BOOK frewshire, and defeated her friends.69 II. Losing her last hope of retrieving her power and splendors, she fled immediately sixty miles without stopping, to escape a re-imprisonment, till she reached an abbey near Kirkcudbright. From thence she wrote to the governor at Carlisle, to know if she might come there in safety; but without waiting for his answer, winged by her fears, she embarked in a small fishing boat for Cumberland, and arrived at Workington, from which she soon passed to Carlisle ;70 having, from the rapidity of her movements, been obliged to reach the English territory in a state of comparative destitution." 69 Melv. 200-2. 70 She arrived there on the evening of Sunday, 18th May 1568. The news, that strange persons had landed from Scotland at the creek of Workington, drew several gentlemen immediately to the spot, where, finding her to be the queen, they conveyed her respectfully to Cockermouth, which belonged to the earl of Northumberland. He first apprised Elizabeth of her arrival. She remained there till the deputy of Carlisle, having collected all the gentlemen of the county, conducted her as honorably as the manner of the country would yield,' to the castle of that town. Cecil's paper in Anders. v. 4. p. 1-3. Elizabeth 'sent express commandment to the deputy to treat her with all honor and favor that he could; and commanded the lady Scroop, sister of the duke of Norfolk, to repair with other ladies and gentlewomen to attend on her.' ib. 7 Lowther, the deputy governor, on 18th May, reported to Cecil, That the Scottish queen's attire was very mean; that she had no other to change; that she had very little money; and that he had himself defrayed the charge of her journey from Cockermouth to Carlisle.' MS. Paper Office, cited by Chalm. 1. p. 440. Northumberland claimed her as his prize, having landed within his liberty, and obtained an order from the council at York for her being delivered to him; on this being refused by Lowther, the earl told him that he was a varlet, and too low a man to pretend to such a charge. Chalm. p. 446. From subsequent events it may have been happy for Elizabeth that the varlet so firmly resisted the nobleman. CHAP. XXIV. MARY'S RECEPTION-HER RESIDENCE AT CARLISLE AND AND SCOTLAND. XXIV. THE presence of any foreign queen in England, CHAP. · 1 Elizabeth, on 8th June 1568, desired that it might be stated to her at Carlisle, that the points by which her own mind was much 'touched' were, that she had not regarded the avenge of the death of her husband, and the infamy of marrying a person, known not only as the principal murderer, but also having a lawful wife alive.' See the note in Cecil's hand, in Ander. v. 4. p. 66. 2 See Vol. 3. ch. 18. note 79. i 11. BOOK and had refused to relinquish the right, and never had renounced it. At this juncture, the papal plans were in full activity to overthrow the reformed religion in every country in Europe; and were now directed on both Scotland and England. No event could more advance their progress, than the actual residence of a princess, with such pretensions, in the dominions to which they applied, if she was treated with regal honors, and permitted to have free intercourse with all who chose to have access to her. Such estimation and liberty would be an invitation to disaffection, and give a secret facility to conspiracy, which would excite and nourish it. And altho her depreciated character would repel the honorable of all religions from such an association; yet it would present her as a more convenient head to those who desired the traitorous combination; because it would exhibit her as likely to be but little restrained by any moral principle or delicacy, from joining in such schemes. Hence it became difficult for the English cabinet to determine how such a fugitive queen and kinswoman, seeking an asylum, ought to be treated, with a due regard to the peace and welfare of the nation, and to the security and honor of its reigning queen. The great 3 3 Cecil has left us several state papers in his own handwriting on this perplexing subject. His considerations upon the external and internal dangers to England, when he first heard of her escape from Lochleven, are in Anderson, v. 4. p. 24-26. His notes of the Things to be considered,' upon her coming to England in May, are in the same volume, p. 34-38. Those on the dangers, if she passed into France, p. 39, and if she returned to Scotland, p. 42. On her being in England, he remarks,' If she remain with liberty to practise with whom she will, she will employ herself to increase her party, from her intention to have the crown of England without waiting to succeed, whensoever she shall find her opportunity to seize it. She will increase the boldness of all evil subjects, both in causes of religion and all other.' ib. p. 41-2. XXIV. attractions of her vivacity and familiar manners in- CHAP. creased the danger of her unexpected presence, and preceding competition. Mary wrote several very earnest letters to Elizabeth, on arriving in England, from whom, without any recollection of her own previous conduct, she expected an instantaneous welcome, and even a speedy auxiliary army to overpower those from