the designs of the Romanists, to repress whom new penal laws were enacted, which in some cases caused the mischief they were intended to avert. A plot was discovered in 1586, known as the Babington conspiracy, which had for its objects the murder of Elizabeth and the delivery of Mary Stewart from captivity. From the first the whole scheme was known to Walsingham, who, when the affair was ripe, seized all who had participated in the intrigue. Most of the conspirators were men of good birth and education, and suffered the penalty of their crime.

This abortive scheme accelerated the fate of Mary. After being removed from prison to prison, a commission was appointed to try the Scottish queen and pronounce judgment upon her according to an act recently passed, which authorized an inquisition upon all such as should invade the kingdom or attempt to hurt the queen's person, and that the party for or by whom such an attempt was made should be prosecuted to death. On the 11th October 1586, the thirty-six commissioners arrived at Fotheringay Castle, the last scene of Mary's sufferings. After a trial in which all the forms of law and justice were violated the commissioners pronounced sentence against her, and both houses of parliament petitioned Elizabeth to give orders for the immediate execution of the Queen of Scots. Henry III. of France interceded for her life, but nothing could allay Elizabeth's thirst for revenge. James VI. remonstrated and recalled his ambassadors, but did not take any active measures to avert his mother's danger.

when the news

of

After much apparent indecision, the queen signed Mary's death-warrant on the 1st February 1587, and with the least possible delay the fatal document was sent down to Fotheringay. On the 8th, it was carried into effect in the great hall of the castle, where the unfortunate queen, whose health and beauty had both severely suffered during her long cap ted fortitude. tivity, met her fate with calm and undaun Great was Elizabeth's pretended anger Mary's execution reached London, and, in t he vain hope of saving her own reputation, the secretary Davis improper the Tower for the imaginary crime of making emned to use of the death-warrant. He was afterwards cot all his pay a fine of £10,000, for which the treasury sei. Eliza property, and during the remaining seventeen yearsalsy, beth's reign, he suffered miserably from imprisonmen and utter poverty.

was sent to

He

9. KING JAMES.-In 1578, Queen Mary's only son James, then in his twelfth year, was proclaimed king, and chose a council of twelve noblemen; but after the death of the regent Morton, he took the government into his own hands, under the influence of his favourites, Lennox and Arran. He never had much courage or firmness; and while a youth, the bold lawless nobility of his kingdom fought for the possession of his person, for any one of them who had the king in his keeping was in a manner the governor of the country. The Earl of Gowry, who had estates in the Highlands of Perthshire, invited him there to enjoy the sports of the field. vas taken from one hunting-place to another, but one morning vhen he awoke in Ruthven Castle, near Perth, he was astonished and alarmed to see the place surrounded by armed men. When he wished to depart he was rudely stopped, nd this making him begin to cry, one of the barons told him, at it was better that children should weep than bearded en. The Earl of Gowry was thus made master of the king d of the kingdom, but James escaped by a plot nearly as dden and unexpected as that by which he was caught. Then visiting St Andrews with his keepers, he wished to see e inside of the castle; and no sooner had he entered the tes than he ordered them to be shut upon Gowry's adherents. e earl himself was afterwards executed.

.D.

82.

James was conceited and cowardly. He was exceedingly of power, but liked to enjoy it as if he were a sacred sonage whose will must never be disputed, and he hated cur any danger or any labour to acquire it. Unfortunately himself, however, he lived among a turbulent and obstinate le, who would have given trouble to one much bolder and e energetic than he was. He had not only to encounter barons, but resolute churchmen. He was himself ated to episcopacy, as being a showy and dignified form of eh government; but a large portion of the people and the able clergymen were in favour of the presbyterian system, to which he was at last obliged to submit. When his mother was put to death, he was at first very nt; and though he would have been more excusable nany sovereigns have been for the wars into which they plunged their people if he had attempted to avenge her s, he looked forward to being the successor of Elizabeth, is thorough selfishness restrained him.

in

E GOWRY CONSPIRACY.-Before his succession to the

A.D.

a

throne of England, a strange incident occurred, called 1600. the Gowry conspiracy, in which the chief actors were the sons of that Ruthven, earl of Gowry, who had carried him off in his youth. One of these young men stept up to the king as he was hunting, and said he had seized a very suspiciouslooking man-probably a Jesuit-with a quantity of gold, and had him safely secured in Gowry House, waiting till the king should examine him. James was fond of unravelling mysteries; he was always suspicious of the Jesuits, and had keen eye after gold; so that he could not resist the temptation to investigate the matter. He accompanied the young man to Gowry House, in Perth, where he dined with his elder brother. After dinner he was taken secretly through passage after passage, till at length he reached a small room in a turret, where, instead of a bound captive, he saw a man in armour with a dagger in his hand. Young Ruthven seized the dagger, and presented it to the king's breast, who called out for aid his retinue passing under the turret heard his cries, and after some difficulty found their way to the apartment. The two Ruthvens were slain on the spot; but though the most thorough investigation was afterwards made, the mystery of this conspiracy was never fully developed, and it is impossible to say what object the Ruthvens had in view.

