.0' :/ ■>v '^ , K- '>i j» Oi ■: V^" '^. .^' '^;> '',/*'^i^''^^'. ., c- '\/ / A A S "^ \' ^ '<>- v^ \ ■*■ r H '-l.^ as /'*' 0^ ,0 ^.,# ^. ^^ y ■■^*S<^^ X ^ "H Y^ '"-^^ v*^ :^ ::W m * X0°<. #7^ ^^^^,d^. .0^ ^s ' ^ /, oN "^ ^^^/ ... '..^^ 0° Oo. OO. .s^<^. ; >^; MAHY QUEEN OF SCOTS VAlN'mai I-f.MMTHF. (iTUfii iVaA. by JOfiV W'ATSfiN" GoHIX.Tv R.I. A HISTORY MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS BY JACOB ABBOTT. C??ft!) HngrabinQS. NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PrULlSIIER! VRANKLIN SQUARE GIFT • ^ " ^ WINFRED OVERHOLSER DEC. 13, 1951 Entered, according to Act of CongreBS, in the year 1848, by HaBPEE & BUOTHEBS, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York. Copyright, 18T6, by Jacob Abbott. P R E F A C E. The- history of the life of every iiidividuai who has, for any reason, attracted extensively the attention of mankind, has been written in a great variety of ways by a multitude of au- thors, and persons sometimes wonder why wo should have so many different accounts of the same thing. The reason is, that each one of these accounts is intended for a different set of readers, who read with ideas and purposes wide- ly dissimilar from each other. Among the twenty millions of people in the United States, there are perhaps two millions, between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, who wish to become acquainted, in general, with the leading events in the history c-f the Old World, and of ancient times, but who, coming upon the stage in this land and at this period, have ideas and concep- tions so widely different from those of other na- tions and of other times, that a mere republica- vlii Preface. tion of existing accounts is not what they ro. quire. The story must be told expressly foi them. The things that are to be explained, the points that are to be brought out, the com- parative degree of prominence to be given to the various particulars, will all be different, on account of the difference in the situation, the ideas, and the objects of these new readers, compared with those of the various other classes of readers which former authors have had in view. It is for this reason, and with this view, that the present series of historical narratives is presented to the public. The author, having had some opportunity to become acquainted with the position, the ideas, and the intellect- ual wants of those whom he addresses, presents the result of his labors to them, with the hope that it may be found successful in accompliah- ing its design. C N T E li T S I. mart's childhood 13 I», HER EDUCATION IN FRANCE 37 III. THE GREAT WEDDING 66 IV. MISFORTUNES 76 V. RETURN TO SCOTLAND 99 VI. MART AND LORD DARNLEY 1 24 VII. RIZZIO 147 Vlll. BOTHWELL 168 IX. THE FALL OF BOTHWELL 198 X. LOCI LEVEN CASTLE 218 XI. THE LONG CAPTIVITY 244 »•!. THE I'ND 'JfJfl E N G R A V^ I N G S, Pf€t DUMBARTON CASTLE, ON THE CLYDE FrontlSpicce. MAP OF THE CENTRAL PART OF SCOTLANC. PLAN OF THE PALACE OF LINLITHGOW 2^ VIEW OF THE PALACE OF LINLITHGOW 25 PORTRAIT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH 91 MARY'S EMBARKATION AT CALAIS 105 VIEW OF THE PALACE OF HOLYROOD HOUSE 114 VIEW OF WEMYS CASTLE 137 PLAN OF HOLYROOD HOUSE 160 PRINCE JAMES'S CRADLE 174 VIEW OF EDINBURGH 179 PLAN OF THE HOUSE AT THE KIRK O' FIELD 182 VIEW OF DUNBAR CASTLE 193 PLAN OF LOCH LEVEN CASTLE 221 «^IEW OF LOCH LEVEN CASTLE 236 RUINS OF LOCH LEVEN CASTLE 241 VIEW OF FOTHERINGAY 271 MARY'S TOMB IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY „ 28n Illuminated Titlk-page, from a design by Gwilt Mapleson. The vignette represents the Castle of Loch Leven. The middle shield be- low represents the arms of Scotland, ornamented beneath with the national emblem, the thistle. On the right are the arms of France, with the lilies ; and on the left those of England, with the white and red rosea, which were hlcoded by Mary's grandfather, Henry VII ^I^at fef» t.^^' mi) tm _Jy: jg^=E-?«r!.-»i-^~_ \j».s^7t' ^j'rr-rc^rass.^'^ ' ^ MAllY QUEEN OF SCOTS, Chapter I. Mary's Childhood. Paliice where Mary was bora. Its situation TRAVELERS who go into Scotland tak^i a great interest in visiting, among other places, a certain room in the ruins of an old j)aiace5\vhere Queen Mary was born. Queen Mary was very beautiful, but she was very un- fortunate and unhappy. Every body takes a strong interest in her story, and this interest attaches, in some degree, to the room where her sad and sorrowful life was begun. The palace is near a little village called Lin- lithgow. The village has but one long street, vvhich consists of ancient stone houses. North of it is a little lake, or rather pond : they call it. in Scotland, a loch. The palace is between the village and the loch ; it is upon a beautiful swell o^ land which projects out into the water. Thero is .* very small island in the middle of the loch and the shores arc bordered with fertile fields 14 Mary Queen of Scots. [1542 Ruins. The room. Visitors The palace, when enth-e, was square, with an open space or court in the center. There was a beautiful stone fountain in the center of this court, and an arched gateway through which horsemen and carriages could ride in. The doors of entrance into the palace were on the inside ol the court. The palace is now in ruins. A troop of sol- diers came to it one day in time of war, after Mary and her mother had left it, and spent the night there : they spread straw over the floors to sleep upon. In the morning, when they wenf away, they wantonly set the straw on fire, and left it burning, and thus the palace was destroy- ed. Some of the lower floors w^ere of stone ; but all the upper floors and the roof were burned, and all the wood-work of the rooms, and the doors and window-frames. Since then the pal- ace has never been repaired, but remains a mel- ancholy pile of ruins. The room where Mary was born had a stone floor. The rubbish which has fallen from above has covered it with a sort of soil, and grass and weeds grow up all over it. It is a very melan* choly sight to see. The visitors who go into the room walk mournfully about, trying to imag- pe how Queen Mary looked, as an infant in her 1542.1 Mary's Childhood. 1' Mary's father in tho wars. His death mother's arms, and reOectiiig on the reckless- ness of the soldiers in wantonly destroying so beautiful a palace. Then they go to the win- dow, or, rather, to tho crumbling opening in the wall \yhere the window once was, and look out upon the loch, now so deserted and lonely ; over their heads it is all open to the sky. Mary's father was King of Scotland. At the time that Mary was born, he was away from home engaged in war with the King of England, ■'Vho had invaded Scotland. In the battles Ma- -y's father was defeated, and ho thought that tha i^enerals and nobles wdio commanded his army allowed the English to conquer them on purpose to betray him. This thought overwhelmed him with vexation and anguish. He pined away under the acuteness of his sufferings, and just after the news came to him that his daugliter INIary was born, he died. Thus Mary became an orphan, and her troubles commenced, at tho very beginning of her days. She never sav>r her father, and her father never saw her. Her mother was a French lady ; her name was Mary of Guise. Her own name was Mary Stuart, but she is commonly called Mary Queen of Scots. As Mary was her father's only child, of course, when he died, she became Queen of Scotland, 16 Mary Queen of li^co'ivs. [1542 Regency. Catholic religion. Tiie Protcstanta although she was only a few days old. It ig customary, in such a case, to appoint some dis- tinguished person to govern the kingdom, in the name of the young queen, until she grows up: such a person is called a recent. Mary's moth- er wished to be the regent until Mary becamo of age. It happened that in those days, as now, the* government and people of France were of the Catholic religion. England, on the other hand, was Protestant. There is a great difference between the Catholic and the Protestant sys- tems. The Catholic Church, though it extendi nearly all over the world, is banded together, as the reader is aware, under one man — the pope — who is the great head of the Church, and who lives in state at Rome. The Catho- lics have, in all countries, many large and splen- did churches, which are ornamented with paint- ings and images of the Virgin Mary and of Christ. They perform great ceremonies in thesti churches, the priests being dressed in magnifi- cent costumes, and v/alking in processions, with censers of incense burning as they go. The Protestants, on the other hand, do not like thesa ceremonies; they regard such outward acts of r/orship as mere useless parade, and the images 1543.] Mary s Childhood. 17 England and France. The Earl of Arraa as idols. They themselves have smaller and plainer churches, and call the people together in them to hear sermons, and to offer up simple prayers. In the time of Mary, England was Protest- ant and France was Catholic, while Scotland was divided, though most of the people were Protestants. The two parties were very much excited against each other, and often persecuted each other with extreme cruelty. Sometimes the Protestants would break into the Catholic churches, and tear down and destroy the paint- ings and the images, and the other symbols of worship, all which the Catholics regarded with extreme veneration ; this exasperated the Cath- olics, and when they became powerful in theii turn, they would seize the Protestants and im- prison them, and sometimes burn them to death, by tying them to a stake and piling fagots of wood about them, and then setting the heap on fire. Queen Mary's mother was a Catholic, and for that reason the people of Scotland were not willing that she should be regent. There were one or two other persons, moreover, who claimed the office. One was a certain nobleman called the Earl of Arran. He was a Protestant. ' The 2 18 Mary Queen of Scots. [154;3. The regency. Arran regent Earl of Arran was the next heir to the crown, so that if Mary had died in her infancy, he would have been king, He thought that this was a reason why he should be regent, and govern the kingdom until Mary became old enough to gov- ern it herself. Many other persons, however, considered this rather a reason why he should not be regent ; for they thought he would be naturally interested in wishing that Mary should not live, since if she died he would himself be- come king, and that therefore he would not be a safe protector for her. However, as the Earl of Arran was a Protestant, and as Mary's moth- er was a Catholic, and as the Protestant inter- est was the strongest, it w^as at length decided that Arran should be the regent, and govern the country until Mary should be of age. It is a curious circumstance that Mary's birth put an end to the war between England and Scotland, and that in a very singular way. The King of England had b-een fighting against Ma- ry's father, James, for a long time, in order to conquer the country and annex it to England ; and now that James v/as dead, and Mary had become queen, wdth Arran for the regent, it de. volved on Arran to carry on the war. But the King of England and his government, now that 1548.J Mary's Childhood. 19 New jilan. End of the war. King Henry VHI. the young queen was born, conceived of a new plan. The king had a little son, named Ed- ward, about four years old, who, of course, would become King of England in his place when he should himself die. Now he thought it would be best for him to conclude a peace with Scot- land, and agree with the Scottish government that, as soon as Mary was old enough, she should become Edward's wife, and the two kingdoms be united in that way. The name of this King of England was Hen- ry the Eighth. He was a very headstrong and determined man. This, his plan, might have been a very good one; it w^as certainly much better than an attempt to get possession of Scot- .and by fighting for it; but he w^as very far from being as moderate and just as he should have been in the execution of his design. The first thing was to ascertain whether Mary was a strong and healthy child; for if ho should make a treaty of peace, and give up all his plans of conquest, and then if Mary, after liv- ing feebly a few years, should die, all his plans would fail. To satisfy him on this point, they actually had some of the infant's clothes re- moved in the presence of his embassador, in or- der that the embassador might see that her form 20 Mary (^ u e e n of S c c r s. [1543 Janet Sinclair. King Henry's demanda was perfect, and her limbs vigorous and strong. The nurse did this with great pride and pleas- ure, Mary's mother standing by. The nurse's name was Janet Sinclair. The embassador wrote back to Hemy, the Kmg of England, that little Mary was "as goodly a child as he ever saw." So King Henry VIII. was confirmed in his design of having her for the wife of his son King Henry VIII. accordingly changed all his plans. He made a peace with the Earl of Ar- ran. He dismissed the prisoners that he had taken, and sent them home kindly. If he had been contented with kind and gentle measures like these, he might have succeeded in them, al- though there was, of course, a strong party in Scotland opposed to them. Mary's mother was opposed to them, for she was a Catholic and a French lady, and she wished to have her daugh- ter become a Catholic as she grew up, and mar- ry a French prince. All the Catholics in Scot- land took her side. Still Henry's plans might have been accomplished, perhaps, if he had been moderate and conciliating in the efforts which ho made to carry them into effect. But Henry VIII. was headstrong and obsti- nate. He demanded that Mary, since she was to be his son's wife, should be given up to him 1643.1 Mark's Childiiooo. Objections to them. Plans for Mary to be taken into England, and educated there, under the care of persons whom he should ap- point. He also demanded that the Parliament of Scotland should let him have a large share in the government of Scotland, because he was going to be the father-in-law of the young queen. The Parliament would not asfree to either of these plans ; they were entirely unwilling to al- low their little queen to be carried off to another country, and put under the charge of so rough and rude a man. Then they were unwilling, too, to give him any share of the government during Mary's minority. Both these measures were entirely inadmissible ; they would, if adopted, have put both the infant Queen of Scotland and the kingdom itself completely in the power of one who had always been their greatest enemy. Henry, finding that he could not induce the fecotch government to accede to these plans, gave them up at last, and made a treaty of marriage between his son and Mary, with the agreement that she might remain in Scotland until she was ten years old, and that then she should come to Eng^land and be under his care. All this time, while these grand negotiations wure pending between two mighty nations about 22 Mary Queen of kScots. [1543 Linlithgow. Plan of the palaco her marriage, little Mary was unconscious of it all, sometimes reposing quietly in Janet Sin- clair's arms, sometimes looking out of the win- dows of the Castle of Linlithgow to see the swans swim upon the lake, and sometimes, per- haps, creeping about upon the palace floor, where the earls and barons who came to visit her moth- er, clad in armor of steel, looked upon her with pride and pleasure. The palace where she lived was beautifully situated, as has been before re- marked, on the borders of a lake. It was ar- ranged somewhat in the following manner : Plan of the Palace of Linlithgow. Churth-yani a. Room whero Mary was born. e. Entrance through great gates. ». Bow-window projecting toward the wator d, IV«n where they ¥opi I lion. 1. 1 Trees. 1543.] Mary's Childhood. 2b Fountain. The Jion's den. There was a beautiful fountain in the center of the court-yard, where water spouted out from the mouths of carved images, and fell into mar- ble basins below. The ruins of this fountain and of the images remain there still. The den at d was a round pit, like a well, which you could look down into from above: it was about ten feet deep. They used to keep lions in such dens near the palaces and castles in those days A lion in a den was a sort of plaything in form- er times, as a parrot or a pet lamb is now : this was in keeping with the fierce and warlike spirit of the age. If they had a lion there in Mary's time, Janet often, doubtless, took her little charge out to see it, and let her throw down food to it from above. The den is there now^ You ap- proach it upon the top of a broad embankment, which is as high as the depth of the den, so that the bottom of the den is level with the sur- face of the ground, which makes it always dry. There is a liole, too, at the bottom, through tho wall, where they used to put the lion in. Tho foregoing plan of the buildings and grounds of Linlithgow is drawn as maps and plans usually are, the upper part toward the north. Of course the room a, where Mary v/as born, is on the western side. The adjoining 24 Mary Queen of Scots. [1543 Explanation of the engraving. The coronatijn, engraving represents a view of the palace on this western side. The church is seen at the right, and the lawn, where Janet used to take Mary out to breathe the air, is in the foreground. The shore of the lake is very near, and winda beautifully around the margin of the promonto- ry on which the palace stands. Of course the lion's den, and the ancient avenue of approach to the palace, are round vipon the other side, and out of sight in this view. The approach to the palace, at the present day, is on the southern side, between the church and the trees on tli^ right of the picture. Mary remained here at Linlithgow for a year or two ; but when she was about nine monthr. old, they concluded to have the great ceremony of the coronation performed, as she was by that time old enough to bear the journey to Stirling Castle, where the Scottish kings and queens were generally crowned. The coronation of a queen is an event which always excites a very deep and universal interest among all persons in the realm ; and there is a peculiar interest felt when, as was the case in this instance, the queen to be crowned is an infant just o'd enough to bear the journey. Ti\ere was a very great interest felt in Mary's coronation. Tlie diffe/- Io4o;] Mary s Ciin.duood. 27 Stirling Castle. Its situation. Rocky hill ent courts and monarchs of Europe sent embas- sadors to be present at the ceremony, and to pay their respects to the infant queen ; and Stir- ling became, for the time being, the center of universal attraction. Stirling is in the very heart of Scotland. It is a castle, built upon a rock, or, rather, upon a rocky hill, which rises like an island out of tho midst of a vast region of beautiful and fertile country, rich and verdant beyond description. Beyond the confines of this region of beauty, dark mountains rise on all sides ; and wherever you are, whether riding along the roads in the plain, or climbing the declivities of the mount- ains, you see Stirling Castle, from every point, capping its rocky hill, the center and ornament of the broad expanse of beauty which sur- rounds it. Stirling Castle is north of Linlithgow, and is distant about fifteen or twenty miles from it. The road to it lies not far from the shores of the Firth of Forth, a broad and beautiful sheet of water. The castle, as has been before remarked, was on the summit of a rocky hill. There are precipitous crags on three sides of the hill, and a gradual approach by a long ascent on the fourth side. At the top of this ascent you enter the iS Mary Queen of Scots [154D The coronation seen 3. Linlithgow and Stirling. great gates of the castle, crossing a broad and Jeep ditch by means of a draw-bridge. You enter then a series of paved courts, with tov/- ers and walls around them, and finally come to the more interior edifices, where the private apartments are situated, and where the little queen was crowned. It Vv^as an occasion of great pomp and cere- mony, though Mary, of course, was unconscious of the meaning of it all. She was surrounded by barons and earls, by embassadors and prin ces from foreign courts, and by the principal lords and ladies of the Scottish nobility, all dressed in magnificent costumes. They held littk Mary up, and a cardinal, that is, a great dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church, plac- ed the crown upon her head. Half pleased with the glittering show, and half frightened at the strange faces which she saw every where around her, she gazed unconsciously upon the scene, while her mother, who could better understand its import, was elated with pride and joy. Linlithgow and Stirling are in the open and cultivated part of Scotland. All the northern and western part of the country consists of vast masses of mountains, with dark and somber glens among them, which are occupied solely 1545. J Mary's Childhood. 20 The Highlands and the Highlanders. Religious disturbance* by shepherds and herdsmen witli their flocks and herds. This mountainous region Avas call- ed the Highlands, and the inhabitants of it wero (lie Highlanders. They were a wild and war- hke class of men, and their country was seldom visited by either friend or foe. At the present time there are beautiful roads all through the Highlands, and stage-coaches and private car- riages roll over them every summer, to talce tourists to see and admire the picturesque and beautiful scenery ; but in the days of Mary the whole region was gloomy and desolate, and al- most inaccessible. Mary remained in Linlithgow and Stirling for about two years, and then, a;> the country vv^as becoming more and more diiiturbed by the struggles of the great contending parties — those who were in favor of the Catholic religion and alliance with France on the one hand, and of those in favor of the Protestant religion and al- liance with England on the other hand — they concluded to send her into the His^hlands foi safety. It was not far into the country of the High- lands that they concluded to send her, but only into the borders of it. There was a small lake on the southern margin of the wild and mount* 30 Mary Queen of Scots. [1546 Lake Menteith, Mary's companions. The four Maries ainous country, called the Lake of Menteith. In this lake was an island named Inchmahome, the word inch being the name for island in the language spoken by the Highlanders. This isl- and, which was situated in a very secluded and solitary region, was selected as Mary's place of residence. She was about four years old when they sent her to this place. Several persons went with her to take care of her, and to teach her. In fact, every thing was pro/ided for her which could secure her improvemxcnt and hap- piness. Her mother did not forget that she would need playmates, and so she selected four little girls of about the same age with the little queen herself, and invited them to accompany her. They were daughters of the noblemen and high officers about the court. It is very singular that these girls were all named Mary Their names in full were as follows : Mary Beaton, Mary Fleming, Mary Livingstone, Mary Seaton. These, with Mary Stuart, which was Queen Mary's name, made five girls of four or five years of age, all named Mary. Mary lived two years in this solitary island 1546.] JVIary^s Childhood. ^l Angry dispiitcs. Chnnge ofplnn. Henrj-'s anger She had, however, all tlie comforts and conven- iences of life, and enjoyed herself with her four JNIaries very much. Of course she knew noth- ing, and thought nothing of the schemes and plans of the great governments for having her married, when she grew up, to the young En- glish prince, who was then a little boy of about her own age, nor of the angry disputes in Scotland to which this subject gave rise. It did give rise to very serious disputes. Mary's mother did not like the plan at all. As she was herself a French lady and a Catholic, she did not wish to have her daughter marry a prince who was of the English royal family, and a Protestant. All the Catholics in Scot- land took her side. At length the Earl of Ar- ran, who was the regent, changed to that side ; and finally the government, being thus brought over, gave notice to King Henry VIII. that the plan must be given up, as they had concluded, on the whole, that Mary should not marry his «on. King Henry was very much incensed. He declared that Mary should marry his son, and he raised an army and sent it into Scotland to make war upon the Scotch again, and compel them to consent to the execution of the plaa 32 Mary C^ue^n of Scots. [1546 Henry's sickness and death. War renewed He was at this time beginning to be sick, but his sickness, instead of softening his temper, only made him the more ferocious and cruel. He turned against his best friends. He grew worse, and was evidently about to die ; but he was so irritable and angry that for a long time no one dared to tell him of his approaching dis- solution, and he lay restless, and wretched, and agitated with political animosities upon his dy ing bed. At length some one ventured to teli him that his end w^as near. When he found that he must die, he resigned himself to his fate. He sent for an archbishop to come and see him, but he was speechless when the prelate came, and soon afterward expired. The English government, however, after his death, adhered to his plan of compelling the Scot«ih to make Mary the wife of his son. They sent an army into Scotland. A great battle v/as fought, and the Scotch were defeated. The battle was fought at a place not far from Edin- burgh, and near the sea. It was so near the sea tliat the English fired upon the Scotch army from their ships, and thus assisted their troops upon the shore. The armies had remained sev- eral days near each other before coming to bat- tle, and during all this time the city of Edin 1548.1 Mary's Childhood. *S'3 Danger in Edinburgh. Aid from France. New plan. burgh svas in a state of great anxiety and sus- pense, as chey expected that their city would be attacked by the English if they should con- quer in the battle. The English army did, in fact, advance toward Edinburgh after the bat- tle was over, and would have got possession of it had it not been for the castle. There is a very strong castle in the very heart of Edin burgh, upon the summit of a rocky hill.'^' These attempts of the English to force the Scotch government to consent to Mary's mai- riage only made them the more determined to prevent it. A great many who were not op- posed to it before, became opposed to it now, when they saw foreign armies in the country destroymg the towns and murdering the people. They said they had no great objection to the match, but that they did not like the mode of wooing. They sent to France to ask the French king to send over an army to aid them, and promised Inm that if he would do so they would agree that Mary should marry his son. His son's name was Francis. The French king was very much pleased with this plan. He sent an army of six thou- eand men into Scotland to assist the Scotch * See the v'ew of Edinburgh, page 179. 8 34 Mary Queen of Scots. [15-18 Going to France. Dumbarton Castle. Rock of Dumbarton against their English enemies. It was arrang- ed, also, as little Mary was now hardly safe among all these commotions, even in her re- treat in the island of Inchmahome, to send her to France to be educated there, and to live there until she was old enough to be married. The same sh.'ps which brought the army from France to Scotland, were to carry Mary and her reti- nue from Scotland to France. The four Maries went with her. They bade their lonely island farewell, and traveled south till they came to a strong castle on a high, rocky hill, on the banks of the River Clyde. The name of this fortress is Dumbar- ton Castle. Almost all the castles of those times were built upon precipitous hills, to in- crease the difficulties of the enemies in ap- proaching them. The Roclc of Dumbarton is a very remarkable one. It stands close to the bank of the river. There are a gi'eat many ships and steam-boats continually passing up and down the Clyde, to and from the great city of Glasgow, and all the passengers on board gaze with great interest, as they sail by, on the Rock of Dumbarton, with the castle walls on the sides, and the towers and battlements crown- ing the summit."^ In Mary's time tliere was 15 IS.] Mary's Childhood. 35 Journey to Dumbarton. Tourieta. River Clyde. comparatively very little shipping on the river , but the French fleet was there, waiting oppo- site the castle to receive Mary and the numer- ous persons who were to go in her train.* Mary was escorted from the island where she had been living, across the country to Dumbar- ton Castle, with a strong retinue. She was now between five and six years of age. She was, of course, too young to know any thing about the contentions and wars which had dis- tracted her country on her account, or to feel * Travelers who visit Scotland from this country at tlir present day, usually land first, at the close of the voyage across the Atlantic, at Liverpool, and there take a Glasgow steamer. Glasgow, which is the great commercial city of Scotland, is on the River Clyde. This river flows northwest to the sea. The steamer, in ascending the river, makes ila way with difficulty along the narrow channel, which, he* sides being narrow and tortiions, is obstructed by boats, ships, steamers, and every other variety of water-craft, such as are always going to and fro in the neighborhood of any great commercial emporium. The tourists, who stand upon the deck gazing at this excit iiig scene of life and motion, have their attention strongly at- tracted, about half way up the river, by this Castle of Dum- barton, which crowns a rocky hill, rising abruptly from the water's edge, on the north side of the stream. It attracts sometimes the more attention from American travelers, on ac- count of its being the first ancient castle they see. This is likely to be the case if they proceed to Scotland immediately on lauaiug at Liverpool. 36 Mary Queen of Scots. [1548 The four Maries. Departure from Scotland much interest in the subject of her approaching departure from her native land. She enjoyed the novelty of the scenes through which she passed on hex journey. She was pleased with the dresses and the arms of the soldiers who ac- companied her, and with the ships which were floating in the river, beneath the walls of the Castle of Dumbarton, v/hen she arrived there. She was pleased, too, to think that, wherever she was to go, her four Maries were to go with her. She bade her mother farewell, embarked on board the ship which was to receive her, and Railed away from her native land, not to return to it again for many years. 1548.] IIek Education in Fkance. 37 Departure. Stormy voyage. Chapter 1 1. Her Education in France. rilHE departure of Mary from Scotland, lit- -°- tie as she was, was a great event both for Scotland and for France. In those days kings and queens were even of greater relative im- portance than they are now, and all Scotland was interested in the young queen's going away from them, and all France in expecting her arrival. She sailed dov/n the Clyde, and then passed along the seas and channels which lie between England and Ireland. These seas, though they look small upon tlie map, are real- ly spacious and wide, and are often greatly agi- tated by winds and storms. This was the case at the time INIary made her voyage. The days and nights were tempestuous and wild, and the ships had difficulty in keeping in each other's company. There was danger of being blown upon the coasts, or upon the rocks or islands which lie in the way. Mary was too young to give much heed to tliese dangers, but the lords and commissioners, and the great ladies whr. 38 Mary Queen of Scots. [1548 Journey to Paris. Release of prisoner*, went to attend her, were heartily glad when the voyage was over. It ended safely at last, after eeveral days of tossing upon the stormy billows, by their arrival upon the northern coast of France. They landed at a town called Brest. The King of France had made great prepara- tions for receiving the young queen immediate- ly upon her landing. Carriages and horses had been provided to convey herself and the com- pany of her attendants, by easy journeys, to Paris. They received her with great pomp and ceremony at every town which she passed through. One mark of respect which they showed her was very singular. The king or- dered that every prison which she passed in her route should be throw^n open, and the prisoner? set free. This fact is a striking illustration of the different ideas which prevailed in those days, compared with those which are enter- tained now, in respect to crime and punish- ment. Crime is now considered as an offense against the community^ and it would be con- sidered no favor to the comimunity, but the re- verse, to let imprisoned criminals go free. In those days, on the other hand, crimes were con- sidered rather as injuries committed by the community, and against the king; so that, if 1548.] llr-R Education in France. 39 Barnbbns. t^t. (lornmiu. Ct'lebrationB. the monarch wished to show the coiniimiiity a favor, he would do it by releasing such of them as had been imprisoned by his oflicers for their crimes. It was just so in the time of our Sa- vior, when the Jews had a custom of having some criminal released to them once a year, at the Passover, by the Roman government, as an act oi favor. That is, the government was ac- customed to furnish, by way of contributing its share toward the general festivities of the occa- sion, the setting of a robber and a murderer at liberty ! The King of France has several palaces in the neighborhood of Paris. Mary was taken to one of them, named St. Germain. This pal- ace, which still stands, is about twelve miles from Paris, toward the northwest. It is a very magnificent residence, and has been for many centuries a favorite resort of the French kings. Many of them were born in it. There are ex- tensive parks and gardens connected with it, and a great artificial forest, in which the trees were all planted and cultivated like the trees of an orchard. Mary was received at this pal- ace with great pomp and parade ; and many spectacles and festivities were arranged to amuso her and the four Maries who accompanied her. 40 Mary Queen of Scots. [1549 The convent. Charai'ler o'' the nuna and to impress her strongly with an idea of the wealth, and power, and splendor of the great country to which she had come. She remained here but a short time, and then it was arranged for her to go to a convent to be educated. Convents were in those days, as in fact they are now, quite famous as places of education. They were situated sometimes in large towns, and sometimes in secluded place? in the country ; but, whether in town or coun- try, the inmates of them were shut up very strictly from all intercourse with the world. They were under the care of nuns who had de» voted themselves for life to the service. These nuns were some of them unhappy persons, who were weary of the sorrows and sufferings of the world, and who were glad to retire from it to such a retreat as they fancied the convent would be. Others became nuns from conscientious principles of duty, thinking that they should commend themselves to the favor of God by devoting their lives to works of benevolence and to the exercises of rehgion. Of course there were all varieties of character among the nuns J gome of them were selfish and disagreeable, others were benevolent and kind. At the convent where Mary was sent thero 1550.] Her Education in Fraixck. 