that he who was fuppofed to kill the queen's husband, and to have offered violence to her perfon, could expect no mercy; but they were aftonifhed upon finding, inftead of difgrace, that Bothwell was taken into more than former favour; and to crown all, that he was married to Mary, having divorced his own wife to procure this

union.

This was a fatal alliance to Mary; and the people were now wound up, by the complication of her guilt, to pay very little deference to her authority. An affociation was formed that took Mary prifoner, and fent her into confinement to the caftle of Lochlevin, fituated in a lake of that name, where the fuffered all the feverities of an unkind keeper, and an upbraiding conscience, with a feeling heart.

The calamities of the great, even though juftly deferved, feldom fail of creating pity, and procuring friends. Mary, by her charms and promifes, had engaged a young gentleman, whofe name was George Douglas, to affift her in efcaping from the place where fhe was confined; and this he effected, by conveying her in difguife in a fmall boat rowed by himself afhore. It was now that the news of her enlargement being fpread abroad, all the loyalty of the people feemed to revive once more, and in a few days the faw herfelf at the head of fix thousand

men.

A battle was fought at Langfide, near Glasgow, which was entirely decifive against her; and now being totally ruined, the fled fouthwards from the field of battle with great precipitation, and came with a few attendants

to the borders of England, where the hoped for pro- A. D. tection from Elizabeth, who, inftead of protecting, 1568. ordered her to be put in confinement, yet treated her with all proper marks of refpect.

She was accordingly fent to Tutbury caftle, in the county of Stafford, and put under the cuftody of the earl of Shrewsbury; where he had hopes given her of one day coming into favour, and that, unlefs her own obstinacy prevented, an accommodation might at laft take place. The duke of Norfolk was the only peer who enjoyed that highest title of nobility in England: and the quali

ties of his mind correfponded to his high ftation. Bene ficent, affable, and generous, he had acquired the affections of the people; and yet, from his moderation, he had never alarmed the jealoufy of the fovereign. He was at this time a widower, and being of a fuitable age. to efpouse the queen of Scots, her own attractions, as well as his interefts, made him defirous of the match. Elizabeth, however, dreaded fuch an union, and the duke was foon after made prifoner and fent to the Tower. Upon his releasement from thence, new projects were fet on foot by the enemies of the queen and the reformed religion, fecretly fomented by Rodolphi, an inftrument of the court of Rome, and the bishop of Rofs, Mary's minister in England. It was concerted by them, that Norfolk fhould renew his defigns upon Mary, and raise her to the throne, to which it was probable he was prompted by paffion as well as intereft; and this nobleman entering into their schemes, he, from being at first only ambitious, now became criminal. His fervants were brought to make a full confeffion of their master's guilt; and the bishop of Rofs foon after, finding the whole discovered, did not fcruple to confirm their teftimony. The duke was in. ftantly committed to the Tower, and ordered to prepare for his trial. A jury of twenty-five peers unanimously paffed fentence upon him; and the queen, four months after, reluctantly figned the warrant for his execution. He died with great calmnefs and conftancy; and though he cleared himself of any disloyal intentions against the queen's authority, he acknowledged the juftice of the fentence by which he fuffered.

These confpiracies ferved to prepare the way for Mary's ruin, whofe greatest misfortunes proceeded rather from the violence of her friends, than the malignity of her enemies. Elizabeth's minifters had long been waiting for fome fignal inftance of the captive queen's enmity, which they could eafily convert into treafon; and this was not long wanting. About this time one John Ballard, a popish priest, who had been bred in the 1586. English feminary at Rheims, refolved to compass the death of the queen, whom he confidered as the enemy of his religion; and with that gloomy refolution came

A. D.

over to England in the difguife of a foldier, with the af fumed name of captain Fortefque. He bent his endea. vours to bring about at once the project of an affaffination, an infurrection, and an invasion. The firft perfon he addreffed himself to was Anthony Babington, of Dethick, in the county of Derby, a young gentleman of good family, and poffeffed of a very plentiful fortune. This per fon had been long remarkable for his zeal in the catholic caufe, and in particular for his attachment to the captive queen. He therefore came readily into the plot, and procured the concurrence and affiftance of fome other affociates in this dangerous undertaking. The next step was to apprize Mary of the confpiracy formed in her favour, and this they effected by conveying their letters to her by means of a brewer that fupplied the family with ale, through a chink in the wall of her apartment. In thefe Babington informed her of a defign laid for a foreign invafion, the plan of an infurrection at home, the scheme for her delivery, and the confpiracy for affaffinating the ufurper by fix noble gentlemen, as he termed them, all of them his private friends, who, from the zeal which they bore the catholic caufe, and her majefty's fervice, would undertake the tragical execution. To thefe Mary replied, that the approved highly of the defign; that the gentlemen might expect all the rewards which it should be ever in her power to confer; and that the death of Elizabeth was a neceffary circumftance, previous to any further attempts, either for her delivery, or the intended infurrection.

