Q. E. Then be not familiar with her.

L. L. Madam, I looked on her, but I noted her not. Q. E. Thou tellest us to keep at home. Suppose, sir, we should have thee wedded unto this mortal Venus, this heart-blood of beauty, this love's invisible soul?

L. L. Who, thy cousin Helen?

Q. E. No sir, Cressida; thou art not Paris, thou art Troilus. How likest thou our choice?

L. L. Sweet Queen, you are pleasant with me, but, dear Queen, be not my lord Pandarus.

Q. E. Sweet Queen, sweet Queen! that's a sweet Queen, i' faith, and to make a sweet lady sad, is a sour offence, but that shall not serve thy turn, that shall it not, la. We care not for such words. No, no, my lord, make no excuse, my dear honey-sweet lord, thou shalt not bob us out of our melody with broken music. We'll hear thee sing-wilt thou have us go without thee, my lord?

L. L. No, no! No such matter, you are wide.

Q. E. Yet thou makest excuse, my lord; is the fair forlorn Queen of Scotland sole possessor of thy love? Is this the cause that thou fail us? Thou art undutiful and perjured; by Holy Paul, we tell ye, we will (be assured) confer with her, in spite of thee or any of thy faction. A plague upon ye all that hath not honesty or grace!

L. L. Your grace speaks against your meetest vantage; you mistake the matter; the tender love I bear your grace, makes me most forward in this princely presence. I fear for you; should the discontented men who owe allegiance to the Scottish Queen, take note of your bold trust, they will by interception, strike at your life.3

3. "The queen started, a little and said:

Q. E. By my faith, my lord, I thank you; yet I will go maugre Scotland's might. Hie away as swift as swallow flies, and furnish me conveyance. Come! away! away! I will go even now! in God's name away! and lose no time.

L. L. Fair Queen, your fair cousin is not here in London.

Q. E. How! Not in London? I see you make sport of me.

L. L. May it please your Highness to hear me speak?
Q. E. Yes, sir, yes.

L. L. Your Majesty would not suffer your cousin

to come.

Q. E. Well said, my lord; I do remember; but can you not bring her hither, where I may have chance to speak to her?

L. L. Aye, I promise you; I'll send for her to my house; and then if your Highness vouchsafe to sup with me, you may without public proceedings, (if your royal grace wish) come to speech of her.

(Enter Talbot.)

L. L. Here, Talbot; Go you to Queen Mary and most affectionately say, I, to make atonement between us, humbly beseech her grace to come in secret to my house. And be sure you be not robbed of this lovely lady; have soldiers to attend you on horseback; ride post, and fetch her to my house; hem her train in that not a man or woman escape. Talbot. My lord, I'll go tonight.

L. L. Good! I have trust and faith in you.

Fare you well!

Away!

(Exit Talbot.)

4. "My father, losing no time, calleth one of his valiant gentlemen and saith to him:

Scena Secunda. 5

(Banquet Room in LEICESTER's House.)

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS and the EARL OF LEICESTER at table.
Enter QUEEN ELIZABETH in disguise; hides behind statue.

Queen Mary. Better were it this woman Elizabeth

died;

And, noble lord, I prithee join with me
In my attempts, and I, in marriage will
Confer myself on you, if you, my lord,

Will accept me. I am young, and apt, and fair

As is the youngest maid; and of descent

As good as this old fox: be pitiful

Dear lord, and grant my suit. The child that shall descend

From the true fountain of our marriage,

Will then be heir unto the lines of France,

Scotland and England.

L. L. But your own son doth wear the crown of
Scotland.

Q. M. What though he do? By act of Parliament,

5. "The servant bringeth the poor soul (with a small number of friends) to my father's house, where my father doth greet her and bid her into supper; then he sends to the Queen and she hies her in all post there, and, like a cunning and professed tyrant, she (after her custom) comes soft into my father's house, and maskt by one of the statues placed in the room, hears my lord dissemble with her grace. This banquet did prove as ominous to Mary, as Progene's to the adulterous Thracian king, that fed upon the substance of his child; for his foxship led her into blindness with base thoughts. The savour of the celestial food of love, on which my lord fed her, caused her to beg relief of him. Said she:

We will blot him out. Sir, when the Scottish lords,
Did break their oaths to me, and drave me hence,
(For by their consent, and for his sake,

I was made to yield the crown and fly,)
My love did turn to hate: therefore, my lord,
'Tis but reason that I yield you my hand:
You shall have all.

L. L. But if your title to the crown be weak,
As may appear by your son's good success,
Then were I loath to link myself with you.
James now doth live in Scotland at his ease,
And the houses of York and Lancaster
Uphold the arm of Queen Elizabeth;

On neither law nor right rests your estate;
You are an exile, and so must you stay

Until your son is brought within your power.
By this alliance what shall I win?

Q. M. Aye, good my lord, they have through
treachery,

Bestow'd the kingdom on my abortive son.

But I tell thee, I will requite it on them;

If that thy friends will pawn their swords for me
And my enfranchisement, demand thy fill.

If thou wilt marry me, as man and wife
Being two, are one in love, so we'll combine
In one the French, English and Scottish realms:
I swear to thee, that thou shalt be the king
Of these kingdoms; then unsheathe thy sword,
And give just sentence on this bastard Queen,
Who in the regal throne of England sits,
Which, in God's name, my lord, we will ascend.
Choose thou for thy bride, a loving handmaid

For thy desires, and not the old bastard daughter
Of that harlot-strumpet, Anne Bullen.

What sayeth my sweet lord?"

(ELIZABETH, with a cry comes forth.) Q. E. Doth Scotland make your Majesty our judge? Q. M. Alas! I am undone; it is the Queen!

Q. E. Nay, answer us what thou hast said of us.7 Why! how now, Queen? What is the matter now? By th' rood, thou didst speak vilely of us, even now, But we'll proclaim thee, out of hand, our sovereign, And thou shalt reign; and thy son and heirs may claim. our realm.

Thou hast disinherited thine only son

But thou shalt yet have children by my lord;

To him we'll yield obedience, as to a king:

Why should we not? Pray, pardon us sweet Earl;

Thy grace, like good Pierce of Exton,

(Who with the king's blood stain'd the king's own land,)

Can rid this fair and spotless innocence

Of her foul foe.

Thou scarlet sin; when thou didst speak so rash,
Thou knewest not that we were within hearing;

Thou hast undone thy life!

Thy dearest heart-blood we will have, foul wretch!

By heaven! when thou in hateful practice spak'st against
Our mother's honor, know'st thou not thou gav'st
The warrant to the executioner for thy head?
Thou, that rob'st me of my lord—

6. "At this, Elizabeth did cry out, and straightway came forth and said:

7. "When death's approach is seen, 'twill not look so terrible as did Elizabeth.