41 interest in Mary. Leaving the convent were some nuns of veyy excellent and arniabln character, and they took a great interest in IMary, both because she was a queen, and be- cause she was beautiful, and of a kind and affectionate disposition. Mary became very strongly attached to these nuns, and began to entertain the idea of becoming a nun herself, and spending her life with them in the con- vent. It seemed pleasant to her to live there in such a peaceful seclusion, in company with tliose who loved her, and whom she herself loved ^ l)ut the King of France, and the Scottish no- bles who had come with her fi'om Scotland, would, of course, be opposed to any such plan. They intended her to be married to the young prince, and to become one of the great ladies of the court, and to lead a life of magnificence and splendor. They became alarmed, there- fore, when they found that she was imbibing a taste for the life of seclusion and solitude which is led by a nun. They decided to take her im- mediately away. Mary bade farewell to the convent and its m- mates with much regret and many tears ; but, notwithstanding her reluctance, she was obliged to submit. If she had not been a queen, slie might, perhaps, have had her own w^ay. As it m Mary Queen of Scots. [1550 Amusements. Visit of Mary's mother was, however, she was obliged to leave the con- vent and the nuns whom she loved, and to go back to the palaces of the king, in which she afterward continued to live, sometimes in one and sometimes in another, for many years. Wherever she went, she was surrounded with scenes of great gayety and splendor. They wished to obliterate from her mind all recollec- tions of the convent, and all love of solitude and seclusion. They did not neglect her stud- ies, but they filled up the intervals of stady with all possible schemes of enjoyment and pleasure, to amuse and occupy her mind and the minds of her companions. Her companions were her own four Maries, and the two daughters of the French kinsf. When Mary was about seven years of age, that is, after she had been two years in France, her mother formed a plan to come from Scot- land to see her. Her mother had remained be- hmd when Mary left Scotland, as she had an important part to perform in public affairs, and in the administration of the government of Scot- land while Mary was away. She wanted, how- ever, to come and see her. France, too, was her own native land, and all her relations and friends resided there. Slie wished to see them 1550.1 Her P^dcjcation in France. 4JJ Queen dowager. Rouen. A happy meeting, as well as Mary, and to revisit once more tho palaces and cities where her own early life had been spent. In speaking of Mary's mother wo shall call her sometimes the queen dowager. The expression queen dowager is the one usu- ally applied to the widow of a king, as queen consort is used to denote the ivife of a king. This visit of the queen dowager of Scotland to her little daughter in France was an event of great consequence, and all the arrangements for carrymg it into effect were conducted with great pomp and ceremony. A large company attended her, with many of the Scottish lords and ladies among them. The King of France, too, went from Paris toward the French coast, to meet the party of visitors, taking little Mary and a large company of attendants with him. They went to Rouen, a large city not far from the coast, where they awaited the arrival of Mary's mother, and where they received her with great ceremonies of parade and rejoicing. The queen regent was very much delighted to see her little daughter again. She had grown two years older, and had improved greatly in every respect, and tears of joy came into her mother's eyes as she clasped her in her arms. The two parties journeyed in company to Paris, 44 Mary Queen of Scots. [1550 Rejoicings. A last farewell Visit to a mourner and entered the city with great rejoicings. The two queens, mother and daughter, were the ob- jects of universal interest and attention. Feasty and celebrations without end were arranged for them, and every possible means of amusement and rejoicing were contrived in the palaces of Paris, of St. Germain's, and of Fontainebleau. Mary's mother remained in France about a year. She then bade Mary farewell, leaving her at Fontainebleau. This proved to be a final farewell, for she never saw her again. After taking leave of her daughter, the queen dowager went, before leaving France, to see her own mother, who was a widow, and who was livinsf at a considerable distance from Paris in o seclusion, and in a state of austere and melan- choly grief, on account of the loss of her hus- band. Instead of forgetting her sorrows, as she ought to have done, and returning calmly and peacefully to the duties and enjoyments of life, she had given herself up to inconsolable grief, and was doing all she could to perpetuate the mournful influence of her sorrows. She lived in an ancient and gloomy mansion, of vast size, and she had hung all the apartments in black, to make it still more desolate and gloomy, and to continue the infiuence of grief upop. her mind 1550.] Her Education in France 45 The queen dowager's return. The regency Here the queen dowager found her, spending her time in prayers and austerities of every kind, making herself and all her family perfcs^t ly miserable. Many persons, at the present day , act, under such circumstances, on the same prin- ciple and with the same spirit, though they do not do it perhaps in precisely the same way. One would suppose that Mary's mother woukl have preferred to remain in France with her daughter and her mother and all her family friends, instead of going back to Scotland, where she was, as it were, a foreigner and a stranger. The reason why she desired to go back was,, that she wished to be made queen recent, and thus have the government of Scotland in hei own hands. She w^ould rather be queen re gent in Scotland than a simple queen mothei in France. While she was in France, she urged the king to use all his influence to have Arran resign his regency into her hands, and finally obtained writings from him and from Queen Mary to this effect. She then left France and went to Scotland, going through England on the way. The young King of England, to whom Mary had been engaged by the govern- ment when she was an mfant in Janet Sin- clair's arms, renewed his proposals to the queen 46 Mary Queen of Scots. [1550 A page of honor. Sir James Melville. dowager to let her daughter become his wife ; but she told him that it was all settled that she was to be married to the French prince, and tjiat it was now too late to change the plan. There was a young gentleman, about nineteen or twenty years of age, who came from Scot- land also, not far from this time, to wait upon Mary as her page of honor. A page is an at- tendant above the rank of an ordinary servant vvliose business it is to wait upon his mistress, to read to her, sometimes to convey her letters and notes, and to carry her commands to the other attendants who are beneath him in rank and whose business it is actually to perform tho services which the lady requires. A page of honor is a young gentleman who sustains this office in a nominal and temporary manner for a princess or a queen. The name of Mary's page of honor, who came to her now from Scotland, was Sir James Mel- ville. The only reason for mentioning him thus particularly, rather than the many other officers and attendants by whom Mary was surrounded was, that the service which he thus commenced was continued in various ways through the whole period of Mary's life. We shall often hear of him in ti o subsequent parts of this nar- 15^50.] IIer Education in France. 47 Mary'a character. Her diligence. Devices and niottoea rative. He followed Mary to Scotland wlieii she returned to that country, and became after- ward her secretary, and also her embassador on many occasions. He Avas now quite young, and when he landed at Brest he traveled slowly to Paris in the care of two Scotchmen, to whose charge he had been intrusted. He was a young man of uncommon talents and of great accom- {jlishments, and it was a mark of high distinc- tion for him to be appointed page of honor to the queen, although he was about nineteen years of age and she was but seven. After the queen regent's return to Scotland, Mary went 'on improving in every respect more and more. She was diligent, industrious, and tractable. She took a great interest in hei studies. She was not only beautiful in person, and amiable and afiectionate in heart, but she possessed a very intelligent and active mind; and she entered with a sort of quiet but earn- est enthusiasm into all the studies to which hei attention v/as called. She paid a great deal of attention to music, to poetry, and to drawing She used to invent little devices for seals, with French and Latin mottoes, and, after drawing them again and again with great care, until she was satisfied with the design, she would give 4?5 Mary Queen of Scots. [1550 Fcs^Titibs. Water partica them to the gem-engravers to be cut upon stono seals, so that she could seal her letters with them. These mottoes and devices can not well be represented in English, as the force and beau- ty of them depended generally upon a double meaning in some word of French or Latin, which can not be preserved in the translation. We shall, however, give one of these seals, which she made just before she left France, to return to Scotland, when vve come to that period of her history. The King of France, and the lords and ladies who came with Mary from Scotland, contrived a great many festivals and celebrations in the parks, and forests, and palaces, to auiuse the queen and the four Maries who were with her The daughters of the French king joined, also, in these pleasures. They would have little balls, and parties, and pic-nics, sometimes in the open air, sometimes in the little summer-houses built upon the grounds attached to the palaces. Tlie scenes of these festivities were in many cases made unusually joyous and gay by bon- fires and illuminations. They had w^ater par- ties on the little lakes, and hunting parties through the parks and forests. Mary was a very grace Tul and beautiful rider, and full of 1555.] Her Education in Franoe. 49 Hunting. An accident. Restraint c'ouras^e. Sometimes she met with accidents which were attended with some danger. Once, while hmiting the stag, and riding at full speed with a great company of ladies and gentlemen behind her and before her, her dress got caught by the bough of a tree, and she was pulled to the ground. The horse went on. Several oth- er riders drove by her without seeing her, as she had too much composure and fortitude to attract their attention by outcries and lamenta- tions. They saw her, however, at last, anc( came to her assistance. They brought back her horse, and, smoothing down her hair, which had fallen into confusion, she mounted again, and rode on after the stag as before. ISTotwithstanding all these means of enjoy- ment and diversion, Mary was subjected to a great deal of restraint. The rules of eticpette are very precise and very strictly enforced in ro3'al households, and they were still more strict ill those days than they are now. The king was very ceremonious in all his arrangements, and was surroun led by a multitude of officers who performed every thing by rule. As Mary grew older, she was subjected to greater and greater restraint. She used to spend a consid- erable portion of every day in the apartments 4 50 Mary Queen of Scots [1555 viueen Catharine. Her character. ' Embroidery of Queen Catharine, the wife of the King of France and the mother of the little Francis tc whom she was to be married. Mary and Queen Catliarine did not, however, like each other very well. Catharine was a woman of strong mind and of an imperious disposition ; and it is sup- posed by some that she was jealous of Mary because she was more beautiful and accom- plished and more generally beloved than her own daughters, the princesses of France. At any rate, she treated Mary in rather a stern and haughty manner, and it was thought that she would finally oppose her marriage to Fran- cis her son. And yet Mary was at first very much pleas- ed with Queen Catharine, and was accustomed to look up to her with great admiration, and to feel for her a very sincere regard. She often went into the queen's apartments, where they sat together and talked, or worked upon their embroidery, which was a famous amusement for ladies of exalted rank in those days. Mary herself at one time worked a large piece, which she sent as a present to the nuns in the con- vent where she had resided ; and afterward, in Scotland, she worked a great many things, sjome of which still remain, and may be scon in i555.] Her Education in France. 51 Mary's admiration of Queen Cathnrine. The latter suspicious her ancient rooms in the palace of Holyrood House. She learned this art by working with Queen Catharine in her apartments. "When she first became acquainted with Catharine on these occasions, slic used, to love her society. She admired her talents and her conversational powers, and she liked very much to be in her room. She listened to all she said, watched her movements, and endeavored in all things to follow her ex8:mple. Catharine, however, thought that this wa> all a pretense, and that Mary did not really like her, but only wished to make her believe that she did so in order to get favor, or to ac- complish some other selfish end. One day she dsked her why she seemed to prefer her society to that of her youthful and more suitable com- panions. Mary replied, in substance, " The reason was, that though with them she might enjoy much, she could learn nothing : while she always learned from Queen Catharine's conver- sation something which would be of use to her as a guide in future life." One would have thought that this answer wouJ 1 have pleased the queen, but it did not. She did not believe that it was sincere. On one occasion Mary seriously offended tha 52 Mary Queen of Scots. [i555, Unguarded remark. Catharine's mortification. The dauphin queen by a remark which she made, and which was, at least, incautious. Kings and queens, and, in fact, all great people in Europe, pride themselves very much upon the antiquity of the line from which they have descended. Now the family of Queen Catharine had risen to rank and distinction within a moderate period ; and though she was, as Queen of France, on the very pinnacle of human greatness, she would naturally be vexed at any remark which would remind her of the recentness of her elevation. Now Mary at one time said, in conversation in the presence of Queen Catharine, that she her- self was the descendant of a hundred kings This was perhaps true, but it brought her into direct comparison with Catharine in a point in which the latter was greatly her inferior, and it vexed and mortified Catharine very much to have such a thing said to her by such a child. Mary associated thus during all this time, not only with the queen and the princesses, but also with the little prince whom she was des- tined to marry. His name was Francis, but he was commonly called the dauphin, which was the name by which the oldest son of the King of France was then, and has been since designated T!)e orio:in of this custom was this 1555.] Her Educatiun in France. 53 Ori^'in of tlie title. Character of FranclR About a liimdrecl years before the time of which we are speaking, a certain nobleman of high rank, who possessed estates in an ancient prov- ince of France called Dauphiny, lost his son and heir. He was overwhelmed with affliction at the loss, and fmally bequeathed all his es- tates to the king and his successors, on condi- tion that the oldest son should bear the title of Dauphin. The grant was accepted, and the oldest son was accordingly so styled from that time forward, from generation to generation. The dauphin, Francis, was a weak and fee- ble child, but he was amiable and gentle in his manners, and Mary liked him. She met him often in their walks and rides, and she danced with him at the balls and parties given for her amusement. She knew that he w^as to be her husband as soon as she was old enough to be married, and he knew that she was to be liis wife. It was all decided, and nothing which either of them could say or do would have any influence on the result. Neither of them, how- ever, seem to have had any desire to change tho result, Mary pitied Francis on account of hi^ feeble health, and liked his amiable and gentle flisposition ; and Francis could not help loviiig 54 Mary Queen of Scots. [1555 Mary's bcanty. Torch-light procession. An aEgel Mary, both on account of the traits of her char, acter and her personal charms. As Mary advanced in years, she grew very beautiful. In some of the great processions and ceremonies, the ladies were accustomed to walk, magnificently dressed and carrying torches in their hands. In one of these processions Mary was moving along with the rest, through a crowd of spectators, and the light from her torch fell upon her features and upon her hair in such a manner as to make her appear more beauti- ful than usual. A woman, standing there, pressed up nearer to her to view her more close- ly, and, seeing how beautiful she was, asked her if she was not an angel. In those dayS; however, people believed in what is miraculous and supernatural more easily than now, so that it was not very surprising that one should think, in such a case, that an angel from Heaven had come down to join in the procession. Mary grew up a Catholic, of course : all were Catholics around her. The king and all tho royal family were devoted to Catholic observ- ances. The convent, the ceremonies, the daily religious observances enjoined upon her, the splendid churches which she frequented, al] tended in their influence to lead her mind away 155(3.] Her Education in France. 5C) Mary a Catholic. lU r conscientiousness anil fidelity from the Protestant religion which prevailed m her native land, and to make her a Catholic : she remained so throughout her life. There ia no doubt that she was conscientious in her at- tachment to the forms and to the spirit of the Roman Church. At any rate, she was faithful to the ties wliicli her early education imposed upon her, and this fidelity became afterward the source of some of her heaviest calamities ind woes. 56 Mary Queen of Scots. [1558 Hastening the wedding. Reasons for it W Chapter III. The Great Wedding. HEN Mary was about fifteen years of age, the King of France began to think that it was time for her to be married. It is true that she was still very young, but there were strong reasons for having the marriage take place at the earliest possible period, for fear that something might occur to prevent its consummation at all. In fact, there were very strong parties opposed to it altogether. The whole Protestant interest in Scotland were op- posed to it, and were continually contriving plans to defeat it. They thought that if Mary married a French prince, who was, of course, a Catholic, she would become wedded to the Cath- olic interest hopelessly and forever. This made them feel a most bitter and determined oppo- sition to the plan. In fact, so bitter and relentless were the an- imosities that grew out of this question, that an attempt was actually made to poison Mary. The man who committed this crime was an archer in the king's guard : he was a Sootcii 1558.] The Great Wedding. Attempt to poison Mary. Tho Guises. Catharine's jealousy. man, and his name was Stewart. His attempt was discovered in time to prevent the accom- plishment of his purpose. He was tried and condenmed. They made every effort to induce him to explain the reason which led him to such an act, or, if he was employed by others, to re- veal their names ; but he would reveal nothing. He was executed for his crime, leaving man- kind to conjecture that his motive, or that of the persons who instigated him to the deed, was a desperate determmation to save Scotland, at all hazards, from falling under the influence of papal power. Mary's mother, the queen dowager of Scot- land, was of a celebrated French family, called the family of Guise. She is often, herself, called in history, Mary of Guise. There were other great families in France who were very jealous of the Guises, and envious of their influence and power. They opposed Queen Mary's mar- riage to the dauphin, and were ready to do all in their power to thwart and defeat it. Queen Catharine, too, who seemed to feel a greater and greater degree of envy and jealousy against Mary as she saw her increasing in grace, beau ty, and influence with her advancing years, was supposed to be averse to the marriage 58 Mary CJ,uei;n of Scots. [1558 Cc-mraissioners from Scotland. Pn;liminariea Mary was, in some sense, her rival, and she could not bear to have her become the Vv^ife oi her son. King Henry, finding all these opposing influ- ences at work, thought that the safest plan would be to have the marriage carried into ef. feet at the earliest possible period. When, therefore, Mary was about fifteen years of age, which was in 1557, he sent to Scotland, asking the government there to appoint some commis- sioners to come to France to assent to the mar riage contracts, and to witness the ceremonies of the betrothment and the wedding. The mar- riage contracts, in the case of the union of a queen of one country with a prince of another, are documents of very high importance. It is considered necessary not only to make very formal provision for the personal welfare and comfort of the wife during her married life, and during her widowhood in case of the death of her husband, but also to settle beforehand the questions of succession which might arise out of the marriage, and to define precisely the rights and powers both of the husband and the wife, in the two countries to which they re- spectively belong. The Parliament of Scotland appointed a nuin' 1558.] Tin: Great Wedding. 59 Stipulations. Plan of Ilonry to evade them. ber of conimissionersj of the highest rank and station, to proceed to France, and to act there as the representatives of Scotland in every thing which pertained to the marriage. They charged them to guard well the rights and powers of INIary, to see that these rights and all the inter- ests of Scotland were well protected in the mar- riage contracts, and to secure proper provision for the personal comfort and happiness of the queen. The number of these commissioners was eight. Their departure from Scotland was an event of great public importance. They were accompanied by a large number of at- tendants and followers, wlio were eager to be present in Paris at the marriage festivities. The whole company arrived safely at Paris, and were received with every possible mark of distinction and honor. The marriage contracts were drawn up, and executed with great formality. King Henry made no objection to any of the stipulations and provisions which the commissioners required, for lie had a secret plan for evading them all Very ample provision was made for Mary herself. She was to have a very large income. In case the dauphin died while he was dauphin, leaving Maiy a widow, she was still to have a large in- 60 Mary Queen op Scots. [155S Marriage pottlement. Secret papora come paid to her by the French government as long as she lived, whether she remained in France or went back to Scotland. If her hus- band outlived his father, so as to become King of France, and then died, leaving Mary his wid- ow, her income for the rest of her life was to be double what it would have been if he had died while dauphin. Francis was, in the mean time, to share with her the government of Scot- land. If they had a son, he was to be, after their deaths. King of France and of Scotland too. Thus the two crowns would have been united. If, on the other hand, they had only daughters, the oldest one was to be Queen of Scotland only, as the laws of France did not al- low a female to inherit the throne. In case they had no children, the crown of Scotland was not to come into the French family at all, but to descend regularly to the next Scotch heir. Henry was not satisfied with this entirely, for he wanted to secure the union of the Scotch and French crowns at all events, whether Mary had children or not ; and he persuaded Mary to sign some papers with him privately, which he thought would secure his purposes, charging her not to let the commissioners know that she had signed them. He thought it possible tha* 1558. 1 T II E G R E AT VV E i> I) 1 N (J (Jl Their contents. Ceremoniea. he should never have occasion to produce them, One of these papers conveyed the crown of Scot- land to the King of France absolutely and for- ever, in case Mary should die without children. Another provided that the Scotch government should repay him for the enormous sums he haxl expended upon Mary during her residence in France, for her education, her attendants, the celebrations and galas which he had provided for her, and all the splendid journeys, proces- sions, and parades. His motive in all this ex- pense had been to unite the crown of Scotland to that of France, and he wished to provide that if any thing should occur to prevent the execu- tion of his plan, he could have all this money reimbursed to him again. He estimated the amount at a million of pieces of gold. This was an enormous sum : it shows on how magnifi cent a scale Mary's reception and entertain ment in France were managed. These preliminary proceedings being settled, all Paris, and, in fact, all France, began to pre- pare for the marriage celebrations. There were to be two great ceremonies connected w^ith the occasion. The first was the betrothment, tho second was the marriage. At the betrothment F'-ancis and Mary were to meet in a great pub- 62 Mary (c^ueen of Scots. [1558 The betrothal. The Loavre. lie hali, and there, in the presence of a smal and select assemblage of the lords and ladies of the court, and persons of distinction connected with the royal family, they were formally and solemnly to engage themselves to each other. Then, in about a week afterward, they were to be married, in the most public manner, in the great Cathedral Church of Notre Dame. The ceremony of the betrothal was celebratee m the palace. The palace then occupied by the royal family was the Louvre. It still stands, but is no longer a royal dwelling. An- other palace, more modern in its structure, and called the Tuilleries, has since been built, a lit- tle farther from the heart of the city, and in a more pleasant situation. The Louvre is square, with an open court in the center. This open court or area is very large, and is paved like the streets. In fact, two great carriage ways pass through it, crossing each other at right angles in the center, and passing out under great arch- ways in the four sides of the build- ing. There is a large hall within the palace, and in this hall the ceremony of the betrothal took place. Francis and Mary pledged tlieir faith to front being toward the river, with a broad street between. There are no buildings, but only a parapet wall on the river side of the street, so that there is a fine view of the river and of the bridges which cross it, from the palace windows. Nearly opposite the Louvre is an island, cover- ed with edifices, and connected, by means of bridges, with either shore. The great church of Notre Dame, where the marriage ceremony was to be performed, is upon this island. It has two enormous square towers in front, which may be seen, rising above all the roofs of the city, at a great distance in every direction. Before the church is a large open area, where, vast crowds assemble on any great occasion. The interior of the church impresses the mind with the sublimest emotions. Two rows of enormous columns rise to a great height on either hand, supporting the lofty arches of the roof. The floor is paved with great flat stones, and resounds continually with tlie footsteps of visitors, who \^"alk to and fro, up and down the t)4 Mary Queen of Scots. [1558 Amphitheater. Covered gallery. aisles, looking at the chapels, the monuments, the sculptures, the paintings, and the antique and grotesque images and carvings. Colored light streams through the stained glass of tho enormous windows, and the tones of the organ, and the voices of the priests, chanting the ser- vice of the mass, are almost always resounding and echoing from the vaulted roof above. The words Notre Dame mean Our Lady, an expression by which the Roman Catholics de- note Mary, the mother of Jesus. The church of Notre Dame had been for many centuries the vast cathedral church of Paris, where all great ceremonies of state were performed. On this occasion they erected a great amphitheater in the area before the church, which would accom- modate many thousands of the spectators who were to assemble, and enable them to see tho procession. The bride and bridegroom, and their friends, were to assemble in the bishop's palace, which was near the Cathedral, and a covered gallery was erected, leading from this palace to the church, through v/hich the bridal party were to enter. They lined this gallery throughout with purple velvet, and ornamt-nted it in other ways, so as to make the approach to the church through it inconceivably splend/d. LooS.] The Great Wedding. 6c ITbe procession. Mary's ilresa Crowds began to collect in the great amphi- theater earl}^ in the morning. The streets lead- ing to Notre Dame were thronged. Every win- dow in all the lofty buildings around, and every balcony, w^as full. From ten to twelve the mil- itary bands began to arrive, and the long pro- cession was formed, the different parties being dressed in various picturesque costumes. The embassadors of various foreign potentates were present, each bearing their appropriate insig- nia. The legate of the pope, magnificently dressed, had an attendant bearing before him a cross of massive gold. The bridegroom, Fran- cis the dauphin, followed this legate, and soon afterward came Mary, accompanied by the king She was dressed in white. Her robe was em- broidered with the figure of the lily, and it glit- tered wdtli diamonds and ornaments of silver As was the custom in those days, her dress formed a long train, which was borne by two young girls who walked behind her. She wore a diamond necklace, wdth a ring of immense ■^alue suspended from it, and upon her head was a golden coronet, enriched with diamonds and gems of inestimable value. But the dress and the diamonds which Mary wore were not the chief points of attraction U 66 Mary Queen of Scots. [1558 Appearance of Mary. Wedding ring, the spectators. All who were present on thfi occasion agree in saying that she looked inex pressibly beautiful, and that there was an in- describable grace and charm in all her move- ments and manner, which filled all who saw her with an intoxication of delif^ht. She was art- less and unaffected in her m-anners, and Jiei countenance, the expression of which w^as gen- erally placid and calm, was lighted up with the animation and interest of the occasion, so as to make every body envy the dauphin the posses- sion of so beautiful a bride. Queen Catharme, and a long train of the ladies of the court, fol- lowed in the procession after Mary. Every body thought that she felt envious and ill at ease. The essential thing in the marriage ceremony was to be the puttmg of the wedding ring upon Mary's finger, and the pronouncing of the nup- tial benediction which was immediately to fol low it. This ceremony was to be performed by the Archbishop of Rouen, who was at that time the greatest ecclesiastical dignitary in France In order that as many persons as possible might witness this, it was arranged that it should bo performed at the great door of the church, so aa ti) be in view of the immense throng whicli had 1558] The Great Wedding. 