violence or contufion. No doubt could be entertained but Darnley was murdered; and the general fufpicion fell upon Bothwel as the author of the crime. But as his favour with Mary, and his power was great, no one ventured to declare openly his fentiments. Voices, however, were heard in the fireets, during the night, proclaiming Bothwel, and even Mary herfelf, to be the murderers; and bills, to the fame purpose, were fecretly affixed on the walls. Mary, more folicitous to punifh others than defend herself, offered rewards for the difcovery of those who had fpread fuch reports; but no rewards were offered for the discovery of the murderers. One indifcretion fucceeded another: Bothwel, though accufed of being ftained with her husband's blood, had the confidence, while Mary was on her way to Stirling, on a visit to her fon, to feize her at the head of a body of eight hundred horfe, and to carry her to Dunbar, where he forced her to yield to his purposes. While fhe was at this place, fome of the nobility fent her a private meffage, in which they told her, that, if the really lay under any constraint, they would ufe all their force to refcue her. Her anfwer was, that he had indeed been carried to Dunbar by vio lence, but ever fince her arrival, had been fo well treated, that the willingly remained with Bothwelr. It was generally thought by the people, 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 aftonished upon finding, inftead of difgrace, that BothMary mar- well was taken into more than former favour; and to ries the ear! crown all, that he was married to the queen, having diof Bothwel vorced his own wife to procure this union.

This alliance, apparently fo criminal, led the people to pay very little deference to Mary's authority. The proteftant teachers, whofe influence was every where confiderable, had long borne great animofity towards her, and they now loudly exclaimed against her conduct. The principal nobility met at Sterling, and formed an affociation for protecting the young prince, and punishing his father's murderers. The firft that took up arms was lord Hume; who leading a body of eight hundred horse, fuddenly environed the queen and Bothwel, in the castle of Borthwick. They found means, however, to make their efcape; and Bothwel, at the head of a few forces, meeting the affociators within about fix miles of Edinburgh,

name.

A.D .567.

Mary is imprisoned in the caftle of

was obliged to capitulate; while Mary was conducted by the prevailing party into that capital, amidst the infults and reproaches of the populace. She was thence fent a prifoner to the caftle of Lochlevin, fituate in a lake of that The mistress of the house was mother to the earl Lochlevin. of Murray; and as the pretended to have been lawfully married to the late king of Scots, the naturally bore an animofity to Mary, and treated her with the utmost harfhnefs. Bothwel, during the conference, fled unattended Bothwel to Dunbar; where fitting out a few fmall fhips, he fub- flies to the fifted among the Orkneys for fome time by piracy. Being Orkneys, purfued thither, and his domeftics taken, who made a full and thence difcovery of his crimes, himself efcaped to Denmark, where mark, he was thrown into prison, lost his fenfes, and died mifer- where he ably about ten years afterwards.

to Den

dies

ated lords

The fears and jealoufies of Elizabeth being now lulled afleep, by the confideration of the ruin and infamy which Mary had incurred, fhe feemed to be touched with compaffion towards the unfortunate queen; for alleviating whofe calamities fhe refolved to employ her authority. Elizabeth She fent fir Nicholas Throgmorton ambaflador to Scot- endeavours land, in order to remonftrate both with Mary and the to mediate affociated lords; but the latter thought proper to deny teen the a peace behim, after feveral affected delays, all accefs to Mary. But queen of though he could not confer with her, he procured her the Scots, and best terms from the rebellious lords that he could; which the affociwere, that the fhould refign the crown in favour of her fon, who was as yet a minor; that the fhould appoint the earl of Murray, who had from the beginning teftified a hatred to lord Darnley, as regent of the kingdom; and as he was then in France, that the fhould appoint a council until his arrival. When the inftruments Mary is were brought to Mary to fign, fhe burit into a flood of obliged to tears, at the thought of refigning all power; but the af- refign the terwards fubfcribed them, even without infpection 1. In crown to her fon. confequence of this forced refignation, the young prince was proclaimed king, by the name of James VI. The queen had now no hopes but from the kindness of the earl of Murray; but even in this the was disappointed; the earl, upon his return, instead of affording her confolation, loaded her with reproaches, which reduced her almoft to A.D.1563 defpair.

Mary, by her charms and promifes, had engaged a young gentleman, whofe name was George Douglas, to

3 Melyil, p. 85. Spotfwood, p. 218, Anderfon, vol. iii. p. 19.

The affift her in escaping from her confinement. He accordof Scots ingly conveyed her in difguife into a small boat, and himelcapes felf rowed her afhore. The news of her enlargement from her being fpread abroad, the loyalty of the people feemed to imprisonAs Bothwel was no longer affociated in her ment, and revive. caufe, many of the nobility, who expected to fucceed him in favour, figned a bond of affociation for her defence; and in a few days she saw herself at the head of fix thoufand men.

is joined by fix thouJand men.

15th May. Battle of Lang fide.

The earl of Murray, now regent, was not flow in affembling his forces; and though his army was inferior to that of the queen of Scots, he ventured to take the field against her. At Langfide, near Glafgow, was fought a battle, entirely decifive in his favour. The action was followed by a total difperfion of the queen's party: the unhappy princefs fled fouthwards with great precipitation, and came, with a few attendants, to the borders of EngEngland. land, where the hoped for protection, and even for assistance, from Elizabeth.

