degree of cautious and
+silent enterprise beyond his years. It was probably in reference to what
+might be done by him, that a small picture was secretly conveyed to Mary,
+representing the deliverance of the lion by the mouse.<a name='fna_144' id='fna_144' href='#f_144'><small>[144]</small></a> Little more
+than a month elapsed from the failure of the first attempt, before another
+was adventured, and with better success. On Sunday, the second of May,
+about seven in the evening, William Douglas, when sitting at supper with
+the rest of the family, managed to get into his possession the keys of the
+Castle, which his relation, Sir William, had put down beside his plate on
+the table. The young man immediately left the room with the prize, and,
+locking the door of the apartment from without, proceeded to the Queen&#8217;s
+chamber, whom he conducted with all speed, through a little postern gate,
+to a boat which had been prepared for her reception. One<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.152" id="Page_2.152">[Pg 152]</a></span> of her maids, of
+the name of Jane Kennedy, lingered a few moments behind, and as Douglas
+had locked the postern gate in the interval, she leapt from a window, and
+rejoined her mistress without injury. Lord Seaton, James Hamilton of
+Rochbank, and others who were in the neighbourhood, had been informed by a
+few words which Mary traced with charcoal on one of her handkerchiefs, and
+contrived to send to them, that she was about to make another effort to
+escape, and were anxiously watching the arrival of the boat. Nor did they
+watch in vain. Sir William Douglas and his retainers, were locked up in
+their own castle; and the Queen, her maid, and young escort, had already
+put off across the lake. It is said that Douglas, not being accustomed to
+handle the oar, was making little or no progress, until Mary herself,
+taking one into her own hands, lent him all the aid in her power. It was
+not long before they arrived safely at the opposite shore, where Lord
+Seaton, Hamilton, Douglas, Beaton, and the rest, received the Queen with
+every demonstration of joyful loyalty. Little time was allowed, however,
+for congratulations; they mounted her immediately upon horseback, and
+surrounding her with a strong party, they galloped all night, and having
+rested only an hour or two at Lord Seaton&#8217;s house of Niddry, in West
+Lothian, they arrived early next forenoon at Hamilton. Mary&#8217;s first
+tumultuous feelings of happiness, on being thus delivered from captivity,
+can hardly be imagined by those who have never been deprived of the
+blessing of liberty. It is fair, however, to state, that her happiness was
+neither selfish nor exclusive; and it deserves to be recorded to her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.153" id="Page_2.153">[Pg 153]</a></span>
+honour, that till the very latest day of her life, she never forgot the
+services of those who so essentially befriended her on this occasion. She
+bestowed pensions upon both the Douglases,&mdash;the elder of whom, became
+afterwards a favourite with her son James VI., and the younger is
+particularly mentioned in Mary&#8217;s last will and testament. Nor was the
+faithful Beaton allowed to go unrewarded.<a name='fna_145' id='fna_145' href='#f_145'><small>[145]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The news that Mary was arrived at Hamilton, and that noblemen and troops
+were flocking to her from all quarters, was so astounding, that the
+Regent, who was not many miles off, holding courts of justice at Glasgow,
+refused at first to credit the report. He would soon, however, (without
+other evidence) have discovered its truth, from the very visible change
+which took place even among those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.154" id="Page_2.154">[Pg 154]</a></span> whom he had previously considered his
+best friends. &#8220;A strange alteration,&#8221; says Keith, &#8220;might be discovered in
+the minds and faces of a great many; some slipped privately away, others
+sent quietly to beg the Queen&#8217;s pardon, and not a few went publicly over
+to her Majesty.&#8221; In this state of matters, Murray was earnestly advised to
+retire to Stirling, where the young King resided; but he was afraid that
+his departure from Glasgow might be considered a flight, which would at
+once have animated his enemies and discouraged his friends. He, therefore,
+resolved to continue where he was, making every exertion to collect a
+sufficient force with as little delay as possible. He was not allowed to
+remain long in suspense regarding Mary&#8217;s intentions, for she sent him a
+message in a day or two, requiring him to surrender his Regency and
+replace her in her just government; and before the Earls, Bishops, Lords,
+and others, who had now gathered round her, she solemnly protested, that
+the instruments she had subscribed at Loch-Leven were all extorted from
+her by fear. Sir Robert Melville, one of those who, in this new turn of
+affairs, left Murray&#8217;s party for the Queen&#8217;s, gave his testimony to the
+truth of this protest, as he had been a witness of the whole proceeding.
+The abdication, therefore, was pronounced <i>ipso facto</i> null and void; and
+Murray having issued a proclamation, in which he refused to surrender the
+Regency, both parties prepared for immediate hostilities. The principal
+Lords who had joined the Queen, were Argyle, Huntly, Cassils, Rothes,
+Montrose, Fleming, Livingston, Seaton, Boyd, Herries, Ross, Maxwell,
+Ogilvy, and Oliphant. There were, in all, nine Earls, nine Bishops,
+eighteen Lords, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.155" id="Page_2.155">[Pg 155]</a></span> many Barons and Gentlemen. In a single week, she
+found herself at the head of an army of 6000 men. Hamilton, not being a
+place of strength, they determined to march to Dumbarton, and to keep her
+Majesty there peaceably, until she assembled a Parliament, which should
+determine on the measures best suited for the safety of the common
+weal.<a name='fna_146' id='fna_146' href='#f_146'><small>[146]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>On Thursday the 13th of May 1568, Murray was informed that the Queen with
+her troops was on her way from Hamilton to Dumbarton, and would pass near
+Glasgow. He instantly determined to intercept her on the road; for should
+she reach Dumbarton, which was then, and had long been in the possession
+of the Hamiltons, she would be comparatively beyond his reach, and would
+have time to collect so great a strength, that she might once more chase
+him out of Scotland. Besides, the loss of a battle, where the army on
+either side consisted of only a few thousand men, though it might in all
+probability be fatal to Mary, was not of so much consequence to the
+Regent. He therefore assembled his troops, which mustered about 4000
+strong, on the Green of Glasgow; and being informed that the Queen was
+marching upon the south side of the Clyde, he crossed that river, and met
+her at a small village called Langside, on the Water of Cart, about two
+miles to the south of Glasgow. Mary was anxious to avoid a battle, for she
+knew that Murray himself possessed no inconsiderable military talent, and
+that Kircaldy of Grange, the best soldier in Scotland, was with him. But
+party spirit ran<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.156" id="Page_2.156">[Pg 156]</a></span> so high, and the Hamiltons and the Lennoxes, in
+particular, were so much exasperated against each other, that as soon as
+they came within sight, it was evident that nothing but blows would
+satisfy them. The main body of the Queen&#8217;s army was under the command of
+the Earl of Argyle; the van was led by Claud Hamilton, second son of the
+Duke of Chatelherault; and the cavalry was under the conduct of Lord
+Herries. The Earl of Huntly would have held a conspicuous place in the
+battle, but he had set off from Hamilton a few days before to collect his
+followers, and did not return till it was too late. Murray himself
+commanded his main body, and the Earl of Morton the van; whilst to Grange
+was intrusted the special charge of riding about over the whole field, and
+making such alterations in the position of the battle as he deemed
+requisite.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing now intervened between the two armies but a hill, of which both
+were anxious to gain possession, the one marching from the east, and the
+other from the west. It happened, however, that the ascent on the side
+next Mary&#8217;s troops was the steepest, and a stratagem suggested by Grange
+secured the vantage-ground to the Regent. He ordered every man who was
+mounted to take up a foot soldier behind him, and ride with all speed to
+the top of the hill, where they were set down, and instantly formed into
+line. Argyle was therefore obliged to take his position on a lesser hill,
+over against that occupied by Murray. A cannonading commenced upon both
+sides, and continued for about half an hour but without much effect. At
+length, Argyle led his forces forward, and determined if possible to carry
+the heights<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.157" id="Page_2.157">[Pg 157]</a></span> sword in hand. The engagement soon became general, and
+advantages were obtained upon both sides. The Earl of Morton, who came
+down the hill to meet Argyle, succeeded in driving back the Queen&#8217;s
+cannoneers and part of her infantry; whilst on the other hand, Lord
+Herries, making a vigorous charge on Murray&#8217;s cavalry, put them to rout.
+Judiciously abstaining from a long pursuit, he returned to attack some of
+the enemy&#8217;s battalions of foot, but as he was obliged to advance directly
+up hill, he was unable to make much impression on them. In the meantime,
+with the view of obtaining more equal ground, Argyle endeavoured to lead
+his troops round towards the west, and it was to counteract this movement
+that the most desperate part of the engagement took place. All the forces
+of both parties were gradually drawn off from their previous positions,
+and the whole strength of the battle on either side was concentrated upon
+this new ground. For half an hour the fortune of the day continued
+doubtful; but at length the Queen&#8217;s troops began to waver, and a
+re-inforcement of two hundred Highlanders, which arrived just at the
+fortunate moment for Murray, and broke in upon Argyle&#8217;s flank, decided the
+victory. The flight soon afterwards became general; and though the loss of
+lives on the Queen&#8217;s side did not exceed three hundred, a great number of
+her best officers and soldiers were made prisoners.<a name='fna_147' id='fna_147' href='#f_147'><small>[147]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.158" id="Page_2.158">[Pg 158]</a></span>Mary had taken her station upon a neighbouring eminence to watch the
+progress of the fight. Her heart beat high with a thousand hopes and
+fears, for she was either to regain the crown of her forefathers, or to
+become a fugitive and a wanderer she knew not where. It must have been
+with emotions of no common kind, that her eye glanced from one part of the
+field to another;&mdash;it must have been with throbbing brow and palpitating
+heart, that she saw her troops either advance or retreat; and when at
+length she beheld the goodly array she had led forth in the morning,
+scattered over the country, and all the Lords who had attended her with
+pride and loyalty, seeking safety in flight, no wonder if she burst into a
+passion of tears, and lamented that she had ever been born. But the
+necessity of the moment fortunately put a check to this overwhelming
+ebullition of her feelings. With a very small retinue of trusty friends,
+among whom was the Lord Herries, she was quickly hurried away from the
+scene of her disasters. She rode off at full speed, taking a southerly
+direction towards Galloway, because from thence she could secure a passage
+either by sea or land into England or France. She never stopped or closed
+her eyes till she reached Dundrennan, an abbey about two miles from
+Kirkcudbright, and at least sixty from the village of Langside.<a name='fna_148' id='fna_148' href='#f_148'><small>[148]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>She remained two days at Dundrennan, and there held several anxious
+consultations with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.159" id="Page_2.159">[Pg 159]</a></span> few friends, who had either accompanied her in her
+flight, or who joined her afterwards. Lord Herries, her principal adviser,
+gave it as his decided opinion, that she ought to sail immediately for
+France, where she had relations on whose affection she could depend, even
+though they should not be able to secure her restoration to the throne of
+Scotland. But Mary could not brook the idea of returning as a fugitive to
+a country she had left as a Queen; and besides, had she placed herself
+under the protection of Catholics, she might have exasperated her own
+subjects, and would certainly have displeased Elizabeth and the people of
+England. She was disposed also to place some reliance on the assurances of
+friendship she had lately received from the English Queen. She was well
+aware of the hollowness of most of Elizabeth&#8217;s promises; but in her
+present extremity, she thought that to cross the sea would be to resign
+her crown forever. After much hesitation, she finally determined on going
+into England, and desired Herries to write to Elizabeth&#8217;s Warden at
+Carlisle, to know whether she might proceed thither. Without waiting for
+an answer, she rode to the coast on Sunday the 16th of May, and with
+eighteen or twenty persons in her train, embarked in a fishing-boat, and
+sailed eighteen miles along the shore, till she came to the small harbour
+of Workington, in Cumberland. Thence she proceeded to the town of
+Cockermouth, about twenty-six miles from Carlisle. Lord Scroope, the
+Warden on these frontiers, was at this time in London; but his deputy, a
+gentleman of the name of Lowther, having sent off an express to the Court,
+to intimate the arrival of the Queen of Scots, assembled,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.160" id="Page_2.160">[Pg 160]</a></span> on his own
+responsibility, the men of rank and influence in the neighbourhood, and
+having come out to meet the Queen, conducted her honourably to the Castle
+of Carlisle, with the assurance, that, until Elizabeth&#8217;s pleasure was
+known, he would protect her from all her enemies.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the important news reached Elizabeth, that Mary was now within
+her dominions, and consequently at her disposal, she perceived that the
+great end of all her intrigues was at length achieved. It was necessary,
+however, to proceed with caution, for she did not yet know either the
+precise strength of Mary&#8217;s party in Scotland, or the degree of interest
+which might be taken by France in her future fate. She, therefore,
+immediately despatched Lord Scroope, and Sir Francis Knollys her
+Vice-Chamberlain, to Carlisle, with messages of comfort and condolence.
+Mary, who anxiously waited their arrival, anticipated that they would
+bring consolatory assurances. Her spirits began to revive, and she was
+willing to believe that Elizabeth would prove her friendship by deeds, as
+well as by words. But this delusion was destined to be of only momentary
+duration.<a name='fna_149' id='fna_149' href='#f_149'><small>[149]</small></a></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.161" id="Page_2.161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX.2" id="CHAPTER_IX.2"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">MARY&#8217;S RECEPTION IN ENGLAND, AND THE CONFERENCES AT YORK AND WESTMINSTER.</span></p>
+
+<p>If there had been a single generous feeling still lurking in Elizabeth&#8217;s
+bosom, the time was now arrived when it should have discovered itself.
+Mary was no longer a rival Queen, but an unfortunate sister, who, in her
+hour of distress, had thrown herself into the arms of her nearest
+neighbour and ally. During her imprisonment in Scotland, Elizabeth had
+avowed her conviction of its injustice; and, if it was unjust that her own
+subjects should retain her in captivity, it would of course be much more
+iniquitous in one who had no right to interfere with her affairs, and who
+had already condemned such conduct in others. If it was too much to expect
+that the English Queen would supply her with money and arms, to enable her
+to win back the Crown she had lost, it was surely not to be doubted that
+she would either allow her to seek assistance in France, or, if she
+remained in England, would treat her with kindness and hospitality. All
+these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.162" id="Page_2.162">[Pg 162]</a></span> hopes were fallacious; for, &#8220;with Elizabeth and her counsellors,&#8221;
+as Robertson has justly observed, &#8220;the question was, not what was most
+just or generous, but what was most beneficial to herself and the English
+nation.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>On the 29th of May 1568, Lord Scroope and Sir Francis Knollys arrived at
+Carlisle. They were met at some little distance from the town by Lord
+Herries, who told them, that what the Queen his mistress most desired, was
+a personal interview with Elizabeth. But they had been instructed to
+answer, that they doubted whether her Majesty could receive the Queen of
+Scots, until her innocence from any share in the murder of her husband was
+satisfactorily established.<a name='fna_150' id='fna_150' href='#f_150'><small>[150]</small></a> Thus, the ground which Elizabeth had
+resolved to take was at once discovered. She was to affect to treat the
+Scottish Queen with empty civility, whilst in reality she detained her a
+prisoner, until she had arranged with Murray the precise accusation which
+was to be brought against her, and which, if it succeeded in blackening
+her character, might justify subsequent severities. Mary could not at
+first believe that she would be treated with so much treachery; but
+circumstances occurred every day to diminish her confidence in the good
+intentions of the English Queen. Under the pretence that there was too
+great a concourse of strangers from Scotland, Lord Scroope and Sir Francis
+Knollys ordered the fortifications of Carlisle Castle to be repaired, and
+Mary was not allowed to ride out to any distance. The most distinguished
+of the few friends who were now with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.163" id="Page_2.163">[Pg 163]</a></span> her, and who remained faithful to
+her to the end of her life, were Lesley, Bishop of Ross,&mdash;the Lords
+Herries, Livingston, and Fleming, and George and William Douglas. She had
+also her two secretaries, Curl and Nawe, who afterwards betrayed her,&mdash;and
+among other servants, Beaton, and Sebastian the Frenchman; there were
+likewise the Ladies Livingston and Fleming, Mary Seaton, Lord Seaton&#8217;s
+daughter, and other female attendants.<a name='fna_151' id='fna_151' href='#f_151'><small>[151]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Mary&#8217;s first interview with the envoys from Elizabeth, prepossessed them
+both in her favour. &#8220;We found her,&#8221; they said, &#8220;to have an eloquent tongue
+and a discreet head, and it seems by her doings, that she has stout
+courage, and a liberal heart adjoined thereto.&#8221; When they told her that
+the Queen, their mistress, refused to admit her to her presence, Mary
+burst into tears, and expressed the bitterest disappointment. Checking her
+grief, however, and assuming a tone of becoming dignity, she said, that if
+she did not receive without delay, the aid she had been induced to expect,
+she would immediately demand permission to pass into France, where she did
+not doubt she would obtain what the English Queen denied.<a name='fna_152' id='fna_152' href='#f_152'><small>[152]</small></a> In the
+meantime, as she was not allowed to proceed to London herself, she
+despatched Lord Herries to superintend her interests there; and shortly
+afterwards, it being represented to her that her person was not in safety
+so long as she continued so near the Borders, she consented to be removed
+further into England, and was conveyed to Bolton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.164" id="Page_2.164">[Pg 164]</a></span> Castle, a seat of Lord
+Scroope, in the North Riding of Yorkshire.<a name='fna_153' id='fna_153' href='#f_153'><small>[153]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The Regent Murray, on his part, was any thing but inactive. He forced the
+Earl of Huntly, who had collected upwards of 2000 men, and was marching to
+the Queen&#8217;s assistance when he heard of the unfortunate battle of
+Langside, to retire to the North, and disband the greater part of his
+troops; he put to flight the remains of the Queen&#8217;s army, which had been
+again gathered by Argyle and Cassils; and, assembling a Parliament, he
+procured acts of forfeiture and banishment against many of the most
+powerful Lords of the opposite party. Elizabeth, perceiving his success,
+had no desire to check the progress of his usurped authority, whatever
+professions to the contrary she chose to make to Mary. On the 8th of June,
+she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.165" id="Page_2.165">[Pg 165]</a></span> wrote Murray a letter, in which she addressed him as her &#8220;right
+trusty, and right well-beloved cousin;&#8221; told him falsely that the Queen of
+Scots had confided to her the examination of the differences between
+herself and her subjects; and advised him to take such steps as would
+place his own side of the question in the most favourable point of view.
+Murray had no objection to make Elizabeth the umpire between himself and
+his sister, well assured that she would ultimately decide in his favour,
+lest the rival, whom she had once found so formidable, should again become
+a source of jealousy and alarm.</p>
+
+<p>But Mary had never dreamt of appealing to Elizabeth as to a judge, and she
+now learned with indignation that her rebellious nobles were to be
+encouraged to come before that Queen on the same footing with herself.
+When she asked for a personal interview, it was that she might speak to
+her cousin as to a friend and equal, of the wrongs she had suffered. She
+had voluntarily undertaken to satisfy the English Queen, as soon as they
+conversed together, of her innocence from all the charges which had been
+brought against her; but she was not to degrade herself by entering into a
+controversy with her subjects regarding these charges. Accordingly, as
+soon as she discovered Elizabeth&#8217;s insidious policy, she addressed a
+letter to her, in which she openly protested against it. The letter was in
+French, and to the following effect:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Madam, my good sister, I came into your dominions to ask your assistance,
+and not to save my life. Scotland and the world have not renounced me. I
+was conscious of innocence; I was disposed to lay all my transactions
+before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.166" id="Page_2.166">[Pg 166]</a></span> you; and I was willing to do you honour, by making you the
+restorer of a Queen. But you have afforded me no aid, and no consolation.
+You even deny me admittance to your presence. I escaped from a prison, and
+I am again a captive. Can it expose you to censure, to hear the complaints
+of the unfortunate? You received my bastard brother when he was in open
+rebellion; I am a Princess, and your equal, and you refuse me this
+indulgence. Permit me then to leave your dominions. Your severity
+encourages my enemies, intimidates my friends, and is most cruelly
+destructive to my interests. You keep me in fetters, and allow my enemies
+to conquer my realm. I am defenceless; and they enjoy my authority,
+possess themselves of my revenues, and hold out to me the points of their
+swords. In the miserable condition to which I am reduced, you invite them
+to accuse me. Is it too small a misfortune for me to lose my kingdom? Must
+I, also, be robbed of my integrity and my reputation? Excuse me, if I
+speak without dissimulation. In your dominions I will not answer to their
+calumnies and criminations. To you, in a personal conference, I shall at
+all times be ready to vindicate my conduct; but to sink myself into a
+level with my rebellious subjects, and to be a party in a suit or trial
+with them, is an indignity so vile, that I can never submit to it. I can
+die, but I cannot meet dishonour. Consult, I conjure you, what is right
+and proper, and entitle yourself to my warmest gratitude; or, if you are
+inclined not to know me as a sister, and to withhold your kindness,
+abstain at least from rigour and injustice. Be neither my enemy nor my
+friend; <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.167" id="Page_2.167">[Pg 167]</a></span>preserve yourself in the coldness of neutrality; and let me be
+indebted to other princes for my re-establishment in my kingdom.&#8221;<a name='fna_154' id='fna_154' href='#f_154'><small>[154]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Unmoved by the forcible representations contained in this and other
+letters, Elizabeth resolved to treat the Queen of Scots only with greater
+severity than before, in the hope of intimidating her into a compliance
+with her wishes. It was with this view that she had removed her to Bolton,
+where she took care that she should be strictly guarded, and not allowed
+to hold any intercourse with the loyal part of her Scottish subjects. Lord
+Fleming, too, whom Mary wished to send as her ambassador to France, was
+stopped; and she was given distinctly to understand, that she must not
+expect any of her commands to be obeyed, unless they met with Elizabeth&#8217;s
+approval. The English Privy Council, of course, sanctioned their
+Sovereign&#8217;s severity; and gave it as their opinion, that, until an inquiry
+had taken place into the whole conduct of the Scottish Queen, it would not
+be consistent with the honour or safety of the realm to afford her the aid
+she required. The result of all these machinations,&mdash;a result which
+Elizabeth contrived to bring about with the most consummate art,&mdash;was,
+that Mary agreed to nominate Commissioners to meet the Earl of Murray and
+the Lords associated with him, and to authorize them, before Commissioners
+to be appointed by Elizabeth, to state the grievances of which their
+mistress, the Queen of Scots, complained. Murray approved of this
+arrangement, because he foresaw<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.168" id="Page_2.168">[Pg 168]</a></span> from the first how it would end; and Mary
+consented to it, because she was led to believe, that Murray and his
+accomplices were summoned solely that they might answer to her complaints.
+Well aware that their answer could not be satisfactory, she fondly
+imagined that she would soon be restored to the power they had usurped.</p>
+
+<p>The important <i>Conference</i>, as it was termed, between the three sets of
+Commissioners, was appointed to be held at York. Mary&#8217;s Commissioners were
+Lesley, Bishop of Ross, the Lords Herries, Livingston, and Boyd, Gavin
+Hamilton, Commendator of Kilwinning, Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, and Sir
+James Cockburn of Stirling.<a name='fna_155' id='fna_155' href='#f_155'><small>[155]</small></a> Murray associated with himself the Earl
+of Morton, Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, Pitcairn, Commendator of
+Dunfermlin, and Lord Lindsay. Macgill and Balnaves, two civilians,
+Buchanan, whose pen was always at the Regent&#8217;s command &#8220;through good
+report and bad report,&#8221; Secretary Maitland, and one or two others, came
+with them as legal advisers and literary assistants.<a name='fna_156' id='fna_156' href='#f_156'><small>[156]</small></a> On the part of
+Elizabeth, the Commissioners were Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, Thomas
+Ratcliffe Earl of Sussex, and Sir Ralph Sadler; and they were invested
+with full authority to arrange all the differences and controversies
+existing between her &#8220;dear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.169" id="Page_2.169">[Pg 169]</a></span> sister and cousin, Mary Queen of Scots,&#8221; and
+James Earl of Murray.<a name='fna_157' id='fna_157' href='#f_157'><small>[157]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>On the 4th of October 1568, the conference was opened with much solemnity
+at York. &#8220;The great abilities of the deputies on both sides,&#8221; observes
+Robertson, &#8220;the dignity of the judges before whom they were to appear, the
+high rank of the persons whose cause was to be heard, and the importance
+of the points in dispute, rendered the whole transaction no less
+illustrious than it was singular. The situation in which Elizabeth
+appeared on this occasion, strikes us with an air of magnificence. Her
+rival, an independent queen, and the heir of an ancient race of monarchs,
+was a prisoner in her hands, and appeared, by her ambassadors, before her
+tribunal. The Regent of Scotland, who represented the Majesty, and
+possessed the authority of a king, stood in person at her bar, and the
+fate of a kingdom, whose power her ancestors had often dreaded, but could
+never subdue, was now absolutely at her disposal.&#8221; It may, however, be
+remarked, that the &#8220;magnificence&#8221; of power depends, in a great degree, on
+the manner in which that power has been acquired; and when it is
+recollected that, by secretly and diligently fomenting civil disturbances
+in Scotland, Elizabeth first attacked Mary&#8217;s peace, and then undermined
+her authority, and that, having subsequently assumed the mask of a friend,
+only to conceal the scowl of an enemy, she had forcibly arrogated the rank
+of a judge, her &#8220;air of magnificence&#8221; is discovered to be little else than
+stage-trick.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.170" id="Page_2.170">[Pg 170]</a></span>The &#8220;Instructions&#8221; given to her Commissioners, are of themselves
+sufficient to show that her desire was not to extinguish, but to encourage
+animosities between the Queen of Scots and her subjects. She had
+previously assured Mary, in order to induce her to send Commissioners to
+York at all, that so far from intending to use any form or process by
+which her subjects should become her accusers, &#8220;she meant rather to have
+such of them, as the Queen of Scots should name, called into the realm, to
+be charged with such crimes as the said Queen should please to object
+against them; <i>and if any form of judgment should be used, it should be
+against them</i>.&#8221;<a name='fna_158' id='fna_158' href='#f_158'><small>[158]</small></a> But as soon as she had persuaded Mary, by these
+specious promises, to come into Court, she resolved to alter the features
+of the cause. She instructed her Commissioners to listen particularly to
+the requests and complaints of the Earl of Murray, and to assure him
+privately, that if he could prove Mary to have been implicated in her
+husband&#8217;s murder, she should never be restored to the throne. Nay, she
+went further; she desired it to be intimated to the Regent, that even
+though he could not prove Mary&#8217;s guilt, yet, that if he could attach
+sufficient suspicion to her, it would be left to himself and his friends
+to determine under what conditions they would again consent to receive her
+into Scotland. This was as much encouragement as Murray could desire; for
+he knew that, by artifice and effrontery, a shade of suspicion might be
+made to attach itself even to the most perfect. Mary&#8217;s Commissioners, on
+the other hand, though doubting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.171" id="Page_2.171">[Pg 171]</a></span> much the impartiality of the party which
+was to arbitrate between them, felt strong in the justice of their cause;
+and after protesting that their appearance was not to be construed as
+implying any surrender of her independence on the part of their mistress,
+or of feudal inferiority to the Crown of England, they proceeded to give
+in their complaint. It contained a short review of the injuries the Queen
+of Scots had suffered since her marriage with Bothwell;&mdash;of the rebellion
+of Morton and others,&mdash;of her voluntary surrender at Carberry Hill,&mdash;of
+her imprisonment in Loch-Leven,&mdash;of the abdication that had been forced
+from her,&mdash;of the coronation of her infant son, and the assumed regency of
+the Earl of Murray,&mdash;of her defeat at Langside,&mdash;and of the undutiful
+conduct in which the Regent had since persevered.<a name='fna_159' id='fna_159' href='#f_159'><small>[159]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>To this complaint it was answered, at great length, by Murray, that the
+Earl of Bothwell having forcibly carried off the person of the Queen to
+the Castle of Dunbar, and kept her there a prisoner for some time, had, in
+the end, suddenly accomplished &#8220;a pretended marriage,&#8221; which, confirming
+the nobility in the belief that the Earl was the chief author of the
+murder of the King, made them determine to take up arms to relieve those
+who were unjustly calumniated, and to rescue the Queen from the bondage of
+a tyrant, who had presumptuously attempted to ravish and marry her, though
+he could neither be her lawful husband, nor she his lawful wife;&mdash;that
+Bothwell<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.172" id="Page_2.172">[Pg 172]</a></span> came against these nobility, &#8220;leading the Queen in his company,
+as a defence and cloak to his wickedness;&#8221; but that, as the quarrel was
+intended only against him, the Queen was received by the nobles, and led
+by them into Edinburgh, as soon as she consented to part from the
+Earl;&mdash;that she was then requested to agree that the murderers should be
+punished, and that the pretended marriage into which she had been led,
+should be dissolved;&mdash;that to this request she only answered, by
+rigorously menacing all who had taken up arms in her cause, and declaring
+she would surrender her realm altogether, &#8220;so she might be suffered to
+possess the murderer of her husband;&#8221;&mdash;that, perceiving the inflexibility
+of her mind, they had been compelled to &#8220;sequestrate her person&#8221; for a
+season;&mdash;that, during this time, she had voluntarily renounced the
+Government, finding herself wearied by its fatigues, and perceiving that
+she and her people could not well agree; and that she had appointed,
+during the minority of her son, the Earl of Murray Regent of the realm,
+and that every thing he had done since had been in accordance with the
+legal authority with which she had thus invested him;&mdash;and that he
+therefore required, in behalf of his Sovereign Lord the King, to be
+allowed peaceably to enjoy and govern the country.<a name='fna_160' id='fna_160' href='#f_160'><small>[160]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The &#8220;Reply&#8221; of Mary&#8217;s Commissioners, to this feeble and disingenuous
+&#8220;Answer&#8221; of the Earl of Murray, was quite as candid as it was conclusive.
+It was stated for Mary, that, so far from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.173" id="Page_2.173">[Pg 173]</a></span> having been aware, at the time
+of her marriage, that Bothwell was &#8220;known,&#8221; or &#8220;affirmed,&#8221; to be the
+&#8220;chief author&#8221; of the horrible murder committed on her late husband, she
+had seen him solemnly acquitted of all suspicion by a regular trial,
+according to the laws of the realm, and that most of her principal
+nobility had solicited her to accept of him as a husband, promising him
+service, and her Highness loyal obedience,&mdash;not one of them, either before
+or after the marriage, having warned her to avoid it, or expressed their
+discontent with it, till they suddenly appeared in arms;&mdash;that, at
+Carberry Hill, she willingly parted with Bothwell, as they themselves had
+seen; but that, if he were in truth guilty of the crimes imputed to him,
+which she did not then believe, they were to blame for permitting him to
+escape;&mdash;that, upon being taken into Edinburgh, where they had promised to
+reverence her as their Queen, she found herself treated as their
+captive;&mdash;that, so far from showing any persevering attachment to
+Bothwell, she repeatedly declared it to be her wish, that the estates of
+the realm should examine into all the charges which had been made against
+him;&mdash;that, notwithstanding, she had been forcibly carried off under shade
+of night, and imprisoned against her will in the Castle of Loch-Leven,
+where she was afterwards made to subscribe instruments of abdication, only
+through the fear of present death;&mdash;that, consequently, the pretended
+coronation of her son was an unlawful and treasonable proceeding, and the
+pretended nomination of the Earl of Murray as Regent, a proof of itself
+that force and fraud had been used; for, even supposing she had been
+willing to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.174" id="Page_2.174">[Pg 174]</a></span>abdicate, if she had been left to her own free choice, there
+were others whom she would have preferred to appoint to the chief rule
+during her son&#8217;s minority;&mdash;that, therefore, she required the Queen of
+England to support and fortify her in the peaceable enjoyment and
+government of her realm, and to declare the pretended authority usurped by
+others null from the beginning.<a name='fna_161' id='fna_161' href='#f_161'><small>[161]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So far,&#8221; says Hume, &#8220;the Queen of Scots seemed plainly to have the
+advantage in the contest; and the English Commissioners might have been
+surprised, that Murray had made so weak a defence.&#8221; The truth is, that not
+only were the English Commissioners surprised, but the Regent himself felt
+painfully conscious, that he had entirely failed to offer even a plausible
+pretext for the dethronement of his sister, and his own usurpation.
+Elizabeth also, anxious as she was to befriend him, saw that she would be
+imperatively required, by every principle of justice and good government,
+to take measures against him, were the discussion allowed to terminate at
+the point to which it had now been brought. Means were therefore taken to
+inform Murray, that unless he was able to strengthen his case, and to
+bring his charges more directly home, the matter would in all probability
+go against him. Upon this the Regent held a consultation with his friends,
+Maitland and Buchanan, and the necessity of bringing into play a new
+device, which had been prepared as a corps-de-reserve, was by all of them
+felt and acknowledged. Though no evidence had been <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.175" id="Page_2.175">[Pg 175]</a></span>adduced against her,
+Mary had already been accused by her brother of having had a share in the
+murder of Darnley. But as the charge was made soon after his return from
+France, it was strongly suspected to have been invented only to justify
+himself for retaining her in Loch-Leven. Now, however, seeing the
+emergency of his affairs, he determined that something like evidence of
+its truth should be produced. This evidence consisted of a collection of
+certain letters and sonnets, alleged to be in the Queen&#8217;s own hand, and
+addressed to the Earl of Bothwell, containing passages which testified at
+once her love for him, and her guilt towards Darnley. But here the
+question very naturally occurs, why these important documents should not
+have been brought forward in the earlier part of the conference; and as
+Robertson, in endeavouring to account for the delay, appears to have
+fallen into a mistake, it will be worth while examining, for a moment, the
+soundness of his hypothesis.</p>
+
+<p>The Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth&#8217;s principal Commissioner, was one of the
+most powerful of all her nobility, and, since Mary&#8217;s arrival in England,
+he had formed the ambitious project of ascending the Scottish throne by
+means of a marriage with her. With this view, he had already engaged
+extensively in secret intrigues, and had, in particular, prevailed on
+Lethington to approve of his plans, and promise him his support. But
+Robertson asserts further, that soon after his arrival at York, he won
+over Murray also to his views, and persuaded him to keep back, for a time,
+the heaviest part of his accusation against Mary, that her character might
+not be so fatally blackened. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.176" id="Page_2.176">[Pg 176]</a></span> historian&#8217;s assertion, however, is
+unsupported by the evidence he adduces in its favour, his references to
+Anderson, to Goodall, and to his own Appendix, being quite unsatisfactory.
+Whatever promises Murray may, at a subsequent date, have made to Norfolk,
+it clearly appears that no charge against Mary was delayed one hour at
+York, in consequence of any understanding between these two noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>It had been all along the Regent&#8217;s determination, not to have recourse to
+the letters, if he could make out a case without them; and even after he
+perceived that he would require their aid, he did not produce them openly,
+till they had been first shown privately to the English Commissioners, and
+their opinion obtained concerning them. It was on the 4th of October that
+the conference commenced; and on the 10th, Lethington, Macgill, and
+Buchanan, in a secret interview with Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler, laid
+before them the mysterious documents. The nature of their contents was
+communicated to Elizabeth on the 11th, and she was requested to mention in
+reply, whether, when publicly adduced and authenticated, they would be
+sufficient to secure Mary&#8217;s condemnation. Murray, therefore, cannot at
+this time, have entered into any agreement with the Duke of Norfolk; for,
+so far from keeping back his box-full of letters, he was nervously anxious
+to ascertain, as speedily as possible, whether Elizabeth would attach any
+weight to them, or allow them to be branded as palpable forgeries. Had
+Robertson attended a little more to dates, he would have discovered, that
+so far from wishing to favour the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.177" id="Page_2.177">[Pg 177]</a></span> views of the Duke of Norfolk, Murray
+informed Elizabeth regarding the letters and their contents, on the very
+day on which he gave in his first &#8220;Answer&#8221; to Mary&#8217;s Commissioners. Nor
+had these letters been entirely unheard of till now; for, though they had
+never been exhibited, they had been expressly alluded to nearly a year
+before, in an act published by the Lords of Secret Council, on the 4th of
+December 1567, in which it was asserted, that by the discovery of certain
+of the Queen&#8217;s private letters, sent by her to the Earl of Bothwell, it
+was &#8220;most certain that she was art and part of the actual device and deed
+of the murder of the King.&#8221;<a name='fna_162' id='fna_162' href='#f_162'><small>[162]</small></a> The same assertion was subsequently
+repeated, founded upon the same alleged proof, in one of the Acts of the
+Parliament called by Murray. The only legitimate conclusion therefore to
+be drawn from his unwillingness to bring forward these letters at York,
+and make good, by their means the sole charge against the Queen which
+could justify his usurpation of her authority, is, that he was afraid to
+expose such fabrications to the eye of day, until he should have received
+Elizabeth&#8217;s assurance that she would treat them with becoming
+consideration, and assign to them an air of importance, even though
+forgery, with brazen audacity, was stamped upon their face.<a name='fna_163' id='fna_163' href='#f_163'><small>[163]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>As soon as Elizabeth heard of the letters, and reflected on the turn which
+they might give to the case, she determined on taking the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.178" id="Page_2.178">[Pg 178]</a></span> of the
+proceedings under her own immediate superintendence, and with this view
+removed the conference from York to Westminster. To the Commissioners
+previously appointed, she there added the Earls of Arundel and Leicester,
+Lord Clinton, Sir Nicolas Bacon, and Sir William Cecil. Mary at first
+expressed satisfaction at this new arrangement, but several circumstances
+soon occurred which proved, that no favour was intended to her by the
+change. That which galled her most, was the marked attention paid to the
+Earl of Murray. Though Elizabeth refused Mary a personal interview, she
+admitted her rebellious brother to that honour, and thus glaringly
+deviated from the impartiality which ought to have been observed by an
+umpire. Accordingly, the Queen of Scots commanded her Commissioners, the
+Bishop of Ross and Lord Herries, to complain of this injustice. Not to be
+received into Elizabeth&#8217;s presence, she could regard in no other light but
+as an assumption of superiority,&mdash;a parade of rigid righteousness,&mdash;and an
+affected dread of contamination, which, whilst it was meant to imply the
+purity of the maiden Queen, aimed at exciting suspicion of the purity of
+another. Continuing to believe that her Scottish rebels had been called
+before the English Commissioners at her instance, Mary had consented that
+her representatives should proceed from York to Westminster, to make her
+complaints as a free Sovereign. In her instructions to the Bishop of Ross,
+and those associated with him, she expressly told them, that the
+conference was appointed &#8220;only for making a pacification between her and
+her rebellious <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.179" id="Page_2.179">[Pg 179]</a></span>subjects, and restoring her to her realm and authority.&#8221;
+She never lost sight of the fact, that she did not appeal to Elizabeth as
+a suppliant, but as an equal; and she always took care to preserve high
+and dignified ground. But to depart from this, and before the tribunal of
+Hampton Court, in which such men as Cecil were able to procure any
+decision they chose, to undertake to answer every calumnious charge which
+might be brought against her, never entered into her imagination. &#8220;It is
+not unknown to us,&#8221; she wrote to her Commissioners from Bolton, &#8220;how
+hurtful and prejudicial it would be to us, our posterity and realm, to
+enter into foreign judgment or arbitrement before the Queen our good
+sister, her Council, or Commissioners, either for our estate, Crown,
+dignity or honour;&mdash;we will and command you, therefore, that you pass to
+the presence of our said dearest sister, her Council and Commissioners,
+and there, in our name, extend our clemency toward our disobedient
+subjects, and give them appointment for their offences committed against
+us and our realm,&mdash;so that they may live, in time coming, in surety under
+us their head.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;And, in case they will otherwise proceed, then we will
+and command you to dissolve this present diet and negotiation, and proceed
+no further therein, for the causes foresaid.&#8221;<a name='fna_164' id='fna_164' href='#f_164'><small>[164]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>It may well be conceived, therefore, that when Mary heard of Elizabeth&#8217;s
+kind and familiar treatment of the Earl of Murray, &#8220;the principal of her
+rebels,&#8221; she was not a little indignant. She immediately sent word to her
+Commissioners, that,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.180" id="Page_2.180">[Pg 180]</a></span> before proceeding a step further in the negotiation,
+she considered it right that she should be put on at least an equal
+footing with the pretended Regent,&mdash;for she did not choose that greater
+respect should be shown to her rebels than to her and her true subjects.
+There were other three points, of which she thought she had also just
+cause to complain. <i>First</i>, that though she had come into England on the
+assurance of friendship, and of her own free will, she had not only seen
+no steps taken to restore her to her realm and authority, but had most
+unexpectedly found herself detained a prisoner, and her confinement
+rendered closer every day;&mdash;<i>second</i>, that though, at Elizabeth&#8217;s request,
+she had desired her loyal subjects in Scotland to abstain from
+hostilities, yet the Earl of Murray had not been prevented from molesting
+and invading them;&mdash;and, <i>third</i>, that having already established the
+utter groundlessness of the charges brought against her, instead of
+finding herself reinstated on her throne, the conference had been merely
+removed to a greater distance, where she could not communicate with her
+Commissioners so frequently and speedily as was necessary. In
+consideration of these premises, and especially in consideration of the
+treatment of the Earl of Murray, &#8220;you shall break the conference,&#8221; she
+continued, &#8220;and proceed no further therein, but take your leave, and come
+away. And if our sister allege that, at the beginning, she were content
+our cause should be conferred on by Commissioners, it is true. But since
+our principal rebels have free access towards her to accuse us in her
+presence, and the same is denied to us, personally to declare our
+innocence, and answer to their calumnies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.181" id="Page_2.181">[Pg 181]</a></span> being held as prisoner, and
+transported from place to place, though we came into her realm, of our
+free will, to seek her support and natural amity, we have resolved to have
+nothing further conferred on, except we be present before her, as the said
+rebels.&#8221;<a name='fna_165' id='fna_165' href='#f_165'><small>[165]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In the mean time, before these letters arrived, the Commissioners had held
+several sittings at Westminster; and Elizabeth having personally informed
+Murray, that if he would accuse the Queen of Scots of a share in the
+murder of Darnley, and produce the letters he had in his possession, she
+would authorize his continuance in the Regency, he no longer hesitated. On
+the 26th of November, after protesting that he had been anxious to save,
+as long as possible, the mother of his gracious King, James VI., from the
+perpetual infamy which the discovery of her shame would attach to her, and
+that he was now forced to disclose it, in his own defence, because it was
+maintained, that his previous answer to the complaint made against him was
+not sufficient, Murray, in conjunction with his colleagues, presented to
+the English Commissioners an &#8220;Eik&#8221; or addition to their &#8220;Answer,&#8221; in which
+they formally charged Mary with the murder. As to the reluctance so
+hypocritically avowed, it has been already seen, that so far back as
+December 1567, precisely the same charge, though unsupported by any
+evidence, was brought forward in the Scottish Parliament; and having then
+served its purpose, was allowed to lie dormant for eleven months. It is
+true, that there was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.182" id="Page_2.182">[Pg 182]</a></span> then, no less than now, a palpable contradiction
+between this accusation, and the grounds which had always previously been
+assigned, both for Mary&#8217;s &#8220;sequestration&#8221; in Loch-Leven, and her alleged
+voluntary abdication. It was not till the public mind had been inflamed,
+and till opposing interests contributed to involve the truth in obscurity,
+that the notorious fact was denied or concealed, that Mary had been forced
+into an unwilling marriage with Bothwell, and that her abduction, and
+imprisonment in the Castle of Dunbar, were themselves an answer to any
+suspicion, that she was one of his accomplices in Darnley&#8217;s slaughter. But
+now that Mary was a prisoner, in the hands of a jealous rival, the Regent
+naturally supposed, that some contradictions would be overlooked; and all
+at once, assuming a tone of the utmost confidence, and undertaking &#8220;to
+manifest the naked truth,&#8221; he ventured on couching his assertion in these
+terms:&mdash;&#8220;It is certain, and we boldly and constantly affirm, that as
+James, some time Earl of Bothwell, was the chief executor of the horrible
+and unworthy murder, perpetrated in the person of King Henry, of good
+memory, father to our Sovereign Lord, and the Queen&#8217;s lawful husband,&mdash;so
+was she of the fore-knowledge, counsel, and device, persuader and
+commander of the said murder to be done, maintainer and fortifier of the
+executors thereof, by impeding and stopping of the inquisition and
+punishment due for the same, according to the laws of the realm, and,
+consequently, by marriage with the said James, some time Earl Bothwell,
+dilated and universally esteemed chief author of the above named
+murder.&#8221;<a name='fna_166' id='fna_166' href='#f_166'><small>[166]</small></a> In support<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.183" id="Page_2.183">[Pg 183]</a></span> of this new charge, the letters and other
+documents were referred to, and it was promised to produce them as soon as
+they were called for.</p>
+
+<p>Before they were able to inform their mistress of the unexpected turn
+which affairs had taken, Mary&#8217;s Commissioners received her instructions
+from Bolton, to proceed no further in the conference. They therefore
+stated to Elizabeth, that though they were heartily sorry to perceive
+their countrymen, with a view to colour their unjust and ungrateful
+doings, had committed to writing a charge of so shameful a sort, they
+nevertheless could not condescend to answer it, having begun the
+conference at York as plaintives, and having afterwards found their
+relative positions altered, Murray being admitted into her Majesty&#8217;s
+presence, to advance his calumnious falsehoods, and Mary being expected to
+defend herself against them, though kept in imprisonment at a distance. At
+the same time, according to Mary&#8217;s commands, they said that, although the
+proceedings of the Regent were altogether intolerable and injurious, they
+would not yet dissolve the conference, provided their mistress were
+permitted to appear in her own person before the Queen of England and her
+nobility.<a name='fna_167' id='fna_167' href='#f_167'><small>[167]</small></a> To this request Elizabeth would not agree. Her real motive
+was the fear of truth; that which she assigned was sufficiently
+preposterous. &#8220;As to your desire,&#8221; she said to Mary&#8217;s Commissioners, &#8220;that
+your Sovereign should come to my presence to declare her innocence in this
+cause, you will understand, that from the beginning why she was debarred
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.184" id="Page_2.184">[Pg 184]</a></span>therefrom, was through the bruit and slander that was passed upon her,
+that she was participant of such a heinous crime as the murder of her
+husband; and I thought it best for your mistress&#8217;s weal and honour, and
+also for mine own, that trial should be taken thereof before her coming to
+me; <i>for I could never believe, nor yet will, that ever she did assent
+thereto</i>.&#8221;<a name='fna_168' id='fna_168' href='#f_168'><small>[168]</small></a> If Elizabeth had been anxious to see justice done, she
+could very easily have overcome the squeamish dread of being brought into
+contact with Mary, the more especially as she arrogated for herself the
+superior character of judge, as it was only &#8220;bruit and slander&#8221; that
+implicated her &#8220;dearest sister,&#8221; and as she did not, according to her own
+confession, believe her guilty, <i>even after she had been informed of the
+existence of the love-letters, and made acquainted with their contents</i>.
+Both parties, however, continuing alike resolute, the Commissioners of the
+Queen of Scots intimated, that in so far as they were concerned, the
+conference might be considered closed.</p>
+
+<p>It is here of some importance to point out, that both Robertson and Hume
+have deduced an argument against Mary, from their own erroneous manner of
+stating the proceedings of the conference at Westminster. According to the
+narrative of both these historians, the reader is led to believe, that
+Mary was perfectly willing to go on till the moment that Murray accused
+her of being a sharer in Darnley&#8217;s murder, but that, as soon as this
+charge was made, she drew back as if afraid to meet it. Robertson and Hume
+would have themselves discovered how unfair this view of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.185" id="Page_2.185">[Pg 185]</a></span> matter was,
+had they taken the trouble to attend to the dates of the documents
+connected with the transaction. By these they would have seen, that Mary
+refused to proceed on the 22d of November 1568, unless admitted equally
+with the Earl of Murray into Elizabeth&#8217;s presence, and that Murray&#8217;s
+accusation was not produced till the 26th.<a name='fna_169' id='fna_169' href='#f_169'><small>[169]</small></a> Thus so far from
+&#8220;recoiling from the inquiry at the critical moment,&#8221; as Hume expresses it,
+she did not hesitate to proceed until she had rebutted every thing which
+had been advanced against her, and stood on even higher ground than
+before. It will besides be immediately found, that notwithstanding her
+previous determination to the contrary, she was no sooner informed of the
+existence of letters alleged to have been written by her to Bothwell, than
+she was willing to enter into a proof of their authenticity.</p>
+
+<p>It would not have suited Elizabeth&#8217;s views to allow the contending parties
+to slip through her fingers, before arriving at any definite conclusion.
+She therefore fell upon an expedient by which she hoped, although the
+Queen of Scots had withdrawn from the conference, and it consequently
+should have been considered at an end, to attach to her so great a degree
+of suspicion, that she might safely detain her from her own realm. She
+ordered Murray and his colleagues to be called before her Commissioners;
+and the scene having been arranged before-hand with them, she commanded
+the Regent to be rebuked for accusing his native Sovereign of a crime so
+horrible, that if it could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.186" id="Page_2.186">[Pg 186]</a></span> be proved true, she would be infamous to all
+princes in the world. The Regent readily answered, that finding he had
+displeased her Majesty, he had no objections to show the Commissioners &#8220;a
+collection made in writing of the presumptions and circumstances&#8221; by which
+he had been guided in the charge he had advanced against Mary, and which
+would satisfy them that it had not been made without due grounds and
+consideration. This was all that Elizabeth wished. In however glaring a
+point of view it placed her injustice, she rejoiced that Mary&#8217;s
+Commissioners were no longer attending the conference; for she would now
+be able to represent to the world, without fear of contradiction, the
+overwhelming strength of Murray&#8217;s evidences, and hold them out as the
+justification of her own severity. These hopes and plans, however, were
+very nearly frustrated by the boldness and decision of Mary&#8217;s conduct. As
+soon as she received intelligence of this new accusation, and of the means
+by which it was to be supported, she resolved that her own innocence and
+its falsehood should be made apparent; and for this purpose, she even
+consented to depart from her former demand of being personally admitted to
+Elizabeth&#8217;s presence. She wrote to her Commissioners to resume the duties
+which they had intermitted, and to renew the conference once more. &#8220;We
+have seen the copy,&#8221; she said, &#8220;which you have sent us of the false and
+unlawful accusation presented against us by some of our rebels, together
+with the declarations and protestations made by you thereon before the
+Queen of England, our good sister&#8217;s Commissioners, wherein you have obeyed
+our commands to refuse consenting to any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.187" id="Page_2.187">[Pg 187]</a></span> further proceedings, if the
+presence of our sister were refused us. But that our rebels may see that
+they have not closed your mouths, you may offer a reply to the pretended
+excuse and cloak of their wicked actions, falsity and disloyalty, whereof
+you had no information before, it being a thing so horrible, that neither
+we nor you could have imagined it would have fallen into the thoughts of
+the said rebels.&#8221;<a name='fna_170' id='fna_170' href='#f_170'><small>[170]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>A reply was accordingly made, in which the &#8220;Eik&#8221; was maintained to be
+false in every particular, and nothing but a device, contrived to justify
+Murray&#8217;s own &#8220;detestable doings and ambitious purpose.&#8221; The writings, or
+at least copies of them, which had been adduced in support of the Regent&#8217;s
+charge, were required to be delivered; and it was intimated, that Mary
+would undertake to prove, that the very men who now accused her of murder,
+were themselves the first inventors, and some of them the executors of the
+deed. It will at first appear hardly credible, but it is nevertheless
+true, that Elizabeth refused to allow duplicates of the evidence against
+her to be sent to Mary. On the contrary, she now hastened to break up the
+conference; Murray was sent back to his Regency, and the Queen of Scots
+detained in closer captivity than ever; and though she even yet petitioned
+to see the writings, Elizabeth refused to surrender them, except upon
+conditions with which Mary&#8217;s Commissioners would not comply. They had
+formally accused the Regent and his adherents of a share in Bothwell&#8217;s
+guilt; yet the latter had been permitted &#8220;to depart into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.188" id="Page_2.188">[Pg 188]</a></span> Scotland without
+abiding to hear the defence of the Queen of Scotland&#8217;s innocency, nor the
+trial and proof of their detection, which was offered to verify and prove
+them guilty of the same crime, but were fully released, and no end put to
+the cause, according to the equity and justice thereof. It did not appear
+meet, therefore, that their Sovereign should make any further answer,
+unless her rebels were made to remain within the realm until the trial
+ended.&#8221;<a name='fna_171' id='fna_171' href='#f_171'><small>[171]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>As no decision had been pronounced against Mary, and as the Regent had
+been allowed to depart, leave was also asked for her to return to
+Scotland, or proceed to France, as she might think fit. This, however, was
+expressly refused; but it was insultingly promised, that if she would
+yield up the crown and government of Scotland in favour of her son the
+Prince, she would be permitted to remain privately and quietly in England.
+Mary, of course, rejected the proposal with scorn. &#8220;The eyes of all
+Europe,&#8221; she said, &#8220;are upon me at this moment; and were I thus tamely to
+yield to my adversaries, I should be pronouncing my own condemnation. A
+thousand times rather would I submit to death, than inflict this stain
+upon my honour. The last words I speak shall be those of the Queen of
+Scotland.&#8221;<a name='fna_172' id='fna_172' href='#f_172'><small>[172]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Thus ended this famous conference, which Elizabeth had opened with so many
+professions of friendship, which she conducted with so much duplicity, and
+which she concluded without any conclusion, except that of endeavouring to
+blacken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.189" id="Page_2.189">[Pg 189]</a></span> the character of her sister Mary, and give plausibility to her
+continued imprisonment. To a certain extent it answered her purpose. She
+had won the reputation, in the eyes of those who looked only at the
+surface of things, of having endeavoured to do justice between the Queen
+of Scots and her nobility; she had secured the favour of the Regent; and
+had obtained a strong hold of the person of her rival, whom she now doomed
+to lingering and hopeless captivity.<a name='fna_173' id='fna_173' href='#f_173'><small>[173]</small></a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.190" id="Page_2.190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.191" id="Page_2.191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X.2" id="CHAPTER_X.2"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">MARY&#8217;S EIGHTEEN YEARS&#8217; CAPTIVITY.</span></p>
+
+<p>The last eighteen years of Mary&#8217;s life were spent in imprisonment, and are
+comparatively a blank in her personal history. She was transported, at
+intervals, from castle to castle, and was intrusted sometimes to the
+charge of one nobleman, and sometimes of another; but for her the active
+scenes of life were past,&mdash;the splendour and the dignity of a throne were
+to be enjoyed no longer,&mdash;the sceptre of her native country was never more
+to grace her hand,&mdash;her will ceased to influence a nation,&mdash;her voice did
+not travel beyond the walls that witnessed her confinement. She came into
+England at the age of twenty-five, in the prime of womanhood, the full
+vigour of health, and the rapidly ripening strength of her intellectual
+powers. She was there destined to feel in all its bitterness, that &#8220;hope
+delayed maketh the heart sick.&#8221; Year after year passed slowly on, and year
+after year her spirits became more exhausted, her health feebler, and her
+doubts and fears confirmed, till they at length settled into <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.192" id="Page_2.192">[Pg 192]</a></span>despair.
+Premature old age overtook her, before she was past the meridian of life;
+and for some time before her death, her hair was white &#8220;with other snows
+than those of age.&#8221; Yet, during the whole of this long period, amid
+sufferings which would have broken many a masculine spirit, and which,
+even in our own times, have been seen to conquer those who had conquered
+empires, Mary retained the innate grace and dignity of her character,
+never forgetting that she had been born a queen, or making her calamities
+an excuse for the commission of any petty meanness, which she would have
+scorned in the day of her prosperity. Full of incident as her previous
+life had been,&mdash;brilliant in many of its achievements, fortunate in some,
+and honourable in all, it may be doubted whether the forbearance,
+fortitude, and magnanimity, displayed in her latter years, does not
+redound more highly to her praise, than all that preceded. Many important
+events took place, and intrigues of various kinds were carried on, between
+the years 1569, and 1586, but as it is not the intention of this work to
+illustrate any parts of the history either of Scotland or England, which
+do not bear immediate reference to the Queen of Scots, nothing but a
+summary of them, in so far as they were connected with her, need be
+introduced here.</p>
+
+<p>It was on the 12th of January 1569, that the Earl of Murray and the
+Scottish Commissioners obtained permission to return home, the Regent
+having previously received from Elizabeth a loan of 5000<i>l.</i>, lent him
+&#8220;for the maintenance of peace between the realms of England and Scotland,&#8221;
+or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.193" id="Page_2.193">[Pg 193]</a></span> in other words, as a bribe to secure his co-operation in all time
+coming.<a name='fna_174' id='fna_174' href='#f_174'><small>[174]</small></a> Mary, on the contrary, was removed from Bolton, to the Castle
+of Tutbury in Staffordshire, farther in the interior of England, and was
+placed under the charge of Lord Shrewsbury, to whom Tutbury belonged.
+Elizabeth was unwilling to allow her captive to remain long in any one
+place, lest she should form connections and friendships, which might lead
+to arrangements for an escape. Besides, Sir Francis Knollys had
+represented, that unless it was determined to keep the Scottish Queen so
+close a prisoner, that she should not be allowed to ride out occasionally,
+which would be death to her, she could not remain any longer at Bolton,
+for want of forage and provisions.<a name='fna_175' id='fna_175' href='#f_175'><small>[175]</small></a> During the year, she was taken
+about by Shrewsbury, on occasional visits, to several mansions which he
+possessed in different parts of England; but Tutbury was her
+head-quarters; and wherever she went, she was very strictly guarded. &#8220;If I
+might give advice,&#8221; says one of Cecil&#8217;s friends, in a letter he wrote to
+him about this time, &#8220;there should very few subjects of this land have
+access to a conference with this lady; for, beside that she is a goodly
+personage (and yet in truth not comparable to our Sovereign), she hath
+withal an alluring grace, a pretty Scotch speech, and a searching wit,
+clouded with mildness. The greatest person about her is the Lord
+Livingston, and the lady his wife, which is a fair gentlewoman. She hath
+nine women more, fifty persons in her household,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.194" id="Page_2.194">[Pg 194]</a></span> with ten horses. Lord
+Shrewsbury is very watchful of his charge; but the Queen overwatches them
+all, for it is one of the clock at least every night ere she go to bed. I
+asked her Grace, since the weather did cut off all exercise abroad, how
+she passed the time within? She said, that all the day she wrought with
+her needle, and that the diversity of the colours made the work seem less
+tedious; and she continued so long till even pain made her give over; and
+with that laid her hand upon her left side, and complained of an old grief
+newly increased there. She then entered upon a pretty disputable
+comparison between carving, painting, and working with the needle,
+affirming painting, in her own opinion, for the most commendable
+quality.&#8221;<a name='fna_176' id='fna_176' href='#f_176'><small>[176]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>But though Mary thus attempted to beguile her solitude, the thought of her
+unjust imprisonment never ceased to prey upon her mind. Elizabeth and
+Cecil tried to defend themselves upon four grounds; but they were all
+alike weak. They said, <i>first</i>, that she was a lawful prisoner by good
+treaties. But as they did not mention to what treaties they alluded,
+Chalmers supposes they meant the same kind of treaties &#8220;which justify the
+Barbary Powers to detain all Christians as slaves.&#8221; They said, <i>secondly</i>,
+that she could not be suffered to depart, till she had satisfied the wrong
+she had done to Elizabeth, in openly claiming the crown of England, and
+not making any just recompense. But the disavowal of that claim was all
+the recompense that was necessary; and though Mary had made the claim when
+married to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.195" id="Page_2.195">[Pg 195]</a></span> Francis, she had expressly given it up ever since his death.
+They said, <i>thirdly</i>, that Elizabeth possessed a superiority over the
+crown of Scotland. But this antiquated notion, arising from the
+subservience of John Baliol to Edward I., in 1292, had long been
+relinquished, and had never been acknowledged in any treaty between the
+two nations. They said, <i>fourthly</i>, that the Queen of England was bound to
+attend to the petition of her subjects &#8220;in matters of blood.&#8221; But though
+Lord and Lady Lennox had been brought forward to present a petition
+against Mary, it was evident that Elizabeth had no power either to grant
+or refuse such petition, the Queen of Scots not being one of her subjects.</p>
+
+<p>Though Mary&#8217;s enemies, however, prevailed, her friends were by no means
+discomfited. In Scotland, Murray found that only one half of the kingdom
+was disposed to submit to his authority; and it was not till after a
+protracted and disastrous civil war, that he was able to free himself from
+the resolute hostility of Chatelherault, Argyle, Huntly, and others. In
+England, the Duke of Norfolk was more active than ever in his intrigues.
+So far from being alarmed by the pretended discoveries to her prejudice,
+he openly expressed his conviction of their falsehood, and prevailed upon
+a number of the English nobility to second, to the best of their power,
+his honourable proposals to the Queen of Scots.<a name='fna_177' id='fna_177' href='#f_177'><small>[177]</small></a> Though it does not
+appear that he was able to obtain a personal interview with Mary, many
+letters passed between them; and as she soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.196" id="Page_2.196">[Pg 196]</a></span> perceived that her best
+chance of restoration to the throne of Scotland was by joining her
+interests with those of Norfolk, (whose power and estates were so
+extensive, that Melville calls him the greatest subject in Europe,) she
+promised that, though little disposed to form a new alliance, after the
+experience she had already had of matrimony, she would nevertheless bestow
+her hand on him as soon as she should regain her liberty, through his
+means. The Duke&#8217;s machinations, however, which had been hitherto carefully
+concealed from Elizabeth, at length reached her ears, and in the utmost
+indignation she scrupled not, with her usual arbitrary violence, to send
+him to the Tower, where she kept him a close prisoner for upwards of nine
+months,&mdash;while the Earls of Arundel, Pembroke, and Leicester, who had
+favoured his views, all fell into disgrace. Mary was watched more narrowly
+than before; and Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, who pretended a superior
+right to the English succession, was joined with Shrewsbury in the
+commission of superintending her imprisonment.</p>
+
+<p>Norfolk had not been long in the Tower, when an open rebellion broke out
+in the Northern counties, headed by the Earls of Northumberland and
+Westmoreland. It is difficult to ascertain the precise causes which led to
+it. Though there is no reason to believe that Mary gave it any
+encouragement, it seems to have borne some reference to her; for in the
+&#8220;Declaration&#8221; published by the Earls, one ground of complaint was the want
+of a law for settling the succession. They marched also towards <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.197" id="Page_2.197">[Pg 197]</a></span>Tutbury,
+with the evident intention of restoring Mary to freedom, which they might
+have succeeded in doing, had she not been removed with all expedition to
+Coventry. Elizabeth sent an army against the rebels, and they were
+speedily dispersed;&mdash;Westmoreland concealed himself on the Borders; but
+Northumberland, proceeding further into Scotland, was seized by Murray,
+and confined in the castle of Loch-Leven,&mdash;probably in the very apartments
+which Mary had occupied.</p>
+
+<p>The year 1570 opened with an event which materially affected the state of
+public affairs in Scotland, and which to Mary was the occasion of many
+mingled feelings. Elizabeth, perceiving the danger which accrued to
+herself from detaining a prisoner of so much importance, had commenced a
+negotiation with the Earl of Murray for replacing his sister in his hands,
+when she received the unexpected and unwelcome intelligence of his
+assassination. The manner and cause of his death are sufficiently known to
+all who are acquainted with Scottish History; and though nothing can
+justify a murder committed to gratify private revenge, yet it is
+impossible to read the story of the wrongs which the Regent had heaped
+upon Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, without feeling towards the latter more of
+pity than of hatred.</p>
+
+<p>Next to Mary herself, no one had held so prominent a place in Scotland as
+the Earl of Murray; and there is no one concerning whose character
+historians have more widely differed. There can be no doubt that, like
+most human characters, it was a very mixed one; but it is to be feared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.198" id="Page_2.198">[Pg 198]</a></span>
+that the evil preponderated. Ambition was his ruling passion, and the
+temptations which his birth, rank, and fortune, held out for its
+indulgence, unfortunately led him into errors and crimes which, had he
+been contented with an humbler sphere, he would in all probability have
+avoided. There are various sorts of ambition, and the most dangerous is
+not always that which is most apparent and reckless. Murray was ambitious
+under the cloak of patriotism, and the mask of religion. He had enough of
+knowledge of mankind to be aware, that no one could so safely play the
+villain as he who maintained a high name for integrity. Hence, though he
+may have loved honesty to a certain extent, for its own sake, he loved it
+a great deal more for the sake of the advantages to be derived from a
+reputation for possessing it. He was perhaps constitutionally religious;
+but though he was very willing to fight as a leader in the armies of the
+Reformation, it is somewhat questionable that he would have served the
+good cause with equal zeal, had he been obliged to fill only a subordinate
+place in its ranks. There is every reason to believe that in many cases he
+did good only that he might the more safely do wrong; and that he rigidly
+observed all the external forms of religion, only that the less suspicion
+might attach to him when he infringed its precepts. He had enough of moral
+rectitude to understand the distinctions between right and wrong, but too
+much selfishness to observe them unostentatiously, and too much prudence
+to disregard them openly. Thus to the casual observer he appeared strong
+in <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.199" id="Page_2.199">[Pg 199]</a></span>unshaken integrity, and full of the odour of sanctity. He possessed
+the art, which few but profound politicians can acquire, of going in the
+wrong path, as if he were in the right, and of gaining more estimation for
+his errors, than others do for their virtues. His conduct towards his
+sister was altogether unjustifiable; yet with the exception of his
+rebellion on the occasion of her marriage with Darnley, which was the
+least objectionable, because the boldest and most straight-forward part of
+the whole, he contrived to inflict, and to see inflicted, the deadliest
+injuries, as if he unwillingly submitted to them, rather than actively
+instigated them. He had little warmth of feeling; but what he had,
+prompted him to affect to feel as he never in reality did. He possessed
+all the talent compatible with cunning; he had abundance of military
+skill, and was not deficient in personal courage. He was not often cruel,
+because he saw it for his interest to be humane; he was a patron of
+literature, and attentive to his friends, because patronage and a numerous
+body of friends confer power. He affected nevertheless an ostentatious
+austerity in his manners, which it was impossible to reconcile with the
+worldliness of his pursuits. In short, he had so involved his whole
+character in disingenuousness, under a show of every thing that was
+exactly the reverse, that he was probably not aware himself when he acted
+from good, and when from bad motives. He had far too much ambition to be
+an upright man, and far too much good sense to be an undisguised villain.
+Notwithstanding all the ill usage she had received from him, Mary shed
+tears when she heard of his untimely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.200" id="Page_2.200">[Pg 200]</a></span> death; and to record this fact, is
+the highest euloguim which need be passed on his memory.</p>
+
+<p>The Scots chose the Earl of Lennox Regent in the place of Murray, whilst
+Elizabeth, says Robertson, &#8220;adhering to her old system with regard to
+Scottish affairs, laboured, notwithstanding the solicitations of Mary&#8217;s
+friends, to multiply and to perpetuate the factions which tore in pieces
+the kingdom.&#8221; At the same time, she pretended to enter into a new
+negotiation with Mary, as she frequently did at subsequent periods, when
+hard pressed by any of the more powerful friends of the Queen of Scots.
+But after appointing Commissioners, and requiring Morton and others to
+meet them from Scotland, the affair ended as it began; Mary still
+continued in her prison, and Morton returned home, no proposals having
+been made, to which either of the parties would agree. About this period
+Elizabeth&#8217;s temper was particularly soured, by an excommunication which
+Pope Pius V. issued against her, and which she erroneously supposed had
+been prepared in concert with Mary. A person of the name of Felton,
+affixed a copy of the Pope&#8217;s Bull on the gate of the Bishop of London&#8217;s
+palace, and, refusing either to fly or conceal himself, he was seized and
+executed for the crime. In her ill humour, Elizabeth also ordered that
+Mary should not be allowed to go abroad, and she did not revoke this
+order, until strong representations were made to her of the cruel effect
+produced by it on the health of the Queen, whose constitution was now much
+broken. The weakness in one of her sides which had long pained her, had of
+late<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.201" id="Page_2.201">[Pg 201]</a></span> greatly increased, and she was obliged to have recourse to
+strengthening baths of white wine.<a name='fna_178' id='fna_178' href='#f_178'><small>[178]</small></a> During this year she was removed
+from Tutbury to Chatsworth, and from Chatsworth she was taken to the Earl
+of Shrewsbury&#8217;s castle at Sheffield,&mdash;&#8220;a town,&#8221; says Camden, &#8220;of great
+renown for the smiths therein.&#8221; She had not at the most above thirty
+attendants, among whom the principal were Lord and Lady Livingston, her
+young friend William Douglas, Castel her French physician, and Roulet her
+French Secretary. The latter died when she was at Sheffield, and his death
+afflicted her much. All communication with her friends at a distance was
+denied her; and her letters were continually intercepted, and either
+copies, or the originals, sent to Cecil. Yet she had too proud a spirit to
+give way to unavailing complaints; and when she wrote to inquire after her
+faithful servant the Bishop of Ross, whom Elizabeth had put into
+confinement, from a jealousy of his exertions for his mistress, all she
+allowed herself to say was, that she pitied poor prisoners, for she was
+used like one herself.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1571, the Duke of Norfolk, who had been by this time
+discharged from the Tower, had the imprudence to renew his intrigues for
+the liberation of Mary, and his own marriage with her. The secret
+correspondence was renewed between them; and the Queen of Scots sent him,
+says Stranguage, &#8220;a long commentary of her purposes, and certain
+love-letters in a private character, known to them two.&#8221; The Duke was now
+resolved either to make or mar his fortune; and, deeply engaging<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.202" id="Page_2.202">[Pg 202]</a></span> in the
+dangerous game he was playing, he scrupled not to have recourse to many
+highly treasonable practices. He set on foot negotiations both with one
+Rodolphi, a Florentine merchant, residing in London, and an agent of the
+Court of Rome, and with the Spanish ambassador; and with them he boldly
+entered into an extensive conspiracy, which, if successful, would entirely
+have subverted the Government. His plan was, that the Duke of Alva should
+land in England with a numerous army, and should be immediately joined by
+himself and friends. They were then to proclaim Mary&#8217;s right to the
+throne, call upon all good Catholics to support them, and march direct for
+London. The Pope, and the King of Spain, readily entered into the scheme;
+and every thing appeared to be proceeding according to his wishes, when
+the treachery of one of Norfolk&#8217;s servants made Elizabeth acquainted with
+the whole conspiracy. The Duke was immediately seized, and thrown into
+prison; and, after several private examinations, he was tried for high
+treason, found guilty, and condemned to death. Elizabeth, who cultivated a
+reputation for extreme sensibility, affected the greatest reluctance to
+sign the warrant for Norfolk&#8217;s execution. But she was at length able to
+shut her heart against his many noble qualities, his princely spirit, and
+valuable services, and she ordered him to be led to the scaffold. He there
+confessed that he had been justly found guilty, in so far as he had dealt
+with the Queen of Scots, in weighty and important business, without the
+knowledge of his own Queen. He died, as he had lived, with undaunted
+courage. When the executioner offered him a napkin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.203" id="Page_2.203">[Pg 203]</a></span> to cover his eyes, he
+refused it, saying, &#8220;I fear not death;&#8221; and, laying his head on the block,
+it was taken off at one blow.</p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth was extremely anxious to implicate Mary in Norfolk&#8217;s guilt, and,
+for this purpose, sent Commissioners to her to reproach her with her
+offences. Mary heard all they had to say with the utmost calmness; and,
+when they called upon her for her answer, she replied, that though she was
+a free Queen, and did not consider herself accountable, either to them or
+their mistress, she had, nevertheless, no hesitation to assure them of the
+injustice of their accusations. She protested that she had never imagined
+any detriment to Elizabeth by her marriage with Norfolk,&mdash;that she had
+never encouraged him to raise rebellion, or been privy to it, but was, on
+the contrary, most ready to reveal any conspiracy against the Queen of
+England which might come to her ears,&mdash;that though Rodolphi had been of
+use to her in the transmission of letters abroad, she had never received
+any from him,&mdash;that as to attempting an escape, she willingly gave ear to
+all who offered to assist her, and in hope of effecting her deliverance,
+had corresponded with several in cipher,&mdash;that so far from having any hand
+in the Bull of excommunication, when a copy of it was sent her, she burned
+it after she had read it,&mdash;and that she held no communication with any
+foreign State, upon any matters unconnected with her restoration to her
+own kingdom. Satisfied with this reply, the Commissioners returned to
+London.<a name='fna_179' id='fna_179' href='#f_179'><small>[179]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>All the miseries of civil war were in the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.204" id="Page_2.204">[Pg 204]</a></span>meantime desolating the kingdom
+of Scotland. The Earl of Lennox was a feeble and very incompetent
+successor to Murray. Perceiving him unable to maintain his authority, and
+observing that the current of popular feeling was becoming stronger
+against the unjust imprisonment which Mary was suffering, many of those
+who had stood by Murray deserted to the opposite faction. Among the rest
+were Secretary Maitland and Kircaldy of Grange, the first the ablest
+statesman, and the second the best soldier in the country. It was now
+almost impossible to say which side preponderated. Both parties levied
+armies, convoked Parliaments, fought battles, besieged towns, and ordered
+executions. &#8220;Fellow-citizens, friends, brothers,&#8221; says Robertson, &#8220;took
+different sides, and ranged themselves under the standards of the
+contending factions. In every county, and almost in every town and
+village, <i>Kingsmen</i> and <i>Queensmen</i> were names of distinction. Political
+hatred dissolved all natural ties, and extinguished the reciprocal
+good-will and confidence which hold mankind together in society. Religious
+zeal mingled itself with these civil distinctions, and contributed not a
+little to heighten and to inflame them.&#8221; One of the most successful
+exploits performed by the Regent, was the taking of the Castle of
+Dumbarton from the Queen&#8217;s Lords. The Archbishop of St Andrews, whom he
+found in it, was condemned to be hanged without a trial, and the sentence
+was immediately executed. No Bishop had ever suffered in Scotland so
+ignominiously before; and while the King&#8217;s adherents were glad to get rid
+of one who had been very zealous against them, the nobles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.205" id="Page_2.205">[Pg 205]</a></span> who supported
+the Queen were exasperated to the last degree by so violent a measure, and
+their watchword became,&mdash;&#8220;Think on the Archbishop of St Andrews!&#8221; Lennox
+was sacrificed to his memory; for the town of Stirling having been
+suddenly taken, in an expedition contrived by Grange, Lennox, after he had
+surrendered himself prisoner, was shot by command of Lord Claud Hamilton,
+brother to the deceased Archbishop; and in his room, the Earl of Mar was
+elected Regent.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1572, Mary&#8217;s cause sustained a serious injury, by the
+atrocious massacre of the Hugonots in France, which exasperated all the
+Protestants throughout Europe, and made the very name of a Catholic
+Sovereign odious. Although Mary herself, so far from having lent any
+countenance to this massacre, had expressly avowed her unwillingness to
+constrain the conscience of any one, and had been all her life the
+strenuous advocate of toleration, yet, recollecting her connexion with
+Charles IX. and Catharine de Medicis, whose sanguinary fury made itself so
+conspicuous on this melancholy occasion, her enemies took care that she
+should not escape from some share of the blame. Elizabeth, in particular,
+taking advantage of the excitement which had been given to public feeling,
+used every exertion to secure the circulation of Buchanan&#8217;s notorious
+&#8220;Detection of Mary&#8217;s Doings,&#8221; which had been published a short time
+before. She ordered Cecil to send a number of copies to Walsingham, her
+ambassador at Paris, that they might be presented to the King, and leading
+persons of the French Court. &#8220;It is not amiss,&#8221; Cecil wrote, &#8220;to have
+divers of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.206" id="Page_2.206">[Pg 206]</a></span>Buchanan&#8217;s little Latin books to present, if need be, to the
+King, as from yourself, and likewise to some of the other noblemen of his
+Council; for they will serve to good effect to disgrace her, <i>which must
+be done before other purposes can be attained</i>.&#8221; Cecil himself printed and
+circulated a small treatise, in the shape of a letter, from London to a
+friend at a distance, giving an account of the &#8220;Detection,&#8221; and the credit
+it deserved. The publication, on the other hand, of Bishop Lesley&#8217;s
+&#8220;Defence of Queen Mary&#8217;s Honour,&#8221; was positively interdicted; and Lesley
+was obliged to send the manuscript abroad, before he was able to present
+it to the world. To such low and cowardly devices were Elizabeth and her
+Minister under the necessity of resorting, to blacken the character of
+Mary, and justify their own iniquitous proceedings!<a name='fna_180' id='fna_180' href='#f_180'><small>[180]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In Scotland, too, Mary&#8217;s party, beginning to see the hopelessness of the
+cause, was gradually dwindling away. Through Mar&#8217;s exertions, a general
+peace might have been obtained, had not Morton&#8217;s superior influence and
+persevering cruelty drawn out the civil war to the last dregs. Mar,
+finding himself thwarted in every measure he proposed for the tranquillity
+of his country, fell into a deep melancholy, which ended in his death,
+before he had been a year in office. Morton succeeded him without
+opposition, and immediately proceeded to very violent measures against all
+the Queen&#8217;s friends, who were now divided into two parties,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.207" id="Page_2.207">[Pg 207]</a></span> the one
+headed by Chatelherault and Huntly, and the other by Maitland and Grange.
+After gaining some advantages over both, he concluded a peace with the
+former; and having invested the Castle of Edinburgh on all sides, in
+conjunction with some troops which Elizabeth sent to his assistance, he at
+length forced the latter to surrender. Kircaldy of Grange, the bravest and
+most honest man in Scotland, was hanged at the Cross of Edinburgh; and
+Secretary Maitland, who, with all his talents, had vacillated too much to
+be greatly respected, anticipating a similar fate, avoided it by a
+voluntary death, &#8220;ending his days,&#8221; says Melville, &#8220;after the old Roman
+fashion.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>About the same time, John Knox concluded his laborious, and, in many
+respects, useful life, in the 67th year of his age. Appearing as he did,
+in treacherous and turbulent times, the rough unpolished integrity of Knox
+demands the higher praise, because it enabled him the more successfully to
+maintain an influence over the minds of his countrymen, and effect those
+important revolutions in their modes of thought and belief, which his
+superior abilities pointed out to him as conducive to the moral and
+religious improvement of the land. He had many failings, but they were to
+be attributed more to the age to which he belonged, than to any fault of
+his own. His very violence and acrimony, his strong prejudices, and no
+less confirmed partialities, were perhaps the very best instruments he
+could have used for advancing the cause of the Reformation. He was without
+the cunning of Murray, the fickleness of Maitland, or the ferocity of
+Morton. He <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.208" id="Page_2.208">[Pg 208]</a></span>pursued a steady and undeviating course; and though loved by
+few, he was reverenced by many. Courage, in particular,&mdash;and not the mere
+common-place courage inspired by the possession of physical strength, but
+the far nobler courage arising from a consciousness of innate
+integrity,&mdash;was the leading feature of his mind. Morton never spoke more
+truly than when he said at the grave of Knox,&mdash;&#8220;Here lies he who never
+feared the face of man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1573, Mary, at her own earnest request, was removed, for the
+benefit of her health, from Sheffield to the Wells at Buxton. The news she
+had lately received from Scotland, and the apparent annihilation of all
+her hopes, had affected her not a little. &#8220;Though she makes little show of
+any grief,&#8221; the Earl of Shrewsbury wrote to Cecil, &#8220;yet this news nips her
+very sore.&#8221; At Buxton, which was then the most fashionable watering-place
+in England, she was obliged to live in complete seclusion; and it may
+easily be conceived, that the waters could be of little benefit to her,
+without the aid of air, exercise, and amusement. Lesley, though detained
+at a distance, took every means in his power to afford her consolation,
+and wrote two treatises, after the manner of Seneca, expressly applicable
+to her condition; both of which he sent to her. The first was
+entitled,&mdash;&#8220;<i>Pi&aelig; afflicti animi meditationes divinaque remedia</i>,&#8221; and the
+second,&mdash;&#8220;<i>Tranquillitatis animi conservatio et munimentum</i>.&#8221; She thanked
+him for both of these productions, and assured him, that she had received
+much benefit from their perusal. With many parts of the first, in
+particular, she was so pleased, that she occupied herself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.209" id="Page_2.209">[Pg 209]</a></span> in paraphrasing
+them into French verse.<a name='fna_181' id='fna_181' href='#f_181'><small>[181]</small></a> Lesley was soon afterwards allowed by
+Elizabeth to pass into France, where he long continued to exert himself in
+the cause of his mistress, visiting, on her account, several foreign
+courts, and exposing himself to many inconveniences and hardships. He died
+at a good old age in 1596, and his memory deserves to be cherished, both
+for the many amiable qualities he possessed in private life, and his
+inflexible fidelity and attachment to the Queen of Scots.<a name='fna_182' id='fna_182' href='#f_182'><small>[182]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In 1574, a fresh misfortune overtook Mary, in the death of her
+brother-in-law, Charles IX. He was succeeded on the throne by the Duke of
+Anjou, who took the title of Henry III., and was little inclined to exert
+himself in the cause of his sister, having been long at enmity with the
+house of Guise. But a still more fatal blow was the death of her uncle,
+the Cardinal of Lorraine, who had ever made it a part of his policy to
+identify her interests with his own, and to whom she had always been
+accustomed to turn, with confidence, in her greatest distresses.</p>
+
+<p>From this period to the year 1581, Mary seems to have been nearly
+forgotten by all parties. Elizabeth, satisfied with keeping her rival
+securely imprisoned, busied herself with other affairs of political
+moment; and, in Scotland, as the Prince grew up, and years passed on,
+death, or other causes, gradually diminished the number of Mary&#8217;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.210" id="Page_2.210">[Pg 210]</a></span>
+adherents; and though the country was far from being in tranquillity, the
+dissensions assumed a new shape, for even they who opposed the regency of
+the Earl of Morton, found it more for their interest to associate
+themselves with the young King than with the absent Queen. Mary became
+gradually more solitary and more depressed. Though yet only in the prime
+of womanhood, she had lived to see almost all her best friends, and some
+of her worst enemies, depart from the world before her. The specious
+Murray,&mdash;the imbecile Lennox,&mdash;Hamilton, the last supporter of
+Catholicism,&mdash;Knox, the great champion of the Reformation,&mdash;the gentle
+Mar,&mdash;the brilliant but misguided Norfolk,&mdash;the gallant Kircaldy,&mdash;and the
+sagacious Maitland,&mdash;had all been removed from the scene; and in the
+melancholy solitude of her prison, she wept to think that she should have
+been destined to survive them. But Elizabeth had no sympathy for her
+griefs, and every rumour which reached her ear, only served as an excuse
+for narrowing and rendering more irksome Mary&#8217;s captivity. Even the few
+female friends who had been at first allowed to attend her, were taken
+from her; no congenial society of any sort was allowed her; it was rarely,
+indeed, that she was permitted to hunt or hawk, or take any exercise out
+of doors; and the wearisome monotony of her sedentary life, at once
+impaired her health and broke down her spirits. The manner in which she
+spoke of her own situation, in letters she wrote about this period to
+France and elsewhere, is not the less affecting, that it is characterized
+by that mental dignity and queenly spirit which no afflictions could
+overcome. &#8220;I find it necessary,&#8221; she wrote from <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.211" id="Page_2.211">[Pg 211]</a></span>Tutbury in 1680, &#8220;to
+renew the memorial of my grievances respecting the remittance of my dowry,
+the augmentation of my attendants, and a change of
+residence,&mdash;circumstances apparently trivial, and of small importance to
+the Queen, my good sister, but which I feel to be essential to the
+preservation of my existence. Necessity alone could induce me to descend
+to earnest and reiterated supplications, the dearest price at which any
+boon can be purchased. To convey to you an idea, of my present situation,
+I am on all sides enclosed by fortified walls, on the summit of a hill
+which lies exposed to every wind of heaven: within these bounds, not
+unlike the wood of Vincennes, is a very old edifice, originally a hunting
+lodge, built merely of lath and plaster, the plaster in many places
+crumbling away. This edifice, detached from the walls, about twenty feet,
+is sunk so low, that the rampart of earth behind the wall is level with
+the highest part of the building, so that here the sun can never
+penetrate, neither does any pure air ever visit this habitation, on which
+descend drizzling damps and eternal fogs, to such excess, that not an
+article of furniture can be placed beneath the roof, but in four days it
+becomes covered with green mould. I leave you to judge in what manner such
+humidity must act upon the human frame; and, to say every thing in one
+word, the apartments are in general more like dungeons prepared for the
+reception of the vilest criminals, than suited to persons of a station far
+inferior to mine, inasmuch as I do not believe there is a lord or
+gentleman, or even yeoman in the kingdom, who would patiently endure the
+penance of living in so wretched an habitation. With regard to
+accommodation, I have for my own <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.212" id="Page_2.212">[Pg 212]</a></span>person but two miserable little
+chambers, so intensely cold during the night, that but for ramparts and
+entrenchments of tapestry and curtains, it would be impossible to prolong
+my existence; and of those who have sat up with me during my illness, not
+one has escaped malady. Sir Amias can testify that three of my women have
+been rendered ill by this severe temperature, and even my physician
+declines taking charge of my health the ensuing winter, unless I shall be
+permitted to change my habitation. With respect to convenience, I have
+neither gallery nor cabinet, if I except two little pigeon-holes, through
+which the only light admitted is from an aperture of about nine feet in
+circumference; for taking air and exercise, either on foot or in my chair,
+I have but about a quarter of an acre behind the stables, round which
+Somers last year planted a quickset hedge, a spot more proper for swine
+than to be cultivated as a garden; there is no shepherd&#8217;s hut but has more
+grace and proportion. As to riding on horseback during the winter, I am
+sure to be impeded by floods of water or banks of snow, nor is there a
+road in which I could go for one mile in my coach without putting my limbs
+in jeopardy; abstracted from these real and positive inconveniences, I
+have conceived for this spot an antipathy, which, in one ill as I am,
+might alone claim some humane consideration. As it was here that I first
+began to be treated with rigour and indignity, I have conceived, from that
+time, this mansion to be singularly unlucky to me, and in this sinister
+impression I have been confirmed by the tragical catastrophe of the poor
+priest of whom I wrote to you, who, having been <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.213" id="Page_2.213">[Pg 213]</a></span>tortured for his
+religion, was at length found hanging in front of my window.&#8221;<a name='fna_183' id='fna_183' href='#f_183'><small>[183]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In 1581, Mary made a still more melancholy representation of her
+condition. &#8220;I am reduced to such an excessive weakness,&#8221; she says,
+&#8220;especially in my legs, that I am not able to walk a hundred steps, and
+yet I am at this moment better than I have been for these six months past.
+Ever since last Easter, I have been obliged to make my servants carry me
+in a chair; and you may judge how seldom I am thus transported from one
+spot to another, when there are so few people about me fit for such an
+employment.&#8221;<a name='fna_184' id='fna_184' href='#f_184'><small>[184]</small></a> In the midst of all this distress, it was only from
+resources within herself that she was able to derive any consolation. Her
+religious duties she attended to with the strictest care, and devoted much
+of her time to reading and writing. At rare intervals, she remembered her
+early cultivation of the Muses; and she even yet attempted occasionally to
+beguile the time with the charms of poetry. She produced several short
+poetical compositions during her imprisonment; and of these, the following
+Sonnet, embodying so simply and forcibly her own feelings, cannot fail to
+be read with peculiar interest:</p>
+
+<p class="poem">&#8220;Que suis je, helas! et de quoi sert ma vie?<br />
+Je ne suis fors q&#8217;un corps priv&eacute; de coeur;<br />
+Un ombre vain, un objet de malheur,<br />
+Qui n&#8217;a plus rien que de mourir envie.<br />
+Plus ne portez, O ennemis, d&#8217;envie<br />
+A qui n&#8217;a plus l&#8217;esprit &agrave; la grandeur!<br />
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.214" id="Page_2.214">[Pg 214]</a></span>Je consomme d&#8217;excessive douleur,&mdash;<br />
+Votre ire en bref ce voira assouvie;<br />
+Et vous amis, qui m&#8217;avez tenu chere,<br />
+Souvenez vous, que sans heur&mdash;sans sant&eacute;<br />
+Je ne saurois aucun bon &oelig;uvre faire:<br />
+Souhaitez donc fin de calamit&eacute;;<br />
+Et que ci bas &eacute;tant assez punie,<br />
+J&#8217;aye ma part en la joye infinie.&#8221;<a name='fna_185' id='fna_185' href='#f_185'><small>[185]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>But the most celebrated of all Mary&#8217;s efforts during her captivity, is a
+long and eloquent letter she addressed to Elizabeth, in 1582, when she
+heard that her son&#8217;s person had been seized at the Raid of Ruthven,&mdash;and
+when, dreading, with maternal anxiety, that he might be involved in the
+woes which had overtaken herself, she gave vent to those feelings which
+had long agitated her bosom, and which she now, with pathetic force, laid
+before Elizabeth, as the author of all her misfortunes. The ability and
+vigour with which this letter is written, well entitle it, as Dr Stuart
+has remarked, to survive in the history of the Scottish nation. It was
+Mary&#8217;s own wish that it should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.215" id="Page_2.215">[Pg 215]</a></span> do so. &#8220;I am no longer able,&#8221; she says,
+&#8220;to resist laying my heart before you; and while I desire that my just
+complaints shall be engraved in your conscience, it is my hope that they
+will also descend to posterity, to prove the misery into which I have been
+brought by the injustice and cruelty of my enemies. Having in vain looked
+to you for support against their various devices, I shall now carry my
+appeal to the Eternal God, the Judge of both, whose dominion is over all
+the princes of the earth. I shall appeal to him to arbitrate between us;
+and would request you, Madam, to remember, that in his sight nothing can
+be disguised by the paint and artifices of the world.&#8221; She proceeds to
+recapitulate the injuries she had sustained from Elizabeth ever since she
+came to the throne of Scotland,&mdash;reminding her, that she had busied
+herself in corrupting her subjects and encouraging rebellion; that when
+imprisoned in Loch-Leven, she had assured her, through her ambassador,
+Throckmorton, that any deed of abdication she might subscribe, was
+altogether invalid; yet that, upon her escape, though she at first allured
+her by fair promises into England, she had no sooner arrived there, than
+she was thrown into captivity, in which she had been kept alive only to
+suffer a thousand deaths; that she had tried for years to accommodate
+herself to that captivity, to reduce the number of her attendants, to make
+no complaint of the plainness of her diet, and the want of ordinary
+exercise, to live quietly and peaceably, as if she were of a far inferior
+rank, and even to abstain from correspondence with her friends in
+Scotland; but that the only return she had experienced for her good
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.216" id="Page_2.216">[Pg 216]</a></span>intentions was neglect, calumny, and increasing severity. &#8220;To take away
+every foundation of dispute and misunderstanding between us,&#8221; Mary
+continued, &#8220;I invite you, Madam, to examine into every report against me,
+and to grant to every person the liberty of accusing me publicly; and
+while I freely solicit you to take every advantage to my prejudice, I only
+request that you will not condemn me without a hearing. If it be proved
+that I have done evil, let me suffer for it; if I am guiltless, do not
+take upon yourself the responsibility, before God and man, of punishing me
+unjustly. Let not my enemies be afraid that I aim any longer at
+dispossessing them of their usurped authority. I look now to no other
+kingdom but that of Heaven, and would wish to prepare myself for it,
+knowing that my sorrows will never cease till I arrive there.&#8221; She then
+speaks of her son, and entreats that Elizabeth would interfere in his
+behalf. She concludes with requesting, that some honourable churchman
+should be sent to her, to remind her daily of the road she had yet to
+finish, and to instruct her how to pursue it, according to her religion,
+in which she would wish to die as she had lived. &#8220;I am very weak and
+helpless,&#8221; she adds, &#8220;and do beseech you to give me some solitary mark of
+your friendship. Bind your own relations to yourself; let me have the
+happiness of knowing, before I die, that a reconciliation has taken place
+between us, and that, when my soul quits my body, it will not be necessary
+for it to carry complaints of your injustice to the throne of my
+Creator.&#8221;<a name='fna_186' id='fna_186' href='#f_186'><small>[186]</small></a> The only <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.217" id="Page_2.217">[Pg 217]</a></span>result which this letter produced, was a
+remonstrance from Elizabeth which she sent by Beal, the Clerk of her Privy
+Council, against such unnecessary complaints.<a name='fna_187' id='fna_187' href='#f_187'><small>[187]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In Scotland, meanwhile, the event of greatest consequence which had taken
+place, was the trial and execution of the Earl of Morton, for having been
+<i>art</i> and <i>part</i> in the murder of Darnley. Morton&#8217;s intolerable tyranny
+having rendered him odious to the greater part of the nobility, and the
+young King having nearly arrived at an age when he could act and think for
+himself, he found it necessary, very unwillingly, to retire from office.
+He did not, even then, desist from carrying on numerous intrigues; and it
+was rumoured, that he intended seizing the King&#8217;s person, and carrying him
+captive into England. Whether there was any truth in this report or not,
+it is certain that James became anxious to get rid of so factious and
+dangerous a nobleman. The only plausible expedient which occurred to him,
+or his Council, was, to accuse Morton of a share in Bothwell&#8217;s guilt. His
+trial does not seem to have been conducted with any very scrupulous regard
+to justice. But a jury of his peers was allowed him; and they, having
+heard the evidence in support of the charges, found him guilty of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.218" id="Page_2.218">[Pg 218]</a></span> having
+been in the council or knowledge of the conspiracy against the late King,
+of concealing it, and of being <i>art</i> and <i>part</i> in the murder. It was to
+the latter part of this verdict alone that Morton objected. He confessed
+that he knew of the intended murder, and had concealed it, but positively
+disclaimed having been <i>art</i> and <i>part</i> in it. This seems, however, to
+have been a distinction without a difference. On the 1st of June 1581, he
+was condemned to the block, and next day the sentence was executed. The
+instrument called the <i>Maiden</i>, which was used to behead him, he had
+himself brought into Scotland, and he was the first to suffer by it. His
+head was placed on the public gaol at Edinburgh, and his body buried
+privately by a few menials. He had been universally hated, and there was
+hardly one who lamented his death.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.219" id="Page_2.219">[Pg 219]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI.2" id="CHAPTER_XI.2"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">MARY&#8217;S TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION.</span></p>
+
+<p>The closing scene of Mary&#8217;s life was now rapidly approaching. Debilitated
+as she was by her long confinement, and the many painful thoughts which
+had been incessantly preying on her peace of mind, it is not likely that
+she could have long survived, even though she had been left unmolested
+within the walls of her prison. But she had been the source of two much
+jealousy and uneasiness to Elizabeth, to be either forgotten or forgiven.
+Weak as she was in body, and destitute alike of wealth and power, her name
+had nevertheless continued a watchword and a tower of strength, not only
+to all her own friends throughout Christendom, but to all who were
+disposed, from whatever cause, to stir up civil dissensions and broils in
+England. Scarcely a conspiracy against Elizabeth&#8217;s person and authority
+had been contrived for the last sixteen years, with which the Queen of
+Scots was not supposed to be either remotely or immediately connected. Nor
+is it to be denied, that appeals were made to her sufferings and cruel
+treatment, to give plausibility to many an <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.220" id="Page_2.220">[Pg 220]</a></span>enterprise which was
+anti-constitutional in its object, and criminal in its execution. Other
+less objectionable enterprises Mary herself expressly countenanced, for
+she always openly declared, that being detained a captive by force, she
+considered herself fully entitled to take every means that offered to
+effect her escape. She acted solely upon a principle of self-defence.