67 Movemeut of the procession. Largee* assembled in the amphitheater erected in the area, and of the multitudes which had taken their positions at the windows and balconies, and on the house-tops around. The procession, accordingly, having entered the church through the covered gallery, moved along the aisles and came to the great door. Here a royal pavilion had been erected, where the bridal party could stand in view of the whole assembled multi- tude. King Henry had the ring. He gave it to the archbishop. The archbishop placed it upon Mary's finger, and pronounced the benediction in a loud voice. The usual congratulations fol- lowed, and Mary greeted her husband under the name of his majesty the King of Scotland. Then the whole mighty crowd rent the air with shouts and acclamations. It was the custom in those days, on such great public occasions as this, to scatter money among the crowd, that they might scramble for it. This was called the king's largess; and the largess was pompously proclaimed by her lids before the money was thrown. The throw- ing of the money among this immense throng produced a scene of indescribable confusioiL The people precipitated themselves upon each other in their eagerness to seize the silver and 68 Mary Queen of Scots. [1558 Coil fusion. The choir. Maaa the gold. Some were trampled under foot. Some were stripped of their hats and cloaks, or had their clothes torn from them. Some faint- ed, and were borne out of the scene with infi- nite difficulty and danger. At last the people clamorously begged the officers to desist from throwing any more money, for fear that the most serious and fatal consequences might ensue. In the mean time, the bridal procession re- turned into the church, and, advancing up the center between the lofty columns, they came to a place called the choir, which is in the heart of the church, and is inclosed by screens of carved and sculptured work. It is in the choir that congregations assemble to be present at mass and other religious ceremonies. Mova- ble seats are placed here on ordinary occasions, but at the time of this wedding the place was fitted up with great splendor. Here mass was performed in the presence of the bridal party. Mass is a solemn ceremony conducted by the priests, in which they renew, or think they re- new, the sacrifioe of Christ, accompanied with offerings of incense, and other acts of adoration, and the chanting of solemn hymns of praise. At tlie close of tlese services the procession 155S.] The Grkat Wkddinu. oy iletiuii of the procession. Collation. Ball moved again down the church, and, issuing forth at the great entrance, it passed around upon a spacious platform, where it could be seen to ad- vantage by all the spectators. Mary was the center to which all eyes wore turned. She moved along, the very picture of grace and beau- ty, the two young girls who followed her bear- ing her train. The procession, after completing its circuit, returned to the church, and thence, through the covered gallery, it moved back to the bishop's palace. Here the company partook of a grand collation. After the collation there v/as a ball, but the ladies were too much em- barrassed with their magnificent dresses to be able to dance, and at five o'clock the royal fam- ily returned to their home. Mary and Queen Catharine went together in a sort of palanquin, borne by men, high officers of state walking on each side. The king and the dauphin followed on horseback, with a large company in their train; but the streets were every where so crowded with eager spectators that it was with extreme difficulty that they were able to make their way. The palace to which the party went to spend the evening was fitted up and illuminated in the most splendid manner, and a variety of most 70 Mary Queen of Scots. [1558 Evening's entertainments. A tournament curious entertainments had been contrived for the amusement of the company. There were twelve artificial horses, made to move by in- ternal mechanism, and splendidly caparisoned The children of the company, the little princes and dukes, mounted these horses and rode around the arena. Then came in a company of men dressed like pilgrims, each of whom re- cited a poem written in honor of the occasion. After this was an exhibition of galleys, or boats, upon a little sea. These boats were large enough to bear up two persons. There were two seats in each, one of which was occupied by a young gentleman. As the boats advanced, one by one, each gentleman leaped to the shore, or to what represented the shore, and, going among the com- pany, selected a lady and bore her off to his boat, and then, seating her in the vacant chair, took his place by her side, and continued his voyage. Francis was in one of the boats, and he, on coming to the shore, took Mary for his companion. The celebrations and festivities of this famous wedding continued for fifteen days. They closed with a grand tournament. A tournament was a very magnificent spectacle in those days, A field was inclosed, in which lyings, and prmces. 1558.] The Great Wedding. 71 Rank of the c(>mbatants. I «nce^ and knights, fully armed, and mounted on wa' • horses, tilted against each other with lances au'] blunted swords. Ladies of high rank were pres > ?nt as specta'tors and judges, and one was ap- pointed at each tournament to preside, and to dis- tribute the honors and rewards to those who were most successful in the contests. The great- est possible degree of deference and honor was paid to the ladies by all the knights on these occasions. Once, at a tournament in London, arranged by a king of England, the knights and noblemen rode in a long procession to the field, each led by a lady by means of a silver chain. It was a great honor to be admitted to a share in these contests, as none but persons of the high- est rank were allowed to take a part in them Whenever one was to be held, invitations were sent to all the courts of Europe, and kings, queens, and sovereign princes came to witness the spectacle. The horsemen who contended on these occa- sions carried long lances, blunt, indeed, at the end, so that they could not penetrate the armor of the antagonist at which they were aimed, but yet of such weight that the momentum of the blow was sometimes sufficient to unhorso nim The great object of every combatant was, 72 Mary Queen of Scots. [1558 Rapid evolutions. Tourner. Francis's feeblenesa accordingly, to protect himself from this clanger. Hg must turn his horse suddenly, and avoid the lance of his antagonist ; or he must strike it with his own, and thus parry the blow : or if he must encounter it, he was to brace himself firm- ly in his saddle, and resist its impulse with all tlie strength that he could command. It re- quiredj therefore, great strength and great dex- terity to excel in a tournament. In fact, the ra- pidity of the evolutions which it required gave oris^in to the name, the word tournament beinj^ formed from a French word* which signifies to turn. The princes and noblemen who were present at the wedding all joined in the tournament except the poor bridegroom, who was too weak and feeble in body, and too timid in mind, for any such rough and warlike exercises. Fran- cis was very plain and unprepossessing in coun- tenance, and shy and awkward in his manners. His health had always been very infii'm, and though his rank was very high, as he was the lieir apparent to what was then the greatest tlirone in Europe, every body thought that in ?iU other respects he was unfit to be tlie hiis« • Tourner. 1558.] The Great Weddino. 73 Miiry's luvo for him. He retires to the country band of such a beautiful and accomplished prin cess as Mary. lie was timid, shy, and anxious and unliappy in disposition. He knew that the gay and warlike spirits around him could not look upon him with respect, and he felt a pain- ful sense of his inferiority. Mary, however, loved him. It was a love, perhaps, mingled with pity. She did not as- sume an air of superiority over him, but en- deavored to encourage him, to lead him for- ward, to inspire him with confidence and hope, and to make him feel his own strensrth and val- ue. She was herself of a sedate and thought- ful character, and with all her intellectual su- periority, she was characterized by that femi- nine gentleness of spirit, that disposition to fol- low and to yield rather than to govern, that de- sire to be led and to be loved rather than to lead and be admired, which constitute the high- fvst charm of woman. Francis was glad when the celebrations, tournament and all, were well over. He set olT from Paris with his young bride to one of his country residences, where he could live, for a while, in peace and quietness. Mary was re* leased, in some degree, from the restraints, and formalities, and rules of etiquette of King Hon- 74 Mary Queln of Scots. [1558 Rejoicings in Scotland- Mons Meg. Large ball ry's court, and was, to some extent, her own mistress, though still surrounded with many attendants, and much parade and splendor. The young couple thus commenced the short period of their married life. They were cer- tainly a very young couple, being both of them under sixteen. The rejoicings on account of the marriage were not confined to Paris. All Scotland cele- brated the event with much parade. The Catli olio party there were pleased with the final con- summation of the event, and all the people, in fact, joined, more or less, in commemora- ting the marriage of their queen. There is in the Castle of Edinburgh, on a lofty platform which overlooks a broad valley, a monstrous gun, several centuries old, which was formed of bars of u*on secured by great iron hoops. The balls which this gun carried are more than a foot in diameter. The name of this enormous piece of ordnance is Mons Meg. It is now dis- abled, having been burst, many years a^o, and injured beyond the possibility of repair There were great rejoicings in Edinburgh at the timo of Mary's marriage, and from some old accounts which still remain at the castle, it appears that t^.n shillings were paid to some men for moving 1558.] The (treat Wedding. 75 Celebration of Mary's marriage. up Mons Meg to the embrasure of the battery, and for finding and bringing back her shot after she was discharged ; by which it appears that firing Mons Meg was a part of the celebration by which the people of Edinburgh honored the marriage of tlieir queen. 76 Mary Queen of Scot-? [1559 Mary's love for Francis. How to cherish tlio passlaa Chapter IV. Misfortunes. T was said in the last chapter that Mar} loved her husband, infirm and feeble as he was both in body and in mind. This love was probably the effect, quite as much as it was the cause, of the kindness which she showed him. As we are very apt to hate those whom we have injured, so we almost instinctively love those who have in any way become the objects of our kindness and care. If any wife, therefore, wish- es for the pleasure of loving her husband, or which is, perhaps, a better supposition, if any husband desires the happiness of loving his wife, conscious that it is a pleasure which he does not now enjoy, let him commence by making her the object of his kind attentions and care, and love will spring up in the heart as a con- sequence of the kind of action of which it m more commonly the cause. About a year passed away, when at length another great celebration took place 'in Paris, to hon«r the marriages of some other members of 1559.1 MiSFORTUNi<:s. 77 Cirand tournament. Henry's pride. King Henry's family. One of them was Fran- cis's oldest sister. A grand tournament was arranged on this occasion too. The place for this tournament was where the great street of St. Antoine now lies, and which may be found on any map of Paris. A very large concourse of kings and nobles from all the courts of Eu- rope were present. King Henry, magnificently dressed, and mounted on a superb war-horse, was a very prominent figure in all the parades of the occasion, though the actual contests and trials of skill which took place were between younger princes and knights. King Henry and the ladies being generally only spectators and judges. He, however, took a part himself on one or two occasions, and received great ap- plause. At last, at the end of the third day, just as the tournament was to be closed. King Henry was riding around the field, greatly excited with the pride and pleasure which so magnificent a spectacle was calculated to awaken, when ho saw two lances still remaining which had not been broken. The idea immediately seized him of making one more exhibition of his own power and dexterity in such contests. He took one of the lances, and, directing a high officer who was 78 Mary Queen of Scots. [1559 &.n encounter. The helmet. The vizor riding near him to take the other, he challenged him to a trial of skill. The name of this offi- cer was Montgomery. Montgomery at first de- clined, being unwilling to contend with his king. The king insisted. Queen Catharine begged that he would not contend again. Accidents sometimes happened, she knew, in these rough encounters ; and, at any rate, it terrified her to see her husband exposed to such dangers. The other lords and ladies, and Francis and Queen Mary particularly, joined in these expostula- tions. But Henry was inflexible. There was no danger, and, smiling at their fears, he com- manded Montgomery to arm himself with his lance and take his position. The spectators looked on in breathless si- lence. The two horsemen rode toward each other, each pressing his horse forward to his utmost speed, and as they passed, each aimed his lance at the head and breast of the other. It was customary on such occasions to wear a helmet, with a part called a vizor in front, which (jould be raised on ordinary occasions, or let down in moments of danger like this, to cover and protect the eyes. Of course this part of tbo armor was weaker than the rest, and it hap- pened that Montgomery's lance struck here-— I559.J Misfortunes. 79 King Henry WDunded. His death. The mournful mariiage, was shivered — and a splinter of it penetrated the vizor and inflicted a wound upon Henry, on the head, just over the eye. Henry's horso went on. The spectators observed that the lider reeled and trembled in his scat. The whole assembly were in consternation. The ex- citement of pride and pleasure was every where turned into extreme anxiety and alarm. They flocked about Henry's horse, and helped the kinsj to dismount. He said it was nothinsr. They took off his helmet, and found large drops of blood issuing from the wound. They bore him to his palace. He had the magnanimity to say thau Montgomery must not be blamed for this result, as he was himself responsible for it entirely. He lingered eleven days, and then died. This was in July, 1559. One of the marriages which this unfortunate tournament had been intended to celebrate, that of Elizabeth, the king's daughter, had already taken place, having been performed a day or two before the king was wounded ; and it was de» cided, after Henry was wounded, that the oth- er must proceed, as there were great reasons of state against any postponement of it. This sec- ond marriage was that of Margaret, his sister. The ceremony in her case was performed in a 80 Mary Queen of Scots. [1559. The daupJ.in becomes king. Catharine superseded. Silent and private manner, at night, by torch- light, in the chapel of the palace, while her broth er was dying. The services were interrupted by her sobs and tears. Notwithstanding the mental and bodily fee- bleness which seemed to characterize the daa- phin, Mar3^'s husband, who now, by the death of his father, became King of France, the event of his accession to the throne seemed to awaken his energies, and arouse him to animation and effort. He was sick himself, and in his bed, in a palace called the Tournelles, when some offi- cers of state were ushered into his apartment, and, kneeling before him, saluted him as king. This was the first announcement of his father's death. He sprang from his bed, exclaiming at once that he was well. It is one of the sad con- sequences of hereditary greatness and power that a son must sometimes rejoice at the death of his fixoher. It was Francis's duty to repair at once to the royal palace of the Louvre, with Mary, who was now Queen of France as well as of Scot- land, to receive the homage of the various estates of the realm. Catharine was, of course, now queen dowager. Mary, the child whom she had so long looked upon with feelings of je;/'- ^559. 1 M I s r o R T u N i: s. 81 j Mary's gentleness. Coronation ofFrnncia Dusy and envy was, from this time, to take her place as queen. It was very humiliating to Catharine to assume the position of a second and an inferior in the presence of one whom she had so long been accustomed to direct and to command. She yielded, however, with a good grace, though she seemed dejected and sad. jifVs they were leaving the Tournelles, she stop- iped to let Mary go before her, saying, " Pass on, madame ; it is your turn to take precedence ixiow." Mary went before her, but she stopped in her turn, with a sweetness of disposition so jcharaeteristic of her, to let Queen Catharine '3nter first into the carrias^e which awaited them [at the door. I Francis, though only sixteen, was entitled to [issume the government himself. He went to [Rheims, a town northeast of Paris, where is an ibbey, which is the ancient place of coronation br the kins^s of France. Here he was crowned Lie appointed his ministers, and evmced, in his management and in his measures, more energy md decision than it was supposed he possessed. [le himself and Mary were now, together, on the summit of earthly grandeur. They had iiany political troubles and cares which can lot be related here, but Mery's life was com- 82 Mary Queen of Scots. [1559 Francis's health declines. Superstition v,f the peoplei paratively peaceful and happy, the pleasures which s'.ie enjoyed being greatly enhanced bv^ the mntnal affection which existed between her- self and her husband. Though he was small in stature, and very anprepossessing in appearance and manners, Francis still evinced in his government a coit siderable degree of good judgment and of ener- gy. His health, however, gradually declined. He spent much of his time in traveling, and was often dejected and depressed. One circum- stance made him feel very unhappy. The peo- ple of many of the villages through which he\ passed, being in those days very ignorant and( superstitious, got a rumor into circulation that!! the king's malady was such that he could only be cured by being bathed in the blood of 3^oung children. They imagined that he was travel- ing to obtain such a bath ; and, wherever ho came, the people fled, mothers eagerly carry-- ing off their children from this impending dan- ger. The king did not understand the cause of his being thus shunned. They concealed it from him, knowing that it would give him pain. He knev/ only the fact, and it made him very sad to fmd himself the object of this mysterious and unaccounlable aversion 1559.] Misfortunes. So Commotiozis in iScotland. Sickness of the queen regcn^ 111 the mean time, while these occurrencea liad been taking place in France, Mary's moth- er, the queen dowager of Scotland, had been made queen regent of Scotland after her re- turn from France ; but she experienced infinite trouble and difficulty in managing the afiairs of the country. The Protestant party became very strong, and took up arms against her gov- ernment. The English sent them aid. She, on the other hand, with the Catholic interest to *5upport her, defended her power as well as she could, and called for help from France to sus- tain her. iVnd thus the country which she was so ambitious to govern, was involved by her management in the calamities and sorrows of civil war. In the midst of this contest she died. Dur- ing her last sickness she sent for some of the leaders of the Piotestant party, and did all that she could to soothe ami conciliate their minds. She mourned the ca 'amities and sufferings wnich the civil war had brought upon the country, and urged the Protestants to do all in their power, after her death, to heal these dis- sensions and restore peace. She also exhorted them to remember their obligations of loyalty nr.d obedience to their absent queen, and to sus- 84 Mary Queen of IScots. [1560 Death of Mary's mother. Illness of Francis tain and strengthen her government by ever^ means in their power. She died, and after her death the war was brought to a close by a treaty of peace; in which the French and En- ghsh governments joined with the government of Scotland to settle the points in dispute, and immediately afterward the troops of both these nations were withdrawn. The death of the queen regent was supposed to have been caused by the pressure of anxiety which the cares of her government imposed. Her body was car- ried home to France, and interred in the royal abbey at Rheims. The death of Mary's mother took place in the summer of 1560. The next December Mary was destined to meet with a much heavier af- fliction. Her husband. King Francis, in addi- tion to other complaints, had been suffering for some time from pain and disease in the ear One day, when he was preparing to go out hunt ing, he was suddenly seized with a fainting fit, and was soon found to be in great danger. He continued some days very ill. He was con- vinced himself that he could not recover, and began to make arrangements for his approach* ing end. As he drew near to the close of his life, he was more and more deeply impressed i560.J Misfortunes. 85 £lls la's! moments and death. Mary a young widow with a sp.nse of Mary's kindness and love. He mourned very much liis approacliing separation from her. He sent for his mother, Queen Cath- arine, to come to his bedside, and begged that she would treat Mary kindly, for his sake, after he was gone. Mary was overwhelmed with grief at the ap- proaching death of her husband. She knew at once what a great change it would make in her condition. She would lose immediately her rank and station. Queen Catharine would again come into power, as queen regent, durhig the minority of the next heir. All her friends of the family of Guise, would be removed from office, and she herself would become a mere guest and stranger in the land o^ which she had been the queen. But nothing could arrest the progress of the disease under which her hui? band was sinking. He died, leaving Mary a 'lisconsolate widow of seventeen. The historians of those days say that Queen Catharine was much pleased at the death of Francis her son. It restored hei to rank and power. Mary was again beneath her, and in some degree subject to her w^ill. All Mary 'a friends were removed from their high stations, and others, hostile to her family, were put into 86 Mary Queen of Scots. [1560 F^mbassadors from Scotland. Mary's unwillingness to leave Franca their places. Mary soon found herself unhappj at court, and she accordmgly removed to a cas- tle at a considerable distance from Paris to the west, near the city of Orleans. The people of Scotland wished her to return to her native land. Both the great parties sent embassadors to her to ask her to return, each of them ^arging her to adopt such measures on her arrival in Scotland as should favor their cause. Queen Catharine, too, who was still jealous of Mary's influence, and of the admiration and love which her beauty and the loveliness of her character inspired, intimated to her that perhaps it would be better for her now to leave France and return to her own land. Mary was very unv/illing to go. She loved France. She knew very little of Scotland. She was very young when she left it, and the few recollections which she had of the country were confined to th(^, lonely island of Inchmahomo and the Castle of Stirling. Scotland was in a cold and inhospitable climate, accessible only through stormy and dangerous seas, and it seem- ed to her that going there was going into exile Besides, she dreaded to undertake personally to administer a government whose cares and anx- ieties had been so great as to carry her mother to the jjrave. I5G0.I Misfortunes. 87 Mary iii moumbig. She is cnlled the White Queoa Maiy, however, found that it was in vain for her to resist the influences which pressed upon her the necessity of returning to her native land. She Avandered about during the spring and sum. mer after her husband's death, spending her time in various pakices and abbeys, and at length she began to prepare fcr her return to Scotland. The same gentleness and loveliness of character which she had exhibited in her prosperous fortunes, shone still more conspicu- ously now m her hours of sorrows Sometim.es she appeared in public, in certain ceremonies of state. She was then dressed in mourning — in white — according to the custom in royal fam- ilies in those days, her dark hair covered by a delicate crape veil. Her beauty, softened and chastened by her sorrow^s, made a strong im- pression upon all who saw" her. She appeared so frequently, and attracted so much attention in her white mourning, tliat she began to be known among the people as the White Queen. Every body w^anted to see her. They admired her beauty ; they were impress- ed with the romantic interest of her history ; they pitied her sorrows. She mourned lier hus- band's death with deep and unaftected grief. She invented a device and motto for a seal, ap* 88 Mary Queen of IScots. ^ISeO A device. Mary's employments Her beautiful hand» propriate to the occasion : it was a figure of th« liquorice-tree, every part of which is useless ex- cept the root, which, of course, lies beneath the surface of the earth. Underneath was the inscription, in Latin, My treasure is in the ground. The expression is much more beau- tiful in the Latin than can be expressed in any English words.'* Mary did not, however, give herself up to sullen and idle grief, but employed herself in various studies and pursuits, in order to soothe and solace her grief by useful occupation. She read Latin avithors ; she studied poetry ; she composed. She paid much attention to music, and charmed those who were in her company by the sweet tones of her voice and her skillful performance upon an instrument. The histo- rians even record a description of the fascina- ting effect produced by the graceful movements of her beautiful liand. Whatever she did oi said seemed to carry with it an inexpressible charm. Before she set out on her return to Scotland, she v>^ent to pay a visit to her grandmother, the same lady whom her mother had gone to see in her castle, ten years before, on her return to * Dulce meum te-ia te-rit. I560.\ Misfortunes 89 Melancholy visit Mniy returns to Paris. JeiJousy Scotland after her visit to Mary. Daring this ten years the unhappy mourner had made no change in respect to her symbols of grief. The apartments of her palace were still hung with black. Her countenance wore the same ex- pression of austerity and woe. Her attendants were trained to pay to her every mark of the most profound deference in all their approaches to her. No sounds of gayety or pleasure were to be heard, but a profound stillness and solem- nity reigned continually throughout the gloomy mansion. Not long before the arrangements were com- pleted for Mary's return to Scotland, she revis- ited Paris, where she was received with great marks of attention and honor. She was now eighteen or nineteen years of age, in the bloom of her beauty, and the monarch of a powerful kingdom, to which she was about to relurn, and many of the young princes of Europe began to aspire to the honor of her hand. Through these and other inlluences, she was the object of much attention ; while, on the other hand, Queen Catharine, and the party in power at the Frencl) court, v/ere envious and jealous of her popular- ity, and did a great deal to mortify and vex lier. The enemy, however, whom Marv had most 90 Mary Queen of Scots. |1560 Queen Elizabeth. Her character. Henry VI il to fear, was her cousin, Queen Elizabeth of En- gland. Queen Elizabeth was a maiden lady, now nearly thirty years of age. She was in all respects extremely different from Mary. Sha was a zealous Protestant, and very suspicious and watchful in respect to Mary, on account of her Catholic connections and faith. She was very pk.'n in person, and unprepossessing in manners. She was, however, intelligent and shrewd, and was governed by calculations and ^:'>Ucy in all that she did. The people by whom ^he was surrounded admired her talents and feared her power, but nobody loved her. She had many good qualities as a, monarch, but none considered as a woman. Elizabeth was somewhat envious of her cous- in Mary's beauty, and of her being such an ob- ect of interest and affection to all who Icnew her. But she had a far more serious and per- manent cause of alienation from her than per- sonal envy. It was this : Elizabeth's father. King Henry VIIL, had, in succession, several. wives, and there had been a question raised about the legality of his marriage with Eliza- beth's mother. Parliament decided at one time that this marriage was not valid; at another time, subsequently, they decided that it was A J-^ rORTRAlT OF QUEEH ElIZABKTH. 156().J Misfortunes. 9U Klizaboth's claim to the throne. Maiy's claim. Tho cent of iraii. This difTerence in the two decisions was not owing so much to a change of sentiment in tho persons who voted, as to a change in the ascend- vncy of the parties by which the decision was controlled. If the marriage were valid, then IClizabeth was entitled to the English crown. If it were not valid, then she was not entitled to it : it belonged to the next heir. Now it happened that Mary Queen of Scots was the next heir. Her grandmother on the father's side was an English princess, and through her Mary had a just title to the crown, if Queen Elizabeth's title was annulled. Now, while Mary was in France, during tho lifetime of King Henry, Francis's father, ho and the members of the family of Guise ad- vanced Mary's claim to the British crown, and ilenied that of Elizabeth. They made a coat of arms, in which the arms of France, and Scot- land, and England were combined, and had it engraved on Mary's silver plate. On one great occasion, they had this symbol displayed con- spicuously over the gateway of a town where Mary was making a public entry. The En^ glisli embassador, who was present, made this, and the other acts of the same kind, known to I'^lizal/eth, and she was greatly incensed at 94 Maky (l^ueen of Scots. [1560 Elizubeth oflended and alarmed. The Catholic party tliein. She considered Mary as plotting trea. sonably against her power, and began to con- trive plans to circumvent and thwart her. Nor was Elizabeth wholly unreasonable in this. Mary, though personally a gentle and peaceful woman, yet in her teens, was ver\ formidable to Elizabeth as an opposing claim- ant of the. crown. All the Catholics in France and in Scotland would naturally take Mary's side. Then, besides this, there was a large Catholic party in England, who would be strong- ly disposed to favor any plan which should give them a Catholic monarch. Elizabeth was. therefore, very justly alarmed at such a claim on the part of her cousin. It threatened not only to expose her to the aggressions of foreign foes, but also to internal commotions and dan- gers, in her own dominions. The chief responsibility for bringing forward tliis claim must rest undoubtedly, not on Mary herself, but on King Henry of France and the other French princes, who first put it forward Mary, however, herself, v/as not entirely pass- ive in the affair. She liked to consider her- self as entitled to the English crown. She had a device for a seal, a very favorite one with her, which expressed this claim. It contained twc 1560.J Misfortunes \)?i A device. Treaty of PMinlmrgh. The safe-coiiducl crowns, with a motto in Latin below whicli meant, " A third aivaits me^ Elizabeth knew all these things, and she held Mary accounta- ble fcr all the anxiety and alarm which this dangerous claim occasioned her. At the peace which was made in Scotland between the French and English forces and the Scotch, by the great treaty of Edinburgh which has been already described, it was agreed that Mary should relinquish all claim to the crown :)f England. This treaty was brought to France for Mary to ratify it, but she declined. What- ever rights she might have to the English crown, she refused to surrender them. Things remained in this state until the time arrived for her return to her native land, and then, fearing that perhaps Elizabeth might do something to intercept her passage, she applied to her for a Bafe-conduct ; that is, a writing authorizing her to pass safely and without hinderance through the English dominions, whether land or sea. C^ueen Elizabeth returned word through her embassador in Paris, whose name was Throck- morton, that she could not give her any such e«afc-conduct, because she had refused to ratify t.lio treaty of Edinburgh. When this answer was com.municated to 96 Mary Queen of Scots. [1561. Elizabeth rofuscs the safe-conduct. Mai y's speech. Mary, she felt deeply wounded by it. She seni ail the attendants away, that she might express herself to Throckmorton without reserve. She told him that it seemed to her very hard that hex cousin was disposed to prevent her returr to her native land. As to her claim upon the English crown, she said that advancing it was not her plan, but that of her husband and his father ; and that now she could not properly ren(»uuce it, whatever its validity might be, till she could have opportunity to return to Scot- land and consult with her government there, since it affected not her personally alone, but the public interests of Scotland. " And now," she continued, in substance, " I am sorry that T asked such a favor of her. I have no need to ask it, for I am sure I liave a right to return from France to my own country without aslc- ing permission of any one. You have often told me that the queen wished to be on friendly terms with me, and that it was your opinion that to be friends would be best for us both But now I see that she is not of your mind, but is disposed to treat me in an unkind and unfriendly manner, while she knows that I am her equal in rank, though I do not pretend to he her equal in abilities and experience. Well. 1561.] JMisfortunes. 