whom she had fled. Lord Scrope and sir Francis Knollys visited her at Carlisle, to refuse her request of passing into France, which greatly disappointed her. They expressed their sense of the difficulties of the case. The next day she inveighed against Murray,' till they were forced to remind her of what had occurred to cause his opposition. In the ensuing 6 8 5 * Some of these are in Anderson, vol. 4. One dated 17 May 1568, from Workington, in Cumberland, on her first landing in England, p. 29; another of 28 May, from Carlisle, in French, p. 46; and of 29 May to Cecil, p. 51. They described the interview: We found her in her answers to have an eloquent tongue and discreet head; and it seemeth by her doings that she hath stout courage and a liberal heart adjoined thereunto. After our delivery of your highness's letters, she fell into some passion, with the water in her eyes, and therewith she drew us with her into her bed-chamber, where she complained to us that your highness did not answer her expectations, of admitting her into your presence forthwith.' Lett. 29 May. And. 4. p. 54. 6. She cannot be kept so rigorously as a prisoner, with your highness's honor, but with devices of towels or ties at her chamber window, or else, in the night, a body of her agility and spirit may escape soon, being so near the border. And surely to have her carried further into the realm is the high way to a dangerous sedition.' ib. 57. 7 When she was but nine days old, they had a reverent and obedient care of her; but now, says she, that I am 24 years old, they would exclude me from government, like disobedient rebels.' Lett. 30 May, 58. The question is, whether your grace deserved to be put from the government or not, for, if your grace should be guilty of any such odious crime as deserveth deposal, then, said I, how should they be blamed that have deposed you? Hereupon her grace beginning to clear herself after her accustomed manner, the tears yet fell from her eyes. Then I said, your highness would be the gladdest in the world to see her grace well purged of this crime.' Lett. ib. p. 58, 9. She explicitly affirmed, that both Lyddyngton and lord Morton II. BOOK month, sir Francis Knollys drew her character with some additional features, which do not shew her to have been the timid and delicate female, which our young imaginations may have pourtrayed." She amused herself here as she pleased," and displayed so much of the powers of a vigorous equestrian, as to alarm her cautious superintendents." The anxious deliberations of sir William Cecil, upon the were assenting to the murder of her husband, altho they would now seem to prosecute the same.' ib. 55. But to Middlemore, in June, she said, Who can compel me to accuse myself? and yet, if I would say any thing of myself, I would say of myself to her, [Elizabeth,] and to none other. Her lett. of 14 June, p. 87. This lady and princess is a notable woman. She seemeth to regard no ceremonious honor beside the acknowleging of her estate royal. She showeth a disposition to speak much; to be bold; to be pleasant; and to be very familiar. She showeth a great desire to be avenged of her enemies, and a readiness to expose herself to all perils in hope of victory. She desireth much to hear of hardiness and valiancy; commending by name all approved, hardy men of her country, altho they be her enemies; and she concealeth no cowardice even in her friends. The thing that most she thirsteth after is victory; and it seemeth to be indifferent to her to have her enemies diminished either by the sword of her friends, or by the liberal promises aud rewards of her purse, or by division and quarrels raised among themselves. So that for victory's sake, pain and peril seem pleasant unto her. Compared with victory, wealth and all things seem to her contemptuous and vile. Now, what is to be done with such a lady and prince, I refer to your judgment.' Lett. to Cecil from Carlisle, 11 June 1568; And. v. 4. p. 71, 2. In another, of 13th June, he mentions her French dowry as bringing her 12,000l. a year. p. 79. 10 Knollys thus described her pastimes: Yesterday her grace went out at a postern, to walk on the playing green towards Scotland; and we with twenty-two halberdiers, with divers gentlemen, and other servants, waited upon her. About twenty of her retinue played at football before her for the space of two hours, very strongly, nimbly, and skilfully, without any foul play offered, the smallness of their ball occasioning their fair play.' Lett. 15th June, MS. Brit. Mus. cited by Chalm. p. 448. 11 Before yesterday, she has been but twice out of the town; once to the like play of football in the same place, and once she rode out hunting the hare, she galloping so fast, upon every occasion, and her whole retinue being so well horsed, that we, upon experience thereof, doubted that upon a set course, some of her friends out of Scotland might invade and assault us upon the sudden, to rescue and take her from us. We mean hereafter, if any such riding pastimes be required that way, so much [to pretend] to fear the endangering of her person by some sudden invasion of her enemies, that she must hold us excused in that behalf.' Lett. ib. |