during my troubles*. Of which I will not at prefent fpecify other proof, than that which I have gained of it by the confeflion of one, who was afterwards amongst those that were most advanced for this good fervice, and of the witneffes confronted with him. To whom if I had fince done justice, he had not afterwards, by his antient intelligences, renewed the fame practices against my fon; and had not procured for all my traitourous and rebellious fubjects, who took refuge with you, that aid and fupport which they have had, even fince my detention on this fide; without which fupport, I think, the faid traitours could not fince have prevailed, nor afterwards have stood out fo long, as they have done.

During my imprisonment at Lochlevin, the late Trogmarton [Throgmorton] counfclled me on your behalf, to fign that demiflion which he advertifed me would be prefented to me; affuring me, that it could not be valid. And there was not afterwards a place in Chrif tendom, where it was held for valid, or maintained, except on this fide; [where it was maintained] even to having affifted with open force the authors of it. In your confcience,

The note of Blackwood, the publisher of the letter, and a cotemporary with Mary. "She means Thomas Randol [Randolph], the ordinary embaffadour of Elizabeth in Scotland, who, under fhadow of his office, committed there ten thoufand treafons against the queen of Scotland, corrupting her fubjects with gold and filver, to incite them into rebellion; as was proved by the procefs made against him."-One claufe in the text fhows Elizabeth, to have been at the bottom of that horrid confpiracy, the murder of Rizzio and the feizure of the queen. Randolph was then emballadour in Scotland, and left the country foon afterwards (Keith, 344)

+ Elizabeth appears from this, to have early formed the defign of drawing Mary into England, under pretence of affitting her, and in order to feize, infult, and imprifon her. This fcheme the carried on, being all

Madam, would you acknowlege an equal liberty and power in your fubjects? Notwithstanding this, my authority has been by my fubjects transferred to my fon, when he was not capable of exercising it. And fince I was willing to affure it lawfully to him, he being of age to be affifted to his own advantage, it is fuddenly ravished from him, and afligned over to two or three traitours; who having taken from him the effectiveness of it, will take from him, as they have from ine, both the name and the title of it, if he contradicts them in the manner he may, and perhaps his life, if God does not provide for his prefervation.

When I was escaped from Lochlevin, ready to give battle to my rebels; I remitted to you by a gen tleman exprefs a diamond jewel, which I had formerly received as a token from you, and with affurance to be fuccoured by you against my rebels; and even that, on my retiring towards you, you would come to the very frontiers in order to aflift me; which had been confirmed to me by divers meffengers +. This promife coming, and repeatedly, from your mouth (though I had found myfelf often abused by your the while in league with Murray, and intending to ferve his and her purposes by it; in a train of fuch hypocritical profeffions of friendship, as muft fhock even a profligate child of the world to think of. She fent Mary a diamond jewel, as a folemn token of her avowed friendship, and as an exprefs teftimony of her promifed affiftance. She even affured Mary, that on hearing the was obliged to retire before her rebels towards England, fhe would come to the very frontiers of England, to meet and receive her. This fhe repeatedly confirmed afterwards, by meffengers to her. And, after all, how did the behave? This fami liar toad at the ear of the innocent and unfufpecting Eve, injecting its poifon into her brain, and tempting her to her ruin, then started up at once in its own natural fhape, and appeared a very devil by her fide.-WHITAKER,

minifters)

minifters) made me place fuch afliance on the effectiveness of it; that, when my army was routed, I came directly to throw myfelf into your arms, if I had been able to approach them. But while I was planning to fet out and find you, there was I arrested on my way, furrounded with guards, fecured in ftrong places, and at last reduced, all fame fet afide, to the captivity in which I remain to this day, after a thousand deaths which I have already suffered from

it.

I know, that you will alledge to me what paffed between the late duke Nortfolk [of Norfolk] and me. I maintain, that there was nothing in this to your prejudice, or againit the publick good of this realm; and that the treaty was fanctioned with the advice and fignatures of the first perfons who were then of your council, under the affurance of making it appear good to you. How could fuch perfonages have undertaken the enterprize, of making you confent to a point, which fhould deprive you of life, of honour, and your crown; as you have flown yourfelf perfuaded it would have done, to all the embaffadours and others who speak to you concerning me?

In the mean time my rebels perceiving, that their headlong courfe was carrying them much farther than they had thought before, and the truth being evidenced concerning the calumnies, that had been propagated of me at the conference, to which I fubmitted in full affembly of your deputies and mine, with others of the contrary party in that country, in order to clear myfelf publickly of them; there were the principals, for having come to repentance, befieged by your forces in the * Camden: " subscriptionibus, quæce pro ferri poffunt."