97 Mary's true nobility of soul. Sympathy with her cnIig may do as she pleases. If my preparations were not so far advanced, perhaps I should give up the voyage But I am resolved to go. I hope the winds will prove favorable, and carry me away from her shores. If they carry me upon them, and I fall into her hands, she may make what disposal of me she will. If I lose my life, I shall esteem it no great loss, for it is now little else than a burden." How strongly this speech expresses " that mixture of melancholy and dignity, of woman- ly softness and noble decision, which pervaded her character." There is a sort of gentleness even in her anger, and a certain indescribable womanly charm in the workings of her mind, which cause all who read her story, while they can not but think that Elizabeth was right, to sympathize wholly with Mary. Throckmorton, at one of his conversation's with Mary, took occasion to ask her respecting her religious views, as Elizabeth wished to know how far she was fixed and committed in her at- tachment to the Catholic faith. Mary said that she was born and had been brought up a Cath- olic, and that she should remain so as long as Bhe lived. She would not interfere, she said, with her subjects adopting such form oi religioD 9« Mary Queen op Scots. [1561. Hary'a religious faith. Her frankness and candor. as they might prefer, but for herself she should not change. If she should change, she said, she should justly lose the confidence of her peo- ple ; for, if they saw that she was light and fickle on that subject, they could not rely upon ner in respect to any other. She did not pro- fess to be able to argue, herself, the questions of difference, but she was not wholly uninform- ed in respect to them, as she had often heard the points discussed by learned men, and had found nothing to lead her to change her ground. It is impossible for any reader, whether Prot- estant or Catholic, not to admire the frankness and candor, the honest conscientiousness, the courage, and, at the same time, womanly mod- esty and propriety which characterize this rejily 1 561 . J Return to S c o t l a in d. iift Jalais. Artificial piers and breakwaters C H A P T F R V. Return to Scotland. IVTARY was to sail from the port of Calais. -■-"-^ Calais is on the northern coast of France , opposite to Dover in England, these towns being un opposite sides of the Straits of Dover, where the channel between England and France is very narrow. Still, the distance is so great that the land on either side is ordinarily not visible on the other. There is no good natural harbor at Calais, nor, in fact, at any other point on the French coast. The French have had to supply the deficiency by artificial piers and breakwa- ters. There are several very capacious and ex- cellent harbors on the English side. This may have been one cause, among others, of the great naval superiority which England has attained. When Queen Elizabeth found that Mary was going to persevere in her intention of re- turning to her native land, she feared that slie might, after her arrival in Scotland, and after get- ting established in power there, form a scheme 100 Mary Queen op Scots. [1561 | ttueen Elizabeth's plan. " ~ ; • 1_ ThrockmortOQ for making war upon her dominions, and at-i tempt to carry into effect her claim upon thej English crown. She wished to prevent this Would it be prudent to intercept Mary upon hei passage? She reflected on this subject withi the cautious calculation which formed so strik- ing a part of her character, and felt in doubt.. Her taking Mary a prisoner, and confining hei a captive in her own land, might incense Queen Catharine, who was now regent of France, and also awaken a general resentment in Scotland, so as to bring upon her the hostility of those two countries, and tJius, perhaps, make more mischief than the securing of Mary's person would prevent. She accordingly, as a previous step, sent to Ihrockmorton, her embassador in France, di- recting him to have an interview with Qiieen Catharine, and ascertain how far she would d disposed to take Mary's part. Throckmort did this. Queen Catharine gave no direct i.. ply. She said that both herself and the youno K-mg wished well to Elizabeth, and to Mary too° that it was her desire that the two queens mi-lu be on good terms with each other ; that she was a friend to them both, and should not take & i part against either of thorn. ceJ on re- 1561.] Return to Scotland. 101 Slizalx; til's pliuis. 'J'lirockmorton baffled This was all that Queen Elizabeth could ex- pect, and she formed her plans for intercepting Mary on her passage. She sent to Throck- nnorton, asking him to find out, if he could, what port Queen Mary was to sail from, and to senrl ler word. She then gave orders to her naval soinmanders to assemble as many ships as they :iould, and hold them in readiness to sail into the seas between England and France, for the purpose of exterminating' the 'pirates^ which she said had lately become very numerous there. Throckmorton took occasion, in a conversa- tion which he had with 3'Iary soon after this, to inquire from what port she intended to sail ; but she did not give him the information. She suspected his motive, and merely said, in reply to his question, that she hoped the wind would prove favorable for carrying her away as far as possible from the English coast, whatever might be the point from which she should take her departure. Throckmorton then endeavored to find out the arrangements of the voyage by oth- er means, but without much success. He wrote to Elizabeth that he thought Mary would sail either from Havre or Calais; that she would gc eastward, along the shore of the Continent, by Pianders and Holland, till she had gained a con* 102 Mary Queen of Soots. [1o61i| ■'hrockmorton s advice. Queen Catnarinc's farewell. Escort siderable distance from the English coast, and then would sail north along the eastern shores of the German Ocean. He advised that Eliz-; abeth should send spies to Calais and to Havreji and perhaps to other French ports, to watcW there, and to let her know whenever they ob served any appearances of preparations for Ma. ry's departure. In the mean time, as the hour for Mary'si farewell to Paris and all its scenes of luxury^ and splendor, drew near, those who had loved her were drawn more closely to her in heart thani ever, and those who had been envious and jeal ous began to relent, and to look upon heri with feelings of compassion and of kind regard. j Queen Catharine treated her with extreme kind- ness during the last few days of her stay, and she accompanied her for some distance on hen journey, with every manifestation of sincere af- fection and good will. She stopped, at length, at St. Germain, and there, with many tears, she bade her gentle daughter-in-law a long and last farewell. Many princes and nobles, especially of the family of Guise, Mary's relatives, accompanied her through the whole journey. They formed unite a long cavalcade, and attracted great at-. 1561.J Return to Scotland. lOJi Erabarkation. Spectators. Unfortunate accident tention m all the towns and districts through which they passed. They traveled slowly, but nt length arrived at Calais, where they waiteu nearly a week to complete the arrangements for Mary's embarkation. At length the day arrived for her to set sail. A large concourse of spectators assembled to witness the scene. Four ships had been provided for the transpor- tation of the party and their effects. Two of these were galleys. They were provided with banks of oars, and large crews of rowers, by means of which the vessels could be propelled when the wind failed. The two other vessels were merely vessels of burden, to carry the fur- niture and other effects of the passengers. Many of the queen's friends were to accom- pany her to Scotland. The four Maries were among them. She bade those that were to re- main behind farewell, and prepared to embark on board the royal galley. Her heart was very sad. Just at this time, a vessel which was com- ing in struck against the pier, in consequence of a heavy sea which was rolling in, and of the distraction of the seamen occasioned by Mary's embarkation. The vessel which struck was so injured by the concussion that it filled immc- diat'dv and sank Most of the seamen on board 104 Mary Queen of Scots. [1561 Mary's farewell to France. Ilcr deep emotion were drowned. This accident produced great excitement and confusion. Mary looked upon the scene from the deck of her vessel, which was now slowly moving from the shore. It alarmed her, and impressed her mind with a sad and mournful sense of the dangers of th« elements to whose mercy slie was now to be committed for many days. '' Wliat an unhap- py omen is this !" she exclaimed. She then went to the stern of the ship, looked back at the shore, then knelt down, and, covering her face with her hands, sobbed aloud. " Farewell, France I" she exclaimed : "I shall never, never see thee more." Presently, when her einotions for a moment subsided, she would raise her eyes, and take another view of the slowly-re- ceding shore, and then exclaim again, ''Fare- well, my beloved France I farewell I farewell !" She remained in this position, suffering this anguish, for five hours, when it began to grow dark, and she could no longer see the shore. She then rose, saying that her beloved country was gone from her sight forever. " The dark- ness, like a thick veil, hides thee from my sight, and I shall see thee no more. So farewell, be. ioved land I farewell forever I" She left her place at the stern, but she would not leave ths iiiiiSiSM 15G1.] Return to k^coTLAND. 107 Mary's first night on board. Her reluctance to icave France. deck. She made them bring up a bed, and place it for her there, near the stern. They tried to. induce her to go into the cabin, or at least to take some supper ; but she would not. {She lay down upon her bed. She charged the helmsman to awaken her at the dawn, if the land was in sight when the dawn should ap. pear. She then wept herself to sleep During the night the air was calm, and the vessels in which Mary and her company had embarked made such small progress, being worked only by the oars, that the land came into view again with the gray light of the morn- ing. The helmsman awoke Mary, and the sight of the shore renewed her anguish and tears. She said that she could not go. She wished that Elizabeth's ships would come in sight, so as to compel her squadron to return. But no English fleet appeared. On the contrary, the breeze freshened. The sailors unfurled the sails, the oars were taken in, and the great crew of oarsmen rested from their toil. The ships began to make their way rapidly through the rippling water. The land soon became a faint, low cloud in the horizon, and in an hour all traces of it entirely disappeared. The voyage continued for ten days. Thoy 108 Mary Queen of Scots. [16CA Fog. One vessel captured. Narrow escape, saw nothing of Elizabeth's cruisers. It was afterward ascertained, however, that these ships were at one time very near to them, and were only prevented from seeing and taking them by a dense fog, which at that time hap- pened to cover the sea. One of the vessels of burden was seen and taken, and carried to En- gland. It contained, however, only some of Mary's furniture and effects. She herself es- caped the danger. The fog, which was thus Mary's protection at one time, was a source of great difficulty and danger at another ; for, when they were draw- ing near to the place of their landing in Scot- land, they were enveloped in a fog so dense that they could scarcely see from one end of the ves- sel to.the other. They stopped the progress of their vessels, and kept continually sounding; and when at length the fog cleared away, they found themselves involved in a labyrinth of rocks and shoals of the most dangerous char- t.ctev. They made their escape at last, and vrent oil safely toward the land. Mary said, however, that she felt, at the time, entirely in- different as to the result. She was so discon- solate and wretched at having parted forever from all that was dear to her, that it seeined to 1561.] Retur?j to Scotland. 100 Mary's Adieu to France. Attempts to tmualate it her that she was equally willing to live or to die Mary, who, among her other accomplish ments, had a great deal of poetic talent, wrote some lines, called her Farewell to Trance^ which have been celebrated from that day to this. They are as follows: Adieu. Adieu, plaisant pays de France ! O ma patrie, La plus cherie ; Qui a nourri ma jeune enfance. Adieu, France! adieu, mes beaux jours ! La nef qui dejoint mes amours, N'a cy de moi que la moitie ; Une parte te reste ; elle est tiennc ; Je la fie a ton amitie. Pour que de I'autre il te souvienne. Many persons have attempted to translate these lines into English verse ; but it is always extremely difficult to translate poetry from one language to another. We give here two of tha best of these translations. The reader can ^'udgo, by observing how different they are from each other, how different they must both bn from their common original. jIO Mary Queen of Scots. [1501 Translations of Mary's Adieu to France. Adieu. Farewell to thee, thou pleasant shore, The loved, the cherished home to me Of mfant joy, a dream that's o'er. Farewell, dear France I farewell to thee ! The sail that wafts me bears away From thee but half my soul alone ; Its fellow half will fondly stay, And back to thee has faithful flown. .1 trust it to thy gentle care ; For all that here remains with me Lives but to think of all that's there, To love and to remember thee. The other translation is as follows : Adieu. Adieu, thou pleasant land of France ! The dearest of all lands to me, Where life was like a joyful dance. The joyful dance of infancy. Farewell my childhood's laughing wiles, Farewell the joys of youth's bright day | The bark that takes me from thy smLes, Bears bu fc niy meaner half away. 1501. J Return to Scotxand. IH Arrival at I-eitb. Palace of Holyrood. Mary's arrival unexpected. The best is thine ; my changeless heart Is given, beloved France, to thee ; And let it sometimes, though we part, Remind thee, with a sigh, of me. It was on the 19th of August, 1561, that the two galleys arrived at Leith. Leith is a small port on the shore of the Frith of Forth, about two miles from Edinburgh, which is situated somewhat inland. The royal palace, where Mary was to reside, was called the Palace of Holyrood. It was, and is still, a large square building, with an open court in the center, into which there is access for carriages through a large arched passage-way in the center of the principal front of the building. In the rear, but connected with the palace, there was a chapel in Mary's day, though it is now in ruins. The walls still remain, but the roof is gone. The people of Scotland were not expecting Mary so soon. Information was communicated from country to country, in those days, slowly and with great difficultj^ Perhaps the time of Ma- ry's departure from France was purposely con- cealed even from the Scotch, to avoid all possi- bility that the knowledge of it shoul i get into Elizabeth's possession. Ilf3 Mary Queen of Scots. [15G1, Mary's reception. Contrasts. The cavalcade At any rate, the lirst intelligence which the inhabitants of Edinburgh and the vicinity ha.] of the arrival of their queen, was the approach of the galleys to the shore, and the firing of n royal salute from their guns. The Palace ol Holyrood w^as not ready for Mary's reception, and she had to remain a day at Leith, awaiting the necessary preparations. In the mean time, the whole population began to assemble to wel- come her arrival. Military bands were turneO out ; banners were prepared ; civil and militar}/ oliicers in full costume assembled, and bon-fires and illuminations were provided for the evening and night. In a word, Mary's subjects in Scot- land did all in their power to do honor to the occasion ; but the preparations were so far be- neath the pomp and pageantry wiiich she h.?d been accustomed to in France, that she felt the contrast very keenly, and realized, more forci- bly than ever, how great was the change which the circumstances of her life were undergoing. Horses were prepared for Mary and her large company of attendants, to ride from Lcith to Edinburgh. The long cavalcade moved toward evening. The various professions and trades of Edinburgh were drawn up in lines on each side of the road, and thousands unon tnousands 1561.1 Retukn to Scotland. Ho 5ercnade7 sTutary home. Favo rable impregsion. ^f other spectators assembled to witness the scene. When she reached the Palace of Holy- rood House, a band of music played for a time under her windows, and then the great throng quietly dispersed, leaving Mary to her repose. The adjoining engraving represents the Palace of Holyrood as it now appears. In Mary's day, the northern part only had been built — that is, the part on the left, ifi the view, where the ivy climbs about the windows — and the range ex- tending back to the royal chapel, the ruins of which arc seen in the rear.* Mary took uj) her abode in this dwelling, and was glad to rest from the fatigues and privations of her long voy- a"-e : but she found her new home a solitary and gloomy dwelling, compared with the mag nificent palaces of the land she had left. Mary made an extremely favorable impres- sion upon her subjects in Scotland To please them, she exchanged the white mourning of France, from which she had taken the name of the White Queen, for a black dress, more ac- cordant with the ideas and customs of her na- tive land. This gave her a more sedate and matronly character, and though the expression * For the situation of this palace in respect to Edinburgh Bce the view of Edinburg'i. page 179. 116 Mary Queen of Scots. [1.561, The Lord James. Mary makes him one of her ministers I of her countenance and figure was somewhat changed by it, it was only a change to a new form of extreme and fascinating beauty. Hei , manners, too, so graceful and easy, and yet so simple and unaffected, charmed all who saw her. i Mary had a half brother in Scotland, whose title was at this time the Lord James. He was afterward named the Earl of Murray, and is commonly known in history under this lattcj designation. The mother of Lord James was not legally married to Mary's father, and con- j sequently he could not inlierit any of his fa- ther's rights to the Scottish crown. The Lord James was, however, a man of very high rank and influence, and Mary immediately received him into her service, and made him one of her highest ministers of state. He was now about thirty years of age, prudent, cautious, and wise, of good person and manners, but somewhat re- Kerved and austere. Lord James had the general direction of af- fau's on Mary's arrival, and things went on very smoothly for a week ; but then, on the first Sunday after the landing, a very serious difficulty threatened to occur. The Catholics have a certain celebration, called the mass, to which they attach a very serious and solemu I561J Return to Scotland. 117 1 he mass. Tnmsu bstantiation importance. When our Savior gave the bread and the wine to his disciples at the Last Sup- per, he said of it, "This is my body, broken for you,' and ''This is my blood, shed for you." The Catholics understand that these words de- note that the bread and wine did at that time, and that they do now, whenever the communion service is celebrated by a priest duly author- ized, become, by a sort of miraculous trans- formation, the true body and blood of Christ, and that the priest, in breaking the one and pouring out the other, is really and truly re newing the great sacrifice for sin made by Je- sus Chiist at his crucifixion. The mass, there- fore, in which the bread and the v/ine are so broken and poured out, becomes, in their view, not a mere service of prayer and praise to God, but a solemn act of sacrifice. The spectators, or assistants, as they call them, meaning all who are present on the occasion, stand by, not merely to hear words of adoration, in which they mentally join, as is the case in most Protestant forms of worship, but to witness the enactment of a deed, and one of great binding force and validity: a real and true sacrifice of Christ, made anew, as an atonement for their sins The bread, when consecrated, and, as they sup- 118 Maky Queen of Scots. [15G1. Adoration of the host. Protestant and Catholic worship. pose, transmuted to the body of Christ, is held I up to view, or carried in a procession around the church, that all present may bow before it,, and adore it as really being, thoiigh in the form of bread, the wounded and broken body of tlie Lord. Of course the celebration of the mass is in- vested, in the minds of all conscientious Cath- olics, with the utmost solemnity and import- ance. They stand silently by, with the deep- est feelings of reverence and awe, while the priest offers up for them, anew, the great sac- rifice for sin. They regard all Protestant wor- ship, which consists of mere exhortations to duty, hymns and prayers, as lifeless and void. That which is to them the soul, the essence, and substance of the v/hole, is wanting. On tlie other hand, the Protestants abhor the sacri- fice of the mass as gross superstition. They think that the bread remains simply bread after the benediction as much as before ; that for the priests to pretend that in breaking it they re- new the sacrifice of Christ, is imposture ; and that to bow before it in adoration and homage is the worst idolatry. Now it happened that during Mary's absence in France, the contest between the Catholics 1561.] Return to Scotland. 119 Violence and persecution. The mass in Mary's cliapeL and the Protestants had been going fiercely on, and the result had been the almost complete defeat of the Catholic party, and the establish- ment of the Protestant interest throughout the realm. A great many deeds of violence accom- panied this change. Churches and abbeys were sometimes sacked and destroyed. The images of saints, which the Catholics had put up, were pulled down and broken ; and the people were sometimes worked up to phrensy against the principles of the Catholic faith and Catholic ob- servances. They abhorred the mass, and were determined that it should not be introduced again into Scotland. Queen Mary, knowing this state of things determined, on her arrival in Scotland, not U interfere with her people in the exercise of their reli<'-ion : but she resolved to remain a Catholic herself, and to continue, for the use of her own household, in the royal chapel at Holyrood, the fjame Catholic observances to which she had been accustomed in France. She accordingly o-ave orders that mass should be celebrated in her chapel on the first Sunday after her arriv- al. She was very willing to abstain from inter- fering with the religious usages of her subjects but she was not willing to give up her own 120 Mary Queen of Scots. [1o61 Bcene of excitement. Lord James, The friends of the Reformation had a nieet- ing, and resolved that mass should not be cele brated. There was, however, no way of pre- venting it but by intimidation or violence When Sunday came, crowds began to assem ble about the pal&ce and the chapel,* and to fill all the avenues leading to them. The Cath- olic families who were going to attend the ser- vice were treated rudely as they passed. The priests they threatened with death. One, who carried a candle which was to be used in the ceremonies, was extremely terrified at their threats and imprecations. The excitement was very great, and would probably have pro- ceeded to violent extremities, had it not been for Lord James's energy and courage. He was a Protestant, but he took his station at the door of the chapel, and, without saying or doing any thing to irritate the crowd without, he kept them at bay, while the service proceeded. It went on to the close, though greatly interrupt- ed by the confusion and uproar. Many of the French people who came with Mary were so terrified by this scene, that they declared they • The ruins of the royal chapel are to be seen in the real f>f th^ palace in the riew on page 114. 1561.] Return to Scotland 12'J The reformer, John Knox. His uncompromising character would not stay in such a country, and toolv the first opportunity of returning to France. One of the most powerful and influential o^ the leaders of the Protestant party at this time was the celebrated John Knox. He was a man of great powers of mind and of commanding elo- quence ; and he had exerted a vast influence in arousing the people of Scotland to a feeling of strong abhorrence of what they considered the abominations of popery. "When Queen Mary of England was upon the throne, Knox had written a book against her, and against queens in general, women having, according to his views, no right to govern. Knox was a man of the most stern and uncompromising charac- ter, who feared nothing, respected nothing, and submitted to no restraints in the blunt and plain discharge of what he considered his duty. Mary dreaded his influence and powder. Knox had an interview with Mary not long after his arrival, and it is one of the most strik- ing instances of the strange ascendency which Mary's extraordinary beauty and gi-ace, and the pensive charm of her demeanor, exercised over all that came within her influence, that even John Knox, whom nothing else could soft- en or subdue, found his rough and indomitable 122 Mary Queen of Scots. [1561 Knox's interview with Mary. His sternness subdued energy half forsaking him in the presence of his gentle queen. She expostulated with hmi. He half apologized. Nothing had ever drawn the least semblance of an apology from him be- fore. He told her that his book was aimed solely against Queen Mary of England, and not against her ; that she had no cause to feai its influence ; that, in respect to the freedom with which he had advanced his opinions and theories on the subjects of government and re- ligion, she' need not be alarmed, for philoso- phers had always done this in every age, and yet had lived good citizens of the st>-,'o, whose institutions they had, nevertheless, in some sense theoretically condemned. He told her, moreover, that he had no intention of troubling her reign ; that she might be sure of this, since, if he had such a desire, he should have com- menced his measures dming her absence, and not have postponed them until her position on the throne was strengthened by her return. Thus he tried to soothe her fears, and to justi- fy himself from the suspicion of having design- ed any injury to such a gentle and helplesi^ queen. The interview was a very extraordi- nary spectacle. It was that of a lion laying aside his majestic sternness and strength t£ 15(51.] Return to Scotland. 123 T>ip. tour Afaries. Queen Elizabeth's insincerity dispel the fears and quiet the apprehensions of a dove. The mterview was, however, aftei all, painful and distressing to Mary. Some things Vviiich the stern reformer felt it his duty to say to her, brought tears into her eyes. Mary soon became settled in her new home, though many circumstances in her situation were well calculated to disquiet and disturb lier. She lived in the palace at Holy rood. The four Maries continued with her for a time, and then two of them were married to nobles of high rank. Queen Elizabeth sent Mary a kind message, congratulating her on her safe arrival in Scotland, and assuring her that the story of her having attempted to intercept her v/as false. Mary, who had no means of prov. ing Elizabeth's insincerity, sent her ha.ok a po« iite reply, 124 Mary Queen of kScois. [1562 Stormy scenes. Lord James. Acta of cnieitr- Chapter VI. Mary and Lord Darnley. I^UKING the three or four years whicti ^-^ elapsed after Queen Mary's arrival in Scotland, she had to pass through many stormy scenes of anxiety and trouble. The great no- bles of the land were continually quarreling, and all parties were earnest and eager in their efforts to get Mary's influence and power on their side. She had a great deal of trouble with the affairs of her brother, the Lord James. He wished to have the earldom of Murray con- ferred upon him. The castle and estates per- taining to this title were in the north of Scot- land, in the neighborhood of Inverness. They were in possession of another family, who rCs fused to give them up. Mary accompanied Lord James to the north with an army, to put him in possession. They took the castle, and hung the governor, who had refused to surren- der at their summons. This, and some other acts of this expedition, have since been consid- ered unjust and cruel ; but posterity have been L562.1 Mary and Lord Darn lev. V2 Jary's energy and decision, H er popularity livided in opinion on the question how far Mary lerself was personally responsible for them. Mary, at any rate, displayed a great degree ?,f decision and energy in her management of )nblio affairs, and in the personal exploits which she performed. She made excursions from cas' tie to castle, and from town to town, all ovei Scotland. On these expeditions she traveled on horseback, sometimes with a royal escort, and sometimes at the head of an army of eight- een or twenty thousand men. These royal pro- gresses were made sometimes among the great towns and cities on the eastern coast of Scot- land, and also, at other times, among the gloomy and dangerous defiles of the Highlands. Occa- sionally she would pay visits to the nobles at I their castles, to hunt in their parks, to review their Highland retainers, or to join them in eel- lebrations and fetes, and military parades. During all this time, her personal influence and ascendency over all who knew her was con- ■ stantly increasing ; and the people of Scotland, notwithstanding the disagreement on the sub- j ject of religion, became more and more devoted j to their queen. The attachment which those ' who were in immediate attendance upon her %At to her person and character, was w many 126 Mar^ Q,ueen uf Scots. [15G2 story of Chatelard. His love and infatuatioa. cases extreme. In one instance, this attach- ment led to a very sad result. There was a young Frenchman, named Chatelard, who came in Mary's train from France. He was a schol- ar and a poet. He began by writing verses in Mary's praise, which Mary read, and seemed to be pleased with. This increased his interest in her, and led him to imagine that he was him- self the object of her kind regard. Finally, the love which he felt for her came to be a perfect infatuation. He concealed himself one night in Mary's bed-chamber, armed, as if to resist any attack which the attendants might make upon him. He was discovered by the female attendants, and taken away, and they, for fear of alarming Mary, did not tell her of the cir- cumstance till the next morning. Mary was very much displeased, or, at leasfc, professed to be so. John Knox thouglit that this displeasure was only a pretense. She, how- ever, forbid Chatelard to come any more into her sight. A day or two after this, Mary set out on a journey to the north. Chatelard fol- lowed. He either believed that Mary really loved him, or else he was led on by that strange and incontrollabie infatuation which so often, in such cases, renders even the wisest men utterly 1563.] Mary and Lord Darivlev. 12^ Trial of Chntelard. Hi3 execution and last worda reckless and blind tc the consequences of what they say or do. He. watched his opportunity, and one night, when Mary retired to her bed- room, he followed her directly in. Mary called for help. The attendants came in, and imme- diately sent for the Earl of Murray, who was in the palace. Chatelard protested that all he wanted was to explain and apologize for his coming into Mary's room before, and to ask her to forgive him. Mary, however, would not lis ten. She was very much incensed. When Murray came in, she directed him to run his dagger through the man. Murray, however, instead of doing this, had the oftender seized and sent to prison. In a few days he was tried, and condcnmed to be beheaded. The excite- ment and enthusiasm of his love continued to the last. He stood firm and undaunted on the scaffold, and, just before he laid his head on the block, he turned toward the place where Mary was then lodging, and said, " Farewell ! love- liest and mos"^ cruel princess that the world contains I" In the mean time, Mary and Queen Eliza- beth continued ostensibly on good tetms, They sent embassadors to each other's courts. They communicated letters and messages to eacli olh« 128 Mary Queen of Scots. [1563. Mary and Elizabeth. The English successicn er, and entered into various negotiations re- specting the affairs of their respective king- doms. The truth was, each was afraid of tlie other, and neither dared to come to an open rupture. Elizabeth was uneasy on account of Mary's claim to her crown, and was very anx- ious to avoid driving her to extremities, since she knew that, in that case, there would be great danger of her attempting openly to en- force it. Mary, on the other hand, thought that there was more probability of her obtaining the succession to the English crown by keeping peace with Elizabeth than by a quarrel. Eliz- abeth was not married, and was likely to live and die single. Mary would then be the next heir, without much question. She wished Eliz- abeth to acknowledge this, and to have the En- glish Parliament enact it. If Elizabeth would take this course, Mary was willing to waive her claims during Elizabeth's life. Elizabeth, however, was not willing to do this decidedly. She wished to reserve the right to herself of marrying if she chose. She also wished in keep Mary dependent upon her as long as she could. Hence, while she would not absolutely refuse to com})ly with Mary's proposition, she would not really accede to it, but kept the whole .563.] Ma.ry and Lord Darnley, 12y !laim of Lady Lennox. Lord Damley natter in siispens<3 by endless procrastination, lilTicLilties, and delays. I have said that, after Elizabeth, Mary's claim o the British crown was almost unquestioned. There was another lady about as nearly related ,0 the English royal line as Mary. Kcr name .vas JMargaret Stuart. Her title was Lady Lennox. She had a son named Henry Stuart, kvhose title was Lord Darnley. It was a ques- [ion whetlier Mary or Margaret were best enti- tled to consider lierself the heir to the British rown after Elizabeth. Mary, therefore, had two obstacles in the way of the accomplishment ^f her wishes to be Queen of England : one was the claim of Elizabeth, who was already in pos- session of the throne, and the other the claims of Lady Lennox, and, after her, of her son Darnley. There was a plan of disposing of this hiSt diffi- culty in a very simple manner. It w^as, to have iNIary marry Lord Darnley, and thus unite these two claims. This plan had been proposed, but there had been no decision in respect to it. riiere was one objection : that Darnley being Mary's cousin, their marriage w^as forbidden by t!ie laws of the Catholic Church. There vs^as no way of obviating this difficulty but by ap- plying to the pope to grant them a s])ecial dis- oen>!at.i()n ^ 130 Mary Queen of Scots. [1563 Offers of marrifge. Duplicity of Elizabeth In the mean time, a great many other plans were fjjrmed for Mary's marriage. Several of me princes and potentates of Eiiropa applied foi her band. They were allured somewhat, no doubt, by her youth and beauty, and still more, very probably, by the desire to annex her king- dom to their dominions. Mary, wishing to please Elizabeth, communicated often with her, to ask her advice and counsel in regard to her marriage. Elizabeth's policy was to embarrass and perplex the whole subject by making diffi- culties in respect to every plan proposed. Fi- nally, she recommended a gentleman of her own court to Mary — Robert Dudley, whom she aft- erward made Earl of Leicester — one of her spe- cial favorites. The position of Dudley, and the circumstances of the case, were such that man- kind have generally supposed that Elizabeth did not seriously imagine that such a plan could be adopted, but that she proposed it, as per verse and intriguing people often do, as a means of increasing the difficulty. Such minds often attempt to prevent doing what can be done by proposing and urging what they know is im- possible. In the course of these negotiations, Queen M^rv once sent Melville, her former page of 15G4.] Mary and Loud L). . IINLLV. iol Mehilla sent as einbaseador to Elizabeth. Ilia receptioiL honor in France, as a special embassador to Queen Elizabeth, to ascertain more perfectly her views. INIelvillc had followed Mary to Scotland, and had entered her service there ay a confidential secretary ; and as she had great confidence in his prudence and in his fidelity, she thought him the most suitable person to undertake this mission. Melville afterward liv^ed to an advanced age, and in the latter part of his life he wrote a narrative of his various adventures, and recorded, in quaint and ancient language, many of his conversations and inter- views with the two queens. His mission to England was of course a very important event in his life, and one of the most curious and en- tertaining passages in his memoirs is his narra- tive of his interviews with the English queen. He was, at the time, about thirty-four years of age. Mary was about twenty-two. Sir James Melville was received with man} marks of attention and honor by Queen Eliza- beth. His first interview with her was in a garden near the palace. She first asked him about a letter which Mary had recently Avritten to her, and which, she said, had greatly dis- pleased her ; and she took out a reply from her pocket, written in very sharp and severe Ian- 132 Mary Queen of Scois. [1564 Conversation of Jlelvillc and Elizabeth. Dudley guage, though she said she had not sent it be- cause it was not severe enough, an^l she was going to write another. Melville askeo to see the letter from Mary which had given Eliza- beth so much offense ; and on reading it, he ex- plained it, and disavowed, on Mary's part, any intention to give offense, and thus finally suc- ceeded in appeasing Elizabeth's displeasure, and at length induced her to tear up her angry reply. Elizabeth then wanted to know what Mary thought of her proposal of Dudley for her hus- band. Melville told her that she had not given the subject much reflection, but that she was going to appoint two commissioners, and she wished Elizabeth to appoint two others, and then that the four should meet on the borders of the two countries, and consider t!ie whole subject of the marriage. Elizabeth vuid that she perceived that Mary did not think much of this proposed match. She said, howt ver, that Dudley stood extremely high in h(^ regard ; that she was going to make him an »iarl, anti that slie should marry him herself wf^e it not that she was fully resolved to live a;:d die a single woman. She said she wished vo.