+Whenever a nobleman of influence like Norfolk, or a man of integrity like
+Lesley, undertook to arrange a scheme for her release, she willingly
+listened to their proposals, and was ever ready to act in concert with
+them. She had been detained in strict ward in a realm into which she had
+come voluntarily, or rather into which she had been seduced by specious
+promises and offers of assistance; and it would have been against every
+dictate of common sense and common justice, to suppose that she had not a
+right to free herself from her unwarrantable imprisonment. It is true,
+that many of her attempts, mixed up as they were with the interested and
+ambitious projects of others, gave Elizabeth no little inconvenience and
+anxiety. But this was the price she must have laid her account with paying
+for the pleasure of seeing the Queen of Scots a helpless hostage in her
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>To discourage the numerous plots which were formed, either by Mary&#8217;s real
+or pretended adherents, a number of persons of the first rank in the
+kingdom entered into a solemn &#8220;Association,&#8221; in which they bound
+themselves to defend Elizabeth against all her enemies, &#8220;and if any
+violence should be offered to her life, in order to favour the title of
+any pretender to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.221" id="Page_2.221">[Pg 221]</a></span> crown, not only never to allow or acknowledge the
+person or persons <i>by</i> whom, or <i>for</i> whom such a detestable act should be
+committed, but, as they should answer to the Eternal God, to prosecute
+such person or persons to the death, and pursue them with the utmost
+vengeance to their overthrow and extirpation.&#8221; The Parliament, which met
+in 1585, sanctioned this Association; and, alarmed by the recent discovery
+of a fanatical design, on the part of a Roman Catholic, to assassinate the
+Queen, because she had been excommunicated by the Pope, they passed an
+Act, by which they determined, with the most arbitrary injustice, &#8220;That if
+any rebellion should be excited in the kingdom, or any thing attempted to
+the hurt of her Majesty&#8217;s person, <i>by</i> or <i>for</i> any person pretending a
+title to the crown, the Queen should empower twenty-four persons, by a
+commission under the Great Seal, to examine into and pass sentence upon
+such offences; and that, after judgment given, a proclamation should be
+issued, declaring the persons whom they found guilty excluded from any
+right to the crown; and her Majesty&#8217;s subjects might lawfully pursue every
+one of them to the death; and that, if any design against the life of the
+Queen took effect, the persons <i>by</i> or <i>for</i> whom such a detestable act
+was executed, and their issues, being in any wise assenting or privy to
+the same, should be disabled for ever from pretending to the crown, and be
+pursued to death, in the like manner.&#8221; That the persons <i>by</i> whom any of
+these faults were committed, should be punished, was in strict accordance
+with equity; but that the persons <i>for</i> whom they might be supposed to be
+done,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.222" id="Page_2.222">[Pg 222]</a></span> should be considered as much involved in their guilt, was alike
+contrary to law and reason. The discontented were forming plots every year
+against Elizabeth, and, with the very existence of many of these plots,
+Mary was unacquainted; yet, by this statute, she was made answerable for
+all of them. There is little wonder, therefore, if she considered it only
+a forerunner of greater severities; and it was not long before an occasion
+occurred which afforded a plausible pretext for making a practical
+application of it.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1586, three English priests, who had been educated in a
+Catholic seminary at Rheims, and over whose minds the most illiberal
+superstition held unlimited sway, actually conceived the belief, that the
+bull of excommunication, issued by Pope Pius V. against Elizabeth, had
+been dictated under the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost. They
+looked, consequently, upon that Sovereign with a fanatical hatred, which
+they determined, if possible, to gratify. Having contrived to win over one
+or two others to their own way of thinking, and, in particular, an officer
+of the name of Savage, and another priest of the name of Ballard, they
+sent them into England to disseminate their principles among all on whose
+co-operation they thought they could depend; and, in the meantime, they
+set on foot a negotiation with the Spanish ambassador in Paris, through
+whose means they hoped to obtain the assistance of a foreign force. He
+gave them a promise of encouragement, only on condition that they secured
+a strong party in England, and that means were taken to remove Elizabeth.
+Among the first persons to whom Savage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.223" id="Page_2.223">[Pg 223]</a></span> and Ballard communicated their
+designs, was Anthony Babington, a young gentleman of estate and fortune in
+Derbyshire. Having resided for some time in France, he had formed an
+acquaintance with the Archbishop of Glasgow, and from him had heard so
+many eulogiums on Mary, that he became inspired with the most enthusiastic
+feelings in her favour, and cherished a romantic desire of performing some
+exploit which might secure for him her gratitude and esteem. By his advice
+and assistance, a knowledge of the conspiracy was intrusted to a number of
+persons of respectability of the Roman Catholic persuasion; and a secret
+correspondence was set on foot with the Queen of Scots, through the medium
+of her Secretaries Naw and Curl. Mary, however, was not disposed to give
+the conspirators much encouragement. She had been now so long accustomed
+to despair, and was so convinced of the fallaciousness of hope, that she
+was almost inclined to turn away from it, as from something painful. She
+had grown indifferent about her future fate, and had endeavoured to resign
+herself to the prospect of ending her days in captivity. Besides, she had
+the recent Act of Parliament before her eyes; and she was well aware, that
+though she did nothing but attempt an escape, she would be held
+responsible for the whole plot, whatever its extent or criminality might
+be. It is, however, not at all unlikely that she may, notwithstanding,
+have authorized her Secretaries to write once or twice to Babington and
+his associates; but that she gave them any support in their designs
+against Elizabeth, was never proved,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.224" id="Page_2.224">[Pg 224]</a></span> and is not to be believed. It was
+indeed with no little difficulty that Mary was able to hold any epistolary
+communication at all with her friends, so strictly was she watched by Sir
+Amias Paulet and Sir Drue Drury, to whose custody she had been committed,
+and who kept her in the Castle of Chartley in Staffordshire. The
+conspirators were obliged to bribe one of the servants, who conveyed to
+the Queen or her Secretaries, the letters which they deposited in a hole
+in the wall, and put the answers into the same place, from which they took
+them privately, when it was dark.</p>
+
+<p>Every thing seemed to proceed smoothly, and all the necessary arrangements
+were now concluded. The different conspirators had different tasks
+allotted to them; by some a rebellion was to be excited in several parts
+of the kingdom at once; six others bound themselves by solemn oaths to
+assassinate Elizabeth; and Babington himself undertook to head a strong
+party, which he was to lead to the rescue of the Queen of Scots. Nor were
+they to be destitute of foreign assistance as soon as the first blow was
+struck, and the first symptoms of internal commotion appeared. So inspired
+were these infatuated men with an idea of the glory of the revolution they
+were about to achieve, that they had medals prepared representing
+themselves assembled together, with Babington in the midst, and bearing
+the motto,&mdash;&#8220;<i>Hi mihi sunt comites quos ipsa pericula ducunt.</i>&#8221; But in all
+their fancied security and enthusiasm, they were ignorant that every step
+they took was known to Elizabeth and her minister Walsingham, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.225" id="Page_2.225">[Pg 225]</a></span> that
+they were advancing only to the foot of their own scaffold. It was through
+the treachery of one of their own associates of the name of Polly, one of
+Walsingham&#8217;s accredited spies, who had joined them only that he might
+betray them, that all their proceedings were discovered, and attentively
+watched. Savage, Ballard, and the other four who were bent on the murder
+of Elizabeth, had already come up to London, and were lying in wait for
+the first favourable opportunity to execute their purpose; and, as
+Walsingham was anxious to have complete evidence of their guilt in his
+possession before apprehending them, they were allowed to remain
+unmolested for some time. The Queen, however, fearing for her personal
+safety, at length insisted on their being seized, remarking, that, &#8220;in not
+taking heed of a danger when she might, she seemed more to tempt God than
+to hope in him.&#8221; Ballard was first arrested; his accomplices, struck with
+astonishment and dismay, fled out of London; but, after lurking for some
+days in woods and byeways, cutting off their hair, disfiguring their
+faces, and submitting to every kind of deprivation and hardship to avoid
+the hot search which was made for them, they were at length taken; and so
+much had the public feeling been excited against them, that, when they
+were brought into London, the bells of the city were rung, and bonfires
+kindled in the streets. Walsingham had arranged his measures so
+effectively, that all the other conspirators, who were scattered
+throughout the kingdom, were also seized and brought to the capital within
+a very short time. Fourteen of the principal inventors of the plot were
+immediately<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.226" id="Page_2.226">[Pg 226]</a></span> tried, condemned, and executed. No mercy whatever was shown
+to them; for Elizabeth seldom forgave her enemies.<a name='fna_188' id='fna_188' href='#f_188'><small>[188]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>But, in the death of these men, only one part of Elizabeth&#8217;s vengeance was
+gratified. The wrongs and the merits of the Queen of Scots had been the
+means of imparting to this conspiracy a degree of respectability; and she,
+therefore, was regarded as the chief culprit. Walsingham had ascertained,
+that communications of some sort or another had passed between Mary&#8217;s
+secretaries and the conspirators; and before she was aware that
+Babington&#8217;s plot had been discovered, he sent down Sir Thomas Gorges to
+Chartley to take her by surprise, and endeavour to discover some
+additional grounds of suspicion. Sir Thomas arrived just as she was about
+to ride out in a wheeled carriage which had been procured for her, and,
+without permitting her to alight, he rudely told her of Babington&#8217;s fate;
+then entering the Castle, he committed Naw and Curl into custody; and,
+breaking into the private cabinets of the Queen, he seized all her letters
+and papers, and sent them off immediately to Elizabeth. He took possession
+too of all her money, &#8220;lest she should use it for corruption.&#8221; She herself
+was not allowed to return to Chartley for some days, but conveyed about
+from one castle to another. When she was at length brought back, and saw
+how she had been plundered in her absence, she could not refrain from
+weeping <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.227" id="Page_2.227">[Pg 227]</a></span>bitterly. &#8220;There are two things, however,&#8221; she said in the midst
+of her tears, &#8220;which they cannot take away,&mdash;my birth and my
+religion.&#8221;<a name='fna_189' id='fna_189' href='#f_189'><small>[189]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>In the excited state of feeling which then prevailed in the nation, and
+the fears which her subjects entertained for the safety of their
+Sovereign, Elizabeth perceived that she might now safely proceed to those
+extremities against Mary which she had so long meditated, but which
+considerations of selfish prudence had hitherto prevented her from putting
+into execution. She asserted, that not only her own life, but the religion
+and peace of the country were at stake, and that either the Queen of Scots
+must be removed, or the whole realm given up as a sacrifice. By her own
+injustice, she had involved herself in inconveniences; and as soon as she
+began to feel their effects, she pretended to be indignant at the innocent
+victim of her tyranny. But it was not without difficulty that she brought
+all her ministers to think on this subject precisely as she herself did.
+Many of them did not hesitate to state their conviction, that Mary had
+neither set on foot nor countenanced Babington&#8217;s plot, and that, however
+the conspirators might have interwoven her name with it, she could not be
+punished for what she could not have prevented. Besides, they urged that
+she was not likely to live long at any rate, and that it would be more for
+the honour of the kingdom to leave her unmolested for the short remainder
+of her days. Nevertheless, by Elizabeth&#8217;s exertions, and those of
+Walsingham, who had always courted the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.228" id="Page_2.228">[Pg 228]</a></span>favour of his mistress by the most
+persevering persecution of Mary, opposition was at length silenced, and
+the trial of the Queen of Scots finally determined. To give as much
+dignity, and as great a semblance of justice as possible to a proceeding
+so unwarrantable as that of calling upon her to answer for an imaginary
+offence, forty of the most illustrious persons in the kingdom were
+appointed Commissioners, and were intrusted with the charge of hearing the
+cause, and deciding upon the question of life or death.</p>
+
+<p>On the 25th of September 1586, Mary had been taken from Chartley to the
+Castle of Fotheringay in Northamptonshire, where she was more strictly
+watched than ever by Sir Amias Paulet, who was a harsh and inflexible
+gaoler. On the 11th of October, Elizabeth&#8217;s Commissioners arrived, the
+great hall of the Castle having been previously fitted up as a court-room
+for their reception. They would have proceeded with the trial immediately;
+but a difficulty occurred, which, though they scarcely can have failed to
+anticipate, they were not prepared to obviate. Mary refused to acknowledge
+their jurisdiction, denying that they possessed any right either to
+arraign or try her. &#8220;I am no subject to Elizabeth,&#8221; she said, &#8220;but an
+independent Queen as well as she; and I will consent to nothing unbecoming
+the majesty of a crowned head. Worn out as my body is, my mind is not yet
+so enfeebled as to make me forget what is due to myself, my ancestors, and
+my country. Whatever the laws of England may be, I am not subject to them;
+for I came into the realm only to ask assistance from a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.229" id="Page_2.229">[Pg 229]</a></span> sister Queen, and
+I have been detained an unwilling prisoner.&#8221; For two days the
+Commissioners laboured in vain to induce Mary to appear before them; and
+as she assigned reasons for refusing, which it was impossible for fair
+argument to invalidate, recourse was at length had to threats. They told
+her that they would proceed with the trial, whether she consented to be
+present or not; and that, though they were anxious to hear her
+justification, they would nevertheless conclude that she was guilty, and
+pronounce accordingly, if she refused to defend herself. It would have
+been well had Mary allowed them to take their own way; but, conscious that
+she was accused unjustly, she could not bear to think that she excited
+suspicion, by refusing the opportunity of establishing her innocence.
+Actuated by this honourable motive, she at length yielded, after solemnly
+protesting that she did not, and never would, acknowledge the authority
+which Elizabeth arrogated over her.</p>
+
+<p>On the 14th of October the trial commenced. The upper half of the great
+hall of Fotheringay Castle was railed off, and at the higher end was
+placed a chair of state, under a canopy, for the Queen of England. Upon
+both sides of the room benches were arranged in order, where the Lord
+Chancellor Bromley, the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, fourteen Earls, thirteen
+Barons, and Knights and Members of the Privy Council, sat. In the centre
+was a table, at which the Lord Chief Justice, several Doctors of the Civil
+Law, Popham, the Queen&#8217;s Attorney, her Solicitors, Sergeants and Notaries,
+took their places. At the foot of this table, and immediately opposite
+Elizabeth&#8217;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.230" id="Page_2.230">[Pg 230]</a></span> chair of state, a chair, without any canopy, was placed for
+the Queen of Scots. Behind, was the rail which ran across the hall, the
+lower part of which was fitted up for the accommodation of persons who
+were not in the commission.<a name='fna_190' id='fna_190' href='#f_190'><small>[190]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.231" id="Page_2.231">[Pg 231]</a></span>There was never, perhaps, an occasion throughout the whole of Mary&#8217;s life
+on which she appeared to greater advantage than this. In the presence of
+all the pomp, learning, and talent of England, she stood alone and
+undaunted; evincing, in the modest dignity of her bearing, a mind
+conscious of its own integrity, and superior to the malice of fortune.
+Elizabeth&#8217;s craftiest lawyers and ablest politicians were assembled to
+probe her to the quick,&mdash;to press home every argument against her, which
+ingenuity could devise and eloquence embellish,&mdash;to dazzle her with a
+blaze of erudition, or involve her in a maze of technical perplexities.
+Mary had no counsellor&mdash;no adviser&mdash;no friend. Her very papers, to which
+she might have wished to refer, had been taken from her; and there was not
+one to plead her cause, or defend her innocence. Yet was she not dismayed.
+She knew that she had a higher Judge than Elizabeth; and that great as was
+the array of Lords and Barons that appeared against her, posterity was
+greater than they, and that to its decision all things would be finally
+referred. Her bodily infirmities imparted only a greater lustre to her
+mental pre-eminence; and not in all the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.232" id="Page_2.232">[Pg 232]</a></span>fascinating splendor of her youth
+and beauty&mdash;not on the morning of her first bridal day, when Paris rang
+with acclamations in her praise&mdash;was Mary Stuart so much to be admired, as
+when, weak and worn out, she stood calmly before the myrmidons of a rival
+Queen, to hear and refute their unjust accusations, her eye radiant once
+more with the brilliancy of earlier years, and the placid benignity of a
+serene conscience, lending to her countenance its undying grace.</p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth&#8217;s Attorney-General opened the pleadings. He began by referring
+to the act of Parliament, in which it was made capital to be the person
+<i>for</i> whom any design was undertaken against the life of the Queen. He
+then described the late conspiracy, and attempted to establish Mary&#8217;s
+connexion with it, by producing copies of letters which, he alleged, she
+had written to Babington himself and several of his accomplices. To these
+having added letters from Babington to her, and the declarations and
+confessions which had been extorted from her secretaries, he asserted that
+the case was made out, and wound up his speech with a laboured display of
+legal knowledge and forensic oratory.</p>
+
+<p>Mary was now called upon for her defence; and she entered on it with
+composure and dignity. She denied all connexion with Babington&#8217;s
+conspiracy, in so far as he entertained any designs injurious to
+Elizabeth&#8217;s safety or the welfare of her kingdom;&mdash;she allowed that the
+letters which he was said to have addressed to her might be genuine, but
+it had not been proved that she ever received them;&mdash;she maintained that
+her own <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.233" id="Page_2.233">[Pg 233]</a></span>letters were all garbled or fabricated;<a name='fna_191' id='fna_191' href='#f_191'><small>[191]</small></a> that as to the
+confessions of her secretaries, they had been extorted by fear, and were
+therefore not to be credited; but that, if they were in any particulars
+true, these particulars must have been disclosed at the expense of the
+oath of fidelity they had come under to her when they entered her service,
+and that men who would perjure themselves in one instance were not to be
+trusted in any;&mdash;she objected besides that they had not been confronted
+with her according to an express law enacted in the thirteenth year of
+Elizabeth&#8217;s reign &#8220;that no one should be arraigned for intending the
+destruction of the Prince&#8217;s life, but by the testimony and oath of two
+lawful witnesses, <i>to be produced face to face before him</i>;&#8221;&mdash;she
+maintained, that even supposing she were to allow the authenticity of many
+of the papers adduced against her, they would not prove her guilty of any
+crime; for she was surely doing no wrong, if, after a calamitous captivity
+of nineteen years, in which she had lost forever her youth, her health,
+and her happiness,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.234" id="Page_2.234">[Pg 234]</a></span> she made one last effort to regain the liberty of
+which she had been so unfairly robbed; but that as to scheming against the
+life of the Queen her sister, it was an infamy she abhored;&mdash;&#8220;I would
+disdain,&#8221; said she &#8220;to purchase all that is most valuable on earth by the
+assasination of the meanest of the human race; and worn out, as I now am,
+with cares and sufferings, the prospect of a crown is not so inviting that
+I should ruin my soul in order to obtain it. Neither am I a stranger to
+the feelings of humanity, nor unacquainted with the duties of religion,
+and it is my nature to be more inclined to the devotion of Esther, than to
+the sword of Judith. If ever I have given consent by my words, or even by
+my thoughts, to any attempt against the life of the Queen of England, far
+from declining the judgment of men, I shall not even pray for the mercy of
+God.&#8221;<a name='fna_192' id='fna_192' href='#f_192'><small>[192]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth&#8217;s advocates were not a little surprised at the eloquent and able
+manner in which Mary conducted her defence. They had expected to have
+every thing their own way, and to gain an easy victory over one
+unacquainted with the forms of legal procedure, and unable to cope with
+their own professional talents. But they were disappointed and baffled;
+and in order to maintain their ground even plausibly, they were obliged to
+protract the proceedings for two whole days. Nor, after all, did the
+Commissioners venture to pronounce judgment, but adjourned the court to
+the Star-Chamber at Westminster, where they knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.235" id="Page_2.235">[Pg 235]</a></span> that Mary would not be
+present, and where, consequently, they would have no opposition to
+fear.<a name='fna_193' id='fna_193' href='#f_193'><small>[193]</small></a> On the 25th of October, they assembled there, and having again
+examined the Secretaries, Naw and Curl, who appear to have been persons of
+little fidelity or constancy, and who confirmed their former declarations,
+a unanimous judgment was delivered, that &#8220;Mary, commonly called Queen of
+Scots and dowager of France, was accessary to Babington&#8217;s conspiracy, and
+had compassed and imagined divers matters within the realm of England,
+tending to the hurt, death, and destruction of the royal person of
+Elizabeth, in opposition to the statute framed for her protection.&#8221;<a name='fna_194' id='fna_194' href='#f_194'><small>[194]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth ordered this verdict to be laid before her Parliament, which
+assembled a few days afterwards; and, at Walsingham&#8217;s instigation, its
+legality was not only confirmed, but the Lord Chancellor was sent up with
+an address to the Queen, in which, after stating their conviction that her
+security was incompatible with Mary&#8217;s life, they requested that she would
+give the sentence effect, by ordering her immediate execution. Elizabeth,
+though conscious that, if her personal safety had been endangered, she had
+herself to blame, was rejoiced at the opportunity at length afforded her,
+for gratifying her long cherished hatred. She <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.236" id="Page_2.236">[Pg 236]</a></span>affected, however, to be
+greatly perplexed how to act. She declared that, if she were not afraid of
+endangering the welfare of her people, she would freely pardon Mary for
+all her treasonable practices, and she beseeched the House to endeavour to
+discover some less severe method of procedure. The Parliament, as she
+expected, replied firmly, that they could not recommend any more lenient
+measure; and in the pedantic language of the day, called to Elizabeth&#8217;s
+remembrance the examples of God&#8217;s vengeance upon Saul for sparing Agag,
+and on Ahab for sparing Benhadad. Elizabeth still affected to be
+irresolute; and indeed it was not unlikely that she was so in reality;
+for, though anxious to have Mary removed, she was not so hardened and
+insane as not to know, that however it might be sanctioned by the world,
+murder was as criminal and as contrary to the unchanging code of moral
+justice, when commanded by a Queen, as when perpetrated by a peasant. She
+desired that her Parliament should be content for the present &#8220;with an
+answer without an answer.&#8221; &#8220;If I should say, that I will not do what you
+request, I might say perhaps more than I intend; and if I should say I
+will do it, I might plunge myself into as much inconvenience as you
+endeavour to preserve me from.&#8221; All this man&oelig;uvring was for the purpose
+of conveying to the nation an impression of her extreme sensibility, and
+generous hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>Another reason why Elizabeth did not choose to be over-precipitate, was
+her fear of giving any deadly offence to foreign courts. She ordered the
+sentence against Mary to be published both throughout her own kingdom and
+abroad,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.237" id="Page_2.237">[Pg 237]</a></span> and she waited anxiously to observe the sensation which it should
+create, and the steps that might be taken in consequence. She need not,
+however, have given herself much uneasiness upon this score. Henry III. of
+France had never been more than a very lukewarm advocate for the Queen of
+Scots, and the remonstrances he occasionally made in her behalf, were
+rather for the sake of appearances, than because he was anxious that they
+should be successful. On the present occasion, startled by the imminence
+of his cousin&#8217;s danger, he seems to have been a little more in earnest,
+and ordered his ambassador to make as forcible a representation as
+possible against the iniquitous severity that was intended. But Elizabeth
+knew that his rage would evaporate in words, and paid little attention to
+the harangue. In Scotland, the young King, James, was surrounded by
+ministers who had sold themselves to England, and Elizabeth was well
+aware, that though he might bark, he dared not bite. Besides, the
+sentiments regarding his mother, which had been carefully instilled into
+him from his earliest years, were not such as were likely to inspire him
+with any decided wish to protect and avenge her. He had been constantly
+surrounded by her deadliest enemies, and the lesson which Buchanan taught
+him daily, was a lesson of hatred towards his only surviving parent. His
+succession also to the English crown, greatly depended on the friendship
+of Elizabeth; and she was able, in consequence, to maintain an ascendancy
+over him, which he dared not venture to resist. He was not, however, so
+entirely destitute of all ordinary filial sentiments as to consent to
+remain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.238" id="Page_2.238">[Pg 238]</a></span> a quiet spectator of his mother&#8217;s execution. &#8220;His opinion is,&#8221;
+said his worthless minion the Master of Gray, &#8220;that it cannot stand with
+his honour to be a consenter to take his mother&#8217;s life, but he does not
+care how strictly she be kept; and is content that all her old knavish
+servants should be hanged.&#8221;<a name='fna_195' id='fna_195' href='#f_195'><small>[195]</small></a> To prevent if possible a catastrophe
+which &#8220;did not stand with his honour,&#8221; he sent the Master of Gray and Sir
+Robert Melville as his ambassadors to London, to press his objections upon
+the attention of Elizabeth. The latter was true to the cause in which he
+had been sent, and his remonstrances were vigorous and sincere. But Gray,
+wishing to curry favour with Elizabeth, assured her that she had no cause
+to fear the King&#8217;s resentment, for he was of an irresolute character and
+timid disposition, and that whatever might happen, he would never think of
+embroiling himself in a disastrous war with England. Elizabeth listened
+with evident satisfaction to these artful insinuations; and desired her
+minister Walsingham, to inform the Scottish monarch, that Mary&#8217;s doom was
+already fixed by the decision of the nation, and that his mistress the
+Queen had it not in her power to save her. James received this
+intelligence with grief, but not with the spirit that became the only
+child of Mary Stuart. Instead of putting himself at the head of an army,
+and marching into the heart of England, he was contented to communicate
+his mother&#8217;s unfortunate condition to his subjects, and order prayers to
+be said for her in all the churches,&mdash;&#8220;that it might please God to
+enlighten her with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.239" id="Page_2.239">[Pg 239]</a></span> the light of his truth, and to protect her from the
+danger which was hanging over her.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>In the mean time, messengers had been sent to the Queen of Scots, to
+report to her the sentence of the Commissioners, and to prepare her for
+the consequences which might be expected to follow. So far from receiving
+the news with dismay, Mary solemnly raised her hands to heaven, and
+thanked God that she was so soon to be relieved from her troubles. They
+were not yet, however, at a close; and even during the short remainder of
+her life, she was to be still further insulted. Her keepers, Sir Amias
+Paulet and Sir Drue Drury, refused any longer to treat her with the
+reverence and respect due to her rank and sex. The canopy of state, which
+she had always ordered to be put up in her apartment wherever she went,
+was taken down, and every badge of royalty removed. It was intimated to
+her, that she was no longer to be regarded as a Princess, but as a
+criminal; and the persons who came into her presence stood before her
+without uncovering their heads, or paying her any obeisance. The
+attendance of a Catholic priest was refused, and an Episcopalian bishop
+sent in his stead, to point out and correct the errors of her ways. Mary
+bore all these indignities with a calm spirit, which rose superior to
+them, and which proved their unworthiness, by bringing them into contrast
+with her own elevation of mind. &#8220;In despite of your Sovereign and her
+subservient judges,&#8221; said she, &#8220;I will die a Queen. My royal character is
+indelible, and I will surrender it with my spirit to the Almighty God,
+from whom I received it, and to whom my honour and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.240" id="Page_2.240">[Pg 240]</a></span> my innocence are fully
+known.&#8221;<a name='fna_196' id='fna_196' href='#f_196'><small>[196]</small></a> In December 1586, she wrote her last letter to Elizabeth; and
+though from an unfriended prisoner to an envied and powerful Sovereign, it
+evinces so much magnanimity and calm consciousness of mental serenity,
+that it is impossible to peruse it, without confessing Elizabeth&#8217;s
+inferiority, and Mary&#8217;s triumph. It was couched in the following terms:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Madam, I thank God from the bottom of my heart, that, by the sentence
+which has been passed against me, he is about to put an end to my tedious
+pilgrimage. I would not wish it prolonged, though it were in my power,
+having had enough of time to experience its bitterness. I write at present
+only to make three last requests which, as I can expect no favour from
+your implacable ministers, I should wish to owe to your Majesty, and to no
+other. <i>First</i>, as in England, I cannot hope to be buried according to the
+solemnities of the Catholic church, (the religion of the ancient Kings,
+your ancestors and mine, being now changed,) and as in Scotland they have
+already violated the ashes of my progenitors, I have to request, that, as
+soon as my enemies have bathed their hands in my innocent blood, my
+domestics may be allowed to inter my body in some consecrated ground; and,
+above all, that they may be permitted to carry it to France, where the
+bones of the Queen, my most honoured mother, repose. Thus, that poor
+frame, which has never enjoyed repose so long as it has been joined to my
+soul, may find it at last when they will be separated. <i>Second</i>, as I
+dread<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.241" id="Page_2.241">[Pg 241]</a></span> the tyranny of the harsh men, to whose power you have abandoned me,
+I entreat your Majesty that I may not be executed in secret, but in the
+presence of my servants and other persons, who may bear testimony of my
+faith and fidelity to the true church, and guard the last hours of my
+life, and my last sighs from the false rumours which my adversaries may
+spread abroad. <i>Third</i>, I request that my domestics, who have served me
+through so much misery, and with so much constancy, may be allowed to
+retire without molestation wherever they choose, to enjoy for the
+remainder of their lives the small legacies which my poverty has enabled
+me to bequeath to them. I conjure you, Madam, by the blood of Jesus
+Christ, by our consanguinity, by the memory of Henry VII., our common
+father, and by the royal title which I carry with me to death, not to
+refuse me those reasonable demands, but to assure me, by a letter under
+your own hand, that you will comply with them; and I shall then die as I
+have lived, your affectionate sister and prisoner, <span class="smcap">Mary</span>, Queen of
+Scots.&#8221;<a name='fna_197' id='fna_197' href='#f_197'><small>[197]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Whether Elizabeth ever answered this letter, does not appear; but it
+produced so little effect, that epistles from her to Sir Amias Paulet
+still exist, which prove that, in her anxiety to avoid taking upon herself
+the responsibility of Mary&#8217;s death, she wished to have her privately
+assassinated or poisoned. Paulet, however, though a harsh and violent man,
+positively refused to sanction so nefarious a scheme. Yet in the very act
+of instigating murder, Elizabeth could close<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.242" id="Page_2.242">[Pg 242]</a></span> her eyes against her own
+iniquity, and affect indignation at the alleged offences of another.<a name='fna_198' id='fna_198' href='#f_198'><small>[198]</small></a>
+But perceiving at length, that no alternative remained, she ordered her
+secretary Davidson to bring her the warrant for Mary&#8217;s execution, and
+after perusing it, she deliberately affixed her signature. She then
+desired him to carry it to Walsingham, saying, with an ironical smile, and
+in a &#8220;merry tone,&#8221; that she feared he would die of grief when he saw<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.243" id="Page_2.243">[Pg 243]</a></span> it.
+Walsingham sent the warrant to the Chancellor, who affixed the Great Seal
+to it, and despatched it by Beal, with a commission to the Earls of
+Shrewsbury, Kent, Derby, and others, to see it put in execution. Davidson
+was afterwards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.244" id="Page_2.244">[Pg 244]</a></span> made the victim of Elizabeth&#8217;s artifice,&mdash;who, to complete
+the solemn farce she had been playing, pretended he had obeyed her orders
+too quickly, and doomed him in consequence to perpetual
+imprisonment.<a name='fna_199' id='fna_199' href='#f_199'><small>[199]</small></a></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.245" id="Page_2.245">[Pg 245]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII.2" id="CHAPTER_XII.2"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+<p class="center"><span class="large">MARY&#8217;S DEATH, AND CHARACTER.</span></p>
+
+<p>On the 7th of February 1587, the Earls, who had been commissioned to
+superintend Mary&#8217;s execution, arrived at Fotheringay. After dining
+together, they sent to inform the Queen, that they desired to speak with
+her. Mary was not well, and in bed; but as she was given to understand
+that it was an affair of moment, she rose, and received them in her own
+chamber. Her six waiting maids, together with her physician, her surgeon,
+and apothecary, and four or five male servants, were in attendance. The
+Earl of Shrewsbury, and the others associated with him, standing before
+her respectfully, with their heads uncovered, communicated, as gently as
+possible, the disagreeable duty with which they had been intrusted. Beal
+was then desired to read the warrant for Mary&#8217;s execution, to which she
+listened patiently; and making the sign of the cross, she said, that
+though she was sorry it came from Elizabeth, she had long been expecting
+the mandate for her death, and was not unprepared to die. &#8220;For many
+years,&#8221; she added, &#8220;I have lived in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.246" id="Page_2.246">[Pg 246]</a></span> continual affliction, unable to do
+good to myself or to those who are dear to me;&mdash;and as I shall depart
+innocent of the crime which has been laid to my charge, I cannot see why I
+should shrink from the prospect of immortality.&#8221; She then laid her hand on
+the New Testament, and solemnly protested that she had never either
+devised, compassed, or consented to the death of the Queen of England. The
+Earl of Kent, with more zeal than wisdom, objected to the validity of this
+protestation, because it was made on a Catholic version of the Bible; but
+Mary replied, that it was the version, in the truth of which she believed,
+and that her oath should be therefore only the less liable to suspicion.
+She was advised to hold some godly conversation with the Dean of
+Peterborough, whom they had brought with them to console her; but she
+declined the offer, declaring that she would die in the faith in which she
+had lived, and beseeching them to allow her to see her Catholic Confessor,
+who had been for some time debarred her presence. This however they in
+their turn positively refused.<a name='fna_200' id='fna_200' href='#f_200'><small>[200]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Other topics were introduced, and casually discussed. Before leaving the
+world, Mary felt a natural curiosity to be informed upon several subjects
+of public interest, which, though connected with herself, and generally
+known, had not penetrated the walls of her prison. She asked if no foreign
+princes had interfered in her behalf,&mdash;if her secretaries were still
+alive,&mdash;if it was intended to punish them as well as her,&mdash;if they brought
+no letters from Elizabeth or others,&mdash;and above all, if her son, the King
+of Scotland, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.247" id="Page_2.247">[Pg 247]</a></span> well, and had evinced any interest in the fate of a
+mother who had always loved and never wronged him. Being satisfied upon
+these points, she proceeded to inquire when her execution was to take
+place? Shrewsbury replied, that it was fixed for the next morning at
+eight. She appeared startled and agitated for a few minutes, saying that
+it was more sudden than she had anticipated, and that she had yet to make
+her will, which she had hitherto deferred, in the expectation that the
+papers and letters which had been forcibly taken from her, would be
+restored. She soon, however, regained her self-possession; and informing
+the Commissioners that she desired to be left alone to make her
+preparations, she dismissed them for the night.</p>
+
+<p>During the whole of this scene, astonishment, indignation, and grief,
+overwhelmed her attendants, all of whom were devoted to her. As soon as
+the Earls and their retinue retired, they gave full vent to their
+feelings, and Mary herself was the only one who remained calm and
+undisturbed. Bourgoine, her physician, loudly exclaimed against the
+iniquitous precipitancy with which she was to be hurried out of existence.
+More than a few hours&#8217; notice was allowed, he said, to the very meanest
+criminal; and to limit a Princess, with numerous connections both at home
+and abroad, to so brief a space, was a degree of rigour which no guilt
+could authorize. Mary told him, that she must submit with resignation to
+her fate, and learn to regard it as the will of God. She then requested
+
+her attendants to kneel with her, and she prayed fervently for some time
+in the midst of them. Afterwards, while supper was preparing, she employed
+herself in putting all the money she had by her into <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.248" id="Page_2.248">[Pg 248]</a></span>separate purses, and
+affixed to each, with her own hand, the name of the person for whom she
+intended it. At supper, though she sat down to table, she eat little. Her
+mind, however, was in perfect composure; and during the repast, though she
+spoke little, placid smiles were frequently observed to pass over her
+countenance. The calm magnanimity of their mistress, only increased the
+distress of her servants. They saw her sitting amongst them in her usual
+health, and, with almost more than her usual cheerfulness, partaking of
+the viands that were set before her; yet they knew that it was the last
+meal at which they should ever be present together; and that the
+interchange of affectionate service upon their part, and of condescending
+attention and endearing gentleness on her&#8217;s, which had linked them to her
+for so many years, was now about to terminate for ever. Far from
+attempting to offer her consolation, they were unable to discover any for
+themselves. As soon as the melancholy meal was over, Mary desired that a
+cup of wine should be given to her; and putting it to her lips, drank to
+the health of each of her attendants by name. She requested that they
+would pledge her in like manner; and each, falling on his knee, and
+mingling tears with the wine, drank to her, asking pardon at the same
+time, for all the faults he had ever committed. In the true spirit of
+Christian humility, she not only willingly forgave them, but asked their
+pardon also, if she had ever forgotten her duty towards them. She
+beseeched them to continue constant to their religion, and to live in
+peace and charity together, and with all men. The inventory of her
+wardrobe and furniture was then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.249" id="Page_2.249">[Pg 249]</a></span> brought to her; and she wrote in the
+margin, opposite each article, the name of the person to whom she wished
+it should be given. She did the same with her rings, jewels, and all her
+most valuable trinkets; and there was not one of her friends or servants,
+either present or absent, to whom she forgot to leave a memorial.<a name='fna_201' id='fna_201' href='#f_201'><small>[201]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>These duties being discharged, Mary sat down to her desk to arrange her
+papers, to finish her will, and to write several letters. She previously
+sent to her confessor, who, though in the Castle, was not allowed to see
+her, entreating that he would spend the night in praying for her, and that
+he would inform her what parts of Scripture he considered most suited for
+her perusal at this juncture. She then drew up her last will and
+testament; and without ever lifting her pen from the paper, or stopping at
+intervals to think, she covered two large sheets with close writing,
+forgetting nothing of any moment, and expressing herself with all that
+precision and clearness which distinguished her style in the very happiest
+moments of her life. She named as her four executors, the Duke of Guise,
+her cousin-german; the Archbishop of Glasgow, her ambassador in France;
+Lesley, Bishop of Ross; and Monsieur de Ruysseau, her Chancellor. She next
+wrote a letter to her brother-in-law, the King of France, in which she
+apologized for not being able to enter into her affairs at greater length,
+as she had only an hour or two to live, and had not been informed till
+that day after dinner that she was to be executed next morning. &#8220;Thanks be
+unto God, however,&#8221; she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.250" id="Page_2.250">[Pg 250]</a></span> added, &#8220;I have no terror at the idea of death,
+and solemnly declare to you, that I meet it innocent of every crime. The
+bearer of this letter, and my other servants, will recount to you how I
+comported myself in my last moments.&#8221; The letter concluded with earnest
+entreaties, that her faithful followers should be protected and rewarded.
+Her anxiety on their account, at such a moment, indicated all that amiable
+generosity of disposition, which was one of the leading features of Mary&#8217;s
+character.<a name='fna_202' id='fna_202' href='#f_202'><small>[202]</small></a> About two in the morning, she sealed up all her papers and
+said she would now think no more of the affairs of this world, but would
+spend the rest of her time in prayer and commune with her own conscience.
+She went to bed for some hours; but she did not sleep. Her lips were
+observed in continual motion, and her hands were frequently folded and
+lifted up towards Heaven.<a name='fna_203' id='fna_203' href='#f_203'><small>[203]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>On the morning of Wednesday the 8th of February, Mary rose with the break
+of day; and her domestics, who had watched and wept all night immediately
+gathered round her. She told them that she had made her will, and
+requested that they would see it safely deposited in the hands of her
+executors. She likewise beseeched them not to separate until they had
+carried her body to France; and she placed a sum of money in the hands of
+her physician<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.251" id="Page_2.251">[Pg 251]</a></span> to defray the expenses of the journey. Her earnest desire
+was, to be buried either in the Church of St Dennis, in Paris, beside her
+first husband Francis, or at Rheims, in the tomb which contained the
+remains of her mother. She expressed a wish too, that, besides her friends
+and servants, a number of poor people and children from different
+hospitals should be present at her funeral, clothed in mourning at her
+expense, and each, according to the Catholic custom, carrying in his hand
+a lighted taper.<a name='fna_204' id='fna_204' href='#f_204'><small>[204]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>She now renewed her devotions, and was in the midst of them, with her
+servants praying and weeping round her, when a messenger from the
+Commissioners knocked at the door, to announce that all was ready. She
+requested a little longer time to finish her prayers, which was granted.
+As soon as she desired the door to be opened, the Sheriff, carrying in his
+hand the white wand of office, entered to conduct her to the place of
+execution. Her servants crowded round her, and insisted on being allowed
+to accompany her to the scaffold. But contrary orders having been given by
+Elizabeth, they were told that she must proceed alone. Against a piece of
+such arbitrary cruelty they remonstrated loudly, but in vain; for as soon
+as Mary passed into the gallery, the door was closed, and believing that
+they were separated from her forever, the shrieks of the women and the
+scarcely less audible lamentations of the men were heard in distant parts
+of the castle.</p>
+
+<p>At the foot of the staircase leading down to the hall below, Mary was met
+by the Earls of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.252" id="Page_2.252">[Pg 252]</a></span> Kent and Shrewsbury; and she was allowed to stop to take
+farewell of Sir Andrew Melvil, the master of her household, whom her
+keepers had not allowed to come into her presence for some time before.
+With tears in his eyes, Melvil knelt before her, kissed her hand, and
+declared that it was the heaviest hour of his life. Mary assured him, that
+it was not so to her. &#8220;I now feel, my good Melvil,&#8221; said she, &#8220;that all
+this world is vanity. When you speak of me hereafter, mention that I died
+firm in my faith, willing to forgive my enemies, conscious that I had
+never disgraced Scotland my native country, and rejoicing in the thought
+that I had always been true to France, the land of my happiest years. Tell
+my son,&#8221; she added, and when she named her only child of whom she had been
+so proud in his infancy, but in whom all her hopes had been so fatally
+blasted, her feelings for the first time overpowered her, and a flood of
+tears flowed from her eyes,&mdash;&#8220;tell my son that I thought of him in my last
+moments, and that I have never yielded, either by word or deed, to aught
+that might lead to his prejudice; desire him to preserve the memory of his
+unfortunate parent, and may he be a thousand times more happy and more
+prosperous than she has been.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Before taking leave of Melvil, Mary turned to the Commissioners and told
+them, that her three last requests were, that her secretary Curl, whom she
+blamed less for his treachery than Naw, should not be punished; that her
+servants should have free permission to depart to France; and that some of
+them should be allowed to come down from the apartments above to see her
+die. The Earls<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.253" id="Page_2.253">[Pg 253]</a></span> answered, that they believed the two former of these
+requests would be granted; but that they could not concede the last,
+alleging, as their excuse, that the affliction of her attendants would
+only add to the severity of her sufferings. But Mary was resolved that
+some of her own people should witness her last moments. &#8220;I will not submit
+to the indignity,&#8221; she said, &#8220;of permitting my body to fall into the hands
+of strangers. You are the servants of a maiden Queen, and she herself,
+were she here, would yield to the dictates of humanity, and permit some of
+those who have been so long faithful to me to assist me at my death.
+Remember, too, that I am cousin to your mistress, and the descendant of
+Henry VII.; I am the Dowager of France, and the anointed Queen of
+Scotland.&#8221; Ashamed of any further opposition, the Earls allowed her to
+name four male and two female attendants, whom they sent for, and
+permitted to remain beside her for the short time she had yet to
+live.<a name='fna_205' id='fna_205' href='#f_205'><small>[205]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The same hall in which the trial had taken place, was prepared for the
+execution. At the upper end was the scaffold, covered with black cloth,
+and elevated about two feet from the floor. A chair was placed on it for
+the Queen of Scots. On one side of the block stood two executioners, and
+on the other, the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury; Beal and the Sheriff were
+immediately <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.254" id="Page_2.254">[Pg 254]</a></span>behind. The scaffold was railed off from the rest of the
+hall, in which Sir Amias Paulet with a body of guards, the other
+Commissioners, and some gentlemen of the neighbourhood, amounting
+altogether to about two hundred persons, were assembled. Mary entered
+leaning on the arm of her physician, while Sir Andrew Melvil carried the
+train of her robe. She was in full dress, and looked as if she were about
+to hold a drawing-room, not to lay her head beneath the axe. She wore a
+gown of black silk, bordered with crimson velvet, over which was a satin
+mantle; a long veil of white crape, stiffened with wire, and edged with
+rich lace, hung down almost to the ground; round her neck was suspended an
+ivory crucifix; and the beads which the Catholics use in their prayers,
+were fastened to her girdle. The symmetry of her fine figure had long been
+destroyed by her sedentary life; and years of care had left many a trace
+on her beautiful features. But the dignity of the Queen was still
+apparent; and the calm grace of mental serenity imparted to her
+countenance at least some share of its former loveliness. With a composed
+and steady step she passed through the hall, and ascended the
+scaffold,&mdash;and as she listened unmoved, whilst Beal read aloud the warrant
+for her death, even the myrmidons of Elizabeth looked upon her with
+admiration.<a name='fna_206' id='fna_206' href='#f_206'><small>[206]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Beal having finished, the Dean of Peterborough presented himself at the
+foot of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.255" id="Page_2.255">[Pg 255]</a></span> scaffold, and with more zeal than humanity, addressed Mary on
+the subject of her religion. She mildly told him, that as she had been
+born, so she was resolved to die, a Catholic, and requested that he would
+not annoy her any longer with useless reasonings. But finding that he
+would not be persuaded to desist, she turned away from him, and falling on
+her knees, prayed fervently aloud,&mdash;repeating, in particular, many
+passages from the Psalms. She prayed for her own soul, and that God would
+send his Holy Spirit to comfort her in the agony of death; she prayed for
+all good monarchs, for the Queen of England, for the King her son, for her
+friends, and for all her enemies. She spoke with a degree of earnest
+vehemence, and occasional strength of gesticulation, which deeply affected
+all who heard her. She held a small crucifix in her hands, which were
+clasped, and raised to Heaven; and at intervals a convulsive sob choked
+her voice. As soon as her prayers were ended, she prepared to lay her head
+on the block. Her two female attendants, as they assisted her to remove
+her veil and head-dress, trembled so violently that they were hardly able
+to stand. Mary gently reproved them,&mdash;&#8220;Be not thus overcome,&#8221; she said; &#8220;I
+am happy to leave the world, and you also ought to be happy to see me die
+so willingly.&#8221; As she bared her neck, she took from around it a cross of
+gold, which she wished to give to Jane Kennedy; but the executioner, with
+brutal coarseness, objected, alleging that it was one of his perquisites.
+&#8220;My good friend,&#8221; said Mary, &#8220;she will pay you much more than its value;&#8221;
+but his only answer was, to snatch it rudely from her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.256" id="Page_2.256">[Pg 256]</a></span> hand. She turned
+from him, to pronounce a parting benediction on all her servants, to kiss
+them, and bid them affectionately farewell. Being now ready, she desired
+Jane Kennedy to bind her eyes with a rich handkerchief, bordered with
+gold, which she had brought with her for the purpose; and laying her head
+upon the block, her last words were,&mdash;&#8220;O Lord, in thee I have hoped, and
+into thy hands I commit my spirit.&#8221; The executioner, either from a want of
+skill, or from agitation, or because the axe he used was blunt, struck
+three blows before he separated her head from her body. His comrade then
+lifted the head by the hair, (which, falling in disorder, was observed to
+be quite grey), and called out, &#8220;God save Elizabeth, Queen of England!&#8221;
+The Earl of Kent added, &#8220;Thus perish all her enemies;&#8221;&mdash;but, overpowered
+by the solemnity and horror of the scene, none were able to respond,
+&#8220;Amen!&#8221;<a name='fna_207' id='fna_207' href='#f_207'><small>[207]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Mary&#8217;s remains were immediately taken from her servants, who wished to pay
+them the last sad offices of affection, and were carried into an adjoining
+apartment, where a piece of old green baize, taken from a billiard-table,
+was thrown over that form which had once lived in the light of a nation&#8217;s
+eyes. It lay thus for some time; but was at length ordered to be embalmed,
+and buried, with royal pomp, in the Cathedral at Peterborough,&mdash;a vulgar
+artifice used by Elizabeth to stifle the gnawing remorse of her own
+conscience, and make an empty atonement for her cruelty. Twenty-five years
+afterwards, James VI. wishing to perform an act of tardy justice to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.257" id="Page_2.257">[Pg 257]</a></span>
+memory of his mother, ordered her remains to be removed from Peterborough
+to Henry VII.&#8217;s Chapel, in Westminster Abbey. A splendid monument was
+there erected, adorned with an inscription, which, if it spoke truth,
+James must have blushed with shame and indignation whenever he thought of
+his mother&#8217;s fate.</p>
+
+<p>Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, died in the forty-fifth year of her age. If
+the events of her life have been faithfully recorded in the preceding
+pages, the estimate which is to be formed of her character cannot be a
+matter of much doubt. To great natural endowments,&mdash;to feelings
+constitutionally warm,&mdash;and to a disposition spontaneously excellent, were
+added all the advantages which education could confer or wealth purchase.
+That she was one of the most accomplished and talented women of the age,
+even her enemies allow. But talents do not always insure success, nor
+accomplishments command happiness; and by few persons in the whole range
+of history was this truth more fatally experienced than by Mary Stuart. At
+first sight, her life and fate seem almost a paradox. That one upon whom
+most of the common goods of fortune had been heaped with so lavish a
+hand,&mdash;one who was born to the enjoyment of all the rank and splendour
+which earth possesses,&mdash;one whose personal charms and fascinations
+obtained for her an empire over the heart, more lasting and honourable
+than that which her birth gave her over a nation,&mdash;that even she should
+have lived to lament that she had ever beheld the light of day, is one of
+those striking examples of the uncertainty of all human calculations
+regarding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.258" id="Page_2.258">[Pg 258]</a></span> happiness, which, while it inspires the commonest mind with
+wonder, teaches a deeper lesson of philosophy to the wisely reflective.
+Circumstances are not so much the slaves of men, as men are of
+circumstances. Mary lived at an age, and in a country, which only rendered
+her risk the greater the more exalted her station. In France, where
+civilization had made more progress, she might perhaps have avoided the
+evils which overtook her at home; but in Scotland, a Princess possessing
+the refinement of a foreign court, and though with a large proportion of
+the virtues and captivations of her sex, not entirely destitute of some of
+its weaknesses, could hardly expect to cope with the turbulent spirit, the
+fanatical enthusiasm, the semi-barbarous prejudices of the times, without
+finding her own virtues immerged in the crowd of contending interests, and
+the vortex of fierce passions that surrounded her.</p>
+
+<p>Mary&#8217;s failings, almost without an exception, &#8220;leant to virtue&#8217;s side.&#8221;
+They arose partly from too enthusiastic a temperament, and partly from a
+want of experience. Although she lived forty-four years and two months, it
+ought to be remembered that she was just twenty-five when she came into
+England, and that all the most important events of her history happened
+between sixteen and twenty-five. With feelings whose strength kept pace
+with the unsuspicious generosity of her nature, Mary was one who, in an
+especial manner, stood in need of experience, to teach what the world
+calls wisdom. The great mass of mankind, endowed with no finer
+susceptibilities, and influenced by no hidden impulses of soul or sense,
+fall into the common<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.259" id="Page_2.259">[Pg 259]</a></span> track naturally and easily. But they whom heaven has
+either cursed or blessed with minds, over which external circumstances
+exercise a deeper sway, whose fancies are more vivid, and whose
+impressions are more acute, require the aid of time to clip the wings of
+imagination,&mdash;to cast a soberer shade over the glowing pictures of
+hope,&mdash;and to teach the art of reducing an ideal standard of felicity and
+virtue, to one less romantic, but more practical. Had she continued longer
+in public life, there is every probability that the world would have been
+forced to own, without a dissenting voice, the talent which Mary
+possessed. In youth, genius is often indicated only by eccentricity and
+imprudence; but its errors are errors of judgment, which have their origin
+in an exuberance of sensibility. The sentiments of the heart have burst
+forth into precocious blossom long before the reasoning faculties have
+reached maturity. Her youth was Mary&#8217;s chief misfortune, or rather it was
+the source from which most of her misfortunes sprung. She judged of
+mankind not as they were, but as she wished them to be. Conscious of the
+sincerity of her own character, and the affectionate nature of her own
+dispositions, she formed attachments too rashly, and trusted too
+indiscriminately. She often found, when it was too late, that she had been
+deceived; and the consequence was, that she became diffident of her own
+judgment, and anxious to be guided by that of others. Here again, however,
+she fell into an opposite extreme. In yielding, on her return to Scotland,
+so implicitly to the counsels of Murray, she did what few queens, young
+and flattered as she had been, would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.260" id="Page_2.260">[Pg 260]</a></span> done, and what, had she been
+older, or more experienced, she ought not to have done.</p>
+
+<p>But the highest degree of excellence, both in the material and the moral
+world, arises out of the skilful combination of many discordant elements.
+Time must be allowed them to settle down into an harmonious arrangement;
+and time is all that is required. Before the age of five-and-twenty, it is
+not to be supposed that Mary&#8217;s character had acquired that strength and
+stability which it would afterwards have attained. Nor was it desirable
+that it should; for an old head upon youthful shoulders is contrary to
+nature, and the anomaly frequently ends with a youthful head upon old
+shoulders. Mary was young&mdash;she was beautiful&mdash;she was admired&mdash;she was a
+woman; and to expect to have found, in the spring-time of her life, the
+undeviating consistency, and the cool calculations of riper years, would
+have been to imagine her that &#8220;faultless monster whom the world ne&#8217;er
+saw.&#8221; But, considering the situation in which she was placed&mdash;the persons
+by whom she was surrounded&mdash;the stormy temper of the age&mdash;the pious and
+deep-rooted prejudices of her subjects against the creed which she
+professed&mdash;the restless jealousy of the Sovereign who reigned over the
+neighbouring and more powerful country of England&mdash;the unfortunate though
+not precipitate marriage with Lord Darnley,&mdash;it may be very safely asked,
+where there is to be found an example of so much moderation, prudence, and
+success, in one so recently introduced to the arduous cares of government?
+Had Mary been vain, headstrong, opinionative, and bigotted, she would
+never have yielded, as she did, to the current of popular opinion which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.261" id="Page_2.261">[Pg 261]</a></span>
+then ran so tumultuously;&mdash;she would never have condescended to
+expostulate with Knox,&mdash;she would never have been ruled by Murray,&mdash;she
+would never have so easily forgiven injuries and stifled resentments. She
+was in truth only too facile. She submitted too tamely to the insolence of
+Knox; she was too diffident of herself, and too willing to be swayed by
+Murray; she was too ready to pardon those who had given her the justest
+cause of offence; she was too candid and open, too distrustful of her own
+capacity, too gentle, too generous, and too engaging.</p>
+
+<p>But if her faults consisted only in an excess of amiable qualities, or in
+those strong feelings which, though properly directed, were not always
+properly proportioned, the question naturally occurs, why the Queen of
+Scots should have suffered so much misery? &#8220;To say that she was always
+unfortunate,&#8221; observes Robertson, &#8220;will not account for that long and
+almost uninterrupted succession of calamities which befel her; we must
+likewise add, that she was often imprudent.&#8221; Here the historian first
+mistates the fact, and then draws an inference from that mistatement. No
+&#8220;long and uninterrupted succession of calamities&#8221; befel Mary. She
+experienced an almost unparalleled reverse of fortune, but that reverse
+was sudden and complete. She sunk at once from a queen into a
+captive,&mdash;from power to weakness,&mdash;from splendor to obscurity. So long as
+she was permitted to be the arbitress of her own fortune, she met and
+overcame every difficulty; but when lawless and ambitious men wove their
+web around her, she was caught in it, and could never again escape from
+its meshes. Had she stumbled on from one <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.262" id="Page_2.262">[Pg 262]</a></span>calamity to another, continuing
+all the while a free agent, Robertson&#8217;s remark would have been just. But
+such was not her case;&mdash;the morning saw her a queen, and the evening found
+her a captive. The blow was as sudden as it was decisive; and her future
+life was an ineffectual struggle to escape from the chains which had been
+thrown round her in a moment, and which pressed her irresistibly to the
+ground. A calamity which no foresight could anticipate, or prudence avert,
+may overtake the wisest and the best; and such to Mary was the murder of
+Darnley, and Bothwell&#8217;s subsequent treason and violence. If to these be
+added the scarcely less iniquitous conduct of Elizabeth, the treachery of
+Morton, the craftiness of Murray, and the disastrous defeat at Langside,
+it needs no research or ingenuity to discover, that her miseries were not
+of her own making.</p>
+
+<p>Should a still more comprehensive view of this subject be taken, and the
+whole life of the Queen of Scots reviewed, from her birth to her death, it
+will be found that, however great her advantages, they were almost always
+counterbalanced by some evil, which necessarily attended or sprung out of
+them. She was a queen when only a few months old; but she was also an
+orphan. She was destined, from her earliest childhood, to be the wife of
+the future monarch of France; but she was, in consequence, taken away from
+her native country, and the arms of her mother. The power and talents of
+her uncles of Guise were constantly exerted in her behalf; but she shared,
+therefore, in the hatred and jealousy in which they were held by a
+numerous party, both at home and abroad. Her residence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.263" id="Page_2.263">[Pg 263]</a></span> and education, at
+the Court of Henry II., insured the refinement of her manners and the
+cultivation of her mind; but it excited the suspicions and the fears of
+the people of Scotland. She was beautiful even to a proverb; but her
+beauty obtained for her as much envy as praise. She possessed the heart of
+her husband Francis; but she only felt his loss the more acutely. She
+returned to her own kingdom as the Queen-dowager of France; but her power
+and her pretensions made the English dread, and did not prevent her
+heretical subjects from openly braving, her authority. She married Darnley
+in the hopes of brightening her prospects, and securing her happiness; but
+he was the main cause of overclouding the one, and destroying the other.
+She was freed, by his death, from the wayward caprices of his ill-governed
+temper; but she escaped from one yoke only to be forced into another a
+thousand times worse. She loved her brother, and loaded him with favours;
+but he repaid them by placing himself upon her throne, and chasing her
+from the country. She escaped into England; but there she met with
+reproaches instead of assistance, a prison instead of an asylum, a mortal
+enemy instead of a sister, an axe and a scaffold instead of sympathy and
+protection.<a name='fna_208' id='fna_208' href='#f_208'><small>[208]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Mary&#8217;s misfortunes, therefore, may be safely asserted not to have been the
+result of her imprudence or her errors. But justice is not satisfied with
+this merely negative praise. The Queen of Scots was one who needed only to
+have been prosperous, to be in the eyes of the world all that was great
+and good. And though the narrow-minded are only too ready, at all times,
+to triumph over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.264" id="Page_2.264">[Pg 264]</a></span> fallen, and to fancy, that where there is misery
+there is also guilt, they must nevertheless own, that there are some whose
+character only rises the higher, the more it is tried. If, on the one
+hand, the temptations to which Mary was exposed be duly considered,&mdash;her
+youth,&mdash;the prejudices of her education,&mdash;and the designing ministers by
+whom she was surrounded;&mdash;and, on the other, her conduct towards the
+Reformers, towards her enemies, towards her friends, towards all her
+subjects,&mdash;the deliberate judgment of calm impartiality, not of hasty
+enthusiasm, must be, that illustrious as her birth and rank were, she
+possessed virtues and talents which not only made her independent of the
+former, but raised her above them. In her better days, the vivacity and
+sweetness of her manners, her openness, her candour, her generosity, her
+polished wit, her extensive information, her cultivated taste, her easy
+affability, her powers of conversation, her native dignity and grace, were
+all conspicuous, though too little appreciated by the less refined
+frequenters of the Scottish Court. Nor did she appear to less advantage in
+the season of calamity. On the contrary, she had an opportunity of
+displaying in adversity a fortitude and nobility of soul, which she
+herself might not have known that she possessed, had she been always
+prosperous. Her piety and her constancy became more apparent in a prison
+than on a throne; and of none could it be said more truly than of
+her,&mdash;&#8220;<i>ponderibus virtus innata resistit</i>.&#8221; In the glory of victory and
+the pride of success, it is easy for a conquering monarch to float down
+the stream of popularity; but it is a far more arduous task to gain a
+victory over the natural weaknesses of one&#8217;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.265" id="Page_2.265">[Pg 265]</a></span> own nature, and, in the
+midst of sufferings, to triumph over one&#8217;s enemies. Mary did this; and was
+a thousand times more to be envied, when kneeling at her solitary
+devotions in the Castle of Fotheringhay, than Elizabeth surrounded with
+all the heartless splendor of Hampton Court. As she laid her head upon the
+block, the dying graces threw upon her their last smiles; and the sublime
+serenity of her death was an argument in her favour, the force of which
+must be confessed by incredulity itself. Mary was not destined to obtain
+the crown of England, but she gained instead the crown of martyrdom.<a name='fna_209' id='fna_209' href='#f_209'><small>[209]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Many of us,&#8221; said the Archbishop of Bruges, who was appointed to preach
+Mary&#8217;s funeral sermon in the church of Notre Dame at Paris, &#8220;Many of us
+have seen in this very place the Queen whom we now deplore, on her bridal
+morning and in her royal robes, so resplendent with jewels, that they
+shone like the light of day, or like her own beauty, which was more
+resplendent still. Nothing was to be discovered around or within but
+embroidered hangings, and cloth of gold, and precious tapestry, and
+couches and thrones occupied by kings and queens, and princes and nobles,
+who had come from all parts to be present at the festival. In the palace
+were magnificent banquets, and pageants, and masquerades; in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.266" id="Page_2.266">[Pg 266]</a></span> streets
+and squares, joustings, tournaments, and processions. It seemed as if the
+overwhelming brilliancy of our age was destined to surpass the richest
+pomp of every preceding age,&mdash;even the times when Greece and Rome were in
+all their splendor. A brief space has passed away like a cloud, and we
+have seen <i>her</i> a captive whom we saw in triumph,&mdash;a prisoner, who set the
+prisoners free,&mdash;poor, who gave away so liberally,&mdash;disdained, who was the
+fountain of honour. We have seen <i>her</i>, who was a two-fold Queen, in the
+hands of a common executioner, and that fair form, which graced the
+nuptial couch of the greatest monarch in Christendom, dishonoured on a
+scaffold. We have seen that loveliness, which was one of the wonders of
+the world, broken down by long captivity, and at length effaced by an
+ignominious death. If this fatal reverse teaches the uncertainty and
+vanity of all human things, the patience and incomparable fortitude of the
+Queen we have lost, also teach a more profitable lesson, and afford a
+salutary consolation. Every new calamity gave her an opportunity of
+gaining a new victory, and of evincing new proofs of her piety and
+constancy. It seems certain, indeed, that Providence made her affliction
+conspicuous, only to make her virtue more conspicuous. Others leave to
+their successors the care of building monuments, to preserve their name
+from oblivion; but the life and death of this lady are her monument.
+Marble, and brass, and iron decay, or are devoured by rust; but in no age,
+however long the world may endure, will the memory of Mary Stuart, Queen
+of Scots, and Dowager of France, cease to be cherished with affection and
+admiration.&#8221;<a name='fna_210' id='fna_210' href='#f_210'><small>[210]</small></a></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.267" id="Page_2.267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p>
+<h2>AN<br />EXAMINATION<br />OF THE<br />LETTERS, SONNETS, AND OTHER WRITINGS,<br />ADDUCED IN
+EVIDENCE AGAINST MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.</h2>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" summary="table">
+<tr><td>O place and greatness! millions of false eyes<br />
+Are stuck upon thee! Volumes of report<br />
+Run with these false and most contrarious guests<br />
+Upon thy doings! Thousand &#8217;scapes of wit<br />
+Make thee the father of their idle dream,<br />
+And rack thee in their fancies.&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 12em;"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></span></td></tr></table>
+
+<p>Considering the very opposite opinions which have been long entertained,
+regarding the character and conduct of the Queen of Scots, no memoirs of
+her life would be complete, that did not contain some examination of the
+evidence upon which they who believe her guilty principally rest their
+conviction. This evidence consists of eight Letters, eleven Love-Sonnets,
+and one Marriage Contract, all alleged to have been written in the Queen&#8217;s
+own hand, and addressed to the Earl of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.268" id="Page_2.268">[Pg 268]</a></span> Bothwell. In corroboration of
+these, another Contract, said to have been written by the Earl of Huntly,
+and signed by the Queen; and the Confessions and Depositions of some of
+the persons who were known to be implicated in Bothwell&#8217;s guilt, were
+likewise produced. Of the Letters, two were supposed to have been written
+from Glasgow, at the time Mary went thither to visit Darnley when he was
+ill, and are intended to prove her criminal connection with Bothwell; two
+or three from the Kirk-of-Field, for the purpose of facilitating the
+arrangements regarding the murder; and the rest after that event, and
+before her abduction, to show that the whole scheme of the pretended
+ravishment was preconcerted between them. The precise time at which it is
+pretended the Sonnets were composed, does not appear; but expressions in
+them prove, that it must have been posterior to the Queen&#8217;s residence at
+Dunbar. The Contract of Marriage, in Mary&#8217;s own hand, though without date,
+must have been written very soon after Darnley&#8217;s death, and contained a
+promise never to marry any one but Bothwell. The Contract, said to be in
+Huntly&#8217;s hand, was dated at Seton, the 5th of April 1567, eight weeks
+after Darnley&#8217;s death, a week before Bothwell&#8217;s trial and acquittal, and
+three weeks before he was divorced from his first wife. The Confessions
+and Depositions are various, but only in one or two of them is any
+allusion made to Mary. The Letters, Sonnets, and Contracts, were said to
+have been discovered in a small gilt coffer, which the Earl of Bothwell
+left in the Castle of Edinburgh, in the custody of Sir James Balfour, at
+the time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.269" id="Page_2.269">[Pg 269]</a></span> he fled from Edinburgh to Borthwick, about a month after his
+marriage, and shortly before the affair at Carberry Hill. After his
+discomfiture there, he is stated to have sent his servant, Dalgleish, into
+Edinburgh from Dunbar, to demand the coffer from Balfour. Sir James, it
+was said, delivered it up, but at the same time gave intimation to the
+Earl of Morton, who seized Dalgleish, and made himself master of the box
+and its contents. The Letters and Sonnets, which were written in French,
+were afterwards all translated into Scotch, and three into Latin.</p>
+
+<p>Anxious to put beyond a doubt, either the forgery or the authenticity of
+these writings, numerous authors have exercised their ingenuity and
+talents, in a most minute and laborious examination, not only of their
+leading features, but of every line, and almost of every word. It would
+seem, however, not to be necessary, in so far as the great interests of
+truth are concerned, to descend to such microscopic investigation, and
+tedious verbal criticism, as have extended pages into volumes, and
+rendered confused and tiresome, disquisitions which might otherwise have
+been simple and interesting. If Mary&#8217;s innocence is to be established, it
+must not be by the discovery of petty inconsistencies, or trifling
+inaccuracies. If her guilt is to be proved, the impartial reader is not to
+be satisfied with vague suspicions or ingenious suggestions, but must have
+a body of evidence set before him, which, if it does not amount to actual
+demonstration, contains a circumstantial strength equally calculated to
+convince.</p>
+
+<p>It may be observed, at the outset, that unless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.270" id="Page_2.270">[Pg 270]</a></span> the conclusions, to which
+these writings would lead, be corroborated by the established facts of
+History, it cannot be expected that a great deal of weight will be
+attached to them. Besides, it must not be forgotten, that as the originals
+have been lost, it is by means of translations alone that their alleged
+contents are known to the world. Upon their authority, Mary is accused of
+having first committed adultery, and then murder. Whatever opinion may
+have been formed of her from her behaviour during the rest of her
+existence,&mdash;however gentle her dispositions may have appeared,&mdash;however
+strong her sense of the distinction between right and wrong,&mdash;however
+constant her religious principles,&mdash;however wise her government,&mdash;however
+excellent the culture of her mind,&mdash;if the letters are to be credited, the
+whole was either hypocrisy from beginning to end, or, (overcome by some
+sudden impulse,) a year of gross criminality was introduced into the very
+middle of a well spent life. If she made so rapid a descent into a career
+of vice, she as rapidly rose again; and reassuming the character she had
+laid aside, lived and died with the purity of a saint, and the fortitude
+of a martyr. It cannot therefore be upon slight grounds that evidence so
+fatal to her reputation is to be admitted; and there will be little
+necessity to engage in minute cavilling, or to enter upon points of minor
+importance, if, by a distinct statement of some of the leading arguments
+against its authenticity, the whole shall be made to appear nugatory,
+improbable, and unentitled to credit.</p>
+
+<p>The evidences naturally divide themselves into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.271" id="Page_2.271">[Pg 271]</a></span> the two heads of
+<i>external</i> and <i>internal</i>; and, without further preface, it will be best
+to consider these in succession.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The External Evidences.</span>&mdash;It was on the 20th of June 1567, that Dalgleish
+was seized, with the box and writings. The official account given by
+Buchanan is,&mdash;&#8220;That in the Castle of Edinburgh there was left by the Earl
+Bothwell, before his flying away, and was sent for by one George
+Dalgleish, his servant, who was taken by the Earl of Morton, a small gilt
+coffer, not fully a foot long, being garnished in sundry places with the
+Roman letter F, under a king&#8217;s crown, wherein were certain letters and
+writings well known, and by oaths, to be affirmed to have been written
+with the Queen of Scots own hand, to the Earl of Bothwell.&#8221;<a name='fna_211' id='fna_211' href='#f_211'><small>[211]</small></a> The
+question to be decided is, whether these letters and writings are genuine,
+or whether they can be proved to be fabrications? That the latter is the
+correct conclusion, appears on the following grounds.</p>
+
+<p><i>First</i>, The conduct of Murray, Morton, and others of the Scottish
+nobility, on various occasions, proves that ambition was the ruling
+passion of their lives. Murray&#8217;s iniquitous extermination of the Gordons
+in 1562, the influence he afterwards exercised in Mary&#8217;s councils, and his
+unjustifiable opposition to her marriage with Darnley, carried even the
+length of open rebellion, illustrate his character no less clearly, than
+the share he had in the murder of Rizzio, and his proceedings after the
+meeting at Carberry Hill, do that of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.272" id="Page_2.272">[Pg 272]</a></span> Morton. A train of events, arising
+out of the audacious machinations of Bothwell, placed Mary at the disposal
+of men thus devoted to the attainment of power. Yielding to their
+irresistible desire to secure its possession, they first imprisoned, and
+then dethroned their sovereign. She escaped from their hands, and, though
+driven from the country, threatened to return with foreign aid, to place
+herself at the head of her own party, which was still powerful, and to
+force from them their usurped authority. The urgency of the case called
+for a bold and decisive remedy. If Mary could prove, as there was no doubt
+she could, that, according to all the facts yet before the world, she had
+suffered severely and unjustly, they must either fall upon some means to
+vindicate their own actions, or be ruined for ever. Nothing would more
+naturally suggest itself than the expedient they adopted. The circumstance
+of Mary having been actually married to the man who murdered her former
+husband, opened a door to the very worst suspicions; and if they could
+artfully conceal the events which led to the marriage, and which not only
+justified it, but made it a matter of necessity, they hoped still to
+retain possession of the government. They were aware, indeed, that by
+their own proclamations and acts of council, they had acknowledged Mary&#8217;s
+innocence, and pointed out the real cause of her connection with Bothwell;
+and it was now not enough, after they had involved themselves in deeper
+responsibility, merely to retract their former allegations. They were
+called upon to show <i>why</i> they departed from them;&mdash;they were called upon
+to prove, that when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.273" id="Page_2.273">[Pg 273]</a></span> they first imprisoned her, though they confessed the
+Queen was innocent, they were now satisfied she was guilty. There was a
+positive necessity for the appearance of the letters; and if they had not
+been fortunately discovered, just at the proper time, Murray and his
+colleagues must either have had recourse to some other expedient, or have
+consented to Mary&#8217;s restoration, and their own disgrace.</p>
+
+<p><i>Second</i>, That Mary may have written love-letters to Francis II., and to
+Darnley, before and after she was married to them, is not unlikely; that
+she wrote sonnets and letters of affection to many of her friends, both
+male and female, is beyond a doubt; but that she would ever have written
+such letters and sonnets to the Earl of Bothwell, whom she never loved,
+whom she at one time threw into prison, and at another sent into
+banishment, whom she knew to be a married man, and whose marriage she had
+herself countenanced and encouraged, is against all probability. If
+Bothwell had never become Mary&#8217;s husband, history does not record one
+circumstance, which would at all lead to the belief, that she was attached
+to him. Her very marriage, when fairly and fully considered, only makes
+the fact more certain, that she had no regard for Bothwell, else there
+would have been no forcible abduction on his part, or pretended reluctance
+on hers. Even though she had consented to marry Bothwell, which the
+clearest evidence proves her not to have done, it would afford no
+presumption against her, that he was afterwards discovered to have been
+the murderer of Darnley. He had not only been legally acquitted, but all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.274" id="Page_2.274">[Pg 274]</a></span>
+her chief nobility had recommended him to her as a husband, stating the
+grounds of their recommendation to be the high opinion they entertained of
+his worth and loyalty. Robertson, Laing, and others, it is true, copying
+Buchanan, have laboured to show, that Mary discovered in various ways her
+extreme partiality for Bothwell. Most of their arguments have been already
+considered elsewhere; but it will be worth while attending for a moment to
+such of the circumstances collected by Robertson, and drawn up in
+formidable array, in the &#8220;Critical Dissertation&#8221; subjoined to his History
+of Scotland, as have not yet been noticed. The answers and explanations
+which immediately suggest themselves are so entirely satisfactory, that we
+can only wonder the historian did not himself perceive them.</p>
+
+<p>Robertson states, that on the 15th of February 1567, five days after the
+murder, Mary bestowed on Bothwell the reversion of the superiority of the
+town of Leith, and that this grant was of much importance, as it gave him
+both the command of the principal port in the kingdom, and a great
+ascendancy over the citizens of Edinburgh. But this assignation, as is
+expressly stated in the charter, was made to Bothwell as a reward for his
+faithful services, both to Mary&#8217;s mother and to herself, especially on the
+occasion of Rizzio&#8217;s death, and must have been in contemplation for some
+time; nor can it be supposed to have occupied the Queen&#8217;s thoughts, at a
+moment when she was refusing to see any one, and was shut up by herself in
+a dark room, a prey to the bitterest regrets. It ought to be recollected,
+besides, that she had not yet conferred on Bothwell any adequate
+recompense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.275" id="Page_2.275">[Pg 275]</a></span> for his fidelity and exertions after her escape from Morton;
+and that the grant of the superiority of the town of Leith, was only a
+very tardy acknowledgment of her obligations. She made presents of a
+similar description to others of her nobility about the same time: if any
+of them had afterwards forced her into a marriage, these gifts might have
+been raked up with equal plausibility, to prove that she was then in love
+with Morton, Huntly, Secretary Maitland, or any body else. At the
+Parliament which assembled on the 14th of April 1567, ratifications of
+grants were passed to many of the principal persons in the realm; and
+among others to the Earl of Mar, Morton, Crawford, Caithness, and Lord
+Robert Stuart.<a name='fna_212' id='fna_212' href='#f_212'><small>[212]</small></a> It will not be asserted, that Mary was attached to any
+of these persons; and is there any thing wonderful that she included in
+the list of those to whom she made donations, her Lord High Admiral? The
+case, no doubt, would have been worse, had she known that Bothwell was the
+murderer of Darnley, but throughout the whole of this discussion, it must
+be remembered, that if Mary was really innocent, she could not believe
+Bothwell guilty till he had been actually proved so.</p>
+
+<p>Robertson states further, that two days after the trial, Mary allowed
+Bothwell to carry the sceptre before her when she went to open the
+Parliament; that she there granted him a ratification of all the vast
+possessions and honours which she had conferred upon him; and that, when
+Sir James Melville warned her of the danger which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.276" id="Page_2.276">[Pg 276]</a></span> would attend a marriage
+with that nobleman, she not only disregarded his admonition, but
+discovered to Bothwell what had passed. But, as to the carrying of the
+sceptre, it was surely not to be expected, that after a full acquittal,
+without even the shadow of evidence being advanced against him, Mary could
+have ventured to refuse his accustomed honours to the most powerful noble
+in the realm. As to the Parliamentary ratification of &#8220;all the vast
+possessions and honours which she had conferred upon him,&#8221; the
+misrepresentation is glaring in the extreme; for she never conferred on
+Bothwell any vast possessions and honours, and the ratification alluded
+only to certain lands which were given him, to defray his charges in
+keeping the Castle of Dunbar.<a name='fna_213' id='fna_213' href='#f_213'><small>[213]</small></a> Bothwell no doubt enjoyed &#8220;vast
+possessions and honours;&#8221; but they were mostly hereditary, or had been
+obtained by him before Mary came into the kingdom. And as to the manner in
+which Mary took Sir James Melville&#8217;s warning,&mdash;the facts were these:&mdash;Sir
+James received a letter out of England, from a person of the name of
+Bishop, telling him that it had been rumoured (and there is no wonder,
+considering the bond which had been previously obtained from the nobility)
+that Bothwell was to be married to her Majesty, and assuring him, that if
+she consented to such an alliance, it would be much against her own
+reputation and interest. When Sir James showed this letter to Mary, she
+immediately sent, not for Bothwell, but for Secretary Maitland, to whom
+she handed it, <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.277" id="Page_2.277">[Pg 277]</a></span>expressing her surprise at its contents, and her suspicion
+that it was only a device on the part of some of Bothwell&#8217;s enemies, who
+wished to ruin him in her estimation. She afterwards took an opportunity
+to speak of it to Bothwell himself, who affected to be highly indignant,
+and was so enraged against Melville, that, had not Mary interfered, he
+would have forced him to fly from the Court to save his life. Bothwell&#8217;s
+rage is easily accounted for, considering the designs he then had in view,
+and the necessity for concealing them. But had he known that Mary was
+disposed to favour them, he would of course have taken the whole matter
+much more coolly. When Melville came upon the subject with Mary, she
+assured him that she did not contemplate any such alliance, and she had in
+like manner previously told Lord Herries, that &#8220;there was no such thing in
+her mind.&#8221;<a name='fna_214' id='fna_214' href='#f_214'><small>[214]</small></a> If deductions like those of Robertson, so contrary to the
+premises on which they are founded, be allowed, it is impossible to say to
+what belief they may not be made to lead.</p>
+
+<p>Robertson states, lastly, that even after Mary had been separated from
+Bothwell, and confined in Loch-Leven, her affection for him did not abate;
+and that the fair conclusion from all these circumstances is, that had
+Mary really been accessory to the murder of her husband, &#8220;she could
+scarcely have taken any other steps than those she took, nor could her
+conduct have been more repugnant to all the maxims of prudence or of
+decency.&#8221; But that Mary&#8217;s affection for a man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.278" id="Page_2.278">[Pg 278]</a></span> she had never loved,
+continued after she had left him to his fate, at Carberry Hill, and gone
+publicly over in the face of the whole world to his bitterest enemies, (on
+whose authority alone Robertson&#8217;s assertion is made, though expressly
+contradicted by their own previous declarations, as well as by Mary&#8217;s
+statements whenever she regained her liberty), is not to be believed; and
+had she been really innocent, &#8220;she could scarcely have taken any other
+steps than those she took,&#8221; nor could her conduct have been more accordant
+with all the maxims of prudence and propriety.</p>
+
+<p><i>Third</i>, Supposing Mary to have actually written the letters to Bothwell,
+it may very fairly be asked,&mdash;Why he was so imprudent as preserve
+them?&mdash;why he chose to keep only eight?&mdash;why he put them all into the same
+box?&mdash;and why he should ever have intrusted that box to the custody of Sir
+James Balfour? It is extremely difficult to answer satisfactorily any of
+these questions. The only explanation which the first admits of, is, that
+Bothwell was afraid lest Mary should afterwards quarrel with him, and
+resolved therefore not to destroy the evidence of her participation in the
+murder. But if he acted upon this principle, why did he limit himself to a
+collection of eight letters? If Mary ever corresponded with him at all, he
+must have had in his possession many more of her epistles; for the first
+of the series which has been preserved, is evidently not the letter of one
+commencing a correspondence, but of one who writes as a matter of course,
+to a person whom she has often written to before. It may be said, perhaps,
+that none of her previous letters bore upon the subject of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.279" id="Page_2.279">[Pg 279]</a></span>Darnley&#8217;s
+murder; but they must at all events have contained expressions of
+affection, which would have served as an indirect proof of her guilt. If,
+by preserving these documents, and running the risk of their falling into
+the hands of his enemies, who would so eagerly use them to his
+disadvantage, Bothwell thought he was choosing the least of two dangers,
+he would certainly have been anxious to make his evidence of Mary&#8217;s
+connexion with him as full and complete as possible. Accordingly, some
+love-sonnets, and a contract of marriage, were said to have been put into
+the same box, but only eight letters; as if, during the whole course of
+his amour with the Queen, and all its anxious days and nights, she had
+limited herself to eight epistolary testimonials of her love. But having
+preserved them, and having limited their number to eight, and having
+chosen to put them, not into a strong iron box locked and pad-locked, of
+which he alone kept the key, but into a &#8220;small gilt coffer&#8221; which never
+belonged to him at all, but had been a gift to Mary from her first husband
+Francis,&mdash;why was he so very absurd as send them to Sir James Balfour in
+the Castle of Edinburgh, at the very time that a rebellion was rising in
+the nation, and that he was beginning to suspect Balfour&#8217;s fidelity? They
+were sent, we are informed, &#8220;before his flying away&#8221; from Edinburgh, in
+the beginning of June 1567. Was this the moment at which he would be
+disposed to part with writings he had so carefully treasured? If he was
+afraid that his enemies would advance upon Edinburgh, why did he not take
+the &#8220;small gilt coffer&#8221; with him to Dunbar, instead of sending it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.280" id="Page_2.280">[Pg 280]</a></span> to the
+very place where it was sure to become their prey? If the letters were in
+truth forged, it was necessary for the forgers to concoct as plausible a
+story concerning them as possible. They knew it was not likely that
+Bothwell would send them to the Castle tied up as an open packet; and the
+idea of a box would therefore occur to them. But as they had not in their
+possession any box which belonged to Bothwell, they were forced to make
+use of what they could get; and finding at Holyrood, when they rifled the
+palace of most of the Queen&#8217;s valuables, the coffer in question, they
+would readily avail themselves of it. It would further occur to them, that
+Bothwell could not be supposed to have left the letters at Holyrood, which
+was not a place of any strength; and as they had not followed him to
+Dunbar, they were obliged to give out that he had made the Castle of
+Edinburgh their hiding-place. But if the letters had not been forgeries,
+and if they had been really preserved by Bothwell, they would have been
+more numerous,&mdash;they would not have been kept in one of Mary&#8217;s
+trinket-boxes,&mdash;and they would never have found their way out of his own
+hands into the custody of Sir James Balfour.</p>
+
+<p><i>Fourth</i>, The next improbability connected with this story, is, that
+Bothwell sent to reclaim the letters at the time alleged. On the 15th of
+September 1568, Murray, before going into England, to attend the
+conference at York, gave the Earl of Morton a receipt for the &#8220;silver box,
+overgilt with gold, with all missive letters, contracts or obligations for
+marriage, sonnets or love ballads, and all other letters contained
+therein, sent and passed betwixt the Queen and James, sometime Earl<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.281" id="Page_2.281">[Pg 281]</a></span>
+Bothwell; which box, and whole pieces within the same, were taken and
+found with umwhile George Dalgleish, servant to the said Earl Bothwell,
+upon the 20th day of June, in the year of God 1567.&#8221;<a name='fna_215' id='fna_215' href='#f_215'><small>[215]</small></a> This, then, was
+exactly five days after Bothwell had fled from Carberry Hill, and when
+Edinburgh was in the possession of the opposite faction, with whom Sir
+James Balfour had now associated himself. Dalgleish, it appears, who was
+well known to be a servant of Bothwell, was able not only to effect an
+entrance into Edinburgh, though the city was strictly guarded, but was
+received into the Castle, and had the box actually delivered to him by
+Balfour. How he happened to be afterwards discovered, and his property
+taken from him, is not made out. If Balfour privately intimated to Morton
+what he had done, then he at once acted knavishly towards Bothwell, and
+most inconsiderately towards those whom he wished to befriend; for
+Dalgleish might have either baffled pursuit, or he might have secreted the
+box, or destroyed its contents before he was taken. Thus we have a tissue
+of improbabilities, pervading the whole of this part of the narrative.
+Bothwell could never send to Edinburgh Castle for writings he would never
+have deposited there: and most especially he would never send, when he
+himself was a fugitive, and that fortress, along with the adjacent town,
+in the hands of his enemies. Nor would Balfour have surrendered a box so
+precious; nor, if he did, would Dalgleish have allowed it again to become<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.282" id="Page_2.282">[Pg 282]</a></span>
+the prey of those from whom it was most wished to conceal it.</p>
+
+<p><i>Fifth</i>, What was done with the letters immediately after Morton and the
+other Lords got possession of them? Bothwell had been already accused of
+the murder of Darnley; his former acquittal had been declared unjust; he
+had been separated from the Queen; and she herself had been sequestrated
+in Loch-Leven, until the whole affair should be duly investigated. Surely,
+then, the discovery of these letters would be regarded with signal
+satisfaction, and the associated Lords would lose not a moment in
+announcing their existence to the nation, as the best justification of
+their own proceedings. They had sent Mary, it is true, to Loch-Leven,
+somewhat precipitately, five days before they were aware of her enormous
+guilt; but if their own ambition had prompted that step, they would now be
+able to free themselves from blame, and would silence at once the boldest
+of the Queen&#8217;s defenders. As it appears by the records, that a meeting of
+Privy Council was held on the 21st of June, the very day after Dalgleish
+was seized, we shall surely find that all the papers were produced, and
+their contents impressively recorded in the Council-books. Nothing of the
+kind took place; and though Morton was present at the meeting, not a
+single word was said of the letters.<a name='fna_216' id='fna_216' href='#f_216'><small>[216]</small></a> Again, on the 26th of June, an
+act was passed for sanctioning the imprisonment of the Queen in
+Loch-Leven, and a proclamation issued for apprehending the Earl of
+Bothwell; but though the latter was accused of having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.283" id="Page_2.283">[Pg 283]</a></span> &#8220;treasonably
+ravished&#8221; the person of her Highness the Queen, and also of being the
+&#8220;principal author of the late cruel murder,&#8221; no hint was given of the
+evidence which had been recently discovered against him, and which,
+indeed, had it been in their possession, would have directly contradicted
+the assertion, that Bothwell had been guilty Of &#8220;treasonable ravishment,&#8221;
+or of keeping the Queen in &#8220;thraldom and bondage;&#8221; for it would have
+appeared, that he had obtained her previous consent for every thing he had
+done.<a name='fna_217' id='fna_217' href='#f_217'><small>[217]</small></a> Between this date and the 11th of July, several other meetings
+of Council were held, and acts published, but not a whisper was heard
+concerning these important letters. When Sir Nicolas Throckmorton was sent
+by Elizabeth, as her ambassador into Scotland, the Lords presented him, on
+the 11th of July, with a formal justification of their doings; but, in all
+that long and laboured paper, the letters were never once alluded to. On
+the contrary, in direct opposition to them, such passages as the following
+occur more than once:&mdash;&#8220;How shamefully the Queen, our Sovereign, was led
+captive, and, by fear, force, and (as by many conjectures may be well
+suspected) other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to
+become bed-fellow to another wife&#8217;s husband, and to him who, not three
+months before, had in his bed most cruelly murdered her husband, is
+manifest to the world, to the great dishonour of her Majesty, us all, and
+this whole nation.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;It behoved us, assuredly, to have recommended the
+soul of our Prince, and of the most part of ourselves, to God&#8217;s hands;
+and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.284" id="Page_2.284">[Pg 284]</a></span> as we may firmly believe the soul also of our Sovereign the Queen,
+who should not have lived with him half a year to an end, as may be
+conjectured by the short time they lived together, and the maintaining of
+his other wife at home in his house.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;The respects aforesaid, with many
+others, and very necessity, moved us to enterprise the quarrel we have in
+hand, which was only intended against the Earl of Bothwell&#8217;s person, to
+dissolve the dishonourable and unlawful conjunction under the name of
+marriage.&#8221;<a name='fna_218' id='fna_218' href='#f_218'><small>[218]</small></a> These are positive declarations, which not only bear no
+reference to the box of love-letters, but which deliberately and
+conclusively give the lie to their contents. When was it, then, that these
+momentous letters were introduced to the world? The Lords, not satisfied
+with &#8220;sequestrating the person&#8221; of the Queen, forced from her an
+abdication of her throne on the 25th of July. Surely, before venturing on
+so audacious a proceeding, these criminal writings would be made known to
+the country. But no; we in vain expect to hear any thing of
+them;&mdash;&#8220;shadows, clouds, and darkness&#8221; still rest upon them.</p>
+
+<p>At length, a fresh actor returned to that scene, in which he had formerly
+played with so much success; and <i>his</i> inventive genius brought the
+mystery to light. Early in August, the Earl of Murray rejoined his old
+associates; and on the 22d of that month, he was proclaimed Regent. It was
+necessary for him, shortly afterwards, to hold a Parliament; and the
+Queen&#8217;s party being then almost as strong as his own, it was still more
+necessary for him to fall upon some means to <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.285" id="Page_2.285">[Pg 285]</a></span>justify his usurpation, as
+well as those severe proceedings against Mary to which he had given his
+sanction. Accordingly, after he had been in Scotland four months, and had
+cautiously prepared his body of written evidence, we find it mentioned,
+<i>for the first time</i>, in an act of Council, passed on the 4th of December,
+only ten days before the meeting of Parliament, and evidently in
+anticipation of that event. In this act it is expressly declared, &#8220;that
+the cause and occasion of the private conventions of the Lords, Barons and
+others, and consequently their taking of arms, and coming to the field,
+and the cause and occasion of the taking of the Queen&#8217;s person, upon the
+15th day of June last, and holding and detaining of the same within the
+house and place of Loch Leven, continually since, presently, and in all
+time coming, and generally all other things invented, spoken, or written
+by them since the 10th day of February last, (upon which day umwhile King
+Henry was shamefully and horribly murdered), unto the day and date hereof,
+touching the Queen&#8217;s person, cause, and all things depending thereon, was
+in the said Queen&#8217;s own default, in as far as, by diverse her privy
+letters, written and subscribed with her own hand, and sent by her to
+James Earl of Bothwell, chief executor of the said horrible murder, as
+well before the committing thereof as after, and by her ungodly and
+dishonourable proceeding in a private marriage with him, suddenly and
+unprovisedly thereafter, it is most certain that she was privy, art and
+part, and of the actual device and deed of the forementioned
+murder.&#8221;<a name='fna_219' id='fna_219' href='#f_219'><small>[219]</small></a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.286" id="Page_2.286">[Pg 286]</a></span> The ensuing Parliament passed an act, which, after a
+preamble expressed in nearly the same words, sanctioned the Queen&#8217;s
+imprisonment and Murray&#8217;s Regency;<a name='fna_220' id='fna_220' href='#f_220'><small>[220]</small></a> and nothing more whatever is known
+or heard of these &#8220;privy letters,&#8221; till nearly the end of the following
+year, 1568.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to these acts of Council and Parliament, it is to be remarked,
+in the first place, that they refer to the Letters as the grounds upon
+which the nobles took up arms, separated the Queen from Bothwell at
+Carberry Hill, and imprisoned her at Loch-Leven; although, according to a
+subsequent confession, the Letters were not discovered till after she had
+been in captivity for five days, and although, in all the proclamations
+and acts of the time, Mary&#8217;s innocence was openly allowed, and the bondage
+in which she had been kept by Bothwell as openly proclaimed. It is to be
+remarked, in the second place, that no account is given, either of the
+contents of these Letters, of the time of their discovery, or of the
+evidence by which their authenticity was ascertained. Dalgleish was at the
+very moment in custody, and a few days afterwards was tried and executed
+for his share in Darnley&#8217;s death, of which he made a full confession. But
+why was he not brought forward and examined concerning the Letters; and
+why is there not a word about them in his confession?<a name='fna_221' id='fna_221' href='#f_221'><small>[221]</small></a> Why was
+Dalgleish never mentioned as having any connection with the Letters at all
+till after he was dead? And if it was originally intended to refer to the
+Letters as the authorities on which the Lords sent Mary to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.287" id="Page_2.287">[Pg 287]</a></span> Loch-Leven,
+may it not be fairly concluded, that the idea of their having been taken
+from Dalgleish on the 20th of June, was an after-thought, when it became
+necessary to account for the manner in which they had fallen into their
+hands? Was it, besides, enough to satisfy the nation to allude, in vague
+and general terms, to the existence of documents of so much weight? If
+they were thus obscurely locked up in Murray&#8217;s custody,&mdash;if nothing
+further was said about them but that they existed,&mdash;if all the nobility of
+Scotland were not requested to come and examine them,&mdash;if they were not
+printed and published that the people might see them, and feel convinced
+that the Lords had acted justly, can it be cause of wonder, that, not only
+all Mary&#8217;s friends, but even Elizabeth herself, intimated doubts of their
+authenticity?</p>
+
+<p><i>Sixth</i>, If it is strange that these important writings were so long kept
+from the public eye, it is no less strange, that, when they were at length
+produced, a degree of caution and hesitation was observed regarding them
+not a little suspicious. If the Regent had been satisfied of their
+authenticity, he would fearlessly have exhibited them to all who were
+interested in their contents. Even allowing that he had a fair excuse for
+concealing them so long, he would have been eager to challenge for them,
+when he at last determined to bring them forward, the minutest
+examination, so that the most sceptical might be convinced they were
+genuine. If he acted honestly, and, on the authority of these writings,
+believed his sister unworthy of continuing on the Scottish throne, he must
+have been anxious that the whole country should acknowledge the propriety
+of his conduct; or if he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.288" id="Page_2.288">[Pg 288]</a></span> had himself been misled, he ought not to have
+been unwilling to have had the forgery pointed out to him, and Mary
+restored to the government. But we look in vain for any thing frank, open,
+and candid, in Murray&#8217;s proceedings.</p>
+
+<p>When the conference began at York, there was not a word said of the
+letters, till it was found that, without their aid, no plausible answer
+could be given to the complaints made by Mary. Even then they were not
+boldly produced, and openly laid before the Commissioners; but Maitland,
+Macgill, Wood, and Buchanan, were sent to hold a &#8220;private and secret
+conference&#8221; with Norfolk and his colleagues, in which they produced the
+letters and other papers, and asked their opinion concerning them.<a name='fna_222' id='fna_222' href='#f_222'><small>[222]</small></a> As
+soon as Elizabeth was informed of their contents, she removed the
+conference to Westminster; and Mary sent her Commissioners thither, still
+ignorant of the alleged existence of any such writings. It was not till
+the 8th of December 1568 that the letters made their appearance in an
+official manner. As Elizabeth herself, departing from the impartiality of
+an umpire, had already secretly encouraged their production, and as she
+had evidently entered into Murray&#8217;s views regarding them, there was now
+surely no further trepidation or concealment. But what is the fact? On
+only <i>two</i> occasions were the originals of these writings ever shown; and
+on neither occasion does their authenticity appear to have been at all
+determined. On the 8th of December, &#8220;they produced seven several writings,
+written in French, and avowed by them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.289" id="Page_2.289">[Pg 289]</a></span> to be written by the said Queen;
+which seven writings being copied, were read in French, and a due
+collation made thereof, as near as could be, by reading and inspection,
+and made to accord with the originals, which the said Earl of Murray
+required to be re-delivered, and did thereupon deliver the copies, being
+collationed.&#8221;<a name='fna_223' id='fna_223' href='#f_223'><small>[223]</small></a> Here, therefore, nothing was done except comparing
+copies with what were called originals, to see that they agreed. These
+copies were left in the hands of the Commissioners, and the originals, by
+whoever they were written, were immediately returned to Murray. On the
+14th of December, they again made their appearance, for the second and
+last time; &#8220;and being read, were duly conferred and compared, for the
+manner of writing and fashion of orthography, with sundry other letters,
+long since heretofore written, and sent by the said Queen of Scots to the
+Queen&#8217;s Majesty.&#8221;<a name='fna_224' id='fna_224' href='#f_224'><small>[224]</small></a> Was this all the proof that was offered? Yes; the
+whole. Elizabeth, who was no less anxious than Murray himself to blacken
+the character of the Queen of Scots, was allowed to supply the letters
+with which the other writings were to be compared; and, for any thing that
+is known to the contrary, these &#8220;other letters, long since heretofore
+written,&#8221; were only a few more forgeries from the same hand, prepared for
+the very use to which they were applied. And be this as it may, is it
+likely that, by a hasty collation of this kind, any accurate decision
+could be formed; or that, in a single forenoon, a number of different<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.290" id="Page_2.290">[Pg 290]</a></span>
+individuals could come to a conclusion on so very nice a point as a
+comparison of hands, especially having before them so great a number of
+documents to decide upon? It is a maxim in law, that &#8220;<i>fallacissimum genus
+probandi sit per comparationem litterarum</i>;&#8221; and surely the fallaciousness
+of such a proof was not diminished by the hasty examination given to them
+by some English nobles, probably unacquainted previously with the writing
+of the Queen of Scots.</p>
+
+<p>But could Mary herself, it will be asked, refuse to acknowledge her own
+hand? Her Commissioners would of course be allowed to see the original
+letters; if not the whole, at least some of them, would be given to them,
+that they might transmit them to their mistress; and she being either
+unable to deny them, would confess her guilt, or, perceiving them to be
+fabrications, would point out the proofs. But nothing of all this was
+done. Mary&#8217;s Commissioners were not present at the only meetings at which
+the originals were produced; and when they afterwards applied for a sight
+of them, or for copies, they were put off from time to time till the
+conference was dissolved, and Murray sent back to Scotland. &#8220;Suppose a
+man,&#8221; says Tytler, &#8220;was to swear a debt against me, and offered to prove
+it by bond or bill of my handwriting; if I knew this bond to be a false
+writing, what would be my defence? Show me the bond itself, and I will
+prove it a forgery. If he withdrew the bond, and refused to let me see it,
+what would be the presumption? Surely that the bond was forged, and that
+the user was himself the forger. The case is precisely similar to the
+point in hand. The Queen, we have seen, repeatedly demands to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.291" id="Page_2.291">[Pg 291]</a></span> the
+principal writings themselves, which she asserts are forged. Elizabeth
+herself says the demand is most reasonable. What follows? Is this
+reasonable demand of Mary complied with? Far from it; so far from seeing
+or having inspection of the originals, even copies of them are refused to
+her and her Commissioners.&#8221;<a name='fna_225' id='fna_225' href='#f_225'><small>[225]</small></a> Under these circumstances, and as the
+writings were seen only twice by a few of the English nobility, and then
+locked up again in Murray&#8217;s box, that they once existed may perhaps be
+granted, but that they were what they pretended to be, cannot be believed
+to have been ever proved.</p>
+
+<p><i>Seventh</i>, Having effected the purpose they were meant to achieve, it
+might have been expected that these letters would be carefully preserved
+in the public archives of the Scottish nation;&mdash;that, as they had been the
+means of bringing about a revolution in the country, they would be
+regarded not as private, but as public property;&mdash;and that Murray would be
+anxious to lodge them where they might be referred to, both by his
+cotemporaries and posterity, as documents with which his own reputation,
+no less than that of his sister, was indissolubly connected. Here again,
+however, the impartial inquirer is disappointed. The Regent appears to
+have kept these writings close in his own possession till his death, and
+they then fell into the hands of his successor, the Earl of Lennox.