:

During the few remaining years of the reign of Elizabeth, her apparently most devoted followers were paying court to James as her successor, and one of these, Sir Robert Carey, having by means of his sister, who belonged to the queen's household, been told the moment when she ceased to breathe, was instantly on horseback and on his way to Scotland. She had died at three o'clock on Thursday morning, and on Saturday night James was raised out of bed by Carey, to be informed that he was King of England. The journey was in those days considered one of astonishing rapidity.

EXERCISES.

1. What parties struggled for power on the accession of the young Queen of Scots? What was the policy of the King of England? What was the effect of his attempts? Describe Hertford's invasion. What led to Cardinal Beaton's death? Describe it. Who joined the garrison in St Andrews Castle.

2. What was the conduct of the protector Somerset? What was found in St Andrews Castle? Describe the method of gathering the people? What occurred near Musselburgh? What important act was passed?

3. Who was Mary of Guise? Whom did Queen Mary marry? What were her claims to the English throne? Describe the progress of the Reformation. Describe Elizabeth's conduct at this juncture. Describe the

proceedings of the lords of the congregation. What was concluded by the treaty of Edinburgh?

4. Mention the occurrences connected with Mary's return. Whom did the queen marry as her second husband? What was the "Round-about Raid "?

5. What was Darnley's character? Who was Rizzio? Describe his murder? What was Mary's conduct after it? When was James VI. born? Describe the manner in which Darnley was murdered. Who was suspected of the deed? How did Mary treat him?

6. What did the nobles do? What occurred at Carberry Hill? What was Mary subjected to? What was the result of her escape? Who became attached to her in England? What was the consequence of his attachment? What was the end of Bothwell?

7. Describe the assassination of the Earl of Murray. What was the conduct of Morton and the King's men? What fears and rumours disturbed the reformers? What advantage was taken of the rumours in England? What was Morton's fate? Describe the changes in the church government during Morton's regency. What was the Charter of the Liberties of the Kirk?

8. What was the Babington conspiracy? What was its effect? What was the nature of Mary's trial? What was her fate? What steps did Elizabeth take to make it appear that she had not caused it?

9. What was the character of King James? What events occurred in his youth? What was his conduct to the presbyterians? How did he feel regarding his mother's death? Give a history of the Gowry conspiracy. How was the information of Elizabeth's death conveyed to James?

CHAPTER XXII.

HOUSE OF STEWART-FOUR Sovereigns.

JAMES I., A. D. 1603-1625.

James I.-Foreign Alliances-Conference at Hampton Court-Episcopacy in Scotland-Doctrine of Divine Right-Gunpowder Plot-Resistance of the Commons-Ireland-Carr and Villiers-Fate of Sir Walter Raleigh -James's Matrimonial Projects-War with Spain-Character of James I. -Literature.

1. JAMES VI. of Scotland succeeded without opposition to the English throne, under the title of James I. In acknowledgment of the marks of affection lavished on him by his new subjects, he commenced with an extraordinary profusion of titles and honours. In the short space of six weeks he created more than two hundred knights; and before he had been three months in England the number was increased to seven hundred. By such prodigality these honourable dis

tinctions lost half their value, and the whole nation murmured at favours so copiously and so indiscriminately bestowed. James, however, had the good sense to leave to Elizabeth's old ministers the principal offices and the management of the most important affairs.

In the first year of this reign two mysterious conspiracies to dethrone James were discovered the Bye and the Main: the one to seize the king and force him to grant toleration to the catholics; the other to place Arabella Stuart on the throne. This lady, the daughter of the Earl of Lennox, brother to Darnley, James's father, was supported by a considerable party among the English catholics, and the design of raising her to the throne on the death of Elizabeth was favoured by the pope. Raleigh, Lords Cobham and Grey, were tried for their alleged share in these plots, and found guilty upon very defective evidence. Their lives were spared, while some of the inferior conspirators were executed.

The puritans, who had been suppressed by severe laws under Elizabeth, had hoped, if not for special protection, at least for milder treatment at the hands of a prince educated according to presbyterian principles. But James, disgusted with their maxims and their republican manners, and strongly attached to his prerogatives, favoured the Anglican forms of worship, which were more conformable to his own sentiments on the sovereignty and the interests of the throne. Nevertheless the desire of parading his theological learning induced A. D. him to permit a conference to be held at Hampton 1604. Court between the leading men of the two parties. After several long and useless controversies in presence of the king and his ministers, the two parties separated with very different feelings towards the monarch, who, in the course of the discussion, had often repeated his favourite maxim, so pleasing to the episcopalians, and so hateful to the presbyterians, no bishop, no king. After this conference James strenuously exerted himself to restore episcopacy in Scotland, and he succeeded in getting it established by parliament in 1612.

2. DIVINE RIGHT.-At this time a new doctrine, called the divine right of kings, which produced serious calamities in the ensuing reigns, was beginning to find partisans. It was chiefly supported by some episcopalian divines, who had derived it from the laws of the Roman empire after the liberties of the people had been destroyed. Aecording to this