\v much '^n have Dudley become Mary's husb>" ■^ ^^tb 15(54. 1 JM A R V AND Lord Da r is l e v. iod Dudley, earl of Leicester The *'loug" hvl on account of her attachment to him, and also on account of his attachment to her, which she was sure would prevent his allowing her, that is, Elizabeth, to have any trouble out of Mary's claim to her crown as long as she lived. Elizabeth also asked Melville to wait in Westminster until the day appointed for mak- ing Dudley an earl. This was done, a short time afterward, with great ceremony. Lord Darnley, then a very tall and slender youth of about nineteen, was present on the occasion His father and mother had been banished from Scotland, on account of some political ofl'enses, twenty years before, and he had thus himself been brought up in England. As ho was a near relative of the queen, and a sort of heir- presumptive to the crown, he had a high posi- tion at the court, and his office was, on this oc- casion, to bear the sword of honor before the queen. Dudley kneeled before Elizabeth while she put upon him the badges of his n( ';v dig- nity. Afterward she asked Melville what he 1,hought of him. Melville was polite enough to «peak warmly in his favor. " And yet," said the queen, " I suppose you prefer yonder long iad," pointing to Darnley. She knew some- thing of Mary's half-formed design of making 134 Ma^rv Que e IV of Scots. [1564. Lord Darnley. Elizabeth's management Daniley her husband. Melville, who did not yish her to suppose that Mary had any serious jitention of choosing Darnley, said that "no woman of spirit would choose such a person as he was, for he was handsome, beardless, and lady-faced ; in fact, he looked more like a wom- an than a man." Melville was not very honest in this, for hw had secret instructions at this very time to ap- ply to Lady Lennox, Darnley's mother, to send . ler son into Scotland, in order that Mary might see him, and be assisted to decide the question of becoming his wife, by ascertaining how sho was going to like him personally. Queen Elizabeth, in the mean time, pressed upon Melville the importance of Mary's deciding soon in favor of the marriage witli Leicester. As to declaring in favor of Mary's right to in- herit the crown after her, she said the question was in the hands of the great lawyers and com- missioners to whom she had referred it, and that she heartily wished that they might come to a conclusion in favor of Mary's claim. She should urge the business forward as fast as she could ; but the result would depend very much upon the disposition which Mary showed to comply with her wishes in respect to the raar 1564.] Mary and Lord Darn ley. 135 Dnniley's visit to Scotland. Mary's message to Elizabetli. riago. She said she should never marry her- self unless she was compelled to it on aceount (.'t'JMary's giving her trouble by her claims upon Iho crown, and forcing her to desire that it ihould go to her direct descendants. If Mary would ac': wisely, and as she ought, and follow her counsel, she would, in duo time, have ah her desire. Some time more elapsed in negotiations and delays. There was a good deal of trouble in getting leave for Darnley to go to Scotland. From his position, and from the state of the laws and customs of the two realms, he could not go Vvdthout Elizabeth's permission. Final- ly, Mary sent word to Elizabeth that she would marry Leicester according to her wish, if she would have her claim to the English crown, after Elizabeth, acknowledged and established by the English government, so as to have that question definitely and finally settled. Eliza- beth sent back for answer to this proposal, that if Mary married Leicester, she would advance liim to gi'eat honors and dignities, but that she could not do any thing at present about the suc- cession. She also, at the same time, gave per- mission to Darnley to go to Scotland. Tt is thought that Elizabeth never seriously 1 L*S6 Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth's duplicity. Wcmys Castle intended that Mary should marry Leicester, , and that she did not suppose Mary herself would consent to it on any terms. Accordingly, when she found Mary was acceding to the plan, she wanted to retreat from it herself, and hoped that Darnley's going to Scotland, and appear- ing there as a new competitor in the field, would tend to complicate and embarrass the question in Mary's mind, and help to prevent the Leicester negotiation from going any fur- ther. At any rate, Lord Darnley — then a very tall and handsome young man of nineteen — ob- tained suddenly permission to go to Scotland, Mary went to Wemys (]^astle, and made ar- rangements to have Darnley come and visit her there. Wemys Castle is situated in a most roman- tic and beautiful spot on the sea-shore, on the northern side of the Frith of Forth. Edin- burgh is upon the southern side of the Frith, and is in full view from the windows of the castle, with Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat on the left of the city. Wemys Castle was, at this time, the residence of Murray, Mary'is brother. Mary's visit to it was an event which attracted a great deal of attention. The peo- ple flocked into the neighborhood and proviso mi 1 ■ ■ 1 ;i. . /.T:/r''''^"'v 1 ''liiiiiiiisbi! 'Ill L5()0.] IMarv and Lor 3 Darnley. l^y Mary's opinion of Darnley. His interview with her. ions and accommodations of ever} kind rose enormously in price. Every one was eager to get a glimpse of tlie beautiful queen. Besides, they knew that Lord Darnley was expected, and the rumor that he was seriously thought of as her future husband had been widely circu- lated, and had awakened, of course, a universal desire to see him. Mary was very much pleased with Darnley She told Melville, after their first interview, that he was the handsomest and best propor- tioned " long man" she had ever seen. Darn- ley was, in fact, very tall, and as he was straight and slender, he appeared even taller than he really was. He was, however, though young, very easy and graceful in his manners, and highly accomplished. Mary was very much pleased with him. She had almost decided vo make him her husband before she saw him, merely from political considerations, on account of her wish to combine his claim with hers in respect to the English crown. Elizabeth^s final answer, refusing the terms on Vv^hich Mary had consented to marry Leicester, which came about this time, vexed her, and determined Iier to abandon that p.an. And now, just in such a crisis, to find Darnley possessed of such strong 140 IMaRV t^LEEN OF 8 C O T s. [1565 The courtship. Elizabeth in a raga \ personal at^ractions, seemed to decide the ques- tion. In a few days her imagination was fall of pictures of joy and pleasure, in anticipations of union with such a husband. The thing took the usual course of such af- fairs. Darnley asked Mary to be his wife. She said no, and was offended with him for asking it. He offered her a present of a ring. She refused to accept it. But the no meant yes, and the rejection of the ring was only the prel- ude to the acceptance of something far moro important, of which a ring is the symbol. Ma- ry's first interview with Darnley was in Feb- ruary. In April, Queen Elizabeth's embassa- dor sent her word that he was satisfied that Mary's marriage with Darnley was all arrang- ed and settled. Queen Elizabeth was, or pretended to be, in a great rage. She sent the most urgent re- monstrances to Mary against the execution of the plan. She forwarded, also, very decisive orders to Darnley, and to the Earl of Lennox his father, to return immediately to England. Lennox replied that he could not return, for *'he did not think the climate would agree with him !" Darnley sent back word that he had mtered the service of the Queen of Scots, and 1565.] Mary and Lord Darnlky. lli Murray's opposition. Mary hastens the marriage. A dangerous plot henceforth should obey her orders alone. Eliz- abeth, liowever, \yas not the only one ^vho op- posed this marriage. The Earl of Murray, Ma- tj's brother, who had been thus far the great manager of the government under Mary, took at once a most decided stand against it. He enlisted a great number of Protestant nobles with him, and they held deliberations, in which they formed plans for resisting it by force. But Mary, who, with all her gentleness and loveli- ness of spirit, had, like other women, some de- cision and energy when an object in which the heart is concerned is at stake, had made up her mind. She sent to France to get the con- sent of her friends there. She dispatched a com- missioner to Rome to obtain the pope's dispen- sation ; she obtained the sanction of her own Parliament ; and, in fact, in every way hasten- ed the preparations for the marriage. Murray, on the other hand, and his ccnfed- erate lords, were determined to prevent it. They formed a plan to rise in rebellion against Mary, to waylay and seize her, to imprison her, and to send Darnley and his father to England, hav- ing made arrangements with Elizabeth's min- isters to receive them at the borders. The plan was all well matured, and would probably have 142 Mary Queen of Scots. [1565 j Mary'8 narrow escape. The marriaga been carried into effect, had not Mary, in some i way or other, obtained information of the de- sign. She was then at Stirling, and they wero to waylay her on tbo usual route to Edinburgh. She made a sudden journey, at an unexpected time, and by a new and unusual road, and thus evaded her enemies. The violence of this op- position only stimulated her determination to carry the marriage into effect without delay Her escape from her rebellious nobles took place in June, and she was married in July. This was six months after her first interview with Darnley. The ceremony was performed in the royal chapel at Holyrood. They show, to this day, the place where she is said to have stood, in the now roofless interior. Mary was conducted into the chapel by her father and another nobleman, in the midst of a large company of lords and ladies of the court, and of strangers of distinction, who had como to Edinburgh to witness the ceremony. A vast throng had collected also around the palace. Mary was led to the altar, and then Lord Darn- ley was conducted in. The marriage ceremony was performed according to the Catholic ritual. Tliree rings, one of them a diamond ring of great value, were put upon her finger. Afte- 1565.] Mary and Lord Darnley. 14;j The mourner and the bride. Darnley'a contemptible chnractcr. the ceremony, largess was proclaimed, and mon- ey distributed among the crowd, as had been done in Paris at Mary's former marriage, five years before. Mary then remained to attend the celebration of mass, Darnley, \vho was not a Catholic, retiring. After the mass, Mary re- tarned to the palace, and changed the mourn- ing dress which slie had continued to wear from the time of her first husband's death to that hour, for one more becoming a bride. The evening was spent in festivities of every kind. We have said that Darnley was personally attractive in respect both to his countenance and his manners ; and, unfortunately, this is all that can be said in his favor. He was weak- minded, and yet self-conceited and vain. The sudden elevation which his marriage with a queen gave him, made him proud, and he soon began to treat all around him in a very haughty and imperious manner. He seems to have been entirely unaccustomed to exercise any self-com- mand, or to submit to any restraints in the grat- ification of his passions. Mary paid him a great many attentions, and took great pleasure in con- ferring upon him, as lier queenly power enabled I her to do, distinctions and honors ; but, instead of being grateful for them, he received tliem as M4 Mary C^ueen of Scots. [156G Darnley's imperiousness and pride. IMary's cares. Eebellioi matters of course, and was continually demand ing more. There was one title which he want ed, and which, for some good reason, it was nec- essary to postpone conferring upon him. A no« bieman came to him one day and informed him of the necessity of this delay. He broke mto a fit of passion, drew his dagger, rushed toward the nobleman, and attempted to stab him. He commenced his imperious and haughty course of procedure even before his marriage, and con- tinued it afterward, growing more and more violent as his ambition increased with an in- crease of power. Marv felt these cruel acts of selfishixoss and pride very keenly, but, woman- like, she palliated and excused them, and loved him still. She had, however, other trials and cares press- ing upon her immediately. Murray and his confederates organized a formal and open re- bellion, IMary raised an army and took the field against them. The country generally took her side. A terrible and somewhat pro- tracted civil war ensued, but the rebels were finally defeated and driven out of the country. They went to England and claimed Elizabeth's protection, saying that she had incited them U: the revolt, and promised them her aid. Eliza- 15(36.] Mary and Lord Darnley. 146 Elizabeth's treatment of the rebels. Mary's generous conduct to Darnley betli told them that it would not do for her to be supposed to have abetted a rebellion in her cousin Mary's dominions, and that, unless they would, in the presence of the foreign embassa- dors at her court, disavow her having done so, she could not help them or countenance them in any way. The miserable men, being reduced to a hard extremity, made this disavowal. Eliz- abeth then said to them, "Now you have told the truth. Neither I, nor any one else in my name, incited you against your queen ; and your abominable treason may set an example to my own subjects to rebel against me. So get you gone out of my presence, miserable traitors as you are." Thus Mary triumphed over all the obstacles to her marriage with the man she loved; but, alas I before the triumph was fully accomplish- ed, the love was gone. Darnley was selfish, unfeeling, and incapable of requiting affection like Mary's. He treated her with the most heartless indifference, though she had done ev- ery thing to awaken his gratitude and win hi a love. She bestowed upon him every honor which it was in her power to grant. She gave hini the title of king. She admitted him to share with her the powers and prerogatives of the 10 145 Mar^' Q,ueen of Scots. [1566 The double throne. Darnley's cruel ingratitude. crown. There is to this day, in Mary's apart' ments at Holyrood House, a double throne which she had made for herself and her hus- band, with their initials worked together in the embroidered covering, and each seat surmount- ed by a crown. Mankind have always felt a strong sentiment of indignation at the ingrati- tude which could requite such love with such selfishness and cruelty. 1561. J Rizzio. 147 David Kizzio. Embassadors. Rizzio's poBition Chapter VIL Rizzio. il/fARY had a secretary named David Riz- LV-L zio. He was from Savoy, a country among the Alps. It was the custom then, as it is now, for the various governments of Eu- rope to have embassadors at the courts of other governments, to attend to any negotiations, or to the transaction of any other business which might arise between their respective sovereigns. These embassadors generally traveled with pomp and parade, taking sometimes many at tendants with them. The embassador from Savoy happened to bring with him to Scotland, in his train, this young man, Rizzio, in 1561, that is, just about the time that Mary herself returned to Scotland. He was a handsome and agreeable young man, but his rank and position were such that, for some years, he attracted nc attention. He was, however, quite a singer, and they used to bring him in sometimes to sing in 148 Mary Queen of Scots. [1564f Rizzio French secretary. Displeasure of the Scotch noble* Mary's presenci. with three other singers. His voice, being a good bass, made up the quar- tette. Mary saw him in this way, and as he was a good French and Italian scholar, and was amiable and intelligent, she gi-adually became somewhat interested in him. Mary had, at this time, among her other officers, a French secretary, who v/rote for her, aiiCi transacted such other business as required a knowledge cf the French language. This French secretary went home, and Mary appointed Rizzio to take his place. The native Scotchmen in Mary's court were naturally very jealous of the influence of these foreigners. They looked down with special contempt on Rizzio, considering him of mean rank and position, and wholly destitute of all claim to the office of confidential secretary to the queen. Rizzio increased the difficulty by not acting with the reserve and prudence which his delicate situation required. The nobles, proud of their own rank and importance, were very much displeased at the degree of intimacy and confidence to which Mary admitted him, They called him an intruder and an upstart. When they came in and found him in conver- sation with the queen, or whenever he accosted Ib6i] Rizzio. i4y They Ueat .lli*.zio with scorn and contempt. lie consults Mehille. her frsoly, as he was wont to do, in their pres- ence, they were irritated and vexed. They did not dare to remonstrate with Mary, out they took care to express their feelings of resent- ment and scorn to the subject of them in every possible way. They scowled upon him. They directed to him looks of contempt. They turn- ed thtir backs upon him, and jostled him in a rude and insulting manner. All this was a year or Uvo before Mary's marriage. Rizzio consulted Melville, asking his judg- ment as to wdiat he had better do. He said that, being Mary's French secretary, he was necessarily a good deal in her company, and the nobles seemed displeased with it ; but he did not see what he could do to diminish or avoid the difficulty. Melville replied that the nobles had an opinion that he not only perform- ed the duties of French secretary, but that he was fast acquiring a great ascendency in re- spect to ail other affairs. Melville further ad- vised him to be much more cautious in his bear- ing than he had been, to give place to the no- bles v/hen they were with him in the presence :-)f the queen, to speak less freely, and in a more unassuming manner, and to explain the whole Base to the queen herself; that she might co- 150 Mary Quern of Scots. [1564 Melville's counsel. Melville and the queeti operate \\'ith him in pursuing a course which would soothe and conciliate the irritated anc angTy feelings of the nobles. Melville said. ni(;reover, that he had himself, at one time, at a court on the Continent, been placed in a very similar situation to Rizzio's, and had been in volved in the same difficulties, but had escap ed the dangers which threatened him by pur suing himself the course which he now recom-- mended. | Rizzio seemed to approve of this counsel, andt promised to follow it; but he afterward told I Melville that he had spoken to the queen on the s subject, and that she would not consent to any ■ change, but wished every thing to go on as it had done. Now the queen, having great con- fidence in Melville, had previously requested him, that if he saw any thing in her deport- ment, or management, or measures, which he thought was wrong, frankly to let her know it. that she might be warned in season, and amend He thought that this was an occasion which re. quired this friendly interposition, and he took an opportunity to converse with her on the sub- ject ui a frank and plain, but still very respect- ful manner. He made but little impression. Marv said that Rizzio was only her private 1564] Rizzio. 151 Rizzio'a religion. IJis services to Mary French secretary ; that he had nothing to do with the affairs of the government ; that, conse- quently, his appointment and his office were her own private concern alone, and she should con- tiriue to act according to her own pleasure in managing her own affairs, no matter who was displeased by it. It is probable that the real ground of offense which the nobles had against Rizzio was jeal- ousy of his superior influence with the queen They, however, made his religion a great ground of complaint against him. He was a Cathohc, and had come from a strong Catholic country, having been born in the northern part of Italy, The Italian language was his mother tongue. They professed to believe that he was a secret emissary of the pope, and was plotting with Mary to bring Scotland back under the papal dominion. In the mean time, Rizzio devoted himself with untiring zeal and fidelity to the service of the queen. He was indefatigable in his ef. forts to please her, and he made himself ex- tremely useful to her in a thousand different ways. In fact, his being the object of so much dislike and aversion on the part of others, made him more and more exclusively devoted to the 152 Mary Queen of Scots. [1565 Rizzio'a power and iflfluence. His intimacy with Mary queen, who seemed to be almost his only friend. She, too, was urged, by what she considered tho unreasonable and bitter hostility of which her favorite was the object, to bestow upon him greater and greater favors. In process of time, one after another of those about the court, find- ing that Rizzio's influence and power were great and were increasing, began to treat him with respect, and to ask for his assistance in gaining their ends. Thus Rizzio found his position be- coming stronger, and the probability began to increase that he would at length triumph over the enemies who had set their faces so strongly against him. Though he had been at first inclined to fol- low Melville's advice, yet he afterward fell in cordially with the policy of the queen, which was, to press boldly forward, and put down with a strong hand the hostility which had been ex cited against him. Instead, therefore, of at- tempting to conceal the degree of favor which he enjoyed with the queen, he boasted of and displayed it. He would converse often and fa- miliarly with her in public. lie dressed mag- .iiiicently, like persons of the highest rank, and had many attendants. In a word, he assumed all the airs and manners of a person of high dip- 15(35.1 Rizzio. !53 Kiz/.io's exertion in favor of the marriage. Rizzio and Darnley. titictioii and coinmanding iniluenco. The ex- ternal signs of hostility to him were thus put down, but the fires of hatred burned none the less fiercely below, and only wanted an oppor- tunity to burst into an explosion. Thmgs were in this state at the time of the ne- gotiations in respect to Darnley's marriage ; for, in order to take up the story of Rizzio from the beginning, we have been obliged to go back in our narrative. Rizzio exerted all his influence in favor of the marriage, and thus bcth strength- ened his influence with Mary and made Darn- ley his friend. He did all in his power to di- minish the opposition to it, from whatever quar- ter it might come, and rendered essential serv- ice in the correspondence with France, and in the negotiations with the pope for obtaining the necessary dispensation. In a word, he did a great deal to promote the marriage, and to fa- cilitate all the arrangements for carrying it into effect. Darnley relied, therefore, upon Rizzio's friend- ship and devotion to his service, forgetting that, in all these past efforts, Rizzio was acting out of regard to Mary's wishes, and not to his own. As long, therefore, as Mary and Darnley contin- ued to pursue the same objects and aims, Rizzio 154 Mary Queen of Scots. [1560 Darnley greatly disliked. His unreasonable wiahea was the common friend and ally of both. The enemies of the marriage, however, disliked Riz- zio more than ever. As Darnley's character developed itself grad- aally after his marriage, every body began to dislike him also. He was unprincipled and vi- cious, as well as imperious and proud. His friendship for Rizzio was another ground of dis- like to him. The ancient nobles, who had been accustomed to exercise the whole control in the public affairs of Scotland, found themselves sup- planted by this young Italian singer, and an English boy not yet out of his teens. They were exasperated beyond all bounds, but yet they contrived, for a while, to conceal and dis- semble their anger. It was not very long after the marriage of Mary and Darnley before they began to become alienated from each other. Mary did every thing for her husband which it was reasonable for him to expect her to do. She did, in fact, all that was in her power. But he was not sat- isfied. She made him the sharer of her throve He wanted her to give up her place to him, anrl thus make him the sole possessor of it. lie wanted what was called the crown matrimonial. The crown matrimonial denoted power with 1566.] Rizzio. 155 The crown matriuioniiil. Damley's ambition. which, according to the old Scottish law, the husband of a queen could be invested, enabling him to exercise the royal prerogative in his own name, both during the life of the queen and also after her death, during the continuance of his own life. This made him, in fact, a king for life, exalting him above his wife, the real sovereis^n, throusrh whom alone he derived his powers. Now Darnley was very urgent to have the crown matrimonial conferred upon him He insisted upon it. He would not submit to any delay. Mary told him that this was something entirely beyond her power-to grant. The crown matrimonial could only be bestowed by a sol- emn enactment of the Scottish Parliament, But Darnley, impatient and reckless, like a boy as he was, w^ould not listen to any excuse, but teased and tormented Mary about the crown matrimonial continually. Besides the legal difficulties in the way of Mary's conferring these powers upon Darnley t)y her own act, there were other difficulties, doubtless, in her mind, arising from the char- acter of Darnley, and his unfitness, wdiich was every day becoming more manifest, to be in- trusted with such power. Only four months 156 Mary Queen of Scots. |156(5 Darnley's lirutality. SJ£;nature8. Coius after his marriage, his rough and cruel treat- ment of Mary became intolerable. One day, at a house in Edinburgh, where the king and queen, and other persons of distinction had been invited to a banquet, Darnley, as was his cus torn, was beginning to drink very freely, and was trying to urge other persons there to drink to excess. Mary expostulated with him, en- deavorinsj to dissuade him from such a course. Darnley resented these kind cautions, and re- torted upon her in so violent and brutal a man- ner as to cause her to leave the room and the company in tears. When they were first married, Mary had caused her husband to be proclaimed king, and had taken some other similar steps to invest him with a share of her own power. But -she soon found that in doing this she had gone to the ex- treme of propriety, and that, for the future, she must retreat rather than advance. According- ly, although he was associated with her in the supreme power, she thought it best to kcej) precedence for her own name before his, in the exorcise of power. On the coins which were ^struck, the inscription was, " In the name of the Queen and King of Scotland." In signing public documents, she insisted on having her 1566.1 Rizzio. 157 Rizzio sides with Mary. Darnley and Ruthvea name recordc 1 first. These things irritated and provoked Darnley more and more. He was not contented to be admitted to a share of the sovereign power which the queen possessed in her own right alone. He wished to supplant her in it entirely. Rizzio, of course, took Queen Mary's part in these questions. He opposed the grant of the crown matrimonial. Ho opposed all other plans for increasing or extending in any way Darnley's power. Darnley was very much in- censed, against him, and earnestly desired to find some way to effect his destruction. He communicated these feelings to a certain fierce and fearless nobleman named Ruthven, and ai'ked his assistance to contrive some way to tfvke vengeance upon Rizzio. Ruthven was very much pleased to hear this He belonged to a party of the lords of the court who also hated Rizzio, though they had hated Darnley besides so much that they had not com- municated to him their hostility to the other. Ruthven and his friends had not joined Mur- ray and the other rebels in opposing the mar- riage of Darnley. They had chosen to acqui- esce in it, hoping to maintain an ascendency pTcr Darnley, regarding him, as they did, as a 158 Mary (^ueen of Scots. [1566. A. combinatica. The secretary and his queen mere boy, an(? thus retain their power. WheD they, found, however, that he was so headstrong and unmanageable, and that they could do nothing with him, they exerted all their influ- ence to have Murray and the other exiled lords pardoned and allowed to return, hoping to com- oine with them after their return, and then to- gether to make their power superior to that of Darnley and Rizzio. They considered Darn- ley and Rizzio both as their rivals and ene- mies. When they found, therefore, that Darn- ley was plotting Rizzio's destruction, they felt a very strong as well as a very unexpected pleasure. Thus, among all the jealousies, and rivalries, and bitter animosities of which the court was at this time the scene, the only true and hon- est attachment of one heart to another seems to have been that of Mary to Rizzio. The secre- tary was faithful and devoted to iho queen, and the queen was grateful and kind to the secre- tary. There has been some question whether this attachment was an innocent or a guilty one. A painting, still hanging in the private rooms which belonged to Mary in the palace &*, Holyrood, represents Rizzio as young and verj bandsorae ; on the other hand, some of the his- 1566.' . Rizzio. 159 Nature of Maiy's attachment. Plot to assassinate Rizzio torians of the day, to disprove the possibility of any guilty attachment, say that he was rath- er old and ugly. We may ourselves, perhaps, safely infer, that unless there were something specially repulsive in his appearance and man- ner, such a heart as Mary's, repelled so roughly from the one whom it was her duty to love, could not well have resisted the temptation to seek a retreat and a refuge in the kind devot- edness of such a friend as Rizzio proved him- .^elf to be to her. However this may be, Ruthven made such suggestions to Darnley as goaded him to mad- ness, and a scheme was soon formed for putting Rizzio to death. The plan, after being diilib- crately matured in all its arrangements, wa? carried into effect in the following manner The event occurred early in the spring of 1566 less than a year after Mary's marriage. iMorton, who was one of the accomplices, as sembled a large force of his followers, consist ing, it is said, of five hundred men, which he posted in the evening near the palace, and when it was dark he moved them silently into the central court of the palace, through the entrance E, as marked upon the following plan. J 60 Mary Queen of S.oots [1566 Plan of Holyrood House. DescripticE Plan op that part of Holyrood House ^vmrg WAS THE SCENE OF RlZZIo's MURPEP . E. Principal entrance. Co. Court of the palace. PP. Piazza arouusi Jt. AA Various apartments built in modem tinues. H. Great hall, used now as a gallery of portraits. T. Stair-case. o. Entrance to Marj's apartments, second floor. R. Ante-room. B. Mary's bed-room. D. Dressing-room in one of the towers. C. Cabinet, or small room in the other tower. SS. Stair-cases in the wall. d. Small entrance under the tapestry. Ch. Royal chapel, m Place where Mary and Damley Btcod at the marriage ceremony. Pa. Passage-way leading to the chiipel Mary was, at the time of these occurrences^ in the little room marked C, which was buill within one of the round towers which form a part of the front of the building, and which aro very conspicuous in any view of the palace oi 1566.J Rizzi(» IGl 4purtraents. Morton and Ruthvea Holyrood.''