This was the fecretary Lethington, who was poifoned for fear he fhould difcover the death of the king, and all their

cafile of Edimbourg, and one of the first among them poifoned, and the other mott cruelly hanged; after I had two times made them lay down their arms, at your request, in hopes of an agreement, which God knows whether my enemies aimed at.

I have been for a long time trying, whether patience could foften the rigour and ill treatment, which they have begun for thefe ten years peculiarly to make me fuffer. And accommodating myself exactly to the order prescribed me, for my captivity in this houfe; as well in regard to the number and quality of the attendants which I retain, difmiffing the others; as for my diet, and ordinary excrcife for my health; I am living even at prefent as quietly and peaceably, as one much inferiour to myself, and more obliged than with fuch treatment I was to you, had been able to do; even to deprive myfelf, in order to take away all fhadow of fufpicion and diffidence from you, of requiring to have fome intelligence with my fon and my country, which is what by no right or reafon could be denied me, and principally with my child; whom, instead of this, they endeavoured by every way to perfuade against me, in order to weaken us by our divifion.

It was permitted me, you will fay, to fend one to vifit him there about three years ago. His captivity then at Sterling under the tyranny of Morton, was the cause of it; as his liberty was afterwards, of a refusal to make the like vifit. All this year paft, I have feveral times entered into divers overtures, for the eftablifhment of a good amity between us, and a fure understanding between thefe two realms in future. To Chatfworth, about ten years ago, treafons; the baron Grange, and his brother, were hanged."

Camden: "fera pænitentiâ" and "pleniús perfpicerent é colloquio," &c.

commiffioners were fent me for that purpofe. A treaty has been held upon it with yourfelf, by my embaffadours and thofe of France. I even myself made concerning it, the laft winter, all the advantageous overtures to Beale, that it was poffible to make. What return have I had thence? My good intention has been defpifed, the fincerity of my actions has been neglected and calumniated, the state of my affairs has been traverfed by delays, poftponings, and other fuch like artifices. And,. in conclufion, a worfe and more unworthy treatment from day to day, any thing which I am compelled to do in order to deferve the contrary, my very long, ufelefs, and prejudicial patience, have reduced me fo low; that mine ene mies, in their habits of ufing me ill, think this day they have the right of prefcription for treating me, not as a prifoner, which in reafon I could not be, but as fome flave, whofe life and whofe death depend only upon their tyranny.

I cannot, Madam, fuffer it any longer; and I muft in dying difcover the authors of my death, or living attempt under your protection to find an end to the cruelties, calumnies, and traitourous defigns of my faid enemies, in order to eftablish me in fome little more repofe for the remainder of my life. To take away the occafions pretended for all differences between us, clear your felf, if you please, of all which has been reported to you concerning my actions; review the depofitions of the ftrangers taken in Ireland; let thofe of the jefuits laft executed be reprefented to you; give liberty to thofe who would undertake to charge me publickly, and permit me to enter upon my defence: if any evil be found in me, let me fuffer it, it

*With what a bold air, does innocence here invite and challenge an inquiry into its own actions! Camden; "proferantur

fhall be patiently when I fhall know the occafion of it: if any good, fuffer me not to be worfe treated for it, with your very great commiffion before God and man*.

The vileft criminals, that are in your prifons, born under your obedience, are admitted to their justification; and their accufers, and their accufations, are always declared to them. Why then fhall not the fame order have place, towards me a Sovereign Queen, your nearest relation and lawful heir? I think, that this last circumftance has hitherto been, on the fide of my enemies, the principal caufe of it and of all their calumnies, to make their unjust pretenfions flide between the two, by keeping us in divifion. But, alas! they have now little reas fon and lefs need, to torment me more upon this account. For I protest to you upon mine honour, that I look this day for no kingdom, but that of my God; whom I fee preparing me, for the better conclufion of all my afflictions and adverfities past.

This will be to you [a monition] to discharge your confcience towards my child, as to what belongs to him on this point after my death; and in the mean time not to let prevail to his prejudice, the continual prac tices and fecret confpiracies, which our enemies in this realm are making daily for the advancement of their faid pretenfions; labouring on the other fide with our traitourous fubjects in Scotland, by all the means which they can, to haften his ruin; of which I do not demand other better verification, than the charges given to your last deputies fent into Scotland, and what the faid depu ties have feditioufly practifed there, as I believe, without your knowledge, but with good and fufficient folicitaHifpanorum, qui in Hiberniâ nuper capti, in

me teftimonia,"

tion of the earl my good neighbour at York *.