The plot being thus ripe for execution, and the evidence against the confpirators inconteftible, Walfingham, who was privately informed of all, refolved to fufpend their punishment no longer. A warrant was accordingly iffued out for the apprehending of Babington, and the reft of the confpirators, who covered themselves with various difguifes, and endeavoured to keep themfelves concealed. But they were foon difcovered, thrown into prifon, and brought to trial. In their examination they contradicted each other, and the leaders were obliged to make a full confeffion of the truth. Fourteen were condemned and executed, feven of whom died acknowledging their crime.

The

The execution of thefe wretched men only prepared the way for one of ftill greater importance, in which a captive queen was to fubmit to the unjust decifion of those who had no right, but that of power, to condemn her.

Accordingly a commiffion was iffued to forty peers, with five judges, or the major part of them, to try and pafs fentence upon Mary, daughter and heir of James the Fifth, king of Scotland, commonly called queen of Scots, and dowager of France.

Thirty-fix of these commiffioners arriving at Nov. 11. the caftle of Fotheringay, prefented her with a 1586. letter from Elizabeth, commanding her to fubmit to a trial for a late confpiracy. The prin cipal charge againft her was urged by ferjeant Gaudy, who accufed her with knowing, approving, and confenting to Babington's confpiracy. This charge was fupported by Babington's confeffion, and by the copies which were taken of their correfpondence, in which her appro bation of the queen's murder was exprefsly declared.

Whatever might have been this queen's offences, it is certain that her treatment was very fevere. She defired to be put in poffeffion of fuch notes as the had taken preparative to her trial; but this was refufed her. She de manded a copy of her proteft; but her request was not complied with the even required an advocate to plead her cause against fo many learned lawyers, as had undertaken to urge her accufations, but all her demands were rejected; and after an adjournment of fome days, fentence of death was pronounced against her in the Starchamber in Weftminster, all the commiffioners except two being prefent.

Whether Elizabeth was really fincere in her apparent reluctance to execute Mary, is a queftion which, though ufually given against her, I will not take upon me to de termine. Certainly there were great arts ufed by her courtiers to determine her to the fide of feverity; as they had every thing to fear from the refentment of Mary,. in cafe the ever fucceeded to the throne. Accordingly, the kingdom was now filled with rumours of plots, treafons, and infurrections; and the queen was continually kept in alarm by fictitious dangers. She, therefore, appeared to

be

be in great terror and perplexity; fhe was obferved to fit much alone, and to mutter to herself half fentences, importing the difficulty and diftrefs to which she was reduced. In this fituation, fhe one day called her secretary, Davifon, whom the ordered to draw out fecretly the warrant for Mary's execution, informing him, that the intended to keep it by her in cafe any attempt fhould be made for the delivery of that princefs. She figned the warrant, and then commanded it to be carried to the chancellor to have the feal affixed to it. Next morning, however, the fent two gentlemen fucceffively to defire that Davifon would not go to the Chancellor, until fhe fhould fee him; but Davifon telling her that the warrant had been already fealed, fhe feemed difpleafed at his precipitation. Davifon, who probably wished himfelf to fee the fentence executed, laid the affair before the couneil, who unanimously refolved, that the warrant fhould be immediately put in execution, and promifed to justify Davifon to the queen. Accordingly, the fatal inftrument was delivered to Beale, who summoned the noblemen to whom it was directed, namely, the earls of Shrewsbury, Derby, Kent, and Cumberland, and thefe together fet out for Fotheringay caftle, accompanied by two executioners, to dispatch their bloody commiffion.

Mary heard of the arrival of her executioners, who ordered her to prepare for death by eight o'clock the next morning,

Early on the fatal morning fhe dreffed herfelf in a rich habit of filk and velvet, the only one which she had referved for this folemn occafion. Thomas Andrews, the under fheriff of the county, then entering the room, he informed her that the hour was come, and that he muft attend her to the place of execution. She replied, that fhe was ready; and bidding her fervants farewel, fhe proceeded, fupported by two of her guards, and followed the fheriff with a ference compofed afpect, with a long veil of linen on her head, and in her hand a crucifix of ivory.

She then paffed into another hall, the noblemen and the fheriff going before, and Melvil, her master of the household, bearing up her train; where was a fcaffold

erected