+Towards the end of January 1571, Lennox delivered them to Morton; and
+after Morton&#8217;s execution, the box and its contents became the property of
+the Earl of Gowrie. Knowing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.292" id="Page_2.292">[Pg 292]</a></span> that he would be less anxious to maintain
+their authenticity, not being influenced by any of the motives which had
+actuated Murray, Lennox, and Morton, and fearing lest the whole trick
+should be discovered, Elizabeth became now very anxious to obtain them.
+She ordered her ambassador in Scotland, in 1582, to promise Gowrie, that
+if he would surrender them, he should &#8220;be requited to his comfort and
+contentment, with princely thanks and gratuity.&#8221; But Gowrie was neither to
+be bribed nor persuaded; he knew the value of the papers too well, and the
+power which their possession gave him, both over James and Elizabeth. As
+long as they befriended him, he would be silent; but should he ever be
+cast off by them, he would proclaim their fabrication, and remove the
+stains they had cast upon Mary&#8217;s honour. Elizabeth&#8217;s earnest endeavours to
+get them into her own possession can be accounted for, only on the
+supposition that she knew them to be forgeries; for it was in that case
+alone, that any dangerous use could have been made of them. Subsequent to
+the correspondence with Gowrie, in 1582, nothing further is known of these
+writings. In 1584, Gowrie was executed as a traitor, on account of the
+conspiracy in which he had engaged, and many of his effects fell into the
+hands of James VI.; but whether these documents were among them, is
+uncertain. In so far as the originals are concerned, this celebrated body
+of evidence is little else than a mere shadow. It was never spoken of at
+all, till long after it had been discovered,&mdash;it was not produced till
+long after it had been first spoken of,&mdash;it appeared only for a few hours
+before persons predisposed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.293" id="Page_2.293">[Pg 293]</a></span> to give it all credit,&mdash;it then returned to
+its former obscurity, and not even <i>copies</i> but merely <i>translations</i>, are
+all that were ever presented to the world, on which to form an opinion. It
+is strange that any importance should have ever been attached to papers,
+which were never fairly exposed to the light, and which the jaws of
+darkness so soon devoured.<a name='fna_226' id='fna_226' href='#f_226'><small>[226]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.294" id="Page_2.294">[Pg 294]</a></span><i>Eighth</i>, Though it would be perhaps as difficult to prove a negative, as
+to demonstrate the spuriousness of writings which do not exist, and which
+were hardly ever seen, the presumption against them is increased a
+hundred-fold, if it can be clearly established, that the same men who
+produced them were more than once guilty of deliberate forgery. This could
+be done in many instances; but it will be enough to mention two, which are
+sufficiently glaring. The first is the letter which Morton exhibited
+before Mary was taken to Loch-Leven, and which was never afterwards
+referred to or produced, even at the time when evidence of all kinds was
+raked up against her. It was a letter which would not only have gone a
+great way to corroborate the others, but, as it did not implicate the
+Queen in Darnley&#8217;s murder, was exactly the sort of apology that was wished
+for keeping her &#8220;sequestrated&#8221; at Loch-Leven, and forcing from her an
+abdication. Even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.295" id="Page_2.295">[Pg 295]</a></span> though all the other epistles had been kept back, this
+might have been safely engrossed in the minutes of Morton&#8217;s Privy Council,
+and referred to again and again by the King&#8217;s Lords, as the great
+justification of their conduct. If by any chance a reason could be found,
+why it was first produced, and again concealed, it would still be
+impossible to discover why it alone was withdrawn, when all the rest were
+laid before Elizabeth. There is but one solution of the enigma, which is,
+that it was too hasty a fabrication to bear minute examination, and that,
+though it misled Kircaldy of Grange, Morton and Murray were themselves
+ashamed of it.</p>
+
+<p>A second and even more remarkable example of forgery is to be found in one
+of the papers which Murray showed to the English Commissioners at York,
+but which he afterwards thought it prudent to withdraw when the writings
+were more publicly produced at Westminster. This paper was described
+as,&mdash;&#8220;The Queen&#8217;s consent given to the Lords who subscribed the bond for
+the promotion of the said James Earl Bothwell to her marriage.&#8221;<a name='fna_227' id='fna_227' href='#f_227'><small>[227]</small></a> In
+the &#8220;private and secret Conference,&#8221; which Lethington, MacGill, Wood, and
+Buchanan, had with the Commissioners at York; &#8220;they showed unto us,&#8221; say
+the latter, &#8220;a copy of a band, bearing date the 19th of April 1567, to the
+which the most part of the Lords and Counsellors of Scotland have put to
+their hands; and, as they say, more for fear than any liking they had of
+the same. Which band contained two special points,&mdash;the one a declaration
+of Bothwell&#8217;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.296" id="Page_2.296">[Pg 296]</a></span> purgation of the murder of the Lord Darnley, and the other
+a general consent to his marriage with the Queen, so far forth as the law
+and her own liking should allow. And yet, in proof that they did it not
+willingly, they procured a warrant which was now showed unto us, bearing
+date the 19th of April, signed with the Queen&#8217;s hand, whereby she gave
+them license to agree to the same; affirming, that before they had such a
+warrant, there was none of them that did or would set to their hands,
+saving only the Earl of Huntly.&#8221;<a name='fna_228' id='fna_228' href='#f_228'><small>[228]</small></a> This must have been a very curious
+and interesting warrant; and it is somewhat surprising, that it had never
+been heard of before. It was a very strong link in the chain; and spoke
+volumes of Mary&#8217;s love for Bothwell, which carried her so far that she not
+only secretly wished, but openly requested her nobles to recommend him to
+her as a husband. Besides, if the warrant was genuine, it must have been
+seen by all the Lords who were present at &#8220;Ainsly&#8217;s supper;&#8221; and they must
+have been consequently well aware that there was no such thing as a
+forcible abduction of the Queen&#8217;s person. So far from supposing that
+Bothwell ever kept her in &#8220;unlawful bondage,&#8221; or forced her into a
+&#8220;pretended marriage,&#8221; they would know that she had shown greater anxiety
+to possess him than he had to secure her. Their only wonder would be, that
+after so far overcoming the natural modesty of her sex, as to point out to
+them one of her own subjects, whom she asked them to advise her to marry,
+she should so palpably have contradicted herself, as to give out
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.297" id="Page_2.297">[Pg 297]</a></span>afterwards that it was not till she had been carried off, and till every
+argument had been used which power could supply, or passion suggest, that
+she reluctantly agreed to become his wife. If she openly and formally
+licensed her nobles to recommend him, what was the use of all her
+subsequent affected reluctance? But it was not Murray&#8217;s business to
+explain this problem. The warrant spoke for itself, and it was with it
+only that he had to do. What, then, were the comments which he made on it
+at Westminster, and the conclusive presumptions against Mary which he drew
+from it? <i>The &#8220;Warrant&#8221; was not produced at Westminster at all, and not a
+single allusion was made to it.</i><a name='fna_229' id='fna_229' href='#f_229'><small>[229]</small></a> This fact alone is sufficient to
+mark the credit it deserves. It could do no harm to show it privately to
+Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler; but it would not have answered so well to
+have advanced it publicly, as all the nobility of Scotland would at once
+have known it to be a fabrication. The probability is, that this
+&#8220;Warrant,&#8221; or &#8220;Consent,&#8221; was neither more nor less than a garbled copy of
+the pardon which Bothwell obtained from Mary, for the Lords who had signed
+the bond, when he brought her out of the Castle of Edinburgh on the 14th
+of May, the day previous to her marriage; and she would never have been
+asked for this pardon if she had before recommended the bond.<a name='fna_230' id='fna_230' href='#f_230'><small>[230]</small></a> If
+Murray and his party are thus detected in fabrications so gross, that they
+themselves, however anxious to bolster up their cause,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.298" id="Page_2.298">[Pg 298]</a></span> were afraid to
+make use of them, what dependence is to be placed upon the authenticity of
+any writings they chose to produce?</p>
+
+<p><i>Ninth</i>, It was Bothwell who murdered Darnley; it was Bothwell who seized
+the person of the Queen; it was Bothwell who was married to her; it was
+Bothwell whose daring ambition waded through blood and crime, till at
+length he set his foot upon a throne. But his triumph was of short
+duration. The Queen left him, and went over to his enemies; and he himself
+was forced into a miserable exile. It was this reverse of fortune which he
+had all along dreaded; and it was to be prepared for the evil day, that he
+had preserved the eight letters and love-sonnets so carefully in the small
+gilt box. He had determined, that whatever might happen, he should never
+lose his hold over Mary, but that, as she had participated in his guilt,
+she should be made to share his subsequent fortunes. He cannot have been
+well pleased with her conduct at Carberry Hill; and it was perhaps to
+revenge himself upon her, that he sent Dalgleish for the casket, part of
+the contents of which he may have intended to disclose to the world.
+Dalgleish and the casket were seized, but the secret of Mary&#8217;s criminality
+was still in Bothwell&#8217;s possession; and there was surely no occasion that
+he should become odious in the eyes of all men, whilst his paramour and
+accomplice preserved her reputation. Did he never, then, throughout the
+whole course of his life, utter a word, or issue a declaration, or make a
+confession which in the slightest degree implicated Mary? It is surely a
+strong presumption in her favour if he never did.</p>
+
+<p>Before Darnley was murdered, Bothwell went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.299" id="Page_2.299">[Pg 299]</a></span> to meet Morton at Whittingham,
+to consult him on the subject. Morton told him, that unless he could
+produce proof, under the Queen&#8217;s hand, of her consent to have her husband
+removed, he would not interfere in the matter. Before going to
+Whittingham, Bothwell must have received the two letters which Mary is
+alleged to have written to him from Glasgow; <i>yet he was unable to show
+Morton any writing to corroborate his assertion, that the Queen would not
+be offended at the proposed murder</i>. He promised, however, that he would
+do all he could to procure the warrant which Morton desired. Some time
+afterwards, &#8220;I being at St Andrews,&#8221; says Morton in his confession, &#8220;to
+visit the Earl of Angus a little before the murder, Mr Archibald Douglas
+came to me there, both with write and credit of the Earl Bothwell, to show
+unto me that the purpose of the King&#8217;s murder was to be done, and near a
+point; and to request my concurrence and assistance thereunto. My answer
+to him was, that I would give no answer to that purpose, seeing I had not
+got the Queen&#8217;s warrant in write, which was promised; and therefore,
+seeing the Earl Bothwell never reported any warrant of the Queen to me, I
+never meddled further with it.&#8221;<a name='fna_231' id='fna_231' href='#f_231'><small>[231]</small></a> As all that Morton wished, before
+giving Bothwell his active support, was &#8220;the Queen&#8217;s hand-write of the
+matter for a warrant,&#8221; what would have been more natural or easy for
+Bothwell than to have produced any of the letters he had got from Mary,
+which would exactly have answered the purpose, and satisfied all Morton&#8217;s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.300" id="Page_2.300">[Pg 300]</a></span>
+scruples? As Bothwell told him that the Queen approved of the design, he
+could not have any objection to make good that assertion, by any written
+evidence in his possession. He need not even have shown the whole of any
+one letter, but only such detached parts of it as bore directly on the
+subject in question. It is strange, that Bothwell should have gone so far,
+and should have been so anxious to secure the co-operation of Morton; yet,
+that he did not obviate the only objection which Morton started, by
+putting into his hands a letter, or letters, which, if they ever existed,
+he must have then had.<a name='fna_232' id='fna_232' href='#f_232'><small>[232]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Various occasions occurred afterwards, which held out every inducement to
+Bothwell to produce the letters and accuse the Queen. Passing over his
+silence at Carberry Hill, notwithstanding her desertion of him there, and
+during all the rest of the time that he remained in Scotland, it may be
+mentioned, that Murray, shortly after he had been appointed Regent, wrote
+to the King of Denmark, to request that Bothwell should be delivered up to
+him. The King refused, on several grounds, and among others, that Bothwell
+maintained he had been unjustly driven from the kingdom,&mdash;that he had been
+legally tried and acquitted,&mdash;that he had been lawfully married to the
+Queen,&mdash;and that <i>no blame whatever attached to her</i>.<a name='fna_233' id='fna_233' href='#f_233'><small>[233]</small></a> Not at all
+satisfied with this answer, Mr<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.301" id="Page_2.301">[Pg 301]</a></span> Thomas Buchanan was afterwards sent out to
+Denmark, to procure, if possible, Bothwell&#8217;s surrender. Buchanan, of
+course, made himself acquainted with all that Bothwell had been saying and
+doing, since he fled from Scotland; and in January 1571, he sent home a
+full account of his discoveries to his constituents. The letter was
+addressed to the Earl of Lennox, who was then Regent; but it fell first
+into the Earl of Morton&#8217;s hands, who was at the time in London. Perceiving
+that it contained matter by no means favourable to their cause, and afraid
+lest it might produce some effect on the mind of Elizabeth, he played the
+same game with her he had formerly been so successful in with Mary, and
+passed off upon her a garbled copy as a genuine transcript of the
+original. &#8220;We had no will,&#8221; the Earl of Morton wrote to Lennox, &#8220;that the
+contents of the letter should be known, fearing that some words and
+matters mentioned in the same being dispersed here as news, would rather
+have hindered than furthered our cause. And, therefore, being desired at
+Court to show the letter, we gave to understand that we had sent the
+principal away, and delivered a copy, omitting such things as we thought
+not meet to be shown, as your Grace may perceive by the like copy, which
+also we have sent you herewith; which you may communicate to such as your
+Grace thinks it not expedient to communicate the whole contents of the
+principal letter unto.&#8221;<a name='fna_234' id='fna_234' href='#f_234'><small>[234]</small></a> Both the original despatch and the spurious
+copy have unfortunately been lost, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.302" id="Page_2.302">[Pg 302]</a></span> were more probably destroyed by
+Lennox himself; so that their contents can only be conjectured; but it is
+evident, that so far from tending to hurt Mary&#8217;s reputation, they must
+rather have served to exculpate her.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1576, Mary wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow, that she had
+received intelligence of Bothwell&#8217;s death, and that, before his decease,
+he had declared himself the murderer of Darnley, and expressly freed her
+from any share in it, attesting her innocence in the most solemn manner.
+&#8220;If this be true,&#8221; Mary added, &#8220;this testimony will be of great importance
+to me against the false calumnies of my enemies. I therefore beseech you
+to take every means in your power to discover the real state of the
+case.&#8221;<a name='fna_235' id='fna_235' href='#f_235'><small>[235]</small></a> The Archbishop proposed, in consequence, to send a messenger
+to Denmark, to procure a properly authenticated copy of the testament, but
+for want of money and other causes, it appears that he was never able to
+carry his intentions into effect. The confession was transmitted to
+Elizabeth by the King of Denmark, but its publication was anxiously
+suppressed by her;<a name='fna_236' id='fna_236' href='#f_236'><small>[236]</small></a> and is now lost. Its place, however, has been not
+unsatisfactorily supplied by a discovery which has recently been made in
+the Royal library at Drottningholm, entitled, a &#8220;Declaration of the Earl
+of Bothwell,&#8221; made by him when a prisoner at Copenhagen in the year 1568.
+It contains a full account of all the principal events of his past life;
+and though it was written, not as a confession, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.303" id="Page_2.303">[Pg 303]</a></span> as a justification,
+and is consequently an artful piece of special pleading in his own
+defence, and not always particularly accurate in its detail of facts, it
+cannot fail nevertheless to be regarded as an interesting and important
+document. One thing is especially to be remarked, that throughout the
+whole, he never attempts in the most distant manner to implicate Mary in
+the blame attachable to his own conduct. On the contrary, he speaks of her
+throughout with the utmost respect. It may be said, that if Bothwell had
+accused Mary, he could not have defended himself, and that he abstained
+only from a selfish motive. There were, however, a thousand different
+degrees of responsibility with which he might have charged Mary. There was
+no necessity to have accused her of the murder of Darnley, or of a
+criminal attachment to him; but if it had been the truth, it would
+certainly have been for his own interest, to have proved that the Queen
+loved him sincerely and warmly. Even this he does not venture to state;
+and the impression left by the whole tone of the declaration
+unquestionably is, that he felt it would be for his advantage to say as
+little about Mary as possible, knowing that, of all others he had offended
+most against her, and that to attempt to cast any imputation upon her
+innocence, would be only to throw a darker shade over his own
+villany.<a name='fna_237' id='fna_237' href='#f_237'><small>[237]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><i>Tenth.</i>&mdash;Some historians have ventured to assert, that however little
+credit they might be disposed to give to the statements of such men as
+Murray and Morton, they have been somewhat startled to find that Mary
+herself never denied them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.304" id="Page_2.304">[Pg 304]</a></span> very positively, or evinced much indignation
+against them. These historians cannot have looked very deeply into the
+records on this subject, else they would have found that the fact was
+exactly the reverse of what they suppose it to have been. &#8220;And yet is
+there one injury more,&#8221; says Bishop Lesley, &#8220;that doth grieve and molest
+this good guiltless lady more than all their foretold villanous pranks
+played by them against her, and surely not without just cause of grief;
+for, indeed, it far passeth and exceedeth them all, and that is, their
+shameful and most traitorous defaming her, being altogether innocent
+therein, with the death of her husband, as though that she had suborned
+the Earl of Bothwell thereto, and rewarded him therefor with the marriage
+of her own body.&#8221;<a name='fna_238' id='fna_238' href='#f_238'><small>[238]</small></a> It is altogether unnecessary to refer to any
+particular authorities upon this subject; for a volume might be easily
+filled with Letters, Despatches, and Instructions from Mary, which not
+only deny her guilt, but, by the arguments they contain, go very far to
+establish her innocence. A communication, which she addressed, in the year
+1569, to the States of Scotland, must, however, be mentioned, as it
+distinctly shows what her feelings then were towards Bothwell; for whom,
+indeed, she had so little affection, that, very soon after her arrival in
+England, she lent a favourable ear to the proposals of marriage made by
+the Duke of Norfolk. Her letter to the Scottish Parliament is to be
+considered in connection with this contemplated marriage. Its purpose was,
+to obtain the sanction of the States<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.305" id="Page_2.305">[Pg 305]</a></span> to a divorce from Bothwell; and she
+alluded to him in the following terms: &#8220;Forasmuch as we are credibly
+informed, by sundry and diverse noblemen of our realm, that the pretended
+marriage, some time contracted, and in a manner solemnized, between us and
+James Earl of Bothwell, was, for diverse respects, unlawful, and may not
+of good conscience and law stand betwixt us, (albeit it seemed otherwise
+to us and our Council at that time);&mdash;considering, therefore, with
+ourselves, and thinking that the same does touch us as highly in honour
+and conscience that it daily and hourly troubles and vexes our spirit
+quite through, we are moved to seek remedy.&#8221;<a name='fna_239' id='fna_239' href='#f_239'><small>[239]</small></a> The very Lords, however,
+who had before affected so much anxiety to free her from that &#8220;ungodly
+alliance,&#8221; now refused to take any steps towards forwarding the divorce;
+and they were thus convicted of another inconsistency.<a name='fna_240' id='fna_240' href='#f_240'><small>[240]</small></a> Little more
+than eighteen months had elapsed since they had not only imprisoned her,
+but forced her to surrender her crown, because, as they alleged, she
+&#8220;would not consent, by any persuasion, to abandon the Lord Bothwell for
+her husband, but avowed constantly that she would live and die with him,
+saying, that if it were put to her choice to relinquish her crown and
+kingdom, or the Lord Bothwell, she would leave her kingdom and dignity to
+go as a simple damsel with him, and would never consent that he would fare
+worse, or have more harm than herself.&#8221;<a name='fna_241' id='fna_241' href='#f_241'><small>[241]</small></a> Yet she now expressly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.306" id="Page_2.306">[Pg 306]</a></span> asked
+a divorce from this Lord Bothwell, her connection with whom had &#8220;daily and
+hourly troubled and vexed her spirit;&#8221; and the Lords, forgetting all their
+former protestations, were not disposed to accede to it.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was it by Mary herself alone, that a direct contradiction was given to
+the defamatory accusations of the regent and his associates. Numerous
+state papers exist which show, that all the impartial and disinterested
+part, not only of her own nobility, but of Elizabeth&#8217;s, considered her
+entirely innocent. In the year 1568, letters were addressed to the Queen
+of England, by many of the Lords of Scotland, which spoke very strongly in
+her favour. Among the signatures to these, will be found the names of the
+Archbishop of St Andrews, the Earl of Huntly, Argyle, Crawfurd, Errol,
+Rothes, Cassils, Eglinton, and Caithness, and the Lords Fleming, Ross,
+Sanquhar, Ogilvy, Boyd, Oliphant, Drummond, Maxwell, and others.<a name='fna_242' id='fna_242' href='#f_242'><small>[242]</small></a> In
+England, the great number of Lords and gentlemen of the first rank who
+joined with Norfolk in aid of Mary, affords perhaps a still stronger
+presumption in her favour. But Robertson, on the other hand, asserts that
+her father and mother-in-law, Lord and Lady Lennox, were convinced of her
+guilt. By attaching himself to the Prince&#8217;s faction, Lennox came to be
+elected Regent, and that he was willing to believe, or affect to believe,
+all that Mary&#8217;s enemies advanced, cannot be matter of much wonder; for he
+had in truth identified his interests with those of Murray and Morton, and
+if their fabrications had been detected, he must have suffered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.307" id="Page_2.307">[Pg 307]</a></span> along with
+them. But in so far as regards the Countess of Lennox, Robertson&#8217;s
+statement is directly contrary to the fact. He quotes a letter, it is
+true, written by Mary to that Lady in the year 1570, in which, with
+ingenuous sincerity, the Queen laments that the Countess should allow
+herself to be persuaded to think evil of her; and it was perhaps partly in
+consequence of this appeal, that Lady Lennox began to consider the subject
+more seriously. Robertson either did not know, or chose to conceal the
+fact, that she saw cause soon after receiving Mary&#8217;s letter decidedly to
+change her opinions. In 1578, Mary wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow to
+this effect:&mdash;&#8220;The Countess of Lennox, my mother-in-law, died about a
+month ago. This good lady, thanks to God, has been in very good
+intelligence and correspondence with me for the last five or six years.
+She has confessed to me, by diverse letters under her hand which I
+carefully keep, the wrong she did me in the unjust prosecutions which she
+allowed to proceed against me in her name, and which originated, partly in
+erroneous information, but principally in the express commands of the
+Queen of England, and persuasions of those of her Council who were always
+averse to our reconciliation. As soon as she became persuaded of my
+innocence, she desisted from these prosecutions, and resolutely refused to
+countenance the proceedings which were carried on against me under her
+name.&#8221;<a name='fna_243' id='fna_243' href='#f_243'><small>[243]</small></a> Thus, however prejudiced her husband necessarily was, the
+Countess was unable to resist the force of truth, as soon as she was
+allowed to judge for <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.308" id="Page_2.308">[Pg 308]</a></span>herself. It may further be mentioned, that in France
+there was scarcely an individual who thought Mary guilty; and that the
+funeral orations which were ordered by the Government to be preached upon
+her death, were attended by hundreds, who wept over the injuries and the
+misfortunes of their beloved Queen-dowager.<a name='fna_244' id='fna_244' href='#f_244'><small>[244]</small></a> It appears, therefore,
+both by Mary&#8217;s own declarations, repeated over and over again with
+undeviating consistency, up to the very hour of her death, when she passed
+into the presence of her Maker, solemnly protesting her innocence, and by
+the deliberate opinions of nearly all her cotemporaries who are deserving
+of credit, that the strongest and most positive contradiction was given to
+the malicious insinuations of the opposite party.</p>
+
+<p><i>Eleventh, and Lastly.</i>&mdash;A considerable number of Bothwell&#8217;s accomplices
+were tried, condemned and executed, for their share in the murder; and
+before their death, they all made Depositions and Confessions which still
+exist, and have been printed by Goodall, Anderson, Laing, and others.
+Among these are the Examinations, Depositions, and Confessions, of Powrie,
+Dalgleish, Hay, Hepburn and Paris; the evidence of Nelson, Darnley&#8217;s
+servant, and the Confessions of Ormiston, and the Earl of Morton. Here,
+then, is a tolerably voluminous collection of facts, supplied by those who
+were most intimate with Bothwell, and who, if he had any undue intimacy
+with the Queen, would in all probability have known something concerning
+it, and have had it in their power to throw some light upon the subject.
+These<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.309" id="Page_2.309">[Pg 309]</a></span> Documents, therefore, will be anxiously read by all who aim at
+discovering the real perpetrators and devisers of the murder. The result
+of their readings will be the discovery, that in every one of these
+documents, which is properly authenticated and ascertained to be genuine,
+Bothwell, and Bothwell alone, is mentioned as the executor of the deed;
+and there is not a syllable in any of them which can be construed to the
+disadvantage of the Queen. On the contrary, various particulars are
+mentioned, which have a direct tendency to disprove her connexion with
+him. Some of these have been already alluded to; but a few of the
+circumstances most decisive in the Queen&#8217;s favour may be recapitulated
+here. 1. Hepburn deponed, that as it took longer time to get the powder
+into the lower part of Darnley&#8217;s house than was expected, Bothwell became
+impatient, and told them to make haste, for they would not find so much
+commodity if the Queen came out.<a name='fna_245' id='fna_245' href='#f_245'><small>[245]</small></a> 2. Hepburn and Paris deponed, that
+Bothwell got false keys made for opening all the doors of the house in
+which Darnley lodged, for which he would have had no occasion, if the
+Queen had been in the plot with him.<a name='fna_246' id='fna_246' href='#f_246'><small>[246]</small></a> 3. Ormiston being asked if ever
+the Queen spoke to him at any time concerning the murder, or if he knew
+what was her mind unto it, replied&mdash;&#8220;As I shall answer to God, she spoke
+never to me, nor I to her, of it, nor I know nothing of her part, but as
+my Lord Bothwell told me.&#8221; As if alluding to some bribe which had been
+offered him, if he would accuse the Queen, he <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.310" id="Page_2.310">[Pg 310]</a></span>added,&mdash;&#8220;I will not speak
+but the truth for all the gold of the earth, which I desire you, good
+minister, bear record of, and as you have written, I pray you read over to
+me; let me also see it.&#8221;<a name='fna_247' id='fna_247' href='#f_247'><small>[247]</small></a> 4. Paris can have had no suspicion that the
+Queen countenanced the proposed murder; for, in the conversation he had
+with Bothwell, when the Earl first disclosed his intention to him, he
+beseeched him to desist from his enterprise, telling him that he was
+&#8220;already the most powerful nobleman in the country, and that, having
+lately married, he ought now or never to be anxious to keep himself out of
+trouble.&#8221;<a name='fna_248' id='fna_248' href='#f_248'><small>[248]</small></a> 5. Paris further deponed, that Bothwell asked him to
+procure the key of the Queen&#8217;s chamber, at the Kirk-of-Field, telling him
+that he had got him transferred to the Queen&#8217;s service, solely in the hope
+of finding him useful on this occasion. Had Mary herself known of the
+plot, Bothwell need not have run the risk of disclosing it to Paris.<a name='fna_249' id='fna_249' href='#f_249'><small>[249]</small></a>
+6. Though Dalgleish was minutely examined regarding all the circumstances
+of the murder, not one question was put to him upon the subject of the box
+and letters which were of so much importance; nor was it ever mentioned
+till after his death, that the casket had been in his custody. On the 20th
+of June 1567, Dalgleish is said to have been seized, and this is probably
+the fact; he was examined six days afterwards, before Morton and the other
+Lords of the Privy Council, and his examination has been preserved entire.
+&#8220;This remarkable particular,&#8221; says Tytler, &#8220;naturally occurs to be
+observed in it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.311" id="Page_2.311">[Pg 311]</a></span> that it was surely of great importance for Morton, who
+then had the box in his custody, to have confronted Dalgleish with the
+persons who apprehended him, and to have asked him some questions relating
+to this box; such as, Whether or not this box was in his custody when he
+was seized?&mdash;What orders he received from his master Bothwell concerning
+it?&mdash;Who delivered it to him? or where he found it?&mdash;Whether open, or
+locked?&mdash;If open, what it contained? and where he was to have carried it?
+Dalgleish, and the persons who seized him, in a matter so recent, only six
+days before, could have given distinct answers to those questions.&#8221;<a name='fna_250' id='fna_250' href='#f_250'><small>[250]</small></a>
+There can be little doubt, that as no such questions were put, no such
+transaction, as the seizure of a box and papers had taken place. Laing
+endeavours to account for this very suspicious circumstance in the
+following manner: &#8220;The depositions are strictly confined to the murder, as
+the design was to procure judicial evidence against Bothwell and his
+associates, not to implicate the Queen in his guilt.&#8221; But in the first
+place, these letters were themselves the very best &#8220;judicial evidence&#8221;
+they could have found; and in the second, questions might have been put
+concerning them, without, in the mean time making any disclosure of their
+contents. The total silence of the Privy Council, and of Dalgleish, is
+fatal to their supposed existence. 7. The Earl of Morton confessed, that
+though he told Bothwell he would give him more active assistance if he
+could show him any writing of the Queen, which proved that she sanctioned
+the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.312" id="Page_2.312">[Pg 312]</a></span> murder; yet that Bothwell, after undertaking to procure such writing,
+was never able to fulfil his promise; and this was at a time posterior to
+the date of some of the love-letters, which Mary was afterwards alleged to
+have written to him. Thus, these Confessions, Depositions, and
+Examinations, though they were collected with the anxious wish of
+eliciting some circumstances which would seem to criminate Mary, must have
+been felt by the rebel Lords themselves, to be as much in her favour as it
+was possible for any negative evidence to be.<a name='fna_251' id='fna_251' href='#f_251'><small>[251]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>Having thus stated the leading External Evidences against the genuineness
+of these Letters, it will be worth while to examine, for a moment,
+Robertson&#8217;s &#8220;external proofs&#8221; in support of them,&mdash;which, when contrasted
+with those stated above, will be found to be of little weight. The
+Historian argues for their authenticity, on the following
+grounds:&mdash;<i>First</i>, &#8220;Murray and the nobles who adhered to him, affirmed,
+upon their word and honour, that the letters were written with the Queen&#8217;s
+own hand, with which they were well acquainted.&#8221; This is a very powerful
+argument to begin with, as if men who forged letters for a particular
+purpose, would themselves confess that they were forged. <i>Second</i>, &#8220;The
+Letters were <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.313" id="Page_2.313">[Pg 313]</a></span>publicly produced in the Parliament of Scotland, December
+1567, and were so far considered as genuine, that they are mentioned in
+the Act against Mary, as one chief argument of her guilt.&#8221; This is nothing
+but a repetition, in other words, of the former powerful argument; for the
+Parliament of December 1567 was the Parliament assembled by Murray, after
+he had been elected Regent, and he was able to secure the passing of any
+act he chose. Where Robertson learned, that at this Parliament &#8220;the
+letters were publicly produced,&#8221; does not appear, as his reference to
+Goodall (vol. ii. p. 66) by no means authorizes the assertion. <i>Third</i>,
+&#8220;The Letters seem to have been considered genuine by Elizabeth&#8217;s
+Commissioners, both at York and Westminster, as appears by letters which
+Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler, wrote from York; and as, in the journal of
+the proceedings at Hampton Court, it is said that, when the letters
+supposed to be written by the Queen of Scots, &#8216;were duly conferred and
+compared for the manner of writing and fashion of orthography, with sundry
+other letters long since heretofore written, and sent by the said Queen of
+Scots to the Queen&#8217;s Majesty, in the collation no difference was found.&#8217;&#8221;
+It has been seen, however, that whatever Norfolk chose to write concerning
+those letters with the view of pleasing Elizabeth, and concealing from her
+his own engagements and designs, he was, in truth, so little influenced by
+them, that he avowed a passion for Mary, and risked his life and fortune
+in order to become her husband. It has been also seen, that the hasty
+collation, made by the nobles at Hampton Court, of these pretended
+letters,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.314" id="Page_2.314">[Pg 314]</a></span> with others, &#8220;long since heretofore written&#8221; and furnished by
+Elizabeth herself, is, in truth, no collation at all, or one upon which no
+dependence be placed. <i>Fourth</i>, &#8220;The Earl of Lennox, both in public, and
+in a private letter he wrote to his own wife, so expressed himself, that
+it is plain he not only thought the Queen guilty, but believed the
+authenticity of her letters to Bothwell.&#8221; This matter has been already
+investigated. The Regent Lennox was obliged to maintain Mary&#8217;s guilt for
+his own sake; and it is scarcely to be supposed he would have been so
+imprudent as write to his wife, to inform her that the opinions he had so
+strenuously supported before the world were not those of his heart and
+conscience. Murray himself would as soon have acknowledged that the
+letters were fabricated as Lennox. But it is a strong fact, that, though
+she had every inducement to think as her husband did, Lady Lennox believed
+Mary innocent. These are all Robertson&#8217;s &#8220;external proofs of the
+genuineness of Mary&#8217;s letters.&#8221;<a name='fna_252' id='fna_252' href='#f_252'><small>[252]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The external evidence against these writings, is probably enough to
+convince every impartial reader that they are forgeries. But, as they
+exist in one shape or other, it may be as well to go a step further, and
+see whether their perusal will strengthen or weaken the belief of their
+fabrication. This brings us to the second division of the subject, which
+will not detain us so long as the first.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Internal Evidences.</span>&mdash;Considering the weight which Mary&#8217;s enemies have
+attached to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.315" id="Page_2.315">[Pg 315]</a></span> these letters, the first question the impartial inquirer
+would naturally ask is, whether properly authenticated copies of what Mary
+is alleged to have written can still be seen,&mdash;whether the <i>ipsissima
+verba</i> which she used have been preserved,&mdash;and whether an opportunity can
+thus be had of judging of the precise shade of meaning of particular
+passages, and of the general style and tenor of these strange
+compositions. In answer to these inquiries it has to be stated, that the
+letters, as taken out of the casket, were exhibited only to a few
+noblemen, who acted under Elizabeth; and that nothing but translations of
+them are now extant. The Latin edition of Buchanan&#8217;s &#8220;Detection,&#8221;
+published in 1571, contained only the three first letters translated into
+Latin; in the Scottish edition, all the eight letters were translated into
+Scotch.<a name='fna_253' id='fna_253' href='#f_253'><small>[253]</small></a> The originals were thus left at the mercy of translators;
+and, in particular, at the mercy of such a translator as Buchanan, who
+cannot be supposed to have had any great desire to be scrupulously
+accurate. In 1572, a French edition of the &#8220;Detection&#8221; was published at
+London, to which were subjoined seven French letters and the love-sonnets.
+For two hundred years, no one doubted but that these were Mary&#8217;s original
+letters, and they were always referred to as such in any controversies
+which took place on the subject. In 1754, however, Mr Walter Goodall,
+keeper of the Advocates&#8217; Library at Edinburgh, published his &#8220;Examination
+of the Letters,&#8221; and showed, in the clearest manner, that these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.316" id="Page_2.316">[Pg 316]</a></span> seven
+French letters were nothing but re-translations from the Latin and
+Scottish translations which had been previously published. This was
+certainly an important and interesting discovery, although it scarcely
+warranted the conclusion which Goodall thought he was entitled to draw
+from it, that no French copy of the letters had, in reality, ever existed
+until the Latin and Scottish editions were first fabricated. Robertson and
+others have maintained more justly, that, though they acknowledge Goodall
+to have proved that the existing French copies of the letters are only
+translations from translations, there is, nevertheless, no reason to
+believe that these are the French letters which were produced by Murray at
+York and Westminster, copies of which they grant have never been given to
+the world. That this is the true state of the case, appears by the French
+editor&#8217;s own admission in his Preface. &#8220;The letters subjoined to this
+work,&#8221; he says, &#8220;were written by the Queen, partly in French and partly in
+Scotch, and were afterwards translated altogether into Latin; but having
+no knowledge of the Scottish language, I have preferred translating
+accurately from the Latin copy, lest, by being over scrupulous about
+changing a single syllable, I might frustrate the reader in his desire to
+ascertain precisely to whom the fault of the execrable murder, and other
+enormities mentioned in them, ought to be ascribed.&#8221;<a name='fna_254' id='fna_254' href='#f_254'><small>[254]</small></a> Thus, both by
+the ignorance which this translator evinces, in alleging, contrary to the
+assertions which had been made by Murray, that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.317" id="Page_2.317">[Pg 317]</a></span> letters were
+originally written partly in French and partly in Scotch, and, by his own
+confession, that he preferred translating from the Latin wherever he could
+get it, rather than from the Scotch, it is perfectly evident that no such
+thing as the original French letters have ever appeared, and that the
+French letters which do exist, are not so much to be depended on as even
+
+the Scotch or Latin, which were probably translated directly from the
+epistles which Murray produced.</p>
+
+<p>In what condition, then, do we find these wonderful letters about which so
+much has been written? We have three in Latin, eight in Scotch, and seven
+in French. The French are only re-translations from the Latin and
+Scottish; and they, in their turn, are translations from the invisible
+French originals. And under whose superintendence were these translations,
+into the Scottish and Latin, made? It must have been either under that of
+Murray, or of Elizabeth and Cecil. The former, after merely showing the
+letters at Westminster, took them back with him to Scotland; but intrusted
+the latter with copies.<a name='fna_255' id='fna_255' href='#f_255'><small>[255]</small></a> It is not very likely that the Scottish
+translation could be made in England; and the three that have been
+rendered into Latin, have been commonly attributed to George Buchanan.
+Laing, however, labours to show, that this is a mistake, and that the
+translation was made by a Dr Wilson, Elizabeth&#8217;s master of requests. Be
+this as it may, in what court of law or equity would such documents as
+these be admitted as evidence? The grossest errors<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.318" id="Page_2.318">[Pg 318]</a></span> have often been made
+by translators, even where they were anxious to be as faithful as
+possible. Yet we are now called upon to form an opinion of letters, which
+exist in languages different from that in which they were originally
+written, and which are either translations from translations, or
+translations executed by those who had every motive and desire to pervert
+the original, and make it appear much worse than it really was. What jury
+would for a moment look at such letters? What impartial judge would allow
+his mind to be biassed by them, altered and garbled as they must
+unquestionably be, even supposing that their originals once existed? It
+was to Buchanan&#8217;s Detection that these letters were always subjoined. At
+Westminster, Murray produced a Book of Articles, in five parts, containing
+certain presumptions, likelihoods and circumstances, whereby it should
+evidently appear, that as Bothwell was the chief murderer of the King, so
+was the Queen a deviser and maintainer thereof. &#8220;From the explanation
+given in Buchanan&#8217;s History,&#8221; says Laing, &#8220;the book of articles
+corresponds, and was undoubtedly the same with the Detection of the doings
+of Mary.&#8221;<a name='fna_256' id='fna_256' href='#f_256'><small>[256]</small></a> Buchanan, identifying as he did, his interests with those
+of Murray, was from the first one of the most active of the Queen&#8217;s
+prosecutors. The dependence to be placed upon his accuracy and honesty as
+a controversialist, has been already pretty clearly established; and the
+sort of translations he would make, of any of Mary&#8217;s writings, may be very
+easily conjectured.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.319" id="Page_2.319">[Pg 319]</a></span>Laing, however, claims the merit of a discovery, which, at first sight,
+appears somewhat remarkable. It is a copy of one of the eight
+Love-letters, in the original French, and found in the State-Paper Office
+in a book containing, &#8220;Letters upon Scottish Affairs to Queen Elizabeth.&#8221;
+Whether it be in the original French or not, it is certainly different
+from the French translation published with the French edition of the
+Detection in 1572, and has altogether a greater air of originality about
+it. But being confessedly only a copy, it is quite impossible to say
+whether it is Mary&#8217;s French, or that of some one who chose to write French
+in her name. It is, besides, remarkable, that, even though it could be
+proved to demonstration to be a copy of a genuine letter, it does not
+contain a single word which, in the slightest degree, implicates Mary.
+Introduced, it is true, as one of a series, all of which, it is
+maintained, were addressed to Bothwell, something suspicious might easily
+be made out of it. But, as it stands by itself, it must be taken by
+itself; and as it bears no address or date, it may just as well be
+supposed to have been written to Darnley, or even to a female friend. The
+subject spoken of, is the ungrateful conduct of one of Mary&#8217;s female
+attendants; and the advice of the person to whom it is written is asked,
+as to what is proper to be done in consequence. To this person, whoever it
+was, several natural terms of endearment are also applied, such as, &#8220;<i>Mon
+c&oelig;ur</i>,&#8221; and, &#8220;<i>Ma chere vie</i>;&#8221; and these are all the grounds of
+suspicion which this &#8220;Copy from the State-Paper Office,&#8221; contains.<a name='fna_257' id='fna_257' href='#f_257'><small>[257]</small></a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.320" id="Page_2.320">[Pg 320]</a></span>Having thus shown the extreme uncertainty which must attend any argument
+against Mary, founded on any minute or literal examination of these
+Letters, a very few objections further may be stated to them, upon
+evidences which they themselves afford.</p>
+
+<p>Although it is impossible to form any opinion of the <i>words</i> which Mary
+may have used in these letters, some conclusions may be drawn from the
+<i>sentiments</i> which the translators of course pretend not to have altered.
+These are, in many respects, directly contradictory of the character which
+history proves her to have possessed. Whatever follies Mary may have
+committed&mdash;whatever weaknesses she may have fallen into&mdash;it cannot be
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.321" id="Page_2.321">[Pg 321]</a></span>denied, even by her worst enemies, that she was a woman of a proud
+spirit, and too much accustomed to admiration and flattery, to consider
+her esteem a gift of little value. Yet, through all these writings, she is
+made to evince a degree of ardour and forwardness of affection for
+Bothwell, at once against every notion of female delicacy, and all
+probability. She is continually made to express fears that he does not
+return her love with an equal warmth,&mdash;that he loves his wife, the Lady
+Jane Gordon, better than he does her,&mdash;and that he is not so zealous in
+bringing about their mutual purposes as she could wish. If Bothwell had
+ever carried on these criminal intrigues with Mary, one of his first
+objects would have been to remove from her mind all suspicion that he was
+not in truth devotedly attached to her. Whether he was successful in
+deceiving her or not, is it likely that Mary Queen of Scots, whose hand
+had been sought by all the first Princes in Christendom, would have
+condescended to servility, meanness, and abject cringing in her advances
+to him? If the letters were forged, Murray would naturally wish to put in
+as strong a point of view as possible, Mary&#8217;s anxiety to urge Bothwell on
+to all the crimes which he perpetrated. But if letters had been really
+written by her, many compunctious visitings of conscience would surely be
+apparent in them,&mdash;many a fear would be expressed,&mdash;many a symptom would
+be discovered of the reluctance with which she yielded to the overwhelming
+strength of Bothwell&#8217;s passion and entreaties. Yet in these letters
+nothing of the kind is to be found. Passages occur continually, in which,
+far from there being any of the conscious confusion and hesitation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.322" id="Page_2.322">[Pg 322]</a></span> which
+would necessarily have marked the style of one who was, for the first
+time, deviating so far from the paths of virtue, nothing is to be
+discovered but the hardened vice and shameless effrontery of a confirmed
+and <i>masculine villain</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Another peculiarity is to be observed in the first and longest of these
+letters. In describing a conversation which she had with Darnley at
+Glasgow, Mary is made to give very minutely all his defence of his own
+conduct, in reply to some charges which she brought against him; and to
+make it evident that he was in the right, and that she herself, even when
+instigating Bothwell to his murder, must have felt him to be so. &#8220;This is
+another proof of forgery,&#8221; says Whittaker; &#8220;that the Queen should repeat
+all the King&#8217;s defences of himself, and should not repeat her replies to
+them, is contrary to every principle of the human heart. Our natural
+fondness for ourselves puts us constantly upon a conduct the very reverse
+of all this. We shorten the defences, we lengthen the replies; or, if we
+are fair enough to give the full substance of the former, we are always
+partial enough to do the same by the latter.&#8221;<a name='fna_258' id='fna_258' href='#f_258'><small>[258]</small></a> The forger, however, in
+his anxiety to throw as much odium as possible upon Mary, was willing to
+diminish some of even Bothwell&#8217;s responsibility, and disposed to vindicate
+Darnley entirely; but he took a clumsy method of effecting his purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding these considerations, Robertson was of opinion, as usual,
+that the style and sentiments of these letters tended on the whole to
+prove that they were genuine. His principal reason for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.323" id="Page_2.323">[Pg 323]</a></span> entertaining this
+belief is, that &#8220;there are only imperfect hints, obscure intimations, and
+dark expressions in the letters, which, however convincing evidence they
+might furnish if found in real letters, bear no resemblance to that glare
+and superfluity of evidence which forgeries commonly contain.&#8221; &#8220;Had Mary&#8217;s
+enemies been so base as to have recourse to forgery, is it not natural to
+think, that they would have produced something more explicit and
+decisive?&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;Mary&#8217;s letters, especially the first, are filled with a
+multiplicity of circumstances extremely natural in a real correspondence,
+but altogether foreign to the purpose of the Queen&#8217;s enemies, and which it
+would have been perfect folly to have inserted, if they had been
+altogether imaginary and without foundation.&#8221; There is some plausibility
+in this view of the subject; and Laing and others have dwelt upon it at
+great length, and with much confidence. But it is divested of all force as
+soon as we come to consider the manner in which these letters would be
+prepared, if they were in truth forgeries. The long time which elapsed
+after Mary&#8217;s imprisonment in Loch-Leven, before any allusion was made to
+them, and the still longer time they were allowed to lie dormant after
+their existence had been first asserted, has been already described. Upon
+the hypothesis that they were fabrications, it was during this period that
+Murray and his associates were engaged in preparing them; and they would
+probably reason on the following grounds, as to what ought to be the
+nature of their contents. The point they wished to establish was, &#8220;that as
+the Earl of Bothwell was chief executor of the horrible and unworthy
+murder; so was the Queen of the fore-knowledge, counsel, device,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.324" id="Page_2.324">[Pg 324]</a></span>
+persuader and commander of the said murder to be done.&#8221; They knew that, in
+so far as appearances went, nothing made this latter part of the assertion
+in the least probable, except the circumstance of Mary having been married
+to Bothwell, which they themselves had declared was a forced marriage, and
+which Mary had proved to be so by taking the first opportunity which
+occurred to desert him. It had become necessary, however, even at the
+expense of their own consistency to accuse the Queen of having acted in
+concert with Bothwell throughout. No evidence whatever would establish
+this fact, (the more especially as all the confessions and depositions of
+Bothwell&#8217;s accomplices tended to exculpate her), except writings under her
+own hand acknowledging her guilt. In order to make it appear possible that
+Mary had committed an account of that guilt to paper, the idea of letters
+to a confidential friend naturally suggested itself; and to none could
+these letters with so much propriety be addressed as to Bothwell himself;
+because, having subsequently married him, it was to be shown that it was
+her inordinate affection for him that induced her to wish for the death of
+Darnley. The train being thus laid, the next question was, in what precise
+manner Mary was to be made to address Bothwell. The forgers would at once
+perceive, that it would not do to make her speak straight out, and in
+plain terms command the perpetration of the murder, and arrange all the
+preliminary steps for it. This would have been to represent Mary as at
+once a Messalina and a Medea,&mdash;which even Murray felt would have been
+going too far. The letters were to show her guilt, but to show it in such
+a manner<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.325" id="Page_2.325">[Pg 325]</a></span> as she herself might be naturally supposed to have exhibited it,
+had she actually written them;&mdash;and nothing therefore was to be introduced
+but those &#8220;imperfect hints, obscure intimations, and dark expressions,&#8221;
+which, without the &#8220;glare and superfluity&#8221; of common forgeries, furnished
+convincing evidence when found in letters alleged to be real. Murray,
+Morton, Maitland, and Buchanan, were no ordinary forgers; and if they were
+not able to conceive and express the whole so artfully, that it would cost
+some difficulty to detect them, then, forgery in every instance must be
+hopeless and manifest.</p>
+
+<p>There were, besides, two circumstances which afforded them peculiar
+facilities, and of which they were no doubt glad to avail themselves. The
+first was, that Mary&#8217;s hand-writing was not very difficult of imitation.
+&#8220;It was formed,&#8221; says Goodall, &#8220;after what is commonly called Italic
+print, which it much resembled both in beauty and regularity.&#8221;<a name='fna_259' id='fna_259' href='#f_259'><small>[259]</small></a> All
+the letters being shaped according to certain definite rules, there would
+be fewer singularities in the writing, and less danger of the forger
+committing mistakes. Mary herself alluded to the facility with which her
+hand could be imitated, in her instructions to her Commissioners on the
+opening of the conferences, and mentioned also another important fact. &#8220;In
+case they allege,&#8221; she says, &#8220;that they have any writings of mine, which
+may infer presumption against me, you shall desire the principals to be
+produced, and that I myself may have inspection thereof, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.326" id="Page_2.326">[Pg 326]</a></span> make answer
+thereto. For you shall affirm, in my name, I never wrote any thing
+concerning that matter to any creature; and if any such writings be, they
+are false and feigned, forged and invented by themselves, only to my
+dishonour and slander. And there are divers in Scotland, both men and
+women, that can counterfeit my hand-writing, and write the like manner of
+writing which I use, as well as myself, and principally such as are in
+company with themselves.&#8221;<a name='fna_260' id='fna_260' href='#f_260'><small>[260]</small></a> &#8220;There are sundry who can counterfeit her
+hand-write,&#8221; says Lesley, &#8220;who have been brought up in her company, of
+whom there are some assisting themselves, as well of other nations as of
+Scotland. And I doubt not but your Majesty,&#8221; (he is addressing Elizabeth),
+&#8220;and divers others of your Highness&#8217;s Court, has seen sundry letters sent
+here from Scotland, which would not be known from her own hand-write; and
+it may be well presumed, in so weighty a cause, that they who have put
+hands on their Prince, imprisoned her person, and committed such heinous
+crimes, if a counterfeit letter be sufficient to save them, to maintain
+their cause, and conquer for them a kingdom, will not leave the same
+unforged, &#8216;<i>cum si violandum est jus, imperii causa violandum est</i>.&#8217;&#8221; In
+still further confirmation of these facts, Blackwood mentions that the
+hand-writing of Mary Beaton, one of her maids of honour, could not
+possibly be distinguished from that of the Queen;<a name='fna_261' id='fna_261' href='#f_261'><small>[261]</small></a> and Camden and
+other contemporary authors speak of it as a matter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.327" id="Page_2.327">[Pg 327]</a></span> of established
+notoriety, that Maitland often counterfeited her hand.<a name='fna_262' id='fna_262' href='#f_262'><small>[262]</small></a></p>
+
+<p>The second facility which the forgers enjoyed, arose from their either
+possessing among them, or having access to, many genuine letters of Mary.
+This is a circumstance of some consequence, and has scarcely been
+sufficiently attended to by the various writers on the subject. It at once
+obviates Robertson&#8217;s cause of wonder, that the letters should be &#8220;filled
+with a multiplicity of circumstances, extremely natural in a real
+correspondence, but altogether foreign to the purpose of the Queen&#8217;s
+enemies.&#8221; In all probability, Mary wrote to her Secretary Maitland from
+Glasgow, and had of course written to him a hundred times before. There is
+every reason to believe also, that she corresponded with Maitland&#8217;s wife,
+Mary Fleming, who had been one of her friends and attendants from infancy.
+Murray must have had in his possession numerous letters from his sister.
+Where then was the difficulty of founding these forgeries upon writings
+which were not forgeries, and of making it almost impossible for any one
+but Mary herself to detect what was genuine in them from what was
+fabricated? Many passages might be introduced which Mary had actually
+written, but which she had applied in some very different manner; and here
+and there might be artfully interwoven a few sentences which she never
+wrote, but which seemed so naturally connected with the rest, that they
+fixed upon her soul the guilt of adultery and murder. There is nothing
+which ought to be more constantly borne in mind, whenever these writings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.328" id="Page_2.328">[Pg 328]</a></span>
+are read or discussed, than the probability, we might almost say the
+certainty, that the originals contained parts which had been actually
+written by Mary, although neither addressed to Bothwell, nor ever meant to
+be twisted into the sense which was afterwards put upon them; and which
+appeared the true meaning only, in consequence of their having been so
+much garbled and disfigured.</p>
+
+<p>Were we disposed to enter still more minutely into an examination of these
+writings, it would not be difficult to show, as Goodall, Tytler, Whittaker
+and Chalmers, have in various instances done, that they abound in many
+other symptoms of forgery, which, though not perhaps conclusive, when
+taken separately, make up, when combined, a very strong presumption
+against them. It might be shown, for example, <i>first</i>, that as Mary, in
+all probability, did not set off for Glasgow till Friday the 24th of
+January 1567, and staid a night at Callendar on the way, it is quite
+impossible she could have been at Glasgow on Saturday the 25th, though her
+second letter ends with these words:&mdash;&#8220;From Glasgow, this Saturday, in the
+morning.&#8221;<a name='fna_263' id='fna_263' href='#f_263'><small>[263]</small></a> She is thus made to have written two letters from Glasgow,
+one of them a very long one, by Saturday morning; while, in point of fact,
+she could not have reached that town till Saturday afternoon. &#8220;<i>Non sunt
+h&aelig;c satis divisa temporibus.</i>&#8221;<a name='fna_264' id='fna_264' href='#f_264'><small>[264]</small></a> It might be shown, <i>second</i>, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.329" id="Page_2.329">[Pg 329]</a></span>
+these letters were neither addressed, signed, nor sealed; and that, in the
+words of Whittaker, &#8220;it violates every principle of probability to
+suppose, that letters with such a plenitude of murderous evidence in them
+should be sent open.&#8221;<a name='fna_265' id='fna_265' href='#f_265'><small>[265]</small></a> It might be shown, <i>third</i>, that before the
+appearance of the letters, they were differently described at different
+times, as if they were gradually undergoing changes;&mdash;that in the Act of
+Privy Council, in which they are first referred to, they are mentioned as
+Mary&#8217;s &#8220;Privy Letters, written and <i>subscribed</i> with her own hand;&#8221;&mdash;but
+in the Act of Parliament passed a few weeks afterwards, they are only
+spoken of as &#8220;<i>written wholly</i> with her own hand,&#8221; not, &#8220;written and
+subscribed;&#8221;<a name='fna_266' id='fna_266' href='#f_266'><small>[266]</small></a>&mdash;that though at first nothing was spoken of as having
+been found in the box but the &#8220;Privy Letters,&#8221; &#8220;written and subscribed
+with her own hand,&#8221; and afterwards only &#8220;wholly written with her own
+hand,&#8221; yet, before the box made its appearance at York, love-sonnets and
+contracts of marriage were also found in it;&mdash;and that at York and
+Westminster only five letters were laid before the Commissioners, though
+the number afterwards printed was eight. &#8220;Did the three remaining
+letters,&#8221; asks Whittaker, &#8220;lie still lower in the box, under the contracts
+and sonnets, and so escape the notice of the rebels?&#8221;<a name='fna_267' id='fna_267' href='#f_267'><small>[267]</small></a> It might be
+shown, <i>fourth</i>, that all the letters are contradicted and overthrown by
+the first three lines of the ninth sonnet, which are, in French,</p>
+
+<p class="poem"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.330" id="Page_2.330">[Pg 330]</a></span>
+&mdash;&mdash;&#8220;Pour luy aussi J&#8217;ay jet&eacute; mainte larme,<br />
+Premier qu&#8217;il fust de ce corps possesseur,<br />
+<i>Du quel alors il n&#8217;avoit pas le c&oelig;ur</i>;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>and in English&mdash;&#8220;For him also I shed many a tear, when he first made
+himself possessor of this body, <i>of which he did not then possess the
+heart</i>.&#8221;<a name='fna_268' id='fna_268' href='#f_268'><small>[268]</small></a> In the letters, Mary is made, with the most violent
+protestations of love, to suggest arrangements for her pretended abduction
+by Bothwell; yet here she expressly says, that when he first carried her
+off, he did not possess her heart. How then could she have written him
+love-letters before this event? These and other things might be insisted
+on. The sonnets and contracts of marriage might be also minutely examined
+and proved, both to contradict one another, and to be liable, in a still
+stronger degree, to almost all the objections which have been advanced
+against the letters.<a name='fna_269' id='fna_269' href='#f_269'><small>[269]</small></a> But it is much better to rest Mary&#8217;s innocence
+on the broad basis of her life and character, and a distinct statement of
+leading and incontrovertible facts, than on wranglings about dates, or
+disputations concerning detached incidents and ill-authenticated papers.</p>
+
+<p>From a full review of the proof on both sides, and an ample examination of
+all the principal facts advanced in the controversy, it appears evident
+that one of two conclusions must be formed. Either that Mary, having
+formed a criminal <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.331" id="Page_2.331">[Pg 331]</a></span>attachment to Bothwell, encouraged him to perpetrate
+the murder, and that, having thus become responsible for at least an equal
+share of the guilt, was justly imprisoned and dethroned; or that, never
+having had any excessive love for Bothwell, she was altogether ignorant of
+his designs, and irresponsible for his crimes, of which his own lawless
+ambition made her the victim, and with which the treachery of Murray,
+Morton and Elizabeth, too successfully contrived to involve her for the
+remainder of her life. That the latter conclusion is that to which
+impartial inquiry must inevitably lead, these Memoirs, it is hoped, have
+sufficiently established. That the arguments in Mary&#8217;s favour, drawn from
+the history of her life and death, are not invalidated by the contents of
+the &#8220;gilt coffer,&#8221; it has been the object of the present Examination to
+prove.</p>
+
+<p>It has been seen, first, by external evidence, that these papers are
+spurious, because the notorious ambition of Morton and Murray, and the
+perilous predicament in which it finally placed them, rendered their
+fabrication necessary to save themselves from ruin,&mdash;because Mary could
+not have written any love-letters or sonnets to Bothwell, for whom, at
+best, she never felt any thing but common regard, and who was obliged to
+seize and carry off her person, in order to force her into an unwilling
+marriage,&mdash;because such letters, if they had been written, would not have
+been preserved by Bothwell, or, if preserved, would have been more
+numerous,&mdash;because the story of their discovery is altogether improbable,
+since Bothwell, for the most satisfactory reasons, would never have
+thought of sending for them to the Castle of Edinburgh on the 20th of June
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.332" id="Page_2.332">[Pg 332]</a></span>1567,&mdash;because not a word was said about them long after they were
+discovered, but, on the contrary, motives quite inconsistent with their
+contents assigned for sequestrating Mary&#8217;s person in Loch-Leven,&mdash;because,
+though Dalgleish was tried, condemned, and executed, not a question was
+put to him, as appears by his examination, still extant, concerning these
+letters,&mdash;because the originals were only produced twice, and <i>that</i> under
+suspicious and unsatisfactory circumstances,&mdash;because nothing but
+translations, and translations from translations, of these originals, now
+exist, from which no fair arguments can be drawn,&mdash;because Murray and his
+associates have been convicted of open forgery in several other instances,
+and are therefore the more liable to be doubted in this,&mdash;because Bothwell
+not only never accused Mary, but was unable to show Morton any writing of
+her&#8217;s sanctioning the murder, and, by subsequent declarations, seems to
+have exculpated her from all share in it,&mdash;because Mary herself invariably
+denied that she had ever written such letters, undertaking to prove that
+they were fabrications, if the originals, or even copies, were shown to
+her,&mdash;because Lady Lennox, Darnley&#8217;s mother, many of the most respectable
+of the Scottish nobility, Norfolk, and a numerous party in England, and
+all her Continental friends, avowed their belief of her
+innocence,&mdash;because the confessions and depositions of Bothwell&#8217;s
+accomplices, so far from implicating, tended to acquit her of all blame,
+though the persons by whom the depositions were made had every inducement
+to accuse her, if it had been in their power,&mdash;and because the external<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.333" id="Page_2.333">[Pg 333]</a></span>
+evidence, advanced in support of the letters by Robertson and others, is
+entirely nugatory.</p>
+
+<p>It has been seen, second, by internal evidence, that the Letters are
+spurious,&mdash;because the translations differ from each other,&mdash;because the
+style and composition of many passages, are not such as could ever have
+come from Mary&#8217;s pen,&mdash;because every facility was given to forgery by the
+nature of her handwriting, and by the access which the forgers had to
+genuine letters and papers, of which they could make a partial
+use,&mdash;because, at the time in which they are alleged to have been written,
+Mary was, in all probability, not at the places from which they are
+dated,&mdash;because the letters contradict each other, and are all
+contradicted by the sonnets,&mdash;and because the arguments in support of
+them, drawn from internal evidence by Robertson and others, are equally
+inconclusive with their external proofs.</p>
+
+<p>If Mary&#8217;s innocence, from all the blacker crimes with which she has been
+charged, must still continue matter of doubt, it is not too much to
+declare all history uncertain, and virtue and vice merely convertible
+terms.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.334" id="Page_2.334">[Pg 334]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.335" id="Page_2.335">[Pg 335]</a></span></p>
+<h2>ADDENDUM.</h2>
+
+<p>Through the kindness of William Traill, Esq. of Woodwick, Orkney, we are
+enabled to give the following authentic genealogical account of the manner
+in which the interesting portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, engraved for
+this Work, and particularly described in Vol. I. Chap. IV., came into the
+possession of his family.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sir Robert Stewart of Strathdon, son of King James V., by Eupham,
+daughter of Alexander, 1st Lord Elphingston, obtained a grant of the Crown
+lands of Orkney and Shetland from his sister Queen Mary in 1565. He was
+created Earl of Orkney by his uncle James VI., 28th October 1581. He
+married Lady Jean Kennedy, daughter of Gilbert, fourth Earl of Cassils.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;George Traill, son of the Laird of Blebo in Fife, married, first, Jean
+Kennedy of Carmunks, a relative of the Earl&#8217;s Lady. He accompanied the
+Earl to Orkney; got a grant from the Earl of the lands of Quandale, in the
+Island of Ronsay, and, as stewart or factor, managed the affairs of the
+earldom. By Jean Kennedy he had one son, the first Thomas Traill of
+Holland. He afterwards married Isobel Craigie of Gairsay, by whom he had
+James Traill of Quandale, who married Ann Baikie of Burness. Lady Barbara
+Stewart, the Earl&#8217;s youngest daughter, married Hugh Halcro of Halcro, a
+descendant of the Royal Family of Denmark, and who possessed a great part
+of the Islands of Orkney. For her patrimony, the Earl wadset to Halcro
+lands, in Widewall, Ronaldsvoe, and in South Ronaldshay, which lands were
+afterwards redeemed by Patrick Stewart, the Earl&#8217;s eldest son, 1598.
+<i>Vide</i> <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2.336" id="Page_2.336">[Pg 336]</a></span>Bishop Law&#8217;s Rentall 1614. Lady Barbara, being the youngest and
+the last of the Earl&#8217;s family, succeeded to her father&#8217;s furniture, plate,
+pictures, and other moveables, and amongst the rest, the family picture of
+Queen Mary. Hugh Halcro of that Ilk, the eldest son of this marriage,
+succeeded his father, and married Jean, daughter of William Stewart of
+Mains and Burray. <i>Vid.</i> Charters 1615 and 1620. In 1644, this Hugh Halcro
+executed a settlement in favour of Hugh his Oye, and his heirs; whom
+failing, to Patrick his brother; whom failing, to Harry fiar of Aikrs;
+whom failing, to Edward of Hauton; whom all failing, to the name of
+Halcro. Hugh the Oye, married Margaret, daughter of James Stewart of
+Gromsay. <i>Vid.</i> Charter by him in her favour of lands in South Ronaldshay
+and the Island Cava, 12th June 1630. Their son, Hugh Halcro of that Ilk,
+married Barbara Greem, by whom he had two daughters, Jean and Sibella
+Halcro. Jean married Alexander Mouat Swenze, and Sibella married James
+Baikie of Burness; and the estate of Halcro was divided between these
+families by decreet-arbitral, 21st and 22d December 1677,&mdash;Arthur Baikie
+of Tankerness, and John Kennaday of Carmunks, arbiters; which decreet is
+in the possession of the present William Traill of Woodwick, Esquire, as
+is the picture of Queen Mary, and other family relics.&#8221;</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center">END OF VOLUME SECOND.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center">PRINTED BY J. HUTCHISON,<br />
+FOR THE HEIRS OF D. WILLISON.</p>
+
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr style="width: 50%;" />
+<p><strong>Footnotes:</strong></p>
+
+<p><a name='f_1' id='f_1' href='#fna_1'>[1]</a> Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XVII.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_2' id='f_2' href='#fna_2'>[2]</a> Keith, Appendix, p. 139.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_3' id='f_3' href='#fna_3'>[3]</a> Keith, Preface, p. vii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_4' id='f_4' href='#fna_4'>[4]</a> Melville&#8217;s Memoirs, p. 170.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_5' id='f_5' href='#fna_5'>[5]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 316.&mdash;Keith, p. 355; Appendix, p. 136.&mdash;Anderson,
+vol. ii. p. 270. vol. iv. p. 183 and 188.&mdash;&#8220;Martyre de Marie,&#8221; in Jebb,
+vol. ii. p. 210. It would be difficult to explain why Robertson, who, in
+the Dissertation subjoined to his History, allows the authenticity of the
+documents which detail the particulars of this important conference at
+Craigmillar, should not have taken the slightest notice of it in his
+History. There is surely something indicative of partiality in the
+omission. Miss Benger, who is not always over-favourable to Mary, remarks
+on her decision regarding a divorce;&mdash;&#8220;It is difficult to develope the
+motives of Mary&#8217;s refusal. Had she secretly loved Bothwell, she would
+probably have embraced the means of liberty; and had she already embarked
+in a criminal intrigue, she would not have resisted the persuasions of her
+paramour. If, influenced alone by vindictive feelings, she sought her
+husband&#8217;s life, she must have been sensible that, when the nuptial tie was
+dissolved, he would be more easily assailable. Why then did she recoil
+from the proposal, unless she feared to compromise herself by endangering
+Darnley&#8217;s safety, or that some sentiments of affection still lingered in
+her heart? It has been supposed, that she dreaded the censures which might
+be passed on her conduct in France; or that she feared to separate her
+interests from those of her husband, lest she should injure her title to
+the English crown. All these objections are valid when addressed to
+reason, but passion would have challenged stronger arguments.&#8221;&mdash;Memoirs,
+vol. ii. p. 301.&mdash;Blackwood, in his <i>Martyre de Marie</i>, mentions, that
+Mary upon this occasion told her nobility, that &#8220;her husband was yet
+young, and might be brought back to the right path, having left it
+principally in consequence of the bad advice of those who were no less his
+enemies than her&#8217;s.&#8221;&mdash;&#8220;This answer,&#8221; adds Blackwood, &#8220;was far from being
+agreeable to the Lords, proving to them that her Majesty&#8217;s present
+estrangement from her husband was more from the necessity of the times,
+than because she had ceased to love him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_6' id='f_6' href='#fna_6'>[6]</a> Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 173.&mdash;Keith, Preface, p. vii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_7' id='f_7' href='#fna_7'>[7]</a> The above transaction, in which there is so little mystery, has been
+converted by Robertson into &#8220;a negociation, secretly carried on by Mary,
+for subverting the Reformed Church.&#8221; He cannot, it is true, very easily
+reconcile the &#8220;negotiation&#8221; with the fact that, &#8220;at the very time, she did
+not scruple publicly to employ her authority towards obtaining for the
+ministers of that Church a more certain and comfortable subsistence.&#8221;
+&#8220;During this year,&#8221; he tells us, &#8220;she issued several proclamations and
+Acts of Council for that purpose, and readily approved of every scheme
+which was proposed for the more effectual payment of their stipends.&#8221; The
+historian might have inquired a little more closely into the real nature
+of her correspondence with the Court of Rome, before charging Mary with
+&#8220;falsehood and deceit,&#8221; and availing himself of the subject to point a
+moral.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_8' id='f_8' href='#fna_8'>[8]</a> Keith, p. 359.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_9' id='f_9' href='#fna_9'>[9]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 271.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_10' id='f_10' href='#fna_10'>[10]</a> That Darnley was actually absent upon this occasion, we are not quite
+satisfied. Robertson says he was, on the authority of Le Croc&#8217;s letter in
+Keith, preface, p. vii.; and after him, most writers on the subject state
+the fact as beyond a doubt. All, however, that Le Croc says is this:&mdash;&#8220;The
+King had still given out, that he would depart two days before the
+baptism; but when the time came on, he made no sign of removing at all,
+only he still kept close within his own apartment. The very day of the
+baptism, he sent three several times, desiring me either to come and see
+him, or to appoint him an hour, that he might come to me in my lodgings.&#8221;
+This is no direct evidence that the King was absent from the christening.
+Neither does Buchanan furnish us with any; he merely says, with his usual
+accuracy and love of calumny, that &#8220;her lawful husband was not allowed
+necessaries at the christening; nay, was forbid to come in sight of the
+ambassadors, who were advised not to enter into discourse with the King,
+though they were in the same part of the castle the most part of the
+day.&#8221;&mdash;History, Book XVIII. Nor does Knox say any thing definite upon the
+subject; but Keith, Crawford, and Spottswood, though not referred to by
+Robertson, seem to support his opinion. Let the fact, however, be as it
+may, it is not of great consequence. The erroneousness of the popular
+belief, that Darnley, during the whole of this time, resided in a
+citizen&#8217;s house in the town of Stirling, is more deserving of being
+pointed out and corrected.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_11' id='f_11' href='#fna_11'>[11]</a> Knox, p. 400.&mdash;Keith, Preface, p. vii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_12' id='f_12' href='#fna_12'>[12]</a> Keith, p. 369.&mdash;Knox, p. 400.&mdash;The Historie of King James the Sext,
+p. 5.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_13' id='f_13' href='#fna_13'>[13]</a> Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 176.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_14' id='f_14' href='#fna_14'>[14]</a> Melville, p. 192.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_15' id='f_15' href='#fna_15'>[15]</a> The Ruthven here spoken of is the son of the Lord Ruthven, who took
+so active a part in the murder.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_16' id='f_16' href='#fna_16'>[16]</a> Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 175 and 342.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_17' id='f_17' href='#fna_17'>[17]</a> Keith&mdash;Preface, p. viii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_18' id='f_18' href='#fna_18'>[18]</a> Keith, p. 364.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_19' id='f_19' href='#fna_19'>[19]</a> Keith, p. 151.&mdash;Laing, vol. ii. p. 76.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. ii. p.
+268.&mdash;Whittaker, in endeavouring to prove (vol. ii. p. 322) that the
+Catholic Ecclesiastical Courts had never been deprived of their
+jurisdiction, and that, consequently, there was no <i>restoration</i> of power
+to the Archbishop of St Andrews, evidently takes an erroneous view of this
+matter. In direct opposition to such a view, Knox, or his continuator, has
+the following account of the transaction:&mdash;&#8220;At the same time, the Bishop
+of St Andrews, by means of the Earl of Bothwell, procured a writing from
+the Queen&#8217;s Majesty, to be obeyed within the Diocess of his Jurisdiction,
+in all such causes as before, in time of Popery, were used in the
+Consistory, and, therefore, to discharge the new Commissioners; and for
+the same purpose, came to Edinburgh in January, having a company of one
+hundred horses, or more, intending to take possession according to his
+gift lately obtained. The Provost being advertised thereof by the Earl of
+Murray, they sent to the Bishop three or four of the Council, desiring him
+to desist from the said matter, for fear of trouble and sedition that
+might rise thereupon; whereby he was persuaded to desist at that
+time.&#8221;&mdash;Knox, p. 403. This account is not quite correct, in so far as the
+Earl of Murray alone, unsupported by Mary&#8217;s authority, is described as
+having diverted the Archbishop from his purpose.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_20' id='f_20' href='#fna_20'>[20]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 199; and vol. ii. p. 176.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_21' id='f_21' href='#fna_21'>[21]</a> Keith, Preface p. viii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_22' id='f_22' href='#fna_22'>[22]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. p. 165.&mdash;Goodall, vol. ii. p. 76.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_23' id='f_23' href='#fna_23'>[23]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 76.&mdash;et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_24' id='f_24' href='#fna_24'>[24]</a> Birrel&#8217;s Dairy, p. 6.&mdash;Laing, vol. i. p. 30.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_25' id='f_25' href='#fna_25'>[25]</a> Keith, p. 364.&mdash;Anderson, vol. ii. p. 67.&mdash;Goodall, vol. ii. p.
+244.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 203.&mdash;vol. ii. p. 180, and 271.&mdash;Laing, vol. i.
+p. 30.&mdash;and vol. ii. p. 17.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 258, and
+283.&mdash;Arnot&#8217;s History of Edinburgh, p. 237. Whittaker has made several
+mistakes regarding the House of the Kirk-of-Field. He describes it as much
+larger than it really was; and, misled by the appearance of a gun-port
+still remaining in one part of the old wall, and which Arnot supposed had
+been the postern-door in the gavel of the house, he fixes its situation at
+too great a distance from the College, and too near the Infirmary. Sir
+Walter Scott, in his &#8220;Tales of a Grandfather,&#8221; (vol. iii. p. 187.) has
+oddly enough fallen into the error of describing the Kirk-of-Field, as
+standing &#8220;just <i>without</i> the walls of the city.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_26' id='f_26' href='#fna_26'>[26]</a> Morton&#8217;s Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 354; and Archibald
+Douglas&#8217;s Letter, ibid. p. 363.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_27' id='f_27' href='#fna_27'>[27]</a> Idem.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_28' id='f_28' href='#fna_28'>[28]</a> Lesley&#8217;s Defence in Anderson, vol. i. p. 75.&mdash;Buchanan&#8217;s History, p.
+350.&mdash;Laing, vol. ii. p. 34.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_29' id='f_29' href='#fna_29'>[29]</a> Ormiston&#8217;s Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 322.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_30' id='f_30' href='#fna_30'>[30]</a> Paris&#8217;s Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 298-9.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_31' id='f_31' href='#fna_31'>[31]</a> Paris&#8217;s Deposition in Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_32' id='f_32' href='#fna_32'>[32]</a> Laing, vol. ii. p. 282 and 370.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_33' id='f_33' href='#fna_33'>[33]</a> Deposition of Hepburn&mdash;Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_34' id='f_34' href='#fna_34'>[34]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_35' id='f_35' href='#fna_35'>[35]</a> Keith, Preface, p. viii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_36' id='f_36' href='#fna_36'>[36]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 179.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_37' id='f_37' href='#fna_37'>[37]</a> Ibid. vol. ii. p. 184.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_38' id='f_38' href='#fna_38'>[38]</a> Laing, Appendix, p. 304.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_39' id='f_39' href='#fna_39'>[39]</a> Deposition of John Hay in Anderson, vol. ii. p. 177.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_40' id='f_40' href='#fna_40'>[40]</a> Deposition of William Powrie, in Anderson, vol. ii. p. 165.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_41' id='f_41' href='#fna_41'>[41]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_42' id='f_42' href='#fna_42'>[42]</a> Ibid. vol. ii. p. 181.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_43' id='f_43' href='#fna_43'>[43]</a> Buchanan&#8217;s <i>History</i>, Book XVIII. may be compared with his
+<i>Detection</i> in Anderson, vol. i. p. 22 and 72.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_44' id='f_44' href='#fna_44'>[44]</a> Buchanan&#8217;s <i>History</i>, Book XVIII.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_45' id='f_45' href='#fna_45'>[45]</a> Freebairn&#8217;s Life of Mary, p. 112 and 114.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_46' id='f_46' href='#fna_46'>[46]</a> Deposition of Paris in Laing, vol. ii. p. 305.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_47' id='f_47' href='#fna_47'>[47]</a> Evidence of Thomas Nelson, Anderson, vol. iv. p. 165.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_48' id='f_48' href='#fna_48'>[48]</a> The Confessions and Depositions in Anderson, vol. ii. and vol. iv;
+and in Laing, vol. ii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_49' id='f_49' href='#fna_49'>[49]</a> Melville&#8217;s Memoirs, p. 174. Lesley in Anderson, vol. i. p. 24.
+Freebairn, p. 115.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_50' id='f_50' href='#fna_50'>[50]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 36.&mdash;Goodall, vol. ii. p. 245.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_51' id='f_51' href='#fna_51'>[51]</a> Laing, vol. ii. p. 289 et 290.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_52' id='f_52' href='#fna_52'>[52]</a> Historie of King James the Sext, p. 6.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_53' id='f_53' href='#fna_53'>[53]</a> Miss Benger, vol. ii. p. 313.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_54' id='f_54' href='#fna_54'>[54]</a> Sanderson&#8217;s Life of Mary, p. 48.&mdash;Freebairn, p. 113.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_55' id='f_55' href='#fna_55'>[55]</a> Knox, p. 404.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_56' id='f_56' href='#fna_56'>[56]</a> Keith, p. 365.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_57' id='f_57' href='#fna_57'>[57]</a> Melville, p. 174.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_58' id='f_58' href='#fna_58'>[58]</a> The notion that the powder, with which the Kirk-of-Field was blown
+up, had been placed in a mine, dug for the purpose, was for a while very
+prevalent. Mary, of course, never suspected that it had been put into her
+own bedroom; but the truth came out as soon as the depositions of
+Bothwell&#8217;s accomplices were published. Why Whittaker should still have
+continued to believe that a mine had been excavated, it is difficult to
+understand. Laing very justly ridicules the absurdity of such a belief.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_59' id='f_59' href='#fna_59'>[59]</a> There is a sincere piety in this rejection of the word &#8220;chance.&#8221; Mary
+was steadily religious all her life, and certainly nothing but a pure and
+upright spirit could have induced her, on the present occasion, to appeal
+to her Creator, and say, &#8220;It was not chance, but God.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_60' id='f_60' href='#fna_60'>[60]</a> Keith, Preface, p. viii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_61' id='f_61' href='#fna_61'>[61]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 36.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_62' id='f_62' href='#fna_62'>[62]</a> Lesley in Anderson, vol. i. p. 23.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_63' id='f_63' href='#fna_63'>[63]</a> Keith, p. 368.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_64' id='f_64' href='#fna_64'>[64]</a> Laing&#8217;s remarks upon this subject, are exceedingly weak. He seems to
+suppose that Mary, for the mere sake of appearances, ought to have thrown
+into prison some of her most powerful nobility. He adds,&mdash;&#8220;If innocent,
+she must have suspected somebody, and the means of detection were
+evidently in her hands. The persons who provided or furnished the
+lodging,&mdash;the man to whom the house belonged,&mdash;the servants of the Queen,
+who were intrusted with the keys,&mdash;the King&#8217;s servants who had previously
+withdrawn, or were preserved, at his death,&mdash;her brother, Lord Robert, who
+had apprised him of his danger, were the first objects for suspicion or
+inquiry; and their evidence would have afforded the most ample detection.&#8221;
+Laing does not seem to be aware, that he is here suggesting the very steps
+which Mary actually took. She had not, indeed, herself examined witnesses,
+which would have been alike contrary to her general habits and her
+feelings at the time; but she had ordered the legal authorities to
+assemble every day, till they ascertained all the facts which could be
+collected. Nor does Laing seem to remember, that Bothwell had it in his
+power to exercise over these legal authorities no inconsiderable control,
+and to prevail upon them, as he in truth did, to garble and conceal
+several circumstances of importance which came out.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_65' id='f_65' href='#fna_65'>[65]</a> Killigrew, the English ambassador, sent by Elizabeth to offer her
+condolence, mentions, that he &#8220;found the Queen&#8217;s Majesty in a dark chamber
+so as he could not see her face, but by her words she seemed very
+doleful.&#8221;&mdash;Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 209.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_66' id='f_66' href='#fna_66'>[66]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 208.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_67' id='f_67' href='#fna_67'>[67]</a> <i>Vide</i> these Letters in Anderson, vol. i. p. 40, or Keith, p. 369.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_68' id='f_68' href='#fna_68'>[68]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 50.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_69' id='f_69' href='#fna_69'>[69]</a> Goodall, vol. i. p. 346, <i>et seq.</i></p>
+
+<p><a name='f_70' id='f_70' href='#fna_70'>[70]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 209. The above fact is no proof, as Chalmers
+alleges, that Murray was connected with the conspirators; but it shows,
+that whatever his own suspicions or belief were, he did not choose to
+discountenance Bothwell. Could Mary ever suppose that the <i>godly</i> Earl of
+Murray would entertain a murderer at his table?</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_71' id='f_71' href='#fna_71'>[71]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 52.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_72' id='f_72' href='#fna_72'>[72]</a> Robertson&mdash;Appendix to vol. i. No. XIX.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_73' id='f_73' href='#fna_73'>[73]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 103.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_74' id='f_74' href='#fna_74'>[74]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 104, et seq.&mdash;and Keith, p. 375, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_75' id='f_75' href='#fna_75'>[75]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 157.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_76' id='f_76' href='#fna_76'>[76]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 107; and Keith, p. 381.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_77' id='f_77' href='#fna_77'>[77]</a> Keith, p. 382.&mdash;There are extant two lists of the names of the
+subscribers, and these differ in one or two particulars from each other;
+but the one was only a list given to Cecil from memory by John Reid,
+Buchanan&#8217;s clerk; the other is a document authenticated by the
+subscription of Sir James Balfour, who was at the time Clerk of Register
+and Privy Council. The chief difference between these two copies is, that
+Reid&#8217;s list contains the name of the Earl of Murray, though on the 20th of
+April he was out of the realm of Scotland. It has been supposed that the
+bond, though not produced, might have been drawn up some time before, and
+that Murray put his name to it before going away. This is possible, but,
+considering Murray&#8217;s cautious character, not probable. The point does not
+seem one of great importance, though by those who are anxious to make out
+a case against Murray rather than against Bothwell, it is deemed necessary
+to insist upon it at length. Perhaps Bothwell forged Murray&#8217;s signature,
+to give his bond greater weight both with the nobles and with the Queen;
+although one name more or less could not make much difference either to
+her or them.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_78' id='f_78' href='#fna_78'>[78]</a> Keith, p. 390.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_79' id='f_79' href='#fna_79'>[79]</a> Keith, p. 383.&mdash;Melville&#8217;s Memoirs, p. 177.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. iii. p.
+106 and 356.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_80' id='f_80' href='#fna_80'>[80]</a> Melville, p. 177.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_81' id='f_81' href='#fna_81'>[81]</a> Keith, p. 390.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_82' id='f_82' href='#fna_82'>[82]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 97.&mdash;Keith, p. 390.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_83' id='f_83' href='#fna_83'>[83]</a> Melville, p. 197.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_84' id='f_84' href='#fna_84'>[84]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 95.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_85' id='f_85' href='#fna_85'>[85]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 95.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_86' id='f_86' href='#fna_86'>[86]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 97. et seq. There is something so peculiar in
+the last passage quoted above, and Bothwell&#8217;s conduct was so despotic,
+during the whole of the time he had Mary&#8217;s person at his disposal, that
+Whittaker&#8217;s supposition seems by no means unlikely, that the <i>force</i> to
+which Mary alludes was of the most culpable and desperate kind.
+&#8220;Throughout the whole of the Queen&#8217;s own account of these transactions,&#8221;
+he observes, &#8220;the delicacy of the lady, and the prudence of the wife, are
+in a continual struggle with facts,&mdash;willing to lay open the whole for her
+own vindication, yet unable to do it for her own sake and her husband&#8217;s,
+and yet doing it in effect.&#8221; Vide Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 112. et
+seq.&mdash;Melville is still more explicit upon the subject, p. 177. And in a
+letter from &#8220;the Lords of Scotland,&#8221; written to the English ambassador,
+six weeks after the ravishment, it is expressly said, that &#8220;the Queen was
+led captive, and by fear, force, and (as by many conjectures may be well
+suspected) other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to
+become the bedfellow to another wife&#8217;s husband.&#8221;&mdash;See the letter in Keith
+p. 418.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_87' id='f_87' href='#fna_87'>[87]</a> Vide Laing, vol. i. p. 86, and vol. ii. p. 105, and Whittaker, vol.
+iii. p. 116.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_88' id='f_88' href='#fna_88'>[88]</a> Keith, p. 383.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_89' id='f_89' href='#fna_89'>[89]</a> History of James VI., p. 10.&mdash;Buchanan&#8217;s History, Book XVII.&mdash;Keith,
+p. 384.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 120.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_90' id='f_90' href='#fna_90'>[90]</a> &#8220;I plainly refused,&#8221; says Craig, in his account of this matter, which
+still remains among the records of the General Assembly, &#8220;because he
+(Hepburn) had not her handwriting; and also the constant bruit that my
+Lord had both ravished her and kept her in captivity.&#8221;&mdash;Anderson, vol. ii.
+p. 299.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_91' id='f_91' href='#fna_91'>[91]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 280.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_92' id='f_92' href='#fna_92'>[92]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 111.&mdash;Keith, p. 384.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_93' id='f_93' href='#fna_93'>[93]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 87.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_94' id='f_94' href='#fna_94'>[94]</a> History of James VI. p. 10.&mdash;Keith, p. 386.&mdash;Melville, p.
+78.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 127. et seq. Upon this subject, Lord Hailes
+has judiciously remarked:&mdash;&#8220;After Mary had remained a fortnight under the
+power of a daring profligate adventurer, few foreign princes would have
+solicited her hand. Some of her subjects might still have sought that
+honour, but her compliance would have been humiliating beyond measure. It
+would have left her at the mercy of a capricious husband,&mdash;it would have
+exposed her to the disgrace of being reproached in some sullen hour, for
+the adventure at Dunbar. Mary was so situated, at this critical period,
+that she was reduced to this horrid alternative, either to remain in a
+friendless and most hazardous celibacy, or to yield her hand to
+Bothwell.&#8221;&mdash;<i>Remarks on the History of Scotland</i>, <i>p.</i> 204.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_95' id='f_95' href='#fna_95'>[95]</a> Melville, p. 178.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_96' id='f_96' href='#fna_96'>[96]</a> Letter from the Lords of Scotland to Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, in
+Keith, p. 417.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_97' id='f_97' href='#fna_97'>[97]</a> Melville, p. 180.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_98' id='f_98' href='#fna_98'>[98]</a> Melville, p. 199.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_99' id='f_99' href='#fna_99'>[99]</a> Keith, p. 394.&mdash;Melville, p. 179.&mdash;Knox, p. 406.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_100' id='f_100' href='#fna_100'>[100]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 131.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_101' id='f_101' href='#fna_101'>[101]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 128.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_102' id='f_102' href='#fna_102'>[102]</a> Knox, p. 409.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_103' id='f_103' href='#fna_103'>[103]</a> Laing, Appendix, p. 115.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_104' id='f_104' href='#fna_104'>[104]</a> Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 116. Knox says that it was Bothwell who
+drew back; but the authority to which we have referred is more to be
+depended on.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_105' id='f_105' href='#fna_105'>[105]</a> Melville, p. 182.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_106' id='f_106' href='#fna_106'>[106]</a> Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 116.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_107' id='f_107' href='#fna_107'>[107]</a> Keith, p. 402.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_108' id='f_108' href='#fna_108'>[108]</a> Keith, p. 403.&mdash;Melville, p. 184.&mdash;Knox, p. 409.&mdash;Laing, Appendix,
+vol. ii. p. 117.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_109' id='f_109' href='#fna_109'>[109]</a> Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 119.&mdash;Anderson, vol. i. p. 128.&mdash;Keith,
+p. 418.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_110' id='f_110' href='#fna_110'>[110]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 134.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_111' id='f_111' href='#fna_111'>[111]</a> Keith, p. 408.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_112' id='f_112' href='#fna_112'>[112]</a> Buchanan&#8217;s History, Book XVIII.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_113' id='f_113' href='#fna_113'>[113]</a> Keith, p. 406, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_114' id='f_114' href='#fna_114'>[114]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 139.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_115' id='f_115' href='#fna_115'>[115]</a> The above account of Bothwell&#8217;s adventures and fate, after he left
+Scotland, is taken principally from Melville, and the History of James VI.
+But an interesting and original manuscript, entitled a &#8220;Declaration of the
+Earl of Bothwell,&#8221; which was made at Copenhagen, in the year 1568, for the
+satisfaction apparently of the Danish government, has recently been
+discovered, and an authenticated copy of it having been transmitted to
+this country in August 1824, a careful translation from the old French in
+which it is written, was presented to the public in &#8220;The New Monthly
+Magazine,&#8221; for June 1825. Satisfied as we are of the authenticity of this
+&#8220;Declaration,&#8221; we have availed ourselves of some of the information it
+supplies, though, of course, great allowance must be made for the
+colouring Bothwell has artfully given to the transactions he details. We
+shall have more to say of this &#8220;Declaration&#8221; afterwards; at present, it is
+necessary only to refer to it.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_116' id='f_116' href='#fna_116'>[116]</a> Keith, p. 411 and 414.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_117' id='f_117' href='#fna_117'>[117]</a> Keith, p. 418. It is worth noticing, that no proof of this absurd
+falsehood is offered&mdash;no allusion being even made to the letter which had
+been shown to Grange, and which, though only the first of a series of
+forgeries, yet having been hastily prepared to serve the purpose of the
+hour, seems to have been destroyed immediately.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_118' id='f_118' href='#fna_118'>[118]</a> Keith, Ibid.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_119' id='f_119' href='#fna_119'>[119]</a> Keith, p. 420.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_120' id='f_120' href='#fna_120'>[120]</a> Throckmorton&#8217;s Letter in Keith, p. 420, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_121' id='f_121' href='#fna_121'>[121]</a> Melville&#8217;s Memoirs, p. 197.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_122' id='f_122' href='#fna_122'>[122]</a> Whittaker, vol. i. p. 228.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_123' id='f_123' href='#fna_123'>[123]</a> Throckmorton in Keith, p. 422.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_124' id='f_124' href='#fna_124'>[124]</a> Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XXI.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_125' id='f_125' href='#fna_125'>[125]</a> Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XXII.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_126' id='f_126' href='#fna_126'>[126]</a> Throckmorton, in one of his letters, mentions explicitly, that Mary
+had given him the very reasons stated above for refusing to renounce
+Bothwell. But as Throckmorton could communicate with Mary only through the
+channel of the rebel Lords, who, he says, &#8220;<i>had sent him word</i>,&#8221; it is not
+at all improbable, that her message may have been a good deal garbled by
+the way. The passage in Throckmorton&#8217;s letter is as follows:&mdash;&#8220;I have also
+persuaded her to conform herself to renounce Bothwell for her husband, and
+to be contented to suffer a divorce to pass betwixt them. She hath sent me
+word, that she will in no wise consent unto that, but rather die:
+grounding herself upon this reason, taking herself to be seven weeks gone
+with child; by renouncing Bothwell, she should acknowledge herself to be
+with child of a bastard, and to have forfeited her honour, which she will
+not do to die for it. I have persuaded her to save her own life and her
+child, to choose the least hard condition.&#8221; Robertson&mdash;Appendix to vol. i.
+No. XXII. It was, perhaps, this passage in Throckmorton&#8217;s despatch to
+England, that gave rise to a vulgar rumour, which was of course much
+improved by the time it reached France. Le Laboureur, an historian of much
+respectability, actually asserts that the Queen of Scots had a daughter to
+Bothwell, who was educated as a religieuse in the Convent of Notre Dame at
+Soissons. <i>Vide</i> Laboureur Addit. aux Mem. de Castelnau, p. 610. Of
+course, the assertion is altogether unfounded.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_127' id='f_127' href='#fna_127'>[127]</a> Some historians have asserted, that Lord Ruthven accompanied the two
+Commissioners mentioned in the text. But this is not the case, for he was
+present at a conference with the English ambassador, Throckmorton, on the
+very day the others were at Lochleven. Throckmorton in Keith, p. 426.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_128' id='f_128' href='#fna_128'>[128]</a> Pennant, in his &#8220;Tour in Scotland,&#8221; thus describes Lochleven, and
+the island where the Queen resided:&mdash;&#8220;Lochleven, a magnificent piece of
+water, very broad but irregularly indented; is about twelve miles in
+circumference, and its greatest depth about twenty-four fathoms. Some
+islands are dispersed in this great expanse of water, one of which is
+large enough to feed several head of cattle; but the most remarkable is
+that distinguished by the captivity of Mary Stuart, which stands almost in
+the middle of the lake. The castle still remains, consists of a <i>square
+tower</i>, a small yard with two round towers, a chapel, and the ruins of a
+building, where (it is said) the unfortunate Princess was lodged. In the
+square tower is a <span class="smcaplc">DUNGEON</span>, with a vaulted room above, over which had been
+three other stories.&#8221;&mdash;Tour in Scotland, vol. i. p. 64.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_129' id='f_129' href='#fna_129'>[129]</a> Keith, p. 431.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_130' id='f_130' href='#fna_130'>[130]</a> Keith, p. 426.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. i. p. 299.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_131' id='f_131' href='#fna_131'>[131]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 166, and 344.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_132' id='f_132' href='#fna_132'>[132]</a> Leslie, p. 37.&mdash;Jebb, vol. ii. p. 221 and 222.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_133' id='f_133' href='#fna_133'>[133]</a> Goodall, ibid.&mdash;Freebairn, p. 147.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. i. p. 301. <i>et
+seq.</i>&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 248.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_134' id='f_134' href='#fna_134'>[134]</a> Keith, p. 436.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_135' id='f_135' href='#fna_135'>[135]</a> History of James VI. p. 17. Keith, p. 438.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_136' id='f_136' href='#fna_136'>[136]</a> Melville&#8217;s Memoirs, p. 193. Keith, p. 442. et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_137' id='f_137' href='#fna_137'>[137]</a> Throckmorton&#8217;s Letter in Keith, p. 444 et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_138' id='f_138' href='#fna_138'>[138]</a> What Mark Antony, according to Shakespeare, said of C&aelig;sar, might be,
+with propriety, applied to the Earl of Murray:</p>
+
+<p class="poem">&#8220;You all did see that, on the Lupercal,<br />
+I thrice presented him a kingly crown,<br />
+Which he did thrice refuse.&mdash;Was this ambition?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_139' id='f_139' href='#fna_139'>[139]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 251 and 254.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 355.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_140' id='f_140' href='#fna_140'>[140]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.&mdash;Anderson, vol. ii. p. 206 et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_141' id='f_141' href='#fna_141'>[141]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 299, and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275 and 278.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_142' id='f_142' href='#fna_142'>[142]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 230.&mdash;Keith, p. 471&mdash;and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_143' id='f_143' href='#fna_143'>[143]</a> Sir William Drury&#8217;s Letter in Keith, p. 470.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_144' id='f_144' href='#fna_144'>[144]</a> Buchanan&#8217;s Cameleon, p. 13.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_145' id='f_145' href='#fna_145'>[145]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 65 and 230.&mdash;Keith, p. 471.&mdash;Freebairn, p. 152, et
+seq.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 277, et seq. The interest taken in Queen Mary
+by George Douglas, is ascribed by Mackenzie to a motive less pure than the
+affection of a good subject. His chief characteristic, we are told by that
+author, was an excessive love of money, and it was by bribing him, he
+asserts, with the best part of what gold and jewels she had about her,
+that Mary prevailed upon him to assist her. But this statement does not
+seem well authenticated. Another story, still more improbable, was told by
+the Earl of Murray to the English ambassador, Sir William Drury, namely,
+that Mary had entreated him to allow her to have a husband, and had named
+George Douglas as the person she would wish to marry. Murray must have
+fabricated this falsehood, in order to lower the dignity of the Queen; but
+he surely forgot that the reason assigned in justification of her
+imprisonment in Loch-Leven, was her alleged determination not to consent
+to a separation from Bothwell. How then did she happen to wish to marry
+another? See Sir William Drury&#8217;s Letter in Keith, p. 469.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_146' id='f_146' href='#fna_146'>[146]</a> Keith, p. 472, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_147' id='f_147' href='#fna_147'>[147]</a> Buchanan, Book xix.&mdash;Melville&#8217;s Memoirs, p. 200. et seq.&mdash;Keith, p.