And on this point, Madam, by what right can it be maintained, that. I, the mother of my child, am totally prohibited, not only from affifting him in the neceffity fo urgent in which he is, but alfo from having any intelligence of his ftate? Who can bring him more carefulness, duty, and fincerity, than 1? To whom can he be more near? At the leaft, if fending to him to provide for his prefervation, as the earl of Cherubery [Shrewsbury] made me lately understand that you did, you had pleafed to take my advice in the matters you would have interpofed with a better face, as I think, and with more obligingness to me. But confider what you leave me to think, when forgetting fo fuddenly the offences which you pretended to have taken against my fon, at the time I was requesting you that we should fend together to him; you have dispatched one to the place where he was a prifoner, not only without giving me advice of it, but debarring me at the very time from all liberty, that by no way whatever I might have any news of him.

And if the intention of thofe, who have procured on your part this fo prompt a vifit of my fon, had been for his prefervation, and the repofe of the country; they needed not to have been fo careful in concealing it from me, as a matter in which I fhould not have been willing to concur with you. By this means they have loft you the good-will, which I fhould have had for you. And, to talk to you more plainly upon the point, I pray you not to employ there any more fuch means or fuch perfons. For, although I hold the lord de Kerri [Cary lord

She means the earl of Hondinton

[Huntingdon]." So, in another letter, (Keralio, v. 375) the fpeaks of " mon bon voifin le comte de Hungtingdon."

Hunfdon] too fenfible of the rank from which he is fprung, to engage his honour in a villanous act; he has had for an affiftant † a fworn partifan of the earl of Huntingdon's, by whose bad offices an action as bad has nearly fucceeded to a fimilar effect. I fhall be contented then, only at your not permitting my fon to receive any injury from this country (which is all, that I have ever required of you before, even when an army was fent to the borders, to prevent juftice from being done to that deteftable Morton); and that none of your fubjects directly or indirectly intermeddle any more in the affairs of Scotland, unless it is with my knowledge, to whom all cognifance of these things belongs, or with the affiftance of fome one on the part of the Moft Chriftian King, my good brother; whom, as our principal ally, I defire to make privy to the whole of this caufe, becaufe of the little credit that he can have with the traitours, who detain my fon at present.

In the mean time I declare with all opennefs to you, that I hold this laft confpiracy and innovation, for pure treafon against the life of my fon, the good of his affairs, and that of the country; and that while he fhall be in the ftate in which I underftand he is, I fhall efteem no word, writing, or other act, that comes from him or is paffed under his name, as proceeding from his free and voluntary difpofition, but only from the faid confpiratours, who, at the price of his life, are making him to ferve as a mafque to them.

But, Madam, with all this freedom of fpeech, which I can foresee will in fome fort difplease you, though it be the truth itself; you will find it more ftrange, I affure myself, that I come now to impor

This is the eldeft fon of lord Hol den, a relation of Elizabeth's."

tune

ours in their common journey ither. These are, I think, the ery words of the faid count. I ill tell you upon this, Madam, at Beale has not ever had a fimple nd abfolute promife of me; but inced overtures conditional, to which cannot remain bound in the fashion which the bufinefs is, unless the onditions, which I annexed to it, hight be previoufly executed; about hich fo far is he from being fatifed, that on the contrary I have ever had any anfwer from him, or eard mention of it fince on his fide. and on this account I remember ery well, that the earl of Scherufery [Shrewsbury], about laft Eafter, anting to draw from me a new conrmation of what I had fpoken to the id Beale; I replied to him very ally, That it was only in cafe the id conditions might be granted, nd confequently effectuated, to me. The one and the other are yet living o testify this to you, if they will ell the truth about it. Then fecing hat no answer was made me; but, n the contrary, that by delays and eglects mine enemies continued more licentioufly than ever their ractices, formed fince the refidence f the faid Beale with me, in order o traverfe my juft intentions in cotland, fo as the effects have been well witneffed there; and that, by his means, the door remained

open

Now I refer to your confideration, if you knew of the falfe game, which mine enemies on this fide have played me in Scotland, to reduce things to the point at which they ftand; which of us has proceeded with the greatest fincerity. God judge between them and me, and avert from this ifle the juft punishment of their demerits. Send back again at once the intelligence, which my traitourous fubjects of Scotland can have given you. You will find, and I will maintain it before all the Chriftian princes, that no one thing whatever has there paffed on my fide, to your prejudice, or againit the good and repofe of this realm; which I affect not lefs than any counsellor or subject that you have, having more intereft in it than any of them.

This ferves to fhow how treacherously lizabeth acted with Mary, turning conitional agreements into pofitive, for her wn advantage; and how openly and ho

Deneve, withe
Crown fhould
and on that a
tent, that he
unlawful viole
enemies from
family. Was
juftice upon th
faid traitours,
has always fu
confcience can
Carrying conti

very great ti
Was it to wish
of the country
mild pardon of
a general recor
Our fubjects? I
our enemics on
flow as they
What prejudic
you by this?
rify, if you p
point: I will
honour.

a

nourably Mary acted in return, revoking even conditional agreements by exprels letters.-WHITAKER.

There