happy civil wars, and to consider that she could not take the same assurances of all other princes;' on this she said, that we might perhaps mean the king of Spain, but that her enmity, and his having commenced with love, we ought not to think, that they could not be well together whenever she wished.' And in truth, sire, we believe that she might very easily enter into such relations as she chose with that king. As far as we can judge, she has not the means needful for sustaining a war against so powerful a prince, being infinitely sparing of her money, and her people very desirous of a peace with Spain, as they have lost all their commerce on account of the war. It seems that this queen has determined rather to accord with Spain than continue the war; and we understand she has sent several missions to the duke of Parma. As to the disposition of this princess, touching the peace of your realm, we have written to you what she has said to us upon it; her councillors hold no other language to us; but from what we can gather from the gentlemen of this country, and the French refugees here, all the council of England consider, that the tranquillization of France would be their ruin, and they fear nothing so much as to see an end of the civil wars in your kingdom. "Her majesty returned to the subject of the queen of Scots, saying, 'that she had given us several days to consider of some means, whereby she could preserve that princess's life, without being in danger of losing her own; and not being yet satisfied on that point, nor having yet found any other expedient, she could not be cruel against herself, and that your majesty ought not to consider it just that she, who is innocent, should die, and that the queen of Scotland, who is guilty, should be saved.' After many propositions on one part and the other, on this subject, she rose up. We continued the same entreaties, on which she said to us, that in a few days she would give us an

"The next day we were apprised that they had made proclamation through this city, that sentence of death had been given against the queen of Scotland. She has been proclaimed a traitress, incapable of succeeding to the crown, and worthy of death.

"The earl of Pembroke, the mayor and aldermen of the city of London, assisted at this proclamation, and the same instant all the bells in this city began to ring; this was followed universally throughout the realm of England, and they continued these ringings for the space of twenty-four hours, and have also made many bonfires of rejoicing for the determination taken by their queen against the queen of Scotland. This gave us occasion to write to the said lady (queen Elizabeth) the letter of which we send a copy to your majesty. Not being able to devise any other remedy, we have made supplication that she would defer the execution of the judgment, till we could learn, what it would please your majesty to do and say in remonstrance.

"The said lady sent word to us, that on the morrow morning, she would let us know her answer, by one of her counsellors of state.' The day passed, and we had not any news. This morning the Sieur Oullé,' a member of her council, came to us, on the part of the said lady queen, with her excuse, that we had not heard from her yesterday, on account of the indisposition of her majesty; and, after a long discourse on the reasons which had moved them to proceed to this judgment, he said, 'that out of the respect she (the queen) had for your majesty, she was content to grant a delay of the term of twelve days before proceeding to the execution of the judgment, without pledging herself, however, to observe such delay, if in the interim anything should be attempted against her, which might move her to alter her mind, and the said lady has accorded a like delay to the ambassadors of Scotland, who have made to her a similar request.' They have declared to this queen, that if she will

1 Sir Thomas Woolley.

put to death the queen of Scotland, the king, her son, is determined to renounce all the friendship and alliance that he has with England, and to advise with his friends how he shall proceed in her cause; at which she has put herself into a great fury."

The report of the French ambassadors is dated December 18, 1586; on the 19th, queen Mary addressed the following noble letter to Elizabeth:

THE QUEEN OF SCOTS TO QUEen Elizabeth.1

"Fotheringaye, December 19th, 1586. "Madame,-Having, with difficulty, obtained leave from those to whom you have committed me, to open to you all I have on my heart, as much for exonerating myself from any ill will, or desire of committing cruelty, or any act of enmity against those, with whom I am connected in blood, as also, kindly to communicate to you what I thought would serve you, as much for your weal and preservation, as for the maintenance of the peace and repose of this isle, which can only be injured if you reject my advice. You will credit, or disbelieve my discourse, as it seems best to you.

"I am resolved to strengthen myself in Christ Jesus alone, who, to those invoking him with a true heart, never fails in his justice and consolation, especially to those who are bereft of all human aid; such are under his holy protection; to him be the glory! He has equalled my expectation, having given me heart and strength, in spe contra spem, (in hope against hope,) to endure the unjust calumnies, accusations, and condemnations (of those who have no such jurisdiction over me) with a constant resolution to suffer death, for upholding the obedience and authority of the apostolical Roman-catholic church.

