XXII. and no participation of the power or authority of CHAP. government. But no just ground appears for charging her with any criminal intentions or conspiracy against him. If he had submitted to live with her on these terms, as the highest nobleman in the country, but relinquishing to her and her friends the whole of the government, she would have allowed him to share the honors of her state. It is obvious that she wished him to be to her what prince George of Denmark was to our queen Anne; the husband of the queen, but not the sovereign of the country. It will be no breach of impartiality to add, that it is doubtful whether he had any pretensions, from conduct, talent, rank or personal influence, to be more than she would have thus permitted. A progressive acquisition of general popularity, and a more friendly society with the nobility, might have gradually raised him to some influencing importance, as his maturer actions might deserve it. But the project of his foreign exile, his determination not to live with the queen in the subordination which she desired, his evidenced hostility to the predominating lords, and his unceremonious abandonment of her court and person, were incidents that were likely to destroy her attachment to him; to create alarms not unfounded, and to make the ruling aristocracy his determined enemies, some 44 "Robert Melville, in his letter from London, of 22 Oct. to the same person, indicates this. He had left Scotland about the 14th of that month, and says, The queen was in some displeasure at my department, upon evil behaviour of the king's part, who was of mind to depart out of the realm, and no occasion given him by her majesty ; neither will he declare wherein his discontentment is, but in general that he is not regarded with the nobility as he should be.' Keith, p. 351. II. BOOK of whom he desired to displace from their official situations.45 He went to Glasgow, but afterwards desired Le Croc to meet him half way between that town and Edinburgh. The French envoy did so, and finding his father with him, remonstrated against his intended voyage, till he appeared to relinquish it. Le Croc then went to Jedburgh, to communicate these conferences to the queen. It is clear that both parties were now in a position of conflicting evil towards each other, from which future mischief was most likely to result. 46 Bothwell attended the privy council meetings in September, or the beginning of October." It was at this time that Murray completed his confederation with Huntley, Argyle, and Bothwell, and signed the written engagement to unite with them, which he had been compelled to promise before he had been admitted to the queen's presence, or restored to her favor. But as the queen was now preparing for her justiciary court at Jedburgh, Bothwell, as lord lieutenant of the disturbed counties, left Edinburgh on 6th October, where the principal lairds had two months before resolved to resist him, unless the queen came in person to their locality." On the 48 45 R. Melville adds, ' neither can he obtain such things as he seeks; to wit, such persons as the secretary [Maitland,] the justice clerk, and clerk of register, to be put out of their office. ib. 351. 46 Le Croc's lett. 15 Oct. from Jedburgh, in Keith, 347. 47 He was there on 17th Sept. Keith, 351. And 3d Oct. Keith, 560. And on 6th Oct. ib. 359. 48 Murray stated this himself, in his letter of 19th Jan. 1569. He does not explain the object of this combination. He merely says, ' which was devised in sign of our reconciliation in respect of the former grudges and displeasures that had been among us.' 49 So Bedford wrote on 3d August to Cecil: Lord Hume, the lairds of Cessfurd and Buccleugh, and the rest of the surname, do promise to live and die with Cessfurd, and to withstand Bothwell, unless the queen comes in person. The Elliots, whom we feared 51 XXII. 8th he came into conflict with one of the discon- CHAP. tented Elliots, and was severely wounded in the struggle.50 He was carried to the castle of the Hermitage for recovery. On the same day on which this encounter happened, the queen, ignorant of it, left her metropolis, with her whole court, for Jedburgh,52 where we find her till the 15th of that month.53 On the next day she took that extraordinary step, which begins the discoloration of her character, and affords the first token of her imputed criminality, The Hermitage was twenty miles from Jedburgh. Yet she executed the resolution of going thither and returning the same day," a journey of forty miles, in the wintry part of autumn, merely to see Bothwell. No particular exigency called her, because as eight days had elapsed since his wound, and as in nine days more he was so well as to be himself at a privy council in Jedburgh," he could be in no would become our open enemies, have sent to the lord warden and me to suffer them to lye five or six days on our borders. We answered as much as we might do without breach of amity.' Cal. B. 10. p. 380, 1. Good. 305. 50 Birrell's Diary says, in the hand. p. 5. 1 Chal. 295. Craufurd's Memoirs MS. expressed the injury to have been in divers parts of his body and head, so that he hardly escaped with safety of his life.' Keith, 351. 51 Crauf. ib. 52 Birrell's Diary, p. 5. 