The queen

flies to

who orders

With thefe hopes the embarked on board a fishing boat in Galloway, and landed the fame day at Wirkington in Cumberland, whence the immediately dispatched a messenShe fends a ger to London, craving protection, and defiring liberty to effenger to visit the queen. Elizabeth deliberated for fome time upon Elizabeth, the proper method of proceeding, and refolved at laft to her to be act in a friendly yet cautious manner. She immediately refpe&tfully fent orders to lady Scrope, fifter to the duke of Norfolk, attended, a lady who lived in that neighbourhood, to attend on the but refufes queen of Scots; and foon after difpatched lord Scrope, to fee her and fir Francis Knolles, to pay her all poffible refpect.Notwithftanding thefe marks of diftinction, the queen refused to admit Mary into her prefence, until the fhould clear Darnley's herfelf of her husband's murder, of which she was fo gourder. ftrongly accufed. So unexpected a check threw Mary into tears; and her prefent embarraffment extorted from her a declaration, that fhe would willingly justify herself to her fister from all imputations, and would fubmit her caufe to the arbitration of fo good a friend".

until fue clears her felf of

Elizabeth immediately difpatched a meffenger to the regent of Scotland; requiring him both to defist from farther profecution of his queen's party, and to fend fome perfons to London, to justify his conduct with regard to her. This imperious meffage was probably received by a Ibid. p.

Anderfon, vol. iv. p. 54. 66. 82, 83. 86, 10. 55.87.

Murray

Murray with fecret indignation; but as his domeftic enemies were numerous and powerful, and England was the fole ally, which he could expect among foreign nations, he refolved rather to digeft the affront than provoke Elizabeth by a refufal. He therefore replied, that he would himself take a journey to England, attended by other commiffioners; and would willingly fubmit the determination of his caufe to Elizabeth ".

relative to

the

queen

of Scats.

The queen of Scots, after much reluctance, was at laft Conferencek obliged to admit her ancient rival as umpire in her caufe, and the accufation was readily undertaken by Murray, the regent, who had already manifefted the moft violent prejudice against Mary. This extraordinary conference, which deliberated on the conduct of a foreign queen, was opened at York; and was managed by three commiffioners appointed by Elizabeth, nine by the queen of Scots, and five by the regent, in which number himself was included. From York, the conferences were in a little time adjourned to Hampton-Court, where the commiffioners of all the parties attended. Among the proofs produced of Mary's guilt, were many letters and fonnets, faid to be written in her own hand to Bothwel, in which fhe discovers her knowlege of Darnley's intended murder, and her contrivance to marry Bothwel, by pretending a forced compliance. Thefe papers, it must be acknowleged, are not free from the fufpicion of forgery, though the arguments for their authenticity feem to prevail. However this be, the evidence of Mary's guilt appearing ftronger, it was thought proper to defire that her advocates fhould give anfwers to them; but they, contrary to expectation, refufed; alleging, that as Mary was a fovereign princefs, fhe could not be fubject to any tribunal; not confidering that the avowed defign of this conference was not punishment, but reconciliation; that it was not to try Mary in order to inflict penalties, but to evince whether the were worthy of Elizabeth's friendship and protection. Mary, instead of attempting to juflify her conduct, laboured to obtain an interview with Elizabeth; but as fhe ftill perfifted in a refolution to make no defence, this demand was finally refufed her. The unfortunate queen, however, perfevered in foliciting Elizabeth's protection; requesting, that either the thould be affifted in her endeavours to recover her authority, or that liberty fhould be given her of retiring into France,

where the might ufe her efforts to obtain the friendship of other princes. But Elizabeth, fenfible of the danger which attended either of these propofals, was fecretly refolved to detain her in captivity; and fhe was accordMary is ingly fent to Tutbury-castle, in the county of Stafford, confined in where he was put under the cuftody of the earl of Tutbury Shrewsbury. There the captive queen was amufed with cafile. hopes of one day coming into favour; and that, unless her own obftinacy prevented, an accommodation might at laft take place.

nated.

Thofe hopes of accommodation, however, were in the fequel entirely fruftrated. The factions in Scotland tended not a little to alarm the jealoufy of Elizabeth, and inThe regent creafe the rigours of Mary's confinement. The regent of of Scotland Scotland, who had long been her inveterate enemy, hapis aai pening, in revenge of a private injury, to be affaffinated Mary's by a gentleman of the name of Hamilton, upon his death partizans the kingdom relapfed into its former anarchy. Mary's party once more affembled, and made themselves masters rruption of Edinburgh. They even proceeded to the borders of England, where they committed fome diforders, which Elizabeth drew the attention of Elizabeth. She quickly fent thither an army, commanded by the earl of Suffex, who, entering Scotland, principally chaftifed all the partizans of the captive queen, under a pretence that they had offended his miftrefs by harbouring English rebels.

make an

into the

borders.

fends an army to

chaftife them.

The earl of

Lenox is appointed regent of

Scotland.

A.D. 1569.

Duke of

But the policy of Elizabeth terminated not with this enterprize. While the maintained the most friendly correfpondence with Mary, and the warmeft proteftations of fincerity paffed between them, fhe was far from either affifting her caufe, or yet from rendering it defperate. It was her intereft to keep the factions in Scotland ftill alive; for which purpose the weakened, by tedious negociations, the queen's party, which had now promised to prevail, and procured the earl of Lenox to be appointed regent, in the room of Murray who was flain.

While Mary's party in Scotland was thus depreffed by the arts of Elizabeth, an attempt, which was concerted near the place of her captivity, proved alfo unsuccessful. Norfolk's The duke of Norfolk was the only peer in England who confpiracy enjoyed the highest title of nobility; and the qualities of his mind correfponded to the eminence of his ftation. Beneficent, affable, and generous, he had acquired the affections of the people; and yet, from his prudence and moderation, he had never alarmed the jealoufy of the fovereign. He was at this time a widower, and being of