+477.&mdash;Calderwood, Crawfurd, and Holinshed. The accounts which historians
+give of this battle are so confused and contradictory, that it is almost
+impossible to furnish any very distinct narrative of it, even by collating
+them all. Robertson hardly attempts any detail, and the few particulars
+which he does mention, are in several instances erroneous.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_148' id='f_148' href='#fna_148'>[148]</a> Keith, p. 481 and 482.&mdash;Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_149' id='f_149' href='#fna_149'>[149]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1. et seq.&mdash;Keith, p. 481.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_150' id='f_150' href='#fna_150'>[150]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 69.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_151' id='f_151' href='#fna_151'>[151]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 283.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_152' id='f_152' href='#fna_152'>[152]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 71.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_153' id='f_153' href='#fna_153'>[153]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. p. 6.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 288. Even at
+Carlisle, Mary was always strictly watched. In one of his letters to
+Cecil, Knollys writes thus:&mdash;&#8220;Yesterday, her Grace went out at a postern,
+to walk on the playing green, towards Scotland; and we, with twenty-two
+halberdeers, diverse gentlemen and other servants, waited upon her. About
+twenty of her retinue played at foot-ball before her the space of two
+hours, very strongly, nimbly, and skilfully,&mdash;without any foul play
+offered, the smallness of their ball occasioning their fair play. And
+before yesterday, since our coming, she went but twice out of the town,
+once to the like play of foot-ball, in the same place, and once she rode
+out a hunting the hare, she galloping so fast upon every occasion, and her
+whole retinue being so well horsed, that we, upon experience thereof,
+doubting that, upon a set course, some of her friends out of Scotland
+might invade and assault us upon the sudden, for to rescue and take her
+from us; we mean hereafter, if any such riding pastimes be required that
+way, so much to fear the endangering of her person by some sudden invasion
+of her enemies, that she must hold us excused, in that behalf.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_154' id='f_154' href='#fna_154'>[154]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. p. 95.&mdash;Stuart, vol. i. p. 300. It is of Dr
+Stuart&#8217;s translation that we have availed ourselves.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_155' id='f_155' href='#fna_155'>[155]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. part ii. p. 33.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_156' id='f_156' href='#fna_156'>[156]</a> Buchanan, book xix. It is worth remarking, that of these particular
+friends of Murray, the two Commissioners, Lord Lindsay and the Commendator
+of Dunfermlin, and the two lawyers, Macgill and Balnaves, sat on the trial
+of Bothwell when he was unanimously acquitted. Yet they afterwards accused
+the Queen of consenting to an unfair trial.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_157' id='f_157' href='#fna_157'>[157]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. Part ii. p. 3.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_158' id='f_158' href='#fna_158'>[158]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 12.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_159' id='f_159' href='#fna_159'>[159]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 128.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_160' id='f_160' href='#fna_160'>[160]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 144.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_161' id='f_161' href='#fna_161'>[161]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 162.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_162' id='f_162' href='#fna_162'>[162]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 62.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_163' id='f_163' href='#fna_163'>[163]</a> We do not at present stop the course of our narrative to examine
+these letters more minutely, but we shall devote some time to their
+consideration afterwards.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_164' id='f_164' href='#fna_164'>[164]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 182.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_165' id='f_165' href='#fna_165'>[165]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 184.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_166' id='f_166' href='#fna_166'>[166]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 206.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_167' id='f_167' href='#fna_167'>[167]</a> Ibid. p. 220.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_168' id='f_168' href='#fna_168'>[168]</a> Ibid. p. 221.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_169' id='f_169' href='#fna_169'>[169]</a> Ibid. p. 184 and 206.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_170' id='f_170' href='#fna_170'>[170]</a> Ibid. p. 283.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_171' id='f_171' href='#fna_171'>[171]</a> Ibid. p. 312.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_172' id='f_172' href='#fna_172'>[172]</a> Ibid. p. 300 and 301.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_173' id='f_173' href='#fna_173'>[173]</a> There is one other circumstance connected with this conference,
+which, though not bearing any immediate reference to Mary, is worth
+mentioning. We allude to the challenges which passed between Lord Lindsay,
+one of Murray&#8217;s Commissioners, and Lord Herries, one of Mary&#8217;s most
+constant and faithful servants. Lindsay, whose passionate violence we have
+formerly had occasion to notice, attempted to force a quarrel upon
+Herries, by writing him the following letter:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lord Herries,&mdash;I am informed that you have spoken and affirmed, that my
+Lord Regent&#8217;s Grace and his company here present, were guilty of the
+abominable murder of the late King, our Sovereign Lord&#8217;s father. If you
+have so spoken, you have said untruly, and have lied in your throat, which
+I will maintain, God willing, against you, as becomes me of honour and
+duty. And hereupon I desire your answer. Subscribed with my hand, at
+Kingston, the twenty-second day of December 1568. <span class="smcap">Patrick Lindsay.</span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To this epistle Lord Herries made the following spirited reply:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lord Lindsay,&mdash;I have seen a writing of yours, the 22d of December, and
+thereby understand,&mdash;&#8216;You are informed that I have said and affirmed, that
+the Earl of Murray, whom you call your Regent, and his company, are guilty
+of the Queen&#8217;s husband&#8217;s slaughter, father to our Prince; and if I said
+it, I have lied in my throat, which you will maintain against me as
+becomes you of honour and duty.&#8217; In respect they have accused the Queen&#8217;s
+Majesty, mine and your native Sovereign, of that foul crime, far from the
+duty that good subjects owed, or ever have been seen to have done to their
+native Sovereign,&mdash;I have said&mdash;&#8216;There is of that company present with the
+Earl of Murray, guilty of that abominable treason, in the fore-knowledge
+and consent thereto.&#8217; That you were privy to it, Lord Lindsay, I know not;
+and if you will say that I have specially spoken of you, you lie in your
+throat; and that I will defend as of my honour and duty becomes me. But
+let any of the principal that is of them subscribe the like writing you
+have sent to me, and I shall point them forth, and fight with some of the
+traitors therein; for meetest it is that traitors should pay for their own
+treason. <span class="smcap">Herries.</span> London, 22d of December 1568.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>No answer appears to have been returned to this letter, and so the affair
+was dropped.&mdash;Goodall, vol. ii. p. 271.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_174' id='f_174' href='#fna_174'>[174]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 313.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_175' id='f_175' href='#fna_175'>[175]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 327.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_176' id='f_176' href='#fna_176'>[176]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 332.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_177' id='f_177' href='#fna_177'>[177]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 80.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_178' id='f_178' href='#fna_178'>[178]</a> Strype, vol. i. p. 538.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 337.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_179' id='f_179' href='#fna_179'>[179]</a> Stranguage, p. 114.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_180' id='f_180' href='#fna_180'>[180]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 375.&mdash;Anderson, vol. ii. p. 261.&mdash;Stuart, vol.
+ii. p. 59.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 349.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_181' id='f_181' href='#fna_181'>[181]</a> Anderson, vol. iii. p. 248.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_182' id='f_182' href='#fna_182'>[182]</a> See &#8220;An Account of the Life and Actions of the Reverend Father in
+God, John Lesley, Bishop of Ross,&#8221; in Anderson, vol. iii. p. vii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_183' id='f_183' href='#fna_183'>[183]</a> Miss Benger, vol. ii. p. 439.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_184' id='f_184' href='#fna_184'>[184]</a> Additions to the Memoirs of Castelnau, p. 589, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_185' id='f_185' href='#fna_185'>[185]</a> Laing, vol. ii. p. 285.</p>
+
+<p class="poem">Alas! what am I?&mdash;what avails my life?<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Does not my body live without a soul?&mdash;</span><br />
+A shadow vain&mdash;the sport of anxious strife,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That wishes but to die, and end the whole.</span><br />
+Why should harsh enmity pursue me more?<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The false world&#8217;s greatness has no charms for me;</span><br />
+Soon will the struggle and the grief be o&#8217;er;&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Soon the oppressor gain the victory.</span><br />
+Ye friends! to whose remembrance I am dear,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">No strength to aid you, or your cause, have I;</span><br />
+Cease then to shed the unavailing tear,&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">I have not feared to live, nor dread to die;</span><br />
+Perchance the pain that I have suffered here,<br />
+May win me more of bliss thro&#8217; God&#8217;s eternal year.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_186' id='f_186' href='#fna_186'>[186]</a> See the whole of this letter in Whittaker, vol. iv. p. 399. Camden
+translated it into Latin, and introduced it into his History; but he
+published only an abridged edition of it, which Dr Stuart has paraphrased
+and abridged still further; and Mademoiselle de Keralio has translated Dr
+Stuart&#8217;s paraphrased abridgment into French, supposing it to have been the
+original letter. Stuart, vol. ii. p. 164.&mdash;Keralio, Histoire d&#8217;Elisabethe,
+vol. v. p. 349.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_187' id='f_187' href='#fna_187'>[187]</a> Chalmers, vol. i. p. 395.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_188' id='f_188' href='#fna_188'>[188]</a> They were hanged on two successive days, seven on each day; and the
+first seven, among whom were Ballard, Babington, and Savage, were cut down
+before they were dead, embowelled, and then quartered.&mdash;<i>Stranguage</i>, <i>p.</i>
+177.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_189' id='f_189' href='#fna_189'>[189]</a> Stranguage, p. 176.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 427 et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_190' id='f_190' href='#fna_190'>[190]</a> In the first series of Ellis&#8217;s Collection of &#8220;Original Letters
+illustrative of English History,&#8221; there is given a fac simile of the plan,
+in Lord Burleigh&#8217;s hand, for the arrangement to be observed at the trial
+of the Queen of Scots. As it is interesting, and brings the whole scene
+more vividly before us, the following explanatory copy of it will be
+perused with interest.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/footnote.jpg" alt="" /></p>
+
+<p><i>Below, in another hand, apparently in answer to Lord Burleigh&#8217;s
+direction, is the following</i>:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This will be most convenientlye in the greatt Chamber; the lengthe
+whereof is in all xxiij. yerds with the windowe: whereof there may be fr.
+the neither part beneth the barre viij. yerds: and the rest for the upper
+parte. The breadeth of the chamber is vij. yerds.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is another chambre for the Lords to dyne in, the lengthe is xiiij.
+yerds; the breadeth, vij. yerdes; and the deppeth iij. yerdes dim.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_191' id='f_191' href='#fna_191'>[191]</a> As an example of some of the mistakes which the fabricators of these
+letters committed, it may be mentioned, that in one of them, dated the
+27th of July 1586, Mary is made to say,&mdash;&#8220;I am not yet brought so low but
+that I am able to handle my cross-bow for killing a deer, and to gallop
+after the hounds on horseback, as this afternoon I intend to do, within
+the limits of this park, and could otherwhere if it were permitted.&#8221; Yet
+on the 3d of June previous, Sir Amias Paulet informed Walsingham&mdash;&#8220;The
+Scottish Queen is getting a little strength, and has been out in her
+coach, and is sometimes carried in a chair to one of the adjoining ponds
+to see the diversion of duck-hunting; but she is not able to walk without
+support on each side.&#8221; See Chalmers, vol. i. p. 426.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_192' id='f_192' href='#fna_192'>[192]</a> Camden, p. 519, et seq.&mdash;Stranguage, p. 192, et seq.&mdash;Robertson,
+Book VII.&mdash;Stuart, vol. ii. p. 268, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_193' id='f_193' href='#fna_193'>[193]</a> It deserves notice, that no particulars of the trial at Fotheringay
+have been recorded, either by Mary herself, or any of her friends, but are
+all derived from the narrative of two of Elizabeth&#8217;s notaries. If Mary&#8217;s
+triumph was so decided, even by their account, it may easily be conceived
+that it would have appeared still more complete, had it been described by
+less partial writers.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_194' id='f_194' href='#fna_194'>[194]</a> Camden, p. 525, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_195' id='f_195' href='#fna_195'>[195]</a> Murdin, p. 569.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_196' id='f_196' href='#fna_196'>[196]</a> Camden.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_197' id='f_197' href='#fna_197'>[197]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 91.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_198' id='f_198' href='#fna_198'>[198]</a> Tytler, vol. ii. p. 319, et seq., and p. 403.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p.
+447.&mdash;Tytler gives a strong and just exposition of the shameful nature of
+the Queen&#8217;s correspondence with Paulet. The reader cannot fail to peruse
+the following passage with interest:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The letters written by Elizabeth to Sir Amias Paulet, Queen Mary&#8217;s keeper
+in her prison at Fotheringay Castle, disclose to us the true sentiments of
+her heart, and her steady purpose to have Mary privately assassinated.
+Paulet, a rude but an honest man, had behaved with great insolence and
+harshness to Queen Mary, and treated her with the utmost disrespect. He
+approached her person without any ceremony, and usually came covered into
+her presence, of which she had complained to Queen Elizabeth. He was
+therefore thought a fit person for executing the above purpose. The
+following letter from Elizabeth displays a strong picture of her artifice
+and flattery, in order to raise his expectations to the highest pitch.</p>
+
+<p class="center">&#8216;TO MY LOVING AMIAS.</p>
+
+<p>&#8216;<i>Amias, my most faithful and careful servant</i>, God reward thee treblefold
+for the most troublesome charge so well discharged. If you knew, <i>my
+Amias</i>, how kindly, beside most dutifully, my grateful heart accepts and
+praiseth your spotless endeavours and faithful actions, performed in so
+dangerous and crafty a charge, it would ease your travail, and rejoice
+your heart; in which I charge you to carry this most instant thought, that
+I cannot balance in any weight of my judgment the value that I prize you
+at, and suppose no treasure can countervail such a faith. And you shall
+condemn me in that fault that yet I never committed, if I reward not such
+desert; yea let me lack when I most need it, if I acknowledge not such a
+merit, <i>non omnibus datum</i>.&#8217;<a href="#note_for_198">*</a></p>
+
+<p>Having thus buoyed up his hopes and wishes, Walsingham, in his letters to
+Paulet and Drury, mentions the proposal in plain words to them. &#8216;We find,
+by a speech lately made by her Majesty, that she doth note in you both a
+lack of that care and zeal for her service, that she looketh for at your
+hands, in that you have not in all this time (of yourselves, without any
+other provocation) found out some way to shorten the life of the Scots
+Queen, considering the great peril she is hourly subject to, so long as
+the said Queen shall live.&#8217;&mdash;In a Post-script: &#8216;I pray you, let both this
+and the enclosed be committed to the fire; as your answer shall be, after
+it has been communicated to her Majesty, for her satisfaction.&#8217; In a
+subsequent letter: &#8216;I pray you let me know what you have done with my
+letters, because they are not fit to be kept, that I may satisfy her
+Majesty therein, who might otherwise take offence thereat.&#8217;</p>
+
+<p>What a cruel snare is here laid for this faithful servant! He is tempted
+to commit a murder, and at the same time has orders from his Sovereign to
+destroy the warrant for doing it. He was too wise and too honourable to do
+either the one or the other. Had he fallen into the snare, we may guess,
+from the fate of Davidson, what would have been his. Paulet, in return,
+thus writes to Walsingham:&mdash;&#8216;Your letters of yesterday coming to my hand
+this day, I would not fail, according to your directions, to return my
+answer with all possible speed; which I shall deliver unto you with great
+grief and bitterness of mind, in that I am so unhappy, as living to see
+this unhappy day, in which I am required, by direction of my most gracious
+Sovereign, to do an act which God and the law forbiddeth. My goods and
+life are at her Majesty&#8217;s disposition, and I am ready to lose them the
+next morrow if it shall please her. But God forbid I should make so foul a
+shipwreck of my conscience, or leave so great a blot to my poor posterity,
+as shed blood without law or warrant.&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p><a name="note_for_198" id="note_for_198"></a>* What a picture have we here, of the heroine of England! Wooing a
+faithful servant to commit a clandestine murder, which she herself
+durst not avow! The portrait of King John, in the same predicament,
+practising with Hubert to murder his nephew, then under his charge,
+shows how intimately the great Poet was acquainted with nature.</p>
+
+<p class="poem">O my gentle Hubert,<br />
+We owe thee much! Within this wall of flesh,<br />
+There is a soul, counts thee her creditor,<br />
+And with advantage means to pay thy love,<br />
+And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath<br />
+Lives in this bosom dearly cherished.</p></div>
+
+<p><a name='f_199' id='f_199' href='#fna_199'>[199]</a> Mackenzie&#8217;s Lives of the Scottish Writers, vol. iii. p.
+336.&mdash;Robertson, vol. ii. p. 194.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. i. p. 449.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_200' id='f_200' href='#fna_200'>[200]</a> La Mort de la Royne d&#8217;Ecosse in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 611.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_201' id='f_201' href='#fna_201'>[201]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 622. et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_202' id='f_202' href='#fna_202'>[202]</a> &#8220;Mary&#8217;s testament and letters,&#8221; says Ritson the antiquarian, &#8220;which
+I have seen, blotted with her tears in the Scotch College, Paris, will
+remain perpetual monuments of singular abilities, tenderness, and
+affection,&mdash;of a head and heart of which no other Queen in the world was
+probably ever possessed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_203' id='f_203' href='#fna_203'>[203]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 628, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_204' id='f_204' href='#fna_204'>[204]</a> History of Fotheringay, p. 79.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_205' id='f_205' href='#fna_205'>[205]</a> Among these attendants were her physician Bourgoine, who afterwards
+wrote a long and circumstantial narrative of her death, and Jane Kennedy,
+formerly mentioned on the occasion of Mary&#8217;s escape from Loch-Leven.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_206' id='f_206' href='#fna_206'>[206]</a> Narratio Supplicii Mortis Mariae Stuart in Jebb, vol. ii. p.
+163.&mdash;La Mort de la Royne d&#8217;Ecosse in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 636 and
+639.&mdash;Camden, p. 535.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_207' id='f_207' href='#fna_207'>[207]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 640, et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_208' id='f_208' href='#fna_208'>[208]</a> See Mezeray, Histoire de France, tome iii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_209' id='f_209' href='#fna_209'>[209]</a> &#8220;We may say of Mary, I believe, with strict propriety,&#8221; observes
+Whittaker, &#8220;what has been said of one of her Royal predecessors,&mdash;&#8216;the
+gracious Duncan,&#8217; that she</p>
+
+<p class="poem">&#8220;Had borne her faculties so meek, had been<br />
+So clear in her great office, that her virtues,<br />
+Will plead, like angels, trumpet-tongued, against<br />
+<i>The deep damnation of her taking off</i>.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_210' id='f_210' href='#fna_210'>[210]</a> &#8220;Oraison Funebre&#8221; in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 671.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_211' id='f_211' href='#fna_211'>[211]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 92.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_212' id='f_212' href='#fna_212'>[212]</a> Keith, p. 79.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_213' id='f_213' href='#fna_213'>[213]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 117.&mdash;Keith, p. 379.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_214' id='f_214' href='#fna_214'>[214]</a> Melville, p. 175. et seq.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_215' id='f_215' href='#fna_215'>[215]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 90.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_216' id='f_216' href='#fna_216'>[216]</a> Keith, p. 406.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_217' id='f_217' href='#fna_217'>[217]</a> Anderson, vol. i. p. 139.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_218' id='f_218' href='#fna_218'>[218]</a> Keith, p. 417.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_219' id='f_219' href='#fna_219'>[219]</a> Haynes, p. 454.&mdash;Stuart, vol. i. p. 361.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_220' id='f_220' href='#fna_220'>[220]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_221' id='f_221' href='#fna_221'>[221]</a> Keith, p. 467.&mdash;Anderson, vol. ii. p. 173.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_222' id='f_222' href='#fna_222'>[222]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 140.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_223' id='f_223' href='#fna_223'>[223]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_224' id='f_224' href='#fna_224'>[224]</a> Ibid. 256.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_225' id='f_225' href='#fna_225'>[225]</a> Tytler, vol. i. p. 144.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_226' id='f_226' href='#fna_226'>[226]</a> There is preserved at Hamilton Palace, a small silver box, said to
+be the very casket which once contained the Letters. Laing, who appears to
+believe in the genuineness of this relic somewhat too hastily, mentions,
+that &#8220;the casket was purchased from a Papist by the Marchioness of Douglas
+(a daughter of the Huntly family) about the period of the Restoration.
+After her death, her plate was sold to a goldsmith, from whom her
+daughter-in-law Anne, heiress and Dutchess of Hamilton, repurchased the
+casket.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;For the following accurate and satisfactory account of the casket,&#8221; adds
+Mr Laing, &#8220;I am indebted to Mr Alexander Young, W. S., to whom I
+transmitted the description of it given in Morton&#8217;s receipt, and in the
+Memorandum prefixed to the Letters in Buchanan&#8217;s &#8216;Detection.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8216;The silver box is carefully preserved in the Charter-room at Hamilton
+Palace, and answers exactly the description you have given of it, both in
+size and general appearance. I examined the outside very minutely. On the
+first glance I was led to state, that it had none of those ornaments to
+which you allude, and, in particular, that it wanted the crowns, with the
+Italic letter <i>F</i>. Instead of these, I found on one of the sides the arms
+of the house of Hamilton, which seemed to have been engraved on a
+compartment, which had previously contained some other ornament. On the
+top of the lock, which is of curious workmanship, there is a large
+embossed crown with <i>fleurs de lis</i>, but without any letters. Upon the
+bottom, however, of the casket, there are two other small ornaments&mdash;one
+near each end, which, at first sight, I thought resembled our
+silver-smiths&#8217; marks; but, on closer inspection, I found they consisted
+each of a royal crown above a <i>fleur de lis</i>, surmounting the Italic
+letter <i>F</i>.&#8217;&#8221;&mdash;Laing, vol. ii. p. 235.</p>
+
+<p>Upon this description of the box, it may be remarked, that it does <i>not</i>
+exactly agree with the account given of it by Buchanan; for it would
+appear, that in the casket preserved at Hamilton, there are only two
+Italic <i>F&#8217;s</i>; while Buchanan describes it as &#8220;a small gilt coffer, not
+fully a foot long, being <i>garnished in sundry places</i> with the Roman
+letter F, under a king&#8217;s crown,&#8221; an expression he would not have used, had
+there been only two of these letters. Besides, there seems to have been a
+king&#8217;s crown above each; but on the coffer at Hamilton, there is only one
+crown on the top of the lock, and not above the letter F. Antiquarians,
+however, have investigated subjects of less curiosity, and have been
+willing to believe upon far more slender data.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_227' id='f_227' href='#fna_227'>[227]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 87.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_228' id='f_228' href='#fna_228'>[228]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 140.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_229' id='f_229' href='#fna_229'>[229]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235; and p. 257.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_230' id='f_230' href='#fna_230'>[230]</a> The authentic &#8220;Warrant&#8221; and &#8220;Consent,&#8221; has been already described,
+<i>supra</i>, vol. ii. p. 95, and may be seen at length in Anderson, vol. i. p.
+87.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_231' id='f_231' href='#fna_231'>[231]</a> Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 356.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_232' id='f_232' href='#fna_232'>[232]</a> See in further corroboration of the facts stated above, a Letter of
+Archibald Douglas to the Queen of Scots, in Robertson&#8217;s Appendix, or in
+Laing, vol. ii. p. 363.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_233' id='f_233' href='#fna_233'>[233]</a> &#8220;Nec ullam hac in causa regin&aelig; accusationem intervenire.&#8221;&mdash;See the
+King of Denmark&#8217;s Letter in Laing, vol. ii. p. 328.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_234' id='f_234' href='#fna_234'>[234]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 382.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_235' id='f_235' href='#fna_235'>[235]</a> Keith, Appendix, p. 141.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_236' id='f_236' href='#fna_236'>[236]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 227.&mdash;Keith, Appendix, p. 143.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_237' id='f_237' href='#fna_237'>[237]</a> See the New Monthly Magazine, No. LIV. p. 521.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_238' id='f_238' href='#fna_238'>[238]</a> Lesley&#8217;s &#8220;Defence&#8221; in Anderson, vol. i. p. 40.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_239' id='f_239' href='#fna_239'>[239]</a> Miss Benger, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 494.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_240' id='f_240' href='#fna_240'>[240]</a> Buchanan, book xix.&mdash;Stuart, vol. i. p. 460.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_241' id='f_241' href='#fna_241'>[241]</a> Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. xxii.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_242' id='f_242' href='#fna_242'>[242]</a> Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 120 and 125.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_243' id='f_243' href='#fna_243'>[243]</a> Keith, Appendix, p. 145.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_244' id='f_244' href='#fna_244'>[244]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. p. 671.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_245' id='f_245' href='#fna_245'>[245]</a> Anderson, vol. ii. p. 185.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_246' id='f_246' href='#fna_246'>[246]</a> Anderson, ibid. p. 187.&mdash;Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_247' id='f_247' href='#fna_247'>[247]</a> Laing, Appendix p. 323.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_248' id='f_248' href='#fna_248'>[248]</a> Laing, vol. ii. p. 298.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_249' id='f_249' href='#fna_249'>[249]</a> Ibid. p. 300.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_250' id='f_250' href='#fna_250'>[250]</a> Tytler, vol. i. p. 20.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_251' id='f_251' href='#fna_251'>[251]</a> It is unnecessary to enter into any discussion regarding the second
+Confession of Paris, which has been so satisfactorily proved to be
+spurious, by Tytler, Whittaker, and Chalmers, and on which Robertson
+acknowledges &#8220;no stress is to be laid,&#8221; on account of the &#8220;improbable
+circumstances&#8221; it contains. See Tytler, vol. i. p. 286.&mdash;Whittaker, vol.
+ii. p. 305.&mdash;Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 50.&mdash;Robertson, vol. iii. p. 20.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_252' id='f_252' href='#fna_252'>[252]</a> Robertson, vol. iii. p. 21.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_253' id='f_253' href='#fna_253'>[253]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 371 and 375.&mdash;Robertson, vol. iii. p. 28.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_254' id='f_254' href='#fna_254'>[254]</a> The French edition of the Detection, p. 2.&mdash;Goodall, vol. i. p. 103.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_255' id='f_255' href='#fna_255'>[255]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_256' id='f_256' href='#fna_256'>[256]</a> Laing, vol. i. p. 250.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_257' id='f_257' href='#fna_257'>[257]</a> See the Letter in Laing, vol. ii. p. 202; and an unsuccessful
+attempt to give a criminal interpretation to it, in vol. i. p. 311. It is
+quite unnecessary to allude here to several other flimsy forgeries which,
+at a later period, have been attempted to be palmed upon the world as
+genuine letters of Mary. In 1726, a book was published, entitled, &#8220;The
+genuine Letters of Mary Queen of Scots, to James Earl of Bothwell, found
+in his Secretary&#8217;s Closet after his Decease, and now in the Possession of
+a Gentleman at Oxford. Translated from the French by Edward Simmons, late
+of Christ-Church College, Oxford.&#8221; These had only to be read, to be seen
+to be fabrications. Yet so late as the year 1824, a compilation was
+published by Dr Hugh Campbell, containing, among other things, eleven
+letters, which the Doctor thought were original love-letters of the Queen
+to Bothwell, although, with a very trifling variation, they were the same
+as those published in 1726; only, not being described as translations, and
+being written in comparatively modern English, which Mary never could
+write, they bear still more evidently the stamp of forgery. This is put
+beyond a doubt, by a short Examination of them, published by Murray,
+London, 1825, and entitled, &#8220;A Detection of the Love-Letters, lately
+attributed, in Hugh Campbell&#8217;s Work, to Mary Queen of Scots; wherein his
+Plagiarisms are proved, and his fictions fixed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_258' id='f_258' href='#fna_258'>[258]</a> Whittaker, vol. ii. p. 79.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_259' id='f_259' href='#fna_259'>[259]</a> Goodall, vol. i. p. 79&mdash;Laing, vol. i. p. 209.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_260' id='f_260' href='#fna_260'>[260]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 342.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_261' id='f_261' href='#fna_261'>[261]</a> Jebb, vol. ii. 244.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_262' id='f_262' href='#fna_262'>[262]</a> Camden, p. 143.&mdash;Tytler, vol. i. p. 101.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_263' id='f_263' href='#fna_263'>[263]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 31.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_264' id='f_264' href='#fna_264'>[264]</a> It is proper to state, that Robertson has considered this argument
+at some length; and though he has not overturned, he has certainly
+invalidated the strength of the evidence adduced by Goodall in support of
+it.&mdash;Goodall, vol. i. p. 118.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. i. p. 383.&mdash;Chalmers, vol.
+ii. p. 375.&mdash;Laing, vol. i. p. 315.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_265' id='f_265' href='#fna_265'>[265]</a> Whittaker, vol. i. p. 332.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_266' id='f_266' href='#fna_266'>[266]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 64 &amp; 67.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_267' id='f_267' href='#fna_267'>[267]</a> Whittaker, vol. i. p. 408.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_268' id='f_268' href='#fna_268'>[268]</a> Goodall, vol. ii. p. 51.</p>
+
+<p><a name='f_269' id='f_269' href='#fna_269'>[269]</a> Regarding these sonnets, the curious reader may consult Whittaker,
+vol. iii. p. 55.&mdash;Stuart, vol. i. p. 395.&mdash;Jebb, vol. ii. p. 481&mdash;and
+Laing, vol. i. p. 230. 347. 349. and 368. For remarks on the
+marriage-contracts, see Goodall, vol. ii. p. 54 &amp; 56, and vol. i. p.
+126.&mdash;Whittaker, vol. i, p. 392, and Stuart, vol, i. p. 397.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II
+(of 2), by Henry Glassford Bell
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL II ***
+
+***** This file should be named 37059-h.htm or 37059-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/7/0/5/37059/
+
+Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
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+
+
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+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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@@ -0,0 +1,8870 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II (of
+2), by Henry Glassford Bell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II (of 2)
+
+Author: Henry Glassford Bell
+
+Release Date: August 13, 2011 [EBook #37059]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian
+Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  _Just Published, 3 Vols. post 8vo,
+  Price 1l. 4s. boards,_
+
+  THE LAIRDS OF FIFE.
+
+  VELUTI IN SPECULUM.
+
+  PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO., EDINBURGH;
+  AND HURST, CHANCE & CO., LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+VOL. II.
+
+
+
+
+  CONSTABLE'S MISCELLANY OF
+  Original and Selected Publications
+  IN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF
+  LITERATURE SCIENCE, & THE ARTS.
+
+  VOL. XXV.
+
+  LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, VOL. II.
+
+  [Illustration: LOCHLEVEN CASTLE.
+
+  Drawn by W. Brown     Engraved by W. Miller]
+
+  EDINBURGH:
+  PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO. EDINBURGH:
+  AND HURST, CHANCE & CO. LONDON.
+
+  1828.
+
+
+
+
+  LIFE OF
+  MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+  BY HENRY GLASSFORD BELL, ESQ.
+
+  IN TWO VOLUMES.
+
+  VOL. II.
+
+
+  "AYEZ MEMOIRE DE L'AME ET DE L'HONNEUR DE
+  CELLE QUI A ESTE VOTRE ROYNE."
+                          _Mary's own Words._
+
+
+  EDINBURGH:
+  PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO. EDINBURGH;
+  AND HURST, CHANCE & CO. LONDON.
+
+  1828.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
+
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+  CHAPTER I.
+    The Proposal of a Divorce between Mary and Darnley, and the
+    Christening of James VI                                            1
+
+  CHAPTER II.
+    Occurrences immediately preceding Darnley's Death                 19
+
+  CHAPTER III.
+    The Death of Darnley                                              37
+
+  CHAPTER IV.
+    Bothwell's Trial and Acquittal                                    55
+
+  CHAPTER V.
+    Bothwell's Seizure of the Queen's Person, and subsequent
+    Marriage to her                                                   77
+
+  CHAPTER VI.
+    The Rebellion of the Nobles, the Meeting at Carberry Hill,
+    and its Consequences                                              99
+
+  CHAPTER VII.
+    Mary at Loch-Leven, her Abdication, and Murray's Regency         120
+
+  CHAPTER VIII.
+    Mary's Escape from Loch-Leven, and the Battle of Langside        147
+
+  CHAPTER IX.
+    Mary's Reception in England, and the Conferences at York
+    and Westminster                                                  161
+
+  CHAPTER X.
+    Mary's Eighteen Years' Captivity                                 191
+
+  CHAPTER XI.
+    Mary's Trial and Condemnation                                    219
+
+  CHAPTER XII.
+    Mary's Death, and Character                                      245
+
+  An Examination of the Letters, Sonnets, and other Writings,
+  adduced in Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots                    267
+
+  Addendum                                                           335
+
+
+
+
+ERRATA IN VOL. I.
+
+
+Preface, p. v, for "_eminent_," read "_imminent_."
+
+Page 104, for "_On the 25th of August 1561, Mary sailed out of the harbour
+of Calais_," read "_on the 15th of August_," &c.
+
+Page 155, for "_knapsack_," read "_knapscap_."
+
+
+
+
+LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE PROPOSAL OF A DIVORCE BETWEEN MARY AND DARNLEY, AND THE CHRISTENING OF
+JAMES VI.
+
+
+It was in December 1566, during Mary's residence at Craigmillar, that a
+proposal was made to her by her Privy Council, which deserves particular
+attention. It originated with the Earl of Bothwell, who was now an active
+Cabinet Minister and Officer of State. Murray and Darnley, the only two
+persons in her kingdom to whom Mary had been willing to surrender, in a
+great degree, the reins of government, had deceived her; and finding her
+interests betrayed by them, she knew not where to look for an adviser.
+Rizzio had been faithful to her, and to him she listened with some
+deference; but it was impossible that he could ever have supplied the
+place of a Prime Minister. The Earl of Morton was not destitute of
+ambition sufficient to have made him aspire to that office; but he chose,
+unfortunately for himself, to risk his advancement in espousing Darnley's
+cause, in opposition to the Queen. Both, in consequence, fell into
+suspicion; Morton was banished from Court, and Murray again made his
+appearance there. But, though she still had a partiality for her brother,
+Mary could not now trust him, as she had once done. Gratitude and common
+justice called upon her not to elevate him above those men, (particularly
+Huntly and Bothwell), who had enabled her to pass so successfully through
+her recent troubles. She made it her policy, therefore, to preserve as
+nice a balance of power as possible among her ministers. Bothwell's rank
+and services, undoubtedly entitled him to the first place; but this the
+Queen did not choose to concede to him. The truth is, she had never any
+partiality for Bothwell. His turbulent and boisterous behaviour, soon
+after her return from France, gave her, at that period, a dislike to him,
+which she testified, by first committing him to prison, and afterwards
+ordering him into banishment. He had conducted himself better since his
+recall; but experience had taught Mary the deceitfulness of appearances;
+and Bothwell, though much more listened to than before, was not allowed to
+assume any tone of superiority in her councils. She restored Maitland to
+his lands and place at Court, in such direct opposition to the Earl's
+wishes, that, so recently as the month of August (1566), he and Murray
+came to very high words upon the subject in the Queen's presence. After
+Rizzio's murder, some part of Maitland's lands had been given to Bothwell.
+These Murray wished him to restore; but he declared positively, that he
+would part with them only with his life. Murray, enraged at his obstinacy,
+told him, that "twenty as honest men as he should lose their lives, ere he
+saw Lethington robbed;" and through his influence with his sister,
+Maitland was pardoned, and his lands given back.[1] Thus Mary endeavoured
+to divide her favours and friendship among Murray, Bothwell, Maitland,
+Argyle the Justice-General, and Huntly the Chancellor.
+
+It was in this state of affairs, when the contending interests of the
+nobility were in so accurate an equilibrium, that Bothwell's daring spirit
+suggested to him, that there was an opening for one bold and ambitious
+enough to take advantage of it. As yet, his plans were immatured and
+confused; but he began to cherish the belief that a dazzling reach of
+power was within his grasp, were he only to lie in wait for a favourable
+opportunity to seize the prize. With these views, it was necessary for him
+to strengthen and increase his resources as much as possible. His first
+step was to prevail on Murray, Huntly, and Argyle, about the beginning of
+October, to join with him in a bond of mutual friendship and support;[2]
+his second was to lay aside any enmity he may have felt towards Morton,
+and to intimate to him, that he would himself petition the Queen for his
+recall; his third and boldest measure, was that of arranging with the rest
+of the Privy Council the propriety of suggesting to Mary a divorce from
+her husband. Bothwell's conscience seldom troubled him much when he had a
+favourite end in view. He was about to play a hazardous game; but if the
+risk was great, the glory of winning would be proportionate. Darnley had
+fallen into general neglect and odium; yet he stood directly in the path
+of the Earl's ambition. He was resolved that means should be found to
+remove him out of it; and as there was no occasion to have recourse to
+violence until gentler methods had failed, a divorce was the first
+expedient of which he thought. He knew that the proposal would not be
+disagreeable to the nobility; for it had been their policy, for some time
+back, to endeavour to persuade the nation at large, and Mary in
+particular, that it was Darnley's ill conduct that made her unhappy, and
+created all the differences which existed. Nor were these representations
+altogether unfounded; but the Queen's unhappiness arose, not so much from
+her husband's ingratitude, as from the impossibility of retaining his
+regard, and at the same time discharging her duty to the country. Though
+the nobles were determined to shut their eyes upon the fact, it was
+nevertheless the share which they held in the government, and the
+necessity under which Mary lay to avail herself of their assistance, which
+alone prevented her from being much more with her husband, and a great
+deal less with them. There were even times, when, perplexed by all the
+thousand cares of greatness, and grievously disappointed in the fulfilment
+of her most fondly cherished hopes, Mary would gladly have exchanged the
+splendors of her palace for the thatched roof and the contentment of the
+peasant. It was on more than one occasion that Sir James Melville heard
+her "casting great sighs, and saw that she would not eat for no persuasion
+that my Lords of Murray and Mar could make her." "She is in the hands of
+the physicians," Le Croc writes from Craigmillar, "and is not at all well.
+I believe the principal part of her disease to consist in a deep grief and
+sorrow, which it seems impossible to make her forget. She is continually
+exclaiming "Would I were dead!"[3] "But, alas!" says Melville, "she had
+over evil company about her for the time; the Earl Bothwell had a mark of
+his own that he shot at."[4]
+
+One of his bolts Bothwell lost no time in shooting; but it missed the
+mark. By undertaking to sue with them for Morton's pardon, and by making
+other promises, he prevailed on Murray, Huntly, Argyle and Lethington, to
+join him in advising the Queen to consent to a divorce. It could have been
+obtained only through the interference of the Pope, and Murray at first
+affected to have some religious scruples; but as the suggestion was
+secretly agreeable to him, it was not difficult to overcome his
+objections. "Take you no trouble," said Lethington to him, "we shall find
+the means well enough to make her quit of him, so that you and my Lord of
+Huntly will only behold the matter, and not be offended thereat." The
+Lords therefore proceeded to wait upon the Queen, and lay their proposal
+before her. Lethington, who had a better command of words than any among
+them, commenced by reminding her of the "great number of grievous and
+intolerable offences, the King, ungrateful for the honour received from
+her Majesty, had committed." He added, that Darnley "troubled her Grace
+and them all;" and that, if he was allowed to remain with her Majesty, he
+"would not cease till he did her some other evil turn which she would find
+it difficult to remedy." He then proceeded to suggest a divorce,
+undertaking for himself and the rest of the nobility, to obtain the
+consent of Parliament to it, provided she would agree to pardon the Earl
+of Morton, the Lords Ruthven and Lindsay, and their friends, whose aid
+they would require to secure a majority. But Lethington, and the rest,
+soon found that they had little understood Mary's real sentiments towards
+her husband. She would not at first agree even to talk upon the subject at
+all; and it was only after "every one of them endeavoured particularly to
+bring her to the purpose," that she condescended to state two objections,
+which, setting aside every other consideration, she regarded as
+insuperable. The first was, that she did not understand how the divorce
+could be made lawfully; and the second, that it would be to her son's
+prejudice, rather than hurt whom, she declared she "would endure all
+torments." Bothwell endeavoured to take up the argument, and to do away
+with the force of these objections, alleging, that though his father and
+mother had been divorced, there had never been any doubt as to his
+succession to his paternal estates; but his illustrations and
+Lethington's oratory met with the same success. Mary answered firmly, "I
+will that you do nothing, by which any spot may be laid on my honour and
+conscience; and therefore, I pray ye rather let the matter be in the
+estate as it is, abiding till God of his goodness put a remedy to it. That
+you believe would do me service, may possibly turn to my hurt and
+displeasure." As to Darnley, she expressed a hope that he would soon
+change for the better; and, prompted by the ardent desire she felt to get
+rid, for a season, of her many cares, she said she would perhaps go for a
+time to France, and remain there till her husband acknowledged his errors.
+She then dismissed Bothwell and his friends, who retired to meditate new
+plots.[5]
+
+On the 11th of December, Mary proceeded to Stirling, to make the necessary
+arrangements for the baptism of her son, which she determined to celebrate
+with the pomp and magnificence his future prospects justified. Darnley,
+who had been with the Queen a week at Craigmillar Castle, and afterwards
+came into Edinburgh with her, had gone to Stirling two days before.[6]
+Ambassadors had arrived from England, France, Piedmont, and Savoy, to be
+present at the ceremony. The Pope also had proposed sending a nuncio into
+Scotland; but Mary had good sense enough to know, that her bigoted
+subjects would be greatly offended, were she to receive any such servant
+of Antichrist. It may have occurred to her, besides, that his presence
+might facilitate the negotiations for the divorce proposed by her
+nobility, but which she was determined should not take place. She,
+therefore, wrote to the great spiritual Head of her Church, expressing all
+that respect for his authority which a good Catholic was bound to feel;
+but she, at the same time, contrived to prevent his nuncio, Cardinal
+Laurea, from coming further north than Paris.[7]
+
+The splendour of Mary's preparations for the approaching ceremony,
+astonished not a little the sober minds of the Presbyterians. "The
+excessive expenses and superfluous apparel," says Knox, "which were
+prepared at that time, exceeded far all the preparations that ever had
+been devised or set forth before in this country." Elizabeth, as if
+participating in Mary's maternal feelings, ordered the Earl of Bedford,
+her ambassador, to appear at Stirling with a very gorgeous train; and sent
+by him as a present for Mary a font of gold, valued at upwards of 1000_l._
+In her instructions to Bedford, she desired him to say jocularly, that it
+had been made as soon as she heard of the Prince's birth, and that it was
+large enough then; but that, as he had now, she supposed, outgrown it, it
+might be kept for the next child. It was too far in the season to admit of
+Elizabeth's sending any of the Ladies of her own realm into Scotland;
+she, therefore, fixed on the Countess of Argyle to represent her as
+godmother, preferring that lady, because she understood her to be much
+esteemed by Mary. To meet the extraordinary expenditure occasioned by
+entertaining so many ambassadors, the Queen was permitted to levy an
+assessment of 12,000_l._ It may appear strange, how a taxation of this
+kind could be imposed without the consent of Parliament; but it was
+managed thus. The Privy Council called a meeting both of the Lords
+Temporal and Spiritual, and of the representatives of the boroughs, and
+informed them that some of the greatest princes in Christendom had
+requested permission to witness, through their ambassadors, the baptism of
+the Prince. It was therefore moved, and unanimously carried, that their
+Majesties should be allowed to levy a tax for "the honourable expenses
+requisite." The tax was to be proportioned in this way; six thousand
+pounds from the spiritual estate;--four thousand from the barons and
+freeholders;--and two thousand from the boroughs.[8]
+
+Till the ceremony of baptism took place, the Queen gave splendid banquets
+every day to the ambassadors and their suites. At one of these a slight
+disturbance occurred, which, as it serves to illustrate amusingly the
+manners of the times, is worth describing. There seems to have been some
+little jealousy between the English and French envoys upon matters of
+precedence; and Mary on the whole was inclined to favour the English,
+being now more connected with England than with France. It happened,
+however, that at the banquet in question, a kind of mummery was got up,
+under the superintendance of one of Mary's French servants, called
+Sebastian, who was a fellow of a clever wit. He contrived a piece of
+workmanship, in the shape of a great table; and its machinery was so
+ingeniously arranged, that, upon the doors of the great hall in which the
+feast was to be held, being thrown open, it moved in, apparently of its
+own accord, covered with delicacies of all sorts. A band of musicians,
+clothed like maidens, singing and accompanying themselves on various
+instruments, surrounded the pageant. It was preceded, and this was the
+cause of the offence, by a number of men, dressed like satyrs, with long
+tails, and carrying whips in their hands. These satyrs were not content to
+ride round the table, but they put their hands behind them to their tails,
+wagging them in the faces of the Englishmen, who took it into their heads
+that the whole was done in derision of them, "daftly apprehending that
+which they should not seem to have understood." Several of the suite of
+the Earl of Bedford, perceiving themselves thus mocked, as they thought,
+and the satyrs "wagging their tails or rumples," were so exasperated, that
+one of them told Sir James Melville, if it were not in the Queen's
+presence, "he would put a dagger to the heart of the French knave
+Sebastian, whom he alleged did it for despite that the Queen made more of
+them than of the Frenchmen." The Queen and Bedford, who knew that the
+whole was a mere jest, had some trouble in allaying the wrath of the
+hot-headed Southerns.
+
+In the midst of these festivities, Mary had various cares to perplex her,
+and various difficulties to encounter. When she first came to Stirling,
+she found that Darnley had not chosen to go, as usual, to the Castle, but
+was residing in a private house. He left it, however, upon the Queen's
+arrival, and took up his residence in the Castle with her,--a fact of some
+consequence, and one which Murray has himself supplied.[9] But Darnley's
+sentiments towards Mary's ministers, continued unchanged; and it was
+impossible to prevail upon them to act and associate together, with any
+degree of harmony, even in presence of the ambassadors. Mary was extremely
+anxious to prevent her husband from exposing his weakness and waywardness
+to foreigners; but he was as stubborn as ever; and though he had given up
+thoughts of going abroad, it was only because he hoped to put into
+execution some new plot at home. Surrounded by gayeties, he continued
+sullen and discontented, shutting himself up in his own apartment, and
+associating with no one, except his wife and the French envoy, Le Croc,
+for whom he had contracted a sort of friendship. To heighten his bad
+humour, Elizabeth, according to Camden, had forbidden Bedford, or any of
+his retinue, to give him the title of King. The anger inspired by his
+contempt of her authority, on the occasion of his marriage, had not yet
+subsided; and there is not a state paper extant, in which she acknowledges
+Darnley in other terms than as "Henry Stuart, the Queen of Scotland's
+husband." It seems likely that this, added to the other reasons already
+mentioned, was the cause why Darnley refused to be present at the
+christening of his son.[10] Mary had another cause of vexation. The
+baptism was to be performed after the Catholic ritual, and the greater
+part of her nobility, in consequence, not only refused to take any share
+in the ceremony, but even to be present at it. All Mary's influence with
+Murray, Huntly, and Bothwell, was exerted in vain. They did not choose to
+risk their character with the Reformers, to gratify her. "The Queen
+laboured much," says Knox, "with the noblemen, to bear the salt, grease,
+and candles, and such other things, but all refused."
+
+On the 19th of December 1566, the baptism, for which so many preparations
+had been made, took place.[11] The ceremony was performed between five and
+six in the afternoon. The Earls of Athol and Eglinton, and the Lords
+Semple and Ross, being of the Catholic persuasion, carried the
+instruments. The Archbishop of St Andrews, assisted by the Bishops of
+Dumblane, Dunkeld, and Ross, received the Prince at the door of the
+chapel. The Countess of Argyle held the infant at the font, and the
+Archbishop baptized him by the name of Charles James, James Charles,
+Prince and Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of
+the Isles, and Baron of Renfrew; and these names and titles were
+proclaimed three times by heralds, with sound of trumpet. Mary called her
+son Charles, in compliment to the King of France, her brother-in-law; but
+she gave him also the name of James, because, as she said, her father, and
+all the good kings of Scotland, his predecessors, had been called by that
+name. The Scottish nobles of the Protestant persuasion, together with the
+Earl of Bedford, remained at the door of the chapel; and the Countess of
+Argyle had afterwards to do penance for the share she took in the business
+of the day,--a circumstance which shows very forcibly the power of the
+clergy at this time, who were able to triumph over a Queen's
+representative, a King's daughter, and their Sovereign's sister. It is
+also worthy of notice, that of the twelve Earls, and numerous Lords then
+in the castle, only two of the former, and three of the latter, ventured
+to cross the threshold of a Catholic chapel.[12]
+
+Elizabeth was probably not far wrong, in supposing that her font had grown
+too small for the infant James. He was a remarkably stout and healthy
+child, and as Le Croc says, he made his gossips feel his weight in their
+arms. Mary was very proud of her son, and from his earliest infancy, the
+establishment of his household was on the most princely scale. The Lady
+Mar was his governess. A certain Mistress Margaret Little, the spouse of
+Alexander Gray, Burgess of Edinburgh, was his head-nurse; and for her good
+services, there was granted to her and her husband, in February 1567, part
+of the lands of Kingsbarns in Fife, during their lives. The chief nurse
+had four or five women under her, "Keepers of the King's clothes," &c.
+Five ladies of distinction were appointed to the honourable office of
+"Rockers" of the Prince's cradle. For his kitchen, James, at the same
+early age, had a master-cook, a foreman, and three other servitors, and
+one for his pantry, one for his wine, and two for his ale-cellar. He had
+three "chalmer-chields," one "furnisher of coals," and one pastry-cook or
+confectioner. Five musicians or "violars," as they are called, completed
+the number of his household. To fill so many mouths, there was a fixed
+allowance of provisions, consisting of bread, beef, veal, mutton, capons,
+chickens, pigeons, fish, pottages, wine and ale. Thus, upon the life of
+the infant, the comfortable support of a reasonable number of his subjects
+depended.[13]
+
+The captivating grace and affability of Mary's manners, won for her, upon
+the baptismal occasion, universal admiration. She sent home the
+ambassadors with the most favourable impressions, which were not less
+loudly proclaimed, because she enriched them, before they went, with gifts
+of value. To Bedford, in particular, she gave a chain of diamonds, worth
+about six or seven hundred pounds. To other individuals of his suite, she
+gave chains of pearl, rings, and pictures.[14] But she was all the time
+making an effort to appear happier and more contented than she really was.
+"She showed so much earnestness," says Le Croc, "to entertain all the
+goodly company, in the best manner, that this made her forget, in a good
+measure, her former ailments. But I am of the mind, however, that she will
+give us some trouble as yet; nor can I be brought to think otherwise, so
+long as she continues to be so pensive and melancholy. She sent for me
+yesterday, and I found her laid on the bed weeping sore. I am much grieved
+for the many troubles and vexations she meets with." Mary did not weep
+without cause. One source of uneasiness, at the present moment, was the
+determination of her ministers to force from her a pardon for the Earl of
+Morton, and seventy-five of his accomplices. As some one has remarked, her
+whole reign was made up of plots and pardons. Her chief failing indeed,
+was the facility with which she allowed herself to be persuaded to
+forgive the deadliest injuries which could be offered to her. Murray, from
+the representations he had made through Cecil, had induced Elizabeth to
+desire Bedford to join his influence to that of Mary's Privy Council in
+behalf of Morton. The consequence was, that the Queen could no longer
+resist their united importunities, and, with two exceptions, all the
+conspirators against Rizzio were pardoned. These exceptions were, George
+Douglas, who had seized the King's dagger, and struck Rizzio the first
+blow; and Andrew Kerr, who, in the affray, had threatened to shoot the
+Queen herself. Robertson, with great inaccuracy, has said, that it was to
+the solicitations of Bothwell alone that these criminals were indebted for
+their recall. It would have been long before Bothwell, whose weight with
+Mary was never considerable, could have obtained, unassisted, her consent
+to such a measure; and the truth of this assertion is proved by the
+clearest and directest testimony. In a letter which Bedford wrote to Cecil
+on the 30th of December, we meet with the following passage:--"The Queen
+here hath now granted to the Earl of Morton, to the Lords Ruthven and
+Lindsay, their relaxation and pardon.[15] _The Earl of Murray hath done
+very friendly towards the Queen for them, so have I, according to your
+advice_; the Earls Bothwell and Athol, and all other Lords _helped_
+therein, or else such pardons could not so soon have been gotten."[16] It
+is no doubt true, that Bothwell was glad of this opportunity to
+ingratiate himself with Morton, and that, in the words of Melville, he
+"packed up a quiet friendship with him;"--but it is strange that Robertson
+should have been so ignorant of the real influence which secured a
+remission of their offences from Mary.
+
+Darnley was of course greatly offended that any of his former accomplices
+should be received again into favour. They would return only to force him
+a few steps farther down the ladder, to the top of which he had so eagerly
+desired to climb. They were recalled too at the very time when he had it
+in contemplation, according to common report, to seize on the person of
+the young Prince, and, after crowning him, to take upon himself the
+government as his father. Whether this report was true or not, (and
+perhaps it was a belief in it which induced the Queen to remove shortly
+afterwards from Stirling to Edinburgh), it is certain that Darnley
+declared he "could not bear with some of the noblemen that were attending
+in the Court, and that either he or they behoved to leave the same."[17]
+He accordingly left Stirling on the 24th of December, the very day on
+which Morton's pardon was signed, to visit his father at Glasgow. But it
+was not with Mary he had quarrelled, with whom he had been living for the
+last ten days, and whom he intended rejoining in Edinburgh, as soon as she
+had paid some Christmas visits in the neighbourhood of Stirling.[18]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+OCCURRENCES IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING DARNLEY'S DEATH.
+
+
+We are now about to enter upon a part of Mary's history, more important in
+its results, and more interesting in its details, than all that has gone
+before. A deed had been determined on, which, for audacity and villany,
+has but few parallels in either ancient or modern story. The manner of its
+perpetration, and the consequences which ensued, not only threw Scotland
+into a ferment, but astonished the whole of Europe; and, even to this day,
+the amazement and horror it excited, continue to be felt, whenever that
+page of our national history is perused which records the event. Ambition
+has led to the commission of many crimes; but, fortunately for the great
+interests of society, it is only in a few instances, of which the present
+is one of the most conspicuous, that it has been able to involve in
+misery, the innocent as well as the guilty. But, even where this is the
+case, time rescues the virtuous from unmerited disgrace, and, causing the
+mantle of mystery to moulder away, enables us to point out, on one hand,
+those who have been unjustly accused, and, on the other, those who were
+both the passive conspirators and the active murderers. A plain narrative
+of facts, told without violence or party-spirit, is that upon which most
+reliance will be placed, and which will be most likely to advance the
+cause of truth by correcting the mistakes of the careless, and exposing
+the falsehoods of the calumnious.
+
+The Earl of Bothwell was now irrevocably resolved to push his fortunes to
+the utmost. He acted, for the time, in conjunction with the Earl of
+Murray, though independently of him, using his name and authority to
+strengthen his own influence, but communicating to the scarcely less
+ambitious Murray only as much of his plans as he thought he might disclose
+with safety. Bothwell was probably the only Scottish baron of the age over
+whom Murray does not appear ever to have had any control. His character,
+indeed, was not one which would have brooked control. On Mary's return
+home, so soon as he perceived the ascendancy which her brother possessed
+over her, he entered into a conspiracy with Huntly and others, to remove
+him. The conspiracy failed, and Bothwell left the kingdom. He was not
+recalled till Murray had fallen into disgrace; and though the Earl was
+subsequently pardoned, he never regained that superiority in Mary's
+councils he had once enjoyed. But Bothwell hoped to secure the distinction
+for himself; and, that he might not lose it as Murray had done, after it
+was once gained, he daringly aimed at becoming not merely a prime
+minister, but a king. The historians, therefore, (among whom are to be
+included many of Mary's most zealous defenders), who speak of Bothwell as
+only a "cat's-paw" in the hands of Murray and his party, evidently
+mistake both the character of the men, and the positions they relatively
+held. Murray and Bothwell had both considerable influence at Court; but
+there was no yielding on the part of either to the higher authority of the
+other, and the Queen herself endeavoured, upon all occasions, to act
+impartially between them. We have found her frequently granting the
+requests of Murray in opposition to the advice of Bothwell; and there is
+no reason to suppose, that, when she saw cause, she may not have followed
+the advice of her Lord High Admiral, in preference to that of her brother.
+A circumstance which occurred only a few days after the baptism of James
+VI., strikingly illustrates the justice of these observations. It is the
+more deserving of attention, as the spirit of partiality, which has been
+unfortunately so busy in giving an erroneous colouring even to Mary's most
+trifling transactions, has not forgotten to misrepresent that to which we
+now refer.
+
+Darnley's death being resolved, Bothwell began to consider how he was to
+act after it had taken place. He probably made arrangements for various
+contingencies, and trusted to the chapter of accidents, or his own
+ingenuity, to assist him in others. But there was one thing certain, that
+he could never become the legal husband of Mary, so long as he continued
+united to his own wife, the Lady Jane Gordon. Anticipating, therefore, the
+necessity of a divorce, and aware that the emergency of the occasion might
+not permit of his waiting for all the ordinary forms of law, he used his
+interest with the Queen at a time when his real motives were little
+suspected, to revive the ancient jurisdiction of the Catholic
+Consistorial Courts, which had been abolished by the Reformed Parliament
+of 1560, and the ordinary civil judges of Commissary Courts established in
+their place. In accordance with his request, Mary restored the Archbishop
+of St Andrews, the Primate of Scotland, to the ancient Consistorial
+Jurisdiction, granted him by the Canon laws, and discharged the
+Commissaries from the further exercise of their offices. Thus, Bothwell
+not only won the friendship of the Archbishop, but secured for himself a
+court, where the Catholic plea of consanguinity might be advanced,--the
+only plausible pretext he could make use of for annulling his former
+marriage. This proceeding, however, in favour of the Archbishop and the
+old faith, gave great offence to the Reformed party; and when the Primate
+came from St Andrews to Edinburgh, at the beginning of January, for the
+purpose of holding his court, his authority was very strenuously resisted.
+The Earl of Murray took up the subject, and represented to Mary the injury
+she had done to the true religion. Bothwell, of course, used every effort
+to counteract the force of such a representation; but he was unsuccessful.
+By a letter which the Earl of Bedford wrote to Cecil from Berwick, on the
+9th of January 1567, we learn that the Archbishop was not allowed to
+proceed to the hearing of cases, and that "because it was found to be
+contrary to the religion, and therefore not liked of by the townsmen; _at
+the suit of my Lord of Murray_, the Queen was pleased to revoke that which
+she had before granted to the said bishop." Probably the grant of
+jurisdiction was not "revoked," but only suspended, as Bothwell
+subsequently availed himself of it; but even its suspension sufficiently
+testifies, that Mary, at this period, listened implicitly and exclusively
+neither to one nor other of her counsellors.[19]
+
+In the meantime, Darnley, who, as we have seen, left Stirling for Glasgow
+on the 24th of December, had been taken dangerously ill. Historians differ
+a good deal concerning the nature of his illness, which is by some
+confidently asserted to have been occasioned by poison, administered to
+him either before he left Stirling, or on the road, by servants, who had
+been bribed by Bothwell; and by others is as confidently affirmed to have
+been the small-pox, a complaint then prevalent in Glasgow. On the whole,
+the latter opinion seems to be the best supported, as it is confirmed by
+the authority both of the English ambassador, and of the cotemporary
+historians, Lesley and Blackwood. Knox, Buchanan, Melville, Crawford,
+Birrell and others, mention, on the other hand, that the belief was
+prevalent, that the King's sickness was the effect of poison. But as the
+only evidence offered in support of this popular rumour is, that "blisters
+broke out of a bluish colour over every part of his body," and as this may
+have been the symptoms of small-pox as well as of poison, the story does
+not seem well authenticated. Besides, in the letter which Mary is alleged
+to have written a week or two afterwards to Bothwell from Glasgow, she is
+made to say that Darnley told her he was ill of the small-pox. Whether the
+letter be a forgery or not, this paragraph would not have been introduced,
+unless it had contained what was then known to be the fact.
+
+Be this matter as it may, it is of more importance to correct a mistake
+into which Robertson has not unwillingly fallen, regarding the neglect and
+indifference with which he maintains Mary treated her husband, during the
+earlier part of his sickness. We learn, in the first place, by Bedford's
+letter to Cecil, already mentioned, that as soon as Mary heard of
+Darnley's illness, she sent her own physician to attend him.[20] And, in
+the second place, it appears, that it was some time before Darnley's
+complaint assumed a serious complexion; but that, whenever Mary understood
+he was considered in danger, she immediately set out to visit him. "The
+Queen," says Crawford, "was no sooner informed of his danger, than she
+hasted after him."--"As soon as the rumour of his sickness gained
+strength," says Turner (or Barnestaple), "the Queen flew to him, thinking
+more of the person to whom she flew, than of the danger which she herself
+incurred."--"Being advertised," observes Lesley, "that Darnley was
+repentant and sorrowful, she without delay, thereby to renew, quicken, and
+refresh his spirits, and to comfort his heart to the amendment and
+repairing of his health, lately by sickness sore impaired, hasted with
+such speed as she conveniently might, to see and visit him at Glasgow."
+Thus, Robertson's insinuation falls innocuous to the ground.
+
+It was on the 13th of January 1567 that Mary returned from Stirling to
+Edinburgh, having spent the intermediate time, from the 27th of December,
+in paying visits to Sir William Murray, the Comptroller of her household,
+at Tullibardin, and to Lord Drummond at Drummond Castle. As is somewhere
+remarked, "every moment now begins to be critical, and every minuteness
+and specific caution becomes necessary for ascertaining the truth, and
+guarding against slander." The probability is, that Bothwell was not with
+Mary either at Tullibardin or Drummond Castle. Meetings of her Privy
+Council were held by her on the 2d and 10th of January; and it appears by
+the Register, that Bothwell was not present at any of them. Chalmers is of
+opinion, that, during the early part of January he must have been at
+Dunbar, making his preparations, and arranging a meeting with Morton. When
+the Queen arrived at Edinburgh on the 13th, she lodged her son, whom she
+brought with her, in Holyroodhouse. A few days afterwards, she set out
+for Glasgow to see her husband. Her calumniators, on the supposition that
+she had previously quarrelled with Darnley, affect to discover something
+very forced and unnatural in this visit. But _Mary had never quarrelled
+with Darnley_. He had quarrelled with her ministers, and had been enraged
+at the failure of his own schemes of boyish ambition, but against his wife
+he had himself frequently declared he had no cause of complaint. Mary, on
+her part, had always shown herself more grieved by Darnley's waywardness
+than angry at it. Only a day or two before going to Glasgow, she said
+solemnly, in a letter she wrote to her ambassador at Paris,--"As for the
+King, our husband, God knows always our part towards him."--"God willing,
+our doings shall be always such as none shall have occasion to be offended
+with them, or to report of us any way but honourably."[21] So far,
+therefore, from there being any thing uncommon or forced in her journey to
+Glasgow, nothing could be more natural, or more likely to have taken
+place. "Darnley's danger," observes Dr Gilbert Stuart, with the simple
+eloquence of truth, "awakened all the gentleness of her nature, and she
+forgot the wrongs she had endured. Time had abated the vivacity of her
+resentment, and after its paroxysm was past, she was more disposed to weep
+over her afflictions, than to indulge herself in revenge. The softness of
+grief prepared her for a returning tenderness. His distresses effected it.
+Her memory shut itself to his errors and imperfections, and was only open
+to his better qualities and accomplishments. He himself, affected with
+the near prospect of death, thought, with sorrow, of the injuries he had
+committed against her. The news of his repentance was sent to her. She
+recollected the ardour of that affection he had lighted up in her bosom,
+and the happiness with which she had surrendered herself to him in the
+bloom and ripeness of her beauty. Her infant son, the pledge of their
+love, being continually in her sight, inspirited her sensibilities. The
+plan of lenity which she had previously adopted with regard to him; her
+design to excite even the approbation of her enemies by the propriety of
+her conduct; the advices of Elizabeth by the Earl of Bedford to entertain
+him with respect; the apprehension lest the royal dignity might suffer any
+diminution by the universal distaste with which he was beheld by her
+subjects, and her certainty and knowledge of the angry passions which her
+chief counsellors had fostered against him--all concurred to divest her
+heart of every sentiment of bitterness, and to melt it down in sympathy
+and sorrow. Yielding to tender and anxious emotions, she left her capital
+and her palace, in the severest season of the year, to wait upon him. Her
+assiduities and kindnesses communicated to him the most flattering
+solacement; and while she lingered about his person with a fond
+solicitude, and a delicate attention, he felt that the sickness of his
+mind and the virulence of his disease were diminished."
+
+On arriving at Glasgow, Mary found her husband convalescent, though weak
+and much reduced. She lodged in the same house with him; but his disease
+being considered infectious, they had separate apartments. Finding that
+his recent approach to the very brink of the grave had exercised a
+salutary influence over his mind and dispositions, and hoping to regain
+his entire confidence, by carefully and affectionately nursing him during
+his recovery, she gladly acceded to the proposal made by Darnley, that she
+should take him back with her to Edinburgh or its vicinity. She suggested
+that he should reside at Craigmillar Castle, as the situation was open and
+salubrious; but for some reason or other, which does not appear, he
+objected to Craigmillar, and the Queen therefore wrote to Secretary
+Maitland to procure convenient accommodation for her husband, in the town
+of Edinburgh.[22] Darnley disliked the Lords of the Privy Council too much
+to think of living at Holyrood; and besides, it was the opinion of the
+physicians, that the young Prince, even though he should not be brought
+into his father's presence, might catch the infection from the servants
+who would be about the persons of both. But when Mary wrote to Maitland,
+she little knew that she was addressing an accomplice of her husband's
+future murderer. The Secretary showed her letter to Bothwell, and they
+mutually determined on recommending to Darnley the house of the
+Kirk-of-Field, which stood on an airy and healthy situation to the south
+of the town, and which, therefore, appeared well suited for an invalid,
+although _they_ preferred it because it stood by itself, in a
+comparatively solitary part of the town.[23] On Monday, January 27th, Mary
+and Darnley left Glasgow. They appear to have travelled in a wheeled
+carriage, and came by slow and easy stages to Edinburgh. They slept on
+Monday night at Callander. They came on Tuesday to Linlithgow, where they
+remained over Wednesday, and arrived in Edinburgh on Thursday.
+
+The Kirk-of-Field, in which, says Melville, "the King was lodged, as a
+place of good air, where he might best recover his health," belonged to
+Robert Balfour, the Provost or head prebendary of the collegiate church of
+St Mary-in-the-Field, so called because it was beyond the city wall when
+first built. When the wall was afterwards extended, it enclosed the
+Kirk-of-Field, as well as the house of the Provost and Prebendaries. The
+Kirk-of-Field with the grounds pertaining to it, occupied the site of the
+present College, and of those buildings which stand between Infirmary and
+Drummond Street. In the extended line of wall, what was afterwards called
+the Potter-row Port, was at first denominated the Kirk-of-Field Port, from
+its vicinity to the church of that name. The wall ran east from this port
+along the south side of the present College, and the north side of
+Drummond Street, where a part of it is still to be seen in its original
+state. The house stood at some distance from the Kirk, and the latter,
+from the period of the Reformation, had fallen into decay. The city had
+not yet stretched in this direction much farther than the Cowgate. Between
+that street and the town wall, were the Dominican Convent of the
+Blackfriars, with its alms-houses for the poor, and gardens, covering the
+site of the present High School and Royal Infirmary,--and the
+Kirk-of-Field and its Provost's residence. The house nearest to it of any
+note was Hamilton House, which belonged to the Duke of Chatelherault, and
+some part of which is still standing in College Wynd.[24] It was at first
+supposed, that Darnley would have taken up his abode there; but the
+families of Lennox and Hamilton were never on such terms as would have
+elicited this mark of friendship from the King. The Kirk-of-Field House
+stood very nearly on the site of the present north-west corner of Drummond
+Street. It fronted the west, having its southern gavel so close upon the
+town-wall, that a little postern door entered immediately through the wall
+into the kitchen. It contained only four apartments; but these were
+commodious, and were fitted up with great care. Below, a small passage
+went through from the front door to the back of the house; upon the right
+hand of which was the kitchen, and upon the left, a room furnished as a
+bedroom, for the Queen, when she chose to remain all night. Passing out at
+the back-door, there was a turnpike stair behind, which, after the old
+fashion of Scottish houses, led up to the second story. Above, there were
+two rooms corresponding with those below. Darnley's chamber was
+immediately over Mary's; and on the other side of the lobby, above the
+kitchen, a "garde-robe" or "little-gallery," which was used as a servant's
+room, and which had a window in the gavel, looking through the town-wall,
+and corresponding with the postern door below. Immediately beyond this
+wall, was a lane shut in by another wall, to the south of which were
+extensive gardens.[25]
+
+During the ten days which Darnley spent in his new residence, Mary was a
+great deal with him, and slept several nights in the room we have
+described below her husband's, this being more agreeable to her, than
+returning at a late hour to Holyrood Palace. Darnley was still much of an
+invalid, and his constitution had received so severe a shock, that every
+attention was necessary during his convalescence. A bath was put up for
+him, in his own room, and he appears to have used it frequently. He had
+been long extremely unpopular, as has been seen, among the nobles; but
+following the example which Mary set them, some were disposed to forget
+their former disagreements, and used to call upon him occasionally, and
+among others, Hamilton, the Archbishop of St Andrews, who came to
+Edinburgh about this time, and lodged hard by in Hamilton house. Mary
+herself, after sitting for hours in her husband's sick-chamber, used
+sometimes to breathe the air in the neighbouring gardens of the Dominican
+convent; and she sometimes brought up from Holyrood her band of musicians,
+who played and sung to her and Darnley. Thus, every thing went on so
+smoothly, that neither the victim nor his friends could in the least
+suspect that they were all treading the brink of a precipice.
+
+Bothwell had taken advantage of Mary's visit to Glasgow, to proceed to
+Whittingham, in the neighbourhood of Dunbar, where he met the Earl of
+Morton, and obtained his consent to Darnley's murder. To conceal his real
+purpose, Bothwell gave out at Edinburgh, that he was going on a journey to
+Liddesdale; but, accompanied by Secretary Maitland, whom he had by this
+time won over to his designs, and the notorious Archibald Douglas, a
+creature of his own, and a relation of Morton, he went direct to
+Whittingham. There, the trio met Morton, who had only recently returned
+from England, and opened to him their plot. Morton heard of the intended
+murder without any desire to prevent its perpetration; but before he would
+agree to take an active share in it, he insisted upon being satisfied that
+the Queen, as Bothwell had the audacity to assert, was willing that
+Darnley should be removed. "I desired the Earl Bothwell," says Morton in
+his subsequent confession, "to bring me the Queen's hand write of this
+matter for a warrant, and then I should give him an answer; otherwise, I
+would not mell (intermeddle) therewith;--which warrant he never purchased
+(procured) unto me."[26] But though Morton, refused to risk an active, he
+had no objections to take a passive part in this conspiracy. Bothwell,
+Maitland, and Douglas, returned to Edinburgh, and he proceeded to St
+Andrews, with the understanding, that Bothwell was to communicate with
+him, and inform him of the progress of the plot. Accordingly, a day or two
+before the murder was committed, Douglas was sent to St Andrews, to let
+Morton know that the affair was near its conclusion. Bothwell, however,
+was well aware that what he had told the Earl regarding the wishes of the
+Queen, was equally false and calumnious. Of all persons in existence, it
+was from her that he most wished to conceal his design; and as for a
+written approval of it, he knew that he might just as well have applied to
+Darnley himself. Douglas was, therefore, commanded to say to Morton,
+evasively, "that the Queen would bear no speech of the matter appointed to
+him." Morton, in consequence, remained quietly in the neighbourhood of St
+Andrews till the deed was done.[27]
+
+The Earl of Murray was another powerful nobleman, who, when the last act
+of this tragedy was about to be performed, withdrew to a careful distance
+from the scene. It is impossible to say whether Murray was all along
+acquainted with Bothwell's intention; there is certainly no direct
+evidence that he was; but there are very considerable probabilities. When
+a divorce was proposed to Mary at Craigmillar, she was told that Murray
+would look through his fingers at it; and this design being frustrated, by
+the Queen's refusal to agree to it, there is every likelihood that
+Bothwell would not conceal from the cabal he had then formed, his
+subsequent determination. That he disclosed it to Morton and Maitland, is
+beyond a doubt; and that Murray again consented "to look through his
+fingers," is all but proved. It is true he was far too cautious and wily a
+politician, to plunge recklessly, like Bothwell, into such a sea of
+dangers and difficulties; but he was no friend to Darnley,--having lost
+through him much of his former power; and however the matter now ended, if
+he remained quiet, he could not suffer any injury, and might gain much
+benefit. If Bothwell prospered, they would unite their interests,--if he
+failed, then Murray would rise upon his ruin. Only three days before the
+murder, the Lord Robert Stuart, Murray's brother, having heard, as
+Buchanan affirms of the designs entertained against Darnley's life,
+mentioned them to the King. Darnley immediately informed Mary, who sent
+for Lord Robert, and in the presence of her husband and the Earl of
+Murray, questioned him on the subject. Lord Robert, afraid of involving
+himself in danger, retracted what he had formerly said, and denied that he
+had ever repeated to Darnley any such report. High words ensued in
+consequence; and even supposing that Murray had before been ignorant of
+Bothwell's schemes, his suspicions must now have been roused. Perceiving
+that the matter was about to be brought to a crisis, he left town abruptly
+upon Sunday, the very last day of Darnley's life, alleging his wife's
+illness at St Andrews, as the cause of his departure. The fact mentioned
+by Lesley, in his "Defence of Queen Mary's Honour," that on the evening
+of this day, Murray said, when riding through Fife, to one of his most
+trusty servants,--"This night, ere morning, the Lord Darnley shall lose
+his life," is a strong corroboration of the supposition that he was well
+informed upon the subject.[28]
+
+There were others, as has been said, whom Bothwell either won over to
+assist him, or persuaded to remain quiet. One of his inferior accomplices
+afterwards declared, that the Earl showed him a bond, to which were
+affixed the signatures of Huntly, Argyle, Maitland, and Sir James Balfour,
+and that the words of the bond were to this effect:--"That for as much as
+it was thought expedient and most profitable for the commonwealth, by the
+whole nobility and Lords undersubscribed, that such a young fool and proud
+tyrant should not reign, nor bear rule over them, for diverse causes,
+therefore, these all had concluded, that he should be put off by one way
+or other, and who-soever should take the deed in hand, or do it, they
+should defend and fortify it as themselves, for it should be every one of
+their own, reckoned and holden done by themselves."[29] To another of his
+accomplices, Bothwell declared that Argyle, Huntly, Morton, Maitland,
+Ruthven, and Lindsay, had promised to support him; and when he was asked
+what part the Earl of Murray would take, his answer was,--"He does not
+wish to intermeddle with it; he does not mean either to aid or hinder
+us."[30]
+
+But whoever his assistants were, it was Bothwell's own lawless ambition
+that suggested the whole plan of proceeding, and whose daring hand was to
+strike the final and decisive blow. Everything was now arranged. His
+retainers were collected round him;--four or five of the most powerful
+ministers of the crown knew of his design, and did not disapprove of
+it;--the nobles then at court were disposed to befriend him, from motives
+either of political interest or personal apprehension;--Darnley and the
+Queen were unsuspicious and unprotected. A kingly crown glittered almost
+within his grasp; he had only to venture across the Rubicon of guilt, to
+place it on his brow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE DEATH OF DARNLEY.
+
+
+It was on Sunday, the 9th of February 1567, that the final preparations
+for the murder of Darnley were made. To execute the guilty deed, Bothwell
+was obliged to avail himself of the assistance of those ready ministers of
+crime, who are always to be found at the beck of a wealthy and depraved
+patron. There were eight unfortunate men whom he thus used as tools with
+which to work his purpose. Four of these were merely menial
+servants;--their names were, Dalgleish, Wilson, Powrie, and Nicolas
+Haubert, more commonly known by the sobriquet of French Paris. He was a
+native of France, and had been a long while in the service of the Earl of
+Bothwell; but on his master's recommendation, who foresaw the advantages
+he might reap from the change, he was taken into the Queen's service
+shortly before her husband's death. Bothwell was thus able to obtain the
+keys of some of the doors of the Kirk-of-Field house, of which he caused
+counterfeit impressions to be taken.[31] The other four who were at the
+"deed-doing," were persons of somewhat more consequence. They were small
+landed proprietors or _lairds_, who had squandered their patrimony in
+idleness and dissipation, and were willing to run the chance of retrieving
+their ruined fortunes at any risk. They were the Laird of Ormiston, Hob
+Ormiston his uncle, "or father's brother," as he is called, John Hepburn
+of Bolton, and John Hay of Tallo. Bothwell wished Maitland, Morton, and
+one or two others, to send some of their servants also to assist in the
+enterprise; but if they ever promised to do so, it does not appear that
+they kept their word. Archibald Douglas, however, who had linked himself
+to the fortunes of Bothwell, was in the immediate neighbourhood with two
+servants, when the crime was perpetrated.[32]
+
+Till within two days of the murder, Bothwell had not made up his mind how
+the King was to be killed. He held various secret meetings with his four
+principal accomplices, at which the plan first proposed was to attack
+Darnley when walking in the gardens adjoining the Kirk-of-Field, which his
+returning health enabled him to visit occasionally when the weather was
+favourable. But the success of this scheme was uncertain, and there was
+every probability that the assassins would be discovered.[33] It was next
+suggested that the house might easily be entered at midnight, and the King
+stabbed in bed. But a servant commonly lay in the same apartment with him,
+and there were always one or two in the adjoining room, who might have
+resisted or escaped, and afterwards have been able to identify the
+criminals. After much deliberation, it at length occurred that gunpowder
+might be used with effect; and that, if the whole premises were blown up,
+they were likely to bury in their ruins every thing that could fix the
+suspicion on the parties concerned. Powder was therefore secretly brought
+into Edinburgh from the Castle of Dunbar, of which Bothwell had the
+lordship, and was carried to his own lodgings in the immediate vicinity of
+Holyrood Palace.[34] It then became necessary to ascertain on what night
+the house could be blown up, without endangering the safety of the Queen,
+whom Bothwell had no desire should share the fate of her husband. She
+frequently slept at the Kirk-of-Field; and it was difficult to ascertain
+precisely when she would pass the night at Holyrood.[35] In his
+confession, Hay mentions, that "the purpose should have been put in
+execution upon the Saturday night; but the matter failed, because all
+things were not in readiness." It is not in the least unlikely that this
+delay was owing to Mary's remaining with her husband that evening.
+
+On Sunday, Bothwell learned that the Queen intended honouring with her
+presence a masque which was to be given in the Palace, at a late hour, on
+the occasion of the marriage of her French servant Sebastian, to Margaret
+Carwood, one of her waiting-maids. He knew therefore that she could not
+sleep at the Kirk-of-Field that night, and took his measures accordingly.
+At dusk he assembled his accomplices, and told them that the time was come
+when he should have occasion for their services.[36] He was himself to
+sup between seven and eight at a banquet given to the Queen by the Bishop
+of Argyle, but he desired them to be in readiness as soon as the company
+should break up, when he promised to join them.[37] The Queen dined at
+Holyrood, and went from thence to the house of Mr John Balfour, where the
+Bishop lodged. She rose from the supper-table about nine o'clock, and,
+accompanied by the Earls of Argyle, Huntly, and Cassils, she went to visit
+her husband at the Kirk-of-Field. Bothwell, on the contrary, having called
+Paris aside, who was in waiting on the Queen, took him with him to the
+lodgings of the Laird of Ormiston.[38] There he met Hay and Hepburn, and
+they passed down the Blackfriars Wynd together. The wall which surrounded
+the gardens of the Dominican monastery ran near the foot of this wynd.
+They passed through a gate in the wall, which Bothwell had contrived to
+open by stealth, and, crossing the gardens, came to another wall
+immediately behind Darnley's house.[39]
+
+Dalgleish and Wilson had, in the meantime, been employed in bringing up,
+from Bothwell's residence in the Abbey, the gunpowder he had lodged there.
+It had been divided into bags, and the bags were put into trunks, which
+they carried upon horses. Not being able to take it all at once, they were
+obliged to go twice between the Kirk-of-Field and the Palace. They were
+not allowed to come nearer than the Convent-gate at the foot of
+Blackfriars Wynd, where the powder was taken from them by Ormiston,
+Hepburn, and Hay, who carried it up to the house. When they had conveyed
+the whole, they were ordered to return home; and as they passed up the
+Blackfriars' Wynd, Powrie, as if suddenly conscience-struck, said to
+Wilson, "Jesu! whatna a gait is this we are ganging? I trow it be not
+good."[40] Neither of these menials had seen Bothwell, for he kept at a
+distance, walking up and down the Cowgate, until the others received and
+deposited the powder. A large empty barrel had been concealed, by his
+orders, in the Convent gardens, and into it they intended to have put all
+the bags; and the barrel was then to have been carried in at the lower
+back door of Darnley's house, and placed in the Queen's bedroom, which, it
+will be remembered, was immediately under that of the King. Paris, as the
+Queen's valet-de-chambre, kept the keys of the lower flat, and was now in
+Mary's apartment ready to receive the powder. But some delay occurred in
+consequence of the barrel turning out to be so large that it could not be
+taken in by the back door; and it became necessary therefore to carry the
+bags one by one into the bedroom, where they emptied them in a heap on the
+floor. Bothwell, who was walking anxiously to and fro, was alarmed at this
+delay, and came to inquire if all was ready. He was afraid that the
+company up stairs, among whom was the Queen, with several of her nobility
+and ladies in waiting, might come suddenly out upon them, and discover
+their proceedings. "_He bade them haste_," says Hepburn, "_before the
+Queen came forth of the King's house; for if she came forth before they
+were ready, they would not find such commodity_."[41] At length, every
+thing being put into the state they wished, they all left the under part
+of the house, with the exception of Hepburn and Hay, who were locked into
+the room with the gunpowder, and left to keep watch there till the others
+should return.[42]
+
+Bothwell, having dismissed the others, went up stairs and joined the Queen
+and her friends in Darnley's apartment, as if he had that moment come to
+the Kirk-of-Field. Shortly afterwards, Paris also entered; and the Queen,
+being either reminded of, or recollecting her promise, to grace with her
+presence Sebastian's entertainment, rose, about eleven at night, to take
+leave of her husband. It has been asserted, upon the alleged authority of
+Buchanan, that, before going away, she kissed him, and put upon his finger
+a ring, in pledge of her affection. It seems doubtful, however, whether
+this is Buchanan's meaning. He certainly mentions, in his own insidious
+manner, that Mary endeavoured to divert all suspicions from herself, by
+paying frequent visits to her husband, by staying with him many hours at a
+time, by talking lovingly with him, by paying every attention to his
+health, by kissing him, and making him a present of a ring; but he does
+not expressly say that a kiss and ring were given upon the occasion of her
+parting with Darnley for the last time.[43] It is not at all unlikely,
+that the fact may have been as Buchanan is supposed to state; but as it is
+not a circumstance of much importance, it is unnecessary to insist upon
+its being either believed or discredited so long as it is involved in any
+uncertainty. Buchanan mentions another little particular, which may easily
+be conceived to be true,--that, in the course of her conversation with her
+husband this evening, Mary made the remark, that "just about that time
+last year David Rizzio was killed." Bothwell, at such a moment, could not
+have made the observation; but it may have come naturally enough from
+Mary, or Darnley himself.[44]
+
+Accompanied by Bothwell, Argyle, Huntly, Cassils, and others, Mary now
+proceeded to the palace, going first up the Blackfriars' Wynd, and then
+down the Canongate. Just as she was about to enter Holyrood House, she met
+one of the Earl of Bothwell's servants (either Dalgleish or Powrie), whom
+she asked where he had been, that he smelt so strongly of gunpowder? The
+fellow made some excuse, and no further notice was taken of the
+circumstance.[45] The Queen proceeded immediately to the rooms where
+Sebastian's friends were assembled; and Bothwell, who was very anxious to
+avoid any suspicion, and, above all, to prevent Mary from suspecting him,
+continued to attend her assiduously. Paris, who carried in his pocket the
+key of Mary's bed-room at the Kirk-of-Field, in which he had locked Hay
+and Hepburn, followed in the Earl's train. Upon entering the apartment
+where the dancing and masquing was going on, this Frenchman, who had
+neither the courage nor the cunning necessary to carry him through such a
+deed of villany, retired in a melancholy mood to a corner, and stood by
+himself wrapt in a profound reverie. Bothwell, observing him, and fearing
+that his conduct might excite observation, went up to him, and angrily
+demanded why he looked so sad, telling him in a whisper, _that if he
+retained that lugubrious countenance before the Queen, he should be made
+to suffer for it_. Paris answered despondingly, that he did not care what
+became of himself, if he could only get permission to go home to bed, for
+he was ill. "No," said Bothwell, "you must remain with me; would you leave
+those two gentlemen, Hay and Hepburn, locked up where they now
+are?"--"Alas!" answered Paris, "what more must I do this night? I have no
+heart for this business." Bothwell put an end to the conversation, by
+ordering Paris to follow him immediately.[46] It is uncertain whether the
+Queen had retired to her own chamber before Bothwell quitted the Palace,
+or whether he left her at the masque. Buchanan, always ready to fabricate
+calumny, says, that the Queen and Bothwell were "in long talk together, in
+her own chamber after midnight." But the falsehood of this assertion is
+clearly established; for Buchanan himself allows, that it was past eleven
+before Mary left the Kirk-of-Field, and Dalgleish and Powrie both state,
+that Bothwell came to his own lodgings from the Palace about twelve. If,
+therefore, he was at the masque, as we have seen, he had no time to talk
+with the Queen in private; and, if he had talked with the Queen, he could
+not have been at the masque. It is most likely that Mary continued for
+some time after Bothwell's departure at Sebastian's wedding, for Sebastian
+was "in great favour with the Queen, for his skill in music and his merry
+jesting."
+
+As soon as Bothwell came to his "own lodging in the Abbey," he exchanged
+his rich court dress for a more common one. Instead of a black satin
+doublet, bordered with silver, he put on a white canvass doublet, and
+wrapt himself up in his riding-cloak. Taking Paris, Powrie, Wilson and
+Dalgleish with him, he then went down the lane which ran along the wall of
+the Queen's south gardens, and which still exists, joining the foot of the
+Canongate, where the gate of the outer court of the Palace formerly stood.
+Passing by the door of the Queen's garden, where sentinels were always
+stationed, the party was challenged by one of the soldiers, who demanded,
+"Who goes there?" They answered, "Friends." "What friends?" "Friends to my
+Lord Bothwell." They proceeded up the Canongate till they came to the
+Netherbow Port, or lower gate of the city, which was shut. They called to
+the porter, John Galloway, and desired him to open to friends of my Lord
+Bothwell. Galloway was not well pleased to be raised at so late an hour,
+and he kept them waiting for some time. As they entered, he asked, "What
+they did out of their beds at that time of night?" but they gave him no
+answer. As soon as they got into the town, they called at Ormiston's
+lodgings, who lived in a house, called Bassyntine's house, a short way up
+the High Street, on the south side; but they were told that he was not at
+home. They went without him, down a close below the Blackfriars Wynd, till
+they came to the gate of the Convent Gardens already mentioned. They
+entered, and, crossing the gardens, they stopped at the back wall, a short
+way behind Darnley's residence. Here, Dalgleish, Wilson, and Powrie, were
+ordered to remain; and Bothwell and Paris passed in, over the wall. Having
+gone into the lower part of the house, they unlocked the door of the room
+in which they had left Hay and Hepburn, and the four together held a
+consultation regarding the best mode of setting fire to the gunpowder,
+which was lying in a great heap upon the floor. They took a piece of lint,
+three or four inches long, and kindling one end of it, they laid the other
+on the powder, knowing that it would burn slowly enough to give them time
+to retire to a safe distance. They then returned to the Convent gardens;
+and having rejoined the servants whom they had left there, the whole group
+stood together, anxiously waiting for the explosion.
+
+Darnley, meantime, little aware of his impending fate, had gone to bed
+within an hour after the Queen had left him. His servant, William Taylor,
+lay, as was his wont, in the same room. Thomas Nelson, Edward Simmons, and
+a boy, lay in the gallery, or servant's apartment, on the same floor, and
+nearer the town-wall. Bothwell must have been quite aware, that from the
+mode of death he had chosen for Darnley, there was every probability that
+his attendants would also perish. But when lawless ambition once
+commences its work of blood, whether there be only one, or a hundred
+victims, seems to be a matter of indifference.[47]
+
+The conspirators waited for upwards of a quarter of an hour without
+hearing any noise. Bothwell became impatient; and unless the others had
+interfered, and pointed out to him the danger, he would have returned and
+looked in at the back window of the bedroom, to see if the light was
+burning. It must have been a moment of intense anxiety and terror to all
+of them. At length, every doubt was terminated. With an explosion so
+tremendous, that it shook nearly the whole town, and startled the
+inhabitants from their sleep, the house of the Kirk-of-Field blew up into
+a thousand fragments, leaving scarcely a vestige standing of its former
+walls. Paris, who describes the noise as that of a storm of thunder
+condensed into one clap, fell almost senseless, through fear, with his
+face upon the earth. Bothwell himself, though "a bold, bad man," confessed
+a momentary panic. "I have been at many important enterprises," said he,
+"but I never felt before as I do now." Without waiting to ascertain the
+full extent of the catastrophe, he and his accomplices left the scene of
+their guilt with all expedition. They went out at the Convent-gate, and,
+having passed down to the Cowgate, they there separated, and went up by
+different roads to the Netherbow-Port. They were very desirous to avoid
+disturbing the porter again, lest they should excite his suspicion. They
+therefore went down a close, which still exists, on the north side of the
+High Street, immediately above the city gate, expecting that they would be
+able to drop from the wall into Leith Wynd; but Bothwell found it too
+high, especially as a wound he had received at Hermitage Castle, still
+left one of his hands weak. They were forced, therefore, to apply once
+more to John Galloway, who, on being told that they were friends of the
+Earl Bothwell, does not seem to have asked any questions. On getting into
+the Canongate, some people were observed coming up the street; to avoid
+them, Bothwell passed down St Mary's Wynd, and went to his lodgings by the
+back road. The sentinels, at the door of the Queen's garden again
+challenged them, and they made the usual answer, that they were friends of
+the Earl Bothwell, carrying despatches to him from the country. The
+sentinels asked,--"If they knew what noise that was they had heard a short
+time before?" They told them they did not.[48]
+
+When Bothwell came home, he called for a drink; and, taking off his
+clothes, went to bed immediately. He had not lain there above half an hour
+when the news was brought him that the House of the Kirk-of-Field had been
+blown up, and the King slain. Exclaiming that there must be treason
+abroad, and affecting the utmost alarm and indignation, he rose and put on
+the same clothes he had worn when he was last with the Queen. The Earl of
+Huntly and others soon joined him, and, after hearing from them as much as
+was then known of the matter, it was thought advisable to repair to the
+Palace, to inform Mary of what had happened. They found her already
+alarmed, and anxious to see them, some vague rumours of the accident
+having reached her. They disclosed the whole melancholy truth as gradually
+and gently as possible, attributing Darnley's death either to the
+accidental explosion of some gunpowder in the neighbourhood, or to the
+effects of lightning. Mary's distress knew no bounds; and seeing that it
+was hopeless to reason with her in the first anguish of her feelings,
+Bothwell and the other Lords left her just as day began to break, and
+proceeded to the Kirk-of-Field.[49] There they found every thing in a
+state of confusion;--the edifice in ruins, and the town's-people gathered
+round it in dismay. Of the five persons who were in the house at the time
+of the explosion, one only was saved. Darnley, and his servant William
+Taylor, who slept in the room immediately above the gunpowder, had been
+most exposed to its effects, and they were accordingly carried through the
+air over the town wall, and across the lane on the other side, and were
+found lying at a short distance from each other in a garden to the south
+of this lane,--both in their night-dress, and with little external injury.
+Simmons, Nelson, and the boy, being nearer the town-wall, were only
+collaterally affected by the explosion. They were, however, all buried in
+the ruins, out of which Nelson alone had the good fortune to be taken
+alive. The bodies were, by Bothwell's command, removed to an adjoining
+house, and a guard from the Palace set over them.[50]
+
+Darnley and his servant being found at so great a distance, and so
+triflingly injured, it was almost universally supposed at the time, and
+for long afterwards, that they had been first strangled or assassinated,
+and then carried out to the garden. This supposition is now proved, beyond
+a doubt, to have been erroneous. If Darnley had been first murdered, there
+would have been no occasion to have blown up the house; and if this was
+done, that his death might appear to be the result of accident, his body
+would never have been removed to such a distance as might appear to
+disconnect it with the previous explosion. Before the expansive force of
+gunpowder was sufficiently understood, it was not conceived possible that
+it could have acted as in the present instance; and various theories were
+invented, none of which were so simple or so true, as that which accords
+with the facts now established. It is the depositions already quoted that
+set the matter at rest; for, having confessed so much of the truth, there
+could have been no reason for concealing any other part of it. Hepburn
+declared expressly, that "he knew nothing but that Darnley was blown into
+the air, for he was handled with no men's hands that he saw;" and Hay
+deponed that Bothwell, some time afterwards, said to him, "What thought ye
+when ye saw him blown into the air?" Hay answered,--"Alas! my Lord, why
+speak ye of that, for whenever I hear such a thing, the words wound me to
+death, as they ought to do you."[51] There is nothing wonderful in the
+bodies having been carried so far; for it is mentioned by a cotemporary
+author, that "they kindled their train of gunpowder, which inflamed the
+whole timber of the house, and troubled the walls thereof in such sort,
+that great stones of the length of ten feet, and of the breadth of four
+feet, were found blown from the house a far way."[52] Besides, after the
+minute account, which a careful collation of the different confessions and
+depositions has enabled us to give, of the manner in which Bothwell spent
+every minute of his time, from the period of the Queen's leaving Darnley,
+till the unfortunate Prince ceased to exist, it would be a work of
+supererogation to seek to refute, by any stronger evidence, the notion
+that he was strangled.
+
+It is, however, somewhat remarkable, that, even in recent times, authors
+of good repute should have allowed themselves to be misled by the exploded
+errors of earlier writers. "The house," says Miss Benger, "was invested
+with armed men, some of whom watched without, whilst others entered to
+achieve their barbarous purpose; these having strangled Darnley and his
+servant with silken cords, carried their bodies into the garden, and then
+blew up the house with powder."[53] This is almost as foolish as the
+report mentioned by Melville, that he was taken out of his bed, and
+brought down to a stable, where they suffocated him by stopping a napkin
+into his mouth; or, as that still more ridiculous story alluded to by
+Sanderson, that the Earl of Dunbar, and Sir Roger Aston, an Englishman,
+who chose to hoax his countrymen, by telling them that he lodged in the
+King's chamber that night, "having smelt the fire of a match, leapt both
+out at a window into the garden; and that the King catching hold of his
+sword, and suspecting treason, not only against himself, but the Queen and
+the young Prince, who was then at Holyrood House with his mother, desired
+him (Sir Roger Aston) to make all the haste he could to acquaint her of
+it, and that immediately armed men, rushing into the room, seized him
+single and alone, and stabbed him, and then laid him in the garden, and
+afterwards blew up the house."[54] Buchanan, Crawford and others, fall
+into similar mistakes; but Knox, or his continuator, writes more
+correctly, and mentions, besides, that medical men "being convened, at the
+Queen's command, to view and consider the manner of Darnley's death," were
+almost unanimously of opinion that he was blown into the air, although he
+had no mark of fire.[55]
+
+Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany and King of Scotland, perished
+in the twenty-first year of his age, and the eighteenth month of his
+reign. The suddenness and severity of his fate excited a degree of
+compassion, and attached an interest to his memory, which, had he died in
+the ordinary course of nature, would never have been felt. He had been to
+Scotland only a cause of civil war,--to his nobility an object of
+contempt, of pity, or of hatred,--and to his wife a perpetual source of
+sorrow and misfortune. Any praise he may deserve must be given to him
+almost solely on the score of his personal endowments; his mind and
+dispositions had been allowed to run to waste, and were under no controul
+but that of his own wayward feelings and fancies. Keith, in the following
+words, draws a judicious contrast between his animal and intellectual
+qualities. "He is said to have been one of the tallest and handsomest
+young men of the age; that he had a comely face and pleasant countenance;
+that he was a most dexterous horseman, and exceedingly well skilled in all
+genteel exercises, prompt and ready for all games and sports, much given
+to the diversions of hawking and hunting, to horse-racing and music,
+especially playing on the lute; he could speak and write well, and was
+bountiful and liberal enough. But, then, to balance these good natural
+qualifications, he was much addicted to intemperance, to base and unmanly
+pleasures; he was haughty and proud, and so very weak in mind, as to be a
+prey to all that came about him; he was inconstant, credulous, and facile,
+unable to abide by any resolutions, capable to be imposed upon by
+designing men, and could conceal no secret, let it tend ever so much to
+his own welfare or detriment."[56] With all his faults, there was no one
+in Scotland who lamented him more sincerely than Mary. She had loved him
+deeply; and whilst her whole life proves that she was incapable of
+indulging that violent and unextinguishable hatred which prompts to deeds
+of cruelty and revenge, it likewise proves that it was almost impossible
+for her to cease to esteem an object for which she had once formed an
+attachment. Murray must himself have allowed the truth of the first part
+of this statement; and for many days before his death, Darnley had himself
+felt the force of the latter. She had, no doubt, too much good sense to
+believe that Darnley, in his character of king, was a loss to the country;
+but the tears she shed for him, are to be put down to the account, not of
+the queen, but of the woman and the wife.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+BOTHWELL'S TRIAL AND ACQUITTAL.