^ This room was on the third floor, and it opened into Mary's bedroom, marked b. Darnley had a room of his own immediately below Mary's. There was a little door, d, lead- ing from Mary's bed-room to a private stair- case built in the wall. This stair-case led down into Darnley's room ; and there was also a cam- munication from this place down through the whole length of the castle to the royal chapel, marked CA, the building which is now in ruins. Behind Mary's bed-room was an ante-room, it, witli a door, o, leading to the public stair-case by which her apartments were approached. All these apartments still remain, and are ex- plored annually by thousands of visitors. It was about seven o'clock in the evening that the conspirators were to execute their pur- pose. Morton remained below in the court with his troops, to prevent any interruption. He held a high office under the queen, which authorized him to bring a force into the court of the palace, and his doing so did not alarm the inmates. Ruthven was to head the party whicli was to commit the crime. He was con- fined to his bed with sickness at the time, but * See Niew of Ho yrood House, page 114 and compare il vith this plan. 11 Il52 Mary Queen of Scots. [1566. Mary at supper. Arrangements of the conspirator*. he was so eager to liave a share in the pleasure of destroying Rizzio, that he left his bed, put on a suit of armor, and came forth to the work The armor is preserved in the little apartment which was the scene of the tragedy to this day. Mary was at supper. Two near relatives and friends of hers — a gentleman and a lady— and Rizzio, were with her. The room is scarce ly large enough to contain a greater number There were, however, two or three servants in attendance at a side-table. Darnley came up, about eight o'clock, to make observations. The other conspirators were concealed in his room below, and it was agreed that if Darnley found any cause for not proceeding with the plan, he was to return immediately and give them no- tice. If, therefore, he should not return, after the lapse of a reasonable time, they were to fol- low him up the private stair-case, prepared to act at once and decidedly as soon as they should enter the room. They were to come up by this private stair-case, in order to avoid being inter- cepted or delayed by the domestics in attend- ance in the ante-room, it, of which there would have been danger if they had ascended by the public stair-case at T. Finding that Darnley did ncft return, Ruthveii I;">G6.1 Kizzio. 163 The little upper room. Murder of Rizzlo. with his party ascended the stairs, entered the bed-chamber through the little door at c/, and thence advanced to the door of the cabinet, his heav}' iron armor clanking as he came. The queen, alarmed, demanded the meaning of this intrusion. Ruthven, whose countenance was grim and ghastly from the conjoined influence of ferocious passion and disease, said that they meant no harm to her, but they only wanted the villain who stood near her. Rizzio perceiv- ed that his hour was come. The attendants flocked in to the assistance of the queen and Rizzio. Ruthven's confederates advanced to join in the attack, and there ensued one of those scenes of confusion and terror, of which those who witness it have no distinct recollection on looking back upon it when it is over. Rizzio cried out in an agony of fear, and sought refuge behind the queen ; the queen herself fainted ; the table was overturned ; and Rizzio, having received one wound from a dagger, was seized and dragged out through the bed-chamber, B^ and through the ante-room, it, to the door, o, where he fell down, and was stabbed by the murderers again and again, till ho ceased to b reathe. After this scene was over. Darnley and Ruth- 104 Mary Queen of Scots. [1566. Conversation. Violence of tlie conspirators. ven came coolly back into Mary's chamber, and, as soon as Mary recovered her senses, be- gan to talk of and to justify their act of vio- lence, without, however, telling her that Rizzio had been killed. Mary was filled with emo- tions of resentment and grief. She bitterly re- proached Darnley for such an act of cruelty a» breaking into her apartment with armed men, and seizing and carrying off her friend. She told him that she had raised him from his com- paratively humble position to make him her husband, and now this was his return. Darn- ley replied that Rizzio had supplanted him in her confidence, and thwarted all his plans, and that Mary had shown herself utterly regardless of his wishes, under the influence of Rizzio. He said that, since Mary had made herself his wife, she ought to have obeyed him, and not put herself in such a way under the direction of another. Mary learned Rizzio's fate the next day. The violence of the conspirators did not stop with the destruction of Rizzio. Some of Mary's high officers of government, who were in the palace at the time, were obliged to make their escape from the windows to avoid being seized by Morton and his soldiers in the court. Amono LoGb.l Rizzio. 16^ Mary a prisoner. Darnley s usurpation, tliem was the Earl Botliwcll, who tried at first to drive Morton out, but in the end was obliged himself to lleo. Some of these men let them- selves down by ropes from the outer windows. When the uproar and confusion caused by this struggle was over, they found that Mary, over- come with agitation and terror, was showing symptoms of fainting again, and they concluded to leave her. They informed her that she must consider herself a prisoner, and, setting a guard at the door of her apartm.ent, they went away, leaving her to spend the night in an agony of resentment, anxiety, and fear. Lord Darnley took the government at once entirely into his own hands. He prorogued Parliament, which was then just commencing a sessio*^, in his own name alone. He organ- ized an administration, Mary's ofUcers having fled. In saying that he did these things, we mean, of course, that the conspirators did them in his name. He was still but a boy, scarcely out of his teens, and incapable of any other ac- tion in such an emergency but a blind compli- ance with the wishes of the crafty men who had got him into their power by gratifying hh feelings of revenge. They took possession of the government in his name, and kept Mary a <3k)se prisoner. 166 Mary Queen of Scots. [1566 Melville. Mary appeals to the provost The murder was committed on Saturday Jiight. The next morning, of course, was Sun- day. Melville was going out of the palace about ten o'clock. As he passed along under the win- dow where Mary was confined, she called out to him for help. He asked her what he could do for her. She told him to go to the provost of Edinburgh, the officer corresponding to the mayor of a city in this country, and ask him to call out the city guard, and come and release I her from her captivity. " Go quick," said slie, '' or the guards will see you and stop you." Just then the guards came up and challenged Mel- ville. He told them he was going to the city to attend church ; so they let him pass on. He went to the provost, and delivered Mary's mes- sage. The provost said he dared nbt, and could not interfere. So Mary remained a prisoner. Her captiv- ity, however, was of short duration. In two days Darnley came to see her. He persuaded her that he himself had had nothing to do with the murder of Rizzio. Mary, on the other hand^ persuaded him that it was better for them to be friends to each other than to live thus in a per- petual quarrel. She convinced him that Ruth- ven and his confederates were not, and couk] .566.] Rizzio. 167 Mary defeats the conspirators. Birth of her soa not be, his friends. They would only make him (he instrument of obtaining the objects of their ambition. Darnley saw this. He felt that he as well as Mary were in the rebels' power Tliey formed a plan to escape together. They succeeded. They fled to a distant castle, and collected a large army, the people everv where Qocking to the assistance of the queen. Thcj. returned to Edinburgh in a short time in tri- umph. The conspirators fled. Mary then de- cided to pardon and recall the old rebels, and ex- pend her anger henceforth on the new ; and thus the Earl Murray, her brother, was brought back, and once more restored to favor. After settling all these troubles, Mary retired tu Edinburgh Castle, where it was supposed she could be best protected, and in the month of July following the murder of Rizzio, she gave birth to a son. In this son was afterward ac- complished all her fondest wishes, for he inher- ited in the end both the English and Scottish crowns 168 Marv Queen of Scots. [1566 Karl of I'.oiliwell. His desperate character. Castle of Dunbar 5e ; but, on attempting to take it into the house, they found it too big to pass through the back door. This caused con- siderable delay ; and Bothwell, growing impa- tient, came, with his characteristic impetuos- ity, to ascertain the cause. By his presence and his energy, he soon remedied the difficulty in some way or other, and completed the ar- rangements. The gunpowder was all deposit- ed ; the men were dismissed, except two who were left to watch, and who were locked up with the gunpowder in Mary's room ; and then, all things being ready for the explosion as soon as Mary should be gone, Bothwell walked up to Darnley's.room above, and joined the party who were supping there. The cool effi'ontery of this proceeding has scarcely a parallel in the annals of crime. At eleven o'clock Mary rose to go, saying she must return to the palace to take part, as tf^he had promised to do, in the celebration of her servants' wedding. Mary took leave of hei husband in a very affectionate manner, and went away in company with Bothwell and the other Qobles. Her enemies maintain that she was 186 Mary Queen df Scots. [1567 Was Mary ;)rivy to the plot ? Anecdotes of Mary, privy to all the arrangements which had been made, and that she did not go into her own apartment below, knowing very well what was there. But even if we imagine that Mary was aware of the general plan of destroying her hus- band, and was secretly pleased with it, as al- most any royal personage that ever lived, under such circumstances, would be, we need not ad- mit that she w^as acquainted with the details of the mode by which the plan was to be put in execution. The most that we can suppose such a man as Both well would have communicated to her, would be some dark and obscure inti- mations of his design, made in order to satisfy himself that she would not really oppose it. To ask her, woman as she was, to take any part in such a deed, or to communicate to her be- forehand any of the details of the arrangement, would have been an act of littleness and mean- ness which such magnanimous monsters as Both- v/ell are seldom guilty of. Besides, Mary remarked that evening, in Darnley's room, in the course of conversation,, that it w^as just about a year since Rizzio's death. On entering her palace, too, at Holy- rood, that night, she met one of Bothwell's serv- ants who had been carrying the ba.gs, and, per* 15G7 i Both WELL. 1S7 tldurii lo Ilolyrood. French Paris tiutcra ociving the smell of gunpowder, she asked him what it meant. Now Mary was not the bra- zen-faced sort of woman to speak of such things at such a time if she was really in the councils of the conspirators. The only question seems to be, therefore, not whether she was a party to the actual deed of murder, but only whether she was aware of, and consenting to, the gen- eral desis^n. In the mean time, Mary and Bothwell went together into the hall where the servants were rejoicing and makiing merry at the wedding. French Paris was there, but his heart began to fail him in respect to the deed in which he had been engaged. He stood apart, wdth a coun- tenance expressive of anxiety and distress. Bothwell went to him, and told him that if he carried such a melancholy face as that any lon- ger in the presence of the queen, he would make him suffer for it. The poor conscience-stricken man begged Bothwell to release him from any further part in the transaction. He was sick, really sick, he said, and he wanted to go home to his bed. Bothwell made no reply but to or- der him to follow him. Bothwell went to his uwn rooms, changed the silken court dress in which he had app?ared in company for one suit- 188 Mary Queen of Scots. [156? The convent gardens. Laying the train able to the night and to the deed, directed his men to follow him, and passed from the palace i ioward the gates of the city. The gates were ' shut, for it was midnight. The sentinels chal- lenged them. The party said they were friends to my Lord Bothwell, and were allowed to pass on. They advanced to the convent gardens. Here they left a part of their number, while Bothwell and French Paris passed over the wall, and crept softly into tlie house. They unlocked the room where they had left the two watchmen with the gunpowder, and found all safe. Men locked up under such circumstan- ces, and on the eve of the perpetration of such a deed, were not likely to sleep at their posts. All things being now ready, they made a slow match of lint, long enough to burn for some little time, and inserting one end of it »nto the gunpowder, they lighted the other end, and crept stealthily out of the apartment. They passed over the wall into the convent gardens, where they rejoined their companions and await- ed the result. Men choose midnight often for the perpetra- tion of crime, from the facilities afforded by its silence and solitude. This advantage is, how- 1567J Both WELL. 189 Puspcnse. The explosion. Flight of the criminals r, sometimes well-nigh balanced by the stlm- IS which its mysterious solemnity brings to 3 stings of remorse and terror, BothweL .mself felt anxiour) and agitated. They wait- d and waited, but it seemed as if their dread- u\ suspense would never end. Both well be- came desperate. He w^anted to get over the wall again and look in at the window, to see if the slow match had not gone out. The rest restrained him. At length the explosion came like a clap of thunder. The flash brightened for an instant over the whole sky, and the re- port roused the sleeping inhabitants of Edin burgh from their slumbers, throwing the whole city into sudden consternation. The perpetrators of the deed, finding that their work was done, fled immediately. The}' tried various plans to avoid the sentinels at the gates of the city, as well as the persons who were beginning to come toward the scene of the explosion. When they reached the palace of Holyrood, they were challenged by the sen- tinel on duty there. They said that they were friends of Earl Both well, bringing dispatches t(j him from the country. The sentinel asked them if they knew what was the cause of that loud explosion They said they did not, and passed on. 190 Mary C^ueen ofSccts [loOV Mary's indignation. Bothwcll arrested, tried, and acquitted Both well went to his room, called for a drink, undressed himself, and went to bed. Half an hour afterward, messengers came to awaken him, and inform him that the king's house had been blown up with gunpowder, and the king himself killed by the explosion. He rose with an appearance of great astonishment and indig- nation, and, after conferring with some of tho other nobles, concluded to go and communicate the event to the queen. The queen was over- whelmed with astonishment and indignation too. The destruction of Darnley in such a man- ner as tliis, of course produced a vast sensation all over Scotland. Every body was on the alert to discover the authors of the crime. Rewards were offered ; proclamations were made. Ru- mors began to circulate that Bothwell was the criminal. He was accused by anonymous placards put up at night in Edinburgh. Len- nox, Darnley's father, demanded his trial ; and a trial was ordered. The circumstances of the trial were such, however, and Bofnwell's oower and desperate recklessness were so great, that Lennox, when the time came, did not appear. He. said he had not force enough at his com- mand to come safely into court. There being DO testimony ollercd, Bothwell was acquitted; 15U7,1 ]^otii\vi:ll, lUl BoUuvcU's challenge. IJis p?an tc inuny Mary and he immediately afterward issued his proc- lamation, oOcriiig to fight any man who should intimate, in any way, that he was concerned in the murder of the Iving. Thus Bothwell estab- lished his innocence ; at least, no man dared to gainsay it. Darnley was murdered in February. Both- well was tried and acquitted in April. Imme- diately afterward, he took measures for private- ly making known to the leading nobles that it was his design to marry the queen, and for se- curing their concurrence in the plan. They concurred ; or at least, perhaps for fear of dis- pleasing such a desperado, said what he under- stood to mean that they concurred. The queen heard the reports of such a design, and said, a? ladies often do in similar cases, that she did not know what people meant by such reports ; there was no foundation for them whatever. Toward the end of April, Mary was about returning from the castle of Stirling to Edin- burgh with a small escort of troops and attend- ants. Melville was in her train. Bothwell set out at the head of a force of more than five hundred men to intercept her. Mary lodged one night, on her way, at Linlithgow, the ])al- ace where slie was born, and the next morning 192 Mar\ i^UEEN OF Scots. [1567 riiG dbduction. Mary's confinement at 'Dunbar. Her account of it was quietly pursuing her journey , when Both well came up at the head of his troops. Resist- ance was vain. Bothweil advanced to Mary's horse, and, taking the bridle, led her away. A few of her principal followers w^ere taken pris- oners too, &.nd the rest were dismissed. Both- well took his captive across the country by a rapid flight to his castle of Dunbar. The at • tendants w ho were taken with her were releas- ed, and sho remained in the Castle of Dunbar for ten days, entirely in Both well's power. Accordhjg to the account which Mary her- self gives of what took place during this cap- tivity, she at first reproached Bothweil bitterly for the ungrateful and cruel return he was mak- ing for all her kindness to him, by such a deed of violence and wrong, and begged and entreat- ed hir/i to let her go. Bothweil replied that he knew that it was wrong for him to treat his sovereign so rudely, but that he was impelled to it by the circumstances of the case, and by love which he felt for her, which was too strong for him to control. He then entreated her to become his wife; he complained of the bitter hostility Yfhich he had always been subject to from his snemies, and that he could have no 8afeguarf/. from this hostility in time to coma, loGT.j BOTIIWKLL. 19.5 fiotiiwcll entreats Mary to marry him. She consents, but in her favor ; and he could not depend upon any assurance of her favor less than her mak- ing him her husband. He protested that, if she would do so, he would never ask to share her power, but would be content to be her faith- ful and devoted servant, as he had always been. Ft was love, not ambition, he said, that animat- ed him, and he could not and would not be re- fused. Mary says tliat she was distressed and agitated beyond measure by the appeals and threats witli which Bothwell accompanied his urgent entreaties. She tried every way to plan some mode of escape. Nobody came to her rescue. She was entirely alone, and in Both- vvell's power. Bothwell assured her that the leading nobles of her court were in favor of the marriage, and showed her a written agreement signed by them to this effect. At length, wearied and exhausted, she was finally over- come by his urgency, and yielding partly to his persuasions, and partly, as she says, to f( rce, gave herself up to his power. Mary remained at Dunbar about ten days, during which time Bothwell sued out and ob- tained a divorce from his wife. His wife, feel- ing, perhaps, resentment more than grief, sued, at the same time, for a divorce from him. J^oth* 196 Mary Queen of Scjis. (1567 Both well's pardon. The marriage. Doubts in respect to Mary well then sallied forth from his fastness at Dunbar, and, taking Mary with him, went to Edinburgh, and took up his abode in the cas- tle there, as that fortress was then under his power. Mary soon after appeared in public, and stated that she was now entirely free, and that, although Bothwell had done wrong in car rying her away by violence, still he had treated her since in so respectful a manner, that she had pardoncid him, and had received him intt» favor again. A short time after this they were married. The ceremony was performed in a very private and unostentatious manner, and took place in May, about three months after the murder of Darnley. By some persons Mary's account of the trans- actions at Dunbar is believed. Others think that the whole affair was all a preconcerted plan, and that the appearance of resistance on her part was only for show, to justify, in some degree, in the eyes of the world, so imprudent and inexcusable a marriage. A great many volumes have been written on the question, without making any progress toward a £.'8ttle- ment of it. It is one of those cases where, the evidence being complicated, conflicting, and in« complete, the mind is swayed by the feehngs, 1'j07.] Both well. # 197 Influence of beauty and misfortune. and the readers of the story decide more or less favorably for the unhappy queen, according to the warmth of the interest awakened in their oearts by beauty and misfortune. 198 IVLary Queen of Scots. [15G7 Mary's infatuation. Excuses tor be • Chapter IX. The Fall of Both well. rilHE course which Mary pursued after hei -^ liberation from Dunbar in yielding to Both- well's wishes, pardoning his violence, receiving him again into favor, and becoming his wife, is one of the most extraordinary instances of the infatuation produced by love that has ever oc- curred. If the story had been fiction instead of truth, it would have been pronounced extrav- agant and impossible. As it was, the whole country was astonished and confounded at such a rapid succession of desperate and unaccount' able crimes. Mary herself seems to have been hurried through these terrible scenes in a sort of delirium of excitement, produced by the strange circumstances of the case, and the wild and un- controllable agitations to which they gave rise. Such was, however, at the time, and such continues to be still, the feeling of interest in Mary's character and misfortunes, that but few open and direct censures of her conduct were I5G7.] Fall of Both well. 199 Mary's deep depression. Interposition of the King of France then, or have been since, expressed. People execrated Bothwell, but they were silent in re- spect to Mary. It was soon plain, however, that she had greatly sunk in their regard, and that the more they reflected upon the circum- stances of the case, the deeper she was sinking. When the excitement, too, began to pass away from her own mind, it left behind it a gnawing inquietude and sense of guilt, which grew grad- ually more and more intense, until, at length, she sunk under the stings of remorse and de- spair. Her sufferings were increased by the evi- dences which were continually coming to her mind of the strong degree of disapprobation with which her conduct began soon every where to be regarded. Wherever Scotchmen traveled, they found themselves reproached Vvdth the deeds of violence and crime of which their Jiountry had been the scene. Marv's relatives dnd friends in France wrote to her, expressing th(iir surprise and grief at such proceedings. The King of France had sent, a short time be- fore, a special embassador for the purpose of doing something, if possible, to discover and punish the murderers of Darnley. His name was Le Croc. He was an aojed and vo.nerable 200 Mary Queen of Scots. [15b7 Bothwell at Edinburgh Castle. He is hated by the peopla Qian, of great prudence and discretion, well qualified to discover and pursue the way of es- cape from the difBcuIties in which Mary had involved herself, if any such v/ay could be found. fie arrived before the day of Mary's marriage, but he refused to take any part, or even to be present, at the ceremony. In the mean time, Bothwell continued in Ed- inburgh Castle for a while, under the protec- tion of a strong guard. People considered this guard as intended to prevent Mary's escape, and many thought that she was detained, after all, against her v/ill, and that her admissions that she was free were only made at the insti- gation of Bothwell, and from fear of his terri- ble power. The other nobles and the people of Scotland began to grow more and more uneasy The fear of Bothwell began to be changed intr> hatred, and the more powerful nobles commenced forming plans for combining together, and res ^uing, as they said, Mary out of his power. Bothwell made no attempts to conciliato disSin. He assumed an air and tone of defiance. He increased his forces. He conceived the plan of going to Stirling Castle to seize the young prince, who was residing there under the charge of persons to whom his education had been in- J5G7.J Fall of Both well. 201 Tho opposing parties. How far Mary was responsiblft, trusted. He said to his followers that James should never do any thing to avenge his father's death, if he could once get him into his hands The other nobles formed a league to counteract diese designs. They began to assemble their forces, and every thing threatened an outbreak of civil war. The marriage took place about the middle of May, and within a fortnight from that time the lines began to be pretty definitely drawn between the two great parties, the queen and Bothwell on one side, and the insurgent nobles on the other, each party claiming to be friends of the queen. Whatever was done on Both- well's side was, of course, in the queen's name, though it is very doubtful how far she was re- sponsible for what was done, or hov/ far, on the other hand, she merely aided, under the influ- ence of a species of compulsion, in carrying into execution Both well's measures. We must say, in narrating the history, that the queen did this and that, and must leave the reader to judge whether it was herself, or Bothwell acting through her, who was the real agent in the transactions described. Stirling Castle, where the young prince was residing, is northwest of Edinburgh. The con- 202 Mary Quee.^ of Scots. |lo(i7, Melroso, Ruins of the abbey. Mary's proclamatioa federate lords were assembling in that vicinity. The border country between England and Scot- land is of course south. In the midst of tliLS border country is the ancient town of Melrose, where there was, in former days, a very ricli and magnificent abbey^ the ruins of which, to this day, form one of the most attractive ob- jects of interest in the whole island of Great Britain. The region is now the abode of peace, and quie+ness, and plenty, though in Mary's day it was the scene of continual turmoil and war. It is now the favorite retreat of poets and philosophers, who seek their residences thero on account of its stillness and peace. Sir Wal- ter Scott's Abbotsford is a few miles from Mel- rose. About a fortnight after Mary's marriage, she issued a proclamation ordering the military chiefs in her kingdom to assemble at Melrose, with their followers, to accompany her on an expedition through the border country, to sup- press some disorders there. The nobles con- sidered this as only a scheme of Both well's to draw them away from the neighborhood of Stir- ling, so that he might go and get possession of the young prince. Rumors of this spread around the countrv, and tb--- forces, instead of > 1567.] Fall of Both well. 203 Tlie prince's lords. BotliwcU alarmed. Eorthwick C{.fet!e. proceeding to Melrose, began to assemble in the neighborhood of Stirling, for the protection of the prince. The lords under whose banners {-.hey gathered assumed the name of the princess lords, and they called upon the people to' take up arms in defense of young James's person and rights. The prince's lords soon began to con- centrate their forces about Edinburgh, and Bothw^ell was alarm ad for his safety. He had reason to fear that the governor of Edinburgh Castle was on their side, and that he might sud- denly sally forth with a body of his forces down the High Street to Holyrood, and take him pris- oner. He accordingly began to think it neces- sary to retreat. Now Bothwell had, among his other posses- sions, a certain castle called Borthwick Castle, a few miles south of Edinburgh. It \vas sit- uated on a little swell of land in a beautiful val- ley. It was surrounded with groves of trees, and from the windows and walls of the castle there was an extended view over the beautiful and fertile fields of the valley. This castle was extensive and strong. It consisted of one great square tower, surrounded and protected h jp walls and bastions, and was approached by a draw- bridge. In the sudden emergency in which 204 Mary Queen of rS c o t s. [i5f)7 Bothwell's rcti'eat. He is besieged. Makes his escape. Both well found himself placed, this fortress seemed to be the most convenient and the surest retreat. On the 6th of June, he accord- ingly left Edinburgh with as large a force as he had at command, and rode rapidly across the country with the queen, and established him- self at Borthwick. The prince's lords, taking fresh courage frDm the evidence of Bothwell's weakness and fear, immediately marched from Stirling, passed by Edinburgh, and almost immediately after Both- well and the queen had got safely, as they im- agined, established in the place of their retreat, they found their castle surrounded and hemmed in on all sides by hostile forces, which filled the whole valley. The castle was strong, but not strong enough to withstand a siege from such an army. Bothwell accordingly determined to retreat to his castle of Dunbar, which, being on a rocky promontory, jutting into the sea, and more remote from the heart of the country, was less accessible, and more safe than Borth- wick. He contrived, though with great difh- culty, to make his escape with the queen, through the ranks of his enemies. It is said that the queen was disguised in male attire, At any rate, they made their escape, they reach* 1^67.] L'all of BoTiiwELi.. 205 Bothwcll at Dunbar. rroclamation. Approaching contest ed Dunbar, and Mary, or Bothwcll in her name, immediately issued a proclamation, calling upon all her faithful subjects to assemble in arms, to deliver her from her dangers. At the same time, the prince's lords issued ///e/r proclamation, call- ing upon all faithful subjects to assemble witli them, to aid them in delivering the queen from the tyrant who held her captive. The faithful subjects were at a loss which proclamation to obey. By far the greater num- ber joined the insurgents. Some thousands^ however, went to Dunbar. "With this force the queen and Bothwcll sallied forth, about tho middle of June, to meet the prince's lords, or the insurgents, as they called them, to settle the question at issue by the kind of ballot with which such questions were generally settled in those days. Mary had a proclamation read at the head of lier army, now that she supposed she was orj the eve of battle, in wdiich she explained the causes of the quarrel. The proclamation stated that the marriage was Mary's free act, and that, alt rough it was in some respects an extraordi- nary one, still the circumstances were such that she could not do otherwise than she had done. For ten days she had bo^.n in Bothwell's pow- 206 Mary Queen of Scots. [1567. Mary's iippeal. Approach of the prince's lords. Carberry llill er in his castle at Dunbar, and not an arm had been raised for her deliverance. Iler subjects ought to have interposed then, if they were in- tending really to rescue her from Bothwell's power. They had done nothing then, but now, when she had been compelled, by the cruel cii- cumstances of her condition, to marry Both- well — when the act was done, and could no lon- ger be recalled, they had taken up arms against her, and compelled her to take the field in her own defense. The army of the prince's lords, with Mary's most determined enemies at their head, ad- vanced to meet the queen's forces. The queen finally took her post on an elevated piece of ground called Carberry Hill. Carberry is an old Scotch name for gooseberry. Carberry Hill is a few miles to the eastward of Edinburgh, near Dalkeith. Here the two armies were drawn up, opposite to each other, in hostile ar- ray. Le Croc, the aged and venerable French em- bassador, made a great effort to effect an ac- commodation and prevent a battle. He first went to the queen and obtained authority from her to offer terms of peace, and then went to Uu :anip of the prince's lords and proposed that 1567.] Fall of Botiiuell. 207 Kfforts of Le Croc to effect an accommodpdon. Bothwcll'a challenge. they should lay down their arms and submit to the queen's authority, and that she would for- give and forget what they had done. They re- plied that they had done no wrong, and asked for no pardon ; that they were not in arms against the queen's authority, but in favor of it. They sought only to deliver her from the durance in which she was held, and to bring to punishment the murderers of her husband, who- ever they might be. liC Croc went back and forth several times, vainly endeavoring to ef- fect an accommodation, and finally, giving up in despair, he returned to Edinburgh, leaving the contending parties to settle the contest in their own way. Bothwell now sent a herald to the camp of his enemies, challenging any one of them to meet him, and settle the question of his guilt or innocence by single combat. This proposi- tion was not quite so absurd in those days as it would be now, foi it was not an uncommon thing, in the Middle Ages, to try in this way questions of crime. Many negotiations ensued on Bothwell's proposal. One or two persons expressed themselves ready to accept the chal- lenge. Bothwell objected to them on account of their raiik being inferior to hip, but said he 208 Mary Queen of Scots. [1567. Morton. Marj' sends for Grange. would fight Morton, if Morton wouid accept his challenge. Morton had been his accomplice iia the murder of Darnley, but had afterward joined the party of Bothwell's foes. It would have been a singular spectacle to see one of these confederates in the commission of a crime con- tending desperately in single combat to settle the question of the gTiilt or innocence of the other. The combat, however, did not take place. After many negotiations on the subject, the plan was abandoned, each party charging the other with declining the contest. The queen and Bothwell, in the mean time, found such evidences of strength on the part of their ene- mies, and felt probably, in their own hearts, so much of that faintness and mis2:ivin£^ under which human energy almost always sinlcs when the tide begins to turn against it, after the com- mission of wrong, that they began to feel dis- heartened and discouraged. The queen sent to the opposite camp with a request that a certain personage, the Laird of Grange, in whom ail parties had great confidence, should come to her, that she might make one more effort at recon- ciliation. Grange, after consulting with the prince's lords, made a proposition to M ary, which 1567.1 Fall of Botiiwell. 