June 16. 'During all these scenes,' said the Captain of Inchkeith, 'I never saw man more hearty and courageous than the Queen. She desired nothing so much as to fight out her quarrel in fair battle with the Lords.'1 Left alone to brood over Maitland's story, the poor creature wrote a few passionate words of affection to Bothwell, which she bribed a boy to carry to Dunbar. The boy took the money, and carried the note to the Lords. As day broke, in a fresh spasm of fury, she flung open the window, and with hair all loose and bosom open, she shrieked for some friend to come and set her free. In answer, the banner was again dangled before her, and hung where she could not look out without encountering its terrible design. She could touch no food, It was said that she had made a vow to eat nothing till she was again with the Duke. A woman who saw her at the window flung some bitter taunts at her. She turned venomously, 'threatened to cause burn the town, and slocken the fire with the blood of its inhabitants.'" Thus beating against the bars of her cage, she passed the weary hours. While she continued in such a humour what was to be done with her? The letter to Bothwell added fuel to the already excited passions of the Lords. In meddling with sovereigns fear is ever mixed with considerations of policy; to rise in arms 1 'Je ne veult point oublier que | que la Reyne de sa part: car j'estime durant toutes les menées par cyde- que son principal but estoit pour vant mentionnées je ne veis jamais donner la bataille aux seigneurs homme de plus grand cueur et de dessus nommez.'-Recit des Eveneplus grand courage pour mettre une ments: TEULET, vol. ii. entreprise a execution de bataille 2 CALDERWOOD. against the Prince, if it fails, is death; and there was usually but a short shrift for such dangerous prisoners. Once before she had slipped through the Lords' hands. They could not risk such a misadventure a second time, and though safe on the side of France, they knew not what to look for from Elizabeth. Once more they entreated her to abandon Bothwell. But she would agree to nothing whereby the Duke should be in danger;'1 and in a council which was held on Monday, voices were already raised to make a swift end with her. She had committed crimes, it was said, for which a common woman would have deserved to die; if, because she was their sovereign, it was unlawful to execute her, it was unlawful also to keep her a prisoner; so long as she lived there would for ever be conspiracies to set her at liberty, and 'it stood them on their lands and lives to make her safe.' 2 Morton, to his credit, interfered, at least to protract the catastrophe, till they had made a further effort to tame her spirit. Some one prophetically said, that ‘as Morton was a stayer of justice, he should feel the justice of God strike him with the sword;' but his own conscience was not so clear in the business of the murder that he could allow the whole weight of it to be visited on the Queen. It was necessary however to determine upon something, for the people were becoming fast uncontrollable. 1 Note of occurrents in Scotland, June 24: MSS. Scotland, Rolls House. 2 CALDERWOOD. The Laird of Blackadder, one of Bothwell's officers, was brought into Edinburgh in the morning. He had been taken at sea, in attempting to escape from Dunbar. Report said that he was one of the murderers, and as he was dragged through the street, the mob rushed at him with knives and stones, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he was brought alive into the gaol.1 If the Queen remained in the town, the house might be broken into, and she might be torn in pieces. At Kinross, on the borders of Fife, in the most Protestant district of Scotland, far away from Gordons or Hamiltons, or Catholic Highlanders, lay the waters of Lochleven, made immortal in Scottish history by the events of the few next months. Towards the middle of the lake, half a mile from the shore, was an island about an acre in extent, on which a castle stood belonging to Sir William Douglas, half-brother to the Earl of Murray. Here, under the charge of the Lady of Lochleven, once the mistress of her father, the Lords determined to immure their sovereign till they could resolve at leisure on her fate. When informed of their intention, Mary Stuart fiercely charged them with treachery. She had placed herself in their hands, she said, under promise of fair treatment, and they were breaking their plighted word. It was coldly answered that she too had promised to separate herself from Bothwell, and on the past night she had assured him of her unfailing affection. She must submit to be restrained till she could be brought to some better mind. 1 Drury to Cecil, June 20: Border MSS. It was unsafe to remove her by daylight. Blackadder had swift justice or swift injustice. He was tried, sentenced, executed, and quartered, all in a few hours, protesting his innocence to the last; but the citizens were in no humour to discriminate. After dark, on Monday evening, the Queen was taken down to Holyrood. The streets were full as ever, and a guard of 300 men was barely sufficient to keep off the howling people. She went on foot between Athol and Morton, amidst weltering cries of Burn her!-burn her! She is not worthy to live. Kill her!-drown her!' Could the mob have reached her, she would have been sent swiftly with a stone about her neck into the Nor Loch. The palace was not safe, even for the night. In an hour or two she was carried on to Leith, and across the water to Burnt Island; a rapid ride of twenty miles brought her thence to the island fastness, where early on Tuesday (so precipitately the work was designed and executed), the Queen of Scotland was left to rest and to collect her senses. June 17. Having thus secured their prisoner, the Confederate Noblemen drew up in form a defence of their proceedings. The composition of it showed more regard for the Queen's honour than for the completeness of their own justification: they brought no charge against her of any worse crime than infatuated love for a bad man. As yet they had evidently formed no intention of push 1 Drury to Cecil, June 20: Border MSS. Narrative of the Captain of Inchkeith: TEULET, vol. ii. ing matters to extremity, and meant rather to leave the road still open for her to extricate herself. The late King, they said, having been shamefully murdered, the fame thereof was in six weeks dispersed in all realms and among all Christian nations; Scotland was abhorred and vilipended; the nobility and whole people no otherwise esteemed but as if they had been all participant of so unworthy and horrible a crime.' 'None of the Scottish nation, though he was never so innocent, was able for shame in any foreign country to Ishow his face.' There had been 'no manner of just trial.' There was no prospect of any just trial. The murderers could not be arrested, because the chief of them made the stay.' The Earl Bothwell had appeared at the bar, but he came there' accompanied with a great power of waged men of war, that none should compeer to pursue him.' The murder was committed, and justice was smothered and plainly abused. 'Adding mischief to mischief, the Earl Bothwell had beset her Majesty's way, took and ravished her most noble person, and kept her prisoner at Dunbar, while sentence of divorce was pronounced between him and his lawful wife, grounded upon the cause of his own turpitude.' He had thus pretended to marry her Majesty; her faithful subjects were allowed no access to her; her chamber door was continually watched by men of war;' and the noblemen, though too late, began to consider her Highness's shameful thraldom, and the danger of the fatherless Prince; his father's murderer |