+
+
+During the whole of the day that succeeded her husband's death, (Monday
+the 10th of February 1567), Mary shut herself up in her own apartment, and
+would see no one. Bothwell was anxious to have conversed with her, but
+overpowered with grief, she was unable to listen to any thing he wished to
+say.[57] In the meantime all was confusion and dismay in Edinburgh, and
+wherever the news of this strange murder arrived, a thousand contradictory
+reports went abroad. Some suspected one thing, and some another; and it
+must be recollected, that although, at a subsequent date, facts came out
+sufficient to fix the guilt upon those who had really committed the crime,
+as yet there was nothing but mere vague conjecture. Mary herself was lost
+in wonder and doubt. Most of the nobility who were near her wished to
+persuade her, at Bothwell's instigation, that her husband's death was
+either the effect of accident, or that it had been brought about by the
+malice and villany of some obscure and ignoble traitors; and every
+endeavour being thus made to mislead her, she was the very last who could
+be expected to know the truth. Accordingly, it appears by a letter she
+wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow, her ambassador at Paris, on Tuesday
+the 11th (two days after the murder), that she was still but very
+imperfectly informed even of the manner of Darnley's death. This letter,
+at once so simple and natural, must not be omitted here. She had, the same
+morning, received a despatch from her ambassador, in which he had
+expressed a fear, that the pardon she had lately given to Morton, Ruthven,
+Lindsay and others, might involve her in trouble. Mary's answer was as
+follows:
+
+"Most Reverend Father in God, and trust Counsellor, we greet you well: We
+have received this morning your letters of the 27th January, by your
+servant Robert Dury, containing in part such advertisement as we find by
+effect over true, albeit the success has not altogether been such as the
+authors of that mischievous fact had preconceived in their mind, and had
+put it in execution, if God in his mercy had not preserved us and reserved
+us, as we trust, to the end that we may take a vigorous vengeance of that
+mischievous deed, which, before it should remain unpunished, we had rather
+lose life and all. The matter is horrible, and so strange, that we believe
+the like was never heard of in any country. This night past, being the 9th
+February, a little after two hours after midnight, the house wherein the
+King was lodged was in an instant blown in the air, he lying sleeping in
+his bed, with such a vehemency, that of the whole lodging, walls, and
+other, there is nothing remaining,--no, not a stone above another, but
+all either carried far away, or dung in dross to the very ground-stone. It
+must be done by force of powder, and appears to have been a mine.[58] By
+whom it has been done, or in what manner, it appears not as yet. We doubt
+not but, according to the diligence our Council has begun already to use,
+the certainty of all shall be obtained shortly; and the same being
+discovered, which we wot God will never suffer to lie hid, we hope to
+punish the same with such rigour, as shall serve for example of this
+cruelty to all ages to come. At all events, whoever has taken this wicked
+enterprise in hand, we assure ourself it was devised as well for us as for
+the King; for we lay all the most part of all the last week in that same
+lodging, and were there accompanied with the most part of the lords that
+are in this town, that same night at midnight, and of very chance tarried
+not all night, by reason of some masque in the Abbey; but we believe it
+was not chance, but God that put it in our head.[59] We despatch this
+bearer upon the sudden, and therefore write to you the more shortly. The
+rest of your letter we shall answer at more leisure, within four or five
+days, by your own servant; and so, for the present, commit you to Almighty
+God.--At Edinburgh, the 11th day of February 1556-7.--MARIE R."[60]
+
+In accordance with the resolution intimated in the above letter, to seek
+out and vigorously punish her husband's murderers, a proclamation was
+issued upon Wednesday the 12th, immediately after an inquisition had been
+taken by the Justice-General, offering a reward of two thousand pounds,
+and "an honest yearly rent," to whosoever should reveal "the persons,
+devisers, counsellors, or actual committers of the said mischievous and
+treasonable murder," and promising besides to the first revealer, although
+a partaker of the crime, a free pardon. The same proclamation declared,
+that as "Almighty God would never suffer so horrible a deed to lie hid,
+so, before it should remain untried, the Queen's Majesty, unto whom of all
+others the case was most grievous, would rather lose life and all."[61] In
+the mean time, not knowing but that the same traitors who had murdered her
+husband, might intend a similar fate for herself, Mary removed to the
+Castle, as a place of greater security than Holyrood Palace. There she
+remained shut up in a dark chamber, hung with black, till after Darnley's
+burial. He lay in the Chapel at Holyrood, from the 12th to the 15th of
+February. His body having been embalmed, he was then interred in the royal
+vault, in which King James V., together with his first wife, Magdalene,
+and his two infant sons, Mary's brothers, lay. Buchanan, and his follower
+Laing, have both insisted upon the nocturnal secrecy and indifference with
+which the funeral ceremony was conducted. "The nobles that were there
+present," says Buchanan, "decreed, that a stately and honourable funeral
+should be made for him; but the Queen ordered it so, that he was carried
+by private bearers in the night-time, and was buried in no manner of
+state." The interpretation to be put upon this insidious passage is, that
+the Protestant Lords proposed to bury Darnley after the Presbyterian form,
+and that Mary refused her consent, and, in consequence, only the Catholics
+attended. "The ceremonies indeed," says Lesley, "were the fewer, because
+that the greatest part of the Council were Protestants, and had before
+interred their own parents without accustomed solemnities."[62] That
+Mary's calumniators should have insisted upon this circumstance at all,
+only shows how eager they were to avail themselves of everything which
+they could pervert to their own purposes. Had Mary wished to act the
+hypocrite, nothing could have been easier for her than to have made a
+great parade at Darnley's funeral.
+
+Bothwell, in the mean time, kept as quiet as possible, attending, as
+usual, at court, and taking care always to be present at the meetings of
+the Privy Council. But he had lighted a torch which was not to be
+extinguished, till it had blazed over Scotland, and kindled his own
+funeral pyre. On whatever grounds the suspicion had gone abroad, (and it
+is difficult to say why public attention should so soon have been directed
+to him as the perpetrator of the late murder, unless we suppose Murray, or
+some of his other accomplices, to have been now eager to publish his
+guilt, in order to accomplish his ruin), it is at all events certain, that
+in a few days after the proclamation for the discovery of the assassins
+had been issued, a placard was set up at night, on the door of the
+Tolbooth of Edinburgh, in which it was affirmed, that the Earl of
+Bothwell, together with a Mr James Balfour, a Mr David Chalmers, and a Mr
+John Spence, were the persons principally concerned in the crime, and that
+the Queen herself was "assenting thereto." It might be reasonably
+concluded, that no notice whatever would be taken of an anonymous paper
+thus expressed; but the Queen, even although it insultingly accused
+herself, was so anxious to have the matter of the murder investigated,
+that she caused another proclamation to be issued, without waiting for the
+advice of her Privy Council, desiring the author of the placard to divulge
+his name, and promising that if he could show there was any truth in any
+part of his averment, he should receive the promised reward.[63] A second
+placard was stuck up in answer, requiring the money to be lodged in honest
+hands, and three of the Queen's servants, whom it named, to be put in
+arrest; and undertaking, as soon as these conditions were complied with,
+that the author and four friends would discover themselves. This was so
+palpable an evasion, that it of course met with no attention. To suppose
+that Government would take upon itself the charge of partiality, and place
+the public money in what an anonymous writer might consider "honest
+hands," was too grossly absurd to have been proposed by any one who really
+wished to do his country a service.
+
+The circumstance of Bothwell's name being mentioned in these placards, in
+conjunction with that of the Queen, probably operated in his favour with
+Mary. Conscious of her own innocence, she would very naturally suppose
+that the charge was equally calumnious in regard to him; for if she knew
+it to be false in one particular, what dependence could she place upon its
+truth in any other? At the same time, she could not of course see her
+husband murdered, almost before her eyes, without making various surmises
+concerning the real author and cause of his death. Her accusers, however,
+seem to suppose that she ought to have been gifted with an almost
+miraculous power of discovering the guilty. Only a few days before, every
+thing had been proceeding smoothly; and she herself, with renovated
+spirits, was enjoying the returning health and affection of her husband.
+In a moment the scene was overclouded; her husband was barbarously slain;
+and all Scotland was in a ferment. Yet around the Queen all wore the same
+aspect. Murray was living quietly in Fife; her secretary Maitland was
+proceeding as usual with the official details of public business; the Earl
+of Morton had not yet returned to Court, and he also was in Fife; the
+Archbishop of St Andrews was busied in bolstering up the last remains of
+Catholicism; Athol, Caithness, Huntly, Argyle, Bothwell, Cassils, and
+Sutherland, were attending their Sovereign, as faithful and attached
+servants ought. Where then was she to look for the traitor who had raised
+his hand against her husband's life and her own happiness? Whom was she to
+suspect? Was it Murray?--he had left town without any sufficient cause, on
+the very day of Darnley's death, and had hated him ever since he put his
+foot in Scotland. Was it Morton?--he had returned recently from
+banishment, and that banishment had been the result of Darnley's
+treachery, and had not Morton assassinated Rizzio, with far less grounds
+of offence? Was it Argyle?--the Lennox family had stripped him of some of
+his possessions, and the King's death might, perhaps, be the means of
+restoring them to him. Was it the Hamiltons?--they were the hereditary
+enemies of the house of Lennox, and Darnley had blasted for ever their
+hopes of succession to the throne. Was it Huntly? Was it Athol? Was it
+Bothwell? It was less likely to be any of these, because Darnley had never
+come into direct collision with them. By what art, or superior
+penetration, was Mary to make a discovery which was baffling the whole of
+Scotland? Was she surrounded by the very men who had done the deed, and
+who used every means to lead her astray from the truth; yet was she to be
+able to single out the criminal at a glance, and hurl upon him her just
+indignation?[64]
+
+Worn out by her griefs and her perplexities, her doubts and her fears,
+Mary's health began to give way, and her friends prevailed upon her to
+leave for a short time her confinement in Edinburgh Castle, and visit
+Seaton House, a country residence of which she was fond, only seven miles
+off. Lesley, after describing Mary's melancholy sojourn in the Castle,
+adds, that she would have "continued a longer time in this lamentable
+wise, had she not been most earnestly dehorted by the vehement
+exhortations and persuasions of her Council, who were moved thereto by her
+physicians informations, declaring to them the great and imminent dangers
+of her health and life, if she did not in all speed break up and leave
+that kind of close and solitary life, and repair to some good open and
+wholesome air; which she did, being thus advised, and earnestly thereto
+solicited by her said council."[65] She went to Seaton on the 16th of
+February, accompanied by a very considerable train, among whom were the
+Earls of Argyle, Huntly, Bothwell, Arbroath, the Archbishop of St Andrews,
+the Lords Fleming and Livingston, and Secretary Maitland.[66] It was here
+that a correspondence took place between the Queen and the Earl of Lennox,
+Darnley's father, which deserves attention.
+
+In his first letter, the Earl thanked her Majesty for the trouble and
+labour she took to discover and bring to trial those who were guilty of
+the "late cruel act;" but as the offenders were not yet known, he
+beseeched her Highness to assemble, with all convenient diligence, the
+whole nobility and estates of the realm, that they, acting in conjunction
+with her Majesty, might take such steps as should seem most likely to make
+manifest the "bloody and cruel actors of the deed." This letter was dated
+the 20th of February 1567. Mary replied to it on the 21st; and in her
+answer, assured Lennox that in showing him all the pleasure and goodwill
+in her power, she did only her duty, and that which her natural affection
+prompted, adding, that on that affection he might always depend, "so long
+as God gave her life." As to the assembling of her nobility, she informed
+him, that shortly before the receipt of his letter, she had desired a
+Parliament to be summoned, and that as soon as it met, the death of
+Darnley would be the first subject which it would be called upon to
+consider. Lennox wrote again on the 26th, to explain, that when he advised
+her Majesty to assemble her nobility, he did not allude to the holding of
+a Parliament, which he knew could not be done immediately. But because he
+had heard of certain placards which had been set up in Edinburgh, in which
+certain persons were named as the devisers of the murder, he requested
+that these persons should be apprehended and imprisoned, that the nobility
+and Council should be assembled, and that the writers of the placards
+should be required to appear before them, and be confronted with those
+whom they had accused; and that if they refused to appear, or did not make
+good their charge, the persons slandered should be exonerated and set at
+liberty. A proposal so very unconstitutional could not have been made by
+Lennox, unless misled by the ardour of his paternal feelings, or
+instigated by some personal enmity towards Bothwell. If Mary had ventured
+to throw into prison every one accused in an anonymous bill, there is no
+saying where the abuse might have ended. The most worthless coward might
+have thus revenged himself upon those he hated; and law and justice would
+have degenerated into despotism, or civil anarchy. The Queen, therefore,
+informed Lennox, that although, as she had already written, she had
+summoned a Parliament, and should lay the matter of the murder before it,
+it was never her intention to allow it to sleep in the mean time. Her
+Lords and Council would of course continue to exert themselves, but her
+_whole_ nobility could not be assembled till the Parliament met. As to his
+desire, that the persons named in the placards should be apprehended,
+there had been so many, and so contrary statements made in these placards,
+that she knew not to which in particular he alluded; and besides, that she
+could not find herself justified in throwing any of her subjects into
+prison upon such authority; but that, if he himself would condescend upon
+the names of such persons as he thought deserved a trial, she would order
+that trial to take place immediately. She was anxious that Lennox should
+take this responsibility upon himself, for she had hitherto been kept much
+in the dark, and was glad to have the assistance of one almost as desirous
+as herself to come to the truth. She invited him, therefore, in her letter
+of the 1st of March, to write to her again immediately, with any other
+suggestion which might occur to him, because she was determined "not to
+omit any occasion which might clear the matter." It was the 17th of March
+before Lennox again addressed the Queen. He thanked her Majesty for her
+attention to his wishes; he marvelled that the names of the persons upon
+the placards, against whom the greatest suspicions were entertained, "_had
+been kept from her Majesty's ears_;" and, as she requested it, he now
+named them himself, putting the Earl of Bothwell first, and several other
+inferior persons after him. He did not undertake to be their accuser,
+confessing that he had no evidence of their guilt; but he said he greatly
+suspected Bothwell, and hoped "her Majesty, now knowing their names, and
+being a party, as well and more than he was, although he was the father,
+would take order in the matter according to the weight of the cause."
+Mary, who had by this time returned to Edinburgh, wrote to Lennox, the
+very day after the receipt of his letter, that she had summoned her
+nobility to come to Edinburgh the first week of April; and that, as soon
+as they came, the persons named in his letter should "abide and underlie
+such trial, as by the laws of the realm was usual."--"They being found
+culpable," Mary added, "in any way of that crime and odious fact, named in
+the placards, and whereof you suspect them, we shall even, according to
+our former letter, see the condign punishment as vigorously and extremely
+executed as the weight of that fact deserves; for, indeed, as you write,
+we esteem ourself a party if we were resolute of the authors." She further
+entreated Lennox to come to Edinburgh, that he might be present at the
+trial, and lend his assistance to it. "You shall there have experience,"
+she concluded, "of our earnest will and effectuous mind to have an end in
+this matter, and the authors of so unworthy a deed really punished."[67]
+
+The Queen, having waited anxiously till something should occur which might
+lead to the detection of the murderers, hoped that a clue to the mystery
+was now about to be discovered. It was a bold and perhaps almost too
+strong a measure, to arraign a nobleman so powerful, and apparently so
+respected as Bothwell, of so serious a crime, upon such vague suspicion;
+but if Mary in this instance exceeded the due limits of her constituted
+authority, it was an error which leant to virtue's side, and the feelings
+of an insulted Queen and afflicted wife must plead her excuse. Her Privy
+Council, which she summoned immediately upon the receipt of Lennox's last
+letter, and before whom she laid it, passed an act directing the trial of
+the Earl of Bothwell, and the other suspected persons named by Lennox. The
+trial was fixed to take place on the 12th day of April 1567; letters were
+directed to the Earl of Lennox to inform him of it, and proclamations were
+made in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumbarton, and other places, calling upon all
+who would accuse Bothwell, or his accomplices, to appear in court on the
+day appointed.[68] The Council, however, would not authorize the
+imprisonment of the suspected persons, seeing that it was only anonymous
+placards which had excited that suspicion.
+
+As soon as the Earl of Lennox got intimation of the intended trial, he set
+out for Edinburgh from his estate in Dumbartonshire. Not choosing to
+proceed thither direct, in consequence of the enmity which he knew
+Bothwell must bear to him, he went to Stirling, where it was understood he
+was engaged in collecting all the evidence in his power. Nor can Bothwell
+be supposed to have felt very easy, under the prospect of his approaching
+trial. He counted, however, on the good offices of his friends among the
+nobility; and having removed all who might have been witnesses against
+him, and brought into Edinburgh a numerous body of retainers, he resolved
+to brazen out the accusation with his usual audacity. He even affected to
+complain that he had not been treated with sufficient fairness; that a
+paper affixed privately to the door of the Tolbooth had been made the
+means of involving him in serious trouble; and that, instead of the usual
+term of forty days, only fifteen had been allowed him to prepare for his
+defence.[69] He assumed the air, therefore, of an injured and innocent
+man; and he was well borne out in this character by the countenance he
+received from most of the Lords then at court. We learn from Killigrew,
+that twenty days after Bothwell had been placarded, he dined with him at
+the Earl of Murray's, who had by this time returned from Fife, in company
+with Huntly, Argyle, and Lethington.[70]
+
+The day of trial now drew near; but, to her astonishment, Mary received a
+letter only twenty-four hours before it was to take place, from the Earl
+of Lennox, who did not exactly see how he was to carry through his
+accusation, and therefore wished that the case should be postponed. The
+letter was dated from Stirling, and mentioned two causes which he said
+would prevent him from coming to Edinburgh; one was sickness, and the
+other the short time which had been allowed him to prepare for making
+good his charge. He asked, therefore, that the Queen would imprison the
+suspected persons, and would delay the trial till he had collected his
+friends and his proofs.[71] This request disappointed Mary exceedingly.
+She had hurried on the trial as much to gratify Lennox as herself; but she
+now saw that, in asking for it at all, he had been guided more by the
+feeling of the moment, than by any rational conviction of its propriety.
+To postpone it without the consent of the accused, who had by this time
+made the necessary preparations for their defence, was of course out of
+the question; and, if the time originally mentioned was too short, why did
+Lennox not write to that effect, as soon as he received intimation of the
+day appointed? If she put off the trial now, for any thing she knew it
+might never come on at all. Her enemies, however, were determined,
+whatever she did, to discover some cause of complaint;--if she urged it
+on, they would accuse her of precipitancy; if she postponed it, they would
+charge her with indifference. Elizabeth, in particular, under the pretence
+of a mighty anxiety that Mary should do what was most honourable and
+requisite, insolently suggested that suspicion might attach to herself,
+unless she complied with the request made by Lennox. "For the love of God,
+Madam," she hypocritically and insidiously wrote to Mary, "conduct
+yourself with such sincerity and prudence, in a case which touches you so
+nearly, that all the world may have reason to pronounce you innocent of a
+crime so enormous, which, unless they did, you would deserve to be blotted
+out from the rank of Princesses, and to become odious even to the vulgar,
+rather than see which, I would wish you an honourable sepulchre."[72] Just
+as if any one _did_ suspect Mary, or as if any monarch in Christendom
+would have dared to hint the possibility of her being an adulterous
+murderess, except her jealous rival Elizabeth, pining in the chagrined
+malevolence of antiquated virginity. The real motives which dictated this
+epistle became the more apparent, when we learn that it was not written
+till the 8th of April, and could not at the very soonest reach Edinburgh
+till the morning of the very day on which the trial was to take place, and
+probably not till after it was over. The truth is, the very moment she
+heard of Darnley's death, Elizabeth had eagerly considered in her own mind
+the possibility of involving "her good sister" in the guilt attached to
+those who had murdered him, and was now the very first who openly
+attempted to lead the thoughts of the Scottish Queen's subjects into that
+channel;--she was the very first who commenced laying the train which
+produced in the end so fatal a catastrophe.
+
+On Saturday, the 12th of April 1567, a Justiciary Court was held in the
+tolbooth of Edinburgh, for the trial of the Earl of Bothwell. The Lord
+High Justice the Earl of Argyle presided, attended by four assessors, or
+legal advisers, two of whom, Mr James MacGill and Mr Henry Balnaves, were
+Senators of the College of Justice; the third was Robert Pitcairn,
+Commendator of Dumfermlin, and the fourth was Lord Lindsay. The usual
+preliminary formalities having been gone through, the indictment was read,
+in which Bothwell was accused of being "art and part of the cruel, odious,
+treasonable, and abominable slaughter and murder, of the umwhile the Right
+High and Mighty Prince the King's Grace, dearest spouse for the time to
+our Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty."[73] He was then called as
+defender on the one side, and Matthew Earl of Lennox, and all others the
+Queen's lieges, who wished to pursue in the matter, on the other. Bothwell
+appeared immediately at the bar, supported by the Earl of Morton, and two
+gentlemen who were to act as his advocates. But the Earl of Lennox, or
+other pursuers, though frequently called, did not appear. At length Robert
+Cunningham, one of Lennox's servants, stepped forward, and produced a
+writing in the shape of a protest, which his master had authorized him to
+deliver. It stated, that the cause of the Earl's absence was the shortness
+of time, and the want of friends and retainers to accompany him to the
+place of trial; and it therefore objected to the decision of any assize
+which might be held that day. In reply to this protest, the letters of the
+Earl of Lennox to the Queen, in which he desired that a short and summary
+process might be taken against the suspected persons, were produced and
+read; and it was maintained by the Earl of Bothwell's counsel, that the
+trial ought to proceed immediately, according to the laws of the realm,
+and the wish of the party accused. The judges, having heard both sides,
+were of opinion that Bothwell had a right to insist upon the trial going
+on. A jury was therefore chosen, which does not seem to have consisted of
+persons particularly friendly to the Earl. It was composed of the Earls of
+Rothes, Caithness, and Cassils, Lord John Hamilton, son to the Duke of
+Chatelherault, Lords Ross, Semple, Herries, Oliphant, and Boyd, the Master
+of Forbes, Gordon of Lochinvar, Cockburn of Langton, Sommerville of
+Cambusnethan, Mowbray of Barnbougle, and Ogilby of Boyne. Bothwell pled
+_not guilty_; and, no evidence appearing against him, the jury retired,
+and were out of court for some time. When they returned, their verdict,
+delivered by the Earl of Caithness, whom they had chosen their chancellor,
+unanimously acquitted Bothwell of the slaughter of the King.[74]
+
+Immediately after his acquittal, Bothwell, as was customary in those
+times, published a challenge, in which he offered to fight hand to hand,
+with any man who would avow that he still suspected him to have had a
+share in the King's death; but nobody ventured openly to accept it.[75] As
+far, therefore, as appearances were concerned, he was now able to stand
+upon higher ground than ever, and boldly to declare, that whosoever was
+guilty, he had been found innocent. Accordingly, at the Parliament which
+met on the 14th of April, he appeared in great state, with banners flying,
+and a numerous body of retainers; and in compliment to him, an act was
+passed, in which it was set forth, that "by a licentious abuse lately come
+into practice within this realm, there had been placards and bills and
+tickets of defamation, set up under silence of night, in diverse public
+places, to the slander, reproach and infamy of the Queen's majesty and
+diverse of the nobility; which disorder, if it were suffered to remain
+longer unpunished, would redound not only to the great hurt and detriment
+of all noblemen in their good fame, private calumniators having by this
+means liberty to backbite them, but also the common weal would be
+disturbed, and occasion of quarrel taken upon false and untrue
+slander;"--it was therefore made criminal to put up any such placards, or
+to abstain from destroying them as soon as they were seen. At this
+Parliament, there was also an act passed on the subject of religion, which
+is deserving of notice. "The same Queen," says Chalmers, "who is charged
+by Robertson with attempting to suppress the Reformed discipline, with the
+aid of the Bishops, passed a law, renouncing all foreign jurisdiction in
+ecclesiastical affairs,--giving toleration to all her subjects to worship
+God in their own way,--and engaging to give some additional privileges."
+This is one of the most satisfactory answers which can be given to the
+supposition, that Mary was in any way a party in the Continental
+persecution of the Hugonots.
+
+The Earl of Murray was not present either at this Parliament, or the trial
+which immediately preceded it. Actuated by motives which do not exactly
+appear, and which historians have not been able satisfactorily to explain,
+he obtained permission from Mary, in the beginning of April, to leave
+Scotland, and, on the 9th, he set off for France, visiting London and the
+Court of Elizabeth on his way. There is something very unaccountable, in a
+man of Murray's ambition thus withdrawing from the scene of action, just
+at the very time when he must have been anticipating political events of
+the last importance. His conduct can be rationally explained, only by
+supposing, that it was suggested by his systematic caution. He was not
+now, nor had he ever been since his rebellion, Mary's exclusive and
+all-powerful Prime Minister;--yet he could not bear to fill a second
+place; and he knew that, if any civil war occurred, the eyes of many would
+immediately be turned towards him. If he remained in the country, he would
+necessarily be obliged to take a side as soon as the dissensions broke
+out, and might find himself again associated with the losing party; but,
+if he kept at a distance for a while, he could throw his influence, when
+he chose, into the heaviest scale, and thus gain an increase of popularity
+and power. These were probably the real motives of his present conduct,
+and, judging by the result, no one can say that he reasoned ill. That he
+was aware of every thing that was about to happen, and that he urged
+Bothwell forward into a net, from whose meshes he knew he could never be
+disengaged, as has been maintained so positively by Whittaker, Chalmers,
+and others, does not appear. The peremptoriness with which these writers
+have asserted the truth of this unfounded theory, is the leading defect of
+their works, and has tended to weaken materially the chain of argument by
+which they would otherwise have established Mary's innocence. That
+Bothwell, as they over and over again repeat, was the mere "cat's-paw" of
+Murray, is a preposterous belief, and argues a decided want of knowledge
+of Bothwell's real character. But supposing that he had been so, nothing
+could be more chimerical than the idea, that after having made him murder
+Darnley, Murray would wish to see him first acquitted of that murder, and
+then married to the Queen, for the vague chance that both might be
+deposed, and he himself called to succeed them as Regent. "Would it ever
+enter into the imagination of a wise man," asks Robertson, "first to raise
+his rival to supreme power, in hopes that, afterwards, he should find some
+opportunity of depriving him of that power? The most adventurous
+politician never hazarded such a dangerous experiment; the most credulous
+folly never trusted such an uncertain chance." Murray probably winked at
+the murder, because he foresaw that it was likely to lead to Bothwell's
+ruin. When he left the country, he may not have been altogether aware of
+Bothwell's more ambitious objects; but if he was, he would still have
+gone, for his staying could not have prevented their attempted execution;
+and if they induced a civil war, whosoever lost, he might contrive to be a
+gainer. He acted selfishly and unpatriotically, but not with that
+deliberate villany with which he has been charged.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+BOTHWELL'S SEIZURE OF THE QUEEN'S PERSON, AND SUBSEQUENT MARRIAGE TO HER.
+
+
+Every thing appeared now to be going smoothly with Bothwell, and he had
+only to take one step more to reach the very height of his ambition.
+Mary's hand and Scotland's crown were the objects he had all along kept
+steadily in view. The latter was to be obtained only through the medium of
+the former, and hence his reason for removing Darnley, and willingly
+submitting to a trial, from which he saw he would come off triumphantly.
+The question he now anxiously asked himself was, whether it was likely
+that Mary could be persuaded to accept him as a husband. He was aware,
+that in the unsettled state of the country, she must feel that, unless
+married to a person of strength and resolution, she would hardly be able
+to keep her turbulent subjects in order; and he was of opinion, that it
+was not improbable she would now cast her eyes upon one of her own
+nobility, as she could no where else find a king who would be so agreeable
+to the national prejudices. Yet he had a lurking consciousness, that he
+himself would not be the object of her choice. She had of late, it was
+true, given him a considerable share in the administration; but he felt
+that she had done so, more as a matter of state policy, and to preserve a
+balance of power between himself and her other ministers, than from any
+personal regard. The most assiduous attentions which it was in his power
+to pay her, had failed to kindle in her bosom any warmer sentiment; for
+though she esteemed him for his fidelity as an officer of state, his
+manners and habits as a man, were too coarse and dissolute to please one
+of so much refinement, sensibility and gentleness, as Mary Stuart.
+Bothwell therefore became secretly convinced that it would be necessary
+for him to have recourse to fraud, and perhaps to force. Had Mary loved
+him, their marriage would have been a matter of mutual agreement, and
+would have taken place whenever circumstances seemed to make it mutually
+advisable; but as it was, artifice and audacity were to be his weapons;
+nor were they wielded by an unskilful hand.
+
+The Parliament which met on the 14th of April 1567, continued to sit only
+till the 19th of the same month; and on the evening of the following day,
+Bothwell invited nearly all the Lords who were then in Edinburgh to a
+great supper, in a tavern kept by a person of the name of Ainsly, from
+which circumstance, the entertainment was afterwards known by the name of
+"_Ainsly's Supper_." After plying his guests with wine, he produced a
+document, which he had himself previously drawn up, and which he requested
+them all to sign. It was in the form of a bond; and in the preamble,
+after expressing their conviction that James Earl of Bothwell, Lord Hales,
+Crichton, and Liddisdale, Great Admiral of Scotland, and Lieutenant to the
+Queen over all the Marches, had been grossly slandered in being suspected
+of having a share in the murder of Darnley, and that his innocence had
+been fully and satisfactorily proved at his late trial, they bound
+themselves, as they should answer to God, that whatever person or persons
+should afterwards renew such calumniation, should be proceeded against by
+them with all diligence and perseverance. After this introduction,
+evidently meant to aid in removing any lingering suspicion which the Queen
+might still entertain of Bothwell's guilt, the bond went on to state,
+that, "Moreover, weighing and considering the present time, and how our
+Sovereign, the Queen's Majesty, is destitute of a husband, in which
+solitary state the common weal of this realm may not permit her Highness
+to continue and endure, but at some time her Highness, in appearance, may
+be inclined to yield unto a marriage,--therefore, in case the former
+affectionate and hearty services of the said Earl (Bothwell), done to her
+Majesty from time to time, and his other good qualities and behaviour, may
+move her Majesty so far to humble herself as, preferring one of her own
+native born subjects unto all foreign princes, to take to husband the said
+Earl, we, and every one of us under subscribing, upon our honours and
+fidelity, oblige ourselves, and promise, not only to further, advance, and
+set forward the marriage to be solemnized and completed betwixt her
+Highness and the said noble Lord, with our votes, counsel, fortification
+and assistance, in word and deed, at such time as it shall please her
+Majesty to think it convenient, and as soon as the laws shall permit it to
+be done; but, in case any should presume, directly or indirectly, openly,
+or under whatsoever colour or pretence, to hinder, hold back, or disturb
+the same marriage, we shall, in that behalf, hold and repute the
+hinderers, adversaries, or disturbers thereof, as our common enemies and
+evil-willers; and notwithstanding the same, take part with, and fortify
+the said Earl to the said marriage, so far as it may please our said
+Sovereign Lady to allow; and therein shall spend and bestow our lives and
+goods against all that live or die, as we shall answer to God, and upon
+our own fidelities and conscience; and in case we do the contrary, never
+to have reputation or credit in no time hereafter, but to be accounted
+unworthy and faithless traitors."[76]
+
+This bond having been read and considered, all the nobles present, with
+the exception of the Earl of Eglinton, who went away unperceived, put
+their signatures to it. "Among the subscribers," says Robertson, "we find
+some who were the Queen's chief confidents, others who were strangers to
+her councils, and obnoxious to her displeasure; some who faithfully
+adhered to her through all the vicissitudes of her fortune, and others who
+became the principal authors of her sufferings; some passionately attached
+to the Romish superstition, and others zealous advocates for the
+Protestant faith. No common interest can be supposed to have united men of
+such opposite interests and parties, in recommending to their Sovereign a
+step so injurious to her honour, and so fatal to her peace. This strange
+coalition was the effect of much artifice, and must be considered as the
+boldest and most masterly stroke of Bothwell's address." It is, indeed,
+impossible to conceive that such a bond was so numerously subscribed on
+the mere impulse of the moment. Before obtaining so solemn a promise of
+support from so many, he must have had recourse to numerous machinations,
+and have brought into action a thousand interests. He must, in the first
+place, have influenced Morton, his brother-in-law Huntly, Argyle, and
+others; and having secured these, he would use them as agents to bring
+over as many more. The rest, finding that so formidable a majority
+approved of the bond, would not have the courage to stand out, for they
+would fear the consequences if Bothwell ever became king. Among the names
+attached to this bond are those of the Archbishop of St Andrews, the
+Bishops of Aberdeen, Dumblane, Brechin, and Ross, the Earls of Huntly,
+Argyle, Morton, Cassils, Sutherland, Errol, Crawfurd, Caithness, and
+Rothes, and the Lords Boyd, Glamis, Ruthven, Semple, Herries, Ogilvie, and
+Fleming.[77] Here was an overwhelming and irresistible force, enlisted by
+Bothwell in his support. The sincerity of many of the subscribers he
+probably had good reason to doubt; but what he wanted was to be able to
+present himself before Mary armed with an argument which she would find it
+difficult to evade, and if she yielded to it, his object would be gained.
+He was afraid, however, to lay the bond openly and fairly before her; he
+dreaded that her aversion to a matrimonial connexion with him might weigh
+more powerfully than even the almost unanimous recommendation of her
+nobility. But having already gone so far, he was resolved that a woman's
+will should not be any serious obstacle to his wishes.
+
+The whole affair of the supper was, for a short time, kept concealed from
+Mary; and though Bothwell's intentions and wishes began to be pretty
+generally talked of throughout the country, she was the very last to hear
+of them. When the Lord Herries ventured on one occasion to come upon the
+subject with the Queen, and mentioned the report as one which had gained
+considerable credit, "her Majesty marvelled," says Melville, "to hear of
+such rumours without meaning, and said _that there was no such thing in
+her mind_." Only a day or two after the bond was signed, she left
+Edinburgh to visit the prince her son, who was then in the keeping of the
+Earl of Mar at Stirling. Before she went, Bothwell ventured to express his
+hopes to her, but she gave him an answer little agreeable to his ambition.
+"The bond being once obtained," Mary afterwards wrote to France, "Bothwell
+began afar off to discover his intention, and to essay if he might by
+humble suit purchase our good will."--"But finding an answer nothing
+correspondent to his desire, and casting from before his eyes all doubts
+that men use commonly to revolve with themselves in similar
+enterprises,--the backwardness of our own mind--the persuasions which our
+friends or his enemies might cast out for his hindrance--the change of
+their minds whose consent he had already obtained, with many other
+incidents which might occur to frustrate him of his expectation,--he
+resolved with himself to follow forth his good fortune, and, all respect
+laid apart, either to tine all in one hour, or to bring to pass that thing
+he had taken in hand."[78] This is a clear and strong statement,
+describing exactly the feelings both of Bothwell and Mary at this period.
+
+The Earl did not long dally on the brink of his fate. Ascertaining that
+Mary was to return from Stirling on the 24th, he left Edinburgh with a
+force of nearly 1000 men well mounted, under the pretence of proceeding
+to quell some riots on the Borders. But he had only gone a few miles
+southward, when he turned suddenly to the west, and riding with all speed
+to Linlithgow, waited for Mary at a bridge over the Almond about a mile
+from that town. The Queen soon made her appearance with a small train,
+which was easily overpowered, and which indeed did not venture to offer
+any resistance. The Earl of Huntly, Secretary Maitland, and Sir James
+Melville, were the only persons of rank who were with the Queen; and they
+were carried captive along with her; but the rest of her attendants were
+dismissed. Bothwell himself seized the bridle of Mary's horse, and turning
+off the road to Edinburgh, conducted her with all speed to his Castle at
+Dunbar.[79]
+
+The leading features of this forcible abduction, or _ravishment_, as it is
+commonly called by the Scottish historians, have been greatly
+misrepresented by Robertson and Laing. Both of these writers mention, as a
+matter of surprise, that Mary yielded without struggle or regret, to the
+insult thus offered her. That she yielded without struggle,--that is to
+say, without any attempt at physical resistance, is exceedingly probable;
+for when was a party of a dozen persons, riding without suspicion of
+danger, able to offer resistance to a thousand armed troopers? There is
+little wonder that they were surrounded and carried off, "without
+opposition," as Laing expresses it; for by a thousand soldiers, a dozen
+Sir William Wallaces would have been made prisoners "without opposition."
+But the very number which Bothwell brought with him, and which even Mary's
+worst enemies allow was not less than six hundred, proves that there was
+no collusion between him and the Queen. Had it been only a pretended
+violence, to afford a decent excuse for Mary's subsequent conduct, fifty
+horsemen would have done as well as a thousand; but Bothwell knew the
+Queen's spirit, and the danger of the attempt, and came prepared
+accordingly. But it is urged, that, if displeased, she must have expressed
+her resentment to those who were near her. And there is certainly no
+reason to suppose that she was silent, though neither Huntly nor
+Lethington would be much influenced by her complaints, for they had both
+secretly attached themselves to Bothwell. Sir James Melville, who was more
+faithful to the Queen, was dismissed from Dunbar the day after her
+capture, lest she should have employed him to solicit aid for her relief,
+as she had formerly done on the occasion of the murder of Rizzio.[80] Mary
+herself, in the letter already quoted, sets the matter beyond dispute, for
+she there gives a long and interesting detail, both of her own
+indignation, and of the arts used by Bothwell to appease it.[81] Nothing,
+indeed, can be more contrary to reason, than to suppose this abduction a
+mere device, mutually arranged to deceive the country. If Mary had really
+loved Bothwell and was anxious to marry him, it would have been the very
+last thing she would have wished to be believed, whether she thought him
+guilty of Darnley's murder or not, that she gave him her hand, after he
+had been publicly acquitted, and all her principal nobility had declared
+in his favour, only in consequence of a treasonable act, committed by him
+against her person. If she hoped to live in peace and happiness with him,
+why should she have allowed it to be supposed, that she acted from
+necessity, rather than from choice, or that she yielded to a seducer, what
+she would not give to a faithful subject? This pre-arranged ravishment,
+would evidently defeat its own purpose, and would serve as a pretence
+suggested by Mary herself, for every malcontent in Scotland to take up
+arms against her and Bothwell. It was a contrivance directly opposed to
+all sound policy, and certainly very unlike the open and straight-forward
+manner in which she usually went about the accomplishment of a favourite
+purpose. "But one object of the seizure," says Laing, "was the vindication
+of her precipitate marriage." Where was the necessity for a precipitate
+marriage at all? Was Mary so eager to become the wife of Bothwell, with
+whom, according to the veracious Buchanan, she had long been indulging an
+illicit intercourse, that she could not wait the time required by common
+decency to wear her widow's garb for Darnley? Was he barbarously murdered
+by her consent on the 9th of February, on the express condition that she
+was to have Bothwell in her arms as her husband on the 15th of May? Was
+she, indeed, so entirely lost to every sense of female delicacy and
+public shame,--so utterly dead to her own interests and reputation,--or so
+very scrupulous about continuing a little longer her unlicensed amours,
+that, rather than suffer the delay of a few months, she would thus run the
+risk of involving herself in eternal infamy? Even supposing that she was
+perfectly assured the artifice would remain undiscovered,--was her
+conscience so hardened, her feelings so abandoned, and her reason so
+perverted, as to enable her to anticipate gratification from a marriage
+thus hastily concluded, with so little queenly dignity, or female modesty,
+and with a man who was not yet divorced from his own wife? There is but
+one answer which can be given to these questions, and that answer comes
+instinctively to the lips, from every generous heart, and well-regulated
+mind.
+
+For ten days Bothwell kept Mary in Dunbar "sequestrated," in her own
+words, "from the company of all her servants, and others of whom she might
+have asked counsel, and seeing those upon whose counsel and fidelity she
+had before depended, already yielded to his appetite, and _so left alone,
+as it were, a prey to him_."[82] Closely shut up as she was, she long
+hoped that some of her more loyal nobles would exert themselves to procure
+her deliverance. But not one of them stirred in her behalf, for Bothwell
+was at this time dreaded or courted by all of them, and finding the person
+of the Queen thus left at his disposal, he did not hesitate to declare to
+her, that he would make her his wife, "who would, or who would not,--yea,
+whether she would herself or not."[83] Mary, in reply, charged him with
+the foulest ingratitude; and his conduct, she told him, grieved her the
+more, because he was one "of whom she doubted less than of any subject she
+had."[84] But he was not now to be driven from his purpose. He spent his
+whole time with Mary; and his whole conversation was directed to the one
+great object he had in view. He called to his aid every variety of
+passion; sometimes flinging himself at her feet, and imploring her to
+pardon a deed which the violence of his love had made imperative; and, at
+other times, giving vent to a storm of rage, and threatening dishonour,
+imprisonment, and death, if she hesitated longer to comply with his
+demands. Mary herself is the best chronicler of these distracting scenes,
+although it must be observed, that she did not write of them till Bothwell
+had achieved his purpose; and consequently, making a virtue of necessity,
+she was anxious to place them in as favourable a point of view as
+possible. "Being at Dunbar," she says, "we reproached him the honour he
+had to be so esteemed of us, the favour we had always shewn him, his
+ingratitude, with all other remonstrances which might serve to rid us out
+of his hands. Albeit we found his doing rude, yet were his answer and
+words but gentle, that he would honour and serve us, and would noways
+offend us, asking pardon of the boldness he had taken to convoy us to one
+of our own houses, whereunto he was driven by force, as well as
+constrained by love, the vehemency whereof had made him to set apart the
+reverence, which naturally, as our subject, he bore to us, as also for
+safety of his own life. And then began to make us a discourse of his whole
+life, how unfortunate he had been to find men his unfriends whom he had
+never offended; how their malice never ceased to assault him on all
+occasions, albeit unjustly; what calumnies they had spread of him,
+touching the odious violence perpetrated in the person of the King our
+late husband; how unable he was to save himself from the conspiracies of
+his enemies, whom he could not know by reason that every man professed
+himself outwardly to be his friend; and yet he found such hidden malice
+that he could not find himself in surety, unless he were insured of our
+favour to endure without alteration; and on no other assurance of our
+favour could he rely, unless it would please us to do him that honour to
+take him to husband, protesting always that he would seek no other
+sovereignty but as formerly, to serve and obey us all the days of our
+life; joining thereunto all the honest language that could be used in such
+a case."[85] But these arguments were of no avail, and he was obliged to
+go a step farther. "When he saw us like to reject all his suit and
+offers," says Mary, "in the end he shewed us how far he had proceeded with
+our whole nobility and principals of our estates, and what they had
+promised him under their handwriting. If we had cause then to be
+astonished, we leave to the judgment of the King and Queen, (of France),
+our uncle, and our other friends." "Many things we resolved with ourself,
+but never could find an outgait (deliverance); and yet he gave us little
+space to meditate with ourself, ever pressing us with continual and
+importunate suit." "As by a bravade in the beginning, he had won the first
+point, so ceased he never till, by persuasions and importunate suit,
+_accompanied not the less with force_, he has finally driven us to end the
+work begun, at such time, and in such form, as he thought might best serve
+his turn; wherein we cannot dissemble that he has used us otherwise than
+we would have wished, or yet have deserved at his hand; having more
+respect to content them, by whose consent granted to him beforehand, he
+thinks he has obtained his purpose, than regarding our contentation, or
+weighing what was convenient for us."[86]
+
+Bothwell had kept Mary at Dunbar for nearly a week, when, in order to
+make it be believed that her residence there was voluntary, he ventured to
+call together a few of the Lords of the Privy Council on whom he could
+depend, and on the 29th of April there was one unimportant act of Council
+passed, concerning provisions for the Royal Household. From the influence
+he at that time possessed over the Scottish nobles, Bothwell might have
+held a Privy Council every day at Dunbar, and whether he allowed the
+Queen, _pro forma_, to be present or not, nobody would have objected to
+any thing he proposed.[87] In the meantime, mutual actions of divorce were
+raised by Bothwell and his wife, the Lady Jane Gordon, and being hurried
+through the courts, only a few days elapsed before they were obtained.[88]
+This is another circumstance which tends to prove, that Bothwell's seizure
+of Mary was not collusive; for had it been so, she would certainly never
+have allowed it to take place till these actions had been decided.
+
+The die was now cast; Mary was in Bothwell's fangs, and her ruin was
+completed. On the 3d of May 1567, he thought it expedient to conduct her,
+closely guarded, from Dunbar to the Castle of Edinburgh. When they came
+near the town, he desired his followers to conceal their arms, lest it
+should be supposed that he was still keeping the Queen an unwilling
+prisoner. But the truth broke out in spite of his precautions; for at the
+foot of the Canongate, Mary was about to turn her horse towards Holyrood,
+upon which Bothwell himself seized the bridle, and conducted her up the
+High Street to the Castle, which was then in the keeping of Sir James
+Balfour, who was entirely subservient to Bothwell.[89] He was now resolved
+that his marriage should be consummated with as little delay as possible,
+having wrung a consent to it from the unfortunate Queen, by means of
+which, it is impossible to think without shuddering. In the state to which
+she was reduced, she had no alternative; she chose the least of two evils,
+in becoming, with an aching heart, the wife of her ravisher. Yet it would
+appear, that she did not herself take a single step to advance the matter.
+Three days after she arrived at the Castle, a person of the name of Thomas
+Hepburn, (probably a relation of the Hepburn who was engaged with Bothwell
+in Darnley's murder), was sent to Craig, Knox's colleague in the church of
+St Giles, to desire that he would proclaim the banns of matrimony betwixt
+the Queen and Bothwell. But the clergyman refused, because Hepburn brought
+no authority from the Queen.[90] Neither Mary nor Bothwell were so
+ignorant as to suppose that any minister would publish banns without
+receiving a written or personal order; and Hepburn would hardly have been
+sent on so idle an errand, had not the Queen been still reluctant to
+surrender herself to one whose person and manners she had never liked, and
+who was now so odious to her. But not a voice was raised,--not a sword was
+drawn to protect her,--and what resource was left? In a day or two, the
+Lord Justice Clerk conveyed a written mandate to Craig; but the preacher,
+had still some scruples: not thinking such a marriage agreeable to the
+laws either of God or man, he insisted upon seeing the Queen and Bothwell,
+before he gave intimation of it. He was admitted to a meeting of the Privy
+Council, where Bothwell presided, but at which Mary does not seem to have
+been present. "In the Council," says Craig, "I laid to his charge the law
+of adultery, the ordinance of the kirk, the law of ravishing, the
+suspicion of collusion betwixt him and his wife, the sudden divorcement
+and proclaiming within the space of four days, and lastly, the suspicion
+of the King's death, which his marriage would confirm; but he answered
+nothing to my satisfaction."--"Therefore, upon Sunday, after I had
+declared what they had done, and how they would proceed, whether we would
+or not, I took heaven and earth to witness, that I abhorred and detested
+that marriage, because it was odious and scandalous to the world; and
+_seeing the best part of the realm did approve it, either by flattery or
+by their silence_, I desired the faithful to pray earnestly, that God
+would turn it to the comfort of this realm."[91]
+
+It was not till after the banns had been twice proclaimed, that Bothwell
+allowed the Queen, on the 12th of May, to come forth from the Castle for
+the first time. He conducted her himself to the Court of Session, where he
+persuaded her to affix her signature to two deeds of great importance to
+him. The bond he had obtained from the nobles, recommending him as a
+husband to the Queen, has been already fully described; but when the Lords
+put their names to it, they were not aware that Bothwell would, in
+consequence, conceive himself entitled to have recourse to violence; and
+they now became alarmed lest the Queen should imagine that they were
+themselves implicated in an act which many of them, though they did not
+yet venture to express their sentiments, viewed with disgust. By way of
+precaution, therefore, they required Bothwell to obtain, from her Majesty,
+a written promise, that she would not at any time hereafter impute to them
+as a crime the consent they had given to the bond. Here is another
+argument against the idea of collusion between Mary and Bothwell; for in
+that case, so far from having any thing to fear, Bothwell's friends would
+have known that nothing could have recommended them more to Mary, than the
+countenance they gave his marriage; and if, for the sake of appearances,
+she wished it to be believed that she was forced into it, she would
+certainly have carefully avoided recording her approval of the previous
+encouragement given to Bothwell by her nobility. Mary's calumniators are
+thus placed between the horns of a dilemma. If she did not consent to the
+abduction, then the marriage was not one of her choice; if she did, then
+why defeat the only object she had in view, which was to deceive her
+subjects, by publicly declaring that the Lords who signed the bond had
+done nothing to displease her? and why, moreover, should such a
+declaration have been thought necessary, either by Bothwell or his
+friends? The deed which Mary signed in the Court of Session, and which,
+taking this view of it, is worthy of every attention, was subjoined to a
+copy of the bond, and expressed in these words: "The Queen's Majesty
+having seen and considered the bond above written, promises, on the word
+of a Princess, that she, nor her successors, shall never impute as crime
+or offence, to any of the persons subscribers thereof, their consent and
+subscription to the matter above written therein contained; nor that they
+nor their heirs shall never be called nor accused therefor; nor yet shall
+the said consent or subscribing be any derogation or spot to their honour,
+or they esteemed undutiful subjects for doing thereof, notwithstanding
+whatever thing can tend or be alleged in the contrary. In witness whereof,
+her Majesty has subscribed the same with her own hand."[92]
+
+On the same day, Mary granted a formal pardon to Bothwell, before all the
+Lords of Session and others, for his late conduct, in taking her to, and
+holding her in Dunbar, "contrary to her Majesty's will and mind," which is
+also very much against the supposition of collusion. It states,--"That
+albeit her Highness was commoved for the present time of her taking at the
+said Earl Bothwell; yet for his good behaviour, and thankful service in
+time past, and for more thankful service in time coming, her Highness
+stands content with the said Earl, and has forgiven and forgives him, and
+all others his accomplices, being with him in company at the time, all
+hatred conceived by her Majesty, for the taking and imprisoning of her, at
+the time foresaid."[93]
+
+All these preparations having been made, Mary at length became the wife of
+Bothwell, after he had been previously created Duke of Orkney. Even in the
+celebration of the marriage ceremony, the despotic power which Bothwell
+now exercised over the unhappy and passive Queen, is but too evident. She,
+who had never before failed in a single instance, to observe the rites of
+her own faith, however tolerant she was to those who professed a different
+persuasion, was now obliged, in opposition to all the prejudices of
+education, and all the principles of her religion, to submit to be married
+according to the form of the Protestant church. Adam Bothwell, Bishop of
+Orkney, who, though holding an Episcopal order, had lately renounced that
+heresy, and joined the Reformers, presided on the occasion. The marriage
+took place, not at mass in the Queen's chapel, but in the Council Chamber,
+where, after a sermon had been delivered, the company separated, with
+little demonstrations of mirth.[94] Melville, who came to Court the same
+evening, mentions some particulars, which show how the dissolute Bothwell
+chose to spend his time:--"When I came to the Court," he says, "I found my
+Lord Duke of Orkney, sitting at his supper. He said I had been a great
+stranger, desiring me to sit down and sup with him. The Earl of Huntly,
+the Justice-Clerk, and diverse others, were sitting at the table with him.
+I said that I had already supped. Then he called for a cup of wine, and
+drank to me, that I might pledge him like a Dutchman. He made me drink it
+out to grow fatter, 'for,' said he, 'the zeal of the commonweal has eaten
+ye up, and made ye lean.' I answered, that every little member should
+serve to some use; but that the care of the commonweal appertained most to
+him, and the rest of the nobility, who should be as fathers to it. Then he
+said, I well knew he would find a pin for every bore. Then he discoursed
+of gentlewomen, speaking such filthy language, that I left him, and passed
+up to the Queen, who was very glad at my coming."[95]
+
+Such was the man who was now inseparably joined to Mary, and who, by fraud
+and villany, had made himself, for the time, so absolute in Scotland, that
+her possession of the throne of her ancestors, nay, her very life, seems
+to have depended upon his will and pleasure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE REBELLION OF THE NOBLES, THE MEETING AT CARBERRY HILL, AND ITS
+CONSEQUENCES.
+
+
+Mary's first step, after her marriage, was to send, at her husband's
+desire, ambassadors into England and France, to explain to these Courts
+the motives by which she had been actuated. The instructions given to
+these ambassadors, as Buchanan has justly remarked, and after him the
+French historians De Thou and Le Clerc, were drawn up with much art. They
+came, no doubt, from the pen of Bothwell's friend, Secretary Maitland; and
+they recapitulate so forcibly all the Earl's services, both to Mary and
+her mother, enlarge so successfully upon his influence in Scotland, his
+favour with the nobility, and their anxiety that he should become King;
+and finally, colour so dexterously his recent conduct, that after their
+perusal, one is almost induced to believe that the Queen could not have
+chosen a better husband in all Christendom. Of course, Mary would herself
+see them before they were despatched, as they are written in her name; and
+the consent she must have given to the attempt made in them to screen her
+husband from blame, confirms the belief that she did not plan, along with
+him, the scheme of the abduction; for she would, in that case, have
+represented, in a much stronger light, the consequences necessarily
+arising from it. If she had consented to such a scheme, it must have been
+with the view of making it be believed that her marriage with a suspected
+murderer (suspected at least by many, though probably not by Mary
+herself), was a matter of necessity; and she could never have been so
+inconsistent as labour to convince her foreign friends, that though
+violence had been used in the first instance, she had ultimately seen the
+propriety of voluntarily becoming Bothwell's wife. But it was her sincere
+and laudable desire, now that she was married, to shelter her husband as
+much as possible; and, conscious of her own innocence, she did not
+anticipate that the measures she took in his behalf might be turned
+against herself. It must indeed be distinctly remembered, in tracing the
+lamentable events which followed this marriage, that though force and
+fraud were not perhaps employed on the very day of its consummation, yet
+that they had previously done their utmost, and that it was not the Queen
+who surrendered herself to Bothwell, but Bothwell who forced himself upon
+the Queen.
+
+Though Mary attempted to conceal her misery from the prying eye of the
+world, they who had an opportunity of being near her person easily saw
+that her peace of mind was wrecked. So little love existed either on the
+one side or the other, that even the days usually set aside for nuptial
+rejoicings, were marked only by suspicions and wranglings. They remained
+together at Holyrood from the 15th of May to the 7th of June; but during
+the whole of that time, Bothwell was so alarmed, lest she should yet break
+from him, and assert her independence, that he kept her "environed with a
+continual guard of two hundred harquebuziers, as well day as night,
+wherever she went;"--and whoever wished an audience with her, "it behoved
+him, before he could come to her presence, to go through the ranks of
+harquebuziers, under the mercy of a notorious tyrant,--a new example,
+wherewith this nation had never been acquainted; and yet few or none were
+admitted to her speech, for his suspicious heart, brought in fear by the
+testimony of an evil conscience, would not suffer her subjects to have
+access to her Majesty as they were wont to do."[96] The letter from which
+these passages are quoted, deserves, at this period of Mary's history,
+every attention, for it was written, scarcely two months after her
+marriage, by the Lords who had associated themselves against Bothwell, but
+who had not yet discovered the necessity of implicating Mary in the guilt
+with which they charged him. The declarations therefore, they then made,
+contrasted with those which ambition and selfishness afterwards prompted,
+prove their sincerity in the first instance, and their wickedness in the
+last. "They firmly believe," they say, "that whether they had risen up
+against her husband or not, _the Queen would not have lived with him half
+a year to an end_, as may be conjectured by the short time they lived
+together, and _the maintaining of his other wife at home at his house_."
+This last fact is no less singular than it is important. It seems
+distinctly to imply, that though Bothwell was divorced from his first
+wife, and that though her brother, the Earl of Huntly, had given his
+consent to the divorce, yet that in reality, the dissolution of the
+marriage was, on the part of Bothwell, merely _pro forma_, to enable him
+to prosecute his scheme of ambition, that his attachment to the Lady Jane
+Gordon continued unabated, and that if Mary had ever loved him, she must
+have loved him, knowing that he did not return her affection. No wonder
+that under such an accumulation of miseries--the suspicion with which she
+was regarded by foreign courts,--the ready hatred of many of her more
+bigoted Presbyterian subjects,--the dependence, almost amounting to a
+state of bondage, in which she was kept,--and the brutal treatment she
+experienced from her worthless husband,--no wonder that Mary was heard, in
+moments almost of distraction, to express an intention of committing
+suicide.[97] Her heart was broken,--her prospects were blighted,--her
+honour, which was dearer to her than life, was doubted. She was a Queen
+without the command of her subjects,--a wife without the love of her
+husband. The humblest peasant in Scotland was more to be envied than the
+last daughter of the royal line.
+
+But Bothwell was not permitted to triumph long in the success of his
+villany. Many, even of his own friends, now began to think that he had
+carried through his measures with too high a hand. They were willing that
+he should have won Mary by fair means, but not by foul; and when they saw
+that he had not only imperatively thrust himself upon her as a husband,
+but was taking rapid strides towards making himself absolute in Scotland,
+they trembled for the freedom of the Constitution, and the safety of the
+Commonweal. With an imprudence equal to his audacity, Bothwell was at no
+pains either to disguise his wishes, or to conciliate the good will of
+those whose assistance might have been valuable. With the restless
+uneasiness of one conscious of guilt, and dreading its probable
+consequences, he scrupled not to avow his anxiety to get into his
+possession the person of the young Prince, and had even "made a vaunt
+already among his familiars, that if he could get him once into his own
+hands, he should warrant him from revenging his father's death."[98] But
+the Prince was lodged in the Castle of Stirling, in the custody of the
+Earl of Mar, a nobleman of approved fidelity and honour, who positively
+refused to deliver him up. It was not easy, however, to divert Bothwell
+from his object; and though the Queen did not countenance it, being, on
+the contrary, rather desirous that her son should remain with Mar, yet he
+ceased not to cajole and threaten, by turns, until all Scotland was roused
+into suspicion and anger.[99] A number of the nobility met at Stirling,
+and entered into an association to defend the person of the Prince; and
+they soon saw, or thought they saw, the necessity of taking active
+measures to that effect. On the 28th of May, proclamations were issued at
+Edinburgh, intimating the intention of the Queen and Bothwell to proceed,
+with a strong force, to the Borders, to suppress some disturbances there,
+and requiring all loyal subjects to assemble in arms at Melrose. It was
+immediately rumoured that this expedition was only a pretence, and that
+Bothwell's real design was to march to Stirling, there to make himself
+master of the Castle and its inhabitants. In a second proclamation, made
+for the purpose, this suspicion was characterized as most unfounded; but
+whether just or not, it had taken a strong hold of the public mind, and
+was not easily removed. The Prince's Lords, as they were called, the chief
+of whom were Argyle, Athol, Morton, Mar, and Glencairn, busied themselves
+in collecting their followers, as if in compliance with the requisition to
+assemble at Melrose. On the 6th or 7th of June 1567, Bothwell took the
+Queen with him from the Palace of Holyrood to the Castle of Borthwick,
+situated about eight miles to the south of Edinburgh, having discovered,
+only a day or two before, that Edinburgh was no longer a safe residence
+for him. Sir James Balfour, the Governor of the Castle, seeing so strong a
+party start up against his former patron, had allowed himself to be
+tampered with, and Bothwell now suspected that he held the Castle not for
+him, but for the Lords at Stirling. He feared, that Balfour might be
+persuaded by them to sally down to Holyrood with a party of troops, and
+carry him off a prisoner to the Castle, and therefore thought it wise to
+withdraw to a safer distance.
+
+It was not long before the nobility at Stirling heard of Bothwell's
+retreat to Borthwick, and they resolved to take advantage of it. They
+advanced unexpectedly from Stirling, and, marching past Edinburgh,
+suddenly invested the Castle of Borthwick. It was with great difficulty
+that Bothwell and the Queen escaped to Dunbar, and the Lords then fell
+back upon Edinburgh. Huntly commanded there for Bothwell; but though, at
+his request, the magistrates shut the gates of the city, the opposite
+party found little difficulty in forcibly effecting an entrance. Huntly,
+and the rest of Bothwell's friends, still trusting to Sir James Balfour's
+fidelity, retreated into the Castle. The opposite faction, with Morton at
+its head, immediately issued proclamations, in which they demanded the
+assistance of all loyal subjects, on the grounds, "that the Queen's
+Majesty, being detained in captivity, was neither able to govern her
+realm, nor try the murder of her husband, and that they had assembled to
+deliver her and preserve the Prince."[100] These proclamations prove, that
+no feelings of hostility were as yet entertained or expressed against
+Mary. One of them, issued at Edinburgh on the 12th of June, commences
+thus:--"The Lords of Secret Council and Nobility, understanding that
+James, Earl of Bothwell, put violent hands on our Sovereign Lady's most
+noble person upon the 24th day of April last, and thereafter warded
+(imprisoned) her Highness in the Castle of Dunbar, which he had in
+keeping, and, before a long space thereafter, conveyed her Majesty,
+environed with men of war, and such friends and kinsmen of his as would do
+for him, ever into such places where he had most dominion and power, her
+Grace being destitute of all counsel and servants, during which time the
+said Earl seduced, by unlawful ways, our said Sovereign to a dishonest
+marriage with himself, which, from the beginning, is null and of no
+effect." And the proclamation concludes with announcing their
+determination, "to deliver the Queen's Majesty's most noble person forth
+of captivity and prison," and to bring Bothwell and his accomplices to
+trial, both for the murder of Darnley, and for "the ravishing and
+detaining of the Queen's Majesty's person," as well as to prevent the
+enterprise intended against the Prince.[101] Can any thing establish an
+historical fact more explicitly than such evidence?
+
+Bothwell was, in the meantime, busily collecting his friends at Dunbar. In
+a few days, upwards of 2000 men had resorted to him, more because the
+Queen was with him, than from any love they bore himself; and, as he was
+unwilling that the hostile Lords should be allowed time to collect their
+strength, he marched, with this force, from Dunbar on the 14th of June.
+When the news of his approach reached Edinburgh, the Lords immediately
+advanced to meet him, though with a somewhat inferior strength. The two
+armies did not come in sight of each other till the morning of the 15th,
+when Bothwell's troops were discovered upon Carberry Hill, a rising ground
+of some extent between Musselburgh and Dalkeith. The Lords, who had spent
+the night at Musselburgh, made a circuit towards Dalkeith, that they also
+might get on the high ground, and took up a position to the west of
+Bothwell. It was here discovered that neither party was very anxious to
+commence an engagement; and the French ambassador, Le Croc, spent several
+hours in riding between both armies, and endeavouring to bring them to
+terms of mutual accommodation, being authorized on the part of the Queen,
+to promise that the present insurrection would be willingly forgiven, if
+the Lords would lay down their arms and disband their followers. But the
+Earl of Morton answered, "that they had taken up arms _not against the
+Queen_, but against the murderer of the King, whom, if she would deliver
+to be punished, or at least put from her company, she should find a
+continuation of dutiful obedience from them and all other good
+subjects."[102] Le Croc, despairing of effecting his purpose, unwillingly
+quitted the field, and returned to Edinburgh. But both parties were still
+desirous to temporize,--Bothwell, because he hourly expected
+reinforcements from Lord Herries and others,--and the Lords, because they
+also looked for an accession of strength, and because the day was hot, and
+the sun shining strong in their faces.[103] To draw out the time, Bothwell
+made a bravado of offering to end the quarrel, by engaging in single
+combat any Lord of equal rank who would encounter him. Kircaldy of Grange,
+one of the best soldiers of the day, and Murray of Tullibardin, both
+expressed their willingness to accept the challenge, but were rejected on
+the score of inferiority in rank. Lord Lindsay then offered himself, and
+him Bothwell had no right to refuse. It was expected, therefore, that the
+whole quarrel would be referred to them, the Queen herself, though at the
+head of an army superior to that of her opponents, having consented, that
+a husband to whom she had so short a while been married, and for whom the
+veracious Buchanan would have us believe she entertained so extravagant an
+affection, should thus unnecessarily risk his life. Twenty gentlemen on
+either side were to attend, and the ground was about to be marked out,
+when the Lords changed their minds, and declared they did not choose that
+Lord Lindsay should take upon himself the whole burden of a quarrel in
+which they all felt equally interested.[104]
+
+In these negotiations the day passed over. It was now between seven and
+eight in the evening, and a battle must have ensued, either that night or
+next morning, had not an unexpected step been taken by the Queen. Without
+betraying Bothwell, she formed a resolution to rid herself from the
+bondage in which he kept her. She sent to desire that Kircaldy of Grange
+should come to speak with her, and she intimated to him her willingness to
+part from Bothwell as was demanded, if Morton and the other Lords would
+undertake to conduct her safely into Edinburgh, and there return to their
+allegiance. This overture, on being reported by Grange, was at once
+accepted, provided Mary agreed to dismiss Bothwell on the field. It may be
+easily conceived that to Bothwell himself such an arrangement was not
+particularly agreeable, and could never have entered the imagination, much
+less have been the deliberate proposal, of a loving and obedient wife.
+Historians, we think, have not sufficiently insisted on the strong
+presumption in Mary's favour, afforded by her conduct at Carberry Hill. It
+is true, that there might have been an understanding between her and
+Bothwell, that as soon as she was re-instated in her power, she would
+recall him to a share of her throne and bed. But even supposing that,
+notwithstanding the alleged violence of her love, she had been willing to
+consent to a temporary separation, both she and Bothwell knew the spirit
+of the men they had to deal with too well, to trust to the chance of
+outwitting them, after yielding to their demands. Mary must have been
+aware, that if she parted with Bothwell at all, she in all probability
+parted with him for ever. Had she truly loved him, she would rather have
+braved all risks (as she did with Darnley when Murray rebelled) than have
+abandoned him just at the crisis of his fortune. But she had at no period
+felt more than the commonest friendship for Bothwell; and since she had
+been seized by him at the Bridge of Almond, she had absolutely hated him.
+Melville, accordingly, expresses himself regarding this transaction in
+these terms. "Albeit her Majesty was at Carberry Hill, I cannot name it to
+be her army; for many of them that were with her, were of opinion that she
+had intelligence with the Lords; chiefly such as understood of the Earl
+Bothwell's mishandling of her, and many indignities that he had both said
+and done unto her since their marriage. He was so beastly and suspicious,
+that he suffered her not to pass a day in patience, or without giving her
+cause to shed abundance of salt tears. Thus, part of his own company
+detested him; and the other part believed that her Majesty would fain
+have been quit of him, but thought shame to be the doer thereof directly
+herself."[105] Melville adds, that so determined was Bothwell not to leave
+the field if he could avoid it, that he ordered a soldier to shoot Grange
+when he overheard the arrangement which he and the Queen were making. It
+was "not without great difficulty," says another cotemporary writer, that
+Mary prevailed upon Bothwell to mount his horse, and ride away with a few
+followers back to Dunbar.[106] There is no wonder;--but that a wife of one
+month's standing, who is said for his sake to have murdered her former
+husband, should permit, nay beseech him, thus to sneak off a field he
+might have won, had she allowed him to fight, is indeed strange and
+unaccountable. When Bothwell left Carberry Hill, he turned his back upon a
+Queen and a throne;--he left hope behind, and must have seen only ruin
+before.
+
+As soon as her husband had departed, Mary desired Grange to lead her to
+the Lords. Morton and the rest came forward to meet her, and received her
+with all due respect. The Queen was on horseback, and Grange himself
+walked at her bridle. On riding up to the associated Nobles, she said to
+them,--"My Lords, I am come to you, not out of any fear I had of my life,
+nor yet doubting of the victory, if matters had gone to the worst; but I
+abhor the shedding of Christian blood, especially of those that are my own
+subjects; and therefore I yield to you, and will be ruled hereafter by
+your counsels, trusting you will respect me as your born Princess and
+Queen."[107] Alas! Mary had not calculated either on the perfidy of the
+men to whom she had surrendered herself, or on the vulgar virulence of
+their hired retainers, who, having been disappointed in their hopes of a
+battle, thought they might take their revenge, by insulting the person of
+a Roman Catholic Sovereign, now for the first time standing before them
+somewhat in the light of a suitor and a prisoner. They led her into
+Edinburgh between eight and nine in the evening; and the citizens, hearing
+of the turn which affairs had taken, came out in great crowds, and lined
+the way as they passed. The envy and hatred of the more bigoted part of
+the rabble did not fail to exhibit itself. Royalty in misfortune, like a
+statue taken from its pedestal, is often liable to the rudest handling,
+simply because it has fallen from a height which previously kept it at a
+distance from the multitude. There had long rancoured in the bosoms of the
+more zealous and less honest Presbyterians, an ill-concealed jealousy of
+Mary's superiority; and in the mob which now gathered round her, the
+turbulent and unprincipled led the way, as they commonly do in a mob, to
+insult and outrage. So far from being allowed to return to Edinburgh as a
+Queen, and to take possession of her wonted state, Mary was forced to ride
+as a captive in a triumphal show. The hatred which was borne towards
+Bothwell was transferred to her, and the Lords, at the head of whom was
+the crafty Morton, forgetting the proclamation they had made only two
+days before, announcing their intention to rescue the Queen from the
+bondage in which she was held, only took her from one tyrant to retain her
+in the hands of many. As the cavalcade proceeded, a banner was displayed
+in front, on which was represented the King lying dead at the foot of a
+tree, and the young Prince upon his knees near him, exclaiming--"Judge and
+revenge my cause, O Lord!" The people shouted with savage exultation, as
+this ensign was carried past, and turning their eyes on the Queen, who was
+dissolved in tears, they scrupled not, by the coarse malice of their
+expressions, to add to the agony of her feelings.
+
+When Mary arrived in Edinburgh, and found she was not to be taken to
+Holyrood House, (from which, indeed, the Lords had previously carried off
+much of her valuable furniture), she gave up all for lost, and in her
+despair called upon all who came near her to rescue her from the hands of
+traitors. But an excitement had just been given to the public mind, which
+it required some hours of sober reflection to allay. No one interfering in
+her behalf, she was taken to the Provost's house in the High Street, where
+she was lodged for the night. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the Lords
+were left to themselves to arrange their future plan of procedure.
+Kircaldy of Grange, was the only one among them who was disposed to act
+honourably. He reminded them that he had been commissioned to assure the
+Queen of their loyal services, provided she parted from Bothwell, and came
+over to them,--and as she had fulfilled her part of the agreement, he did
+not think it right that they should fail in theirs. Influenced by these
+representations, a division might thus have taken place among themselves,
+had not Morton fallen on an expedient to silence the scruples of Grange.
+He produced a letter, which he alleged Mary had just written to Bothwell,
+and which he had intercepted, in which she was made to declare, that she
+was resolved never to abandon him, although for a time she might be
+obliged to yield to circumstances. Kircaldy, possessing all the blunt
+sincerity of a soldier, and being little given to suspicion, was startled
+by this letter, and left Morton, in consequence, to take his own way. That
+the pretended epistle was in truth a mere hasty forgery, is proved to
+demonstration, by the fact that, important as such a document would have
+been, it was never afterwards alluded to by the Lords, nor produced in
+evidence along with the other papers they so laboriously collected to lay
+before Elizabeth's Commissioners. From this specimen of their honesty, we
+may guess what reliance is to be placed on the authenticity of writings,
+subsequently scraped together by men who, on the spur of the moment,
+executed a forgery so clumsily, that they were unable to avail themselves
+of it on any future occasion. But Morton's intriguing spirit was again
+busily at work; and having the Queen's person once more in his possession,
+and being apparently supported by the people, he was determined on taking
+a step which would secure him Elizabeth's lasting gratitude, and might
+ultimately raise him to the regency of Scotland. He, therefore, veered
+suddenly round; and though he had asserted, on the 12th of June, that Mary
+was kept in unwilling bondage by Bothwell, he saw it prudent to maintain
+on the 15th, that there was no man in Scotland to whom she was so
+passionately attached. In support of this assertion, the letter became a
+necessary fabrication; and Morton well knew that a political falsehood,
+though credited only for a day, may be made a useful engine in the hands
+of a skilful workman.
+
+It would appear, however, that a night's reflection operated a
+considerable change in the minds of the ever-fluctuating populace. In the
+course of the 16th, they collected before the Provost's house; and the
+Queen having come several times to the window, and represented to them
+strongly the iniquity of the constraint in which she was kept by her own
+nobles who had betrayed her, a general feeling began to manifest itself in
+her favour. Morton and his colleagues no sooner perceived this change,
+than they waited on the Queen, and, with the most consummate hypocrisy,
+protested that she had quite mistaken their intentions, and that, to
+convince her of their sincerity, they should immediately replace her in
+the palace of Holyrood. Mary listened to them, and was again deceived. In
+the evening, as if to fulfil their promise, they conducted her to
+Holyrood, Morton walking respectfully on one side of her horse, and Athol
+on the other. But when she reached the Palace, she was as strictly watched
+as ever; and about midnight, to her terror and surprise, they suddenly
+came to her, and forcing her to disguise herself in an ordinary
+riding-habit, mounted her on horseback, and rode off, without informing
+her whither she was going. She was escorted by the Lords Ruthven and
+Lindsay, and, after riding all night, arrived at the castle of Loch-Leven
+early in the morning. This castle was a place of considerable strength,
+standing on a small island in the centre of the lake, which is ten or
+twelve miles in circumference. It was possessed by Lady Douglas, the Lady
+of Loch-Leven, as she was commonly called, the widow of Sir Robert
+Douglas, and mother to the Earl of Murray, by James V. "It is needless to
+observe," says Keith, "how proper a place this was for the design of the
+rebels, the house being surrounded with water on all sides, for the space,
+at shortest, of half a mile; and the proprietors of it being so nearly
+related to some principal persons among them, in whom, therefore, they
+could the more securely confide. And indeed it has been said, that the
+Lady Loch-Leven answered the expectation of the Lords to the full, having
+basely insulted the captive Queen's misfortune, and bragged, besides, that
+she herself was King James V.'s lawful wife, and her son, the Earl of
+Murray, his legitimate issue, and true heir of the crown. The Lady
+Loch-Leven was not only mother to the Earl of Murray, but likewise to the
+Lord Lindsay's lady, by her husband Robert Douglas of Loch-Leven. The
+family of Loch-Leven was moreover heirs-apparent to that of Morton; and to
+that family they did actually succeed some time after. The Lord Ruthven
+also had to wife a natural daughter of the Earl of Angus;--all which
+considerations centering together in one, made the house of Loch-Leven,
+humanly speaking, a most sure and close prison for the Royal
+captive."[108]
+
+To give an air of something like justice to a measure so violent and
+unexpected, Morton and his friends endeavoured to sanction it by what they
+were pleased to term an Act of Privy Council. They experienced, however,
+no little difficulty in determining on the proper mode of expressing this
+act. They recollected the proclamations in the Queen's favour to which
+they had so recently put their names; they recollected also the solemn
+engagement into which they had entered at Carberry Hill; and though
+_might_ was with them of greater value than _right_, they did not choose,
+if they could avoid it, to stand convicted of treason in the face of the
+whole country. They tried, therefore, to excuse the step they had taken,
+by asserting, that though they still believed her Majesty had unwillingly
+married Bothwell, and had been kept in bondage by him, and that, though
+she had quitted his company for theirs at Carberry, yet that after they
+had "opened and declared unto her Highness her own estate and condition,
+and the miserable estate of this realm, with the danger that her dearest
+son the Prince stood in, requiring that she would suffer and command the
+murder and authors thereof to be punished, they found in her Majesty such
+untowardness and repugnance thereto, that rather she appeared to fortify
+and maintain the said Earl Bothwell and his accomplices in the said wicked
+crimes." The truth of this statement is directly contradicted by the
+transactions of the 15th of June, when Mary, though at the head of an
+army, had agreed to do every thing the Lords desired, and when, with a
+degree of facility only to be accounted for on the supposition that she
+was anxious to escape from his company, she had separated herself finally
+from Bothwell in the face of the whole world. So far from charging her
+with "fortifying" and "maintaining" him in his crimes, these Lords
+themselves declared, on the 11th, that they had assembled "to deliver
+their sovereign's most noble person out of bondage and captivity;" and, a
+month afterwards, they told the English ambassador they "firmly believed
+the Queen would not have lived with Bothwell half a year to an end."[109]
+
+In addition to this act of Privy Council, which was no doubt the
+production of Morton, and is signed by him and Athol, and six other
+noblemen of less note, a bond of association was drawn up the same day, in
+which an explanation was given at greater length, of the system on which
+the Lords were about to proceed. It is a remarkable feature of this bond,
+that, in so far as Mary is concerned, it very materially contradicts the
+act of Council. Instead of containing any accusation against her, it
+represents her throughout as having been the victim of force and fraud. It
+commences by stating the conviction of the subscribers, that Bothwell was
+the murderer of Darnley, and that, had he himself not taken means to
+prevent a fair trial, he would have been convicted of the crime. It goes
+on to assert, that, adding wickedness to wickedness, the Earl had
+treasonably, and without any reverence for his native Prince, carried her
+prisoner to his castle at Dunbar, and had afterwards pretended unlawfully
+to marry her; which being accomplished, his cruel and ambitious nature
+immediately showed itself, "no nobleman daring to resort to her Majesty
+to speak with her without suspicion, unless in his presence and hearing,
+and her chamber-doors being continually watched by armed men." It is
+therefore maintained that their interference was necessary, both on
+account of the "shameful thraldom" in which the Queen was kept, and the
+great danger of the young Prince, her only son. They had taken up arms,
+they say, against Bothwell, and to deliver their sovereign; and though
+they had already chased him from his unlawful authority, they considered
+themselves obliged to continue in arms till "the authors of the murder and
+ravishing were condignly punished, the pretended marriage dissolved, their
+sovereign relieved of the thraldom, bondage, and ignominy, which she had
+sustained, and still underlies by the said Earl's fault, the person of the
+innocent prince placed in safety, and, finally, justice restored and
+uprightly administered to all the subjects of the realm."[110]
+
+This, then, was all the length to which Morton and the other Lords, as yet
+ventured. They had sent Mary to Loch-Leven, merely to keep her at a safe
+distance from Bothwell; and as soon as they had seized his person, or
+driven him from the kingdom, it was of course implied that they would
+restore their sovereign to her throne. They did not hint, in the most
+distant manner, that she was in the least implicated in the guilt of her
+husband's death; and they expressly declared that, for every thing which
+had taken place since, Bothwell alone was to blame. Judging by their own
+words, they entertained as much respect for the Queen as ever; and the
+impression they gave to the country was, that they intended she should
+remain at Loch-Leven only for a short time, and that so far from meaning
+to punish one whom they accused of no crime, by forcing from her an
+abdication of her crown, and condemning her to perpetual imprisonment,
+they would soon be found rallying round her, and conducting her back to
+her capital in triumph. These may have been the hopes entertained by some;
+but they forgot that Morton, who was at the head of the new faction, had
+assassinated Rizzio, and countenanced the murder of Darnley;--and that
+Murray, though at present in France, had left the country only till new
+disturbances should afford new prospects for his inordinate ambition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+MARY AT LOCHLEVEN, HER ABDICATION, AND MURRAY'S REGENCY.
+
+
+Scotland was now in the most unfortunate condition in which a country
+could possibly be. Like a ship without a pilot, it was left at the mercy
+of a hundred contrary opinions; and it was not long before there sprung
+out of these two opposing currents or distinct parties, known by the name
+of the Queen's and the Prince's. Morton and his friends calling themselves
+the Prince's Lords, continued at Edinburgh; whilst the Queen's nobles
+assembled at Hamilton Palace in very considerable force, having among
+them, besides the Hamiltons, Huntly, (who had been allowed by Sir James
+Balfour to escape from the Castle of Edinburgh, in which he had taken
+shelter some time before), Argyle, (who, though he had at first joined
+with Morton and Mar at Stirling, when they announced their determination
+to keep the Prince out of Bothwell's hands, never intended taking up arms
+against the Queen), Rothes, Caithness, Crawfurd, Boyd, Herries,
+Livingston, Seaton, Ogilvie, and others.[111] Morton laboured to effect a
+coalition with these Lords; but though he employed the mediation of the
+General Assembly, they would not consent to any proposals he made them.
+Buchanan himself is forced to allow, that affairs took a very different
+turn from what was expected. "For popular envy being abated, partly by
+time, and partly by the consideration of the uncertainty of human affairs,
+commiseration succeeded; nay, some of the nobility did then no less bewail
+the Queen's calamity than they had before execrated her cruelty."[112] The
+truth is, that Mary's friends were at this time much more numerous than
+her enemies; but unfortunately they were not sufficiently unanimous in
+their councils, to be able to take any decisive steps in her behalf.
+
+Morton earnestly laboured to increase the popularity of his faction by
+every means in his power. To please the multitude, he apprehended several
+persons, whom he accused of being implicated in the murder of Darnley; and
+though he probably knew them to be innocent, they were all condemned and
+executed, with the exception of Sebastian, the Queen's servant, who was
+seized with the view of casting suspicion on Mary herself, but who
+contrived to escape.[113] Thus, they who blamed Mary for being too remiss
+in seeking out and punishing the murderers, were able to console
+themselves with the reflection, that, under the new order of things,
+persons were iniquitously executed for the sake of appearances, by those
+who had themselves been Bothwell's accomplices. Against Bothwell himself,
+Morton, for his own sake, proceeded with more caution. It was not till
+the 26th of June, that letters were addressed to the keeper of the Castle
+at Dunbar, ordering him to deliver up his charge, because he had received
+and protected Bothwell; and, on the same day, a proclamation was issued,
+offering the moderate reward of a thousand crowns to any one who should
+apprehend the Earl.[114] It is singular that these Lords, who were so
+fully convinced of his criminality, not only allowed him to depart
+unmolested from Carberry Hill, but took no steps, for ten days afterwards,
+towards securing his person.
+
+The precise period at which Bothwell left Dunbar, the efforts he made to
+regain his authority in Scotland, and in general, most of the particulars
+of his subsequent fate, are not accurately known. He entered, no doubt,
+into correspondence with the noblemen assembled at Hamilton; but probably
+received from them little encouragement, as it was the Queen's cause, not
+his, in which they were interested. He then retired to the North, where he
+possessed estates as Duke of Orkney, and some influence with his kinsman,
+the Bishop of Murray. As soon as his flight thither was known, Grange and
+Tullibardin were sent in pursuit of him, with several vessels which were
+fitted out on purpose. Hearing of their approach, Bothwell fled towards
+the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and, being closely followed, was there
+very nearly captured. His pursuers were at one time within gun-shot of his
+ship, and it must have been taken, had not the vessels of Grange and
+Tullibardin, in the very heat of the chase, both struck upon a sunken
+rock, which Bothwell, either because his pilot was better acquainted with
+the seas, or because his ship was lighter, avoided. They were, however,
+fortunate enough to seize some of his accomplices, who were brought to
+Edinburgh, and having been tried and condemned, made the confessions which
+have been already referred to, and by which the particulars of the murder
+became known. Bothwell himself proceeded to Denmark, imagining that the
+King of that country, Frederick II., who was distantly related to Mary,
+through her great-grandmother Margaret of Denmark, the spouse of James
+III., might be disposed to interest himself in his behalf. But finding
+that the circumstances under which he had left Scotland, would prevent him
+from appearing at the Danish Court with so much _eclat_ as he desired, he
+ventured on enriching his treasury, by making a seizure of one or two
+merchantmen, trading in the North Seas. These practices were discovered; a
+superior force was fitted out against him; and he was carried into a
+Danish port, not as an exiled prince, but as a captive pirate. He was
+there thrown into prison without ceremony; and though he lost no time in
+letting his name and rank be known to the government, it does not appear
+that the discovery operated greatly in his favour. He was retained in
+durance for many years, the King of Denmark neither choosing to surrender
+him to Elizabeth or his enemies in Scotland, nor thinking it right to
+offend them by restoring him to liberty, so long at least as Mary herself
+remained a prisoner. Broken down by misfortune, and perhaps assailed by
+remorse, Bothwell is believed to have been in a state of mental
+derangement for several years before his death. There can be no doubt
+that he died miserably; and he seems, even in this life, to have paid the
+penalty of his crimes, if any earthly penalty could atone for the misery
+he brought on the innocent victim of his lawless ambition and systematic
+villany. His character may be summed up in the words of our great poet:--
+
+  "Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy;
+  Thy schooldays frightful, desp'rate, wild, and furious;
+  Thy prime of manhood daring, bold, and venturous;
+  Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody."[115]
+
+In the meantime, foreign courts were not inattentive to the state of
+affairs in Scotland. An ambassador arrived from Mary's friends in France;
+but finding, to his astonishment, that she was imprisoned, and that some
+of the nobility had usurped the government, he refused to acknowledge
+their authority, and immediately left the country. Elizabeth's messenger,
+who came about the same time, was less scrupulous; and, indeed, few things
+could have given that Queen greater satisfaction, than the turn which
+Scottish affairs had recently taken. In the letters she sent by her
+ambassador Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, are discovered all that duplicity,
+affected sincerity, and real heartlessness, which so constantly
+distinguish the despatches of Cecil and his mistress. After taking it for
+granted, in direct opposition to the declarations of the rebel Lords
+themselves, that Mary had given her consent to the hasty marriage with
+Bothwell, and that she was consequently implicated in all his guilt,
+Elizabeth proceeds with no little contradiction, to assure her good sister
+that she considers her imprisonment entirely unjustifiable. But the
+insincerity of her desire, that the Queen of Scots should recover her
+liberty, is evinced by the very idle conditions she suggests should first
+be imposed upon her. These are, that the murderers of Darnley should be
+immediately prosecuted and punished, and that the young Prince should be
+preserved free from all danger;--just as if Mary could punish murderers
+before they were discovered or taken, unless, indeed, she chose to follow
+the example of her Lords, and condemn the innocent; and as if she had lost
+the natural affection of a mother, and would have delivered her only son
+to be butchered, as his father had been. In short, Morton and his
+colleagues had no difficulty in perceiving, that though Elizabeth thought
+it necessary, for the sake of appearances, to pretend to be displeased
+with them, yet that they had, in truth, never stood higher in her good
+graces. They well knew, as they had observed in the case of Murray, and
+experienced in their own, that Elizabeth seldom said what she meant, or
+meant what she said.
+
+But to put her conduct on the present occasion in a still clearer light,
+the reader will be somewhat surprised to learn, that Throckmorton brought
+with him into Scotland two distinct sets of "Instructions," both bearing
+the same date (June 30th 1567), the one of which was to be shown to Mary,
+and the other to the rebel Lords. In the former, she expresses the
+greatest indignation at the Queen's imprisonment, and threatens vengeance
+on all her enemies. In the latter, the Lords are spoken of in a much more
+confidential and friendly manner. They are told, that Elizabeth thought it
+requisite to send an ambassador; but that he came to solicit nothing that
+was not for the general weal of the realm; and that, if she were allowed
+to mediate between their Queen and them, "they should have no just cause
+to mislike her doings," because she would consent to nothing that was not
+"for their security hereafter, and for quietness to the realm." Nay, she
+even desired Throckmorton to assure them, that she "meant not to allow of
+such faults as she hears _by report_ are imputed to the Queen of Scots,
+but had given him strictly in charge to lay before, and to _reprove her_,
+in her name, for the same."--"And in the end also," she adds, "we mean not
+with any such partiality to deal for her, but that her princely state
+being preserved, she should conform herself to all reasonable devices that
+may bring a good accord betwixt her and her nobility and people." Thus she
+was to take upon herself to reprove Mary for faults which "_she heard by
+report were imputed to her_;" and to insist, though she herself was of
+opinion that she had been unlawfully imprisoned, that she should enter
+into negotiations with her rebel subjects, which would compromise her
+dignity, and even impugn her character.[116]
+
+When Throckmorton came into Scotland, in July 1567, although he was
+allowed no more access to the Queen than had been granted to the French
+ambassador, yet, as his instructions authorized him to treat with the
+Lords of Secret Council, he of course remained. From them he received an
+explanation of their late proceedings, containing some of the most glaring
+contradictions ever exhibited in a State paper. They do not throw out the
+most distant suspicion of the Queen being implicated in Bothwell's guilt;
+on the contrary, they continue to express their conviction that she became
+his wife very unwillingly, and only after force had been used; but they
+allege, as their reason for imprisoning her, the change which took place
+in her mind an hour or two after she parted with her husband at Carberry
+Hill. They state, that, immediately after, Bothwell, "caring little or
+nothing for her Majesty" left her to save himself, and that after she,
+caring as little for him, had parted company from him, and voluntarily
+come with them to Edinburgh, they all at once, and most unexpectedly,
+"found her passion so prevail in maintenance of him and his cause, that
+she would not with patience hear speak any thing to his reproof, or
+suffer his doings to be called in question; but, on the contrary, offered
+to give over the realm and all, so that she might be suffered to enjoy
+him, with many threatenings to be revenged on every man who had dealt in
+the matter."[117] This was surely a very sudden and inexplicable change of
+mind; for, in the very same letter, with an inconsistency which might
+almost have startled themselves, these veracious Lords declare, that "the
+Queen, their Sovereign, had been led captive, and, by fear, force, and
+other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to become
+bed-fellow to another wife's husband;" that even though they had not
+interfered, "she would not have lived with him half a year to an end;" and
+that at Carberry Hill, a separation voluntary on both sides took place.
+Was it, therefore, for a moment to be credited, that during the short
+interval of a few hours, which elapsed between this separation and Mary's
+imprisonment in Loch-Leven, she could either have so entirely altered her
+sentiments regarding Bothwell, or, if they had in truth never been
+unfavourable, so foolishly and unnecessarily betrayed them, as to convince
+her nobility, that to secure their own safety, and force her to live apart
+from him, no plan would be of any avail, but that of shutting her up in a
+strong and remote castle? And even if this expedient appeared advisable at
+the moment, did they think that, if Mary was now restored to liberty, she
+would set sail for Denmark, and join Bothwell in his prison there? No;
+they did not go so far; for, in conclusion, they assured Throckmorton,
+that, "knowing the great wisdom wherewith God hath endowed her," they
+anticipated that within a short time her mind would be settled, and that
+as soon as "by a just trial they had made the truth appear, she would
+conform herself to their doings."[118]
+
+"By the above answer," says Keith, "I make no doubt but my readers will be
+ready enough to prognosticate what shall be the upshot of Sir Nicholas
+Throckmorton's negotiations with the rebels in favour of our Queen." There
+can be no doubt that the same motives (whatever these might be) which led
+to Mary's imprisonment, would have equal force in keeping her there. The
+whole history of this conspiracy may be explained in a few words. When
+Morton and the other Lords took up arms at Stirling, they were, to a
+certain extent, sincere; they believed (especially those of them who had
+been his accomplices) that Bothwell was the murderer of Darnley, and that
+he was anxiously endeavouring to get the young Prince into his power. This
+they determined to prevent, and having won over Sir James Balfour, the
+governor of the Castle, they advanced to Edinburgh. Bothwell retired to
+Dunbar, taking the Queen along with him. But the Lords knew that Mary
+entertained no affection for her husband, and they therefore hoped to
+create a division between them. They accomplished this object at Carberry
+Hill, and reconducted the Queen to Edinburgh. There, though not sorry
+that she had parted from her husband, Mary did not express any high
+approbation of the conduct of Lords who, when she was first seized by
+Bothwell, did not draw a sword in her defence, and now that she had become
+his wife, according to their own express recommendation recorded in the
+bond they had given him, openly rebelled against the authority with which
+they had induced her to intrust him. Morton recollected at the same time
+his share in Rizzio's assassination, and the disastrous consequences which
+ensued, as soon as Mary made her escape from the thraldom in which he had
+then kept her for several days. He determined not to expose himself to a
+similar risk now, especially as he had an army at his command; if he
+disbanded it, he might be executed as a traitor,--if he remained at the
+head of it, he might become Regent of Scotland. These were the secret
+motives by which his conduct was regulated;--having taken one step he
+thought he might venture to go on with another; he commenced with
+defending the son, and ended by dethroning the mother.
+
+Four different plans were now in agitation, by adopting any of which it
+was thought the troubles of the kingdom might be brought to a conclusion.
+The first was suggested by the Queen's friends assembled at Hamilton;
+their proposal was, to restore the Queen to her liberty and throne, having
+previously bound her, by an express agreement, to pardon the rebel Lords,
+to watch over the safety of the Prince, to consent to a divorce from
+Bothwell, and to punish all persons implicated in the murder of Darnley.
+The other three schemes came from Morton and his party, and were worthy of
+the source from which they came. The _first_ was, to make the Queen
+resign all government and regal authority in favour of her son, under whom
+a Council of the nobility should govern the realm, whilst she herself
+should retire to France or England, and never again return to her own
+country. The _second_ was, to have the Queen tried, to condemn her, to
+keep her in prison for life, and to crown the Prince. The _third_ was, to
+have her tried, condemned, and executed,--a measure which would have
+disgraced Scotland in even its most barbarous times, and which nothing but
+the violence of party feeling could now have suggested.[119] The English
+ambassador, knowing the wishes of his mistress, did not hesitate to assure
+her that there was no probability of any of the more lenient proposals
+being adopted; and he took care to remind the Lords, that "it would be
+convenient for them so to proceed, as that by their doings they should not
+wipe away the Queen's infamy, and the Lord Bothwell's detestable murder,
+and by their outrageous dealings bring all the slander upon themselves."
+At Morton's request, he likewise suggested to Elizabeth, that it would be
+proper to send a supply of ten or twelve thousand crowns to aid the Lords
+in their present increased expenditure; and this he said was the more
+necessary, because Lethington and others had reminded him that,
+notwithstanding all her Majesty's fair words, Murray, Morton, and the
+rest, "had in their troubles found cold relief and small favour at her
+Majesty's hands."[120] No wonder that, in moments when his better nature
+prevailed, Throckmorton felt disgusted with the double part he was obliged
+to act, and spoke "honestly and plainly" of it to Melville. "Yea," says
+Sir James, "he detested the whole counsel of England for the time, and
+told us friendly what reasoning they held among themselves to that end;
+namely, how that one of their finest counsellors (Cecil) proposed openly
+to the rest, that it was needful for the welfare of England, to foster and
+nourish the civil wars, as well in France and in Flanders, as in Scotland;
+whereby England might reap many advantages, and be sought after by all
+parties, and in the meantime live in rest, and gather great riches. This
+advice and proposition was well liked by most part of the Council; yet an
+honest counsellor stood up and said, it was a very worldly advice, and had
+little or nothing to do with a Christian commonweal."[121]
+
+The Earl of Murray was in the meantime anxiously watching the progress of
+affairs in Scotland, and, though still in France, had so contrived, that
+he possessed as much influence in the counsels of the nation as Morton
+himself. The Lords indeed had long been in close correspondence with him.
+Letters from them were forwarded to him by Cecil, who exchanged frequent
+communications with Murray; and, on the 26th of June, four days before
+Throckmorton left London for Scotland, Cecil wrote to the English
+ambassador at Paris, that "Murray's return into Scotland was much desired,
+for the weal both of England and Scotland."[122] But as Murray had
+attempted to ingratiate himself at the French Court, by exaggerating his
+fidelity to Mary, he found it impossible to disengage himself immediately
+from the connexions he had there made, not anticipating so sudden a
+revolution in the state of affairs at home. He sent, however, an agent
+into Scotland, of the name of Elphinston, whom he commissioned to attend
+to his interests, and whom the Lords allowed to visit the Queen at
+Loch-Leven, though they refused every body else. It is not likely that
+Morton, who had thus a second time been engaged in setting up a ladder for
+Murray to ascend by, was altogether pleased to find that he could not
+obtain the first place for himself. As soon as he determined to force Mary
+to abdicate the Crown, he saw that he would be obliged to yield the
+Regency to Murray, supported as that nobleman was, both by his numerous
+friends in England and Scotland, and the earnest recommendations of Knox
+and the other preachers, who, in their anxiety to see their old patron
+once more Lord of the ascendant, "took pieces of Scripture, and inveighed
+vehemently against the Queen, and persuaded extremities against her, by
+application of the text."[123] Morton, however, consoled himself with the
+reflection, that he was in great favour with Murray, and that, by acting
+in concert with him, he would enjoy a scarcely inferior degree of power
+and honour.
