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drowned in spite of all the assistance his courtiers could render him, if a rustic had not dragged him out. But the distresses which had beset the King up to this period, were as nothing to those which were about to result to him from a very unfortunate transaction, which took place on the night of the 8th of February 1591-2. For some time past, there had been a feud between the Earl of Huntly, the chief Catholic peer, and the Earl of Moray, who, on the other hand, was one of the leading men among the Presbyterians. Moray, who was the son-in-law and heir of the celebrated Regent, and who was universally esteemed for his amiable disposition and singularly handsome person, had provoked the justifiable hostility of Huntly, by protecting a felon, whom he, as sheriff, endeavoured to bring to justice-a hostility, however, which never assumed a decided aspect, till one of Huntly's kinsmen was killed by a shot from Moray's house of Darnaway, while assisting him in prosecuting the ends of his office. Soon after Bothwell's attempt on Holyroodhouse, a report having arisen that that outlaw had gone north to seek assistance from Moray, the King, to prevent the lat ter from falling into such a snare, dispatched Lord Ochiltree to bring him to court, intending also to attempt a reconciliation between him and Huntly. Meanwhile, a second report arising that Moray had already been in league with Bothwell, and was even seen in disguise among his attendants at the Raid of the Abbey, James was induced, by the importunity of Huntly, to grant him a commission to apprehend the young nobleman, and

Calderwood, MS.

bring him to trial. Thus provided, on the afternoon of the 8th of February, Huntly rode with a large party of horse, from the house of the Provost of Edinburgh, where the King then lodged for security; and, giving out that he was to attend a horse-race at Leith, directed his journey across the Queensferry to Dunnibrissle house in Fife, where he understood the Earl of Moray was then residing with his mother. Thus, it will be remarked, he made but one stage betwixt the presence-chamber of his sovereign, and the scene of that cruel tragedy which he was about to perform. Arriving at Dunnibrissle about midnight, he beset the house, and called to the young Earl to come forth and surrender himself. Possibly, if Moray bad at once paid obedience to the royal commis sion which Huntly bore, the terms of that com mission might not have been transgressed; for we can scarcely conceive that a nobleman of Huntly's known good character would have murdered an enemy in cold blood. But Moray had too good reason to dread the resentment of a man whom he had so deeply injured; and he resolved to defend himself to the last extremity. Huntly then ap plied fire to the gates, for the purpose of forcing an entrance. Moray, despairing of his situation, held counsel with his friend Dunbar, the Sheriff of Moray, as to the possibility of escape. Dun bar conceived the idea of rushing out through the assailants, so that, while they were busied in de spatching, or at least in pursuing him, the Earl might have an opportunity of escaping compara tively unobserved. He accordingly threw himself amongst them, and was instantly killed. Moray followed, and had the good fortune, as his gener

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ous friend anticipated, to escape through the Gor dons, and make his way down to a rugged part of the beach near the house. The velvet edge of his helmet, however, had caught fire as he rushed through the flames, and while he was there endeavouring to ensconce himself among the rocks, its light attracted the attention and pursuit of the ene my, who immediately fell upon him, and dispatched him by repeated wounds. It is but justice to Huntly to say, that the chief perpetrator of this deed was a headstrong and vindictive cadet of the family-Gordon of Buckie-who, inflicting a gash on Moray's face the expiring youth, mindful even at that moment of his distinguished beauty, murmured forth, "You have spoilt a better face than your own. Huntly is said to have approached after his younger kinsman had despatched their victim; but Buckie, swearing an oath that the Earl should be "as deep in" as himself, compelled him to alight from his horse, and inflict a few wounds on the insensate corpse. They then hurried from the scene, leaving the body stretched on the beach, the house burning, and even a relation of their own wounded on the ground. Yet they do not appear to have entertained any great apprehensions regarding the consequences of their misdeed. At that time, it was judged equally honourable, in Scotland, to inflict vengeance on an enemy, and to afford succour to a friend. The Earl of Huntly retired to an inn at the neighbouring village of Inverkeithing, where he rested for the night. Nay, he even had the coolness to send his friend Buckie immediately back to Edinburgh, to inform the King of what he had done.

Buckie soon found that his night's work was

apt to be taken ill, and decamped from Edinburgh in the morning, just in time to escape seizure. In all probability, he never reached the King; for it is known that James was that morning abroad very early at the hunting, to all appearance unconscious of the event, although, from the grounds where he pursued his amusement (those of Inverleith and Wardie), he could see the expiring flames of Dunnibrissle House across the waters of the Firth of Forth. On his return to town, he found the streets full of lamentation for the murder of Moray, and strong suspicions universally entertained that he himself was accessary to it. Huntly had left the royal lodgings immediately before the action; a messenger had come to apprise the King of its accomplishment; and he had gone to hunt on a place where he could solace himself with the speediest intelligence of the event, by beholding the conflagration of the house. All these circumstances, besides the sus picion of his leaning to the Catholic, against the Puritan party, and a still vaguer conjecture that he had been jealous of Moray's intimacy with the Queen, were strongly insisted upon against him.

The 9th of February was thus a day of excessive distress to James. Finding himself suspected, and knowing no better method of clearing himself, he sent for a few ministers, whom he en treated that they would address the public in his favour from their pulpits. These gentlemen, however, knew better how to benefit themselves by what had taken place. It had all along been their tactics to work power to themselves out of the hands of the King, by aggravating the distresses of his government; and seeing that the popular cla,

mour against him for Moray's death might be the means of humiliating him still further, they utterly refused to do what he desired-leaving him with a hint that his best course to clear himself would be to pursue the murderers which they knew he could not door which, were it possible, would still be in their favour, as calculated to destroy a Catho❤ lic. James's only resource was to publish a procla mation, in which he declared, upon his royal word, that his concern in the slaughter was no greater than that of David, when Abner was killed by Joab.

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But the greatest distress of the day remained yet to take place. Lady Downe, mother of the de ceased Earl, arrived at Leith in a boat, carrying with her the bodies of her son and his friend the sheriff, which she wished to present to the gaze of the people, in order to stimulate the vengeance of the laws against their murderers. To prevent so indecent a spectacle, and one so apt to inflame the public mind, already too much excited, James was obliged to forbid the bodies to be brought tó Edinburgh. Lady Downe, having then caused a picture to be drawn of her son's mangled body, brought it to the King, enclosed in a piece of fine lawn cloth, and, exhibiting it before his eyes, with vehement lamentations, earnestly demanded jus tice. James could only join her in mourning the death of her son. She then took out three bullets which had been found in Moray's body, and, pre senting one to the King, and another to a courtier who stood by, said she would reserve the third to herself, to be bestowed upon him that should hin der justice. All that James could do for her gra

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