"Now, since I have been, on your part, informed of the sentence of your last meeting of parliament, lord Buckhurst and Beale having admonished me to prepare for the end of my long and weary pilgrimage, I beg to return you thanks, on my part, for these happy tidings, and to entreat you to vouchsafe to me certain points for the discharge of my conscience. But since Sir A. Paulet has informed me, (though falsely,) that you had indulged me by having restored to me my almoner and the money that they had taken from me, and that the remainder would follow; for all this, I would willingly return you thanks, and supplicate still further as a last request, which, I have thought, for many reasons, I ought to ask of you alone, that you will accord this ultimate grace, for which I should not like to be indebted to any other, since I have no hope of finding aught but cruelty from the puritans, who are, at this time, God knows wherefore! the first in authority, and the most bitter against me.

"I will accuse no one; may I pardon, with a sincere heart, every one, even as I desire every one may grant forgiveness to me, God the first. But I know that you, more than any one, ought to feel at heart the honour or dishonour of your own blood, and that, moreover, of a queen and the daughter of a king.

"Then, madame, for the sake of that Jesus to whose name all powers bow, I require you to ordain, that when my enemies have slaked their black

1 Des Mesmes MS., No. 9513, Collection of Original State Letters, Bibliothêque du Roi.

* De Préau; he remained in Fotheringaye, but was forbidden to see his royal mistress.

3 With no little grandeur of soul, Mary treats Elizabeth, not as her murderess, but as a person controlled by a dominant faction.

thirst for my innocent blood, you will permit my poor desolated servants altogether to carry away my corpse, to bury it in holy ground, with the other queens of France, my predecessors, especially near the late queen, my mother; having this in recollection, that in Scotland the bodies of the kings, my predecessors, have been outraged, and the churches profaned and abolished; and that as I shall suffer in this country, I shall not be given place near the kings your predecessors, who are mine as well as yours; for, according to our religion, we think much of being interred in holy earth. As they tell me that you will in nothing force my conscience nor my religion, and have even conceded me a priest, refuse me not this my last request, that you will permit me free sepulchre to this body when the soul is separated, which, when united, could never obtain liberty to live in repose, such as you would procure for yourself,—against which repose, before God I speak, I never aimed a blow; but God will let you see the truth of all after my death. "And because I dread the tyranny of those to whose power you have abandoned me, I entreat you not to permit that execution be done on me without your own knowledge, not for fear of the torment, which I am most ready to suffer, but on account of the reports which will be raised concerning my death, without other witnesses than those who would inflict it, who, I am persuaded, would be of very different qualities from those parties whom I require (being my servants) to be spectators and withal witnesses of my end, in the faith of our sacrament, of my Saviour, and in obedience to His church. And after all is over, that they together may carry away my poor corpse (as secretly as you please), and speedily withdraw, without taking with them any of my goods, except those which, in dying, I may leave to them which are little enough for their long

and good services.

"One jewel that I received of you, I shall return to you with my last words, or sooner if you please.

"Once more I supplicate you to permit me to send a jewel and a last adieu to my son, with my dying benediction, for of my blessing he has been deprived, since you sent me his refusal to enter into the treaty whence I was excluded by his wicked council; this last point I refer to your favourable consideration and conscience, as the others; but I ask them, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in respect of our consanguinity, and for the sake of king Henry VII., your grandfather and mine, and by the honour of the dignity we both held, and of our sex in common, do I implore you to grant these requests.

"As to the rest, I think you know that in your name they have taken down my dais, (canopy and raised seat,) but afterwards they owned to me that it was not by your commandment, but by the intimation of some of your privy

'This implied wish of burial in Westminster Abbey, her son James afterwards observed.

2 In this she was deceived; her chaplain was not suffered to see her, though in the castle.

She here dreads the imputation of suicide, a crime which is considered with peculiar horror by Catholics, as rendering impossible the rites their creed deems it essential that the dying should receive.

4 This was probably the diamond ring, which Elizabeth sent her, as token of amity. "It was," says Melville, "an English custom to give a diamond, to be returned at a time of distress, to recal friendship." The description of this celebrated ring is curious. Two diamonds were set in two rings, and, when laid together, formed the shape of a heart. Elizabeth sent one to Mary, and kept the other. Thoms' Traditions.

council; I thank God that this wickedness came not from you, and that it serves rather to vent their malice than to afflict me, having made up my mind to die. It is on account of this, and some other things that they debarred me from writing to you, and after they had done all in their power to degrade me from my rank, they told me, that I was but a mere dead woman, incapable of dignity.' God be praised for all!