+
+Preparatory to extorting from her an abdication, the Lords anxiously
+circulated a report, that the Queen was devotedly and almost insanely
+attached to Bothwell. They did not venture, it is true, to put this
+attachment to the test, by publicly offering her reasonable terms of
+accommodation, which, if she had refused, all men would have acknowledged
+her infatuation, and deserted her cause;--they brought her to no
+trial,--they proved her guilty of no crime; all they did was to endeavour
+to impose upon the vulgar. They asserted that Mary would not agree to
+prosecute the perpetrators of the murder, after she had already prosecuted
+them,--and that she would not consent to abandon a husband whom she had
+already abandoned, and with whom, they themselves had declared, only a few
+weeks before, she could not, under any circumstances, have lived for many
+months. Throckmorton, who was willing enough to propagate all the absurd
+falsehoods they told him, wrote to Elizabeth,--"she avoweth constantly
+that she will live and die with him; and saith, that if it were put to her
+choice to relinquish her Crown and kingdom, or the Lord Bothwell, she
+would leave her kingdom and dignity, to go as a simple damsel with him;
+and that she will never consent that he shall fare worse, or have more
+harm than herself."[124] But the numerous party in favour of the Queen
+openly avowed their disbelief of these reports; and Elizabeth herself, who
+began to fear that, in sending Throckmorton to the rebel Lords, she had
+countenanced the weaker side, wrote to her ambassador on the 29th of
+August in the following terms, which, as they are used by an enemy so
+determined as Elizabeth, speak volumes in favour of Mary:--"We cannot
+perceive, that they, with whom they have dealt, can answer the doubts
+moved by the Hamiltons, who, howsoever they may be carried for their
+private respects, yet those things which they move will be allowed by all
+reasonable persons. For if they may not, being noblemen of the realm, be
+suffered to hear the Queen, their Sovereign, declare her mind concerning
+the reports which are made of her by such as keep her in captivity, how
+should they believe the reports, or obey them which do report it?"[125]
+
+That Mary refused to return to her throne, unless Bothwell was placed upon
+it beside her, is an assertion so ridiculous, that no time need be lost in
+refuting it. That she may not have chosen to submit to an immediate
+divorce from one whom all her nobility had recommended to her as a
+husband, and by whom she might possibly have a child, is within the verge
+of probability. She would naturally be anxious to avoid doing any thing
+which would be equivalent with acknowledging her belief of his guilt, and
+might have appeared to implicate her in the suspicion attached to him. She
+had not married Bothwell till he had been judicially acquitted; and were
+she to consent to be divorced from him before he was again tried, she
+would seem to confess, that she had previously sanctioned a procedure
+possessing the show of justice, without the substance.[126] There can be
+no doubt, however, that if Bothwell's guilt had been distinctly proved to
+her, and if she could have disunited herself from him without injury to
+her reputation or her prospects, she would have been the very last person
+to have objected either to see Darnley's death revenged, or herself freed
+from an alliance into which she had been forced against her will.
+
+But the Lords of Secret Council, conscious as they were of the injustice
+of their proceedings, had gone too far to recede, and were determined not
+to rest satisfied with any half-measures. On the 24th of July 1567, Lord
+Lindsay and Sir Robert Melville (brother to Sir James), were commissioned
+to pass to Loch-Leven, and to carry with them deeds or instruments of
+abdication.[127] These instruments were three in number. By the first,
+Mary was made to resign the Crown in favour of her son,--by the second, to
+constitute the Earl of Murray Regent during his nonage,--and, by the
+third, to appoint a Council to administer the Government until Murray's
+return home, and, if he should refuse to accept of the regency, until her
+son's majority. It was of course well known to the rebels, that the Queen
+would not willingly affix her signature to deeds by which she was to
+surrender all power, and to reduce herself at once to the station of a
+subject, without receiving in return any promise of liberty, or the
+enjoyment of a single worldly good. Yet they had the effrontery to aver,
+that rather than submit to a separation from one with whom "she could not
+have lived half-a-year to an end," she preferred becoming a landless and
+crownless pensioner, on the bounty of such men as Morton and his
+accomplices.
+
+Were we to single out the day in Mary's whole life in which it might be
+fairly concluded that she suffered the most intense mental anguish, we
+should fix on the 25th of July 1567, the day on which the Commissioners
+had their audience. Shut up in a gloomy edifice, which, though dignified
+with the name of a castle, was little else than a square tower of three
+stories; and instead of a numerous assemblage of obsequious nobles,
+attended by only three or four female servants;--it must have required a
+more than common spirit of queenly fortitude to support so great a reverse
+of fortune.[128] But the misery of her situation was now to be increased a
+hundred fold, by a blow the severest she had yet experienced. When the
+report first reached her, that it was in contemplation to force her to
+abdicate her crown, she indignantly refused to believe so lawless an
+attempt possible. Mary had been all her life fond of power, and proud of
+her illustrious birth and rank; and there were few subjects on which she
+dwelt with greater pleasure, than her unsullied descent from a "centenary
+line of kings." Was she now, without a struggle, to surrender the crown of
+the Stuarts into the hands of the bastard Murray, or the blood-stained
+Morton? Was she to submit to the bitter mockery, introduced in the very
+preamble to the instrument of demission, which stated, that, ever since
+her arrival in her realm, she had "employed her body, spirit, whole senses
+and forces, to govern in such sort, that her royal and honourable estate
+might stand and continue with her and her posterity, and that her loving
+and kind lieges might enjoy the quietness of true subjects;" but that,
+being now wearied with the fatigues of administration, she wished to lay
+down her sceptre?[129] Even though prepared to lay it down, was she also
+to countenance falsehood, and practise dissimulation?
+
+When the commissioners arrived at Lochleven, Sir Robert Melville, knowing
+that Lindsay was personally disagreeable to his Sovereign, came to her at
+first alone. Opening to her his errand, and, addressing her with respect,
+and professions of attachment (for she had often employed him before about
+her person, or as her ambassador to foreign courts), he urged every
+argument he could think of to persuade her to affix her signature to the
+deeds. She listened to him with calm dignity and unshaken resolution. She
+heard him describe the distracted state of Scotland--the impossibility of
+ever prevailing on all parties to submit again to her sway--the virulence
+of her enemies, and the apparent lukewarmness of her friends. She allowed
+him to proceed from these more general topics, to others more intimately
+connected with her own person. She listened to his assurance, that, if she
+continued obstinate, it was determined to bring her to trial,--to blacken
+her character, by accusing her of incontinency, not only with Bothwell,
+but with others, and of the murder of her late husband, and, upon whatever
+evidence, to condemn and execute her.[130] But she remained unmoved, and
+preserved the same composure of manner, though not without many a secret
+throb of pain, at the discovery of the utter ingratitude and perfidy of
+those whom she had so often befriended and advanced. As a last expedient,
+Melville produced a letter from Throckmorton, in which the ambassador
+advised her to consult her personal safety, by consenting to an
+abdication--a somewhat singular advice to be given by one who affected to
+have come into Scotland for the express purpose of securing her
+restoration to the throne.[131] But she only remarked on this letter, that
+it convinced her of the insincerity of Elizabeth's promises of assistance.
+
+Melville now saw that there was no alternative, and that Lindsay must be
+called in to his assistance. Notorious for being one of the most
+passionate men in Scotland, Lindsay burst into the Queen's presence, with
+the instruments in his hands, and rage sparkling in his eyes. Mary, for
+the first time, became agitated, for she recollected the evening of
+Rizzio's murder, when Lindsay stood beside the gaunt form of Ruthven,
+instigating him to the commission of that deed of cruelty. With fearful
+oaths and imprecations, this unmannered barbarian, entitled to be called a
+man only because he bore the external form of one, vowed, that unless she
+subscribed the deeds without delay, he would sign them himself with her
+blood, and seal them on her heart.[132] Mary had a bold and masculine
+spirit; but, trembling under the prospect of immediate destruction, and
+imagining that she saw Lindsay's dagger already drawn, she became
+suddenly pale and motionless, and would have fallen in a swoon, had not a
+flood of tears afforded her relief. Melville, moved perhaps to contrition
+by the depth of her misery, whispered in her ear, that instruments signed
+in captivity could not be considered valid, if she chose to revoke them
+when she regained her liberty. This suggestion may have had some weight;
+but almost before she had time to attend to it, Lindsay's passion again
+broke forth, and, pointing to the lake which surrounded her confined
+residence, he swore that it should become her immediate grave, if she
+hesitated one moment longer. Driven to distraction, and scarcely knowing
+what she did, Mary seized a pen, and without reading a line of the
+voluminous writings before her, she affixed her name to each of them, as
+legibly as her tears would permit. The Commissioners then took their
+departure, secretly congratulating themselves, that, by a mixture of
+cunning and ferocity, they had gained their end. Mary, no longer a Queen,
+was left alone to the desolate solitude of her own gloomy thoughts.[133]
+
+As soon as Lord Lindsay returned to Edinburgh, and notified the success of
+his mission, it was determined by Morton and his associates that the
+Prince should be crowned with as little delay as possible. Sir James
+Melville, who was considered a moderate man by both parties, was sent to
+the Lords at Hamilton, to invite their concurrence and presence on the
+occasion. He was received courteously; but the nobility there would not
+agree to countenance proceedings which they denounced as treasonable. On
+the contrary, perceiving the turn which matters were about to take, they
+retired from Hamilton to Dumbarton, where they prepared for more active
+opposition. They signed a bond of mutual defence and assistance, in which
+they declared, that owing to the state of captivity in which the Queen was
+detained at Loch-Leven, her Majesty's subjects were prevented from having
+free access to her, and that it therefore became their duty to endeavour
+to procure her freedom, by all lawful means, however strong the opposition
+that might be offered. This bond was signed by many persons of rank and
+influence, among whom were the Archbishop of St Andrews, the Earls of
+Argyle and Huntly, and the Lords Ross, Fleming, and Herries.[134]
+
+On the 29th of July 1567, James was publicly crowned at Stirling. He was
+anointed by Adam, Bishop of Orkney, in the parish church, and the Earl of
+Morton took the oath of coronation in the Prince's name, who was little
+more than a year old. On returning in procession to the Castle, the Earl
+of Athol carried the crown, Morton the sceptre, Glencairn the sword, and
+Mar the new made King. All public writs were thenceforth issued, and the
+government was established, in the name and authority of James VI.[135]
+The infant King was in the power of his mother's deadliest enemies; and of
+course they resolved that neither her religion nor modes of thinking
+should be transmitted to her son. Buchanan was appointed his principal
+tutor, and if early precept can ever counteract natural affection, there
+is good reason to suppose, that, together with her crown, the filial love
+of her child was taken from Mary.
+
+Only a few days after the coronation, the Earl of Murray returned to
+Scotland. He came by the way of London, where he concocted his future
+measures with Cecil and Elizabeth. He had some difficulty in fixing on the
+course which would be most expedient for him to pursue. He knew that the
+regency was about to be offered to him; but he also knew how unlawfully
+his sister's abdication had been obtained, and that there was a strong
+party in Scotland who were still bent on supporting her authority. Were he
+at once to place himself at the head of a faction which might afterwards
+turn out to be the weaker of the two, he incurred the risk of falling from
+his temporary eminence lower than ever. He resolved therefore, with his
+usual caution, to feel his way before he took any decisive step. Sir James
+Melville was sent to meet him at Berwick; and from him he learned that
+even Morton's Lords had by this time split into two parties, and that
+while one-half were of opinion that Murray should accept of the regency
+without delay, and give his approval to all that had been done in his
+absence, the other, among whom were Mar, Athol, Lethington, Tullibardin,
+and Grange, prayed him to bear himself gently and humbly towards the
+Queen, and to get as much into her favour as possible, as her Majesty was
+of "a clear wit, and princely inclination," and the time might come when
+they would all wish her at liberty to rule over them.[136] Murray, who
+adopted on this occasion Elizabeth's favourite maxim,--"_Video et taceo_,"
+disclosed his mind to no one, until he ascertained for himself the precise
+state of affairs, and of public feeling in Scotland.
+
+To be the better informed, he determined on visiting the Queen personally
+at Loch-Leven. He was accompanied by Athol, Morton, and Lindsay. When Mary
+saw her brother, a crowd of recollections rushing into her mind, she burst
+into tears, and it was some time before she could enter into conversation
+with him. At length she desired that the others would retire, and they had
+then a long private conference, of which the particulars are not fully
+known. Mary had flattered herself that she might place some reliance on
+Murray's affection and gratitude, but she had egregiously mistaken his
+character. Having, by this time, secretly resolved to accept the regency
+at all hazards, his only desire was to impress her with a belief, that he
+assumed that office principally with the view of saving her from a severer
+fate, and that he was actually conferring a favour on her by taking her
+sceptre into his own hands. Reduced already to despair, the Queen
+listened, with tears in her eyes, to Murray's representations, and at
+length became convinced of his sincerity, and thanked him for his promises
+of protection. Thus the Earl and his friends were able to give out, that
+Mary confirmed, by word of mouth, what she had formerly signed with her
+hand, and that she entreated her brother to accept the Government.[137]
+Besides, if she were ever restored to the throne, she would not be
+disposed to treat with severity one who had been artful enough to persuade
+her, that, in usurping her authority, he was doing her a service.
+
+On the 22d of August 1567, James, Earl of Murray, was proclaimed Regent;
+and, in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, before the Justice Clerk and others, he
+took the oaths, and accepted the charge. He first, however, made a long
+discourse, in which, with overacted humility, he stated his own
+insufficiency, and expressed a desire that the office had been conferred
+on some more worthy nobleman.[138] But his scruples were easily conquered;
+and, under the title of Regent, he became, in fact, King of Scotland,
+until James VI. should attain the age of seventeen.[139] He proceeded to
+establish himself in his Government by prudent and vigorous measures. He
+made himself master of the Castles of Edinburgh and Dunbar, and other
+places of strength; he contrived either to bring over to his own side, or
+to overawe and keep quiet, most of the Queen's Lords; and he severely
+chastised such districts as continued disaffected. A Parliament was
+summoned in December, at which the imprisoning and dethroning of the Queen
+were declared lawful, and, what is remarkable, the reason assigned for
+these measures had never been hinted at before Murray's return,--that
+there was certain proof that she was implicated in the murder of Darnley.
+This proof was stated to consist in certain "private letters, written
+wholly with the Queen's own hand." They were not produced at the time, but
+will come to be examined more particularly afterwards. All that need be
+remarked here, is the sudden change introduced by the Regent into the
+nature of the allegations against Mary. It had been always given out
+previously, that she was kept in Loch-Leven, because she evinced a
+determination to be again united to Bothwell; but now, an entirely new and
+more serious cause was assigned for her detention.[140]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+MARY'S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN, AND THE BATTLE OF LANGSIDE.
+
+
+With few comforts and no enjoyments, Mary remained closely confined in the
+Castle of Loch-Leven. Her only resources were in herself, and in the
+religion whose precepts she was ever anxious not only to profess, but to
+practise. Though deprived of liberty and the delights of a court, she was
+able to console herself with the reflection, that there is no prison for a
+soul that puts its trust in its God, and that all the world belongs to one
+who knows how to despise its vanities. Yet the misfortunes which had
+overtaken her were enough to appal the stoutest heart. Her husband had
+been murdered, she herself forced into an unwilling marriage, her kingdom
+taken from her, her child raised up against her, her honour defamed, and
+her person insulted,--all within the short space of four months. History
+records few reverses so sudden and so complete. Many a masculine spirit
+would have felt its energies give way under so dreadful a change of
+fortune; and if Mary was able to put in practice the Roman maxim, _Ne
+cedere malis, sed contra audentior ire_, it would be to exalt vice and
+libel virtue to suppose, that she could have been inspired with strength
+for so arduous a task by aught but her own integrity.
+
+It was not these more serious calamities alone whose load she was doomed
+to bear; there were many petty annoyances to which she was daily and
+hourly subject. Margaret Erskine, the Lady of Loch-Leven, and widow of Sir
+Robert Douglas, who fell at the battle of Pinkie one-and-twenty years
+before, was a woman of a proud temper and austere disposition. Soured by
+early disappointment, for, previous to her marriage with Sir Robert, she
+had been one of the rejected mistresses of James V., she chose to indulge
+her more malignant nature in continually exalting her illegitimate
+offspring the Earl of Murray above his lawful Queen, now her prisoner. Her
+servants, of course, took their tone from their mistress; and there was
+one in particular, named James Drysdale, who held a place of some
+authority in her household, and who, having had some concern in the murder
+of Rizzio, and being a bigoted and unprincipled fanatic, entertained the
+most deadly hatred against Mary, and had been heard to declare, that it
+would give him pleasure to plunge a dagger into her heart's blood. This
+savage probably succeeded in spreading similar sentiments among the other
+domestics; and thus the Queen's very life seemed to hang upon the
+prejudices and caprices of menials.[141]
+
+But numerous and violent as Mary's enemies may have been, few could
+remain near her person, without becoming ardently attached to her. Hence,
+throughout all her misfortunes, her own immediate attendants continued
+more than faithful. At Loch-Leven, it is true, although her rebellious
+nobles had been willing to allow her a suitable train, the absence of
+accommodation would have rendered their residence there impossible. One or
+two female, and three or four male servants, were all, over whom Mary, the
+Queen of Scotland, and Dowager of France, could now exercise the slightest
+control. Of these, John Beaton was the individual upon whose assiduity she
+placed most reliance. But the influence which the fascination of her
+manners, and the beauty of her person, obtained for her, over two of the
+younger branches of the House of Loch-Leven, made up for the want of many
+of her former attendants. The persons alluded to were George Douglas, the
+youngest son of Lady Douglas, about five-and-twenty years of age, and
+William Douglas, an orphan youth of sixteen or seventeen, a relative of
+the family, and resident in the Castle. So forcibly was George Douglas, in
+particular, impressed with the injustice of Mary's treatment, that he
+resolved on sparing no pains till he accomplished her escape; and his
+friend William, though too young to be of equal service, was not less
+ardent in the cause.[142] George commenced operations, by informing Mary's
+friends in the adjoining districts of Scotland, of the design he had in
+view, and establishing a communication with them. At his suggestion, Lord
+Seaton, with a considerable party, arrived secretly in the neighbourhood
+of Loch-Leven, and held themselves in readiness to receive the Queen as
+soon as she should be able to find her way across the lake. Nor was it
+long before Mary made an attempt to join her friends. On the 25th of March
+1568, she had a glimpse of liberty so enlivening, that nothing could
+exceed the bitterness of her disappointment. Suffering as she did, both in
+health and spirits, she had contracted a habit of spending a considerable
+part of the morning in bed. On the day referred to, her laundress came
+into her room before she was up, when Mary, according to a scheme which
+Douglas had contrived, immediately rose, and resigning her bed to the
+washer-woman, dressed herself in the habiliments of the latter. With a
+bundle of clothes in her hand, and a muffler over her face, she went out,
+and passed down unsuspected to the boat which was waiting to take the
+laundress across the lake. The men in it belonged to the Castle; but did
+not imagine any thing was wrong, for some time. At length one of them
+observing, that Mary was very anxious to keep her face concealed, said in
+jest,--"Let us see what kind of a looking damsel this is;" and attempted
+to pull away her muffler. The Queen put up her hands to prevent him, which
+were immediately observed to be particularly soft and white, and a
+discovery took place in consequence. Mary, finding it no longer of any
+use, threw aside her disguise, and, assuming an air of dignity, told the
+men that she was their Queen, and charged them upon their lives to row
+her over to the shore. Though surprised and overawed, they resolutely
+refused to obey, promising, however, that if she would return quietly to
+the castle, they would not inform Sir William Douglas or his mother that
+she had ever left it. But they promised more than they were able to
+perform, for the whole affair was soon known, and George Douglas, together
+with Beaton and Sempil, two of Mary's servants, were ordered to leave the
+island, and took up their residence in the neighbouring village of
+Kinross.[143]
+
+But neither the Queen nor her friends gave up hope. George Douglas
+continued indefatigable, though separated from her; and William supplied
+his place within the Castle, and acted with a degree of cautious and
+silent enterprise beyond his years. It was probably in reference to what
+might be done by him, that a small picture was secretly conveyed to Mary,
+representing the deliverance of the lion by the mouse.[144] Little more
+than a month elapsed from the failure of the first attempt, before another
+was adventured, and with better success. On Sunday, the second of May,
+about seven in the evening, William Douglas, when sitting at supper with
+the rest of the family, managed to get into his possession the keys of the
+Castle, which his relation, Sir William, had put down beside his plate on
+the table. The young man immediately left the room with the prize, and,
+locking the door of the apartment from without, proceeded to the Queen's
+chamber, whom he conducted with all speed, through a little postern gate,
+to a boat which had been prepared for her reception. One of her maids, of
+the name of Jane Kennedy, lingered a few moments behind, and as Douglas
+had locked the postern gate in the interval, she leapt from a window, and
+rejoined her mistress without injury. Lord Seaton, James Hamilton of
+Rochbank, and others who were in the neighbourhood, had been informed by a
+few words which Mary traced with charcoal on one of her handkerchiefs, and
+contrived to send to them, that she was about to make another effort to
+escape, and were anxiously watching the arrival of the boat. Nor did they
+watch in vain. Sir William Douglas and his retainers, were locked up in
+their own castle; and the Queen, her maid, and young escort, had already
+put off across the lake. It is said that Douglas, not being accustomed to
+handle the oar, was making little or no progress, until Mary herself,
+taking one into her own hands, lent him all the aid in her power. It was
+not long before they arrived safely at the opposite shore, where Lord
+Seaton, Hamilton, Douglas, Beaton, and the rest, received the Queen with
+every demonstration of joyful loyalty. Little time was allowed, however,
+for congratulations; they mounted her immediately upon horseback, and
+surrounding her with a strong party, they galloped all night, and having
+rested only an hour or two at Lord Seaton's house of Niddry, in West
+Lothian, they arrived early next forenoon at Hamilton. Mary's first
+tumultuous feelings of happiness, on being thus delivered from captivity,
+can hardly be imagined by those who have never been deprived of the
+blessing of liberty. It is fair, however, to state, that her happiness was
+neither selfish nor exclusive; and it deserves to be recorded to her
+honour, that till the very latest day of her life, she never forgot the
+services of those who so essentially befriended her on this occasion. She
+bestowed pensions upon both the Douglases,--the elder of whom, became
+afterwards a favourite with her son James VI., and the younger is
+particularly mentioned in Mary's last will and testament. Nor was the
+faithful Beaton allowed to go unrewarded.[145]
+
+The news that Mary was arrived at Hamilton, and that noblemen and troops
+were flocking to her from all quarters, was so astounding, that the
+Regent, who was not many miles off, holding courts of justice at Glasgow,
+refused at first to credit the report. He would soon, however, (without
+other evidence) have discovered its truth, from the very visible change
+which took place even among those whom he had previously considered his
+best friends. "A strange alteration," says Keith, "might be discovered in
+the minds and faces of a great many; some slipped privately away, others
+sent quietly to beg the Queen's pardon, and not a few went publicly over
+to her Majesty." In this state of matters, Murray was earnestly advised to
+retire to Stirling, where the young King resided; but he was afraid that
+his departure from Glasgow might be considered a flight, which would at
+once have animated his enemies and discouraged his friends. He, therefore,
+resolved to continue where he was, making every exertion to collect a
+sufficient force with as little delay as possible. He was not allowed to
+remain long in suspense regarding Mary's intentions, for she sent him a
+message in a day or two, requiring him to surrender his Regency and
+replace her in her just government; and before the Earls, Bishops, Lords,
+and others, who had now gathered round her, she solemnly protested, that
+the instruments she had subscribed at Loch-Leven were all extorted from
+her by fear. Sir Robert Melville, one of those who, in this new turn of
+affairs, left Murray's party for the Queen's, gave his testimony to the
+truth of this protest, as he had been a witness of the whole proceeding.
+The abdication, therefore, was pronounced _ipso facto_ null and void; and
+Murray having issued a proclamation, in which he refused to surrender the
+Regency, both parties prepared for immediate hostilities. The principal
+Lords who had joined the Queen, were Argyle, Huntly, Cassils, Rothes,
+Montrose, Fleming, Livingston, Seaton, Boyd, Herries, Ross, Maxwell,
+Ogilvy, and Oliphant. There were, in all, nine Earls, nine Bishops,
+eighteen Lords, and many Barons and Gentlemen. In a single week, she
+found herself at the head of an army of 6000 men. Hamilton, not being a
+place of strength, they determined to march to Dumbarton, and to keep her
+Majesty there peaceably, until she assembled a Parliament, which should
+determine on the measures best suited for the safety of the common
+weal.[146]
+
+On Thursday the 13th of May 1568, Murray was informed that the Queen with
+her troops was on her way from Hamilton to Dumbarton, and would pass near
+Glasgow. He instantly determined to intercept her on the road; for should
+she reach Dumbarton, which was then, and had long been in the possession
+of the Hamiltons, she would be comparatively beyond his reach, and would
+have time to collect so great a strength, that she might once more chase
+him out of Scotland. Besides, the loss of a battle, where the army on
+either side consisted of only a few thousand men, though it might in all
+probability be fatal to Mary, was not of so much consequence to the
+Regent. He therefore assembled his troops, which mustered about 4000
+strong, on the Green of Glasgow; and being informed that the Queen was
+marching upon the south side of the Clyde, he crossed that river, and met
+her at a small village called Langside, on the Water of Cart, about two
+miles to the south of Glasgow. Mary was anxious to avoid a battle, for she
+knew that Murray himself possessed no inconsiderable military talent, and
+that Kircaldy of Grange, the best soldier in Scotland, was with him. But
+party spirit ran so high, and the Hamiltons and the Lennoxes, in
+particular, were so much exasperated against each other, that as soon as
+they came within sight, it was evident that nothing but blows would
+satisfy them. The main body of the Queen's army was under the command of
+the Earl of Argyle; the van was led by Claud Hamilton, second son of the
+Duke of Chatelherault; and the cavalry was under the conduct of Lord
+Herries. The Earl of Huntly would have held a conspicuous place in the
+battle, but he had set off from Hamilton a few days before to collect his
+followers, and did not return till it was too late. Murray himself
+commanded his main body, and the Earl of Morton the van; whilst to Grange
+was intrusted the special charge of riding about over the whole field, and
+making such alterations in the position of the battle as he deemed
+requisite.
+
+Nothing now intervened between the two armies but a hill, of which both
+were anxious to gain possession, the one marching from the east, and the
+other from the west. It happened, however, that the ascent on the side
+next Mary's troops was the steepest, and a stratagem suggested by Grange
+secured the vantage-ground to the Regent. He ordered every man who was
+mounted to take up a foot soldier behind him, and ride with all speed to
+the top of the hill, where they were set down, and instantly formed into
+line. Argyle was therefore obliged to take his position on a lesser hill,
+over against that occupied by Murray. A cannonading commenced upon both
+sides, and continued for about half an hour but without much effect. At
+length, Argyle led his forces forward, and determined if possible to carry
+the heights sword in hand. The engagement soon became general, and
+advantages were obtained upon both sides. The Earl of Morton, who came
+down the hill to meet Argyle, succeeded in driving back the Queen's
+cannoneers and part of her infantry; whilst on the other hand, Lord
+Herries, making a vigorous charge on Murray's cavalry, put them to rout.
+Judiciously abstaining from a long pursuit, he returned to attack some of
+the enemy's battalions of foot, but as he was obliged to advance directly
+up hill, he was unable to make much impression on them. In the meantime,
+with the view of obtaining more equal ground, Argyle endeavoured to lead
+his troops round towards the west, and it was to counteract this movement
+that the most desperate part of the engagement took place. All the forces
+of both parties were gradually drawn off from their previous positions,
+and the whole strength of the battle on either side was concentrated upon
+this new ground. For half an hour the fortune of the day continued
+doubtful; but at length the Queen's troops began to waver, and a
+re-inforcement of two hundred Highlanders, which arrived just at the
+fortunate moment for Murray, and broke in upon Argyle's flank, decided the
+victory. The flight soon afterwards became general; and though the loss of
+lives on the Queen's side did not exceed three hundred, a great number of
+her best officers and soldiers were made prisoners.[147]
+
+Mary had taken her station upon a neighbouring eminence to watch the
+progress of the fight. Her heart beat high with a thousand hopes and
+fears, for she was either to regain the crown of her forefathers, or to
+become a fugitive and a wanderer she knew not where. It must have been
+with emotions of no common kind, that her eye glanced from one part of the
+field to another;--it must have been with throbbing brow and palpitating
+heart, that she saw her troops either advance or retreat; and when at
+length she beheld the goodly array she had led forth in the morning,
+scattered over the country, and all the Lords who had attended her with
+pride and loyalty, seeking safety in flight, no wonder if she burst into a
+passion of tears, and lamented that she had ever been born. But the
+necessity of the moment fortunately put a check to this overwhelming
+ebullition of her feelings. With a very small retinue of trusty friends,
+among whom was the Lord Herries, she was quickly hurried away from the
+scene of her disasters. She rode off at full speed, taking a southerly
+direction towards Galloway, because from thence she could secure a passage
+either by sea or land into England or France. She never stopped or closed
+her eyes till she reached Dundrennan, an abbey about two miles from
+Kirkcudbright, and at least sixty from the village of Langside.[148]
+
+She remained two days at Dundrennan, and there held several anxious
+consultations with the few friends, who had either accompanied her in her
+flight, or who joined her afterwards. Lord Herries, her principal adviser,
+gave it as his decided opinion, that she ought to sail immediately for
+France, where she had relations on whose affection she could depend, even
+though they should not be able to secure her restoration to the throne of
+Scotland. But Mary could not brook the idea of returning as a fugitive to
+a country she had left as a Queen; and besides, had she placed herself
+under the protection of Catholics, she might have exasperated her own
+subjects, and would certainly have displeased Elizabeth and the people of
+England. She was disposed also to place some reliance on the assurances of
+friendship she had lately received from the English Queen. She was well
+aware of the hollowness of most of Elizabeth's promises; but in her
+present extremity, she thought that to cross the sea would be to resign
+her crown forever. After much hesitation, she finally determined on going
+into England, and desired Herries to write to Elizabeth's Warden at
+Carlisle, to know whether she might proceed thither. Without waiting for
+an answer, she rode to the coast on Sunday the 16th of May, and with
+eighteen or twenty persons in her train, embarked in a fishing-boat, and
+sailed eighteen miles along the shore, till she came to the small harbour
+of Workington, in Cumberland. Thence she proceeded to the town of
+Cockermouth, about twenty-six miles from Carlisle. Lord Scroope, the
+Warden on these frontiers, was at this time in London; but his deputy, a
+gentleman of the name of Lowther, having sent off an express to the Court,
+to intimate the arrival of the Queen of Scots, assembled, on his own
+responsibility, the men of rank and influence in the neighbourhood, and
+having come out to meet the Queen, conducted her honourably to the Castle
+of Carlisle, with the assurance, that, until Elizabeth's pleasure was
+known, he would protect her from all her enemies.
+
+As soon as the important news reached Elizabeth, that Mary was now within
+her dominions, and consequently at her disposal, she perceived that the
+great end of all her intrigues was at length achieved. It was necessary,
+however, to proceed with caution, for she did not yet know either the
+precise strength of Mary's party in Scotland, or the degree of interest
+which might be taken by France in her future fate. She, therefore,
+immediately despatched Lord Scroope, and Sir Francis Knollys her
+Vice-Chamberlain, to Carlisle, with messages of comfort and condolence.
+Mary, who anxiously waited their arrival, anticipated that they would
+bring consolatory assurances. Her spirits began to revive, and she was
+willing to believe that Elizabeth would prove her friendship by deeds, as
+well as by words. But this delusion was destined to be of only momentary
+duration.[149]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+MARY'S RECEPTION IN ENGLAND, AND THE CONFERENCES AT YORK AND WESTMINSTER.
+
+
+If there had been a single generous feeling still lurking in Elizabeth's
+bosom, the time was now arrived when it should have discovered itself.
+Mary was no longer a rival Queen, but an unfortunate sister, who, in her
+hour of distress, had thrown herself into the arms of her nearest
+neighbour and ally. During her imprisonment in Scotland, Elizabeth had
+avowed her conviction of its injustice; and, if it was unjust that her own
+subjects should retain her in captivity, it would of course be much more
+iniquitous in one who had no right to interfere with her affairs, and who
+had already condemned such conduct in others. If it was too much to expect
+that the English Queen would supply her with money and arms, to enable her
+to win back the Crown she had lost, it was surely not to be doubted that
+she would either allow her to seek assistance in France, or, if she
+remained in England, would treat her with kindness and hospitality. All
+these hopes were fallacious; for, "with Elizabeth and her counsellors,"
+as Robertson has justly observed, "the question was, not what was most
+just or generous, but what was most beneficial to herself and the English
+nation."
+
+On the 29th of May 1568, Lord Scroope and Sir Francis Knollys arrived at
+Carlisle. They were met at some little distance from the town by Lord
+Herries, who told them, that what the Queen his mistress most desired, was
+a personal interview with Elizabeth. But they had been instructed to
+answer, that they doubted whether her Majesty could receive the Queen of
+Scots, until her innocence from any share in the murder of her husband was
+satisfactorily established.[150] Thus, the ground which Elizabeth had
+resolved to take was at once discovered. She was to affect to treat the
+Scottish Queen with empty civility, whilst in reality she detained her a
+prisoner, until she had arranged with Murray the precise accusation which
+was to be brought against her, and which, if it succeeded in blackening
+her character, might justify subsequent severities. Mary could not at
+first believe that she would be treated with so much treachery; but
+circumstances occurred every day to diminish her confidence in the good
+intentions of the English Queen. Under the pretence that there was too
+great a concourse of strangers from Scotland, Lord Scroope and Sir Francis
+Knollys ordered the fortifications of Carlisle Castle to be repaired, and
+Mary was not allowed to ride out to any distance. The most distinguished
+of the few friends who were now with her, and who remained faithful to
+her to the end of her life, were Lesley, Bishop of Ross,--the Lords
+Herries, Livingston, and Fleming, and George and William Douglas. She had
+also her two secretaries, Curl and Nawe, who afterwards betrayed her,--and
+among other servants, Beaton, and Sebastian the Frenchman; there were
+likewise the Ladies Livingston and Fleming, Mary Seaton, Lord Seaton's
+daughter, and other female attendants.[151]
+
+Mary's first interview with the envoys from Elizabeth, prepossessed them
+both in her favour. "We found her," they said, "to have an eloquent tongue
+and a discreet head, and it seems by her doings, that she has stout
+courage, and a liberal heart adjoined thereto." When they told her that
+the Queen, their mistress, refused to admit her to her presence, Mary
+burst into tears, and expressed the bitterest disappointment. Checking her
+grief, however, and assuming a tone of becoming dignity, she said, that if
+she did not receive without delay, the aid she had been induced to expect,
+she would immediately demand permission to pass into France, where she did
+not doubt she would obtain what the English Queen denied.[152] In the
+meantime, as she was not allowed to proceed to London herself, she
+despatched Lord Herries to superintend her interests there; and shortly
+afterwards, it being represented to her that her person was not in safety
+so long as she continued so near the Borders, she consented to be removed
+further into England, and was conveyed to Bolton Castle, a seat of Lord
+Scroope, in the North Riding of Yorkshire.[153]
+
+The Regent Murray, on his part, was any thing but inactive. He forced the
+Earl of Huntly, who had collected upwards of 2000 men, and was marching to
+the Queen's assistance when he heard of the unfortunate battle of
+Langside, to retire to the North, and disband the greater part of his
+troops; he put to flight the remains of the Queen's army, which had been
+again gathered by Argyle and Cassils; and, assembling a Parliament, he
+procured acts of forfeiture and banishment against many of the most
+powerful Lords of the opposite party. Elizabeth, perceiving his success,
+had no desire to check the progress of his usurped authority, whatever
+professions to the contrary she chose to make to Mary. On the 8th of June,
+she wrote Murray a letter, in which she addressed him as her "right
+trusty, and right well-beloved cousin;" told him falsely that the Queen of
+Scots had confided to her the examination of the differences between
+herself and her subjects; and advised him to take such steps as would
+place his own side of the question in the most favourable point of view.
+Murray had no objection to make Elizabeth the umpire between himself and
+his sister, well assured that she would ultimately decide in his favour,
+lest the rival, whom she had once found so formidable, should again become
+a source of jealousy and alarm.
+
+But Mary had never dreamt of appealing to Elizabeth as to a judge, and she
+now learned with indignation that her rebellious nobles were to be
+encouraged to come before that Queen on the same footing with herself.
+When she asked for a personal interview, it was that she might speak to
+her cousin as to a friend and equal, of the wrongs she had suffered. She
+had voluntarily undertaken to satisfy the English Queen, as soon as they
+conversed together, of her innocence from all the charges which had been
+brought against her; but she was not to degrade herself by entering into a
+controversy with her subjects regarding these charges. Accordingly, as
+soon as she discovered Elizabeth's insidious policy, she addressed a
+letter to her, in which she openly protested against it. The letter was in
+French, and to the following effect:--
+
+"Madam, my good sister, I came into your dominions to ask your assistance,
+and not to save my life. Scotland and the world have not renounced me. I
+was conscious of innocence; I was disposed to lay all my transactions
+before you; and I was willing to do you honour, by making you the
+restorer of a Queen. But you have afforded me no aid, and no consolation.
+You even deny me admittance to your presence. I escaped from a prison, and
+I am again a captive. Can it expose you to censure, to hear the complaints
+of the unfortunate? You received my bastard brother when he was in open
+rebellion; I am a Princess, and your equal, and you refuse me this
+indulgence. Permit me then to leave your dominions. Your severity
+encourages my enemies, intimidates my friends, and is most cruelly
+destructive to my interests. You keep me in fetters, and allow my enemies
+to conquer my realm. I am defenceless; and they enjoy my authority,
+possess themselves of my revenues, and hold out to me the points of their
+swords. In the miserable condition to which I am reduced, you invite them
+to accuse me. Is it too small a misfortune for me to lose my kingdom? Must
+I, also, be robbed of my integrity and my reputation? Excuse me, if I
+speak without dissimulation. In your dominions I will not answer to their
+calumnies and criminations. To you, in a personal conference, I shall at
+all times be ready to vindicate my conduct; but to sink myself into a
+level with my rebellious subjects, and to be a party in a suit or trial
+with them, is an indignity so vile, that I can never submit to it. I can
+die, but I cannot meet dishonour. Consult, I conjure you, what is right
+and proper, and entitle yourself to my warmest gratitude; or, if you are
+inclined not to know me as a sister, and to withhold your kindness,
+abstain at least from rigour and injustice. Be neither my enemy nor my
+friend; preserve yourself in the coldness of neutrality; and let me be
+indebted to other princes for my re-establishment in my kingdom."[154]
+
+Unmoved by the forcible representations contained in this and other
+letters, Elizabeth resolved to treat the Queen of Scots only with greater
+severity than before, in the hope of intimidating her into a compliance
+with her wishes. It was with this view that she had removed her to Bolton,
+where she took care that she should be strictly guarded, and not allowed
+to hold any intercourse with the loyal part of her Scottish subjects. Lord
+Fleming, too, whom Mary wished to send as her ambassador to France, was
+stopped; and she was given distinctly to understand, that she must not
+expect any of her commands to be obeyed, unless they met with Elizabeth's
+approval. The English Privy Council, of course, sanctioned their
+Sovereign's severity; and gave it as their opinion, that, until an inquiry
+had taken place into the whole conduct of the Scottish Queen, it would not
+be consistent with the honour or safety of the realm to afford her the aid
+she required. The result of all these machinations,--a result which
+Elizabeth contrived to bring about with the most consummate art,--was,
+that Mary agreed to nominate Commissioners to meet the Earl of Murray and
+the Lords associated with him, and to authorize them, before Commissioners
+to be appointed by Elizabeth, to state the grievances of which their
+mistress, the Queen of Scots, complained. Murray approved of this
+arrangement, because he foresaw from the first how it would end; and Mary
+consented to it, because she was led to believe, that Murray and his
+accomplices were summoned solely that they might answer to her complaints.
+Well aware that their answer could not be satisfactory, she fondly
+imagined that she would soon be restored to the power they had usurped.
+
+The important _Conference_, as it was termed, between the three sets of
+Commissioners, was appointed to be held at York. Mary's Commissioners were
+Lesley, Bishop of Ross, the Lords Herries, Livingston, and Boyd, Gavin
+Hamilton, Commendator of Kilwinning, Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, and Sir
+James Cockburn of Stirling.[155] Murray associated with himself the Earl
+of Morton, Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, Pitcairn, Commendator of
+Dunfermlin, and Lord Lindsay. Macgill and Balnaves, two civilians,
+Buchanan, whose pen was always at the Regent's command "through good
+report and bad report," Secretary Maitland, and one or two others, came
+with them as legal advisers and literary assistants.[156] On the part of
+Elizabeth, the Commissioners were Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, Thomas
+Ratcliffe Earl of Sussex, and Sir Ralph Sadler; and they were invested
+with full authority to arrange all the differences and controversies
+existing between her "dear sister and cousin, Mary Queen of Scots," and
+James Earl of Murray.[157]
+
+On the 4th of October 1568, the conference was opened with much solemnity
+at York. "The great abilities of the deputies on both sides," observes
+Robertson, "the dignity of the judges before whom they were to appear, the
+high rank of the persons whose cause was to be heard, and the importance
+of the points in dispute, rendered the whole transaction no less
+illustrious than it was singular. The situation in which Elizabeth
+appeared on this occasion, strikes us with an air of magnificence. Her
+rival, an independent queen, and the heir of an ancient race of monarchs,
+was a prisoner in her hands, and appeared, by her ambassadors, before her
+tribunal. The Regent of Scotland, who represented the Majesty, and
+possessed the authority of a king, stood in person at her bar, and the
+fate of a kingdom, whose power her ancestors had often dreaded, but could
+never subdue, was now absolutely at her disposal." It may, however, be
+remarked, that the "magnificence" of power depends, in a great degree, on
+the manner in which that power has been acquired; and when it is
+recollected that, by secretly and diligently fomenting civil disturbances
+in Scotland, Elizabeth first attacked Mary's peace, and then undermined
+her authority, and that, having subsequently assumed the mask of a friend,
+only to conceal the scowl of an enemy, she had forcibly arrogated the rank
+of a judge, her "air of magnificence" is discovered to be little else than
+stage-trick.
+
+The "Instructions" given to her Commissioners, are of themselves
+sufficient to show that her desire was not to extinguish, but to encourage
+animosities between the Queen of Scots and her subjects. She had
+previously assured Mary, in order to induce her to send Commissioners to
+York at all, that so far from intending to use any form or process by
+which her subjects should become her accusers, "she meant rather to have
+such of them, as the Queen of Scots should name, called into the realm, to
+be charged with such crimes as the said Queen should please to object
+against them; _and if any form of judgment should be used, it should be
+against them_."[158] But as soon as she had persuaded Mary, by these
+specious promises, to come into Court, she resolved to alter the features
+of the cause. She instructed her Commissioners to listen particularly to
+the requests and complaints of the Earl of Murray, and to assure him
+privately, that if he could prove Mary to have been implicated in her
+husband's murder, she should never be restored to the throne. Nay, she
+went further; she desired it to be intimated to the Regent, that even
+though he could not prove Mary's guilt, yet, that if he could attach
+sufficient suspicion to her, it would be left to himself and his friends
+to determine under what conditions they would again consent to receive her
+into Scotland. This was as much encouragement as Murray could desire; for
+he knew that, by artifice and effrontery, a shade of suspicion might be
+made to attach itself even to the most perfect. Mary's Commissioners, on
+the other hand, though doubting much the impartiality of the party which
+was to arbitrate between them, felt strong in the justice of their cause;
+and after protesting that their appearance was not to be construed as
+implying any surrender of her independence on the part of their mistress,
+or of feudal inferiority to the Crown of England, they proceeded to give
+in their complaint. It contained a short review of the injuries the Queen
+of Scots had suffered since her marriage with Bothwell;--of the rebellion
+of Morton and others,--of her voluntary surrender at Carberry Hill,--of
+her imprisonment in Loch-Leven,--of the abdication that had been forced
+from her,--of the coronation of her infant son, and the assumed regency of
+the Earl of Murray,--of her defeat at Langside,--and of the undutiful
+conduct in which the Regent had since persevered.[159]
+
+To this complaint it was answered, at great length, by Murray, that the
+Earl of Bothwell having forcibly carried off the person of the Queen to
+the Castle of Dunbar, and kept her there a prisoner for some time, had, in
+the end, suddenly accomplished "a pretended marriage," which, confirming
+the nobility in the belief that the Earl was the chief author of the
+murder of the King, made them determine to take up arms to relieve those
+who were unjustly calumniated, and to rescue the Queen from the bondage of
+a tyrant, who had presumptuously attempted to ravish and marry her, though
+he could neither be her lawful husband, nor she his lawful wife;--that
+Bothwell came against these nobility, "leading the Queen in his company,
+as a defence and cloak to his wickedness;" but that, as the quarrel was
+intended only against him, the Queen was received by the nobles, and led
+by them into Edinburgh, as soon as she consented to part from the
+Earl;--that she was then requested to agree that the murderers should be
+punished, and that the pretended marriage into which she had been led,
+should be dissolved;--that to this request she only answered, by
+rigorously menacing all who had taken up arms in her cause, and declaring
+she would surrender her realm altogether, "so she might be suffered to
+possess the murderer of her husband;"--that, perceiving the inflexibility
+of her mind, they had been compelled to "sequestrate her person" for a
+season;--that, during this time, she had voluntarily renounced the
+Government, finding herself wearied by its fatigues, and perceiving that
+she and her people could not well agree; and that she had appointed,
+during the minority of her son, the Earl of Murray Regent of the realm,
+and that every thing he had done since had been in accordance with the
+legal authority with which she had thus invested him;--and that he
+therefore required, in behalf of his Sovereign Lord the King, to be
+allowed peaceably to enjoy and govern the country.[160]
+
+The "Reply" of Mary's Commissioners, to this feeble and disingenuous
+"Answer" of the Earl of Murray, was quite as candid as it was conclusive.
+It was stated for Mary, that, so far from having been aware, at the time
+of her marriage, that Bothwell was "known," or "affirmed," to be the
+"chief author" of the horrible murder committed on her late husband, she
+had seen him solemnly acquitted of all suspicion by a regular trial,
+according to the laws of the realm, and that most of her principal
+nobility had solicited her to accept of him as a husband, promising him
+service, and her Highness loyal obedience,--not one of them, either before
+or after the marriage, having warned her to avoid it, or expressed their
+discontent with it, till they suddenly appeared in arms;--that, at
+Carberry Hill, she willingly parted with Bothwell, as they themselves had
+seen; but that, if he were in truth guilty of the crimes imputed to him,
+which she did not then believe, they were to blame for permitting him to
+escape;--that, upon being taken into Edinburgh, where they had promised to
+reverence her as their Queen, she found herself treated as their
+captive;--that, so far from showing any persevering attachment to
+Bothwell, she repeatedly declared it to be her wish, that the estates of
+the realm should examine into all the charges which had been made against
+him;--that, notwithstanding, she had been forcibly carried off under shade
+of night, and imprisoned against her will in the Castle of Loch-Leven,
+where she was afterwards made to subscribe instruments of abdication, only
+through the fear of present death;--that, consequently, the pretended
+coronation of her son was an unlawful and treasonable proceeding, and the
+pretended nomination of the Earl of Murray as Regent, a proof of itself
+that force and fraud had been used; for, even supposing she had been
+willing to abdicate, if she had been left to her own free choice, there
+were others whom she would have preferred to appoint to the chief rule
+during her son's minority;--that, therefore, she required the Queen of
+England to support and fortify her in the peaceable enjoyment and
+government of her realm, and to declare the pretended authority usurped by
+others null from the beginning.[161]
+
+"So far," says Hume, "the Queen of Scots seemed plainly to have the
+advantage in the contest; and the English Commissioners might have been
+surprised, that Murray had made so weak a defence." The truth is, that not
+only were the English Commissioners surprised, but the Regent himself felt
+painfully conscious, that he had entirely failed to offer even a plausible
+pretext for the dethronement of his sister, and his own usurpation.
+Elizabeth also, anxious as she was to befriend him, saw that she would be
+imperatively required, by every principle of justice and good government,
+to take measures against him, were the discussion allowed to terminate at
+the point to which it had now been brought. Means were therefore taken to
+inform Murray, that unless he was able to strengthen his case, and to
+bring his charges more directly home, the matter would in all probability
+go against him. Upon this the Regent held a consultation with his friends,
+Maitland and Buchanan, and the necessity of bringing into play a new
+device, which had been prepared as a corps-de-reserve, was by all of them
+felt and acknowledged. Though no evidence had been adduced against her,
+Mary had already been accused by her brother of having had a share in the
+murder of Darnley. But as the charge was made soon after his return from
+France, it was strongly suspected to have been invented only to justify
+himself for retaining her in Loch-Leven. Now, however, seeing the
+emergency of his affairs, he determined that something like evidence of
+its truth should be produced. This evidence consisted of a collection of
+certain letters and sonnets, alleged to be in the Queen's own hand, and
+addressed to the Earl of Bothwell, containing passages which testified at
+once her love for him, and her guilt towards Darnley. But here the
+question very naturally occurs, why these important documents should not
+have been brought forward in the earlier part of the conference; and as
+Robertson, in endeavouring to account for the delay, appears to have
+fallen into a mistake, it will be worth while examining, for a moment, the
+soundness of his hypothesis.
+
+The Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth's principal Commissioner, was one of the
+most powerful of all her nobility, and, since Mary's arrival in England,
+he had formed the ambitious project of ascending the Scottish throne by
+means of a marriage with her. With this view, he had already engaged
+extensively in secret intrigues, and had, in particular, prevailed on
+Lethington to approve of his plans, and promise him his support. But
+Robertson asserts further, that soon after his arrival at York, he won
+over Murray also to his views, and persuaded him to keep back, for a time,
+the heaviest part of his accusation against Mary, that her character might
+not be so fatally blackened. The historian's assertion, however, is
+unsupported by the evidence he adduces in its favour, his references to
+Anderson, to Goodall, and to his own Appendix, being quite unsatisfactory.
+Whatever promises Murray may, at a subsequent date, have made to Norfolk,
+it clearly appears that no charge against Mary was delayed one hour at
+York, in consequence of any understanding between these two noblemen.
+
+It had been all along the Regent's determination, not to have recourse to
+the letters, if he could make out a case without them; and even after he
+perceived that he would require their aid, he did not produce them openly,
+till they had been first shown privately to the English Commissioners, and
+their opinion obtained concerning them. It was on the 4th of October that
+the conference commenced; and on the 10th, Lethington, Macgill, and
+Buchanan, in a secret interview with Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler, laid
+before them the mysterious documents. The nature of their contents was
+communicated to Elizabeth on the 11th, and she was requested to mention in
+reply, whether, when publicly adduced and authenticated, they would be
+sufficient to secure Mary's condemnation. Murray, therefore, cannot at
+this time, have entered into any agreement with the Duke of Norfolk; for,
+so far from keeping back his box-full of letters, he was nervously anxious
+to ascertain, as speedily as possible, whether Elizabeth would attach any
+weight to them, or allow them to be branded as palpable forgeries. Had
+Robertson attended a little more to dates, he would have discovered, that
+so far from wishing to favour the views of the Duke of Norfolk, Murray
+informed Elizabeth regarding the letters and their contents, on the very
+day on which he gave in his first "Answer" to Mary's Commissioners. Nor
+had these letters been entirely unheard of till now; for, though they had
+never been exhibited, they had been expressly alluded to nearly a year
+before, in an act published by the Lords of Secret Council, on the 4th of
+December 1567, in which it was asserted, that by the discovery of certain
+of the Queen's private letters, sent by her to the Earl of Bothwell, it
+was "most certain that she was art and part of the actual device and deed
+of the murder of the King."[162] The same assertion was subsequently
+repeated, founded upon the same alleged proof, in one of the Acts of the
+Parliament called by Murray. The only legitimate conclusion therefore to
+be drawn from his unwillingness to bring forward these letters at York,
+and make good, by their means the sole charge against the Queen which
+could justify his usurpation of her authority, is, that he was afraid to
+expose such fabrications to the eye of day, until he should have received
+Elizabeth's assurance that she would treat them with becoming
+consideration, and assign to them an air of importance, even though
+forgery, with brazen audacity, was stamped upon their face.[163]
+
+As soon as Elizabeth heard of the letters, and reflected on the turn which
+they might give to the case, she determined on taking the whole of the
+proceedings under her own immediate superintendence, and with this view
+removed the conference from York to Westminster. To the Commissioners
+previously appointed, she there added the Earls of Arundel and Leicester,
+Lord Clinton, Sir Nicolas Bacon, and Sir William Cecil. Mary at first
+expressed satisfaction at this new arrangement, but several circumstances
+soon occurred which proved, that no favour was intended to her by the
+change. That which galled her most, was the marked attention paid to the
+Earl of Murray. Though Elizabeth refused Mary a personal interview, she
+admitted her rebellious brother to that honour, and thus glaringly
+deviated from the impartiality which ought to have been observed by an
+umpire. Accordingly, the Queen of Scots commanded her Commissioners, the
+Bishop of Ross and Lord Herries, to complain of this injustice. Not to be
+received into Elizabeth's presence, she could regard in no other light but
+as an assumption of superiority,--a parade of rigid righteousness,--and an
+affected dread of contamination, which, whilst it was meant to imply the
+purity of the maiden Queen, aimed at exciting suspicion of the purity of
+another. Continuing to believe that her Scottish rebels had been called
+before the English Commissioners at her instance, Mary had consented that
+her representatives should proceed from York to Westminster, to make her
+complaints as a free Sovereign. In her instructions to the Bishop of Ross,
+and those associated with him, she expressly told them, that the
+conference was appointed "only for making a pacification between her and
+her rebellious subjects, and restoring her to her realm and authority."
+She never lost sight of the fact, that she did not appeal to Elizabeth as
+a suppliant, but as an equal; and she always took care to preserve high
+and dignified ground. But to depart from this, and before the tribunal of
+Hampton Court, in which such men as Cecil were able to procure any
+decision they chose, to undertake to answer every calumnious charge which
+might be brought against her, never entered into her imagination. "It is
+not unknown to us," she wrote to her Commissioners from Bolton, "how
+hurtful and prejudicial it would be to us, our posterity and realm, to
+enter into foreign judgment or arbitrement before the Queen our good
+sister, her Council, or Commissioners, either for our estate, Crown,
+dignity or honour;--we will and command you, therefore, that you pass to
+the presence of our said dearest sister, her Council and Commissioners,
+and there, in our name, extend our clemency toward our disobedient
+subjects, and give them appointment for their offences committed against
+us and our realm,--so that they may live, in time coming, in surety under
+us their head."--"And, in case they will otherwise proceed, then we will
+and command you to dissolve this present diet and negotiation, and proceed
+no further therein, for the causes foresaid."[164]
+
+It may well be conceived, therefore, that when Mary heard of Elizabeth's
+kind and familiar treatment of the Earl of Murray, "the principal of her
+rebels," she was not a little indignant. She immediately sent word to her
+Commissioners, that, before proceeding a step further in the negotiation,
+she considered it right that she should be put on at least an equal
+footing with the pretended Regent,--for she did not choose that greater
+respect should be shown to her rebels than to her and her true subjects.
+There were other three points, of which she thought she had also just
+cause to complain. _First_, that though she had come into England on the
+assurance of friendship, and of her own free will, she had not only seen
+no steps taken to restore her to her realm and authority, but had most
+unexpectedly found herself detained a prisoner, and her confinement
+rendered closer every day;--_second_, that though, at Elizabeth's request,
+she had desired her loyal subjects in Scotland to abstain from
+hostilities, yet the Earl of Murray had not been prevented from molesting
+and invading them;--and, _third_, that having already established the
+utter groundlessness of the charges brought against her, instead of
+finding herself reinstated on her throne, the conference had been merely
+removed to a greater distance, where she could not communicate with her
+Commissioners so frequently and speedily as was necessary. In
+consideration of these premises, and especially in consideration of the
+treatment of the Earl of Murray, "you shall break the conference," she
+continued, "and proceed no further therein, but take your leave, and come
+away. And if our sister allege that, at the beginning, she were content
+our cause should be conferred on by Commissioners, it is true. But since
+our principal rebels have free access towards her to accuse us in her
+presence, and the same is denied to us, personally to declare our
+innocence, and answer to their calumnies, being held as prisoner, and
+transported from place to place, though we came into her realm, of our
+free will, to seek her support and natural amity, we have resolved to have
+nothing further conferred on, except we be present before her, as the said
+rebels."[165]
+
+In the mean time, before these letters arrived, the Commissioners had held
+several sittings at Westminster; and Elizabeth having personally informed
+Murray, that if he would accuse the Queen of Scots of a share in the
+murder of Darnley, and produce the letters he had in his possession, she
+would authorize his continuance in the Regency, he no longer hesitated. On
+the 26th of November, after protesting that he had been anxious to save,
+as long as possible, the mother of his gracious King, James VI., from the
+perpetual infamy which the discovery of her shame would attach to her, and
+that he was now forced to disclose it, in his own defence, because it was
+maintained, that his previous answer to the complaint made against him was
+not sufficient, Murray, in conjunction with his colleagues, presented to
+the English Commissioners an "Eik" or addition to their "Answer," in which
+they formally charged Mary with the murder. As to the reluctance so
+hypocritically avowed, it has been already seen, that so far back as
+December 1567, precisely the same charge, though unsupported by any
+evidence, was brought forward in the Scottish Parliament; and having then
+served its purpose, was allowed to lie dormant for eleven months. It is
+true, that there was then, no less than now, a palpable contradiction
+between this accusation, and the grounds which had always previously been
+assigned, both for Mary's "sequestration" in Loch-Leven, and her alleged
+voluntary abdication. It was not till the public mind had been inflamed,
+and till opposing interests contributed to involve the truth in obscurity,
+that the notorious fact was denied or concealed, that Mary had been forced
+into an unwilling marriage with Bothwell, and that her abduction, and
+imprisonment in the Castle of Dunbar, were themselves an answer to any
+suspicion, that she was one of his accomplices in Darnley's slaughter. But
+now that Mary was a prisoner, in the hands of a jealous rival, the Regent
+naturally supposed, that some contradictions would be overlooked; and all
+at once, assuming a tone of the utmost confidence, and undertaking "to
+manifest the naked truth," he ventured on couching his assertion in these
+terms:--"It is certain, and we boldly and constantly affirm, that as
+James, some time Earl of Bothwell, was the chief executor of the horrible
+and unworthy murder, perpetrated in the person of King Henry, of good
+memory, father to our Sovereign Lord, and the Queen's lawful husband,--so
+was she of the fore-knowledge, counsel, and device, persuader and
+commander of the said murder to be done, maintainer and fortifier of the
+executors thereof, by impeding and stopping of the inquisition and
+punishment due for the same, according to the laws of the realm, and,
+consequently, by marriage with the said James, some time Earl Bothwell,
+dilated and universally esteemed chief author of the above named
+murder."[166] In support of this new charge, the letters and other
+documents were referred to, and it was promised to produce them as soon as
+they were called for.
+
+Before they were able to inform their mistress of the unexpected turn
+which affairs had taken, Mary's Commissioners received her instructions
+from Bolton, to proceed no further in the conference. They therefore
+stated to Elizabeth, that though they were heartily sorry to perceive
+their countrymen, with a view to colour their unjust and ungrateful
+doings, had committed to writing a charge of so shameful a sort, they
+nevertheless could not condescend to answer it, having begun the
+conference at York as plaintives, and having afterwards found their
+relative positions altered, Murray being admitted into her Majesty's
+presence, to advance his calumnious falsehoods, and Mary being expected to
+defend herself against them, though kept in imprisonment at a distance. At
+the same time, according to Mary's commands, they said that, although the
+proceedings of the Regent were altogether intolerable and injurious, they
+would not yet dissolve the conference, provided their mistress were
+permitted to appear in her own person before the Queen of England and her
+nobility.[167] To this request Elizabeth would not agree. Her real motive
+was the fear of truth; that which she assigned was sufficiently
+preposterous. "As to your desire," she said to Mary's Commissioners, "that
+your Sovereign should come to my presence to declare her innocence in this
+cause, you will understand, that from the beginning why she was debarred
+therefrom, was through the bruit and slander that was passed upon her,
+that she was participant of such a heinous crime as the murder of her
+husband; and I thought it best for your mistress's weal and honour, and
+also for mine own, that trial should be taken thereof before her coming to
+me; _for I could never believe, nor yet will, that ever she did assent
+thereto_."[168] If Elizabeth had been anxious to see justice done, she
+could very easily have overcome the squeamish dread of being brought into
+contact with Mary, the more especially as she arrogated for herself the
+superior character of judge, as it was only "bruit and slander" that
+implicated her "dearest sister," and as she did not, according to her own
+confession, believe her guilty, _even after she had been informed of the
+existence of the love-letters, and made acquainted with their contents_.
+Both parties, however, continuing alike resolute, the Commissioners of the
+Queen of Scots intimated, that in so far as they were concerned, the
+conference might be considered closed.
+
+It is here of some importance to point out, that both Robertson and Hume
+have deduced an argument against Mary, from their own erroneous manner of
+stating the proceedings of the conference at Westminster. According to the
+narrative of both these historians, the reader is led to believe, that
+Mary was perfectly willing to go on till the moment that Murray accused
+her of being a sharer in Darnley's murder, but that, as soon as this
+charge was made, she drew back as if afraid to meet it. Robertson and Hume
+would have themselves discovered how unfair this view of the matter was,
+had they taken the trouble to attend to the dates of the documents
+connected with the transaction. By these they would have seen, that Mary
+refused to proceed on the 22d of November 1568, unless admitted equally
+with the Earl of Murray into Elizabeth's presence, and that Murray's
+accusation was not produced till the 26th.[169] Thus so far from
+"recoiling from the inquiry at the critical moment," as Hume expresses it,
+she did not hesitate to proceed until she had rebutted every thing which
+had been advanced against her, and stood on even higher ground than
+before. It will besides be immediately found, that notwithstanding her
+previous determination to the contrary, she was no sooner informed of the
+existence of letters alleged to have been written by her to Bothwell, than
+she was willing to enter into a proof of their authenticity.
+
+It would not have suited Elizabeth's views to allow the contending parties
+to slip through her fingers, before arriving at any definite conclusion.
+She therefore fell upon an expedient by which she hoped, although the
+Queen of Scots had withdrawn from the conference, and it consequently
+should have been considered at an end, to attach to her so great a degree
+of suspicion, that she might safely detain her from her own realm. She
+ordered Murray and his colleagues to be called before her Commissioners;
+and the scene having been arranged before-hand with them, she commanded
+the Regent to be rebuked for accusing his native Sovereign of a crime so
+horrible, that if it could be proved true, she would be infamous to all
+princes in the world. The Regent readily answered, that finding he had
+displeased her Majesty, he had no objections to show the Commissioners "a
+collection made in writing of the presumptions and circumstances" by which
+he had been guided in the charge he had advanced against Mary, and which
+would satisfy them that it had not been made without due grounds and
+consideration. This was all that Elizabeth wished. In however glaring a
+point of view it placed her injustice, she rejoiced that Mary's
+Commissioners were no longer attending the conference; for she would now
+be able to represent to the world, without fear of contradiction, the
+overwhelming strength of Murray's evidences, and hold them out as the
+justification of her own severity. These hopes and plans, however, were
+very nearly frustrated by the boldness and decision of Mary's conduct. As
+soon as she received intelligence of this new accusation, and of the means
+by which it was to be supported, she resolved that her own innocence and
+its falsehood should be made apparent; and for this purpose, she even
+consented to depart from her former demand of being personally admitted to
+Elizabeth's presence. She wrote to her Commissioners to resume the duties
+which they had intermitted, and to renew the conference once more. "We
+have seen the copy," she said, "which you have sent us of the false and
+unlawful accusation presented against us by some of our rebels, together
+with the declarations and protestations made by you thereon before the
+Queen of England, our good sister's Commissioners, wherein you have obeyed
+our commands to refuse consenting to any further proceedings, if the
+presence of our sister were refused us. But that our rebels may see that
+they have not closed your mouths, you may offer a reply to the pretended
+excuse and cloak of their wicked actions, falsity and disloyalty, whereof
+you had no information before, it being a thing so horrible, that neither
+we nor you could have imagined it would have fallen into the thoughts of
+the said rebels."[170]
+
+A reply was accordingly made, in which the "Eik" was maintained to be
+false in every particular, and nothing but a device, contrived to justify
+Murray's own "detestable doings and ambitious purpose." The writings, or
+at least copies of them, which had been adduced in support of the Regent's
+charge, were required to be delivered; and it was intimated, that Mary
+would undertake to prove, that the very men who now accused her of murder,
+were themselves the first inventors, and some of them the executors of the
+deed. It will at first appear hardly credible, but it is nevertheless
+true, that Elizabeth refused to allow duplicates of the evidence against
+her to be sent to Mary. On the contrary, she now hastened to break up the
+conference; Murray was sent back to his Regency, and the Queen of Scots
+detained in closer captivity than ever; and though she even yet petitioned
+to see the writings, Elizabeth refused to surrender them, except upon
+conditions with which Mary's Commissioners would not comply. They had
+formally accused the Regent and his adherents of a share in Bothwell's
+guilt; yet the latter had been permitted "to depart into Scotland without
+abiding to hear the defence of the Queen of Scotland's innocency, nor the
+trial and proof of their detection, which was offered to verify and prove
+them guilty of the same crime, but were fully released, and no end put to
+the cause, according to the equity and justice thereof. It did not appear
+meet, therefore, that their Sovereign should make any further answer,
+unless her rebels were made to remain within the realm until the trial
+ended."[171]
+
+As no decision had been pronounced against Mary, and as the Regent had
+been allowed to depart, leave was also asked for her to return to
+Scotland, or proceed to France, as she might think fit. This, however, was
+expressly refused; but it was insultingly promised, that if she would
+yield up the crown and government of Scotland in favour of her son the
+Prince, she would be permitted to remain privately and quietly in England.
+Mary, of course, rejected the proposal with scorn. "The eyes of all
+Europe," she said, "are upon me at this moment; and were I thus tamely to
+yield to my adversaries, I should be pronouncing my own condemnation. A
+thousand times rather would I submit to death, than inflict this stain
+upon my honour. The last words I speak shall be those of the Queen of
+Scotland."[172]
+
+Thus ended this famous conference, which Elizabeth had opened with so many
+professions of friendship, which she conducted with so much duplicity, and
+which she concluded without any conclusion, except that of endeavouring to
+blacken the character of her sister Mary, and give plausibility to her
+continued imprisonment. To a certain extent it answered her purpose. She
+had won the reputation, in the eyes of those who looked only at the
+surface of things, of having endeavoured to do justice between the Queen
+of Scots and her nobility; she had secured the favour of the Regent; and
+had obtained a strong hold of the person of her rival, whom she now doomed
+to lingering and hopeless captivity.[173]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+MARY'S EIGHTEEN YEARS' CAPTIVITY.
+
+
+The last eighteen years of Mary's life were spent in imprisonment, and are
+comparatively a blank in her personal history. She was transported, at
+intervals, from castle to castle, and was intrusted sometimes to the
+charge of one nobleman, and sometimes of another; but for her the active
+scenes of life were past,--the splendour and the dignity of a throne were
+to be enjoyed no longer,--the sceptre of her native country was never more
+to grace her hand,--her will ceased to influence a nation,--her voice did
+not travel beyond the walls that witnessed her confinement. She came into
+England at the age of twenty-five, in the prime of womanhood, the full
+vigour of health, and the rapidly ripening strength of her intellectual
+powers. She was there destined to feel in all its bitterness, that "hope
+delayed maketh the heart sick." Year after year passed slowly on, and year
+after year her spirits became more exhausted, her health feebler, and her
+doubts and fears confirmed, till they at length settled into despair.
+Premature old age overtook her, before she was past the meridian of life;
+and for some time before her death, her hair was white "with other snows
+than those of age." Yet, during the whole of this long period, amid
+sufferings which would have broken many a masculine spirit, and which,
+even in our own times, have been seen to conquer those who had conquered
+empires, Mary retained the innate grace and dignity of her character,
+never forgetting that she had been born a queen, or making her calamities
+an excuse for the commission of any petty meanness, which she would have
+scorned in the day of her prosperity. Full of incident as her previous
+life had been,--brilliant in many of its achievements, fortunate in some,
+and honourable in all, it may be doubted whether the forbearance,
+fortitude, and magnanimity, displayed in her latter years, does not
+redound more highly to her praise, than all that preceded. Many important
+events took place, and intrigues of various kinds were carried on, between
+the years 1569, and 1586, but as it is not the intention of this work to
+illustrate any parts of the history either of Scotland or England, which
+do not bear immediate reference to the Queen of Scots, nothing but a
+summary of them, in so far as they were connected with her, need be
+introduced here.
+
+It was on the 12th of January 1569, that the Earl of Murray and the
+Scottish Commissioners obtained permission to return home, the Regent
+having previously received from Elizabeth a loan of 5000_l._, lent him
+"for the maintenance of peace between the realms of England and Scotland,"
+or in other words, as a bribe to secure his co-operation in all time
+coming.[174] Mary, on the contrary, was removed from Bolton, to the Castle
+of Tutbury in Staffordshire, farther in the interior of England, and was
+placed under the charge of Lord Shrewsbury, to whom Tutbury belonged.
+Elizabeth was unwilling to allow her captive to remain long in any one
+place, lest she should form connections and friendships, which might lead
+to arrangements for an escape. Besides, Sir Francis Knollys had
+represented, that unless it was determined to keep the Scottish Queen so
+close a prisoner, that she should not be allowed to ride out occasionally,
+which would be death to her, she could not remain any longer at Bolton,
+for want of forage and provisions.[175] During the year, she was taken
+about by Shrewsbury, on occasional visits, to several mansions which he
+possessed in different parts of England; but Tutbury was her
+head-quarters; and wherever she went, she was very strictly guarded. "If I
+might give advice," says one of Cecil's friends, in a letter he wrote to
+him about this time, "there should very few subjects of this land have
+access to a conference with this lady; for, beside that she is a goodly
+personage (and yet in truth not comparable to our Sovereign), she hath
+withal an alluring grace, a pretty Scotch speech, and a searching wit,
+clouded with mildness. The greatest person about her is the Lord
+Livingston, and the lady his wife, which is a fair gentlewoman. She hath
+nine women more, fifty persons in her household, with ten horses. Lord
+Shrewsbury is very watchful of his charge; but the Queen overwatches them
+all, for it is one of the clock at least every night ere she go to bed. I
+asked her Grace, since the weather did cut off all exercise abroad, how
+she passed the time within? She said, that all the day she wrought with
+her needle, and that the diversity of the colours made the work seem less
+tedious; and she continued so long till even pain made her give over; and
+with that laid her hand upon her left side, and complained of an old grief
+newly increased there. She then entered upon a pretty disputable
+comparison between carving, painting, and working with the needle,
+affirming painting, in her own opinion, for the most commendable
+quality."[176]
+
+But though Mary thus attempted to beguile her solitude, the thought of her
+unjust imprisonment never ceased to prey upon her mind. Elizabeth and
+Cecil tried to defend themselves upon four grounds; but they were all
+alike weak. They said, _first_, that she was a lawful prisoner by good
+treaties. But as they did not mention to what treaties they alluded,
+Chalmers supposes they meant the same kind of treaties "which justify the
+Barbary Powers to detain all Christians as slaves." They said, _secondly_,
+that she could not be suffered to depart, till she had satisfied the wrong
+she had done to Elizabeth, in openly claiming the crown of England, and
+not making any just recompense. But the disavowal of that claim was all
+the recompense that was necessary; and though Mary had made the claim when
+married to Francis, she had expressly given it up ever since his death.
+They said, _thirdly_, that Elizabeth possessed a superiority over the
+crown of Scotland. But this antiquated notion, arising from the
+subservience of John Baliol to Edward I., in 1292, had long been
+relinquished, and had never been acknowledged in any treaty between the
+two nations. They said, _fourthly_, that the Queen of England was bound to
+attend to the petition of her subjects "in matters of blood." But though
+Lord and Lady Lennox had been brought forward to present a petition
+against Mary, it was evident that Elizabeth had no power either to grant
+or refuse such petition, the Queen of Scots not being one of her subjects.
+
+Though Mary's enemies, however, prevailed, her friends were by no means
+discomfited. In Scotland, Murray found that only one half of the kingdom
+was disposed to submit to his authority; and it was not till after a
+protracted and disastrous civil war, that he was able to free himself from
+the resolute hostility of Chatelherault, Argyle, Huntly, and others. In
+England, the Duke of Norfolk was more active than ever in his intrigues.
+So far from being alarmed by the pretended discoveries to her prejudice,
+he openly expressed his conviction of their falsehood, and prevailed upon
+a number of the English nobility to second, to the best of their power,
+his honourable proposals to the Queen of Scots.[177] Though it does not
+appear that he was able to obtain a personal interview with Mary, many
+letters passed between them; and as she soon perceived that her best
+chance of restoration to the throne of Scotland was by joining her
+interests with those of Norfolk, (whose power and estates were so
+extensive, that Melville calls him the greatest subject in Europe,) she
+promised that, though little disposed to form a new alliance, after the
+experience she had already had of matrimony, she would nevertheless bestow
+her hand on him as soon as she should regain her liberty, through his
+means. The Duke's machinations, however, which had been hitherto carefully
+concealed from Elizabeth, at length reached her ears, and in the utmost
+indignation she scrupled not, with her usual arbitrary violence, to send
+him to the Tower, where she kept him a close prisoner for upwards of nine
+months,--while the Earls of Arundel, Pembroke, and Leicester, who had
+favoured his views, all fell into disgrace. Mary was watched more narrowly
+than before; and Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, who pretended a superior
+right to the English succession, was joined with Shrewsbury in the
+commission of superintending her imprisonment.
+
+Norfolk had not been long in the Tower, when an open rebellion broke out
+in the Northern counties, headed by the Earls of Northumberland and
+Westmoreland. It is difficult to ascertain the precise causes which led to
+it. Though there is no reason to believe that Mary gave it any
+encouragement, it seems to have borne some reference to her; for in the
+"Declaration" published by the Earls, one ground of complaint was the want
+of a law for settling the succession. They marched also towards Tutbury,
+with the evident intention of restoring Mary to freedom, which they might
+have succeeded in doing, had she not been removed with all expedition to
+Coventry. Elizabeth sent an army against the rebels, and they were
+speedily dispersed;--Westmoreland concealed himself on the Borders; but
+Northumberland, proceeding further into Scotland, was seized by Murray,
+and confined in the castle of Loch-Leven,--probably in the very apartments
+which Mary had occupied.
+
+The year 1570 opened with an event which materially affected the state of
+public affairs in Scotland, and which to Mary was the occasion of many
+mingled feelings. Elizabeth, perceiving the danger which accrued to
+herself from detaining a prisoner of so much importance, had commenced a
+negotiation with the Earl of Murray for replacing his sister in his hands,
+when she received the unexpected and unwelcome intelligence of his
+assassination. The manner and cause of his death are sufficiently known to
+all who are acquainted with Scottish History; and though nothing can
+justify a murder committed to gratify private revenge, yet it is
+impossible to read the story of the wrongs which the Regent had heaped
+upon Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, without feeling towards the latter more of
+pity than of hatred.
+
+Next to Mary herself, no one had held so prominent a place in Scotland as
+the Earl of Murray; and there is no one concerning whose character
+historians have more widely differed. There can be no doubt that, like
+most human characters, it was a very mixed one; but it is to be feared
+that the evil preponderated. Ambition was his ruling passion, and the
+temptations which his birth, rank, and fortune, held out for its
+indulgence, unfortunately led him into errors and crimes which, had he
+been contented with an humbler sphere, he would in all probability have
+avoided. There are various sorts of ambition, and the most dangerous is
+not always that which is most apparent and reckless. Murray was ambitious
+under the cloak of patriotism, and the mask of religion. He had enough of
+knowledge of mankind to be aware, that no one could so safely play the
+villain as he who maintained a high name for integrity. Hence, though he
+may have loved honesty to a certain extent, for its own sake, he loved it
+a great deal more for the sake of the advantages to be derived from a
+reputation for possessing it. He was perhaps constitutionally religious;
+but though he was very willing to fight as a leader in the armies of the
+Reformation, it is somewhat questionable that he would have served the
+good cause with equal zeal, had he been obliged to fill only a subordinate
+place in its ranks. There is every reason to believe that in many cases he
+did good only that he might the more safely do wrong; and that he rigidly
+observed all the external forms of religion, only that the less suspicion
+might attach to him when he infringed its precepts. He had enough of moral
+rectitude to understand the distinctions between right and wrong, but too
+much selfishness to observe them unostentatiously, and too much prudence
+to disregard them openly. Thus to the casual observer he appeared strong
+in unshaken integrity, and full of the odour of sanctity. He possessed
+the art, which few but profound politicians can acquire, of going in the
+wrong path, as if he were in the right, and of gaining more estimation for
+his errors, than others do for their virtues. His conduct towards his
+sister was altogether unjustifiable; yet with the exception of his
+rebellion on the occasion of her marriage with Darnley, which was the
+least objectionable, because the boldest and most straight-forward part of
+the whole, he contrived to inflict, and to see inflicted, the deadliest
+injuries, as if he unwillingly submitted to them, rather than actively
+instigated them. He had little warmth of feeling; but what he had,
+prompted him to affect to feel as he never in reality did. He possessed
+all the talent compatible with cunning; he had abundance of military
+skill, and was not deficient in personal courage. He was not often cruel,
+because he saw it for his interest to be humane; he was a patron of
+literature, and attentive to his friends, because patronage and a numerous
+body of friends confer power. He affected nevertheless an ostentatious
+austerity in his manners, which it was impossible to reconcile with the
+worldliness of his pursuits. In short, he had so involved his whole
+character in disingenuousness, under a show of every thing that was
+exactly the reverse, that he was probably not aware himself when he acted
+from good, and when from bad motives. He had far too much ambition to be
+an upright man, and far too much good sense to be an undisguised villain.
+Notwithstanding all the ill usage she had received from him, Mary shed
+tears when she heard of his untimely death; and to record this fact, is
+the highest euloguim which need be passed on his memory.
+
+The Scots chose the Earl of Lennox Regent in the place of Murray, whilst
+Elizabeth, says Robertson, "adhering to her old system with regard to
+Scottish affairs, laboured, notwithstanding the solicitations of Mary's
+friends, to multiply and to perpetuate the factions which tore in pieces
+the kingdom." At the same time, she pretended to enter into a new
+negotiation with Mary, as she frequently did at subsequent periods, when
+hard pressed by any of the more powerful friends of the Queen of Scots.
+But after appointing Commissioners, and requiring Morton and others to
+meet them from Scotland, the affair ended as it began; Mary still
+continued in her prison, and Morton returned home, no proposals having
+been made, to which either of the parties would agree. About this period
+Elizabeth's temper was particularly soured, by an excommunication which
+Pope Pius V. issued against her, and which she erroneously supposed had
+been prepared in concert with Mary. A person of the name of Felton,
+affixed a copy of the Pope's Bull on the gate of the Bishop of London's
+palace, and, refusing either to fly or conceal himself, he was seized and
+executed for the crime. In her ill humour, Elizabeth also ordered that
+Mary should not be allowed to go abroad, and she did not revoke this
+order, until strong representations were made to her of the cruel effect
+produced by it on the health of the Queen, whose constitution was now much
+broken. The weakness in one of her sides which had long pained her, had of
+late greatly increased, and she was obliged to have recourse to
+strengthening baths of white wine.[178] During this year she was removed
+from Tutbury to Chatsworth, and from Chatsworth she was taken to the Earl
+of Shrewsbury's castle at Sheffield,--"a town," says Camden, "of great
+renown for the smiths therein." She had not at the most above thirty
+attendants, among whom the principal were Lord and Lady Livingston, her
+young friend William Douglas, Castel her French physician, and Roulet her
+French Secretary. The latter died when she was at Sheffield, and his death
+afflicted her much. All communication with her friends at a distance was
+denied her; and her letters were continually intercepted, and either
+copies, or the originals, sent to Cecil. Yet she had too proud a spirit to
+give way to unavailing complaints; and when she wrote to inquire after her
+faithful servant the Bishop of Ross, whom Elizabeth had put into
+confinement, from a jealousy of his exertions for his mistress, all she
+allowed herself to say was, that she pitied poor prisoners, for she was
+used like one herself.
+
+In the year 1571, the Duke of Norfolk, who had been by this time
+discharged from the Tower, had the imprudence to renew his intrigues for
+the liberation of Mary, and his own marriage with her. The secret
+correspondence was renewed between them; and the Queen of Scots sent him,
+says Stranguage, "a long commentary of her purposes, and certain
+love-letters in a private character, known to them two." The Duke was now
+resolved either to make or mar his fortune; and, deeply engaging in the
+dangerous game he was playing, he scrupled not to have recourse to many
+highly treasonable practices. He set on foot negotiations both with one
+Rodolphi, a Florentine merchant, residing in London, and an agent of the
+Court of Rome, and with the Spanish ambassador; and with them he boldly
+entered into an extensive conspiracy, which, if successful, would entirely
+have subverted the Government. His plan was, that the Duke of Alva should
+land in England with a numerous army, and should be immediately joined by
+himself and friends. They were then to proclaim Mary's right to the
+throne, call upon all good Catholics to support them, and march direct for
+London. The Pope, and the King of Spain, readily entered into the scheme;
+and every thing appeared to be proceeding according to his wishes, when
+the treachery of one of Norfolk's servants made Elizabeth acquainted with
+the whole conspiracy. The Duke was immediately seized, and thrown into
+prison; and, after several private examinations, he was tried for high
+treason, found guilty, and condemned to death. Elizabeth, who cultivated a
+reputation for extreme sensibility, affected the greatest reluctance to
+sign the warrant for Norfolk's execution. But she was at length able to
+shut her heart against his many noble qualities, his princely spirit, and
+valuable services, and she ordered him to be led to the scaffold. He there
+confessed that he had been justly found guilty, in so far as he had dealt
+with the Queen of Scots, in weighty and important business, without the
+knowledge of his own Queen. He died, as he had lived, with undaunted
+courage. When the executioner offered him a napkin to cover his eyes, he
+refused it, saying, "I fear not death;" and, laying his head on the block,
+it was taken off at one blow.
+
+Elizabeth was extremely anxious to implicate Mary in Norfolk's guilt, and,
+for this purpose, sent Commissioners to her to reproach her with her
+offences. Mary heard all they had to say with the utmost calmness; and,
+when they called upon her for her answer, she replied, that though she was
+a free Queen, and did not consider herself accountable, either to them or
+their mistress, she had, nevertheless, no hesitation to assure them of the
+injustice of their accusations. She protested that she had never imagined
+any detriment to Elizabeth by her marriage with Norfolk,--that she had
+never encouraged him to raise rebellion, or been privy to it, but was, on
+the contrary, most ready to reveal any conspiracy against the Queen of
+England which might come to her ears,--that though Rodolphi had been of
+use to her in the transmission of letters abroad, she had never received
+any from him,--that as to attempting an escape, she willingly gave ear to
+all who offered to assist her, and in hope of effecting her deliverance,
+had corresponded with several in cipher,--that so far from having any hand
+in the Bull of excommunication, when a copy of it was sent her, she burned
+it after she had read it,--and that she held no communication with any
+foreign State, upon any matters unconnected with her restoration to her
+own kingdom. Satisfied with this reply, the Commissioners returned to
+London.[179]
+
+All the miseries of civil war were in the meantime desolating the kingdom
+of Scotland. The Earl of Lennox was a feeble and very incompetent
+successor to Murray. Perceiving him unable to maintain his authority, and
+observing that the current of popular feeling was becoming stronger
+against the unjust imprisonment which Mary was suffering, many of those
+who had stood by Murray deserted to the opposite faction. Among the rest
+were Secretary Maitland and Kircaldy of Grange, the first the ablest
+statesman, and the second the best soldier in the country. It was now
+almost impossible to say which side preponderated. Both parties levied
+armies, convoked Parliaments, fought battles, besieged towns, and ordered
+executions. "Fellow-citizens, friends, brothers," says Robertson, "took
+different sides, and ranged themselves under the standards of the
+contending factions. In every county, and almost in every town and
+village, _Kingsmen_ and _Queensmen_ were names of distinction. Political
+hatred dissolved all natural ties, and extinguished the reciprocal
+good-will and confidence which hold mankind together in society. Religious
+zeal mingled itself with these civil distinctions, and contributed not a
+little to heighten and to inflame them." One of the most successful
+exploits performed by the Regent, was the taking of the Castle of
+Dumbarton from the Queen's Lords. The Archbishop of St Andrews, whom he
+found in it, was condemned to be hanged without a trial, and the sentence
+was immediately executed. No Bishop had ever suffered in Scotland so
+ignominiously before; and while the King's adherents were glad to get rid
+of one who had been very zealous against them, the nobles who supported
+the Queen were exasperated to the last degree by so violent a measure, and
+their watchword became,--"Think on the Archbishop of St Andrews!" Lennox
+was sacrificed to his memory; for the town of Stirling having been
+suddenly taken, in an expedition contrived by Grange, Lennox, after he had
+surrendered himself prisoner, was shot by command of Lord Claud Hamilton,
+brother to the deceased Archbishop; and in his room, the Earl of Mar was
+elected Regent.
+
+In the year 1572, Mary's cause sustained a serious injury, by the
+atrocious massacre of the Hugonots in France, which exasperated all the
+Protestants throughout Europe, and made the very name of a Catholic
+Sovereign odious. Although Mary herself, so far from having lent any
+countenance to this massacre, had expressly avowed her unwillingness to
+constrain the conscience of any one, and had been all her life the
+strenuous advocate of toleration, yet, recollecting her connexion with
+Charles IX. and Catharine de Medicis, whose sanguinary fury made itself so
+conspicuous on this melancholy occasion, her enemies took care that she
+should not escape from some share of the blame. Elizabeth, in particular,
+taking advantage of the excitement which had been given to public feeling,
+used every exertion to secure the circulation of Buchanan's notorious
+"Detection of Mary's Doings," which had been published a short time
+before. She ordered Cecil to send a number of copies to Walsingham, her
+ambassador at Paris, that they might be presented to the King, and leading
+persons of the French Court. "It is not amiss," Cecil wrote, "to have
+divers of Buchanan's little Latin books to present, if need be, to the
+King, as from yourself, and likewise to some of the other noblemen of his
+Council; for they will serve to good effect to disgrace her, _which must
+be done before other purposes can be attained_." Cecil himself printed and
+circulated a small treatise, in the shape of a letter, from London to a
+friend at a distance, giving an account of the "Detection," and the credit
+it deserved. The publication, on the other hand, of Bishop Lesley's
+"Defence of Queen Mary's Honour," was positively interdicted; and Lesley
+was obliged to send the manuscript abroad, before he was able to present
+it to the world. To such low and cowardly devices were Elizabeth and her
+Minister under the necessity of resorting, to blacken the character of
+Mary, and justify their own iniquitous proceedings![180]
+
+In Scotland, too, Mary's party, beginning to see the hopelessness of the
+cause, was gradually dwindling away. Through Mar's exertions, a general
+peace might have been obtained, had not Morton's superior influence and
+persevering cruelty drawn out the civil war to the last dregs. Mar,
+finding himself thwarted in every measure he proposed for the tranquillity
+of his country, fell into a deep melancholy, which ended in his death,
+before he had been a year in office. Morton succeeded him without
+opposition, and immediately proceeded to very violent measures against all
+the Queen's friends, who were now divided into two parties, the one
+headed by Chatelherault and Huntly, and the other by Maitland and Grange.
+After gaining some advantages over both, he concluded a peace with the
+former; and having invested the Castle of Edinburgh on all sides, in
+conjunction with some troops which Elizabeth sent to his assistance, he at
+length forced the latter to surrender. Kircaldy of Grange, the bravest and
+most honest man in Scotland, was hanged at the Cross of Edinburgh; and
+Secretary Maitland, who, with all his talents, had vacillated too much to
+be greatly respected, anticipating a similar fate, avoided it by a
+voluntary death, "ending his days," says Melville, "after the old Roman
+fashion."
+
+About the same time, John Knox concluded his laborious, and, in many
+respects, useful life, in the 67th year of his age. Appearing as he did,
+in treacherous and turbulent times, the rough unpolished integrity of Knox
+demands the higher praise, because it enabled him the more successfully to
+maintain an influence over the minds of his countrymen, and effect those
+important revolutions in their modes of thought and belief, which his
+superior abilities pointed out to him as conducive to the moral and
+religious improvement of the land. He had many failings, but they were to
+be attributed more to the age to which he belonged, than to any fault of
+his own. His very violence and acrimony, his strong prejudices, and no
+less confirmed partialities, were perhaps the very best instruments he
+could have used for advancing the cause of the Reformation. He was without
+the cunning of Murray, the fickleness of Maitland, or the ferocity of
+Morton. He pursued a steady and undeviating course; and though loved by
+few, he was reverenced by many. Courage, in particular,--and not the mere
+common-place courage inspired by the possession of physical strength, but
+the far nobler courage arising from a consciousness of innate
+integrity,--was the leading feature of his mind. Morton never spoke more
+truly than when he said at the grave of Knox,--"Here lies he who never
+feared the face of man."
+
+In the year 1573, Mary, at her own earnest request, was removed, for the
+benefit of her health, from Sheffield to the Wells at Buxton. The news she
+had lately received from Scotland, and the apparent annihilation of all
+her hopes, had affected her not a little. "Though she makes little show of
+any grief," the Earl of Shrewsbury wrote to Cecil, "yet this news nips her
+very sore." At Buxton, which was then the most fashionable watering-place
+in England, she was obliged to live in complete seclusion; and it may
+easily be conceived, that the waters could be of little benefit to her,
+without the aid of air, exercise, and amusement. Lesley, though detained
+at a distance, took every means in his power to afford her consolation,
+and wrote two treatises, after the manner of Seneca, expressly applicable
+to her condition; both of which he sent to her. The first was
+entitled,--"_Piae afflicti animi meditationes divinaque remedia_," and the
+second,--"_Tranquillitatis animi conservatio et munimentum_." She thanked
+him for both of these productions, and assured him, that she had received
+much benefit from their perusal. With many parts of the first, in
+particular, she was so pleased, that she occupied herself in paraphrasing
+them into French verse.[181] Lesley was soon afterwards allowed by
+Elizabeth to pass into France, where he long continued to exert himself in
+the cause of his mistress, visiting, on her account, several foreign
+courts, and exposing himself to many inconveniences and hardships. He died
+at a good old age in 1596, and his memory deserves to be cherished, both
+for the many amiable qualities he possessed in private life, and his
+inflexible fidelity and attachment to the Queen of Scots.[182]
+
+In 1574, a fresh misfortune overtook Mary, in the death of her
+brother-in-law, Charles IX. He was succeeded on the throne by the Duke of
+Anjou, who took the title of Henry III., and was little inclined to exert
+himself in the cause of his sister, having been long at enmity with the
+house of Guise. But a still more fatal blow was the death of her uncle,
+the Cardinal of Lorraine, who had ever made it a part of his policy to
+identify her interests with his own, and to whom she had always been
+accustomed to turn, with confidence, in her greatest distresses.
+
+From this period to the year 1581, Mary seems to have been nearly
+forgotten by all parties. Elizabeth, satisfied with keeping her rival
+securely imprisoned, busied herself with other affairs of political
+moment; and, in Scotland, as the Prince grew up, and years passed on,
+death, or other causes, gradually diminished the number of Mary's
+adherents; and though the country was far from being in tranquillity, the
+dissensions assumed a new shape, for even they who opposed the regency of
+the Earl of Morton, found it more for their interest to associate
+themselves with the young King than with the absent Queen. Mary became
+gradually more solitary and more depressed. Though yet only in the prime
+of womanhood, she had lived to see almost all her best friends, and some
+of her worst enemies, depart from the world before her. The specious
+Murray,--the imbecile Lennox,--Hamilton, the last supporter of
+Catholicism,--Knox, the great champion of the Reformation,--the gentle
+Mar,--the brilliant but misguided Norfolk,--the gallant Kircaldy,--and the
+sagacious Maitland,--had all been removed from the scene; and in the
+melancholy solitude of her prison, she wept to think that she should have
+been destined to survive them. But Elizabeth had no sympathy for her
+griefs, and every rumour which reached her ear, only served as an excuse
+for narrowing and rendering more irksome Mary's captivity. Even the few
+female friends who had been at first allowed to attend her, were taken
+from her; no congenial society of any sort was allowed her; it was rarely,
+indeed, that she was permitted to hunt or hawk, or take any exercise out
+of doors; and the wearisome monotony of her sedentary life, at once
+impaired her health and broke down her spirits. The manner in which she
+spoke of her own situation, in letters she wrote about this period to
+France and elsewhere, is not the less affecting, that it is characterized
+by that mental dignity and queenly spirit which no afflictions could
+overcome. "I find it necessary," she wrote from Tutbury in 1680, "to
+renew the memorial of my grievances respecting the remittance of my dowry,
+the augmentation of my attendants, and a change of
+residence,--circumstances apparently trivial, and of small importance to
+the Queen, my good sister, but which I feel to be essential to the
+preservation of my existence. Necessity alone could induce me to descend
+to earnest and reiterated supplications, the dearest price at which any
+boon can be purchased. To convey to you an idea, of my present situation,
+I am on all sides enclosed by fortified walls, on the summit of a hill
+which lies exposed to every wind of heaven: within these bounds, not
+unlike the wood of Vincennes, is a very old edifice, originally a hunting
+lodge, built merely of lath and plaster, the plaster in many places
+crumbling away. This edifice, detached from the walls, about twenty feet,
+is sunk so low, that the rampart of earth behind the wall is level with
+the highest part of the building, so that here the sun can never
+penetrate, neither does any pure air ever visit this habitation, on which
+descend drizzling damps and eternal fogs, to such excess, that not an
+article of furniture can be placed beneath the roof, but in four days it
+becomes covered with green mould. I leave you to judge in what manner such
+humidity must act upon the human frame; and, to say every thing in one
+word, the apartments are in general more like dungeons prepared for the
+reception of the vilest criminals, than suited to persons of a station far
+inferior to mine, inasmuch as I do not believe there is a lord or
+gentleman, or even yeoman in the kingdom, who would patiently endure the
+penance of living in so wretched an habitation. With regard to
+accommodation, I have for my own person but two miserable little
+chambers, so intensely cold during the night, that but for ramparts and
+entrenchments of tapestry and curtains, it would be impossible to prolong
+my existence; and of those who have sat up with me during my illness, not
+one has escaped malady. Sir Amias can testify that three of my women have
+been rendered ill by this severe temperature, and even my physician
+declines taking charge of my health the ensuing winter, unless I shall be
+permitted to change my habitation. With respect to convenience, I have
+neither gallery nor cabinet, if I except two little pigeon-holes, through
+which the only light admitted is from an aperture of about nine feet in
+circumference; for taking air and exercise, either on foot or in my chair,
+I have but about a quarter of an acre behind the stables, round which
+Somers last year planted a quickset hedge, a spot more proper for swine
+than to be cultivated as a garden; there is no shepherd's hut but has more
+grace and proportion. As to riding on horseback during the winter, I am
+sure to be impeded by floods of water or banks of snow, nor is there a
+road in which I could go for one mile in my coach without putting my limbs
+in jeopardy; abstracted from these real and positive inconveniences, I
+have conceived for this spot an antipathy, which, in one ill as I am,
+might alone claim some humane consideration. As it was here that I first
+began to be treated with rigour and indignity, I have conceived, from that
+time, this mansion to be singularly unlucky to me, and in this sinister
+impression I have been confirmed by the tragical catastrophe of the poor
+priest of whom I wrote to you, who, having been tortured for his
+religion, was at length found hanging in front of my window."[183]
+
+In 1581, Mary made a still more melancholy representation of her
+condition. "I am reduced to such an excessive weakness," she says,
+"especially in my legs, that I am not able to walk a hundred steps, and
+yet I am at this moment better than I have been for these six months past.
+Ever since last Easter, I have been obliged to make my servants carry me
+in a chair; and you may judge how seldom I am thus transported from one
+spot to another, when there are so few people about me fit for such an
+employment."[184] In the midst of all this distress, it was only from
+resources within herself that she was able to derive any consolation. Her
+religious duties she attended to with the strictest care, and devoted much
+of her time to reading and writing. At rare intervals, she remembered her
+early cultivation of the Muses; and she even yet attempted occasionally to
+beguile the time with the charms of poetry. She produced several short
+poetical compositions during her imprisonment; and of these, the following
+Sonnet, embodying so simply and forcibly her own feelings, cannot fail to
+be read with peculiar interest:
+
+  "Que suis je, helas! et de quoi sert ma vie?
+  Je ne suis fors q'un corps prive de coeur;
+  Un ombre vain, un objet de malheur,
+  Qui n'a plus rien que de mourir envie.
+  Plus ne portez, O ennemis, d'envie
+  A qui n'a plus l'esprit a la grandeur!