209 Proposition of Grang«. Dismissal of BothwelL she finally concluded to accept. It was as fol- lows : They proposed that Mary should come over to their camp, not saying very distinctly wheth- er she was to come as their captive or as their queen. The event showed that it was in the former capacity that they intended to receive her, though they were probably willing that she should understand that it was in the latter. A.t all events, the proposition itself did not make it very clear what her position would be ; and the poor queen, distracted by the difficulties which surrounded her, and overwhelmed with agitation and fear, could not press very strongly for precise stipulations. Tn respect to Both- well, they compromised the question by agree- ing that, as he was under suspicion in respect to the murder of Darnley, he should not accom- pany the queen, but should be dismissed upon the field ; that is, allowed to depart, \^'ithout molestation, wherever he should choose to go. This plan was finally adopted. The queen bade Both well farewell, and he went away reluctant- ly and in great apparent displeasure. He had, in fact, with his characteristic ferocity, attempt- ed to shoot Grange pending the negotiation. Ho mounted his horse, and, with a few attend- 14 210 xMary Queen of Scots. [15G7 iiuestion of Mary's guilt. The supi^osition against her ant?5 rode off and sought a retreat onco more upon his rock at Dunbar. From all the evidence which has come down to us, it seems impossible to ascertain whether Mary desired to be released from Bothwell'a power, and was glad when the release came, or whether she still loved him, and was plan- ning? a reunion, so soon as a reunion should be possible. One party at that time maintained, and a large class of writers and readers since have concurred in the opinion, that Mary was iii love with Bothwell before Darnley's death ; that she connived with him in the plan for Darn- ley's murder ; that she was a consenting party to the abduction, and the spending of the ten days at Dunbar Castle, in his power ; that the marriage was the end at which she herself, as well as Bothwell, had been all the time aim ing ; and then, when at last she surrendered her- self to the prince's lords at Carberry Hill, it was only yielding unwillingly to the necessity of a temporary separation from her lawless husband, with a view of reinstating him in favor and power at the earliest opportunity. Another party, both among her people at the time and among the writers and readers who have since paid attention to her story, think 15G7.J Fall of Botiiwkm. 211 The supposition in her favor. Uncertainty that she never loved Bothwell, and that, though she valued his services as a bold and energetic soldier, she had no collusion with him whatever in respect to Darnley's murder. They think that, though she must have felt in some sense relieved of a burden by Darnley's death, she did not in any degree aid in or justify the crime, and that she had no reason for suppos- ing that Bothwell had any share in the com- mission of it. They think, also, that bar con- senting to marry Bothwell is to be accounted for by her natural desire to seek shelter, under some wing or other, from the terrible storms which were raging around her ; and being de- serted, as she thought, by every body else, and moved by liis passionate love and devotion, she imprudently gave herself to him ; that she lamented the act as soon as it was done, but that it was then too late to retrieve the step ; and that, harassed and in despair, she knew not what to do, but that she hailed the rising of her nobles as affording the only prom- ise of deliverance, and came forth from Dunbar to meet them with the secret purpose of deliv- ering herself into their hands. The ques1 ion which of these two suppositions is the correct one lias been discussed a great 212 Mary Queen of Scots. [ib67. The box of love letterB. Their genuineness suspected. deal, without the possibility of arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. A parcel of letters were produced by Mary's enemies, some time after this, which they said were Mary's letters to Bothwell before her husband Darnley's death. They say they took the letters from a man named Dalgleish, one of Bothwell's servants, who was carrying them from Holyrood to Dun- bar Castle, just after Mary and Bothwell fled to Borthwick. They were contained in a small gilded box or coffer, with the letter F upon it, under a crown ; which mark naturally suggests to our minds Mary's first husband, Francis, the king of France. Dalgleish said that Bothwell sent him for this box, charging him to convey it with all care to Dunbar Castle. The letters purport to be from Mary to Bothwell, and to have been written before Darnley's death. They evince a strong affection for the person to whom they are addressed, and seem conclusively to prove the unlawful attachment between the parties, provided that their genuineness is ac- knowledged. But this genuineness is denied. Mary's friends maintain that they are forge- ries, prepared by her enemies to justify their own wrong. Many volumes have been written '^n the question of the genuineness of these lovo 15G7.1 Fall of Bern well. 213 Disposal of Mary. Return to Edinburgh, letters, as they are called, and there is perhaps .low no probability that the question will ever be settled. Whatever doubt there may be about these things, there is none about the events which followed. After Mary had surrendered herself to her nobles they took her to the camp, she herself riding on horseback, and Grange walk- ing by her side. As she advanced to meet the nobles who had combined against her, she said to them that she had concluded to come over to them, not from fear, or from doubt what the issue would have been if she had fought the battle, but only because she wanted to spare the effusion of Christian blood, especially the blood of her own subjects. She had therefore decided to submit herself to their counsels, trusting that they would treat her as their rightful queen. The nobles made little reply to this address, but prepared to return to Edin- burgh with their prize. The people of Edinburgh, who had heard what turn the affair had taken, flocked oul upon the roads to see the queen return. The} lined the waysides to gaze upon the great cav- alcade as it passed. The nobles who conducted Mary thus back toward her capital had a ban- 214 Marv Queen or Scots. [1567 The banner. Rudeness of the populace ner prepared, or allowed one to be prepared, on which was a painting representing the lead body of Darnley, and the young prince James kneeling near him, and calling on God to avenge his cause. Mary came on, in the procession, after this symbol. They might perhaps say that it was not intended to wound her feelings, and was not of a nature to do it, unless she con- sidered herself as taking sides with the mur- derers of her husband. She, however, knew very well that she was so regarded by great numbers of the populace assembled, and that ; the effect of such an effigy carried before her i was to hold her up to public obloquy. The populace did, in fact, taunt and reproach her as she proceeded, and she rode into Edinburgh, evincing all the w^ay extreme mental suffering by her agitation and her tears. She expected ihat they were at least to take her to Holyrood ; but no, they turned at the gate to enter the city. Mary protested earn- estly against this, and called, half frantic, on all who heard her to come to her rescue. But no one interfered. They took her to the pro- 1 vest's house, and lodged her there for the night, and the crowd which had assembled to observe these proceedings gradually dispersed Therr 1567.1 Fall of Bo hi well. 215 Bothwcll's retreat. He is pursued. seemed, however, in a day or two, to be some symptoms of a reaction in favo'* of the fallen queen ; and, to guard against the possibility of a rescue, the lords took Mary to Holyrood again, and began immediately to make ar- rangements for some more safe place of con- fmement still. In the mean time, Bothw^ell went from Car- berry Hill to his castle at Dunbar, revolving moodily in his mind his altered fortunes. After some time he found himself not safe in this place of refuge, and so he retreated to the north, to some estates he had there, in the re- mote Highlands. A detachment of forces was sent in pursuit of him. Now there are, north of Scotland, some groups of dismal islands, the summits of submerged mountains and rocks, rising in dark and sublime, but gloomy gran- deur, from the midst of cold and tempestuous seas. Both well, finding himself pursued, un- dertook to escape by ship to these island;? His pursuers, headed by Grange, who had ne- gotiated at Carberry for the surrender of tho queen, embarked in other vessels, and pressed on after him. At one time they almost over- took him, and would have captured him and all his company were it not that they got en« 216 Mary C^ueen of Scots. [1567 RothweH's narrow escape He turns pirate. tangled among some shoals. Grange's sail- ors said they must not proceed. Grange, eager to seize his prey, insisted on their mak- ing sail and pressing forward. The conse- quence wasj they ran the vessels aground, and Bothwell escaped in a small boat. As it was, however, they seized some of his accomplices, and brought them back to Edinburgh. These men were afterward tried, and some of them were executed ; and it was at their trial, and through the confessions they made, that the facts were brought to light which have been related in this narrative. Bothwell, now a fugitive and an exile, but still retaining his desperate and lawless char- acter, became a pirate, and attempted to live by robbing the commerce of the German Ocean. Rumor is the only historian, in ordinary cases, to record the events in the life of a pirate ; and she, in this case, sent word, from time to time, to Scotland, of the robberies and murders that the desperado committed ; of an expedition fit- ted out against him by the King of Denmark ; of his being taken and carried into a Danish port ; of his being held in imprisonment for a long period there, in a gloomy dungeon ; of his res^^- ss spirit chafing itself in useless struggles 1567.] Fali. of Botiiwkm,. 217 T^otlnvell in prison. ills misernblo end. against his fate, and sinking gradually, at last under the burdens of remorse for past crimes, and despair of any eartlily deliverance ; of his iDianity, and, finally, of his miserable end. 218 Mary Queen of Scots. [1567 Grange of Kircaldy. Mary's letter. G Chapter X. JiOCH Lev EN Castle. ^ RANGE, or, as he is sometimes called; KircaUy, his title in full being Grange of Kircaldy, was a man of integrity and honor ; and he, having been the negotiator through whose intervention Mary gave herself up, felt himself bound to see that the stipulations on the part of the nobles should be honorably ful- filled. He did all in his power to protect Mary from insult on the journey, and he struck with his sword and drove away some of the populace who were addressing her v/ith taunts and ro preaches. When he found that the nobles were confining her, and treating her so much more like a captive than like a queen, he remonstra- ted with them. They silenced him by show- ing him a letter, which they said they had in- tercepted on its way from Mary tc Bothwell. It was written, they said, on the night of Ma- S'y's arrival at Edinburgh It assured Both- \rei1 that she retained an unaltered affectioD 1567 J l.iocii Levp.n Castle. 219 Removal of Mary. A rWe at nijjht. for him ; that her consenting to be separated from him at Carbcrry Hill was a matter of more necessity, and that she should rejoin him as soon as it was in her power to do so. This letter showed, they said, that, after all; Mary was not, as they had supposed, Bothwell's cap- tive and victim, but that she was his accom- plice and friend ; and that, now that they liad discovered their mistake, they mus/^ treat Mary, as well a^ Eothwell, as an enemy, and take ef- fectual means to protect themselves from the one as well as from the other. Mary's friends maintain that this letter was a forgery. Tijey accordingly took Mary, as has been already stated, from the provost's house in Ed- inburgh down to Holyrood House, which was just without the city. This, however, was onh^ a temporary change. That night they came into the palace, and directed Mary to rise and put on a traveling dress which they brought her. They did not tell her where she was to go, but simply ordered her to follow them. It •was midnight. They took her forth from the palace, mounted her upon a horse, and, Avith Ruthven and Lindsay, two of the murderers of Rizzio, for an escort, they rode away. They traveled all night, crossed the River Forth and 220 MAkv Q,UEEN OF Scots. (1567 Loch Lov.-n Castle. The square tower. arrived in the morning at the Castle of Loch Leven. The Castle of Loch Leven is on a small isl- and in the middle of the loch. It is nearly north from Edinburgh. The castle buildings covered at that time about one half of the island, the water coming up to the walls on three sides. On the other side was a little land, which was cultivated as a garden. The buildings inclosed a considerable area. There was a great square tower, marked on the plan below, which was the residence of the family. It consisted of four or five rooms, one over the other. The cellar, or, rather, what would be the cellar in other cases, was a dungeon for such prisoners as were to be kept in close confinement. The only en- trance to this building was through a window in the second story, by means of a ladder which was raised and let down by a chain. This was over the point marked e on the plan. The chain was worked at a window in the story above There were various other apartments and struc- tures about the square, and among them there was a small octagonal tower in the corner at w, which consisted within of one room over anoth- er for three stories, and a flat roof with battle- ments above. In the second story there was a 1567.] Loch Leven Castle I'lan of Loch Leven Castle. 221 Lady Douglas. window, 10 J looking upon the water. This was the only window having an external aspect in the whole fortress, all the other openings in the exterior walls being mere loop-holes and em- brasures. The following is a general plan of Loch Leven Castle :* This castle was in possession of a certain personage styled the Lady Douglas. She waa the mother of the Lord James, afterward tne Earl of Murray, who has figured so conspicu- * Compare this plan with the view of tlie castle, page 236 222 Mary Queen of IScots. [15(57 Lady Douglas Mary's enemy. Parties for and against Mary. ously in this history as Mary's half brother, and at first her friend and counselor, though after- ward her foe. Lady Douglas was commonly called the Lady of Loch Leven. She main- tained that she had been lawfully married to James V., Mary's father, and that consequent- ly her son, and not Mary, was the rightful heir to the crown. Of course she was Mary's nat- ural enemy. They selected her castle as the place of Mary's confinement partly on this ac- count, and partly on account of its inaccessible position in the midst of the waters of the lake They delivered the captive queen, accordingly, to the Lady Douglas and her husband, charg- ing them to keep her safely. The Lady Doug- las received her, and locked her up in the oc- tagonal tower with the window looking out upon the water. In the mean time, all Scotland took sides for or against the queen. The strongest party were against her ; and the Church was against her, on account of their hostility to the Catho- lic religion. A sort of provisional government was instituted, which assumed the manage- ment of public affairs. Mary had, however, some friends, and they soon began to assem- ble in order to see what could be done for her 1567.] Locii Leven Castle. 223 The Hamilton lords. Plans of Mary's cnemicA. cause. Their rendezvous was at the palace of Hamilton. This palace was situated on a plain in the midst of a beautiful park, near the River Clyde, a few miles from Glasgow. Thfi Duke of Hamilton was prominent among the supporters of the queen, and made his house their head-quarters. They w^ere often called, from this circumstance, the Hamilton lords. On the other hand, the party opposed to Mary made the castle of Stirling their head- quarters, because the young prince was there, in whose name they were proposing soon to as- K?ume the government. Their plan was to de- pose Mary, or induce her to abdicate the throne, and then to make Murray regent, to govern the country in the name of the prince until the prince should become of age. During all this time Murray had been absent in France, but they now sent urgent messages to him to return. He obeyed the summons, and turned his face toward Scotland. In the mean time, Mary continued in con- finement in her little tower. She was not treated like a common prisoner, but had, in some degree, the attentions due to her rank. There were five or six female, and about as ?nanv male attendants ; though, if the rcom-"* 224 Mary Queen of Scots. [1567. Mary'd tower. Ruins. The scale turns against Ma/y. which are exhibited to visitors at the present day as the apartments which she occupied are really such, her quarters were very contracted. They consist of small apartments of an octag- onal form, one over the other, with tortuous and narrow stair-cases in the solid wall to as- cend from one to the other. The roof and the floors of the tower are now gone, but the stair- ways, the capacious fire-places, the loop-holes, and the one window remain, enabling the vis- itor to reconstruct the dwelling in imagination, and even to fancy Mary herself there again, seated on tlie stone seat by the window, look« ing over the water at the distant hills, and sigh ing to be free. The Hamilton lords were not strong enough to attempt her rescue. The weight of influ- ence and power throughout the country went gradually and irresistibly into the other scale. There were great debates among the authori- ties of government as to what should be done. The Hamilton lords made proposals in behslf of Mary which the government could not ac- cede to. Other proposals were made by dif- ferent parties in the councils of the insurgent nobles, some more and some less hard for the captive queen. 'J'he conclusion, however, final- 1(3(37.1 Log a Li:vi:n Cas vi.y.. Pi (iposals made to Mary. The cominissloners. ly was, to urge Mary to resign her crown in favor of her son, and to appoint Murray, when ho should return, to act as regent till the prince should be of asfc. They accordingly sent commissioners to Loch Leven to propose these measures to the queen. There were three instruments of ab- dication prepared for her to sign. By one she resigned the crown in favor of her son. By the second she appointed Murray to be regent as soon as he should return from France. By the third she appointed commissioners to gov- ern the country until Murray should return. They knew that Mary would be extremely un- willing to sign these papers, and yet that they nmst contrive, in some way, to obtain her sig- nature without any open violence ; for the sig- naturp, to be of legal force, must be, in some sense, her voluntary act. The two commissioners whom they sent to her were Melville and Lindsay. Melville was a thoughtful and a, reasonable man, who had long been in Mary's service, and who possessed a great sliare of her confidence and good will. Lindsay was, on the other hand, of an over- bearing and violent temper, of very rade speech and demeanor, and was known to be unfriend- 15 226 Mary (4UEEN OF {Scots. [1567 Melville unsuccessful. Lindsay called in. iy to the queen. They hoped that Mary would be induced to sign the papers by Melville's gen- tle persuasions ; if not, Lindsay was to see what he could do by denunciations and threats. When the two commissioners arrived at the castle, Melville alone went first into the pres- ence of the queen. He opened tho subject to her in a gentle and respectful manner. He i laid before her the distracted state of Scotland, the uncertain and vague suspicions floating in the public mind on the subject of Darnley's i murder, and the irretrievable shade which had been thrown over her position by the unhapp) marriage with Bothwell ; and he urged her to consent to the proposed measures, as the only way now left to restore peace to the land., Mary heard him patiently, but replied that she could not consent to his proposal. By doing so she should not only sacrifice her own rights, and degrade herself from the position she was entitled to occupy, but she should, in some sense, acknowledge herself guilty of the charg-' es brought against her, and justify her enemies Melville, finding that his efforts were vain, called Lindsay in. He entered with a fierce; and determined air Mary was remiiided of thef terrible nisfht when he and Ruthven broke into 15G7.] Loo II Levkn Castle. ti27 Lindsay's bnitnlity. Ahdicntion. Coronation of Jamns. her little supper-room at Holy rood in quest of Rizzio. She was agitated and alarmed. Lind- say assailed her Avith denunciations and threat a of the most violent character. There ensued a scene of the most rough and Terocious passion on the one side, and of anguish, terror, and de- spair on the oth.er, which is said to have made this day the most wretched of all the wretched days of Mary's life. Sometimes she sat pale, motionless, and almost stupefied. At others, she was overwhelmed with sorrow and tears. She finally yielded ; and, taking the pen, she signed the papers. Lindsay and Melville took them, left the castle gate, entered their boat, and were rowed away to the shore. This was on the 25th of July, 1567, and four days afterward the young prince was crowned at Stirling. His title was James VI. Lindsay made oath at the coronation that he was a witness of Mary's abdication of the crown in favor of her son, and that it was her own free and voluntary act. James was about one year old. The coronation took place in the chapel where Mary had been crowned in her infancy, about twenty-five years before. Mary herself, though unconscious of her own coronation, mourned bitterly over that of her 228 Mary Queen of Scots. [1567 Ceremonies. Return of Murray son. Unhappy mother ! how little was she aware, when her heart was filled with joy and gladness at his birth, that in one short year his mere existence would furnish to her enemies the means of consummating and sealing her ruin. On returning from the chapel to the state apartments of the castle, after the coronation, the noblemen by whom the infant had been crowned walked in solemn procession, bearing the badges and insignia of the newly-invested royalty. One carried the crown. Morton, who was to exercise the government until Murray should return, followed with the scepter, and a third bore the infant king, who gazed about un- consciously upon the scene, regardless alike of his mother's lonely wretchedness and of his own new scepter and crov/n. In the mean time, Murray was drawing near toward the confines of Scotland. He was some- what uncertain how to act. Having been ab- .^ent for some time in France and on the Con- tinent, he was not certain how far the people of Scotland were really and cordially in favor of the revolution which had been effected. Ma- rv's friends mis^ht claim that her acts of abdi- ■J o cation, having been obtained while she v/as un« L567.] Log II Leven Castle. 22':) Murrjiy's interview widx Mary. Affecting scene, dor duress, were null and void, and if they wer(3 strong enough they might attempt to reinstate her upon the throne. In this case, it would be better for him not to have aeted with the insur- gent government at all. To gain information on these points, Murray sent to Melville to come and meet him on the border. Melville came. The result of their conferences was, that Mur- ray resolved to visit Mary in her tower before he adopted any decisive course. Murray accordingly journeyed nortliward to Loch Leven, and, embarking in the boat which plied between the castle and the shore, he cross- ed the sheet of water, and was admitted into the fortress. He had a long interview with Mary alone. At the sight of her long-absent brother, who had been her friend and guide in her early days of prosperity and happiness, and who had accompanied her through so many changing scenes, and who now returned, after his long separation from her, to find her a lone- ly and wretched captive, involved in irretriev- able ruin, if not in acknowledged guilt, she was entirely overcome by her emotions. She burst into tears and could not speak. What further passed at this interview was never pre- cisely known. They parted tolerably jrood 230 Mary Q,ueen uf Scots. [1567. Murray assumes the government. His warning*. friends, however, and yet Murray immediately assumed the government, by which it is sup- posed that he succeeded in persuading Mary that such a step was now best for her sake aa well as for that of all others concerned. Murray, however, did not fail to warn her, as he himself states, in a very serious manner, against any attempt to change her situation. ''Madam," said he, " I will plainly declare to you what the sources of danger are from which [ think you have most to apprehend. First, any attempt, of whatever kind, that you may make to create disturbance in the country, througli friends that may still adhere to your cause, and to interfere with the government of your son ; secondly, devising or attempting any plan of escape from this island ; thirdly, taking any measures for inducing the Queen of England or the French king to come to your aid ; and, lastly, persisting in your attachment to Earl Both well." He warned Mary solemnly against any and all of these, and then took his leave. He was soon after proclaimed regent. A Par- liament was assembled to sanction all these proceedings, and the new government was es- tablished, apparently upon a firm foundation. Mary remained, during the winter, in captiv- lo(i8.J Luc II Li:vF, N Cajstlk. 23 The young Douglases. Their interest in Maiy ity, earnestly desiring, however, notwithstand- ing Murray's warning, to find some w^ay of es- cape. ^5he knew that there must be many who had remained friends to her cause. She thought that if she could once make her escape from her prison, these friends would rally around her, and that she could thus, perhaps, regain her throne again. But strictly watched as she was, and in a prison which was surrounded by the waters of a lake, all hope of escape seemed to he taken away. Now there w^ere, in the family of the Lord Douglas at the castle, two young men, George nnd William Douglas. The oldest, George, was about twenty-five years of age, and the youngest w^as seventeen. George was the son of Lord and Lady Douglas who kept the cas- tle. William w^as an orphan boy, a relative, who, having no home, had been received into the family. These young men soon began tc feel a strong interest in the beautiful captive confined in their father's castle, and, before many months, this interest became so strong that they began to feel willing to incur the dangers and responsibilities of aiding her in ef- fecting her escape. They had secret confer- ances with Mary on the subject. They wTnt 232 Mary Queenof Ingots. |I568. Plan for Mary's escape. Tlie laundresak to the shore on various pretexts, and contrived 10 make their plans known to Mary's friends, that they might be ready to receive her in casw they should succeed. The plan at length was ripe for execution It was arranged thus. The castle not being large, there was not space within its walls for all the accommodations required for its in- mates ; much was done on the shore, where there was quite a little village of attendants and dependents pertaining to the castle. This little village has since grown into a flourishing manufacturing town, where a great variety of plaids, and tartans, and other Scotch fabrics are made. Its name is Kinross. Communica- tion with this part of the shore was then, as now, kept up by boats, which generally then belonged to the castle, though now to the town. On the day when Mary was to attempt her escape, a servant woman was brought by one of the castle boats from the shore with a bun- dle of clothes for Mary. Mary, whose health and strength had been impaired by her confine- ment and suflerings, was often in her bed. She was so at this time, though perhaps sho was feimins: now more feebleness than sho really felt. The servant woman came Into hei 1568.] Ijocii Leven Castle. 2'S'fi The disguise. Escape. Discovery- apartment and undressed herself, while Mary rose, look the dress which she laid aside, and put it on as a disguise. The woman took INFary's place in bed. Mary covered her face with a mufller, and, taking another bundle in her hand to assist in her disguise, she passed across the court, issued from the castle gate, went to the landing stairs, and stepped into thn boat for the men to row her to the shore. The oarsmen, who belonged to the castle, supposing that all w^as right, pushed off, and began to row toward the land. As they were crossing the water, however, they observed that their passenger was very particular to keep her face covered, and attempted to pull away the mufller, saying, "Let us see what kind of a looking damsel this is." Mary, in alarm, put up her hands to her face to hold the mulllei there. The smooth, wdiite, and delicate fingers revealed to the men at once that they were car- rying away a lady in disguise. Mary, finding that concealment was no longer possible, dropped her mufller, looked upon the men with compo sure and dignity, told them that she was tlieii queen, that they were bound by their allegiance to her to obey her commands, and she command- ed them to no wrong ; that they can not in any way be brought to trial ; and especially that they can not be, by any means or in any way, amenable to each other. Mary refused to ac- knowledge any Englidi jurisdiction whatever in respect to any charges brought against her, a sovereign queen of Scotland. Elizabeth removed her prisoner to anothei castle further from the frontier than Carlisle, in order to place her in a situation where she would be more safe from her ene7nics. It was not con- venient to lodge so many of her attendants at these new quarters as in the other fortress, and several were dismissed. Additional obstructions were thrown in the way of h-^.r seeing friends and visitors from Scotland. Mary found her situation growing every day more and more helpless and desolate. Elizabeth urged contin- ually upon her the necessity of having the points at issue between herself and Murray examined by a commissioner, artfully putting it on the ground, not of a trial of Mary, but a calling of Murray to account, by Mary, for his usurpa tion. At last, harassed and worn down, and finding no ray of hope coming to her from an^ 252 Mary Queen of Scots. [1569' Openuig of the court. Adjourned to London quarter, she consented. Elizabeth constituted such a court, which was to meet at York, a targe and ancient city in the north of England. Murray was to appear there in person, with other lords associated with him. Mary appoint- ed commissioners to appear for her ; and the two parties went into court, each thinkmg that it was the other which was accused and on trial. The court assembled, and, after being oponed with great parade and ceremony, commenced the investigation of the questions at issue, which ed, of course, to endless criminations and re- criminations, the ground covering the whole aistory of Mary's career in Scotland. Thev went on for some weeks in this hopeless laby- rmth, until, at length, Murray produced the fa mous letters alleged to have been written by Mary to Bothwell before Darnley's murder, as a part of the evidence, and charged Mary, on the strength of this evidence, with having been an abettor in the murder. Elizabeth, finding diat the affair was becoming, as in fact she wished it to become, more and more involved, and wishing to get Mary more and more entan- gled in it, and to draw her still further into her power, ordered the conference, as the court was called, to be adjourned to London. Here things 1569.1 The Long Captivity. 2oli Failure of the trial. Mary's indignant prido took such a turn that Mary complained that she was herself treated in so unjust a manner, and Murray and his cause were allowed so many unfair advantages, that she could not allow the discussion on her part to continue. The con- ference was accordingly broken up, each partv charging the other with being the cause of thci interruption. Murray returned to Scotland to resume his government there. Mary was held a closer captive than ever. She sent to Elizabeth ask- ing her to remove these restraints, and allow her to depart either to her own country or to France. Elizabeth replied that she could not, considering all the circumstances of the case, allow her to leave England ; but that, if she would give up all claims to the government of Scotland to her son, the young prince, she might remain in peace in England. Mary re- plied that she would suffer death a thousand times rather than dishonor herself in the eyes of the world by abandoning, in such a way, her rights as a sovereign. The last words vWiich she should speak, she said, should be those fj^ \he Queen of Scotland. Elizabeth therefore considerftd that she had no alternative left but to keep Mary a prison* 854 Marv^ Queen of Scots. [1569 Elizabeth's negotiations with Murray. Their faihira er. She accordingly retained her for some time in confinement, but &lie soon found that such a charge waitj a serious incumbrance to her, and one not unattended with danger. The disaffected in her own reahn were beginning to form plots, and to consider whether they could not, in some way or other, make use of Mary's claims to the English crown to aid them. Fi- nally, Elizabeth came to the conclusion, when ^he had become a little satiated with the feel- ing, at first so delightful, of having Mary in her power, that, after all, it would be quite as con- venient to have her imprisoned in Scotland, and she opened a negotiation with Murray for de- livering Mary into his hands. He was, on his part, to agree to save her life, and to keep her a close prisoner, and he was to deliver hostages to Elizabeth as security for the fulfillment cl these obligations. Various difficulties, however, occurred in the f\^ay of the accoiTiplishment of these plans, and before the arrangement was finally completed, it was cut suddenly short by Murray's misera- ble end. One of the Hamiltons, v/hu had been with Mary at Langside, was taken prisoner after the battle. Murray, who, of course, as the legally constituted regent in the name of 15(39. 