Lei. Vile suspicion !

Hear but the guard who seiz'd him.-

www [he goes to the door, and calls.
[the officer of the guard comes.

Ho! who waits?
Sir, tell the Queen, how Mortimer expir'd.
Officer. I was upon my station in the palace,
As Lord Leicester sudden op'd the door,
my
And order'd me to take the knight in charge,
Declaring him a traitor : upon this
He grew enrag'd, and with most bitter curses
Against our sov'reign, and our holy faith,
He drew a dagger, and before the guards
Could hinder his intention, plung'd the steel'
Into his heart, and fell a lifeless corpse...

3

Lei. 'Tis well; you may withdraw, her Majesty

Has heard enough.

Eliz. O! what a deep abyss

Of monstrous deeds!

[the officer withdraws.

Lei. Who was it then, my Queen,

Who sav'd you?-Was it Burleigh? did he know

The dangers which surrounded you? did he

Avert them from your head?—Your faithful Leicester Was your good angel.

Bur. This same Mortimer

Died most conveniently for you, Lord Leicester.
Eliz. What I should say I know not; I believe you,'
And I believe you not I think you guilty,
And I think you are not guilty. Curse on her
Who caus'd me' all this anguish !

Lei. She must die

I now insist myself upon her death.
I formerly advis'd you to suspend

The judgment, till some arm should rise anew.
For her protection; now the case has happen'd,
And I demand her instant execution;

Burl. You give this counsel ?you?

Lei. Howe'er it wound

My feelings to be forc'd to this extreme,
Yet now I see most clearly, now I feel

That the Queen's welfare asks this bloody victim. 'Tis my proposal, therefore, that the writ

Be straight drawn up, to fix the execution.

Bur. [to the Queen.] Since then his lordship shews
such earnest zeal,

Such loyalty, 'twere well, were he appointed.
To see the execution of the sentence.

Lei. Who?-I ?—

Bur. Yes, you; you surely ne'er could find
A better mean to shake off the suspicion
Which rests upon you still, than to command.
Her, whom 'tis said you love, to be beheaded.
Eliz. [looking stedfastly at Leicester.] My lord ad-
vises well-so be it then.-

Lei. It were but fit that my exalted rank
Should free me from so mournful a commission,
Which would indeed, in ev'ry sense, become
A Burleigh better than the Earl of Lecicester.
The man who stands so near the royal person
Should have no knowledge of such fatal scenes:
But yet, to prove my zeal, to satisfy

My Queen, I wave my charge's privilege,
And take upon me this so hateful duty.

Eliz. Lord Burleigh shares with you

Let

The warrant be prepar'd without delay.

this duty.

[to Burleigh.

[Burleigh withdraws; a tumult heard without.

The Queen, Leicester, the Earl of Kent.

Eliz. How now, my lord of Kent? What's that

disturbance

I hear without ?

Kent. My Queen, it is thy people,

Which, rang'd around the palace, with impatience.

Demand to see their sovereign.

Eliz. What's their wish?

Kent. A panic terror has already spread Through London, that thy life has been attempted; That murderers commission'd from the Pope

Beset thee; that the Catholics have sworn

To rescue from her prison Mary Stuart,
And to proclaim her Queen-thy loyal people
Believe it, and are mad-her head alone

Gan quiet them this day must be her last.
Eliz. How will they force me then?—
Kent. They are resolv'd-

To them, Burleigh and Davison, with a paper.

Eliz. Well, Davison?

Dav. [approaches earnestly.] Your orders are obey'd, My Queen

Eliz. What orders, Sir? [as she is about to take the paper, she shudders, and starts back.] O God!Bur. Obey

Thy people's voice; it is the voice of God.-
Eliz. [irresolute, as if in contest with herself.] O my
good lord, who can now surely say

If what I hear 's the voice of my whole people,
The meaning of the world; how much I fear,
That, if I now should listen to the wish
Of the majority, a diff'rent voice

Might soon be heard ;-yes; that those very men,
Who now by force oblige me to this step,

May, when 'tis taken, heavily condemn me !