+  Je consomme d'excessive douleur,--
+  Votre ire en bref ce voira assouvie;
+  Et vous amis, qui m'avez tenu chere,
+  Souvenez vous, que sans heur--sans sante
+  Je ne saurois aucun bon oeuvre faire:
+  Souhaitez donc fin de calamite;
+  Et que ci bas etant assez punie,
+  J'aye ma part en la joye infinie."[185]
+
+But the most celebrated of all Mary's efforts during her captivity, is a
+long and eloquent letter she addressed to Elizabeth, in 1582, when she
+heard that her son's person had been seized at the Raid of Ruthven,--and
+when, dreading, with maternal anxiety, that he might be involved in the
+woes which had overtaken herself, she gave vent to those feelings which
+had long agitated her bosom, and which she now, with pathetic force, laid
+before Elizabeth, as the author of all her misfortunes. The ability and
+vigour with which this letter is written, well entitle it, as Dr Stuart
+has remarked, to survive in the history of the Scottish nation. It was
+Mary's own wish that it should do so. "I am no longer able," she says,
+"to resist laying my heart before you; and while I desire that my just
+complaints shall be engraved in your conscience, it is my hope that they
+will also descend to posterity, to prove the misery into which I have been
+brought by the injustice and cruelty of my enemies. Having in vain looked
+to you for support against their various devices, I shall now carry my
+appeal to the Eternal God, the Judge of both, whose dominion is over all
+the princes of the earth. I shall appeal to him to arbitrate between us;
+and would request you, Madam, to remember, that in his sight nothing can
+be disguised by the paint and artifices of the world." She proceeds to
+recapitulate the injuries she had sustained from Elizabeth ever since she
+came to the throne of Scotland,--reminding her, that she had busied
+herself in corrupting her subjects and encouraging rebellion; that when
+imprisoned in Loch-Leven, she had assured her, through her ambassador,
+Throckmorton, that any deed of abdication she might subscribe, was
+altogether invalid; yet that, upon her escape, though she at first allured
+her by fair promises into England, she had no sooner arrived there, than
+she was thrown into captivity, in which she had been kept alive only to
+suffer a thousand deaths; that she had tried for years to accommodate
+herself to that captivity, to reduce the number of her attendants, to make
+no complaint of the plainness of her diet, and the want of ordinary
+exercise, to live quietly and peaceably, as if she were of a far inferior
+rank, and even to abstain from correspondence with her friends in
+Scotland; but that the only return she had experienced for her good
+intentions was neglect, calumny, and increasing severity. "To take away
+every foundation of dispute and misunderstanding between us," Mary
+continued, "I invite you, Madam, to examine into every report against me,
+and to grant to every person the liberty of accusing me publicly; and
+while I freely solicit you to take every advantage to my prejudice, I only
+request that you will not condemn me without a hearing. If it be proved
+that I have done evil, let me suffer for it; if I am guiltless, do not
+take upon yourself the responsibility, before God and man, of punishing me
+unjustly. Let not my enemies be afraid that I aim any longer at
+dispossessing them of their usurped authority. I look now to no other
+kingdom but that of Heaven, and would wish to prepare myself for it,
+knowing that my sorrows will never cease till I arrive there." She then
+speaks of her son, and entreats that Elizabeth would interfere in his
+behalf. She concludes with requesting, that some honourable churchman
+should be sent to her, to remind her daily of the road she had yet to
+finish, and to instruct her how to pursue it, according to her religion,
+in which she would wish to die as she had lived. "I am very weak and
+helpless," she adds, "and do beseech you to give me some solitary mark of
+your friendship. Bind your own relations to yourself; let me have the
+happiness of knowing, before I die, that a reconciliation has taken place
+between us, and that, when my soul quits my body, it will not be necessary
+for it to carry complaints of your injustice to the throne of my
+Creator."[186] The only result which this letter produced, was a
+remonstrance from Elizabeth which she sent by Beal, the Clerk of her Privy
+Council, against such unnecessary complaints.[187]
+
+In Scotland, meanwhile, the event of greatest consequence which had taken
+place, was the trial and execution of the Earl of Morton, for having been
+_art_ and _part_ in the murder of Darnley. Morton's intolerable tyranny
+having rendered him odious to the greater part of the nobility, and the
+young King having nearly arrived at an age when he could act and think for
+himself, he found it necessary, very unwillingly, to retire from office.
+He did not, even then, desist from carrying on numerous intrigues; and it
+was rumoured, that he intended seizing the King's person, and carrying him
+captive into England. Whether there was any truth in this report or not,
+it is certain that James became anxious to get rid of so factious and
+dangerous a nobleman. The only plausible expedient which occurred to him,
+or his Council, was, to accuse Morton of a share in Bothwell's guilt. His
+trial does not seem to have been conducted with any very scrupulous regard
+to justice. But a jury of his peers was allowed him; and they, having
+heard the evidence in support of the charges, found him guilty of having
+been in the council or knowledge of the conspiracy against the late King,
+of concealing it, and of being _art_ and _part_ in the murder. It was to
+the latter part of this verdict alone that Morton objected. He confessed
+that he knew of the intended murder, and had concealed it, but positively
+disclaimed having been _art_ and _part_ in it. This seems, however, to
+have been a distinction without a difference. On the 1st of June 1581, he
+was condemned to the block, and next day the sentence was executed. The
+instrument called the _Maiden_, which was used to behead him, he had
+himself brought into Scotland, and he was the first to suffer by it. His
+head was placed on the public gaol at Edinburgh, and his body buried
+privately by a few menials. He had been universally hated, and there was
+hardly one who lamented his death.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MARY'S TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION.
+
+
+The closing scene of Mary's life was now rapidly approaching. Debilitated
+as she was by her long confinement, and the many painful thoughts which
+had been incessantly preying on her peace of mind, it is not likely that
+she could have long survived, even though she had been left unmolested
+within the walls of her prison. But she had been the source of two much
+jealousy and uneasiness to Elizabeth, to be either forgotten or forgiven.
+Weak as she was in body, and destitute alike of wealth and power, her name
+had nevertheless continued a watchword and a tower of strength, not only
+to all her own friends throughout Christendom, but to all who were
+disposed, from whatever cause, to stir up civil dissensions and broils in
+England. Scarcely a conspiracy against Elizabeth's person and authority
+had been contrived for the last sixteen years, with which the Queen of
+Scots was not supposed to be either remotely or immediately connected. Nor
+is it to be denied, that appeals were made to her sufferings and cruel
+treatment, to give plausibility to many an enterprise which was
+anti-constitutional in its object, and criminal in its execution. Other
+less objectionable enterprises Mary herself expressly countenanced, for
+she always openly declared, that being detained a captive by force, she
+considered herself fully entitled to take every means that offered to
+effect her escape. She acted solely upon a principle of self-defence.
+Whenever a nobleman of influence like Norfolk, or a man of integrity like
+Lesley, undertook to arrange a scheme for her release, she willingly
+listened to their proposals, and was ever ready to act in concert with
+them. She had been detained in strict ward in a realm into which she had
+come voluntarily, or rather into which she had been seduced by specious
+promises and offers of assistance; and it would have been against every
+dictate of common sense and common justice, to suppose that she had not a
+right to free herself from her unwarrantable imprisonment. It is true,
+that many of her attempts, mixed up as they were with the interested and
+ambitious projects of others, gave Elizabeth no little inconvenience and
+anxiety. But this was the price she must have laid her account with paying
+for the pleasure of seeing the Queen of Scots a helpless hostage in her
+hands.
+
+To discourage the numerous plots which were formed, either by Mary's real
+or pretended adherents, a number of persons of the first rank in the
+kingdom entered into a solemn "Association," in which they bound
+themselves to defend Elizabeth against all her enemies, "and if any
+violence should be offered to her life, in order to favour the title of
+any pretender to the crown, not only never to allow or acknowledge the
+person or persons _by_ whom, or _for_ whom such a detestable act should be
+committed, but, as they should answer to the Eternal God, to prosecute
+such person or persons to the death, and pursue them with the utmost
+vengeance to their overthrow and extirpation." The Parliament, which met
+in 1585, sanctioned this Association; and, alarmed by the recent discovery
+of a fanatical design, on the part of a Roman Catholic, to assassinate the
+Queen, because she had been excommunicated by the Pope, they passed an
+Act, by which they determined, with the most arbitrary injustice, "That if
+any rebellion should be excited in the kingdom, or any thing attempted to
+the hurt of her Majesty's person, _by_ or _for_ any person pretending a
+title to the crown, the Queen should empower twenty-four persons, by a
+commission under the Great Seal, to examine into and pass sentence upon
+such offences; and that, after judgment given, a proclamation should be
+issued, declaring the persons whom they found guilty excluded from any
+right to the crown; and her Majesty's subjects might lawfully pursue every
+one of them to the death; and that, if any design against the life of the
+Queen took effect, the persons _by_ or _for_ whom such a detestable act
+was executed, and their issues, being in any wise assenting or privy to
+the same, should be disabled for ever from pretending to the crown, and be
+pursued to death, in the like manner." That the persons _by_ whom any of
+these faults were committed, should be punished, was in strict accordance
+with equity; but that the persons _for_ whom they might be supposed to be
+done, should be considered as much involved in their guilt, was alike
+contrary to law and reason. The discontented were forming plots every year
+against Elizabeth, and, with the very existence of many of these plots,
+Mary was unacquainted; yet, by this statute, she was made answerable for
+all of them. There is little wonder, therefore, if she considered it only
+a forerunner of greater severities; and it was not long before an occasion
+occurred which afforded a plausible pretext for making a practical
+application of it.
+
+In the year 1586, three English priests, who had been educated in a
+Catholic seminary at Rheims, and over whose minds the most illiberal
+superstition held unlimited sway, actually conceived the belief, that the
+bull of excommunication, issued by Pope Pius V. against Elizabeth, had
+been dictated under the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost. They
+looked, consequently, upon that Sovereign with a fanatical hatred, which
+they determined, if possible, to gratify. Having contrived to win over one
+or two others to their own way of thinking, and, in particular, an officer
+of the name of Savage, and another priest of the name of Ballard, they
+sent them into England to disseminate their principles among all on whose
+co-operation they thought they could depend; and, in the meantime, they
+set on foot a negotiation with the Spanish ambassador in Paris, through
+whose means they hoped to obtain the assistance of a foreign force. He
+gave them a promise of encouragement, only on condition that they secured
+a strong party in England, and that means were taken to remove Elizabeth.
+Among the first persons to whom Savage and Ballard communicated their
+designs, was Anthony Babington, a young gentleman of estate and fortune in
+Derbyshire. Having resided for some time in France, he had formed an
+acquaintance with the Archbishop of Glasgow, and from him had heard so
+many eulogiums on Mary, that he became inspired with the most enthusiastic
+feelings in her favour, and cherished a romantic desire of performing some
+exploit which might secure for him her gratitude and esteem. By his advice
+and assistance, a knowledge of the conspiracy was intrusted to a number of
+persons of respectability of the Roman Catholic persuasion; and a secret
+correspondence was set on foot with the Queen of Scots, through the medium
+of her Secretaries Naw and Curl. Mary, however, was not disposed to give
+the conspirators much encouragement. She had been now so long accustomed
+to despair, and was so convinced of the fallaciousness of hope, that she
+was almost inclined to turn away from it, as from something painful. She
+had grown indifferent about her future fate, and had endeavoured to resign
+herself to the prospect of ending her days in captivity. Besides, she had
+the recent Act of Parliament before her eyes; and she was well aware, that
+though she did nothing but attempt an escape, she would be held
+responsible for the whole plot, whatever its extent or criminality might
+be. It is, however, not at all unlikely that she may, notwithstanding,
+have authorized her Secretaries to write once or twice to Babington and
+his associates; but that she gave them any support in their designs
+against Elizabeth, was never proved, and is not to be believed. It was
+indeed with no little difficulty that Mary was able to hold any epistolary
+communication at all with her friends, so strictly was she watched by Sir
+Amias Paulet and Sir Drue Drury, to whose custody she had been committed,
+and who kept her in the Castle of Chartley in Staffordshire. The
+conspirators were obliged to bribe one of the servants, who conveyed to
+the Queen or her Secretaries, the letters which they deposited in a hole
+in the wall, and put the answers into the same place, from which they took
+them privately, when it was dark.
+
+Every thing seemed to proceed smoothly, and all the necessary arrangements
+were now concluded. The different conspirators had different tasks
+allotted to them; by some a rebellion was to be excited in several parts
+of the kingdom at once; six others bound themselves by solemn oaths to
+assassinate Elizabeth; and Babington himself undertook to head a strong
+party, which he was to lead to the rescue of the Queen of Scots. Nor were
+they to be destitute of foreign assistance as soon as the first blow was
+struck, and the first symptoms of internal commotion appeared. So inspired
+were these infatuated men with an idea of the glory of the revolution they
+were about to achieve, that they had medals prepared representing
+themselves assembled together, with Babington in the midst, and bearing
+the motto,--"_Hi mihi sunt comites quos ipsa pericula ducunt._" But in all
+their fancied security and enthusiasm, they were ignorant that every step
+they took was known to Elizabeth and her minister Walsingham, and that
+they were advancing only to the foot of their own scaffold. It was through
+the treachery of one of their own associates of the name of Polly, one of
+Walsingham's accredited spies, who had joined them only that he might
+betray them, that all their proceedings were discovered, and attentively
+watched. Savage, Ballard, and the other four who were bent on the murder
+of Elizabeth, had already come up to London, and were lying in wait for
+the first favourable opportunity to execute their purpose; and, as
+Walsingham was anxious to have complete evidence of their guilt in his
+possession before apprehending them, they were allowed to remain
+unmolested for some time. The Queen, however, fearing for her personal
+safety, at length insisted on their being seized, remarking, that, "in not
+taking heed of a danger when she might, she seemed more to tempt God than
+to hope in him." Ballard was first arrested; his accomplices, struck with
+astonishment and dismay, fled out of London; but, after lurking for some
+days in woods and byeways, cutting off their hair, disfiguring their
+faces, and submitting to every kind of deprivation and hardship to avoid
+the hot search which was made for them, they were at length taken; and so
+much had the public feeling been excited against them, that, when they
+were brought into London, the bells of the city were rung, and bonfires
+kindled in the streets. Walsingham had arranged his measures so
+effectively, that all the other conspirators, who were scattered
+throughout the kingdom, were also seized and brought to the capital within
+a very short time. Fourteen of the principal inventors of the plot were
+immediately tried, condemned, and executed. No mercy whatever was shown
+to them; for Elizabeth seldom forgave her enemies.[188]
+
+But, in the death of these men, only one part of Elizabeth's vengeance was
+gratified. The wrongs and the merits of the Queen of Scots had been the
+means of imparting to this conspiracy a degree of respectability; and she,
+therefore, was regarded as the chief culprit. Walsingham had ascertained,
+that communications of some sort or another had passed between Mary's
+secretaries and the conspirators; and before she was aware that
+Babington's plot had been discovered, he sent down Sir Thomas Gorges to
+Chartley to take her by surprise, and endeavour to discover some
+additional grounds of suspicion. Sir Thomas arrived just as she was about
+to ride out in a wheeled carriage which had been procured for her, and,
+without permitting her to alight, he rudely told her of Babington's fate;
+then entering the Castle, he committed Naw and Curl into custody; and,
+breaking into the private cabinets of the Queen, he seized all her letters
+and papers, and sent them off immediately to Elizabeth. He took possession
+too of all her money, "lest she should use it for corruption." She herself
+was not allowed to return to Chartley for some days, but conveyed about
+from one castle to another. When she was at length brought back, and saw
+how she had been plundered in her absence, she could not refrain from
+weeping bitterly. "There are two things, however," she said in the midst
+of her tears, "which they cannot take away,--my birth and my
+religion."[189]
+
+In the excited state of feeling which then prevailed in the nation, and
+the fears which her subjects entertained for the safety of their
+Sovereign, Elizabeth perceived that she might now safely proceed to those
+extremities against Mary which she had so long meditated, but which
+considerations of selfish prudence had hitherto prevented her from putting
+into execution. She asserted, that not only her own life, but the religion
+and peace of the country were at stake, and that either the Queen of Scots
+must be removed, or the whole realm given up as a sacrifice. By her own
+injustice, she had involved herself in inconveniences; and as soon as she
+began to feel their effects, she pretended to be indignant at the innocent
+victim of her tyranny. But it was not without difficulty that she brought
+all her ministers to think on this subject precisely as she herself did.
+Many of them did not hesitate to state their conviction, that Mary had
+neither set on foot nor countenanced Babington's plot, and that, however
+the conspirators might have interwoven her name with it, she could not be
+punished for what she could not have prevented. Besides, they urged that
+she was not likely to live long at any rate, and that it would be more for
+the honour of the kingdom to leave her unmolested for the short remainder
+of her days. Nevertheless, by Elizabeth's exertions, and those of
+Walsingham, who had always courted the favour of his mistress by the most
+persevering persecution of Mary, opposition was at length silenced, and
+the trial of the Queen of Scots finally determined. To give as much
+dignity, and as great a semblance of justice as possible to a proceeding
+so unwarrantable as that of calling upon her to answer for an imaginary
+offence, forty of the most illustrious persons in the kingdom were
+appointed Commissioners, and were intrusted with the charge of hearing the
+cause, and deciding upon the question of life or death.
+
+On the 25th of September 1586, Mary had been taken from Chartley to the
+Castle of Fotheringay in Northamptonshire, where she was more strictly
+watched than ever by Sir Amias Paulet, who was a harsh and inflexible
+gaoler. On the 11th of October, Elizabeth's Commissioners arrived, the
+great hall of the Castle having been previously fitted up as a court-room
+for their reception. They would have proceeded with the trial immediately;
+but a difficulty occurred, which, though they scarcely can have failed to
+anticipate, they were not prepared to obviate. Mary refused to acknowledge
+their jurisdiction, denying that they possessed any right either to
+arraign or try her. "I am no subject to Elizabeth," she said, "but an
+independent Queen as well as she; and I will consent to nothing unbecoming
+the majesty of a crowned head. Worn out as my body is, my mind is not yet
+so enfeebled as to make me forget what is due to myself, my ancestors, and
+my country. Whatever the laws of England may be, I am not subject to them;
+for I came into the realm only to ask assistance from a sister Queen, and
+I have been detained an unwilling prisoner." For two days the
+Commissioners laboured in vain to induce Mary to appear before them; and
+as she assigned reasons for refusing, which it was impossible for fair
+argument to invalidate, recourse was at length had to threats. They told
+her that they would proceed with the trial, whether she consented to be
+present or not; and that, though they were anxious to hear her
+justification, they would nevertheless conclude that she was guilty, and
+pronounce accordingly, if she refused to defend herself. It would have
+been well had Mary allowed them to take their own way; but, conscious that
+she was accused unjustly, she could not bear to think that she excited
+suspicion, by refusing the opportunity of establishing her innocence.
+Actuated by this honourable motive, she at length yielded, after solemnly
+protesting that she did not, and never would, acknowledge the authority
+which Elizabeth arrogated over her.
+
+On the 14th of October the trial commenced. The upper half of the great
+hall of Fotheringay Castle was railed off, and at the higher end was
+placed a chair of state, under a canopy, for the Queen of England. Upon
+both sides of the room benches were arranged in order, where the Lord
+Chancellor Bromley, the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, fourteen Earls, thirteen
+Barons, and Knights and Members of the Privy Council, sat. In the centre
+was a table, at which the Lord Chief Justice, several Doctors of the Civil
+Law, Popham, the Queen's Attorney, her Solicitors, Sergeants and Notaries,
+took their places. At the foot of this table, and immediately opposite
+Elizabeth's chair of state, a chair, without any canopy, was placed for
+the Queen of Scots. Behind, was the rail which ran across the hall, the
+lower part of which was fitted up for the accommodation of persons who
+were not in the commission.[190]
+
+There was never, perhaps, an occasion throughout the whole of Mary's life
+on which she appeared to greater advantage than this. In the presence of
+all the pomp, learning, and talent of England, she stood alone and
+undaunted; evincing, in the modest dignity of her bearing, a mind
+conscious of its own integrity, and superior to the malice of fortune.
+Elizabeth's craftiest lawyers and ablest politicians were assembled to
+probe her to the quick,--to press home every argument against her, which
+ingenuity could devise and eloquence embellish,--to dazzle her with a
+blaze of erudition, or involve her in a maze of technical perplexities.
+Mary had no counsellor--no adviser--no friend. Her very papers, to which
+she might have wished to refer, had been taken from her; and there was not
+one to plead her cause, or defend her innocence. Yet was she not dismayed.
+She knew that she had a higher Judge than Elizabeth; and that great as was
+the array of Lords and Barons that appeared against her, posterity was
+greater than they, and that to its decision all things would be finally
+referred. Her bodily infirmities imparted only a greater lustre to her
+mental pre-eminence; and not in all the fascinating splendor of her youth
+and beauty--not on the morning of her first bridal day, when Paris rang
+with acclamations in her praise--was Mary Stuart so much to be admired, as
+when, weak and worn out, she stood calmly before the myrmidons of a rival
+Queen, to hear and refute their unjust accusations, her eye radiant once
+more with the brilliancy of earlier years, and the placid benignity of a
+serene conscience, lending to her countenance its undying grace.
+
+Elizabeth's Attorney-General opened the pleadings. He began by referring
+to the act of Parliament, in which it was made capital to be the person
+_for_ whom any design was undertaken against the life of the Queen. He
+then described the late conspiracy, and attempted to establish Mary's
+connexion with it, by producing copies of letters which, he alleged, she
+had written to Babington himself and several of his accomplices. To these
+having added letters from Babington to her, and the declarations and
+confessions which had been extorted from her secretaries, he asserted that
+the case was made out, and wound up his speech with a laboured display of
+legal knowledge and forensic oratory.
+
+Mary was now called upon for her defence; and she entered on it with
+composure and dignity. She denied all connexion with Babington's
+conspiracy, in so far as he entertained any designs injurious to
+Elizabeth's safety or the welfare of her kingdom;--she allowed that the
+letters which he was said to have addressed to her might be genuine, but
+it had not been proved that she ever received them;--she maintained that
+her own letters were all garbled or fabricated;[191] that as to the
+confessions of her secretaries, they had been extorted by fear, and were
+therefore not to be credited; but that, if they were in any particulars
+true, these particulars must have been disclosed at the expense of the
+oath of fidelity they had come under to her when they entered her service,
+and that men who would perjure themselves in one instance were not to be
+trusted in any;--she objected besides that they had not been confronted
+with her according to an express law enacted in the thirteenth year of
+Elizabeth's reign "that no one should be arraigned for intending the
+destruction of the Prince's life, but by the testimony and oath of two
+lawful witnesses, _to be produced face to face before him_;"--she
+maintained, that even supposing she were to allow the authenticity of many
+of the papers adduced against her, they would not prove her guilty of any
+crime; for she was surely doing no wrong, if, after a calamitous captivity
+of nineteen years, in which she had lost forever her youth, her health,
+and her happiness, she made one last effort to regain the liberty of
+which she had been so unfairly robbed; but that as to scheming against the
+life of the Queen her sister, it was an infamy she abhored;--"I would
+disdain," said she "to purchase all that is most valuable on earth by the
+assasination of the meanest of the human race; and worn out, as I now am,
+with cares and sufferings, the prospect of a crown is not so inviting that
+I should ruin my soul in order to obtain it. Neither am I a stranger to
+the feelings of humanity, nor unacquainted with the duties of religion,
+and it is my nature to be more inclined to the devotion of Esther, than to
+the sword of Judith. If ever I have given consent by my words, or even by
+my thoughts, to any attempt against the life of the Queen of England, far
+from declining the judgment of men, I shall not even pray for the mercy of
+God."[192]
+
+Elizabeth's advocates were not a little surprised at the eloquent and able
+manner in which Mary conducted her defence. They had expected to have
+every thing their own way, and to gain an easy victory over one
+unacquainted with the forms of legal procedure, and unable to cope with
+their own professional talents. But they were disappointed and baffled;
+and in order to maintain their ground even plausibly, they were obliged to
+protract the proceedings for two whole days. Nor, after all, did the
+Commissioners venture to pronounce judgment, but adjourned the court to
+the Star-Chamber at Westminster, where they knew that Mary would not be
+present, and where, consequently, they would have no opposition to
+fear.[193] On the 25th of October, they assembled there, and having again
+examined the Secretaries, Naw and Curl, who appear to have been persons of
+little fidelity or constancy, and who confirmed their former declarations,
+a unanimous judgment was delivered, that "Mary, commonly called Queen of
+Scots and dowager of France, was accessary to Babington's conspiracy, and
+had compassed and imagined divers matters within the realm of England,
+tending to the hurt, death, and destruction of the royal person of
+Elizabeth, in opposition to the statute framed for her protection."[194]
+
+Elizabeth ordered this verdict to be laid before her Parliament, which
+assembled a few days afterwards; and, at Walsingham's instigation, its
+legality was not only confirmed, but the Lord Chancellor was sent up with
+an address to the Queen, in which, after stating their conviction that her
+security was incompatible with Mary's life, they requested that she would
+give the sentence effect, by ordering her immediate execution. Elizabeth,
+though conscious that, if her personal safety had been endangered, she had
+herself to blame, was rejoiced at the opportunity at length afforded her,
+for gratifying her long cherished hatred. She affected, however, to be
+greatly perplexed how to act. She declared that, if she were not afraid of
+endangering the welfare of her people, she would freely pardon Mary for
+all her treasonable practices, and she beseeched the House to endeavour to
+discover some less severe method of procedure. The Parliament, as she
+expected, replied firmly, that they could not recommend any more lenient
+measure; and in the pedantic language of the day, called to Elizabeth's
+remembrance the examples of God's vengeance upon Saul for sparing Agag,
+and on Ahab for sparing Benhadad. Elizabeth still affected to be
+irresolute; and indeed it was not unlikely that she was so in reality;
+for, though anxious to have Mary removed, she was not so hardened and
+insane as not to know, that however it might be sanctioned by the world,
+murder was as criminal and as contrary to the unchanging code of moral
+justice, when commanded by a Queen, as when perpetrated by a peasant. She
+desired that her Parliament should be content for the present "with an
+answer without an answer." "If I should say, that I will not do what you
+request, I might say perhaps more than I intend; and if I should say I
+will do it, I might plunge myself into as much inconvenience as you
+endeavour to preserve me from." All this manoeuvring was for the purpose
+of conveying to the nation an impression of her extreme sensibility, and
+generous hesitation.
+
+Another reason why Elizabeth did not choose to be over-precipitate, was
+her fear of giving any deadly offence to foreign courts. She ordered the
+sentence against Mary to be published both throughout her own kingdom and
+abroad, and she waited anxiously to observe the sensation which it should
+create, and the steps that might be taken in consequence. She need not,
+however, have given herself much uneasiness upon this score. Henry III. of
+France had never been more than a very lukewarm advocate for the Queen of
+Scots, and the remonstrances he occasionally made in her behalf, were
+rather for the sake of appearances, than because he was anxious that they
+should be successful. On the present occasion, startled by the imminence
+of his cousin's danger, he seems to have been a little more in earnest,
+and ordered his ambassador to make as forcible a representation as
+possible against the iniquitous severity that was intended. But Elizabeth
+knew that his rage would evaporate in words, and paid little attention to
+the harangue. In Scotland, the young King, James, was surrounded by
+ministers who had sold themselves to England, and Elizabeth was well
+aware, that though he might bark, he dared not bite. Besides, the
+sentiments regarding his mother, which had been carefully instilled into
+him from his earliest years, were not such as were likely to inspire him
+with any decided wish to protect and avenge her. He had been constantly
+surrounded by her deadliest enemies, and the lesson which Buchanan taught
+him daily, was a lesson of hatred towards his only surviving parent. His
+succession also to the English crown, greatly depended on the friendship
+of Elizabeth; and she was able, in consequence, to maintain an ascendancy
+over him, which he dared not venture to resist. He was not, however, so
+entirely destitute of all ordinary filial sentiments as to consent to
+remain a quiet spectator of his mother's execution. "His opinion is,"
+said his worthless minion the Master of Gray, "that it cannot stand with
+his honour to be a consenter to take his mother's life, but he does not
+care how strictly she be kept; and is content that all her old knavish
+servants should be hanged."[195] To prevent if possible a catastrophe
+which "did not stand with his honour," he sent the Master of Gray and Sir
+Robert Melville as his ambassadors to London, to press his objections upon
+the attention of Elizabeth. The latter was true to the cause in which he
+had been sent, and his remonstrances were vigorous and sincere. But Gray,
+wishing to curry favour with Elizabeth, assured her that she had no cause
+to fear the King's resentment, for he was of an irresolute character and
+timid disposition, and that whatever might happen, he would never think of
+embroiling himself in a disastrous war with England. Elizabeth listened
+with evident satisfaction to these artful insinuations; and desired her
+minister Walsingham, to inform the Scottish monarch, that Mary's doom was
+already fixed by the decision of the nation, and that his mistress the
+Queen had it not in her power to save her. James received this
+intelligence with grief, but not with the spirit that became the only
+child of Mary Stuart. Instead of putting himself at the head of an army,
+and marching into the heart of England, he was contented to communicate
+his mother's unfortunate condition to his subjects, and order prayers to
+be said for her in all the churches,--"that it might please God to
+enlighten her with the light of his truth, and to protect her from the
+danger which was hanging over her."
+
+In the mean time, messengers had been sent to the Queen of Scots, to
+report to her the sentence of the Commissioners, and to prepare her for
+the consequences which might be expected to follow. So far from receiving
+the news with dismay, Mary solemnly raised her hands to heaven, and
+thanked God that she was so soon to be relieved from her troubles. They
+were not yet, however, at a close; and even during the short remainder of
+her life, she was to be still further insulted. Her keepers, Sir Amias
+Paulet and Sir Drue Drury, refused any longer to treat her with the
+reverence and respect due to her rank and sex. The canopy of state, which
+she had always ordered to be put up in her apartment wherever she went,
+was taken down, and every badge of royalty removed. It was intimated to
+her, that she was no longer to be regarded as a Princess, but as a
+criminal; and the persons who came into her presence stood before her
+without uncovering their heads, or paying her any obeisance. The
+attendance of a Catholic priest was refused, and an Episcopalian bishop
+sent in his stead, to point out and correct the errors of her ways. Mary
+bore all these indignities with a calm spirit, which rose superior to
+them, and which proved their unworthiness, by bringing them into contrast
+with her own elevation of mind. "In despite of your Sovereign and her
+subservient judges," said she, "I will die a Queen. My royal character is
+indelible, and I will surrender it with my spirit to the Almighty God,
+from whom I received it, and to whom my honour and my innocence are fully
+known."[196] In December 1586, she wrote her last letter to Elizabeth; and
+though from an unfriended prisoner to an envied and powerful Sovereign, it
+evinces so much magnanimity and calm consciousness of mental serenity,
+that it is impossible to peruse it, without confessing Elizabeth's
+inferiority, and Mary's triumph. It was couched in the following terms:
+
+"Madam, I thank God from the bottom of my heart, that, by the sentence
+which has been passed against me, he is about to put an end to my tedious
+pilgrimage. I would not wish it prolonged, though it were in my power,
+having had enough of time to experience its bitterness. I write at present
+only to make three last requests which, as I can expect no favour from
+your implacable ministers, I should wish to owe to your Majesty, and to no
+other. _First_, as in England, I cannot hope to be buried according to the
+solemnities of the Catholic church, (the religion of the ancient Kings,
+your ancestors and mine, being now changed,) and as in Scotland they have
+already violated the ashes of my progenitors, I have to request, that, as
+soon as my enemies have bathed their hands in my innocent blood, my
+domestics may be allowed to inter my body in some consecrated ground; and,
+above all, that they may be permitted to carry it to France, where the
+bones of the Queen, my most honoured mother, repose. Thus, that poor
+frame, which has never enjoyed repose so long as it has been joined to my
+soul, may find it at last when they will be separated. _Second_, as I
+dread the tyranny of the harsh men, to whose power you have abandoned me,
+I entreat your Majesty that I may not be executed in secret, but in the
+presence of my servants and other persons, who may bear testimony of my
+faith and fidelity to the true church, and guard the last hours of my
+life, and my last sighs from the false rumours which my adversaries may
+spread abroad. _Third_, I request that my domestics, who have served me
+through so much misery, and with so much constancy, may be allowed to
+retire without molestation wherever they choose, to enjoy for the
+remainder of their lives the small legacies which my poverty has enabled
+me to bequeath to them. I conjure you, Madam, by the blood of Jesus
+Christ, by our consanguinity, by the memory of Henry VII., our common
+father, and by the royal title which I carry with me to death, not to
+refuse me those reasonable demands, but to assure me, by a letter under
+your own hand, that you will comply with them; and I shall then die as I
+have lived, your affectionate sister and prisoner, MARY, Queen of
+Scots."[197]
+
+Whether Elizabeth ever answered this letter, does not appear; but it
+produced so little effect, that epistles from her to Sir Amias Paulet
+still exist, which prove that, in her anxiety to avoid taking upon herself
+the responsibility of Mary's death, she wished to have her privately
+assassinated or poisoned. Paulet, however, though a harsh and violent man,
+positively refused to sanction so nefarious a scheme. Yet in the very act
+of instigating murder, Elizabeth could close her eyes against her own
+iniquity, and affect indignation at the alleged offences of another.[198]
+But perceiving at length, that no alternative remained, she ordered her
+secretary Davidson to bring her the warrant for Mary's execution, and
+after perusing it, she deliberately affixed her signature. She then
+desired him to carry it to Walsingham, saying, with an ironical smile, and
+in a "merry tone," that she feared he would die of grief when he saw it.
+Walsingham sent the warrant to the Chancellor, who affixed the Great Seal
+to it, and despatched it by Beal, with a commission to the Earls of
+Shrewsbury, Kent, Derby, and others, to see it put in execution. Davidson
+was afterwards made the victim of Elizabeth's artifice,--who, to complete
+the solemn farce she had been playing, pretended he had obeyed her orders
+too quickly, and doomed him in consequence to perpetual
+imprisonment.[199]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+MARY'S DEATH, AND CHARACTER.
+
+
+On the 7th of February 1587, the Earls, who had been commissioned to
+superintend Mary's execution, arrived at Fotheringay. After dining
+together, they sent to inform the Queen, that they desired to speak with
+her. Mary was not well, and in bed; but as she was given to understand
+that it was an affair of moment, she rose, and received them in her own
+chamber. Her six waiting maids, together with her physician, her surgeon,
+and apothecary, and four or five male servants, were in attendance. The
+Earl of Shrewsbury, and the others associated with him, standing before
+her respectfully, with their heads uncovered, communicated, as gently as
+possible, the disagreeable duty with which they had been intrusted. Beal
+was then desired to read the warrant for Mary's execution, to which she
+listened patiently; and making the sign of the cross, she said, that
+though she was sorry it came from Elizabeth, she had long been expecting
+the mandate for her death, and was not unprepared to die. "For many
+years," she added, "I have lived in continual affliction, unable to do
+good to myself or to those who are dear to me;--and as I shall depart
+innocent of the crime which has been laid to my charge, I cannot see why I
+should shrink from the prospect of immortality." She then laid her hand on
+the New Testament, and solemnly protested that she had never either
+devised, compassed, or consented to the death of the Queen of England. The
+Earl of Kent, with more zeal than wisdom, objected to the validity of this
+protestation, because it was made on a Catholic version of the Bible; but
+Mary replied, that it was the version, in the truth of which she believed,
+and that her oath should be therefore only the less liable to suspicion.
+She was advised to hold some godly conversation with the Dean of
+Peterborough, whom they had brought with them to console her; but she
+declined the offer, declaring that she would die in the faith in which she
+had lived, and beseeching them to allow her to see her Catholic Confessor,
+who had been for some time debarred her presence. This however they in
+their turn positively refused.[200]
+
+Other topics were introduced, and casually discussed. Before leaving the
+world, Mary felt a natural curiosity to be informed upon several subjects
+of public interest, which, though connected with herself, and generally
+known, had not penetrated the walls of her prison. She asked if no foreign
+princes had interfered in her behalf,--if her secretaries were still
+alive,--if it was intended to punish them as well as her,--if they brought
+no letters from Elizabeth or others,--and above all, if her son, the King
+of Scotland, was well, and had evinced any interest in the fate of a
+mother who had always loved and never wronged him. Being satisfied upon
+these points, she proceeded to inquire when her execution was to take
+place? Shrewsbury replied, that it was fixed for the next morning at
+eight. She appeared startled and agitated for a few minutes, saying that
+it was more sudden than she had anticipated, and that she had yet to make
+her will, which she had hitherto deferred, in the expectation that the
+papers and letters which had been forcibly taken from her, would be
+restored. She soon, however, regained her self-possession; and informing
+the Commissioners that she desired to be left alone to make her
+preparations, she dismissed them for the night.
+
+During the whole of this scene, astonishment, indignation, and grief,
+overwhelmed her attendants, all of whom were devoted to her. As soon as
+the Earls and their retinue retired, they gave full vent to their
+feelings, and Mary herself was the only one who remained calm and
+undisturbed. Bourgoine, her physician, loudly exclaimed against the
+iniquitous precipitancy with which she was to be hurried out of existence.
+More than a few hours' notice was allowed, he said, to the very meanest
+criminal; and to limit a Princess, with numerous connections both at home
+and abroad, to so brief a space, was a degree of rigour which no guilt
+could authorize. Mary told him, that she must submit with resignation to
+her fate, and learn to regard it as the will of God. She then requested
+her attendants to kneel with her, and she prayed fervently for some time
+in the midst of them. Afterwards, while supper was preparing, she employed
+herself in putting all the money she had by her into separate purses, and
+affixed to each, with her own hand, the name of the person for whom she
+intended it. At supper, though she sat down to table, she eat little. Her
+mind, however, was in perfect composure; and during the repast, though she
+spoke little, placid smiles were frequently observed to pass over her
+countenance. The calm magnanimity of their mistress, only increased the
+distress of her servants. They saw her sitting amongst them in her usual
+health, and, with almost more than her usual cheerfulness, partaking of
+the viands that were set before her; yet they knew that it was the last
+meal at which they should ever be present together; and that the
+interchange of affectionate service upon their part, and of condescending
+attention and endearing gentleness on her's, which had linked them to her
+for so many years, was now about to terminate for ever. Far from
+attempting to offer her consolation, they were unable to discover any for
+themselves. As soon as the melancholy meal was over, Mary desired that a
+cup of wine should be given to her; and putting it to her lips, drank to
+the health of each of her attendants by name. She requested that they
+would pledge her in like manner; and each, falling on his knee, and
+mingling tears with the wine, drank to her, asking pardon at the same
+time, for all the faults he had ever committed. In the true spirit of
+Christian humility, she not only willingly forgave them, but asked their
+pardon also, if she had ever forgotten her duty towards them. She
+beseeched them to continue constant to their religion, and to live in
+peace and charity together, and with all men. The inventory of her
+wardrobe and furniture was then brought to her; and she wrote in the
+margin, opposite each article, the name of the person to whom she wished
+it should be given. She did the same with her rings, jewels, and all her
+most valuable trinkets; and there was not one of her friends or servants,
+either present or absent, to whom she forgot to leave a memorial.[201]
+
+These duties being discharged, Mary sat down to her desk to arrange her
+papers, to finish her will, and to write several letters. She previously
+sent to her confessor, who, though in the Castle, was not allowed to see
+her, entreating that he would spend the night in praying for her, and that
+he would inform her what parts of Scripture he considered most suited for
+her perusal at this juncture. She then drew up her last will and
+testament; and without ever lifting her pen from the paper, or stopping at
+intervals to think, she covered two large sheets with close writing,
+forgetting nothing of any moment, and expressing herself with all that
+precision and clearness which distinguished her style in the very happiest
+moments of her life. She named as her four executors, the Duke of Guise,
+her cousin-german; the Archbishop of Glasgow, her ambassador in France;
+Lesley, Bishop of Ross; and Monsieur de Ruysseau, her Chancellor. She next
+wrote a letter to her brother-in-law, the King of France, in which she
+apologized for not being able to enter into her affairs at greater length,
+as she had only an hour or two to live, and had not been informed till
+that day after dinner that she was to be executed next morning. "Thanks be
+unto God, however," she added, "I have no terror at the idea of death,
+and solemnly declare to you, that I meet it innocent of every crime. The
+bearer of this letter, and my other servants, will recount to you how I
+comported myself in my last moments." The letter concluded with earnest
+entreaties, that her faithful followers should be protected and rewarded.
+Her anxiety on their account, at such a moment, indicated all that amiable
+generosity of disposition, which was one of the leading features of Mary's
+character.[202] About two in the morning, she sealed up all her papers and
+said she would now think no more of the affairs of this world, but would
+spend the rest of her time in prayer and commune with her own conscience.
+She went to bed for some hours; but she did not sleep. Her lips were
+observed in continual motion, and her hands were frequently folded and
+lifted up towards Heaven.[203]
+
+On the morning of Wednesday the 8th of February, Mary rose with the break
+of day; and her domestics, who had watched and wept all night immediately
+gathered round her. She told them that she had made her will, and
+requested that they would see it safely deposited in the hands of her
+executors. She likewise beseeched them not to separate until they had
+carried her body to France; and she placed a sum of money in the hands of
+her physician to defray the expenses of the journey. Her earnest desire
+was, to be buried either in the Church of St Dennis, in Paris, beside her
+first husband Francis, or at Rheims, in the tomb which contained the
+remains of her mother. She expressed a wish too, that, besides her friends
+and servants, a number of poor people and children from different
+hospitals should be present at her funeral, clothed in mourning at her
+expense, and each, according to the Catholic custom, carrying in his hand
+a lighted taper.[204]
+
+She now renewed her devotions, and was in the midst of them, with her
+servants praying and weeping round her, when a messenger from the
+Commissioners knocked at the door, to announce that all was ready. She
+requested a little longer time to finish her prayers, which was granted.
+As soon as she desired the door to be opened, the Sheriff, carrying in his
+hand the white wand of office, entered to conduct her to the place of
+execution. Her servants crowded round her, and insisted on being allowed
+to accompany her to the scaffold. But contrary orders having been given by
+Elizabeth, they were told that she must proceed alone. Against a piece of
+such arbitrary cruelty they remonstrated loudly, but in vain; for as soon
+as Mary passed into the gallery, the door was closed, and believing that
+they were separated from her forever, the shrieks of the women and the
+scarcely less audible lamentations of the men were heard in distant parts
+of the castle.
+
+At the foot of the staircase leading down to the hall below, Mary was met
+by the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury; and she was allowed to stop to take
+farewell of Sir Andrew Melvil, the master of her household, whom her
+keepers had not allowed to come into her presence for some time before.
+With tears in his eyes, Melvil knelt before her, kissed her hand, and
+declared that it was the heaviest hour of his life. Mary assured him, that
+it was not so to her. "I now feel, my good Melvil," said she, "that all
+this world is vanity. When you speak of me hereafter, mention that I died
+firm in my faith, willing to forgive my enemies, conscious that I had
+never disgraced Scotland my native country, and rejoicing in the thought
+that I had always been true to France, the land of my happiest years. Tell
+my son," she added, and when she named her only child of whom she had been
+so proud in his infancy, but in whom all her hopes had been so fatally
+blasted, her feelings for the first time overpowered her, and a flood of
+tears flowed from her eyes,--"tell my son that I thought of him in my last
+moments, and that I have never yielded, either by word or deed, to aught
+that might lead to his prejudice; desire him to preserve the memory of his
+unfortunate parent, and may he be a thousand times more happy and more
+prosperous than she has been."
+
+Before taking leave of Melvil, Mary turned to the Commissioners and told
+them, that her three last requests were, that her secretary Curl, whom she
+blamed less for his treachery than Naw, should not be punished; that her
+servants should have free permission to depart to France; and that some of
+them should be allowed to come down from the apartments above to see her
+die. The Earls answered, that they believed the two former of these
+requests would be granted; but that they could not concede the last,
+alleging, as their excuse, that the affliction of her attendants would
+only add to the severity of her sufferings. But Mary was resolved that
+some of her own people should witness her last moments. "I will not submit
+to the indignity," she said, "of permitting my body to fall into the hands
+of strangers. You are the servants of a maiden Queen, and she herself,
+were she here, would yield to the dictates of humanity, and permit some of
+those who have been so long faithful to me to assist me at my death.
+Remember, too, that I am cousin to your mistress, and the descendant of
+Henry VII.; I am the Dowager of France, and the anointed Queen of
+Scotland." Ashamed of any further opposition, the Earls allowed her to
+name four male and two female attendants, whom they sent for, and
+permitted to remain beside her for the short time she had yet to
+live.[205]
+
+The same hall in which the trial had taken place, was prepared for the
+execution. At the upper end was the scaffold, covered with black cloth,
+and elevated about two feet from the floor. A chair was placed on it for
+the Queen of Scots. On one side of the block stood two executioners, and
+on the other, the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury; Beal and the Sheriff were
+immediately behind. The scaffold was railed off from the rest of the
+hall, in which Sir Amias Paulet with a body of guards, the other
+Commissioners, and some gentlemen of the neighbourhood, amounting
+altogether to about two hundred persons, were assembled. Mary entered
+leaning on the arm of her physician, while Sir Andrew Melvil carried the
+train of her robe. She was in full dress, and looked as if she were about
+to hold a drawing-room, not to lay her head beneath the axe. She wore a
+gown of black silk, bordered with crimson velvet, over which was a satin
+mantle; a long veil of white crape, stiffened with wire, and edged with
+rich lace, hung down almost to the ground; round her neck was suspended an
+ivory crucifix; and the beads which the Catholics use in their prayers,
+were fastened to her girdle. The symmetry of her fine figure had long been
+destroyed by her sedentary life; and years of care had left many a trace
+on her beautiful features. But the dignity of the Queen was still
+apparent; and the calm grace of mental serenity imparted to her
+countenance at least some share of its former loveliness. With a composed
+and steady step she passed through the hall, and ascended the
+scaffold,--and as she listened unmoved, whilst Beal read aloud the warrant
+for her death, even the myrmidons of Elizabeth looked upon her with
+admiration.[206]
+
+Beal having finished, the Dean of Peterborough presented himself at the
+foot of the scaffold, and with more zeal than humanity, addressed Mary on
+the subject of her religion. She mildly told him, that as she had been
+born, so she was resolved to die, a Catholic, and requested that he would
+not annoy her any longer with useless reasonings. But finding that he
+would not be persuaded to desist, she turned away from him, and falling on
+her knees, prayed fervently aloud,--repeating, in particular, many
+passages from the Psalms. She prayed for her own soul, and that God would
+send his Holy Spirit to comfort her in the agony of death; she prayed for
+all good monarchs, for the Queen of England, for the King her son, for her
+friends, and for all her enemies. She spoke with a degree of earnest
+vehemence, and occasional strength of gesticulation, which deeply affected
+all who heard her. She held a small crucifix in her hands, which were
+clasped, and raised to Heaven; and at intervals a convulsive sob choked
+her voice. As soon as her prayers were ended, she prepared to lay her head
+on the block. Her two female attendants, as they assisted her to remove
+her veil and head-dress, trembled so violently that they were hardly able
+to stand. Mary gently reproved them,--"Be not thus overcome," she said; "I
+am happy to leave the world, and you also ought to be happy to see me die
+so willingly." As she bared her neck, she took from around it a cross of
+gold, which she wished to give to Jane Kennedy; but the executioner, with
+brutal coarseness, objected, alleging that it was one of his perquisites.
+"My good friend," said Mary, "she will pay you much more than its value;"
+but his only answer was, to snatch it rudely from her hand. She turned
+from him, to pronounce a parting benediction on all her servants, to kiss
+them, and bid them affectionately farewell. Being now ready, she desired
+Jane Kennedy to bind her eyes with a rich handkerchief, bordered with
+gold, which she had brought with her for the purpose; and laying her head
+upon the block, her last words were,--"O Lord, in thee I have hoped, and
+into thy hands I commit my spirit." The executioner, either from a want of
+skill, or from agitation, or because the axe he used was blunt, struck
+three blows before he separated her head from her body. His comrade then
+lifted the head by the hair, (which, falling in disorder, was observed to
+be quite grey), and called out, "God save Elizabeth, Queen of England!"
+The Earl of Kent added, "Thus perish all her enemies;"--but, overpowered
+by the solemnity and horror of the scene, none were able to respond,
+"Amen!"[207]
+
+Mary's remains were immediately taken from her servants, who wished to pay
+them the last sad offices of affection, and were carried into an adjoining
+apartment, where a piece of old green baize, taken from a billiard-table,
+was thrown over that form which had once lived in the light of a nation's
+eyes. It lay thus for some time; but was at length ordered to be embalmed,
+and buried, with royal pomp, in the Cathedral at Peterborough,--a vulgar
+artifice used by Elizabeth to stifle the gnawing remorse of her own
+conscience, and make an empty atonement for her cruelty. Twenty-five years
+afterwards, James VI. wishing to perform an act of tardy justice to the
+memory of his mother, ordered her remains to be removed from Peterborough
+to Henry VII.'s Chapel, in Westminster Abbey. A splendid monument was
+there erected, adorned with an inscription, which, if it spoke truth,
+James must have blushed with shame and indignation whenever he thought of
+his mother's fate.
+
+Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, died in the forty-fifth year of her age. If
+the events of her life have been faithfully recorded in the preceding
+pages, the estimate which is to be formed of her character cannot be a
+matter of much doubt. To great natural endowments,--to feelings
+constitutionally warm,--and to a disposition spontaneously excellent, were
+added all the advantages which education could confer or wealth purchase.
+That she was one of the most accomplished and talented women of the age,
+even her enemies allow. But talents do not always insure success, nor
+accomplishments command happiness; and by few persons in the whole range
+of history was this truth more fatally experienced than by Mary Stuart. At
+first sight, her life and fate seem almost a paradox. That one upon whom
+most of the common goods of fortune had been heaped with so lavish a
+hand,--one who was born to the enjoyment of all the rank and splendour
+which earth possesses,--one whose personal charms and fascinations
+obtained for her an empire over the heart, more lasting and honourable
+than that which her birth gave her over a nation,--that even she should
+have lived to lament that she had ever beheld the light of day, is one of
+those striking examples of the uncertainty of all human calculations
+regarding happiness, which, while it inspires the commonest mind with
+wonder, teaches a deeper lesson of philosophy to the wisely reflective.
+Circumstances are not so much the slaves of men, as men are of
+circumstances. Mary lived at an age, and in a country, which only rendered
+her risk the greater the more exalted her station. In France, where
+civilization had made more progress, she might perhaps have avoided the
+evils which overtook her at home; but in Scotland, a Princess possessing
+the refinement of a foreign court, and though with a large proportion of
+the virtues and captivations of her sex, not entirely destitute of some of
+its weaknesses, could hardly expect to cope with the turbulent spirit, the
+fanatical enthusiasm, the semi-barbarous prejudices of the times, without
+finding her own virtues immerged in the crowd of contending interests, and
+the vortex of fierce passions that surrounded her.
+
+Mary's failings, almost without an exception, "leant to virtue's side."
+They arose partly from too enthusiastic a temperament, and partly from a
+want of experience. Although she lived forty-four years and two months, it
+ought to be remembered that she was just twenty-five when she came into
+England, and that all the most important events of her history happened
+between sixteen and twenty-five. With feelings whose strength kept pace
+with the unsuspicious generosity of her nature, Mary was one who, in an
+especial manner, stood in need of experience, to teach what the world
+calls wisdom. The great mass of mankind, endowed with no finer
+susceptibilities, and influenced by no hidden impulses of soul or sense,
+fall into the common track naturally and easily. But they whom heaven has
+either cursed or blessed with minds, over which external circumstances
+exercise a deeper sway, whose fancies are more vivid, and whose
+impressions are more acute, require the aid of time to clip the wings of
+imagination,--to cast a soberer shade over the glowing pictures of
+hope,--and to teach the art of reducing an ideal standard of felicity and
+virtue, to one less romantic, but more practical. Had she continued longer
+in public life, there is every probability that the world would have been
+forced to own, without a dissenting voice, the talent which Mary
+possessed. In youth, genius is often indicated only by eccentricity and
+imprudence; but its errors are errors of judgment, which have their origin
+in an exuberance of sensibility. The sentiments of the heart have burst
+forth into precocious blossom long before the reasoning faculties have
+reached maturity. Her youth was Mary's chief misfortune, or rather it was
+the source from which most of her misfortunes sprung. She judged of
+mankind not as they were, but as she wished them to be. Conscious of the
+sincerity of her own character, and the affectionate nature of her own
+dispositions, she formed attachments too rashly, and trusted too
+indiscriminately. She often found, when it was too late, that she had been
+deceived; and the consequence was, that she became diffident of her own
+judgment, and anxious to be guided by that of others. Here again, however,
+she fell into an opposite extreme. In yielding, on her return to Scotland,
+so implicitly to the counsels of Murray, she did what few queens, young
+and flattered as she had been, would have done, and what, had she been
+older, or more experienced, she ought not to have done.
+
+But the highest degree of excellence, both in the material and the moral
+world, arises out of the skilful combination of many discordant elements.
+Time must be allowed them to settle down into an harmonious arrangement;
+and time is all that is required. Before the age of five-and-twenty, it is
+not to be supposed that Mary's character had acquired that strength and
+stability which it would afterwards have attained. Nor was it desirable
+that it should; for an old head upon youthful shoulders is contrary to
+nature, and the anomaly frequently ends with a youthful head upon old
+shoulders. Mary was young--she was beautiful--she was admired--she was a
+woman; and to expect to have found, in the spring-time of her life, the
+undeviating consistency, and the cool calculations of riper years, would
+have been to imagine her that "faultless monster whom the world ne'er
+saw." But, considering the situation in which she was placed--the persons
+by whom she was surrounded--the stormy temper of the age--the pious and
+deep-rooted prejudices of her subjects against the creed which she
+professed--the restless jealousy of the Sovereign who reigned over the
+neighbouring and more powerful country of England--the unfortunate though
+not precipitate marriage with Lord Darnley,--it may be very safely asked,
+where there is to be found an example of so much moderation, prudence, and
+success, in one so recently introduced to the arduous cares of government?
+Had Mary been vain, headstrong, opinionative, and bigotted, she would
+never have yielded, as she did, to the current of popular opinion which
+then ran so tumultuously;--she would never have condescended to
+expostulate with Knox,--she would never have been ruled by Murray,--she
+would never have so easily forgiven injuries and stifled resentments. She
+was in truth only too facile. She submitted too tamely to the insolence of
+Knox; she was too diffident of herself, and too willing to be swayed by
+Murray; she was too ready to pardon those who had given her the justest
+cause of offence; she was too candid and open, too distrustful of her own
+capacity, too gentle, too generous, and too engaging.
+
+But if her faults consisted only in an excess of amiable qualities, or in
+those strong feelings which, though properly directed, were not always
+properly proportioned, the question naturally occurs, why the Queen of
+Scots should have suffered so much misery? "To say that she was always
+unfortunate," observes Robertson, "will not account for that long and
+almost uninterrupted succession of calamities which befel her; we must
+likewise add, that she was often imprudent." Here the historian first
+mistates the fact, and then draws an inference from that mistatement. No
+"long and uninterrupted succession of calamities" befel Mary. She
+experienced an almost unparalleled reverse of fortune, but that reverse
+was sudden and complete. She sunk at once from a queen into a
+captive,--from power to weakness,--from splendor to obscurity. So long as
+she was permitted to be the arbitress of her own fortune, she met and
+overcame every difficulty; but when lawless and ambitious men wove their
+web around her, she was caught in it, and could never again escape from
+its meshes. Had she stumbled on from one calamity to another, continuing
+all the while a free agent, Robertson's remark would have been just. But
+such was not her case;--the morning saw her a queen, and the evening found
+her a captive. The blow was as sudden as it was decisive; and her future
+life was an ineffectual struggle to escape from the chains which had been
+thrown round her in a moment, and which pressed her irresistibly to the
+ground. A calamity which no foresight could anticipate, or prudence avert,
+may overtake the wisest and the best; and such to Mary was the murder of
+Darnley, and Bothwell's subsequent treason and violence. If to these be
+added the scarcely less iniquitous conduct of Elizabeth, the treachery of
+Morton, the craftiness of Murray, and the disastrous defeat at Langside,
+it needs no research or ingenuity to discover, that her miseries were not
+of her own making.
+
+Should a still more comprehensive view of this subject be taken, and the
+whole life of the Queen of Scots reviewed, from her birth to her death, it
+will be found that, however great her advantages, they were almost always
+counterbalanced by some evil, which necessarily attended or sprung out of
+them. She was a queen when only a few months old; but she was also an
+orphan. She was destined, from her earliest childhood, to be the wife of
+the future monarch of France; but she was, in consequence, taken away from
+her native country, and the arms of her mother. The power and talents of
+her uncles of Guise were constantly exerted in her behalf; but she shared,
+therefore, in the hatred and jealousy in which they were held by a
+numerous party, both at home and abroad. Her residence and education, at
+the Court of Henry II., insured the refinement of her manners and the
+cultivation of her mind; but it excited the suspicions and the fears of
+the people of Scotland. She was beautiful even to a proverb; but her
+beauty obtained for her as much envy as praise. She possessed the heart of
+her husband Francis; but she only felt his loss the more acutely. She
+returned to her own kingdom as the Queen-dowager of France; but her power
+and her pretensions made the English dread, and did not prevent her
+heretical subjects from openly braving, her authority. She married Darnley
+in the hopes of brightening her prospects, and securing her happiness; but
+he was the main cause of overclouding the one, and destroying the other.
+She was freed, by his death, from the wayward caprices of his ill-governed
+temper; but she escaped from one yoke only to be forced into another a
+thousand times worse. She loved her brother, and loaded him with favours;
+but he repaid them by placing himself upon her throne, and chasing her
+from the country. She escaped into England; but there she met with
+reproaches instead of assistance, a prison instead of an asylum, a mortal
+enemy instead of a sister, an axe and a scaffold instead of sympathy and
+protection.[208]
+
+Mary's misfortunes, therefore, may be safely asserted not to have been the
+result of her imprudence or her errors. But justice is not satisfied with
+this merely negative praise. The Queen of Scots was one who needed only to
+have been prosperous, to be in the eyes of the world all that was great
+and good. And though the narrow-minded are only too ready, at all times,
+to triumph over the fallen, and to fancy, that where there is misery
+there is also guilt, they must nevertheless own, that there are some whose
+character only rises the higher, the more it is tried. If, on the one
+hand, the temptations to which Mary was exposed be duly considered,--her
+youth,--the prejudices of her education,--and the designing ministers by
+whom she was surrounded;--and, on the other, her conduct towards the
+Reformers, towards her enemies, towards her friends, towards all her
+subjects,--the deliberate judgment of calm impartiality, not of hasty
+enthusiasm, must be, that illustrious as her birth and rank were, she
+possessed virtues and talents which not only made her independent of the
+former, but raised her above them. In her better days, the vivacity and
+sweetness of her manners, her openness, her candour, her generosity, her
+polished wit, her extensive information, her cultivated taste, her easy
+affability, her powers of conversation, her native dignity and grace, were
+all conspicuous, though too little appreciated by the less refined
+frequenters of the Scottish Court. Nor did she appear to less advantage in
+the season of calamity. On the contrary, she had an opportunity of
+displaying in adversity a fortitude and nobility of soul, which she
+herself might not have known that she possessed, had she been always
+prosperous. Her piety and her constancy became more apparent in a prison
+than on a throne; and of none could it be said more truly than of
+her,--"_ponderibus virtus innata resistit_." In the glory of victory and
+the pride of success, it is easy for a conquering monarch to float down
+the stream of popularity; but it is a far more arduous task to gain a
+victory over the natural weaknesses of one's own nature, and, in the
+midst of sufferings, to triumph over one's enemies. Mary did this; and was
+a thousand times more to be envied, when kneeling at her solitary
+devotions in the Castle of Fotheringhay, than Elizabeth surrounded with
+all the heartless splendor of Hampton Court. As she laid her head upon the
+block, the dying graces threw upon her their last smiles; and the sublime
+serenity of her death was an argument in her favour, the force of which
+must be confessed by incredulity itself. Mary was not destined to obtain
+the crown of England, but she gained instead the crown of martyrdom.[209]
+
+"Many of us," said the Archbishop of Bruges, who was appointed to preach
+Mary's funeral sermon in the church of Notre Dame at Paris, "Many of us
+have seen in this very place the Queen whom we now deplore, on her bridal
+morning and in her royal robes, so resplendent with jewels, that they
+shone like the light of day, or like her own beauty, which was more
+resplendent still. Nothing was to be discovered around or within but
+embroidered hangings, and cloth of gold, and precious tapestry, and
+couches and thrones occupied by kings and queens, and princes and nobles,
+who had come from all parts to be present at the festival. In the palace
+were magnificent banquets, and pageants, and masquerades; in the streets
+and squares, joustings, tournaments, and processions. It seemed as if the
+overwhelming brilliancy of our age was destined to surpass the richest
+pomp of every preceding age,--even the times when Greece and Rome were in
+all their splendor. A brief space has passed away like a cloud, and we
+have seen _her_ a captive whom we saw in triumph,--a prisoner, who set the
+prisoners free,--poor, who gave away so liberally,--disdained, who was the
+fountain of honour. We have seen _her_, who was a two-fold Queen, in the
+hands of a common executioner, and that fair form, which graced the
+nuptial couch of the greatest monarch in Christendom, dishonoured on a
+scaffold. We have seen that loveliness, which was one of the wonders of
+the world, broken down by long captivity, and at length effaced by an
+ignominious death. If this fatal reverse teaches the uncertainty and
+vanity of all human things, the patience and incomparable fortitude of the
+Queen we have lost, also teach a more profitable lesson, and afford a
+salutary consolation. Every new calamity gave her an opportunity of
+gaining a new victory, and of evincing new proofs of her piety and
+constancy. It seems certain, indeed, that Providence made her affliction
+conspicuous, only to make her virtue more conspicuous. Others leave to
+their successors the care of building monuments, to preserve their name
+from oblivion; but the life and death of this lady are her monument.
+Marble, and brass, and iron decay, or are devoured by rust; but in no age,
+however long the world may endure, will the memory of Mary Stuart, Queen
+of Scots, and Dowager of France, cease to be cherished with affection and
+admiration."[210]
+
+
+
+
+AN EXAMINATION OF THE LETTERS, SONNETS, AND OTHER WRITINGS, ADDUCED IN
+EVIDENCE AGAINST MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+  O place and greatness! millions of false eyes
+  Are stuck upon thee! Volumes of report
+  Run with these false and most contrarious guests
+  Upon thy doings! Thousand 'scapes of wit
+  Make thee the father of their idle dream,
+  And rack thee in their fancies.----
+                                SHAKESPEARE.
+
+
+Considering the very opposite opinions which have been long entertained,
+regarding the character and conduct of the Queen of Scots, no memoirs of
+her life would be complete, that did not contain some examination of the
+evidence upon which they who believe her guilty principally rest their
+conviction. This evidence consists of eight Letters, eleven Love-Sonnets,
+and one Marriage Contract, all alleged to have been written in the Queen's
+own hand, and addressed to the Earl of Bothwell. In corroboration of
+these, another Contract, said to have been written by the Earl of Huntly,
+and signed by the Queen; and the Confessions and Depositions of some of
+the persons who were known to be implicated in Bothwell's guilt, were
+likewise produced. Of the Letters, two were supposed to have been written
+from Glasgow, at the time Mary went thither to visit Darnley when he was
+ill, and are intended to prove her criminal connection with Bothwell; two
+or three from the Kirk-of-Field, for the purpose of facilitating the
+arrangements regarding the murder; and the rest after that event, and
+before her abduction, to show that the whole scheme of the pretended
+ravishment was preconcerted between them. The precise time at which it is
+pretended the Sonnets were composed, does not appear; but expressions in
+them prove, that it must have been posterior to the Queen's residence at
+Dunbar. The Contract of Marriage, in Mary's own hand, though without date,
+must have been written very soon after Darnley's death, and contained a
+promise never to marry any one but Bothwell. The Contract, said to be in
+Huntly's hand, was dated at Seton, the 5th of April 1567, eight weeks
+after Darnley's death, a week before Bothwell's trial and acquittal, and
+three weeks before he was divorced from his first wife. The Confessions
+and Depositions are various, but only in one or two of them is any
+allusion made to Mary. The Letters, Sonnets, and Contracts, were said to
+have been discovered in a small gilt coffer, which the Earl of Bothwell
+left in the Castle of Edinburgh, in the custody of Sir James Balfour, at
+the time he fled from Edinburgh to Borthwick, about a month after his
+marriage, and shortly before the affair at Carberry Hill. After his
+discomfiture there, he is stated to have sent his servant, Dalgleish, into
+Edinburgh from Dunbar, to demand the coffer from Balfour. Sir James, it
+was said, delivered it up, but at the same time gave intimation to the
+Earl of Morton, who seized Dalgleish, and made himself master of the box
+and its contents. The Letters and Sonnets, which were written in French,
+were afterwards all translated into Scotch, and three into Latin.
+
+Anxious to put beyond a doubt, either the forgery or the authenticity of
+these writings, numerous authors have exercised their ingenuity and
+talents, in a most minute and laborious examination, not only of their
+leading features, but of every line, and almost of every word. It would
+seem, however, not to be necessary, in so far as the great interests of
+truth are concerned, to descend to such microscopic investigation, and
+tedious verbal criticism, as have extended pages into volumes, and
+rendered confused and tiresome, disquisitions which might otherwise have
+been simple and interesting. If Mary's innocence is to be established, it
+must not be by the discovery of petty inconsistencies, or trifling
+inaccuracies. If her guilt is to be proved, the impartial reader is not to
+be satisfied with vague suspicions or ingenious suggestions, but must have
+a body of evidence set before him, which, if it does not amount to actual
+demonstration, contains a circumstantial strength equally calculated to
+convince.
+
+It may be observed, at the outset, that unless the conclusions, to which
+these writings would lead, be corroborated by the established facts of
+History, it cannot be expected that a great deal of weight will be
+attached to them. Besides, it must not be forgotten, that as the originals
+have been lost, it is by means of translations alone that their alleged
+contents are known to the world. Upon their authority, Mary is accused of
+having first committed adultery, and then murder. Whatever opinion may
+have been formed of her from her behaviour during the rest of her
+existence,--however gentle her dispositions may have appeared,--however
+strong her sense of the distinction between right and wrong,--however
+constant her religious principles,--however wise her government,--however
+excellent the culture of her mind,--if the letters are to be credited, the
+whole was either hypocrisy from beginning to end, or, (overcome by some
+sudden impulse,) a year of gross criminality was introduced into the very
+middle of a well spent life. If she made so rapid a descent into a career
+of vice, she as rapidly rose again; and reassuming the character she had
+laid aside, lived and died with the purity of a saint, and the fortitude
+of a martyr. It cannot therefore be upon slight grounds that evidence so
+fatal to her reputation is to be admitted; and there will be little
+necessity to engage in minute cavilling, or to enter upon points of minor
+importance, if, by a distinct statement of some of the leading arguments
+against its authenticity, the whole shall be made to appear nugatory,
+improbable, and unentitled to credit.
+
+The evidences naturally divide themselves into the two heads of
+_external_ and _internal_; and, without further preface, it will be best
+to consider these in succession.
+
+THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCES.--It was on the 20th of June 1567, that Dalgleish
+was seized, with the box and writings. The official account given by
+Buchanan is,--"That in the Castle of Edinburgh there was left by the Earl
+Bothwell, before his flying away, and was sent for by one George
+Dalgleish, his servant, who was taken by the Earl of Morton, a small gilt
+coffer, not fully a foot long, being garnished in sundry places with the
+Roman letter F, under a king's crown, wherein were certain letters and
+writings well known, and by oaths, to be affirmed to have been written
+with the Queen of Scots own hand, to the Earl of Bothwell."[211] The
+question to be decided is, whether these letters and writings are genuine,
+or whether they can be proved to be fabrications? That the latter is the
+correct conclusion, appears on the following grounds.
+
+_First_, The conduct of Murray, Morton, and others of the Scottish
+nobility, on various occasions, proves that ambition was the ruling
+passion of their lives. Murray's iniquitous extermination of the Gordons
+in 1562, the influence he afterwards exercised in Mary's councils, and his
+unjustifiable opposition to her marriage with Darnley, carried even the
+length of open rebellion, illustrate his character no less clearly, than
+the share he had in the murder of Rizzio, and his proceedings after the
+meeting at Carberry Hill, do that of Morton. A train of events, arising
+out of the audacious machinations of Bothwell, placed Mary at the disposal
+of men thus devoted to the attainment of power. Yielding to their
+irresistible desire to secure its possession, they first imprisoned, and
+then dethroned their sovereign. She escaped from their hands, and, though
+driven from the country, threatened to return with foreign aid, to place
+herself at the head of her own party, which was still powerful, and to
+force from them their usurped authority. The urgency of the case called
+for a bold and decisive remedy. If Mary could prove, as there was no doubt
+she could, that, according to all the facts yet before the world, she had
+suffered severely and unjustly, they must either fall upon some means to
+vindicate their own actions, or be ruined for ever. Nothing would more
+naturally suggest itself than the expedient they adopted. The circumstance
+of Mary having been actually married to the man who murdered her former
+husband, opened a door to the very worst suspicions; and if they could
+artfully conceal the events which led to the marriage, and which not only
+justified it, but made it a matter of necessity, they hoped still to
+retain possession of the government. They were aware, indeed, that by
+their own proclamations and acts of council, they had acknowledged Mary's
+innocence, and pointed out the real cause of her connection with Bothwell;
+and it was now not enough, after they had involved themselves in deeper
+responsibility, merely to retract their former allegations. They were
+called upon to show _why_ they departed from them;--they were called upon
+to prove, that when they first imprisoned her, though they confessed the
+Queen was innocent, they were now satisfied she was guilty. There was a
+positive necessity for the appearance of the letters; and if they had not
+been fortunately discovered, just at the proper time, Murray and his
+colleagues must either have had recourse to some other expedient, or have
+consented to Mary's restoration, and their own disgrace.
+
+_Second_, That Mary may have written love-letters to Francis II., and to
+Darnley, before and after she was married to them, is not unlikely; that
+she wrote sonnets and letters of affection to many of her friends, both
+male and female, is beyond a doubt; but that she would ever have written
+such letters and sonnets to the Earl of Bothwell, whom she never loved,
+whom she at one time threw into prison, and at another sent into
+banishment, whom she knew to be a married man, and whose marriage she had
+herself countenanced and encouraged, is against all probability. If
+Bothwell had never become Mary's husband, history does not record one
+circumstance, which would at all lead to the belief, that she was attached
+to him. Her very marriage, when fairly and fully considered, only makes
+the fact more certain, that she had no regard for Bothwell, else there
+would have been no forcible abduction on his part, or pretended reluctance
+on hers. Even though she had consented to marry Bothwell, which the
+clearest evidence proves her not to have done, it would afford no
+presumption against her, that he was afterwards discovered to have been
+the murderer of Darnley. He had not only been legally acquitted, but all
+her chief nobility had recommended him to her as a husband, stating the
+grounds of their recommendation to be the high opinion they entertained of
+his worth and loyalty. Robertson, Laing, and others, it is true, copying
+Buchanan, have laboured to show, that Mary discovered in various ways her
+extreme partiality for Bothwell. Most of their arguments have been already
+considered elsewhere; but it will be worth while attending for a moment to
+such of the circumstances collected by Robertson, and drawn up in
+formidable array, in the "Critical Dissertation" subjoined to his History
+of Scotland, as have not yet been noticed. The answers and explanations
+which immediately suggest themselves are so entirely satisfactory, that we
+can only wonder the historian did not himself perceive them.
+
+Robertson states, that on the 15th of February 1567, five days after the
+murder, Mary bestowed on Bothwell the reversion of the superiority of the
+town of Leith, and that this grant was of much importance, as it gave him
+both the command of the principal port in the kingdom, and a great
+ascendancy over the citizens of Edinburgh. But this assignation, as is
+expressly stated in the charter, was made to Bothwell as a reward for his
+faithful services, both to Mary's mother and to herself, especially on the
+occasion of Rizzio's death, and must have been in contemplation for some
+time; nor can it be supposed to have occupied the Queen's thoughts, at a
+moment when she was refusing to see any one, and was shut up by herself in
+a dark room, a prey to the bitterest regrets. It ought to be recollected,
+besides, that she had not yet conferred on Bothwell any adequate
+recompense for his fidelity and exertions after her escape from Morton;
+and that the grant of the superiority of the town of Leith, was only a
+very tardy acknowledgment of her obligations. She made presents of a
+similar description to others of her nobility about the same time: if any
+of them had afterwards forced her into a marriage, these gifts might have
+been raked up with equal plausibility, to prove that she was then in love
+with Morton, Huntly, Secretary Maitland, or any body else. At the
+Parliament which assembled on the 14th of April 1567, ratifications of
+grants were passed to many of the principal persons in the realm; and
+among others to the Earl of Mar, Morton, Crawford, Caithness, and Lord
+Robert Stuart.[212] It will not be asserted, that Mary was attached to any
+of these persons; and is there any thing wonderful that she included in
+the list of those to whom she made donations, her Lord High Admiral? The
+case, no doubt, would have been worse, had she known that Bothwell was the
+murderer of Darnley, but throughout the whole of this discussion, it must
+be remembered, that if Mary was really innocent, she could not believe
+Bothwell guilty till he had been actually proved so.
+
+Robertson states further, that two days after the trial, Mary allowed
+Bothwell to carry the sceptre before her when she went to open the
+Parliament; that she there granted him a ratification of all the vast
+possessions and honours which she had conferred upon him; and that, when
+Sir James Melville warned her of the danger which would attend a marriage
+with that nobleman, she not only disregarded his admonition, but
+discovered to Bothwell what had passed. But, as to the carrying of the
+sceptre, it was surely not to be expected, that after a full acquittal,
+without even the shadow of evidence being advanced against him, Mary could
+have ventured to refuse his accustomed honours to the most powerful noble
+in the realm. As to the Parliamentary ratification of "all the vast
+possessions and honours which she had conferred upon him," the
+misrepresentation is glaring in the extreme; for she never conferred on
+Bothwell any vast possessions and honours, and the ratification alluded
+only to certain lands which were given him, to defray his charges in
+keeping the Castle of Dunbar.[213] Bothwell no doubt enjoyed "vast
+possessions and honours;" but they were mostly hereditary, or had been
+obtained by him before Mary came into the kingdom. And as to the manner in
+which Mary took Sir James Melville's warning,--the facts were these:--Sir
+James received a letter out of England, from a person of the name of
+Bishop, telling him that it had been rumoured (and there is no wonder,
+considering the bond which had been previously obtained from the nobility)
+that Bothwell was to be married to her Majesty, and assuring him, that if
+she consented to such an alliance, it would be much against her own
+reputation and interest. When Sir James showed this letter to Mary, she
+immediately sent, not for Bothwell, but for Secretary Maitland, to whom
+she handed it, expressing her surprise at its contents, and her suspicion
+that it was only a device on the part of some of Bothwell's enemies, who
+wished to ruin him in her estimation. She afterwards took an opportunity
+to speak of it to Bothwell himself, who affected to be highly indignant,
+and was so enraged against Melville, that, had not Mary interfered, he
+would have forced him to fly from the Court to save his life. Bothwell's
+rage is easily accounted for, considering the designs he then had in view,
+and the necessity for concealing them. But had he known that Mary was
+disposed to favour them, he would of course have taken the whole matter
+much more coolly. When Melville came upon the subject with Mary, she
+assured him that she did not contemplate any such alliance, and she had in
+like manner previously told Lord Herries, that "there was no such thing in
+her mind."[214] If deductions like those of Robertson, so contrary to the
+premises on which they are founded, be allowed, it is impossible to say to
+what belief they may not be made to lead.
+
+Robertson states, lastly, that even after Mary had been separated from
+Bothwell, and confined in Loch-Leven, her affection for him did not abate;
+and that the fair conclusion from all these circumstances is, that had
+Mary really been accessory to the murder of her husband, "she could
+scarcely have taken any other steps than those she took, nor could her
+conduct have been more repugnant to all the maxims of prudence or of
+decency." But that Mary's affection for a man she had never loved,
+continued after she had left him to his fate, at Carberry Hill, and gone
+publicly over in the face of the whole world to his bitterest enemies, (on
+whose authority alone Robertson's assertion is made, though expressly
+contradicted by their own previous declarations, as well as by Mary's
+statements whenever she regained her liberty), is not to be believed; and
+had she been really innocent, "she could scarcely have taken any other
+steps than those she took," nor could her conduct have been more accordant
+with all the maxims of prudence and propriety.
+
+_Third_, Supposing Mary to have actually written the letters to Bothwell,
+it may very fairly be asked,--Why he was so imprudent as preserve
+them?--why he chose to keep only eight?--why he put them all into the same
+box?--and why he should ever have intrusted that box to the custody of Sir
+James Balfour? It is extremely difficult to answer satisfactorily any of
+these questions. The only explanation which the first admits of, is, that
+Bothwell was afraid lest Mary should afterwards quarrel with him, and
+resolved therefore not to destroy the evidence of her participation in the
+murder. But if he acted upon this principle, why did he limit himself to a
+collection of eight letters? If Mary ever corresponded with him at all, he
+must have had in his possession many more of her epistles; for the first
+of the series which has been preserved, is evidently not the letter of one
+commencing a correspondence, but of one who writes as a matter of course,
+to a person whom she has often written to before. It may be said, perhaps,
+that none of her previous letters bore upon the subject of Darnley's
+murder; but they must at all events have contained expressions of
+affection, which would have served as an indirect proof of her guilt. If,
+by preserving these documents, and running the risk of their falling into
+the hands of his enemies, who would so eagerly use them to his
+disadvantage, Bothwell thought he was choosing the least of two dangers,
+he would certainly have been anxious to make his evidence of Mary's
+connexion with him as full and complete as possible. Accordingly, some
+love-sonnets, and a contract of marriage, were said to have been put into
+the same box, but only eight letters; as if, during the whole course of
+his amour with the Queen, and all its anxious days and nights, she had
+limited herself to eight epistolary testimonials of her love. But having
+preserved them, and having limited their number to eight, and having
+chosen to put them, not into a strong iron box locked and pad-locked, of
+which he alone kept the key, but into a "small gilt coffer" which never
+belonged to him at all, but had been a gift to Mary from her first husband
+Francis,--why was he so very absurd as send them to Sir James Balfour in
+the Castle of Edinburgh, at the very time that a rebellion was rising in
+the nation, and that he was beginning to suspect Balfour's fidelity? They
+were sent, we are informed, "before his flying away" from Edinburgh, in
+the beginning of June 1567. Was this the moment at which he would be
+disposed to part with writings he had so carefully treasured? If he was
+afraid that his enemies would advance upon Edinburgh, why did he not take
+the "small gilt coffer" with him to Dunbar, instead of sending it to the
+very place where it was sure to become their prey? If the letters were in
+truth forged, it was necessary for the forgers to concoct as plausible a
+story concerning them as possible. They knew it was not likely that
+Bothwell would send them to the Castle tied up as an open packet; and the
+idea of a box would therefore occur to them. But as they had not in their
+possession any box which belonged to Bothwell, they were forced to make
+use of what they could get; and finding at Holyrood, when they rifled the
+palace of most of the Queen's valuables, the coffer in question, they
+would readily avail themselves of it. It would further occur to them, that
+Bothwell could not be supposed to have left the letters at Holyrood, which
+was not a place of any strength; and as they had not followed him to
+Dunbar, they were obliged to give out that he had made the Castle of
+Edinburgh their hiding-place. But if the letters had not been forgeries,
+and if they had been really preserved by Bothwell, they would have been
+more numerous,--they would not have been kept in one of Mary's
+trinket-boxes,--and they would never have found their way out of his own
+hands into the custody of Sir James Balfour.
+
+_Fourth_, The next improbability connected with this story, is, that
+Bothwell sent to reclaim the letters at the time alleged. On the 15th of
+September 1568, Murray, before going into England, to attend the
+conference at York, gave the Earl of Morton a receipt for the "silver box,
+overgilt with gold, with all missive letters, contracts or obligations for
+marriage, sonnets or love ballads, and all other letters contained
+therein, sent and passed betwixt the Queen and James, sometime Earl
+Bothwell; which box, and whole pieces within the same, were taken and
+found with umwhile George Dalgleish, servant to the said Earl Bothwell,
+upon the 20th day of June, in the year of God 1567."[215] This, then, was
+exactly five days after Bothwell had fled from Carberry Hill, and when
+Edinburgh was in the possession of the opposite faction, with whom Sir
+James Balfour had now associated himself. Dalgleish, it appears, who was
+well known to be a servant of Bothwell, was able not only to effect an
+entrance into Edinburgh, though the city was strictly guarded, but was
+received into the Castle, and had the box actually delivered to him by
+Balfour. How he happened to be afterwards discovered, and his property
+taken from him, is not made out. If Balfour privately intimated to Morton
+what he had done, then he at once acted knavishly towards Bothwell, and
+most inconsiderately towards those whom he wished to befriend; for
+Dalgleish might have either baffled pursuit, or he might have secreted the
+box, or destroyed its contents before he was taken. Thus we have a tissue
+of improbabilities, pervading the whole of this part of the narrative.
+Bothwell could never send to Edinburgh Castle for writings he would never
+have deposited there: and most especially he would never send, when he
+himself was a fugitive, and that fortress, along with the adjacent town,
+in the hands of his enemies. Nor would Balfour have surrendered a box so
+precious; nor, if he did, would Dalgleish have allowed it again to become
+the prey of those from whom it was most wished to conceal it.
+
+_Fifth_, What was done with the letters immediately after Morton and the
+other Lords got possession of them? Bothwell had been already accused of
+the murder of Darnley; his former acquittal had been declared unjust; he
+had been separated from the Queen; and she herself had been sequestrated
+in Loch-Leven, until the whole affair should be duly investigated. Surely,
+then, the discovery of these letters would be regarded with signal
+satisfaction, and the associated Lords would lose not a moment in
+announcing their existence to the nation, as the best justification of
+their own proceedings. They had sent Mary, it is true, to Loch-Leven,
+somewhat precipitately, five days before they were aware of her enormous
+guilt; but if their own ambition had prompted that step, they would now be
+able to free themselves from blame, and would silence at once the boldest
+of the Queen's defenders. As it appears by the records, that a meeting of
+Privy Council was held on the 21st of June, the very day after Dalgleish
+was seized, we shall surely find that all the papers were produced, and
+their contents impressively recorded in the Council-books. Nothing of the
+kind took place; and though Morton was present at the meeting, not a
+single word was said of the letters.[216] Again, on the 26th of June, an
+act was passed for sanctioning the imprisonment of the Queen in
+Loch-Leven, and a proclamation issued for apprehending the Earl of
+Bothwell; but though the latter was accused of having "treasonably
+ravished" the person of her Highness the Queen, and also of being the
+"principal author of the late cruel murder," no hint was given of the
+evidence which had been recently discovered against him, and which,
+indeed, had it been in their possession, would have directly contradicted
+the assertion, that Bothwell had been guilty Of "treasonable ravishment,"
+or of keeping the Queen in "thraldom and bondage;" for it would have
+appeared, that he had obtained her previous consent for every thing he had
+done.[217] Between this date and the 11th of July, several other meetings
+of Council were held, and acts published, but not a whisper was heard
+concerning these important letters. When Sir Nicolas Throckmorton was sent
+by Elizabeth, as her ambassador into Scotland, the Lords presented him, on
+the 11th of July, with a formal justification of their doings; but, in all
+that long and laboured paper, the letters were never once alluded to. On
+the contrary, in direct opposition to them, such passages as the following
+occur more than once:--"How shamefully the Queen, our Sovereign, was led
+captive, and, by fear, force, and (as by many conjectures may be well
+suspected) other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to
+become bed-fellow to another wife's husband, and to him who, not three
+months before, had in his bed most cruelly murdered her husband, is
+manifest to the world, to the great dishonour of her Majesty, us all, and
+this whole nation."--"It behoved us, assuredly, to have recommended the
+soul of our Prince, and of the most part of ourselves, to God's hands;
+and as we may firmly believe the soul also of our Sovereign the Queen,
+who should not have lived with him half a year to an end, as may be
+conjectured by the short time they lived together, and the maintaining of
+his other wife at home in his house."--"The respects aforesaid, with many
+others, and very necessity, moved us to enterprise the quarrel we have in
+hand, which was only intended against the Earl of Bothwell's person, to
+dissolve the dishonourable and unlawful conjunction under the name of
+marriage."[218] These are positive declarations, which not only bear no
+reference to the box of love-letters, but which deliberately and
+conclusively give the lie to their contents. When was it, then, that these
+momentous letters were introduced to the world? The Lords, not satisfied
+with "sequestrating the person" of the Queen, forced from her an
+abdication of her throne on the 25th of July. Surely, before venturing on
+so audacious a proceeding, these criminal writings would be made known to
+the country. But no; we in vain expect to hear any thing of
+them;--"shadows, clouds, and darkness" still rest upon them.
+
+At length, a fresh actor returned to that scene, in which he had formerly
+played with so much success; and _his_ inventive genius brought the
+mystery to light. Early in August, the Earl of Murray rejoined his old
+associates; and on the 22d of that month, he was proclaimed Regent. It was
+necessary for him, shortly afterwards, to hold a Parliament; and the
+Queen's party being then almost as strong as his own, it was still more
+necessary for him to fall upon some means to justify his usurpation, as
+well as those severe proceedings against Mary to which he had given his
+sanction. Accordingly, after he had been in Scotland four months, and had
+cautiously prepared his body of written evidence, we find it mentioned,
+_for the first time_, in an act of Council, passed on the 4th of December,
+only ten days before the meeting of Parliament, and evidently in
+anticipation of that event. In this act it is expressly declared, "that
+the cause and occasion of the private conventions of the Lords, Barons and
+others, and consequently their taking of arms, and coming to the field,
+and the cause and occasion of the taking of the Queen's person, upon the
+15th day of June last, and holding and detaining of the same within the
+house and place of Loch Leven, continually since, presently, and in all
+time coming, and generally all other things invented, spoken, or written
+by them since the 10th day of February last, (upon which day umwhile King
+Henry was shamefully and horribly murdered), unto the day and date hereof,
+touching the Queen's person, cause, and all things depending thereon, was
+in the said Queen's own default, in as far as, by diverse her privy
+letters, written and subscribed with her own hand, and sent by her to
+James Earl of Bothwell, chief executor of the said horrible murder, as
+well before the committing thereof as after, and by her ungodly and
+dishonourable proceeding in a private marriage with him, suddenly and
+unprovisedly thereafter, it is most certain that she was privy, art and
+part, and of the actual device and deed of the forementioned
+murder."[219] The ensuing Parliament passed an act, which, after a
+preamble expressed in nearly the same words, sanctioned the Queen's
+imprisonment and Murray's Regency;[220] and nothing more whatever is known
+or heard of these "privy letters," till nearly the end of the following
+year, 1568.
+
+With regard to these acts of Council and Parliament, it is to be remarked,
+in the first place, that they refer to the Letters as the grounds upon
+which the nobles took up arms, separated the Queen from Bothwell at
+Carberry Hill, and imprisoned her at Loch-Leven; although, according to a
+subsequent confession, the Letters were not discovered till after she had
+been in captivity for five days, and although, in all the proclamations
+and acts of the time, Mary's innocence was openly allowed, and the bondage
+in which she had been kept by Bothwell as openly proclaimed. It is to be
+remarked, in the second place, that no account is given, either of the
+contents of these Letters, of the time of their discovery, or of the
+evidence by which their authenticity was ascertained. Dalgleish was at the
+very moment in custody, and a few days afterwards was tried and executed
+for his share in Darnley's death, of which he made a full confession. But
+why was he not brought forward and examined concerning the Letters; and
+why is there not a word about them in his confession?[221] Why was
+Dalgleish never mentioned as having any connection with the Letters at all
+till after he was dead? And if it was originally intended to refer to the
+Letters as the authorities on which the Lords sent Mary to Loch-Leven,
+may it not be fairly concluded, that the idea of their having been taken
+from Dalgleish on the 20th of June, was an after-thought, when it became
+necessary to account for the manner in which they had fallen into their
+hands? Was it, besides, enough to satisfy the nation to allude, in vague
+and general terms, to the existence of documents of so much weight? If
+they were thus obscurely locked up in Murray's custody,--if nothing
+further was said about them but that they existed,--if all the nobility of
+Scotland were not requested to come and examine them,--if they were not
+printed and published that the people might see them, and feel convinced
+that the Lords had acted justly, can it be cause of wonder, that, not only
+all Mary's friends, but even Elizabeth herself, intimated doubts of their
+authenticity?
+
+_Sixth_, If it is strange that these important writings were so long kept
+from the public eye, it is no less strange, that, when they were at length
+produced, a degree of caution and hesitation was observed regarding them
+not a little suspicious. If the Regent had been satisfied of their
+authenticity, he would fearlessly have exhibited them to all who were
+interested in their contents. Even allowing that he had a fair excuse for
+concealing them so long, he would have been eager to challenge for them,
+when he at last determined to bring them forward, the minutest
+examination, so that the most sceptical might be convinced they were
+genuine. If he acted honestly, and, on the authority of these writings,
+believed his sister unworthy of continuing on the Scottish throne, he must
+have been anxious that the whole country should acknowledge the propriety
+of his conduct; or if he had himself been misled, he ought not to have
+been unwilling to have had the forgery pointed out to him, and Mary
+restored to the government. But we look in vain for any thing frank, open,
+and candid, in Murray's proceedings.
+
+When the conference began at York, there was not a word said of the
+letters, till it was found that, without their aid, no plausible answer
+could be given to the complaints made by Mary. Even then they were not
+boldly produced, and openly laid before the Commissioners; but Maitland,
+Macgill, Wood, and Buchanan, were sent to hold a "private and secret
+conference" with Norfolk and his colleagues, in which they produced the
+letters and other papers, and asked their opinion concerning them.[222] As
+soon as Elizabeth was informed of their contents, she removed the
+conference to Westminster; and Mary sent her Commissioners thither, still
+ignorant of the alleged existence of any such writings. It was not till
+the 8th of December 1568 that the letters made their appearance in an
+official manner. As Elizabeth herself, departing from the impartiality of
+an umpire, had already secretly encouraged their production, and as she
+had evidently entered into Murray's views regarding them, there was now
+surely no further trepidation or concealment. But what is the fact? On
+only _two_ occasions were the originals of these writings ever shown; and
+on neither occasion does their authenticity appear to have been at all
+determined. On the 8th of December, "they produced seven several writings,
+written in French, and avowed by them to be written by the said Queen;
+which seven writings being copied, were read in French, and a due
+collation made thereof, as near as could be, by reading and inspection,
+and made to accord with the originals, which the said Earl of Murray
+required to be re-delivered, and did thereupon deliver the copies, being
+collationed."[223] Here, therefore, nothing was done except comparing
+copies with what were called originals, to see that they agreed. These
+copies were left in the hands of the Commissioners, and the originals, by
+whoever they were written, were immediately returned to Murray. On the
+14th of December, they again made their appearance, for the second and
+last time; "and being read, were duly conferred and compared, for the
+manner of writing and fashion of orthography, with sundry other letters,
+long since heretofore written, and sent by the said Queen of Scots to the
+Queen's Majesty."[224] Was this all the proof that was offered? Yes; the
+whole. Elizabeth, who was no less anxious than Murray himself to blacken
+the character of the Queen of Scots, was allowed to supply the letters
+with which the other writings were to be compared; and, for any thing that
+is known to the contrary, these "other letters, long since heretofore
+written," were only a few more forgeries from the same hand, prepared for
+the very use to which they were applied. And be this as it may, is it
+likely that, by a hasty collation of this kind, any accurate decision
+could be formed; or that, in a single forenoon, a number of different
+individuals could come to a conclusion on so very nice a point as a
+comparison of hands, especially having before them so great a number of
+documents to decide upon? It is a maxim in law, that "_fallacissimum genus
+probandi sit per comparationem litterarum_;" and surely the fallaciousness
+of such a proof was not diminished by the hasty examination given to them
+by some English nobles, probably unacquainted previously with the writing
+of the Queen of Scots.
+
+But could Mary herself, it will be asked, refuse to acknowledge her own
+hand? Her Commissioners would of course be allowed to see the original
+letters; if not the whole, at least some of them, would be given to them,
+that they might transmit them to their mistress; and she being either
+unable to deny them, would confess her guilt, or, perceiving them to be
+fabrications, would point out the proofs. But nothing of all this was
+done. Mary's Commissioners were not present at the only meetings at which
+the originals were produced; and when they afterwards applied for a sight
+of them, or for copies, they were put off from time to time till the
+conference was dissolved, and Murray sent back to Scotland. "Suppose a
+man," says Tytler, "was to swear a debt against me, and offered to prove
+it by bond or bill of my handwriting; if I knew this bond to be a false
+writing, what would be my defence? Show me the bond itself, and I will
+prove it a forgery. If he withdrew the bond, and refused to let me see it,
+what would be the presumption? Surely that the bond was forged, and that
+the user was himself the forger. The case is precisely similar to the
+point in hand. The Queen, we have seen, repeatedly demands to see the
+principal writings themselves, which she asserts are forged. Elizabeth
+herself says the demand is most reasonable. What follows? Is this
+reasonable demand of Mary complied with? Far from it; so far from seeing
+or having inspection of the originals, even copies of them are refused to
+her and her Commissioners."[225] Under these circumstances, and as the
+writings were seen only twice by a few of the English nobility, and then
+locked up again in Murray's box, that they once existed may perhaps be
+granted, but that they were what they pretended to be, cannot be believed
+to have been ever proved.
+
+_Seventh_, Having effected the purpose they were meant to achieve, it
+might have been expected that these letters would be carefully preserved
+in the public archives of the Scottish nation;--that, as they had been the
+means of bringing about a revolution in the country, they would be
+regarded not as private, but as public property;--and that Murray would be
+anxious to lodge them where they might be referred to, both by his
+cotemporaries and posterity, as documents with which his own reputation,
+no less than that of his sister, was indissolubly connected. Here again,
+however, the impartial inquirer is disappointed. The Regent appears to
+have kept these writings close in his own possession till his death, and
+they then fell into the hands of his successor, the Earl of Lennox.
+Towards the end of January 1571, Lennox delivered them to Morton; and
+after Morton's execution, the box and its contents became the property of
+the Earl of Gowrie. Knowing that he would be less anxious to maintain
+their authenticity, not being influenced by any of the motives which had
+actuated Murray, Lennox, and Morton, and fearing lest the whole trick
+should be discovered, Elizabeth became now very anxious to obtain them.
+She ordered her ambassador in Scotland, in 1582, to promise Gowrie, that
+if he would surrender them, he should "be requited to his comfort and
+contentment, with princely thanks and gratuity." But Gowrie was neither to
+be bribed nor persuaded; he knew the value of the papers too well, and the
+power which their possession gave him, both over James and Elizabeth. As
+long as they befriended him, he would be silent; but should he ever be
+cast off by them, he would proclaim their fabrication, and remove the
+stains they had cast upon Mary's honour. Elizabeth's earnest endeavours to
+get them into her own possession can be accounted for, only on the
+supposition that she knew them to be forgeries; for it was in that case
+alone, that any dangerous use could have been made of them. Subsequent to
+the correspondence with Gowrie, in 1582, nothing further is known of these
+writings. In 1584, Gowrie was executed as a traitor, on account of the
+conspiracy in which he had engaged, and many of his effects fell into the
+hands of James VI.; but whether these documents were among them, is
+uncertain. In so far as the originals are concerned, this celebrated body
+of evidence is little else than a mere shadow. It was never spoken of at
+all, till long after it had been discovered,--it was not produced till
+long after it had been first spoken of,--it appeared only for a few hours
+before persons predisposed to give it all credit,--it then returned to
+its former obscurity, and not even _copies_ but merely _translations_, are
+all that were ever presented to the world, on which to form an opinion. It
+is strange that any importance should have ever been attached to papers,
+which were never fairly exposed to the light, and which the jaws of
+darkness so soon devoured.[226]
+
+_Eighth_, Though it would be perhaps as difficult to prove a negative, as
+to demonstrate the spuriousness of writings which do not exist, and which
+were hardly ever seen, the presumption against them is increased a
+hundred-fold, if it can be clearly established, that the same men who
+produced them were more than once guilty of deliberate forgery. This could
+be done in many instances; but it will be enough to mention two, which are
+sufficiently glaring. The first is the letter which Morton exhibited
+before Mary was taken to Loch-Leven, and which was never afterwards
+referred to or produced, even at the time when evidence of all kinds was
+raked up against her. It was a letter which would not only have gone a
+great way to corroborate the others, but, as it did not implicate the
+Queen in Darnley's murder, was exactly the sort of apology that was wished
+for keeping her "sequestrated" at Loch-Leven, and forcing from her an
+abdication. Even though all the other epistles had been kept back, this
+might have been safely engrossed in the minutes of Morton's Privy Council,
+and referred to again and again by the King's Lords, as the great
+justification of their conduct. If by any chance a reason could be found,
+why it was first produced, and again concealed, it would still be
+impossible to discover why it alone was withdrawn, when all the rest were
+laid before Elizabeth. There is but one solution of the enigma, which is,
+that it was too hasty a fabrication to bear minute examination, and that,
+though it misled Kircaldy of Grange, Morton and Murray were themselves
+ashamed of it.