"I would wish that all my papers were brought to you without reserve, that, at last, it may be manifest to you, that the sole care of your safety was not confined to those who are so prompt to persecute me; if you will accord this my last request, I would wish that you would write for them, otherwise they do with them as they choose. And, moreover, I wish, that to this my last request, you will let me know your last reply.

"To conclude, I pray God, the just Judge, of his mercy, that he will enlighten you with his Holy Spirit, and that he will give me his grace to die in the perfect charity I am disposed to do, and to pardon all those who have caused, or who have co-operated in my death. Such will be my last prayer to my end, which, I esteem myself happy, will precede the persecution, which I foresee, menaces this isle, where God is no longer seriously feared and revered, but vanity and worldly policy rule and govern all-yet will I accuse no one, nor give way to presumption—yet, while abandoning this world and preparing myself for a better, I must remind you, that one day you will have to answer for your charge, and for all those whom you doom, and that I desire that my blood and my country may be remembered in that time. For why? From the first days of our capacity to comprehend our duties, we ought to bend our minds to make the things of this world yield to those of eternity!

From Forteringhay (Fotheringay), this 19th December, 1586.

Your sister and cousin,
Prisoner wrongfully,

MARIE (ROYNE.')

The effect produced by this touching, but dignified, appeal to the conscience of Elizabeth, is rather hinted at than described by the pitiless satrap, Leicester, in one of his pithy letters to Walsingham. There is a letter from the Scottish queen," writes he, "that hath wrought tears, but, I trust, shall do no further herein; albeit, the delay is too dangerous.'

Who can read this remark without perceiving the fact, that in this instance, as well as in the tragedy of her maternal kinsman, the duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth's relentings were overruled, and her female heart steeled against the natural impulses of mercy by the ruthless men whose counsels influenced her resolves? Had Elizabeth exercised her

1 The original of this letter is in very obsolete French, of which a copy may be seen in the Bridgewater edition of the Egerton papers. A fragment of the same, copied in a very beautiful hand, is also preserved in the State Paper Office, in the voluminous collection connected with the personal history of Mary queen of Scots; an abridged translation has been published by Mr. Tytler, in the 8th volume of his valuable history of Scotland.

? Harleian MS. 285. British Museum.

own unbiassed judgment, and yielded to the angel whisperings of woman's gentler nature, which disposed her to draw back from affixing her signature to the fatal warrant, her annals would have remained unsullied by a crime, which can neither be justified on moral nor political grounds.

Rapin, with sophistry unworthy of an historian, says— The queen of Scots and her friends had brought matters to such a pass, that one of the queens must perish, and it was natural that the weakest should fall." This was decidedly untrue. The royal authority of Elizabeth was never more firmly established than at this very period. She could have nothing to apprehend from the sick, helpless, and impoverished captive at Fotheringaye. It was to the ministers of Elizabeth and their party, that Mary was an object of alarm; consequently, it was their interest to keep the mind of their royal mistress in a constant state of excitement, by plots and rumours of plots, till they had wrought her irritable temper up to the proper pitch. Among the many means resorted to for that purpose by Burleigh, may, in all probability, be reckoned the celebrated letter, which has been published, in Murdin's State Papers, as the production of Mary queen of Scots, in whose name it was written, but which bears every mark of the grossest forgery. It is written in French,' and details, with provoking minuteness, a variety of scandals, which appear to have been in circulation against queen Elizabeth in her own court. These are affirmed to have been repeated to the captive queen by the countess of Shrewsbury, who, during the life of her first husband, Mr. Saintlow, was one of Elizabeth's bed-chamber women. Lady Shrewsbury was a malignant gossip and intriguante, and on very ill terms with her husband's royal charge. These circumstances give some plausibility to the idea that Mary wrote this letter, in order to destroy her great enemy's credit with the queen.

Mary had made, at various times, very serious complaints of the insolence of this vulgar-minded woman, and of the aspersions which she had cast on her own character; and she had also requested the French ambassador to inform queen

But not in Mary's well-known hand: no copy of the letter exists in her writing. The story relating to the discovery of this letter is extremely absurd.