53 On the 10th, 11th, and 15th, she held privy councils at Jedburgh. P. C. Regist. Sir James Melville has this important passage in his Memoirs: Her majesty passed afterwards to Jedburgh herself, where the earls of Bothwell and Huntley enterprised the slaughter of the earl of Murray; but the lord Hume came there with forces, and prevented that enterprise.' Mem. 173. 54 Privy Seal Reg. xxxv. 1 Ch. 196. Craufurd's MS. Keith, 352. The proclamation issued by the privy council, from Jedburgh, on 25th Oct. states, that Bothwell, Huntley, Murray, Athol, Rothes, Maitland, the bishop of Ross, and others, were present at it. See it in Keith, 352. And on 26th Oct. the bishop of Ross mentions Bothwell as being that day with the lord commissioner at Jedburgh; and on 27th, wrote of him: Lord Bothwell is here, who convalesces well of his wounds.' Keith, app. 136. II. BOOK danger on the 16th; nor if he had been as indifferent to her, as state counsellors and partisans usually are and ought to be to their female sovereign, would she have given him the personal attentions of such a singular visit. But such was her interest at this moment for him, that she sent off the next day a large packet of writings to him." From the fatigues of this extraordinary exertion, from her agitation on his account," from some unexplained thought and displeasure, connected in some way with her husband, perhaps we may add from the additional labor of writing at night the contents of that packet, which from Maitland's intimation were probably on something that was concerning both the king and Bothwell, she was seized on the 17th with a violent illness. She swooned away, for two hours. A dangerous fever came on. She became delirious.59 For twelve hours her life was despaired of. She herself looked for nothing but death," and had relapses which increased the 60 56 We learn this fact from this entry in the treasurer's account: Oct. 17, 1566. To ane boy passand off Jedburgh with an mass of writings of our soveranis to the earl Bothville, 6 shillings.' 2 Chal. 441. 57 Craufurd's words are: And the great distress of her mind from the earl of Bothwell.' Keith, 352. 58 We have this important intimation in a letter of Maitland, written from Jedburgh a week after she was taken ill, and printed by M. Laing, v. 2. p. 71-3. It is dated 24th Oct. and is addressed to the archbishop of Paris. The occasion of the queen's sickness, so far as I understand, is caused of thought and displeasure; and I trow by that I could wring further of her own declaration to me, the root of it is the king.' M. Laing, 72. 59 Keith, 352. 60 So she wrote the next month to England: 'We looked not to have bruiked [enjoyed] this life twelve hours in our late sickness.' Keith, 354. 61 Maitland says, ' Truly her majesty was very sore handled, and looked herself for nothing but death.' M. Laing, 71. So the bishop of Ross: Her majesty was so handled with great vehemency, that all that was with her were despaired of her convalescence.' Keith, app. 134. 62 XXII. alarm ;" and in preparing for it, she committed her CHAP. son to the care of Elizabeth." The king on the 24th is remarked, with some spleen, to be at Glasgow, and not to have come to see her; yet considering the distance of Jedburgh from Glasgow, there was hardly time for the news of her danger to have reached him, and for his arrival afterwards.65 But he was there on the 28th, which was perhaps as soon after he found it was more dangerous than her usual indispositions, that he could get there at that season. She was then recovering, tho in much debility." The nobles met, while her recovery was uncertain, and agreed to remain together, until 66 62 The bishop of Ross thus describes her state, after the preceding letters of Maitland and Le Croc, on Wednesday, the 23d: Her majesty got some relief, which lasted while Thursday, at ten hours at even, at which time her majesty swooned again, and failed in her sight. Her feet and her knees were cold, which were handled by extreme rubbing, drawing, and other cures by the space of four hours, that no creature could endure greater pain; and thro the vehemency of this cure, her majesty got some relief; while about six hours in the morning on Friday (25th), when her majesty became dead, and all her members cold, eyes closed, mouth fast, and feet and arms stiff and cold. Nevertheless, master Naw, who is a perfect man of his craft, would not give the matter over in that manner: but of new began to draw her nose, legs, arms, feet, and the rest, with such vehement torments, which lasted the space of three hours, till her majesty recovered again her sight and speech, and got a great sweating, which was holden the relief of the sickness, because it was on the ninth day, which commonly is called the crisis of the sickness, and so here thought the cooling of the fever.' Lett. Keith, app. 134. 63 Mary's lett. Keith, 354. But Mary is here contradicted by her friend the bishop of Ross, who declares she recommended her son the prince to the king and to madam the queen-mother of France.' Lett. 26th Oct. 1566. Keith, app. 135. Her mind perhaps varied. 64 Le Croc. ' Le roy est à Glasco et n'est point venu ici.' Keith, app. 133. Le Croc's blaming words imply this possibility. If he has been informed by any one, and has had time to come here if he were inclined, it is a fault which I cannot excuse.' ib. 66 2 Chal. 441. 67 The bishop, on 26th, adds, that from Friday, the 25th, she 'continually convalesces better and better, but the vehement press of vomiting and laxative, with the great pain of rubbing and drawing of her. |