+
+A second and even more remarkable example of forgery is to be found in one
+of the papers which Murray showed to the English Commissioners at York,
+but which he afterwards thought it prudent to withdraw when the writings
+were more publicly produced at Westminster. This paper was described
+as,--"The Queen's consent given to the Lords who subscribed the bond for
+the promotion of the said James Earl Bothwell to her marriage."[227] In
+the "private and secret Conference," which Lethington, MacGill, Wood, and
+Buchanan, had with the Commissioners at York; "they showed unto us," say
+the latter, "a copy of a band, bearing date the 19th of April 1567, to the
+which the most part of the Lords and Counsellors of Scotland have put to
+their hands; and, as they say, more for fear than any liking they had of
+the same. Which band contained two special points,--the one a declaration
+of Bothwell's purgation of the murder of the Lord Darnley, and the other
+a general consent to his marriage with the Queen, so far forth as the law
+and her own liking should allow. And yet, in proof that they did it not
+willingly, they procured a warrant which was now showed unto us, bearing
+date the 19th of April, signed with the Queen's hand, whereby she gave
+them license to agree to the same; affirming, that before they had such a
+warrant, there was none of them that did or would set to their hands,
+saving only the Earl of Huntly."[228] This must have been a very curious
+and interesting warrant; and it is somewhat surprising, that it had never
+been heard of before. It was a very strong link in the chain; and spoke
+volumes of Mary's love for Bothwell, which carried her so far that she not
+only secretly wished, but openly requested her nobles to recommend him to
+her as a husband. Besides, if the warrant was genuine, it must have been
+seen by all the Lords who were present at "Ainsly's supper;" and they must
+have been consequently well aware that there was no such thing as a
+forcible abduction of the Queen's person. So far from supposing that
+Bothwell ever kept her in "unlawful bondage," or forced her into a
+"pretended marriage," they would know that she had shown greater anxiety
+to possess him than he had to secure her. Their only wonder would be, that
+after so far overcoming the natural modesty of her sex, as to point out to
+them one of her own subjects, whom she asked them to advise her to marry,
+she should so palpably have contradicted herself, as to give out
+afterwards that it was not till she had been carried off, and till every
+argument had been used which power could supply, or passion suggest, that
+she reluctantly agreed to become his wife. If she openly and formally
+licensed her nobles to recommend him, what was the use of all her
+subsequent affected reluctance? But it was not Murray's business to
+explain this problem. The warrant spoke for itself, and it was with it
+only that he had to do. What, then, were the comments which he made on it
+at Westminster, and the conclusive presumptions against Mary which he drew
+from it? _The "Warrant" was not produced at Westminster at all, and not a
+single allusion was made to it._[229] This fact alone is sufficient to
+mark the credit it deserves. It could do no harm to show it privately to
+Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler; but it would not have answered so well to
+have advanced it publicly, as all the nobility of Scotland would at once
+have known it to be a fabrication. The probability is, that this
+"Warrant," or "Consent," was neither more nor less than a garbled copy of
+the pardon which Bothwell obtained from Mary, for the Lords who had signed
+the bond, when he brought her out of the Castle of Edinburgh on the 14th
+of May, the day previous to her marriage; and she would never have been
+asked for this pardon if she had before recommended the bond.[230] If
+Murray and his party are thus detected in fabrications so gross, that they
+themselves, however anxious to bolster up their cause, were afraid to
+make use of them, what dependence is to be placed upon the authenticity of
+any writings they chose to produce?
+
+_Ninth_, It was Bothwell who murdered Darnley; it was Bothwell who seized
+the person of the Queen; it was Bothwell who was married to her; it was
+Bothwell whose daring ambition waded through blood and crime, till at
+length he set his foot upon a throne. But his triumph was of short
+duration. The Queen left him, and went over to his enemies; and he himself
+was forced into a miserable exile. It was this reverse of fortune which he
+had all along dreaded; and it was to be prepared for the evil day, that he
+had preserved the eight letters and love-sonnets so carefully in the small
+gilt box. He had determined, that whatever might happen, he should never
+lose his hold over Mary, but that, as she had participated in his guilt,
+she should be made to share his subsequent fortunes. He cannot have been
+well pleased with her conduct at Carberry Hill; and it was perhaps to
+revenge himself upon her, that he sent Dalgleish for the casket, part of
+the contents of which he may have intended to disclose to the world.
+Dalgleish and the casket were seized, but the secret of Mary's criminality
+was still in Bothwell's possession; and there was surely no occasion that
+he should become odious in the eyes of all men, whilst his paramour and
+accomplice preserved her reputation. Did he never, then, throughout the
+whole course of his life, utter a word, or issue a declaration, or make a
+confession which in the slightest degree implicated Mary? It is surely a
+strong presumption in her favour if he never did.
+
+Before Darnley was murdered, Bothwell went to meet Morton at Whittingham,
+to consult him on the subject. Morton told him, that unless he could
+produce proof, under the Queen's hand, of her consent to have her husband
+removed, he would not interfere in the matter. Before going to
+Whittingham, Bothwell must have received the two letters which Mary is
+alleged to have written to him from Glasgow; _yet he was unable to show
+Morton any writing to corroborate his assertion, that the Queen would not
+be offended at the proposed murder_. He promised, however, that he would
+do all he could to procure the warrant which Morton desired. Some time
+afterwards, "I being at St Andrews," says Morton in his confession, "to
+visit the Earl of Angus a little before the murder, Mr Archibald Douglas
+came to me there, both with write and credit of the Earl Bothwell, to show
+unto me that the purpose of the King's murder was to be done, and near a
+point; and to request my concurrence and assistance thereunto. My answer
+to him was, that I would give no answer to that purpose, seeing I had not
+got the Queen's warrant in write, which was promised; and therefore,
+seeing the Earl Bothwell never reported any warrant of the Queen to me, I
+never meddled further with it."[231] As all that Morton wished, before
+giving Bothwell his active support, was "the Queen's hand-write of the
+matter for a warrant," what would have been more natural or easy for
+Bothwell than to have produced any of the letters he had got from Mary,
+which would exactly have answered the purpose, and satisfied all Morton's
+scruples? As Bothwell told him that the Queen approved of the design, he
+could not have any objection to make good that assertion, by any written
+evidence in his possession. He need not even have shown the whole of any
+one letter, but only such detached parts of it as bore directly on the
+subject in question. It is strange, that Bothwell should have gone so far,
+and should have been so anxious to secure the co-operation of Morton; yet,
+that he did not obviate the only objection which Morton started, by
+putting into his hands a letter, or letters, which, if they ever existed,
+he must have then had.[232]
+
+Various occasions occurred afterwards, which held out every inducement to
+Bothwell to produce the letters and accuse the Queen. Passing over his
+silence at Carberry Hill, notwithstanding her desertion of him there, and
+during all the rest of the time that he remained in Scotland, it may be
+mentioned, that Murray, shortly after he had been appointed Regent, wrote
+to the King of Denmark, to request that Bothwell should be delivered up to
+him. The King refused, on several grounds, and among others, that Bothwell
+maintained he had been unjustly driven from the kingdom,--that he had been
+legally tried and acquitted,--that he had been lawfully married to the
+Queen,--and that _no blame whatever attached to her_.[233] Not at all
+satisfied with this answer, Mr Thomas Buchanan was afterwards sent out to
+Denmark, to procure, if possible, Bothwell's surrender. Buchanan, of
+course, made himself acquainted with all that Bothwell had been saying and
+doing, since he fled from Scotland; and in January 1571, he sent home a
+full account of his discoveries to his constituents. The letter was
+addressed to the Earl of Lennox, who was then Regent; but it fell first
+into the Earl of Morton's hands, who was at the time in London. Perceiving
+that it contained matter by no means favourable to their cause, and afraid
+lest it might produce some effect on the mind of Elizabeth, he played the
+same game with her he had formerly been so successful in with Mary, and
+passed off upon her a garbled copy as a genuine transcript of the
+original. "We had no will," the Earl of Morton wrote to Lennox, "that the
+contents of the letter should be known, fearing that some words and
+matters mentioned in the same being dispersed here as news, would rather
+have hindered than furthered our cause. And, therefore, being desired at
+Court to show the letter, we gave to understand that we had sent the
+principal away, and delivered a copy, omitting such things as we thought
+not meet to be shown, as your Grace may perceive by the like copy, which
+also we have sent you herewith; which you may communicate to such as your
+Grace thinks it not expedient to communicate the whole contents of the
+principal letter unto."[234] Both the original despatch and the spurious
+copy have unfortunately been lost, or were more probably destroyed by
+Lennox himself; so that their contents can only be conjectured; but it is
+evident, that so far from tending to hurt Mary's reputation, they must
+rather have served to exculpate her.
+
+In the year 1576, Mary wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow, that she had
+received intelligence of Bothwell's death, and that, before his decease,
+he had declared himself the murderer of Darnley, and expressly freed her
+from any share in it, attesting her innocence in the most solemn manner.
+"If this be true," Mary added, "this testimony will be of great importance
+to me against the false calumnies of my enemies. I therefore beseech you
+to take every means in your power to discover the real state of the
+case."[235] The Archbishop proposed, in consequence, to send a messenger
+to Denmark, to procure a properly authenticated copy of the testament, but
+for want of money and other causes, it appears that he was never able to
+carry his intentions into effect. The confession was transmitted to
+Elizabeth by the King of Denmark, but its publication was anxiously
+suppressed by her;[236] and is now lost. Its place, however, has been not
+unsatisfactorily supplied by a discovery which has recently been made in
+the Royal library at Drottningholm, entitled, a "Declaration of the Earl
+of Bothwell," made by him when a prisoner at Copenhagen in the year 1568.
+It contains a full account of all the principal events of his past life;
+and though it was written, not as a confession, but as a justification,
+and is consequently an artful piece of special pleading in his own
+defence, and not always particularly accurate in its detail of facts, it
+cannot fail nevertheless to be regarded as an interesting and important
+document. One thing is especially to be remarked, that throughout the
+whole, he never attempts in the most distant manner to implicate Mary in
+the blame attachable to his own conduct. On the contrary, he speaks of her
+throughout with the utmost respect. It may be said, that if Bothwell had
+accused Mary, he could not have defended himself, and that he abstained
+only from a selfish motive. There were, however, a thousand different
+degrees of responsibility with which he might have charged Mary. There was
+no necessity to have accused her of the murder of Darnley, or of a
+criminal attachment to him; but if it had been the truth, it would
+certainly have been for his own interest, to have proved that the Queen
+loved him sincerely and warmly. Even this he does not venture to state;
+and the impression left by the whole tone of the declaration
+unquestionably is, that he felt it would be for his advantage to say as
+little about Mary as possible, knowing that, of all others he had offended
+most against her, and that to attempt to cast any imputation upon her
+innocence, would be only to throw a darker shade over his own
+villany.[237]
+
+_Tenth._--Some historians have ventured to assert, that however little
+credit they might be disposed to give to the statements of such men as
+Murray and Morton, they have been somewhat startled to find that Mary
+herself never denied them very positively, or evinced much indignation
+against them. These historians cannot have looked very deeply into the
+records on this subject, else they would have found that the fact was
+exactly the reverse of what they suppose it to have been. "And yet is
+there one injury more," says Bishop Lesley, "that doth grieve and molest
+this good guiltless lady more than all their foretold villanous pranks
+played by them against her, and surely not without just cause of grief;
+for, indeed, it far passeth and exceedeth them all, and that is, their
+shameful and most traitorous defaming her, being altogether innocent
+therein, with the death of her husband, as though that she had suborned
+the Earl of Bothwell thereto, and rewarded him therefor with the marriage
+of her own body."[238] It is altogether unnecessary to refer to any
+particular authorities upon this subject; for a volume might be easily
+filled with Letters, Despatches, and Instructions from Mary, which not
+only deny her guilt, but, by the arguments they contain, go very far to
+establish her innocence. A communication, which she addressed, in the year
+1569, to the States of Scotland, must, however, be mentioned, as it
+distinctly shows what her feelings then were towards Bothwell; for whom,
+indeed, she had so little affection, that, very soon after her arrival in
+England, she lent a favourable ear to the proposals of marriage made by
+the Duke of Norfolk. Her letter to the Scottish Parliament is to be
+considered in connection with this contemplated marriage. Its purpose was,
+to obtain the sanction of the States to a divorce from Bothwell; and she
+alluded to him in the following terms: "Forasmuch as we are credibly
+informed, by sundry and diverse noblemen of our realm, that the pretended
+marriage, some time contracted, and in a manner solemnized, between us and
+James Earl of Bothwell, was, for diverse respects, unlawful, and may not
+of good conscience and law stand betwixt us, (albeit it seemed otherwise
+to us and our Council at that time);--considering, therefore, with
+ourselves, and thinking that the same does touch us as highly in honour
+and conscience that it daily and hourly troubles and vexes our spirit
+quite through, we are moved to seek remedy."[239] The very Lords, however,
+who had before affected so much anxiety to free her from that "ungodly
+alliance," now refused to take any steps towards forwarding the divorce;
+and they were thus convicted of another inconsistency.[240] Little more
+than eighteen months had elapsed since they had not only imprisoned her,
+but forced her to surrender her crown, because, as they alleged, she
+"would not consent, by any persuasion, to abandon the Lord Bothwell for
+her husband, but avowed constantly that she would live and die with him,
+saying, that if it were put to her choice to relinquish her crown and
+kingdom, or the Lord Bothwell, she would leave her kingdom and dignity to
+go as a simple damsel with him, and would never consent that he would fare
+worse, or have more harm than herself."[241] Yet she now expressly asked
+a divorce from this Lord Bothwell, her connection with whom had "daily and
+hourly troubled and vexed her spirit;" and the Lords, forgetting all their
+former protestations, were not disposed to accede to it.
+
+Nor was it by Mary herself alone, that a direct contradiction was given to
+the defamatory accusations of the regent and his associates. Numerous
+state papers exist which show, that all the impartial and disinterested
+part, not only of her own nobility, but of Elizabeth's, considered her
+entirely innocent. In the year 1568, letters were addressed to the Queen
+of England, by many of the Lords of Scotland, which spoke very strongly in
+her favour. Among the signatures to these, will be found the names of the
+Archbishop of St Andrews, the Earl of Huntly, Argyle, Crawfurd, Errol,
+Rothes, Cassils, Eglinton, and Caithness, and the Lords Fleming, Ross,
+Sanquhar, Ogilvy, Boyd, Oliphant, Drummond, Maxwell, and others.[242] In
+England, the great number of Lords and gentlemen of the first rank who
+joined with Norfolk in aid of Mary, affords perhaps a still stronger
+presumption in her favour. But Robertson, on the other hand, asserts that
+her father and mother-in-law, Lord and Lady Lennox, were convinced of her
+guilt. By attaching himself to the Prince's faction, Lennox came to be
+elected Regent, and that he was willing to believe, or affect to believe,
+all that Mary's enemies advanced, cannot be matter of much wonder; for he
+had in truth identified his interests with those of Murray and Morton, and
+if their fabrications had been detected, he must have suffered along with
+them. But in so far as regards the Countess of Lennox, Robertson's
+statement is directly contrary to the fact. He quotes a letter, it is
+true, written by Mary to that Lady in the year 1570, in which, with
+ingenuous sincerity, the Queen laments that the Countess should allow
+herself to be persuaded to think evil of her; and it was perhaps partly in
+consequence of this appeal, that Lady Lennox began to consider the subject
+more seriously. Robertson either did not know, or chose to conceal the
+fact, that she saw cause soon after receiving Mary's letter decidedly to
+change her opinions. In 1578, Mary wrote to the Archbishop of Glasgow to
+this effect:--"The Countess of Lennox, my mother-in-law, died about a
+month ago. This good lady, thanks to God, has been in very good
+intelligence and correspondence with me for the last five or six years.
+She has confessed to me, by diverse letters under her hand which I
+carefully keep, the wrong she did me in the unjust prosecutions which she
+allowed to proceed against me in her name, and which originated, partly in
+erroneous information, but principally in the express commands of the
+Queen of England, and persuasions of those of her Council who were always
+averse to our reconciliation. As soon as she became persuaded of my
+innocence, she desisted from these prosecutions, and resolutely refused to
+countenance the proceedings which were carried on against me under her
+name."[243] Thus, however prejudiced her husband necessarily was, the
+Countess was unable to resist the force of truth, as soon as she was
+allowed to judge for herself. It may further be mentioned, that in France
+there was scarcely an individual who thought Mary guilty; and that the
+funeral orations which were ordered by the Government to be preached upon
+her death, were attended by hundreds, who wept over the injuries and the
+misfortunes of their beloved Queen-dowager.[244] It appears, therefore,
+both by Mary's own declarations, repeated over and over again with
+undeviating consistency, up to the very hour of her death, when she passed
+into the presence of her Maker, solemnly protesting her innocence, and by
+the deliberate opinions of nearly all her cotemporaries who are deserving
+of credit, that the strongest and most positive contradiction was given to
+the malicious insinuations of the opposite party.
+
+_Eleventh, and Lastly._--A considerable number of Bothwell's accomplices
+were tried, condemned and executed, for their share in the murder; and
+before their death, they all made Depositions and Confessions which still
+exist, and have been printed by Goodall, Anderson, Laing, and others.
+Among these are the Examinations, Depositions, and Confessions, of Powrie,
+Dalgleish, Hay, Hepburn and Paris; the evidence of Nelson, Darnley's
+servant, and the Confessions of Ormiston, and the Earl of Morton. Here,
+then, is a tolerably voluminous collection of facts, supplied by those who
+were most intimate with Bothwell, and who, if he had any undue intimacy
+with the Queen, would in all probability have known something concerning
+it, and have had it in their power to throw some light upon the subject.
+These Documents, therefore, will be anxiously read by all who aim at
+discovering the real perpetrators and devisers of the murder. The result
+of their readings will be the discovery, that in every one of these
+documents, which is properly authenticated and ascertained to be genuine,
+Bothwell, and Bothwell alone, is mentioned as the executor of the deed;
+and there is not a syllable in any of them which can be construed to the
+disadvantage of the Queen. On the contrary, various particulars are
+mentioned, which have a direct tendency to disprove her connexion with
+him. Some of these have been already alluded to; but a few of the
+circumstances most decisive in the Queen's favour may be recapitulated
+here. 1. Hepburn deponed, that as it took longer time to get the powder
+into the lower part of Darnley's house than was expected, Bothwell became
+impatient, and told them to make haste, for they would not find so much
+commodity if the Queen came out.[245] 2. Hepburn and Paris deponed, that
+Bothwell got false keys made for opening all the doors of the house in
+which Darnley lodged, for which he would have had no occasion, if the
+Queen had been in the plot with him.[246] 3. Ormiston being asked if ever
+the Queen spoke to him at any time concerning the murder, or if he knew
+what was her mind unto it, replied--"As I shall answer to God, she spoke
+never to me, nor I to her, of it, nor I know nothing of her part, but as
+my Lord Bothwell told me." As if alluding to some bribe which had been
+offered him, if he would accuse the Queen, he added,--"I will not speak
+but the truth for all the gold of the earth, which I desire you, good
+minister, bear record of, and as you have written, I pray you read over to
+me; let me also see it."[247] 4. Paris can have had no suspicion that the
+Queen countenanced the proposed murder; for, in the conversation he had
+with Bothwell, when the Earl first disclosed his intention to him, he
+beseeched him to desist from his enterprise, telling him that he was
+"already the most powerful nobleman in the country, and that, having
+lately married, he ought now or never to be anxious to keep himself out of
+trouble."[248] 5. Paris further deponed, that Bothwell asked him to
+procure the key of the Queen's chamber, at the Kirk-of-Field, telling him
+that he had got him transferred to the Queen's service, solely in the hope
+of finding him useful on this occasion. Had Mary herself known of the
+plot, Bothwell need not have run the risk of disclosing it to Paris.[249]
+6. Though Dalgleish was minutely examined regarding all the circumstances
+of the murder, not one question was put to him upon the subject of the box
+and letters which were of so much importance; nor was it ever mentioned
+till after his death, that the casket had been in his custody. On the 20th
+of June 1567, Dalgleish is said to have been seized, and this is probably
+the fact; he was examined six days afterwards, before Morton and the other
+Lords of the Privy Council, and his examination has been preserved entire.
+"This remarkable particular," says Tytler, "naturally occurs to be
+observed in it, that it was surely of great importance for Morton, who
+then had the box in his custody, to have confronted Dalgleish with the
+persons who apprehended him, and to have asked him some questions relating
+to this box; such as, Whether or not this box was in his custody when he
+was seized?--What orders he received from his master Bothwell concerning
+it?--Who delivered it to him? or where he found it?--Whether open, or
+locked?--If open, what it contained? and where he was to have carried it?
+Dalgleish, and the persons who seized him, in a matter so recent, only six
+days before, could have given distinct answers to those questions."[250]
+There can be little doubt, that as no such questions were put, no such
+transaction, as the seizure of a box and papers had taken place. Laing
+endeavours to account for this very suspicious circumstance in the
+following manner: "The depositions are strictly confined to the murder, as
+the design was to procure judicial evidence against Bothwell and his
+associates, not to implicate the Queen in his guilt." But in the first
+place, these letters were themselves the very best "judicial evidence"
+they could have found; and in the second, questions might have been put
+concerning them, without, in the mean time making any disclosure of their
+contents. The total silence of the Privy Council, and of Dalgleish, is
+fatal to their supposed existence. 7. The Earl of Morton confessed, that
+though he told Bothwell he would give him more active assistance if he
+could show him any writing of the Queen, which proved that she sanctioned
+the murder; yet that Bothwell, after undertaking to procure such writing,
+was never able to fulfil his promise; and this was at a time posterior to
+the date of some of the love-letters, which Mary was afterwards alleged to
+have written to him. Thus, these Confessions, Depositions, and
+Examinations, though they were collected with the anxious wish of
+eliciting some circumstances which would seem to criminate Mary, must have
+been felt by the rebel Lords themselves, to be as much in her favour as it
+was possible for any negative evidence to be.[251]
+
+Having thus stated the leading External Evidences against the genuineness
+of these Letters, it will be worth while to examine, for a moment,
+Robertson's "external proofs" in support of them,--which, when contrasted
+with those stated above, will be found to be of little weight. The
+Historian argues for their authenticity, on the following
+grounds:--_First_, "Murray and the nobles who adhered to him, affirmed,
+upon their word and honour, that the letters were written with the Queen's
+own hand, with which they were well acquainted." This is a very powerful
+argument to begin with, as if men who forged letters for a particular
+purpose, would themselves confess that they were forged. _Second_, "The
+Letters were publicly produced in the Parliament of Scotland, December
+1567, and were so far considered as genuine, that they are mentioned in
+the Act against Mary, as one chief argument of her guilt." This is nothing
+but a repetition, in other words, of the former powerful argument; for the
+Parliament of December 1567 was the Parliament assembled by Murray, after
+he had been elected Regent, and he was able to secure the passing of any
+act he chose. Where Robertson learned, that at this Parliament "the
+letters were publicly produced," does not appear, as his reference to
+Goodall (vol. ii. p. 66) by no means authorizes the assertion. _Third_,
+"The Letters seem to have been considered genuine by Elizabeth's
+Commissioners, both at York and Westminster, as appears by letters which
+Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadler, wrote from York; and as, in the journal of
+the proceedings at Hampton Court, it is said that, when the letters
+supposed to be written by the Queen of Scots, 'were duly conferred and
+compared for the manner of writing and fashion of orthography, with sundry
+other letters long since heretofore written, and sent by the said Queen of
+Scots to the Queen's Majesty, in the collation no difference was found.'"
+It has been seen, however, that whatever Norfolk chose to write concerning
+those letters with the view of pleasing Elizabeth, and concealing from her
+his own engagements and designs, he was, in truth, so little influenced by
+them, that he avowed a passion for Mary, and risked his life and fortune
+in order to become her husband. It has been also seen, that the hasty
+collation, made by the nobles at Hampton Court, of these pretended
+letters, with others, "long since heretofore written" and furnished by
+Elizabeth herself, is, in truth, no collation at all, or one upon which no
+dependence be placed. _Fourth_, "The Earl of Lennox, both in public, and
+in a private letter he wrote to his own wife, so expressed himself, that
+it is plain he not only thought the Queen guilty, but believed the
+authenticity of her letters to Bothwell." This matter has been already
+investigated. The Regent Lennox was obliged to maintain Mary's guilt for
+his own sake; and it is scarcely to be supposed he would have been so
+imprudent as write to his wife, to inform her that the opinions he had so
+strenuously supported before the world were not those of his heart and
+conscience. Murray himself would as soon have acknowledged that the
+letters were fabricated as Lennox. But it is a strong fact, that, though
+she had every inducement to think as her husband did, Lady Lennox believed
+Mary innocent. These are all Robertson's "external proofs of the
+genuineness of Mary's letters."[252]
+
+The external evidence against these writings, is probably enough to
+convince every impartial reader that they are forgeries. But, as they
+exist in one shape or other, it may be as well to go a step further, and
+see whether their perusal will strengthen or weaken the belief of their
+fabrication. This brings us to the second division of the subject, which
+will not detain us so long as the first.
+
+INTERNAL EVIDENCES.--Considering the weight which Mary's enemies have
+attached to these letters, the first question the impartial inquirer
+would naturally ask is, whether properly authenticated copies of what Mary
+is alleged to have written can still be seen,--whether the _ipsissima
+verba_ which she used have been preserved,--and whether an opportunity can
+thus be had of judging of the precise shade of meaning of particular
+passages, and of the general style and tenor of these strange
+compositions. In answer to these inquiries it has to be stated, that the
+letters, as taken out of the casket, were exhibited only to a few
+noblemen, who acted under Elizabeth; and that nothing but translations of
+them are now extant. The Latin edition of Buchanan's "Detection,"
+published in 1571, contained only the three first letters translated into
+Latin; in the Scottish edition, all the eight letters were translated into
+Scotch.[253] The originals were thus left at the mercy of translators;
+and, in particular, at the mercy of such a translator as Buchanan, who
+cannot be supposed to have had any great desire to be scrupulously
+accurate. In 1572, a French edition of the "Detection" was published at
+London, to which were subjoined seven French letters and the love-sonnets.
+For two hundred years, no one doubted but that these were Mary's original
+letters, and they were always referred to as such in any controversies
+which took place on the subject. In 1754, however, Mr Walter Goodall,
+keeper of the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, published his "Examination
+of the Letters," and showed, in the clearest manner, that these seven
+French letters were nothing but re-translations from the Latin and
+Scottish translations which had been previously published. This was
+certainly an important and interesting discovery, although it scarcely
+warranted the conclusion which Goodall thought he was entitled to draw
+from it, that no French copy of the letters had, in reality, ever existed
+until the Latin and Scottish editions were first fabricated. Robertson and
+others have maintained more justly, that, though they acknowledge Goodall
+to have proved that the existing French copies of the letters are only
+translations from translations, there is, nevertheless, no reason to
+believe that these are the French letters which were produced by Murray at
+York and Westminster, copies of which they grant have never been given to
+the world. That this is the true state of the case, appears by the French
+editor's own admission in his Preface. "The letters subjoined to this
+work," he says, "were written by the Queen, partly in French and partly in
+Scotch, and were afterwards translated altogether into Latin; but having
+no knowledge of the Scottish language, I have preferred translating
+accurately from the Latin copy, lest, by being over scrupulous about
+changing a single syllable, I might frustrate the reader in his desire to
+ascertain precisely to whom the fault of the execrable murder, and other
+enormities mentioned in them, ought to be ascribed."[254] Thus, both by
+the ignorance which this translator evinces, in alleging, contrary to the
+assertions which had been made by Murray, that the letters were
+originally written partly in French and partly in Scotch, and, by his own
+confession, that he preferred translating from the Latin wherever he could
+get it, rather than from the Scotch, it is perfectly evident that no such
+thing as the original French letters have ever appeared, and that the
+French letters which do exist, are not so much to be depended on as even
+the Scotch or Latin, which were probably translated directly from the
+epistles which Murray produced.
+
+In what condition, then, do we find these wonderful letters about which so
+much has been written? We have three in Latin, eight in Scotch, and seven
+in French. The French are only re-translations from the Latin and
+Scottish; and they, in their turn, are translations from the invisible
+French originals. And under whose superintendence were these translations,
+into the Scottish and Latin, made? It must have been either under that of
+Murray, or of Elizabeth and Cecil. The former, after merely showing the
+letters at Westminster, took them back with him to Scotland; but intrusted
+the latter with copies.[255] It is not very likely that the Scottish
+translation could be made in England; and the three that have been
+rendered into Latin, have been commonly attributed to George Buchanan.
+Laing, however, labours to show, that this is a mistake, and that the
+translation was made by a Dr Wilson, Elizabeth's master of requests. Be
+this as it may, in what court of law or equity would such documents as
+these be admitted as evidence? The grossest errors have often been made
+by translators, even where they were anxious to be as faithful as
+possible. Yet we are now called upon to form an opinion of letters, which
+exist in languages different from that in which they were originally
+written, and which are either translations from translations, or
+translations executed by those who had every motive and desire to pervert
+the original, and make it appear much worse than it really was. What jury
+would for a moment look at such letters? What impartial judge would allow
+his mind to be biassed by them, altered and garbled as they must
+unquestionably be, even supposing that their originals once existed? It
+was to Buchanan's Detection that these letters were always subjoined. At
+Westminster, Murray produced a Book of Articles, in five parts, containing
+certain presumptions, likelihoods and circumstances, whereby it should
+evidently appear, that as Bothwell was the chief murderer of the King, so
+was the Queen a deviser and maintainer thereof. "From the explanation
+given in Buchanan's History," says Laing, "the book of articles
+corresponds, and was undoubtedly the same with the Detection of the doings
+of Mary."[256] Buchanan, identifying as he did, his interests with those
+of Murray, was from the first one of the most active of the Queen's
+prosecutors. The dependence to be placed upon his accuracy and honesty as
+a controversialist, has been already pretty clearly established; and the
+sort of translations he would make, of any of Mary's writings, may be very
+easily conjectured.
+
+Laing, however, claims the merit of a discovery, which, at first sight,
+appears somewhat remarkable. It is a copy of one of the eight
+Love-letters, in the original French, and found in the State-Paper Office
+in a book containing, "Letters upon Scottish Affairs to Queen Elizabeth."
+Whether it be in the original French or not, it is certainly different
+from the French translation published with the French edition of the
+Detection in 1572, and has altogether a greater air of originality about
+it. But being confessedly only a copy, it is quite impossible to say
+whether it is Mary's French, or that of some one who chose to write French
+in her name. It is, besides, remarkable, that, even though it could be
+proved to demonstration to be a copy of a genuine letter, it does not
+contain a single word which, in the slightest degree, implicates Mary.
+Introduced, it is true, as one of a series, all of which, it is
+maintained, were addressed to Bothwell, something suspicious might easily
+be made out of it. But, as it stands by itself, it must be taken by
+itself; and as it bears no address or date, it may just as well be
+supposed to have been written to Darnley, or even to a female friend. The
+subject spoken of, is the ungrateful conduct of one of Mary's female
+attendants; and the advice of the person to whom it is written is asked,
+as to what is proper to be done in consequence. To this person, whoever it
+was, several natural terms of endearment are also applied, such as, "_Mon
+coeur_," and, "_Ma chere vie_;" and these are all the grounds of
+suspicion which this "Copy from the State-Paper Office," contains.[257]
+
+Having thus shown the extreme uncertainty which must attend any argument
+against Mary, founded on any minute or literal examination of these
+Letters, a very few objections further may be stated to them, upon
+evidences which they themselves afford.
+
+Although it is impossible to form any opinion of the _words_ which Mary
+may have used in these letters, some conclusions may be drawn from the
+_sentiments_ which the translators of course pretend not to have altered.
+These are, in many respects, directly contradictory of the character which
+history proves her to have possessed. Whatever follies Mary may have
+committed--whatever weaknesses she may have fallen into--it cannot be
+denied, even by her worst enemies, that she was a woman of a proud
+spirit, and too much accustomed to admiration and flattery, to consider
+her esteem a gift of little value. Yet, through all these writings, she is
+made to evince a degree of ardour and forwardness of affection for
+Bothwell, at once against every notion of female delicacy, and all
+probability. She is continually made to express fears that he does not
+return her love with an equal warmth,--that he loves his wife, the Lady
+Jane Gordon, better than he does her,--and that he is not so zealous in
+bringing about their mutual purposes as she could wish. If Bothwell had
+ever carried on these criminal intrigues with Mary, one of his first
+objects would have been to remove from her mind all suspicion that he was
+not in truth devotedly attached to her. Whether he was successful in
+deceiving her or not, is it likely that Mary Queen of Scots, whose hand
+had been sought by all the first Princes in Christendom, would have
+condescended to servility, meanness, and abject cringing in her advances
+to him? If the letters were forged, Murray would naturally wish to put in
+as strong a point of view as possible, Mary's anxiety to urge Bothwell on
+to all the crimes which he perpetrated. But if letters had been really
+written by her, many compunctious visitings of conscience would surely be
+apparent in them,--many a fear would be expressed,--many a symptom would
+be discovered of the reluctance with which she yielded to the overwhelming
+strength of Bothwell's passion and entreaties. Yet in these letters
+nothing of the kind is to be found. Passages occur continually, in which,
+far from there being any of the conscious confusion and hesitation which
+would necessarily have marked the style of one who was, for the first
+time, deviating so far from the paths of virtue, nothing is to be
+discovered but the hardened vice and shameless effrontery of a confirmed
+and _masculine villain_.
+
+Another peculiarity is to be observed in the first and longest of these
+letters. In describing a conversation which she had with Darnley at
+Glasgow, Mary is made to give very minutely all his defence of his own
+conduct, in reply to some charges which she brought against him; and to
+make it evident that he was in the right, and that she herself, even when
+instigating Bothwell to his murder, must have felt him to be so. "This is
+another proof of forgery," says Whittaker; "that the Queen should repeat
+all the King's defences of himself, and should not repeat her replies to
+them, is contrary to every principle of the human heart. Our natural
+fondness for ourselves puts us constantly upon a conduct the very reverse
+of all this. We shorten the defences, we lengthen the replies; or, if we
+are fair enough to give the full substance of the former, we are always
+partial enough to do the same by the latter."[258] The forger, however, in
+his anxiety to throw as much odium as possible upon Mary, was willing to
+diminish some of even Bothwell's responsibility, and disposed to vindicate
+Darnley entirely; but he took a clumsy method of effecting his purpose.
+
+Notwithstanding these considerations, Robertson was of opinion, as usual,
+that the style and sentiments of these letters tended on the whole to
+prove that they were genuine. His principal reason for entertaining this
+belief is, that "there are only imperfect hints, obscure intimations, and
+dark expressions in the letters, which, however convincing evidence they
+might furnish if found in real letters, bear no resemblance to that glare
+and superfluity of evidence which forgeries commonly contain." "Had Mary's
+enemies been so base as to have recourse to forgery, is it not natural to
+think, that they would have produced something more explicit and
+decisive?"--"Mary's letters, especially the first, are filled with a
+multiplicity of circumstances extremely natural in a real correspondence,
+but altogether foreign to the purpose of the Queen's enemies, and which it
+would have been perfect folly to have inserted, if they had been
+altogether imaginary and without foundation." There is some plausibility
+in this view of the subject; and Laing and others have dwelt upon it at
+great length, and with much confidence. But it is divested of all force as
+soon as we come to consider the manner in which these letters would be
+prepared, if they were in truth forgeries. The long time which elapsed
+after Mary's imprisonment in Loch-Leven, before any allusion was made to
+them, and the still longer time they were allowed to lie dormant after
+their existence had been first asserted, has been already described. Upon
+the hypothesis that they were fabrications, it was during this period that
+Murray and his associates were engaged in preparing them; and they would
+probably reason on the following grounds, as to what ought to be the
+nature of their contents. The point they wished to establish was, "that as
+the Earl of Bothwell was chief executor of the horrible and unworthy
+murder; so was the Queen of the fore-knowledge, counsel, device,
+persuader and commander of the said murder to be done." They knew that, in
+so far as appearances went, nothing made this latter part of the assertion
+in the least probable, except the circumstance of Mary having been married
+to Bothwell, which they themselves had declared was a forced marriage, and
+which Mary had proved to be so by taking the first opportunity which
+occurred to desert him. It had become necessary, however, even at the
+expense of their own consistency to accuse the Queen of having acted in
+concert with Bothwell throughout. No evidence whatever would establish
+this fact, (the more especially as all the confessions and depositions of
+Bothwell's accomplices tended to exculpate her), except writings under her
+own hand acknowledging her guilt. In order to make it appear possible that
+Mary had committed an account of that guilt to paper, the idea of letters
+to a confidential friend naturally suggested itself; and to none could
+these letters with so much propriety be addressed as to Bothwell himself;
+because, having subsequently married him, it was to be shown that it was
+her inordinate affection for him that induced her to wish for the death of
+Darnley. The train being thus laid, the next question was, in what precise
+manner Mary was to be made to address Bothwell. The forgers would at once
+perceive, that it would not do to make her speak straight out, and in
+plain terms command the perpetration of the murder, and arrange all the
+preliminary steps for it. This would have been to represent Mary as at
+once a Messalina and a Medea,--which even Murray felt would have been
+going too far. The letters were to show her guilt, but to show it in such
+a manner as she herself might be naturally supposed to have exhibited it,
+had she actually written them;--and nothing therefore was to be introduced
+but those "imperfect hints, obscure intimations, and dark expressions,"
+which, without the "glare and superfluity" of common forgeries, furnished
+convincing evidence when found in letters alleged to be real. Murray,
+Morton, Maitland, and Buchanan, were no ordinary forgers; and if they were
+not able to conceive and express the whole so artfully, that it would cost
+some difficulty to detect them, then, forgery in every instance must be
+hopeless and manifest.
+
+There were, besides, two circumstances which afforded them peculiar
+facilities, and of which they were no doubt glad to avail themselves. The
+first was, that Mary's hand-writing was not very difficult of imitation.
+"It was formed," says Goodall, "after what is commonly called Italic
+print, which it much resembled both in beauty and regularity."[259] All
+the letters being shaped according to certain definite rules, there would
+be fewer singularities in the writing, and less danger of the forger
+committing mistakes. Mary herself alluded to the facility with which her
+hand could be imitated, in her instructions to her Commissioners on the
+opening of the conferences, and mentioned also another important fact. "In
+case they allege," she says, "that they have any writings of mine, which
+may infer presumption against me, you shall desire the principals to be
+produced, and that I myself may have inspection thereof, and make answer
+thereto. For you shall affirm, in my name, I never wrote any thing
+concerning that matter to any creature; and if any such writings be, they
+are false and feigned, forged and invented by themselves, only to my
+dishonour and slander. And there are divers in Scotland, both men and
+women, that can counterfeit my hand-writing, and write the like manner of
+writing which I use, as well as myself, and principally such as are in
+company with themselves."[260] "There are sundry who can counterfeit her
+hand-write," says Lesley, "who have been brought up in her company, of
+whom there are some assisting themselves, as well of other nations as of
+Scotland. And I doubt not but your Majesty," (he is addressing Elizabeth),
+"and divers others of your Highness's Court, has seen sundry letters sent
+here from Scotland, which would not be known from her own hand-write; and
+it may be well presumed, in so weighty a cause, that they who have put
+hands on their Prince, imprisoned her person, and committed such heinous
+crimes, if a counterfeit letter be sufficient to save them, to maintain
+their cause, and conquer for them a kingdom, will not leave the same
+unforged, '_cum si violandum est jus, imperii causa violandum est_.'" In
+still further confirmation of these facts, Blackwood mentions that the
+hand-writing of Mary Beaton, one of her maids of honour, could not
+possibly be distinguished from that of the Queen;[261] and Camden and
+other contemporary authors speak of it as a matter of established
+notoriety, that Maitland often counterfeited her hand.[262]
+
+The second facility which the forgers enjoyed, arose from their either
+possessing among them, or having access to, many genuine letters of Mary.
+This is a circumstance of some consequence, and has scarcely been
+sufficiently attended to by the various writers on the subject. It at once
+obviates Robertson's cause of wonder, that the letters should be "filled
+with a multiplicity of circumstances, extremely natural in a real
+correspondence, but altogether foreign to the purpose of the Queen's
+enemies." In all probability, Mary wrote to her Secretary Maitland from
+Glasgow, and had of course written to him a hundred times before. There is
+every reason to believe also, that she corresponded with Maitland's wife,
+Mary Fleming, who had been one of her friends and attendants from infancy.
+Murray must have had in his possession numerous letters from his sister.
+Where then was the difficulty of founding these forgeries upon writings
+which were not forgeries, and of making it almost impossible for any one
+but Mary herself to detect what was genuine in them from what was
+fabricated? Many passages might be introduced which Mary had actually
+written, but which she had applied in some very different manner; and here
+and there might be artfully interwoven a few sentences which she never
+wrote, but which seemed so naturally connected with the rest, that they
+fixed upon her soul the guilt of adultery and murder. There is nothing
+which ought to be more constantly borne in mind, whenever these writings
+are read or discussed, than the probability, we might almost say the
+certainty, that the originals contained parts which had been actually
+written by Mary, although neither addressed to Bothwell, nor ever meant to
+be twisted into the sense which was afterwards put upon them; and which
+appeared the true meaning only, in consequence of their having been so
+much garbled and disfigured.
+
+Were we disposed to enter still more minutely into an examination of these
+writings, it would not be difficult to show, as Goodall, Tytler, Whittaker
+and Chalmers, have in various instances done, that they abound in many
+other symptoms of forgery, which, though not perhaps conclusive, when
+taken separately, make up, when combined, a very strong presumption
+against them. It might be shown, for example, _first_, that as Mary, in
+all probability, did not set off for Glasgow till Friday the 24th of
+January 1567, and staid a night at Callendar on the way, it is quite
+impossible she could have been at Glasgow on Saturday the 25th, though her
+second letter ends with these words:--"From Glasgow, this Saturday, in the
+morning."[263] She is thus made to have written two letters from Glasgow,
+one of them a very long one, by Saturday morning; while, in point of fact,
+she could not have reached that town till Saturday afternoon. "_Non sunt
+haec satis divisa temporibus._"[264] It might be shown, _second_, that
+these letters were neither addressed, signed, nor sealed; and that, in the
+words of Whittaker, "it violates every principle of probability to
+suppose, that letters with such a plenitude of murderous evidence in them
+should be sent open."[265] It might be shown, _third_, that before the
+appearance of the letters, they were differently described at different
+times, as if they were gradually undergoing changes;--that in the Act of
+Privy Council, in which they are first referred to, they are mentioned as
+Mary's "Privy Letters, written and _subscribed_ with her own hand;"--but
+in the Act of Parliament passed a few weeks afterwards, they are only
+spoken of as "_written wholly_ with her own hand," not, "written and
+subscribed;"[266]--that though at first nothing was spoken of as having
+been found in the box but the "Privy Letters," "written and subscribed
+with her own hand," and afterwards only "wholly written with her own
+hand," yet, before the box made its appearance at York, love-sonnets and
+contracts of marriage were also found in it;--and that at York and
+Westminster only five letters were laid before the Commissioners, though
+the number afterwards printed was eight. "Did the three remaining
+letters," asks Whittaker, "lie still lower in the box, under the contracts
+and sonnets, and so escape the notice of the rebels?"[267] It might be
+shown, _fourth_, that all the letters are contradicted and overthrown by
+the first three lines of the ninth sonnet, which are, in French,
+
+  ----"Pour luy aussi J'ay jete mainte larme,
+  Premier qu'il fust de ce corps possesseur,
+  _Du quel alors il n'avoit pas le coeur_;"
+
+and in English--"For him also I shed many a tear, when he first made
+himself possessor of this body, _of which he did not then possess the
+heart_."[268] In the letters, Mary is made, with the most violent
+protestations of love, to suggest arrangements for her pretended abduction
+by Bothwell; yet here she expressly says, that when he first carried her
+off, he did not possess her heart. How then could she have written him
+love-letters before this event? These and other things might be insisted
+on. The sonnets and contracts of marriage might be also minutely examined
+and proved, both to contradict one another, and to be liable, in a still
+stronger degree, to almost all the objections which have been advanced
+against the letters.[269] But it is much better to rest Mary's innocence
+on the broad basis of her life and character, and a distinct statement of
+leading and incontrovertible facts, than on wranglings about dates, or
+disputations concerning detached incidents and ill-authenticated papers.
+
+From a full review of the proof on both sides, and an ample examination of
+all the principal facts advanced in the controversy, it appears evident
+that one of two conclusions must be formed. Either that Mary, having
+formed a criminal attachment to Bothwell, encouraged him to perpetrate
+the murder, and that, having thus become responsible for at least an equal
+share of the guilt, was justly imprisoned and dethroned; or that, never
+having had any excessive love for Bothwell, she was altogether ignorant of
+his designs, and irresponsible for his crimes, of which his own lawless
+ambition made her the victim, and with which the treachery of Murray,
+Morton and Elizabeth, too successfully contrived to involve her for the
+remainder of her life. That the latter conclusion is that to which
+impartial inquiry must inevitably lead, these Memoirs, it is hoped, have
+sufficiently established. That the arguments in Mary's favour, drawn from
+the history of her life and death, are not invalidated by the contents of
+the "gilt coffer," it has been the object of the present Examination to
+prove.
+
+It has been seen, first, by external evidence, that these papers are
+spurious, because the notorious ambition of Morton and Murray, and the
+perilous predicament in which it finally placed them, rendered their
+fabrication necessary to save themselves from ruin,--because Mary could
+not have written any love-letters or sonnets to Bothwell, for whom, at
+best, she never felt any thing but common regard, and who was obliged to
+seize and carry off her person, in order to force her into an unwilling
+marriage,--because such letters, if they had been written, would not have
+been preserved by Bothwell, or, if preserved, would have been more
+numerous,--because the story of their discovery is altogether improbable,
+since Bothwell, for the most satisfactory reasons, would never have
+thought of sending for them to the Castle of Edinburgh on the 20th of June
+1567,--because not a word was said about them long after they were
+discovered, but, on the contrary, motives quite inconsistent with their
+contents assigned for sequestrating Mary's person in Loch-Leven,--because,
+though Dalgleish was tried, condemned, and executed, not a question was
+put to him, as appears by his examination, still extant, concerning these
+letters,--because the originals were only produced twice, and _that_ under
+suspicious and unsatisfactory circumstances,--because nothing but
+translations, and translations from translations, of these originals, now
+exist, from which no fair arguments can be drawn,--because Murray and his
+associates have been convicted of open forgery in several other instances,
+and are therefore the more liable to be doubted in this,--because Bothwell
+not only never accused Mary, but was unable to show Morton any writing of
+her's sanctioning the murder, and, by subsequent declarations, seems to
+have exculpated her from all share in it,--because Mary herself invariably
+denied that she had ever written such letters, undertaking to prove that
+they were fabrications, if the originals, or even copies, were shown to
+her,--because Lady Lennox, Darnley's mother, many of the most respectable
+of the Scottish nobility, Norfolk, and a numerous party in England, and
+all her Continental friends, avowed their belief of her
+innocence,--because the confessions and depositions of Bothwell's
+accomplices, so far from implicating, tended to acquit her of all blame,
+though the persons by whom the depositions were made had every inducement
+to accuse her, if it had been in their power,--and because the external
+evidence, advanced in support of the letters by Robertson and others, is
+entirely nugatory.
+
+It has been seen, second, by internal evidence, that the Letters are
+spurious,--because the translations differ from each other,--because the
+style and composition of many passages, are not such as could ever have
+come from Mary's pen,--because every facility was given to forgery by the
+nature of her handwriting, and by the access which the forgers had to
+genuine letters and papers, of which they could make a partial
+use,--because, at the time in which they are alleged to have been written,
+Mary was, in all probability, not at the places from which they are
+dated,--because the letters contradict each other, and are all
+contradicted by the sonnets,--and because the arguments in support of
+them, drawn from internal evidence by Robertson and others, are equally
+inconclusive with their external proofs.
+
+If Mary's innocence, from all the blacker crimes with which she has been
+charged, must still continue matter of doubt, it is not too much to
+declare all history uncertain, and virtue and vice merely convertible
+terms.
+
+
+
+
+ADDENDUM.
+
+
+Through the kindness of William Traill, Esq. of Woodwick, Orkney, we are
+enabled to give the following authentic genealogical account of the manner
+in which the interesting portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, engraved for
+this Work, and particularly described in Vol. I. Chap. IV., came into the
+possession of his family.
+
+"Sir Robert Stewart of Strathdon, son of King James V., by Eupham,
+daughter of Alexander, 1st Lord Elphingston, obtained a grant of the Crown
+lands of Orkney and Shetland from his sister Queen Mary in 1565. He was
+created Earl of Orkney by his uncle James VI., 28th October 1581. He
+married Lady Jean Kennedy, daughter of Gilbert, fourth Earl of Cassils.
+
+"George Traill, son of the Laird of Blebo in Fife, married, first, Jean
+Kennedy of Carmunks, a relative of the Earl's Lady. He accompanied the
+Earl to Orkney; got a grant from the Earl of the lands of Quandale, in the
+Island of Ronsay, and, as stewart or factor, managed the affairs of the
+earldom. By Jean Kennedy he had one son, the first Thomas Traill of
+Holland. He afterwards married Isobel Craigie of Gairsay, by whom he had
+James Traill of Quandale, who married Ann Baikie of Burness. Lady Barbara
+Stewart, the Earl's youngest daughter, married Hugh Halcro of Halcro, a
+descendant of the Royal Family of Denmark, and who possessed a great part
+of the Islands of Orkney. For her patrimony, the Earl wadset to Halcro
+lands, in Widewall, Ronaldsvoe, and in South Ronaldshay, which lands were
+afterwards redeemed by Patrick Stewart, the Earl's eldest son, 1598.
+_Vide_ Bishop Law's Rentall 1614. Lady Barbara, being the youngest and
+the last of the Earl's family, succeeded to her father's furniture, plate,
+pictures, and other moveables, and amongst the rest, the family picture of
+Queen Mary. Hugh Halcro of that Ilk, the eldest son of this marriage,
+succeeded his father, and married Jean, daughter of William Stewart of
+Mains and Burray. _Vid._ Charters 1615 and 1620. In 1644, this Hugh Halcro
+executed a settlement in favour of Hugh his Oye, and his heirs; whom
+failing, to Patrick his brother; whom failing, to Harry fiar of Aikrs;
+whom failing, to Edward of Hauton; whom all failing, to the name of
+Halcro. Hugh the Oye, married Margaret, daughter of James Stewart of
+Gromsay. _Vid._ Charter by him in her favour of lands in South Ronaldshay
+and the Island Cava, 12th June 1630. Their son, Hugh Halcro of that Ilk,
+married Barbara Greem, by whom he had two daughters, Jean and Sibella
+Halcro. Jean married Alexander Mouat Swenze, and Sibella married James
+Baikie of Burness; and the estate of Halcro was divided between these
+families by decreet-arbitral, 21st and 22d December 1677,--Arthur Baikie
+of Tankerness, and John Kennaday of Carmunks, arbiters; which decreet is
+in the possession of the present William Traill of Woodwick, Esquire, as
+is the picture of Queen Mary, and other family relics."
+
+
+END OF VOLUME SECOND.
+
+  PRINTED BY J. HUTCHISON,
+  FOR THE HEIRS OF D. WILLISON.
+
+
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XVII.
+
+[2] Keith, Appendix, p. 139.
+
+[3] Keith, Preface, p. vii.
+
+[4] Melville's Memoirs, p. 170.
+
+[5] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 316.--Keith, p. 355; Appendix, p. 136.--Anderson,
+vol. ii. p. 270. vol. iv. p. 183 and 188.--"Martyre de Marie," in Jebb,
+vol. ii. p. 210. It would be difficult to explain why Robertson, who, in
+the Dissertation subjoined to his History, allows the authenticity of the
+documents which detail the particulars of this important conference at
+Craigmillar, should not have taken the slightest notice of it in his
+History. There is surely something indicative of partiality in the
+omission. Miss Benger, who is not always over-favourable to Mary, remarks
+on her decision regarding a divorce;--"It is difficult to develope the
+motives of Mary's refusal. Had she secretly loved Bothwell, she would
+probably have embraced the means of liberty; and had she already embarked
+in a criminal intrigue, she would not have resisted the persuasions of her
+paramour. If, influenced alone by vindictive feelings, she sought her
+husband's life, she must have been sensible that, when the nuptial tie was
+dissolved, he would be more easily assailable. Why then did she recoil
+from the proposal, unless she feared to compromise herself by endangering
+Darnley's safety, or that some sentiments of affection still lingered in
+her heart? It has been supposed, that she dreaded the censures which might
+be passed on her conduct in France; or that she feared to separate her
+interests from those of her husband, lest she should injure her title to
+the English crown. All these objections are valid when addressed to
+reason, but passion would have challenged stronger arguments."--Memoirs,
+vol. ii. p. 301.--Blackwood, in his _Martyre de Marie_, mentions, that
+Mary upon this occasion told her nobility, that "her husband was yet
+young, and might be brought back to the right path, having left it
+principally in consequence of the bad advice of those who were no less his
+enemies than her's."--"This answer," adds Blackwood, "was far from being
+agreeable to the Lords, proving to them that her Majesty's present
+estrangement from her husband was more from the necessity of the times,
+than because she had ceased to love him."
+
+[6] Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 173.--Keith, Preface, p. vii.
+
+[7] The above transaction, in which there is so little mystery, has been
+converted by Robertson into "a negociation, secretly carried on by Mary,
+for subverting the Reformed Church." He cannot, it is true, very easily
+reconcile the "negotiation" with the fact that, "at the very time, she did
+not scruple publicly to employ her authority towards obtaining for the
+ministers of that Church a more certain and comfortable subsistence."
+"During this year," he tells us, "she issued several proclamations and
+Acts of Council for that purpose, and readily approved of every scheme
+which was proposed for the more effectual payment of their stipends." The
+historian might have inquired a little more closely into the real nature
+of her correspondence with the Court of Rome, before charging Mary with
+"falsehood and deceit," and availing himself of the subject to point a
+moral.
+
+[8] Keith, p. 359.
+
+[9] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 271.
+
+[10] That Darnley was actually absent upon this occasion, we are not quite
+satisfied. Robertson says he was, on the authority of Le Croc's letter in
+Keith, preface, p. vii.; and after him, most writers on the subject state
+the fact as beyond a doubt. All, however, that Le Croc says is this:--"The
+King had still given out, that he would depart two days before the
+baptism; but when the time came on, he made no sign of removing at all,
+only he still kept close within his own apartment. The very day of the
+baptism, he sent three several times, desiring me either to come and see
+him, or to appoint him an hour, that he might come to me in my lodgings."
+This is no direct evidence that the King was absent from the christening.
+Neither does Buchanan furnish us with any; he merely says, with his usual
+accuracy and love of calumny, that "her lawful husband was not allowed
+necessaries at the christening; nay, was forbid to come in sight of the
+ambassadors, who were advised not to enter into discourse with the King,
+though they were in the same part of the castle the most part of the
+day."--History, Book XVIII. Nor does Knox say any thing definite upon the
+subject; but Keith, Crawford, and Spottswood, though not referred to by
+Robertson, seem to support his opinion. Let the fact, however, be as it
+may, it is not of great consequence. The erroneousness of the popular
+belief, that Darnley, during the whole of this time, resided in a
+citizen's house in the town of Stirling, is more deserving of being
+pointed out and corrected.
+
+[11] Knox, p. 400.--Keith, Preface, p. vii.
+
+[12] Keith, p. 369.--Knox, p. 400.--The Historie of King James the Sext,
+p. 5.
+
+[13] Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 176.
+
+[14] Melville, p. 192.
+
+[15] The Ruthven here spoken of is the son of the Lord Ruthven, who took
+so active a part in the murder.
+
+[16] Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 175 and 342.
+
+[17] Keith--Preface, p. viii.
+
+[18] Keith, p. 364.
+
+[19] Keith, p. 151.--Laing, vol. ii. p. 76.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p.
+268.--Whittaker, in endeavouring to prove (vol. ii. p. 322) that the
+Catholic Ecclesiastical Courts had never been deprived of their
+jurisdiction, and that, consequently, there was no _restoration_ of power
+to the Archbishop of St Andrews, evidently takes an erroneous view of this
+matter. In direct opposition to such a view, Knox, or his continuator, has
+the following account of the transaction:--"At the same time, the Bishop
+of St Andrews, by means of the Earl of Bothwell, procured a writing from
+the Queen's Majesty, to be obeyed within the Diocess of his Jurisdiction,
+in all such causes as before, in time of Popery, were used in the
+Consistory, and, therefore, to discharge the new Commissioners; and for
+the same purpose, came to Edinburgh in January, having a company of one
+hundred horses, or more, intending to take possession according to his
+gift lately obtained. The Provost being advertised thereof by the Earl of
+Murray, they sent to the Bishop three or four of the Council, desiring him
+to desist from the said matter, for fear of trouble and sedition that
+might rise thereupon; whereby he was persuaded to desist at that
+time."--Knox, p. 403. This account is not quite correct, in so far as the
+Earl of Murray alone, unsupported by Mary's authority, is described as
+having diverted the Archbishop from his purpose.
+
+[20] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 199; and vol. ii. p. 176.
+
+[21] Keith, Preface p. viii.
+
+[22] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 165.--Goodall, vol. ii. p. 76.
+
+[23] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 76.--et seq.
+
+[24] Birrel's Dairy, p. 6.--Laing, vol. i. p. 30.
+
+[25] Keith, p. 364.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 67.--Goodall, vol. ii. p.
+244.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 203.--vol. ii. p. 180, and 271.--Laing, vol. i.
+p. 30.--and vol. ii. p. 17.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 258, and
+283.--Arnot's History of Edinburgh, p. 237. Whittaker has made several
+mistakes regarding the House of the Kirk-of-Field. He describes it as much
+larger than it really was; and, misled by the appearance of a gun-port
+still remaining in one part of the old wall, and which Arnot supposed had
+been the postern-door in the gavel of the house, he fixes its situation at
+too great a distance from the College, and too near the Infirmary. Sir
+Walter Scott, in his "Tales of a Grandfather," (vol. iii. p. 187.) has
+oddly enough fallen into the error of describing the Kirk-of-Field, as
+standing "just _without_ the walls of the city."
+
+[26] Morton's Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 354; and Archibald
+Douglas's Letter, ibid. p. 363.
+
+[27] Idem.
+
+[28] Lesley's Defence in Anderson, vol. i. p. 75.--Buchanan's History, p.
+350.--Laing, vol. ii. p. 34.
+
+[29] Ormiston's Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 322.
+
+[30] Paris's Confession in Laing, vol. ii. p. 298-9.
+
+[31] Paris's Deposition in Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.
+
+[32] Laing, vol. ii. p. 282 and 370.
+
+[33] Deposition of Hepburn--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.
+
+[34] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.
+
+[35] Keith, Preface, p. viii.
+
+[36] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 179.
+
+[37] Ibid. vol. ii. p. 184.
+
+[38] Laing, Appendix, p. 304.
+
+[39] Deposition of John Hay in Anderson, vol. ii. p. 177.
+
+[40] Deposition of William Powrie, in Anderson, vol. ii. p. 165.
+
+[41] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 183.
+
+[42] Ibid. vol. ii. p. 181.
+
+[43] Buchanan's _History_, Book XVIII. may be compared with his
+_Detection_ in Anderson, vol. i. p. 22 and 72.
+
+[44] Buchanan's _History_, Book XVIII.
+
+[45] Freebairn's Life of Mary, p. 112 and 114.
+
+[46] Deposition of Paris in Laing, vol. ii. p. 305.
+
+[47] Evidence of Thomas Nelson, Anderson, vol. iv. p. 165.
+
+[48] The Confessions and Depositions in Anderson, vol. ii. and vol. iv;
+and in Laing, vol. ii.
+
+[49] Melville's Memoirs, p. 174. Lesley in Anderson, vol. i. p. 24.
+Freebairn, p. 115.
+
+[50] Anderson, vol. i. p. 36.--Goodall, vol. ii. p. 245.
+
+[51] Laing, vol. ii. p. 289 et 290.
+
+[52] Historie of King James the Sext, p. 6.
+
+[53] Miss Benger, vol. ii. p. 313.
+
+[54] Sanderson's Life of Mary, p. 48.--Freebairn, p. 113.
+
+[55] Knox, p. 404.
+
+[56] Keith, p. 365.
+
+[57] Melville, p. 174.
+
+[58] The notion that the powder, with which the Kirk-of-Field was blown
+up, had been placed in a mine, dug for the purpose, was for a while very
+prevalent. Mary, of course, never suspected that it had been put into her
+own bedroom; but the truth came out as soon as the depositions of
+Bothwell's accomplices were published. Why Whittaker should still have
+continued to believe that a mine had been excavated, it is difficult to
+understand. Laing very justly ridicules the absurdity of such a belief.
+
+[59] There is a sincere piety in this rejection of the word "chance." Mary
+was steadily religious all her life, and certainly nothing but a pure and
+upright spirit could have induced her, on the present occasion, to appeal
+to her Creator, and say, "It was not chance, but God."
+
+[60] Keith, Preface, p. viii.
+
+[61] Anderson, vol. i. p. 36.
+
+[62] Lesley in Anderson, vol. i. p. 23.
+
+[63] Keith, p. 368.
+
+[64] Laing's remarks upon this subject, are exceedingly weak. He seems to
+suppose that Mary, for the mere sake of appearances, ought to have thrown
+into prison some of her most powerful nobility. He adds,--"If innocent,
+she must have suspected somebody, and the means of detection were
+evidently in her hands. The persons who provided or furnished the
+lodging,--the man to whom the house belonged,--the servants of the Queen,
+who were intrusted with the keys,--the King's servants who had previously
+withdrawn, or were preserved, at his death,--her brother, Lord Robert, who
+had apprised him of his danger, were the first objects for suspicion or
+inquiry; and their evidence would have afforded the most ample detection."
+Laing does not seem to be aware, that he is here suggesting the very steps
+which Mary actually took. She had not, indeed, herself examined witnesses,
+which would have been alike contrary to her general habits and her
+feelings at the time; but she had ordered the legal authorities to
+assemble every day, till they ascertained all the facts which could be
+collected. Nor does Laing seem to remember, that Bothwell had it in his
+power to exercise over these legal authorities no inconsiderable control,
+and to prevail upon them, as he in truth did, to garble and conceal
+several circumstances of importance which came out.
+
+[65] Killigrew, the English ambassador, sent by Elizabeth to offer her
+condolence, mentions, that he "found the Queen's Majesty in a dark chamber
+so as he could not see her face, but by her words she seemed very
+doleful."--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 209.
+
+[66] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 208.
+
+[67] _Vide_ these Letters in Anderson, vol. i. p. 40, or Keith, p. 369.
+
+[68] Anderson, vol. i. p. 50.
+
+[69] Goodall, vol. i. p. 346, _et seq._
+
+[70] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 209. The above fact is no proof, as Chalmers
+alleges, that Murray was connected with the conspirators; but it shows,
+that whatever his own suspicions or belief were, he did not choose to
+discountenance Bothwell. Could Mary ever suppose that the _godly_ Earl of
+Murray would entertain a murderer at his table?
+
+[71] Anderson, vol. i. p. 52.
+
+[72] Robertson--Appendix to vol. i. No. XIX.
+
+[73] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 103.
+
+[74] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 104, et seq.--and Keith, p. 375, et seq.
+
+[75] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 157.
+
+[76] Anderson, vol. i. p. 107; and Keith, p. 381.
+
+[77] Keith, p. 382.--There are extant two lists of the names of the
+subscribers, and these differ in one or two particulars from each other;
+but the one was only a list given to Cecil from memory by John Reid,
+Buchanan's clerk; the other is a document authenticated by the
+subscription of Sir James Balfour, who was at the time Clerk of Register
+and Privy Council. The chief difference between these two copies is, that
+Reid's list contains the name of the Earl of Murray, though on the 20th of
+April he was out of the realm of Scotland. It has been supposed that the
+bond, though not produced, might have been drawn up some time before, and
+that Murray put his name to it before going away. This is possible, but,
+considering Murray's cautious character, not probable. The point does not
+seem one of great importance, though by those who are anxious to make out
+a case against Murray rather than against Bothwell, it is deemed necessary
+to insist upon it at length. Perhaps Bothwell forged Murray's signature,
+to give his bond greater weight both with the nobles and with the Queen;
+although one name more or less could not make much difference either to
+her or them.
+
+[78] Keith, p. 390.
+
+[79] Keith, p. 383.--Melville's Memoirs, p. 177.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p.
+106 and 356.
+
+[80] Melville, p. 177.
+
+[81] Keith, p. 390.
+
+[82] Anderson, vol. i. p. 97.--Keith, p. 390.
+
+[83] Melville, p. 197.
+
+[84] Anderson, vol. i. p. 95.
+
+[85] Anderson, vol. i. p. 95.
+
+[86] Anderson, vol. i. p. 97. et seq. There is something so peculiar in
+the last passage quoted above, and Bothwell's conduct was so despotic,
+during the whole of the time he had Mary's person at his disposal, that
+Whittaker's supposition seems by no means unlikely, that the _force_ to
+which Mary alludes was of the most culpable and desperate kind.
+"Throughout the whole of the Queen's own account of these transactions,"
+he observes, "the delicacy of the lady, and the prudence of the wife, are
+in a continual struggle with facts,--willing to lay open the whole for her
+own vindication, yet unable to do it for her own sake and her husband's,
+and yet doing it in effect." Vide Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 112. et
+seq.--Melville is still more explicit upon the subject, p. 177. And in a
+letter from "the Lords of Scotland," written to the English ambassador,
+six weeks after the ravishment, it is expressly said, that "the Queen was
+led captive, and by fear, force, and (as by many conjectures may be well
+suspected) other extraordinary and more unlawful means, compelled to
+become the bedfellow to another wife's husband."--See the letter in Keith
+p. 418.
+
+[87] Vide Laing, vol. i. p. 86, and vol. ii. p. 105, and Whittaker, vol.
+iii. p. 116.
+
+[88] Keith, p. 383.
+
+[89] History of James VI., p. 10.--Buchanan's History, Book XVII.--Keith,
+p. 384.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 120.
+
+[90] "I plainly refused," says Craig, in his account of this matter, which
+still remains among the records of the General Assembly, "because he
+(Hepburn) had not her handwriting; and also the constant bruit that my
+Lord had both ravished her and kept her in captivity."--Anderson, vol. ii.
+p. 299.
+
+[91] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 280.
+
+[92] Anderson, vol. i. p. 111.--Keith, p. 384.
+
+[93] Anderson, vol. i. p. 87.
+
+[94] History of James VI. p. 10.--Keith, p. 386.--Melville, p.
+78.--Whittaker, vol. iii. p. 127. et seq. Upon this subject, Lord Hailes
+has judiciously remarked:--"After Mary had remained a fortnight under the
+power of a daring profligate adventurer, few foreign princes would have
+solicited her hand. Some of her subjects might still have sought that
+honour, but her compliance would have been humiliating beyond measure. It
+would have left her at the mercy of a capricious husband,--it would have
+exposed her to the disgrace of being reproached in some sullen hour, for
+the adventure at Dunbar. Mary was so situated, at this critical period,
+that she was reduced to this horrid alternative, either to remain in a
+friendless and most hazardous celibacy, or to yield her hand to
+Bothwell."--_Remarks on the History of Scotland_, _p._ 204.
+
+[95] Melville, p. 178.
+
+[96] Letter from the Lords of Scotland to Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, in
+Keith, p. 417.
+
+[97] Melville, p. 180.
+
+[98] Melville, p. 199.
+
+[99] Keith, p. 394.--Melville, p. 179.--Knox, p. 406.
+
+[100] Anderson, vol. i. p. 131.
+
+[101] Anderson, vol. i. p. 128.
+
+[102] Knox, p. 409.
+
+[103] Laing, Appendix, p. 115.
+
+[104] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 116. Knox says that it was Bothwell who
+drew back; but the authority to which we have referred is more to be
+depended on.
+
+[105] Melville, p. 182.
+
+[106] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 116.
+
+[107] Keith, p. 402.
+
+[108] Keith, p. 403.--Melville, p. 184.--Knox, p. 409.--Laing, Appendix,
+vol. ii. p. 117.
+
+[109] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 119.--Anderson, vol. i. p. 128.--Keith,
+p. 418.
+
+[110] Anderson, vol. i. p. 134.
+
+[111] Keith, p. 408.
+
+[112] Buchanan's History, Book XVIII.
+
+[113] Keith, p. 406, et seq.
+
+[114] Anderson, vol. i. p. 139.
+
+[115] The above account of Bothwell's adventures and fate, after he left
+Scotland, is taken principally from Melville, and the History of James VI.
+But an interesting and original manuscript, entitled a "Declaration of the
+Earl of Bothwell," which was made at Copenhagen, in the year 1568, for the
+satisfaction apparently of the Danish government, has recently been
+discovered, and an authenticated copy of it having been transmitted to
+this country in August 1824, a careful translation from the old French in
+which it is written, was presented to the public in "The New Monthly
+Magazine," for June 1825. Satisfied as we are of the authenticity of this
+"Declaration," we have availed ourselves of some of the information it
+supplies, though, of course, great allowance must be made for the
+colouring Bothwell has artfully given to the transactions he details. We
+shall have more to say of this "Declaration" afterwards; at present, it is
+necessary only to refer to it.
+
+[116] Keith, p. 411 and 414.
+
+[117] Keith, p. 418. It is worth noticing, that no proof of this absurd
+falsehood is offered--no allusion being even made to the letter which had
+been shown to Grange, and which, though only the first of a series of
+forgeries, yet having been hastily prepared to serve the purpose of the
+hour, seems to have been destroyed immediately.
+
+[118] Keith, Ibid.
+
+[119] Keith, p. 420.
+
+[120] Throckmorton's Letter in Keith, p. 420, et seq.
+
+[121] Melville's Memoirs, p. 197.
+
+[122] Whittaker, vol. i. p. 228.
+
+[123] Throckmorton in Keith, p. 422.
+
+[124] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XXI.
+
+[125] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. XXII.
+
+[126] Throckmorton, in one of his letters, mentions explicitly, that Mary
+had given him the very reasons stated above for refusing to renounce
+Bothwell. But as Throckmorton could communicate with Mary only through the
+channel of the rebel Lords, who, he says, "_had sent him word_," it is not
+at all improbable, that her message may have been a good deal garbled by
+the way. The passage in Throckmorton's letter is as follows:--"I have also
+persuaded her to conform herself to renounce Bothwell for her husband, and
+to be contented to suffer a divorce to pass betwixt them. She hath sent me
+word, that she will in no wise consent unto that, but rather die:
+grounding herself upon this reason, taking herself to be seven weeks gone
+with child; by renouncing Bothwell, she should acknowledge herself to be
+with child of a bastard, and to have forfeited her honour, which she will
+not do to die for it. I have persuaded her to save her own life and her
+child, to choose the least hard condition." Robertson--Appendix to vol. i.
+No. XXII. It was, perhaps, this passage in Throckmorton's despatch to
+England, that gave rise to a vulgar rumour, which was of course much
+improved by the time it reached France. Le Laboureur, an historian of much
+respectability, actually asserts that the Queen of Scots had a daughter to
+Bothwell, who was educated as a religieuse in the Convent of Notre Dame at
+Soissons. _Vide_ Laboureur Addit. aux Mem. de Castelnau, p. 610. Of
+course, the assertion is altogether unfounded.
+
+[127] Some historians have asserted, that Lord Ruthven accompanied the two
+Commissioners mentioned in the text. But this is not the case, for he was
+present at a conference with the English ambassador, Throckmorton, on the
+very day the others were at Lochleven. Throckmorton in Keith, p. 426.
+
+[128] Pennant, in his "Tour in Scotland," thus describes Lochleven, and
+the island where the Queen resided:--"Lochleven, a magnificent piece of
+water, very broad but irregularly indented; is about twelve miles in
+circumference, and its greatest depth about twenty-four fathoms. Some
+islands are dispersed in this great expanse of water, one of which is
+large enough to feed several head of cattle; but the most remarkable is
+that distinguished by the captivity of Mary Stuart, which stands almost in
+the middle of the lake. The castle still remains, consists of a _square
+tower_, a small yard with two round towers, a chapel, and the ruins of a
+building, where (it is said) the unfortunate Princess was lodged. In the
+square tower is a DUNGEON, with a vaulted room above, over which had been
+three other stories."--Tour in Scotland, vol. i. p. 64.
+
+[129] Keith, p. 431.
+
+[130] Keith, p. 426.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 299.
+
+[131] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 166, and 344.
+
+[132] Leslie, p. 37.--Jebb, vol. ii. p. 221 and 222.
+
+[133] Goodall, ibid.--Freebairn, p. 147.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 301. _et
+seq._--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 248.
+
+[134] Keith, p. 436.
+
+[135] History of James VI. p. 17. Keith, p. 438.
+
+[136] Melville's Memoirs, p. 193. Keith, p. 442. et seq.
+
+[137] Throckmorton's Letter in Keith, p. 444 et seq.
+
+[138] What Mark Antony, according to Shakespeare, said of Caesar, might be,
+with propriety, applied to the Earl of Murray:
+
+  "You all did see that, on the Lupercal,
+  I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
+  Which he did thrice refuse.--Was this ambition?"
+
+[139] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 251 and 254.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 355.
+
+[140] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 206 et seq.
+
+[141] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 299, and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275 and 278.
+
+[142] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 230.--Keith, p. 471--and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275.
+
+[143] Sir William Drury's Letter in Keith, p. 470.
+
+[144] Buchanan's Cameleon, p. 13.
+
+[145] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 65 and 230.--Keith, p. 471.--Freebairn, p. 152, et
+seq.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 277, et seq. The interest taken in Queen Mary
+by George Douglas, is ascribed by Mackenzie to a motive less pure than the
+affection of a good subject. His chief characteristic, we are told by that
+author, was an excessive love of money, and it was by bribing him, he
+asserts, with the best part of what gold and jewels she had about her,
+that Mary prevailed upon him to assist her. But this statement does not
+seem well authenticated. Another story, still more improbable, was told by
+the Earl of Murray to the English ambassador, Sir William Drury, namely,
+that Mary had entreated him to allow her to have a husband, and had named
+George Douglas as the person she would wish to marry. Murray must have
+fabricated this falsehood, in order to lower the dignity of the Queen; but
+he surely forgot that the reason assigned in justification of her
+imprisonment in Loch-Leven, was her alleged determination not to consent
+to a separation from Bothwell. How then did she happen to wish to marry
+another? See Sir William Drury's Letter in Keith, p. 469.
+
+[146] Keith, p. 472, et seq.
+
+[147] Buchanan, Book xix.--Melville's Memoirs, p. 200. et seq.--Keith, p.
+477.--Calderwood, Crawfurd, and Holinshed. The accounts which historians
+give of this battle are so confused and contradictory, that it is almost
+impossible to furnish any very distinct narrative of it, even by collating
+them all. Robertson hardly attempts any detail, and the few particulars
+which he does mention, are in several instances erroneous.
+
+[148] Keith, p. 481 and 482.--Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1.
+
+[149] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1. et seq.--Keith, p. 481.
+
+[150] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 69.
+
+[151] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 283.
+
+[152] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 71.
+
+[153] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 6.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 288. Even at
+Carlisle, Mary was always strictly watched. In one of his letters to
+Cecil, Knollys writes thus:--"Yesterday, her Grace went out at a postern,
+to walk on the playing green, towards Scotland; and we, with twenty-two
+halberdeers, diverse gentlemen and other servants, waited upon her. About
+twenty of her retinue played at foot-ball before her the space of two
+hours, very strongly, nimbly, and skilfully,--without any foul play
+offered, the smallness of their ball occasioning their fair play. And
+before yesterday, since our coming, she went but twice out of the town,
+once to the like play of foot-ball, in the same place, and once she rode
+out a hunting the hare, she galloping so fast upon every occasion, and her
+whole retinue being so well horsed, that we, upon experience thereof,
+doubting that, upon a set course, some of her friends out of Scotland
+might invade and assault us upon the sudden, for to rescue and take her
+from us; we mean hereafter, if any such riding pastimes be required that
+way, so much to fear the endangering of her person by some sudden invasion
+of her enemies, that she must hold us excused, in that behalf."
+
+[154] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 95.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 300. It is of Dr
+Stuart's translation that we have availed ourselves.
+
+[155] Anderson, vol. iv. part ii. p. 33.
+
+[156] Buchanan, book xix. It is worth remarking, that of these particular
+friends of Murray, the two Commissioners, Lord Lindsay and the Commendator
+of Dunfermlin, and the two lawyers, Macgill and Balnaves, sat on the trial
+of Bothwell when he was unanimously acquitted. Yet they afterwards accused
+the Queen of consenting to an unfair trial.
+
+[157] Anderson, vol. iv. Part ii. p. 3.
+
+[158] Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 12.
+
+[159] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 128.
+
+[160] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 144.
+
+[161] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 162.
+
+[162] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 62.
+
+[163] We do not at present stop the course of our narrative to examine
+these letters more minutely, but we shall devote some time to their
+consideration afterwards.
+
+[164] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 182.
+
+[165] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 184.
+
+[166] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 206.
+
+[167] Ibid. p. 220.
+
+[168] Ibid. p. 221.
+
+[169] Ibid. p. 184 and 206.
+
+[170] Ibid. p. 283.
+
+[171] Ibid. p. 312.
+
+[172] Ibid. p. 300 and 301.
+
+[173] There is one other circumstance connected with this conference,
+which, though not bearing any immediate reference to Mary, is worth
+mentioning. We allude to the challenges which passed between Lord Lindsay,
+one of Murray's Commissioners, and Lord Herries, one of Mary's most
+constant and faithful servants. Lindsay, whose passionate violence we have
+formerly had occasion to notice, attempted to force a quarrel upon
+Herries, by writing him the following letter:
+
+"Lord Herries,--I am informed that you have spoken and affirmed, that my
+Lord Regent's Grace and his company here present, were guilty of the
+abominable murder of the late King, our Sovereign Lord's father. If you
+have so spoken, you have said untruly, and have lied in your throat, which
+I will maintain, God willing, against you, as becomes me of honour and
+duty. And hereupon I desire your answer. Subscribed with my hand, at
+Kingston, the twenty-second day of December 1568. PATRICK LINDSAY."
+
+To this epistle Lord Herries made the following spirited reply:
+
+"Lord Lindsay,--I have seen a writing of yours, the 22d of December, and
+thereby understand,--'You are informed that I have said and affirmed, that
+the Earl of Murray, whom you call your Regent, and his company, are guilty
+of the Queen's husband's slaughter, father to our Prince; and if I said
+it, I have lied in my throat, which you will maintain against me as
+becomes you of honour and duty.' In respect they have accused the Queen's
+Majesty, mine and your native Sovereign, of that foul crime, far from the
+duty that good subjects owed, or ever have been seen to have done to their
+native Sovereign,--I have said--'There is of that company present with the
+Earl of Murray, guilty of that abominable treason, in the fore-knowledge
+and consent thereto.' That you were privy to it, Lord Lindsay, I know not;
+and if you will say that I have specially spoken of you, you lie in your
+throat; and that I will defend as of my honour and duty becomes me. But
+let any of the principal that is of them subscribe the like writing you
+have sent to me, and I shall point them forth, and fight with some of the
+traitors therein; for meetest it is that traitors should pay for their own
+treason. HERRIES. London, 22d of December 1568."
+
+No answer appears to have been returned to this letter, and so the affair
+was dropped.--Goodall, vol. ii. p. 271.
+
+[174] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 313.
+
+[175] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 327.
+
+[176] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 332.
+
+[177] Anderson, vol. i. p. 80.
+
+[178] Strype, vol. i. p. 538.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 337.
+
+[179] Stranguage, p. 114.
+
+[180] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 375.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 261.--Stuart, vol.
+ii. p. 59.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 349.
+
+[181] Anderson, vol. iii. p. 248.
+
+[182] See "An Account of the Life and Actions of the Reverend Father in
+God, John Lesley, Bishop of Ross," in Anderson, vol. iii. p. vii.
+
+[183] Miss Benger, vol. ii. p. 439.
+
+[184] Additions to the Memoirs of Castelnau, p. 589, et seq.
+
+[185] Laing, vol. ii. p. 285.
+
+  Alas! what am I?--what avails my life?
+    Does not my body live without a soul?--
+  A shadow vain--the sport of anxious strife,
+    That wishes but to die, and end the whole.
+  Why should harsh enmity pursue me more?
+    The false world's greatness has no charms for me;
+  Soon will the struggle and the grief be o'er;--
+    Soon the oppressor gain the victory.
+  Ye friends! to whose remembrance I am dear,
+    No strength to aid you, or your cause, have I;
+  Cease then to shed the unavailing tear,--
+    I have not feared to live, nor dread to die;
+  Perchance the pain that I have suffered here,
+  May win me more of bliss thro' God's eternal year.
+
+[186] See the whole of this letter in Whittaker, vol. iv. p. 399. Camden
+translated it into Latin, and introduced it into his History; but he
+published only an abridged edition of it, which Dr Stuart has paraphrased
+and abridged still further; and Mademoiselle de Keralio has translated Dr
+Stuart's paraphrased abridgment into French, supposing it to have been the
+original letter. Stuart, vol. ii. p. 164.--Keralio, Histoire d'Elisabethe,
+vol. v. p. 349.
+
+[187] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 395.
+
+[188] They were hanged on two successive days, seven on each day; and the
+first seven, among whom were Ballard, Babington, and Savage, were cut down
+before they were dead, embowelled, and then quartered.--_Stranguage_, _p._
+177.
+
+[189] Stranguage, p. 176.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 427 et seq.
+
+[190] In the first series of Ellis's Collection of "Original Letters
+illustrative of English History," there is given a fac simile of the plan,
+in Lord Burleigh's hand, for the arrangement to be observed at the trial
+of the Queen of Scots. As it is interesting, and brings the whole scene
+more vividly before us, the following explanatory copy of it will be
+perused with interest.
+
+[Illustration: The upper end of the Gret Chambre at Fordynghay Cast.]
+
+_Below, in another hand, apparently in answer to Lord Burleigh's
+direction, is the following_:
+
+"This will be most convenientlye in the greatt Chamber; the lengthe
+whereof is in all xxiij. yerds with the windowe: whereof there may be fr.
+the neither part beneth the barre viij. yerds: and the rest for the upper
+parte. The breadeth of the chamber is vij. yerds.
+
+"There is another chambre for the Lords to dyne in, the lengthe is xiiij.
+yerds; the breadeth, vij. yerdes; and the deppeth iij. yerdes dim."
+
+[191] As an example of some of the mistakes which the fabricators of these
+letters committed, it may be mentioned, that in one of them, dated the
+27th of July 1586, Mary is made to say,--"I am not yet brought so low but
+that I am able to handle my cross-bow for killing a deer, and to gallop
+after the hounds on horseback, as this afternoon I intend to do, within
+the limits of this park, and could otherwhere if it were permitted." Yet
+on the 3d of June previous, Sir Amias Paulet informed Walsingham--"The
+Scottish Queen is getting a little strength, and has been out in her
+coach, and is sometimes carried in a chair to one of the adjoining ponds
+to see the diversion of duck-hunting; but she is not able to walk without
+support on each side." See Chalmers, vol. i. p. 426.
+
+[192] Camden, p. 519, et seq.--Stranguage, p. 192, et seq.--Robertson,
+Book VII.--Stuart, vol. ii. p. 268, et seq.
+
+[193] It deserves notice, that no particulars of the trial at Fotheringay
+have been recorded, either by Mary herself, or any of her friends, but are
+all derived from the narrative of two of Elizabeth's notaries. If Mary's
+triumph was so decided, even by their account, it may easily be conceived
+that it would have appeared still more complete, had it been described by
+less partial writers.
+
+[194] Camden, p. 525, et seq.
+
+[195] Murdin, p. 569.
+
+[196] Camden.
+
+[197] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 91.
+
+[198] Tytler, vol. ii. p. 319, et seq., and p. 403.--Chalmers, vol. i. p.
+447.--Tytler gives a strong and just exposition of the shameful nature of
+the Queen's correspondence with Paulet. The reader cannot fail to peruse
+the following passage with interest:
+
+"The letters written by Elizabeth to Sir Amias Paulet, Queen Mary's keeper
+in her prison at Fotheringay Castle, disclose to us the true sentiments of
+her heart, and her steady purpose to have Mary privately assassinated.
+Paulet, a rude but an honest man, had behaved with great insolence and
+harshness to Queen Mary, and treated her with the utmost disrespect. He
+approached her person without any ceremony, and usually came covered into
+her presence, of which she had complained to Queen Elizabeth. He was
+therefore thought a fit person for executing the above purpose. The
+following letter from Elizabeth displays a strong picture of her artifice
+and flattery, in order to raise his expectations to the highest pitch.
+
+'TO MY LOVING AMIAS.
+
+'_Amias, my most faithful and careful servant_, God reward thee treblefold
+for the most troublesome charge so well discharged. If you knew, _my
+Amias_, how kindly, beside most dutifully, my grateful heart accepts and
+praiseth your spotless endeavours and faithful actions, performed in so
+dangerous and crafty a charge, it would ease your travail, and rejoice
+your heart; in which I charge you to carry this most instant thought, that
+I cannot balance in any weight of my judgment the value that I prize you
+at, and suppose no treasure can countervail such a faith. And you shall
+condemn me in that fault that yet I never committed, if I reward not such
+desert; yea let me lack when I most need it, if I acknowledge not such a
+merit, _non omnibus datum_.'[*]
+
+Having thus buoyed up his hopes and wishes, Walsingham, in his letters to
+Paulet and Drury, mentions the proposal in plain words to them. 'We find,
+by a speech lately made by her Majesty, that she doth note in you both a
+lack of that care and zeal for her service, that she looketh for at your
+hands, in that you have not in all this time (of yourselves, without any
+other provocation) found out some way to shorten the life of the Scots
+Queen, considering the great peril she is hourly subject to, so long as
+the said Queen shall live.'--In a Post-script: 'I pray you, let both this
+and the enclosed be committed to the fire; as your answer shall be, after
+it has been communicated to her Majesty, for her satisfaction.' In a
+subsequent letter: 'I pray you let me know what you have done with my
+letters, because they are not fit to be kept, that I may satisfy her
+Majesty therein, who might otherwise take offence thereat.'
+
+What a cruel snare is here laid for this faithful servant! He is tempted
+to commit a murder, and at the same time has orders from his Sovereign to
+destroy the warrant for doing it. He was too wise and too honourable to do
+either the one or the other. Had he fallen into the snare, we may guess,
+from the fate of Davidson, what would have been his. Paulet, in return,
+thus writes to Walsingham:--'Your letters of yesterday coming to my hand
+this day, I would not fail, according to your directions, to return my
+answer with all possible speed; which I shall deliver unto you with great
+grief and bitterness of mind, in that I am so unhappy, as living to see
+this unhappy day, in which I am required, by direction of my most gracious
+Sovereign, to do an act which God and the law forbiddeth. My goods and
+life are at her Majesty's disposition, and I am ready to lose them the
+next morrow if it shall please her. But God forbid I should make so foul a
+shipwreck of my conscience, or leave so great a blot to my poor posterity,
+as shed blood without law or warrant."
+
+    [*] What a picture have we here, of the heroine of England! Wooing a
+    faithful servant to commit a clandestine murder, which she herself
+    durst not avow! The portrait of King John, in the same predicament,
+    practising with Hubert to murder his nephew, then under his charge,
+    shows how intimately the great Poet was acquainted with nature.
+
+                          O my gentle Hubert,
+        We owe thee much! Within this wall of flesh,
+        There is a soul, counts thee her creditor,
+        And with advantage means to pay thy love,
+        And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
+        Lives in this bosom dearly cherished.
+
+[199] Mackenzie's Lives of the Scottish Writers, vol. iii. p.
+336.--Robertson, vol. ii. p. 194.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 449.
+
+[200] La Mort de la Royne d'Ecosse in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 611.
+
+[201] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 622. et seq.
+
+[202] "Mary's testament and letters," says Ritson the antiquarian, "which
+I have seen, blotted with her tears in the Scotch College, Paris, will
+remain perpetual monuments of singular abilities, tenderness, and
+affection,--of a head and heart of which no other Queen in the world was
+probably ever possessed."
+
+[203] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 628, et seq.
+
+[204] History of Fotheringay, p. 79.
+
+[205] Among these attendants were her physician Bourgoine, who afterwards
+wrote a long and circumstantial narrative of her death, and Jane Kennedy,
+formerly mentioned on the occasion of Mary's escape from Loch-Leven.
+
+[206] Narratio Supplicii Mortis Mariae Stuart in Jebb, vol. ii. p.
+163.--La Mort de la Royne d'Ecosse in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 636 and
+639.--Camden, p. 535.
+
+[207] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 640, et seq.
+
+[208] See Mezeray, Histoire de France, tome iii.
+
+[209] "We may say of Mary, I believe, with strict propriety," observes
+Whittaker, "what has been said of one of her Royal predecessors,--'the
+gracious Duncan,' that she
+
+  "Had borne her faculties so meek, had been
+  So clear in her great office, that her virtues,
+  Will plead, like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
+  _The deep damnation of her taking off_."
+
+[210] "Oraison Funebre" in Jebb, vol. ii. p. 671.
+
+[211] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 92.
+
+[212] Keith, p. 79.
+
+[213] Anderson, vol. i. p. 117.--Keith, p. 379.
+
+[214] Melville, p. 175. et seq.
+
+[215] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 90.
+
+[216] Keith, p. 406.
+
+[217] Anderson, vol. i. p. 139.
+
+[218] Keith, p. 417.
+
+[219] Haynes, p. 454.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 361.
+
+[220] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.
+
+[221] Keith, p. 467.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 173.
+
+[222] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 140.
+
+[223] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235.
+
+[224] Ibid. 256.
+
+[225] Tytler, vol. i. p. 144.
+
+[226] There is preserved at Hamilton Palace, a small silver box, said to
+be the very casket which once contained the Letters. Laing, who appears to
+believe in the genuineness of this relic somewhat too hastily, mentions,
+that "the casket was purchased from a Papist by the Marchioness of Douglas
+(a daughter of the Huntly family) about the period of the Restoration.
+After her death, her plate was sold to a goldsmith, from whom her
+daughter-in-law Anne, heiress and Dutchess of Hamilton, repurchased the
+casket."
+
+"For the following accurate and satisfactory account of the casket," adds
+Mr Laing, "I am indebted to Mr Alexander Young, W. S., to whom I
+transmitted the description of it given in Morton's receipt, and in the
+Memorandum prefixed to the Letters in Buchanan's 'Detection.'"
+
+"'The silver box is carefully preserved in the Charter-room at Hamilton
+Palace, and answers exactly the description you have given of it, both in
+size and general appearance. I examined the outside very minutely. On the
+first glance I was led to state, that it had none of those ornaments to
+which you allude, and, in particular, that it wanted the crowns, with the
+Italic letter _F_. Instead of these, I found on one of the sides the arms
+of the house of Hamilton, which seemed to have been engraved on a
+compartment, which had previously contained some other ornament. On the
+top of the lock, which is of curious workmanship, there is a large
+embossed crown with _fleurs de lis_, but without any letters. Upon the
+bottom, however, of the casket, there are two other small ornaments--one
+near each end, which, at first sight, I thought resembled our
+silver-smiths' marks; but, on closer inspection, I found they consisted
+each of a royal crown above a _fleur de lis_, surmounting the Italic
+letter _F_.'"--Laing, vol. ii. p. 235.
+
+Upon this description of the box, it may be remarked, that it does _not_
+exactly agree with the account given of it by Buchanan; for it would
+appear, that in the casket preserved at Hamilton, there are only two
+Italic _F's_; while Buchanan describes it as "a small gilt coffer, not
+fully a foot long, being _garnished in sundry places_ with the Roman
+letter F, under a king's crown," an expression he would not have used, had
+there been only two of these letters. Besides, there seems to have been a
+king's crown above each; but on the coffer at Hamilton, there is only one
+crown on the top of the lock, and not above the letter F. Antiquarians,
+however, have investigated subjects of less curiosity, and have been
+willing to believe upon far more slender data.
+
+[227] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 87.
+
+[228] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 140.
+
+[229] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235; and p. 257.
+
+[230] The authentic "Warrant" and "Consent," has been already described,
+_supra_, vol. ii. p. 95, and may be seen at length in Anderson, vol. i. p.
+87.
+
+[231] Laing, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 356.
+
+[232] See in further corroboration of the facts stated above, a Letter of
+Archibald Douglas to the Queen of Scots, in Robertson's Appendix, or in
+Laing, vol. ii. p. 363.
+
+[233] "Nec ullam hac in causa reginae accusationem intervenire."--See the
+King of Denmark's Letter in Laing, vol. ii. p. 328.
+
+[234] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 382.
+
+[235] Keith, Appendix, p. 141.
+
+[236] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 227.--Keith, Appendix, p. 143.
+
+[237] See the New Monthly Magazine, No. LIV. p. 521.
+
+[238] Lesley's "Defence" in Anderson, vol. i. p. 40.
+
+[239] Miss Benger, Appendix, vol. ii. p. 494.
+
+[240] Buchanan, book xix.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 460.
+
+[241] Robertson, Appendix to vol. i. No. xxii.
+
+[242] Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 120 and 125.
+
+[243] Keith, Appendix, p. 145.
+
+[244] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 671.
+
+[245] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 185.
+
+[246] Anderson, ibid. p. 187.--Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.
+
+[247] Laing, Appendix p. 323.
+
+[248] Laing, vol. ii. p. 298.
+
+[249] Ibid. p. 300.
+
+[250] Tytler, vol. i. p. 20.
+
+[251] It is unnecessary to enter into any discussion regarding the second
+Confession of Paris, which has been so satisfactorily proved to be
+spurious, by Tytler, Whittaker, and Chalmers, and on which Robertson
+acknowledges "no stress is to be laid," on account of the "improbable
+circumstances" it contains. See Tytler, vol. i. p. 286.--Whittaker, vol.
+ii. p. 305.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 50.--Robertson, vol. iii. p. 20.
+
+[252] Robertson, vol. iii. p. 21.
+
+[253] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 371 and 375.--Robertson, vol. iii. p. 28.
+
+[254] The French edition of the Detection, p. 2.--Goodall, vol. i. p. 103.
+
+[255] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 235.
+
+[256] Laing, vol. i. p. 250.
+
+[257] See the Letter in Laing, vol. ii. p. 202; and an unsuccessful
+attempt to give a criminal interpretation to it, in vol. i. p. 311. It is
+quite unnecessary to allude here to several other flimsy forgeries which,
+at a later period, have been attempted to be palmed upon the world as
+genuine letters of Mary. In 1726, a book was published, entitled, "The
+genuine Letters of Mary Queen of Scots, to James Earl of Bothwell, found
+in his Secretary's Closet after his Decease, and now in the Possession of
+a Gentleman at Oxford. Translated from the French by Edward Simmons, late
+of Christ-Church College, Oxford." These had only to be read, to be seen
+to be fabrications. Yet so late as the year 1824, a compilation was
+published by Dr Hugh Campbell, containing, among other things, eleven
+letters, which the Doctor thought were original love-letters of the Queen
+to Bothwell, although, with a very trifling variation, they were the same
+as those published in 1726; only, not being described as translations, and
+being written in comparatively modern English, which Mary never could
+write, they bear still more evidently the stamp of forgery. This is put
+beyond a doubt, by a short Examination of them, published by Murray,
+London, 1825, and entitled, "A Detection of the Love-Letters, lately
+attributed, in Hugh Campbell's Work, to Mary Queen of Scots; wherein his
+Plagiarisms are proved, and his fictions fixed."
+
+[258] Whittaker, vol. ii. p. 79.
+
+[259] Goodall, vol. i. p. 79--Laing, vol. i. p. 209.
+
+[260] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 342.
+
+[261] Jebb, vol. ii. 244.
+
+[262] Camden, p. 143.--Tytler, vol. i. p. 101.
+
+[263] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 31.
+
+[264] It is proper to state, that Robertson has considered this argument
+at some length; and though he has not overturned, he has certainly
+invalidated the strength of the evidence adduced by Goodall in support of
+it.--Goodall, vol. i. p. 118.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 383.--Chalmers, vol.
+ii. p. 375.--Laing, vol. i. p. 315.
+
+[265] Whittaker, vol. i. p. 332.
+
+[266] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 64 & 67.
+
+[267] Whittaker, vol. i. p. 408.
+
+[268] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 51.
+
+[269] Regarding these sonnets, the curious reader may consult Whittaker,
+vol. iii. p. 55.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 395.--Jebb, vol. ii. p. 481--and
+Laing, vol. i. p. 230. 347. 349. and 368. For remarks on the
+marriage-contracts, see Goodall, vol. ii. p. 54 & 56, and vol. i. p.
+126.--Whittaker, vol. i, p. 392, and Stuart, vol, i. p. 397.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume II
+(of 2), by Henry Glassford Bell
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