1 TiiK Long Captivity. 255 L'niel trcntmont of Lady Hamilton. Ilajnilton resolves on revenge, James, considered himself as representing the royal authority of the kingdom, regarded these prisoners as rebels taken in the act of insiirreo- lion against their sovereign. They were con- cemned to death, but finally were pardoned at the place of execution. Their estates were, however, confiscated, and given to the follower? and favorites of Murray. One of these men, in taking possession of the house of Hamilton, with a cruel brutality char- acteristic of the times, turned Hamilton's fami- ly out abruptly in a cold night — perhaps exas- perated by resistance which he may have en- countered. The wife of Hamilton, it is said, was sent out naked ; but the expression means, probably, very insufficiently clothed for such an exposure. At any rate, the unhappy outcast wandered about, half frantic with anger and terror, until, before morning, she was wholly frantic and insane. To have such a calamity brought upon him in consequence merely of his fidelity to his queen, was, as the bereaved and vvretched husband thought, an injury not to bo borne. He considered Murray the responsirx o author of these miseries, and silently and caIn;- !y resolved on a terrible revenge. Murray was making a progress through the ^5(3 Mary Queen of Scots. [156S? flamilton's plans. Deeth of M&ftvf country, traveling in state with a great reti« nue, and was to pass through Linlithgow. There is a town of that name close by the pal - ace. Hamilton provided himself with a rcom in one of the houses on the principal street, thr&ugli which he knew that Murray must pass. He had a ileet horse ready for him at the back door. The front door was barricaded. There was a sort of balcony or gallery project- ing toward the street, with a window in it. He stationed himself here, having carefully taken every precaution to prevent his being .S3en from the street, or overheard in his move- ments. Murray lodged in the town during the night, and Hamilton posted himself in his am- buscade the next morning, armed with a gun. The town was thronged, and Murray, on is- suing from his lodging, escorted by his caval- cade, found the streets crowded with specta- tors. He made his way slowly, on account of the throng. When he arrived at the proper point, Hamilton toolc his aim in a cool and de- liberate manner, screened from observation bj' black cloths with which he had darkened his hid- ing-place. He fired. The ball passed thiough the body of the regent, and thence, descending as it went, killed a horse on the olher side of ..570.J The Long Captivity. 257 Hamilton's flight. Mary's grief. Duke of Norfolk, him. Murray fell. There was a universal outcry of surprise and fear. They made an onset upon the house from which the shot had been fired. The door was strongly barricaded. Before they could get the means to force an entrance, Hamilton was on his horse and far away. The regent was carried to his lodgings, and died that ni2:ht. Murray was Queen Mary's half brother, and the connection of his fortunes with hers, con- sidered in respect to its intimacy and the length of its duration, was, on the whole, greater than that of any other individual. He may be said to have governed Scotland, in reality, during the whole of Mary's nominal reign, first as her minister and friend, and afterward as her com- petitor and foe. He was, at any rate, during most of her life, her nearest relative and her most constant companion, and Mary mourned his death with many tears. There was a great nobleman in England, named the Duke of Norfolk, who had vast es- tates, and w^as regarded as the greatest subject in the realm. He was a Catholic. Among the other countless schemes and plots to which Mary's presence in England gave rise, he formed a plan of marrying her, and, through he^ 17 258 Mar^ ;4ueen up Scots. [1570. Duke of Norfolk beheaded. Mary's unhappy situalioa claim to the crown and by the help of the Cath- olics, to overturn the government of Elizabeth, He entered into negotiations with Mary, and she consented to become his wife, without, however, as she says, being a party to his po- litical schemes. His plots were discovered; he was imprisoned, tried, and beheaded. Mary was accused of sharing the guilt of his treason. She denied this. She was not very vigorously proceeded against, but she suffered in the event of the affair another sad disappointment of her hopes of liberty, and her confinement became more strict and absolute than ever. Still she had quite a numerous retinue ot attendants. Many of her former friends were allowed to continue with her. Jane Kennedy, v/ho had escaped with her from Loch Leven, re- mained in her service. She was removed from castle to castle, at Elizabeth's orders, to dimin- ish the probability of the forming and maturing of plans of escape. She amused herself some- times in embroidery and similar pursuits, and sometimes she pined and languished under the pressure of her sorrows and woes. Sixteen oi eighteen years passed away in this manner. She was almost forgotten. Very exciting pub- lic events were taking place in England and in 1570.1 The Long Captivity. 259 Mary almost forgotten in her captivity. Scotland, and the name of the poor captive queen at length seemed to pass from men's minds, ex- cept so far as it was whispered secretly in plcta and intrigues. 260 Mary Queen of Scots. (1586 Plots and intrigues. How far Mary was involved Chapter XII. The End. |^/|"ARY did not always discourage the plota •--^-^ and intrigues with which her name was connected. She, of course, longed for deliver- ance from the thraldom in which Elizabeth held her, and was ready to embrace any op- portunity which promised release. She thus seems to have listened from time to time to the overtures which were made to her, and involv- ed herself, in Elizabeth's opinion, more or less, in the responsibility which attached to them. Elizabeth did not, however, in such cases, do any thing more than to increase somewhat the rigors of her imprisonment. She was afraid to proceed to extremities with her, partly, per- haps, for fear that she might, by doing so, awaken the hostility of France, whose king was Mary's cousin, or of Scotland, whose mon- arch was her son. At length, however, in the year 1586, about eighteen years from the commencement of 1586.] The End. il6i Bnbington's conspiracy. Secret correspondencw, Mary's captivity, a plot was formed in which phe became so seriously involved as to subject herself to the charge of aiding and abetting in the high treason of which the leaders of the plot were proved to be guilty. This plot is known in history by the name of Babington's conspir- acy. Babington was a young gentleman of fortune, who lived in the heart of England. He was inspired with a strong degree of inter- est in Mary's fate, and wished to rescue her from her captivity. He joined himself with a large party of influential individuals of the Catholic faith. The conspirators opened nego- tiations with the courts of France and Spain for aid. They planned an insurrection, the as- sassination of Elizabeth, the rescue of Mary, and a general revolution. They maintained a correspondence with Mary. This correspond- ence was managed very secretly, the letters being placed by a confidential messenger in a certain hole in the castle wall where Queen Mary was confined. One day, when Mary was going out toridc; just as she was entering her carriage, oflicera suddenly arrived from London. They told her that the plot in which she had been engaged had been discovered ; that fourteen of the prin- 262 Mary Queen of IScot«. [I58b Seizure of Mary's pajjers. Her son James, cipal conspirators had been hung, seven on each of two successive days, and that they had come to arrest some of her attendants and to seize her papers. They accordingly went into her apartments, opened all her desks, trunks, and cabinets, seized her papers, and took them to London. Mary sat down in the scene of deso- lation and disorder which they left, and wept bitterly. The papers which were seized were taken to London, and Elizabeth's government began se- riously to agitate the question of bringing Mary herself to trial. One would have thought that, in her forlorn and desolate condition, she would have looked to her son for sympathy and aid But rival claimants to a crown can have little kind feeling to each other, even if they are moth- er and son. James, as he gradually approach- ed toward maturity, took sides against his moth- er. In fact, all Scotland was divided, and was for many years in a state of civil war : those who advocated Mary's right to the crown on one side, and James's adherents on the other. They were called king's men and queen's men. James was, of course, brought up in hostility to his mother, and he wrote to her, about a yeal hefore Babington's conspiracy, in terms so ho8» 1586.] The End. 263 Elizabuth resolves to bring Mary to tiial. Fothcringay Castle. tile and so devoid of filial love, that his ingrati- tude stung her to the heart. " Was it for this,'^ she said, "that I made so many sacrifices, and endured so many trials on his account in his early years ? I have made it the whole busi- ness of my life to protect and secure his rights, and to open before him a prospect of future power and glory : and this is the return." The English government, under Elizabeth's direction, concluded to bring Mary to a public trial. They removed her, accordingly, to the Castle of Fothcringay. Fothcringay is in Nor- thamptonshire, which is in the very heart of England, Northampton, the shire town, being about sixty miles northwest of London. Foth- ermgay Castle was on the banks of the River Nen, or Avon, which flows northeast from Nor- thampton to the sea. A few miles below the castle is the ancient town of Peterborough, where there was a monastery and a great ca- thedral church. The monastery had been built a thousand years before. They removed Mary to Fothcringay Castlo for her trial, and lawyers, counselors, commis- sioners, and officers of state began to assemble there from all quarters. The castle was a spa- cious structure. It was surrounded with two 264 Mary Queen of Scots. [1586 Great interest in the trial. Preparations for il moats, and with double walls, and was strongly fortified. It contained numerous and spacious apartments, and it had especially one large hall which was well adapted to the purposes of this great trial. The preparations for the solemn ordeal through which Mary was now to pass, brought her forth from the obscurity in which she had so long been lost to the eyes of man- kind, and made her the universal object of in- terest and attention in England, Scotland, and France. The people of all these nations looked on with great interest at the spectacle of one queen tried solemnly on a charge of high trea- son against another. The stories of her beauty, her graces, her misfortunes, which had slum bered for eighteen years, were all now revived, and every body felt a warm interest in the poor captive, worn down by long confmement, and trembling in the hands of what they feared would be a merciless and terrible power. Mary was removed to the Castle of Fother ingay toward the end of September, 1586. The preparations for the trial proceeded slowly. Every thing in which kings and queens, or af- fairs of state were concerned in those days, was conducted with great pomp and ceremony. The arrangements of the hall werQ minutely pre 1586.1 The End. 265 The throne. Mary refuses to plead scribed. At the head of it a sort of throne was placed, with a royal canopy over it, for the Queen of England. This, though it was va- cant, impressed the court and the spectators as a symbol of royalty, and denoted that the sov- ereignty of Elizabeth was the power before which Mary w^as arraigned. . When the preparations were made, Mary re fused to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the court. She denied that they had any right to arraign or to try her. " I am no subject of Elizabeth's," said she. '^ I am an independent and sovereign queen as well as she, and I will not consent to any thing inconsistent with this my true position. I owe no allegiance to England, and I am not, in any sense, subject to her laws. I came into the realm only to ask assistance from a sister queen, and I have been made a captive, and detained many years in an unjust and cruel imprisonment ; and though now worn down both in body and mind by my protracted sufferings, I am not yet so enfeebled as to for- get what is due to myself, my ancestors, and my country," This refusal of Mary's to plead, or to ac- knowledge the jurisdiction of the court, caused a new delay. They urged her to abandon her 266 INIary Queen of Scots. [158G I'he commission. The gi'eat hall. resolution. They told her that if she refused to plead, the trial would proceed without her action, and, by pursuing such a course, she would only deprive herself of the means of de- fense, without at all impeding the course of her fate. At length Mary yielded. It would have been better for her to have adhered to her first .intention. The commission by which Mary was to be tried consisted of earls, barons, and other per- sons of rank, twenty or thirty in number. They were seated on each side of the room, the throne being at the head. In the center was a table, where the lawyers, by whom the trial was to be conducted, were seated. Below this table was a chair for Mary. Behind Mary's chair was a rail, dividing off the lower end of the hall from the court ; and this formed an outer space, to which some spectators were admitted. Mary took her place in the seat assigned her, and the trial proceeded. They adduced the evi- dence against her, and then asked for her defense She said substantially that she had a right to make an effort to recover her liberty ; that, aft er being confined a captive so long, and having lost forever her youth, her health, and her hap- piness, it was not wonderful that she wished to 1586.] The End. 267 Miiry pronounced {juilty. Elizabeth's pretended sorrow be free ; but that, in endeavoring to obtain her freedonij she had formed no plans to injure Eliz- abeth, or to interfere in any way with her righta or prerogatives as queen. The commissioners, after devoting some days to hearing evidence, aiid listening to the defense, sent Mary back to her apartments, and went to London. Thero they had a final consultation, and unanimously agreed in the following decision : " That Mary, commonly called Queen of Scots and dowager of France, had been an accessory to Babing- ton's conspiracy, and had compassed the death of Elizabeth, queen of England." Elizabeth pretended to be very much con cerned at this result. She laid the proceedings before Parliament. It was supposed then, and has always been supposed since, that she wished Mary to be beheaded, but desired not to take the responsibility of it herself; and that she wanted to appear unwilling, and to be impell- ed, greatly against her own inclinations, by the urgency of others, to carry the sentence into execution. At any rate. Parliament, and all the members of the government, approved and confirmed the verdict, and wished to have it carried into effect. It has alwavs been the custom, in modern 268 Mary Queen of Scots. [1585 Signbig th ! warrant. Shuffling of Elizabeth times, to require the solemn act of the supremo magistrate of any state to confirm a decision of a tribunal which condemns a person to death, by signing what is called a warrant for the ex ecution. This is done by the king or queen in England, and by the governor in one of the United States. This warrant is an order, very formally written, and sealed with the great seal, authorizing the executioner to proceed, and carry the sentence into effect. Of course. Queen Mary could not be executed unless Elizabeth should first sign the warrant. Elizabeth would her- self, probably, have been better pleased to have been excused from all direct agency in the af- fair. But this could not be. She, however, made much delay, and affected great unwill- ingness to proceed. She sent messengers to Mary, telling her what the sentence had been, how sorry she was to hear it, and how much she desired to save her life, if it were possible. At the same time, she told her that she feared it might not be in her power, and she advised Mary to prepare her mind foi the execution of the sentence. Mary wrote a letter to Elizabeth in reply. She said in this letter that she was glad to hear tliat they had pronounced sentence of death 1586.] The End. StiB Mary's letter to Elizabeth. Interposition of Mary's fiirnda against her, for she was weary of life, and had no hope of relief or rest from her miseries but in the grave. She wrote, therefore, not to ask any change in the decision, but to make three requests. First, that, after her execution, her body might be removed to France, and be de- posited at Rheims, where the ashes of her moth- er were reposing. Secondly, that her execu- tion should not be in secret, but that her per- sonal friends might be present, to attest to the vrorld that she met her fate with resignation and fortitude; and, thirdly, that her attendants and friends, who had, through their faithful love for her, shared her captivity so long, might be permitted to retire wherever they pleased, after her death, without any molestation. " I hope," said she, in conclusion, ''you will not refuse me these my dying requests, but that you will as- sure me by a letter under your own hand that you will comply with them, and then I shall die as I have lived, your affectionate sister and prisoner, Mary Queen of Scots." The King of France, and James, Mary^s son in Scotland, made somewhat vigorous eftbrts to arrest the execution of the sentence which had been pronounced against Mary. From these and other causes, the signing of the warrant 270 Mary Q,ueen of Scots. [1587 Elizabeth signs the warrant. It is read to Mary was delayed for some months, but at length Elizabeth yielded to the solicitations of her miri isters. She affixed her signature to the instru. ment. The chancellor put upon it the great seal, and the commissioners who were appointed by it to superintend the execution went to Fotheringay. They arrived there on the 7th of February, 1587. After resting, and refreshing themselves for a short time from their journey, the commis- sioners sent word to Mary that they wished for an interview with her. Mary had retired. They said that their business was very important. She rose, and prepared to receive them. She assembled all her attendants, fourteen or fifteen in number, in order to receive the commission- ers in a manner comporting, so far as circum- stances allowed, with her rank and station. The commissioners were at length ushered into the apartment. They stood respectfully before her, with their heads uncovered. The foremost then, in language as forbearing and gentle as was consistent with the nature of his message, informed her that it had been decided to carry the sentence which had been pronounced against her into effect, and then he requested another of the number to read the warrant for her exe- cution. m M 1587.1 The End. ;;i73 Mnry hears iho seutcnce with coirpcsure. Protests her innocence. INIaiy listened to it calmly and patiently Hor attendants, one after another, were over- come by the mournful and awful solemnity of the scene, and melted into tears. Mary, how- ever, was calm. When the reading of the war- rant was ended, she said that she was sorry that her cousin Elizabeth should set the exam- ple of taking the life of a sovereign queen ; but for herself, she was willing to die. Life hat] long ceased to afTord her any peace or happi- ness, and she was ready to exchange it for the prospect of immortality. She then laid her hand upon the Nev/ Testament, which was near her, of course a Catholic version, and call- ed God to Vv^itness that she had never plotted herself, or joined in plots with others, for the death of Elizabeth. One of the commissioners remarked that her oath being upon a Catholic version of the Bible, they should not consider it valid. She rejoined that it ought to be con- sidered the more sacred and solemn on that ac. count, as that was the version which she re garded as the only one which was authorita tive and true. Mary then asked the commissioners several questions, as whether her son James had not f^xpressed anv interest in her fate, and whether 18 274 Mary Queen of Scots. [1587 Mary refused a priest. Mary alone with her friends no foreign princes had interposed to save her. The commissioners answered these and other inquiries, and Mary learned from their answers that her fate was sealed. She then asked them what time was appointed for the execution. They replied that it was to take place at eight o'clock the followmg morning. Mary had not expected so early an hour to be named. She said it was sudden ; and she seemed agitated and distressed. She, howev- er, soon recovered her composure, and asked to have a Catholic priest allowed to visit her. The commissioners replied that that could not be permitted. They, however, proposed to send the Dean of Peterborough to visit her. A dean is the ecclesiastical functionary presiding over a cathedral church ; and, of course, the Dean of Peterborough was the clergyman of the high- est rank in that vicinity. He was, however, a Protestant, and Mary did not wish to see him. The commissioners withdrew, and left Mary with her friends, when there ensued one of those scenes of anguish and suffering which those who witness them never forget, but carry the gloomy remerr.brance of them, like a dark shadow in the soul, to the end of their days. Mary was quiet, and appeared calm. It may L^87.] The End. 275 Aifecring scene. Supper. Mary's fiirewcU to her attendanta however, have been the cahn of hopeless and absolute despair. Her attendant? were over- whelmed with agitation and grief, the expres- sion of which they could not even attempt to control. At last they became more composed, and Mary asked them to kneel with her in prayer ; and she prayed for some time fervent- ly and earnestly in the midst of them. She then directed supper to be prepared as usual, and, until it was ready, she spent her time in dividing the money which she had on hand into separate parcels for her attendants, mark- ing each parcel with the name. She sat down at the table when supper was served, and though she ate but little, she conversed as usual, in a cheerful manner, and with smiles. Her friends were silent and sad, struggling contin- ually to keep back their tears. At the close of the supper Mary called for a cup of wine, and drank to the health of each one of them, and then asked them to drink to her. They took the cup, and, kneeling before her, complied with 'her request, though, as they did it, the tears would come to their eyes. Mary then told them that she willingly forgave them for all that they had ever done to displease her, and she thanked them for their lonor-continued lidel 27(5 xMary (^ueen of IS cots. [1587 Mary's last letters. Her directions as to the disposal of her body ity and love. She also asked that they would forgive her for any thmg she might ever have done in respect to them which was inconsistent with her duty. They answered the request only with a renewal of their tears. Mary spent the evening in writing two let- ters to her nearest relatives in France, and in making her will. The principal object of these letters was to recommend her servants to the attention and care of those to whom they were addressed, after she should be gone. She went to bed shortly after midnight, and it is said she slept. This would be incredible, if any thing were incredible in respect to the workings of the human soul in a time of awful trial like this, which so transcends all the ordinary conditions of its existence. At any rate, whether Mary slept or not, the morning soon came. Her friends were around her as soon as she rose. She gave them mi- nute directions about the disposition of her body She wished to have it taken to France to be in- terred, as she had requested of Elizabeth, either at Rheims, in the same tomb with the body of her mother, or else at St. Denis, an ancient abbey a little north of Paris, where the ashea of a long line of French monarchs repose. She l587.] The End. 277 Arrangements for the execution. ITic scaffold begged her servants, if possible, not to leave her body till it should reach its final home in one of these places of sepulture. In the mean time, arrangements had been made for the last act in this dreadful tragedy, in the same great hall where she had been tried. They raised a platform upon the stone floor of the hall large enough to contain those who were to take part in the closing scene. On this plat- form was a block, a cushion, and a chair. All these things, as well as the platform itself, were covered with black cloth, giving to the whole scene a most solemn and funereal expression The part of the hall containing this scafTold was railed ofT from the rest. The governor of the castle, and a body of guards, came in and took their station at the sides of the room. Two ex- Mary's ■dress and appearance. • Symbols of religion missioners at last yielded, and allowed her t« name six, who should be summoned to attend her. She did so, and the six came down. The sad procession then proceeded to the hall. Mary was in full court dress, and walk- ed into the apartment with the air and com- posure of a reigning queen. She leaned on the arm of her physician. Sir Andrew Melville followed, bearing the train of her robe. Her dress is described as a gown of black silk, bor- dered with crimson velvet, over which was a satin mantle. A long veil of white crape, edged with rich lace, hung down almost to the ground. Around her neck was an ivory cru- cifix — that is, an image of Christ upon the cross, which the Catholics use as a memorial of our Savior's sufferings — and a rosary, whioh is a string of beads of peculiar arrangement, often employed by them as an aid in their de- votions. Mary meant, doubtless, by these sym- bols, to show to her enemies and to the world, that though she submitted to her fate without resistance, yet, so far as the contest of her life had been one of religious faith, she had no in- tention of yielding. Mary ascended the platform and tocjk her 8cat in the chair provided for her. With the 1587.1 The End. '^S\ Mary's firmness in her faith. Her last pi nycr exception of stifled sobs here and there to be heard, the room was still. An officer then ad vanced and read the warrant of execution, which the executioners listened to as their au- thority for doing the dreadful w^ork which they were about to perform. The Dean of Peter- borough, the Protestant ecclesiastic whom Mary had refused to see, then came forward to the foot of the platform, and most absurdly com- menced an address to her, with a view to con- vert her to the Protestant faith. Mary inter- rupted him, saying that she had been born and had lived a Catholic, and she was resolved so to die ; and she asked him to spare her his use- less reasonings. The dean persisted in going on. Mary turned away from him, kneeled down, and began to offer a Latin prayer. The dean soon brought his ministrations to a close, and then Mary prayed for some time, in a dis- tinct and fervent voice, in English, the large company listening with breathless attention. She prayed for her ow^n soul, and that she might have comfort from heaven in the agony of death. She implored God's blessing upon France ; upon Scotland ; upon England ; upon Queen Elizabeth ; and, more than all, upon hei 8on. During this time she held the ivory crn 282 Mary Queen cf Scots. [1587 The execution. Heart-rending scene. Disposition of the body ciiix in her hand, clasping it and raising it fron: time to time toward heaven. When her prayer was ended, she rose, and, with the assistance of her attendants, took oii her veil, and such other parts of her df<^ss as it was necessary to remove in order to leave the neck bare, and then she kneeled forward and laid her head upon the block. The agitation of the assembly became extreme. Some turned away from the scene faint and sick at heart; some looked more eagerly and intensely at the group upon the scaffold ; some wept and sobbed aloud. The assistant executioner put Mary's two hands together and held them ; the other raised his axe, and, after the horrid sound of two or three successive blows, the assistant held up the dissevered head, saying, " So perish all Queen Elizabeth's enemies." The assembly dispersed. The body was taken into an adjoining apartment, and pre- pared for interment. Mary's attendants wished to have it delivered to them, that they might comply with her dying request to convey it tc France ; but they were told that they could not be allowed to do so. The body-was interred with great pomp and ceremony in the Catho* 1587.1 The End. 28a Elizabeth's affected surprise. ITer conduct dral at Peterborough, where it remained in peace for many years. Now that the deed was done, the great prob- lem with Elizabeth was, of course, to avert the consequences of the terrible displeasure and thirst for revenge which she might naturally suppose it would awaken in Scotland and in France. She succeeded very well in accom- plishing this. As soon as she heard of the ex- ecution of Mary, she expressed the utmost sur- prise, grief, and indignation. She said that she had, indeed, signed the death warrant, but it was not her intention at all to have it execut- ed ; and that, when she delivered it to the offi- cer, she charged him not to let it go out of his possession. This the officer denied. Elizabeth insisted, and punished the officer by a long im- prisonment, and perpetual disgrace, for his pre- tended offense. She sent a messenger to James, explaining the terrible accident, as she termed it, which had occurred, and deprecating his dis- pleasure. James, though at first filled with indignation, and determined to avenge hia mother's death, allowed himself to be appeased. About twenty years after this, Elizabeth died, and the great object of Mary's ambition 284 Mary Queen of Scots. [1587 The end of Mary's ambition realized. Accession of James I throughout her whole life was attained by the union of the Scotch and English crowns on the head of her son. As soon as Elizabeth ceased to breathe. James the Sixth of Scotland was proclaimed James the First of England. H3 was at that time nearly forty years of age. He was married, and had several young children. The circumstances of King James's journey to liondon, when he went to take possession of his new kingdom, are related in the History of Charles I., belonging to this series. Though James thus became monarch of both England and Scotland, it must not be supposed that the two kingdoms were combined. They remain- ed separate for many years — two independent kingdoms governed by one king. When James succeeded to the English throne, his mother had been dead many years, and what- ever feelings of affection may have bound his heart to her in early life, they were now well- nigh obliterated by the lapse of time, and by the new tics by which he was connected with his wife and his children. As soon as he was seated on his new throne, however, he ordered the Castle of Fotheringay, which had been the scene of his mother's trial and death, to be lev- eled with the ground, and he transferred hel 1587.J The End. 26-3 Tomb of Mary at Westminster Abbey remains to Westminster Abbey, where they stii rspose. Mary's Tomb at \Vf:stmia;stkk Abukv 286 Mary Queen of Scots [1587 Mary's love and ambition. She triumplis in the end If the lifeless dust had retained its conscicus- ness when it was thus transferred, with what intense emotions of pride and pleasure would the mother's heart have been filled, in being thus brought to her final home in that ancient sepulcher of the English kings, by her son, now, at last, safely established, where she had so long toiled and suffered to instate him, in his place in the line. Ambition was the great, paramount, ruling principle of Mary's life. Love was, with her, an occasional, though per- fectly uncontrollable impulse, which came sud. denly to interrupt her plans and divert her from her course, leaving her to get back to it again, after devious wanderings, with great difficulty and through many tears. The love, with the consequences which followed from it, destroyed her ; while the ambition, recovering itself after every contest with its rival, and holding out perseveringly to the last, saved her son; so that, in the long conicst in which her life was spent though she suffered all the way, and at Ijjst sacrificed herself, she triumphed in the ond. The EKa BOOKS BY THE ABBOHS. THE FRANCONIA STORIES. By Jacob Abbott. trated. IGmo, Cloth, in case, $9 00. In Ten 90 cents Volumes, Beautifully Illus* per Vol. ; tlie set complete. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Malleville. Mary Bell. Ellen Linn. Wallace. Beechnut. G. 7. 8. 9. 10. Stuyvesant. Agnes. Mary Erskine. Rodolphus. Caroline. MARCO PAUL SERIES. Marco Paul's Voyages and Travels in the Pursuit of Knowledge, By Jacob Abbott, Beautifully Illustrated. Complete in G Volumes, 1 Gmo, Cloth, 90 cents per Volume. Price of the set, in case, $5 40. In New York. In Boston. On the Erie Canal. At the Springfield Arm. In the Forests of Maine. ory. 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