demonstration of joy at the escape of the queen from their treasonable designs. The bells rang, bonfires were kindled, and every one appeared inspired with the most ardent loyalty towards their sovereign. On the 13th of September, 1586, seven out of the fourteen conspirators were arraigned. They confessed their crime, and the depositions of Savage afford startling evidence, that the greatest danger to the person of the queen proceeded from the constant persuasions of Walsingham's spy, Gifford, for the deed to be attempted, at any time or place, where opportunity might serve. "As her majesty should go into her chapel to hear divine service," Gifford said, “he (Savage) might lurk in her gallery, and stab her with his dagger; or, if she should walk in her garden, he might shoot her with his dagg; or, if she should walk abroad to take the air, as she often did, accompanied rather with women than men, and those men slenderly weaponed, then might he assault her with his arming sword, and make sure work; and though he might hazard his own life, he would be sure to gain heaven thereby.' The greatest marvel in the whole business is, that such advice as this, addressed by Gifford in his feigned character of a Catholic priest, to men of weak judgments, excitable tempers, and fanatic principles, did not cost the queen her life. But Walsingham, in his insatiable thirst for the blood of Mary Stuart, appears to have forgotten that contingency, and even the possibility, that by employing agents to urge others to attempt the assassination of his sovereign, the accusation of devising her death might have been retorted upon himself. Gifford was suffered to depart to France unquestioned and unmolested; but the fourteen deluded culprits were sentenced to expiate their guilt, by undergoing the dreadful penalty decreed by the law to traitors. Elizabeth was so greatly exasperated against them, that she intimated to her council the expediency of adopting "some new device," whereby their sufferings might be rendered more acute, and more calculated to strike terror into the spectators. Burleigh, with business-like coolness, explained to her majesty, "that the punishment prescribed 1 State Trials. After his condemnation, Babington wrote a piteous letter of supplication to Elizabeth, imploring her mercy, for the sake of his wife and children. Rawlinson MS., Oxford, vol. 1340, No. 55, f. 19. apparel is not ready, and in this apparel I shall never be allowed to come near the queen.' Babington gave him all the money he had about him, and his ring, and bade him provide himself with what was needful,' but Savage, like other bravoes, had boasted of that which he dared not attempt. He faltered-and neither he, nor either of the associate ruffians, would venture it. Babington was at that time an invited guest, residing under Walsingham's own roof, and such was his infatuation, that he actually fancied he was the deceiver, instead of the dupe, of that most astute of all diplomatists, till one day, after the arrest of Ballard, a letter from the council, directing that he should be more closely watched, was brought to the under-secretary, Scudamore, who read it, incautiously, in his presence. A glance at the contents, which he contrived to read over Scudamore's shoulder, convinced him of his delusion, but dissembling his consternation, he effected his escape, the next night, from a tavern, where he was invited to sup, amidst the spies and servants of Walsingham. He gave the alarm to the other conspirators, and, having changed his beautiful complexion, by staining his face with walnutskins, and cut off his hair, betook himself, with them, to the covert of St. John's Wood, near Marylebonne, which was at that time the formidable haunt of robbers and outlaws. As soon as it was known that he had fled, warrants were issued for his apprehension, and very exaggerated accounts of the plot were published by Walsingham, stating "that a conspiracy to burn the city of London, and murder the queen, had been providentially discovered. That the combined forces of France and Spain had put to sea to invade England-that it was supposed they would effect a landing on the southern coast, and that all the papists were preparing to take up arms to join them." Such was the popular excitement at these frightful rumours, that all foreigners and catholics were in the greatest peril, and the ambassadors themselves were insulted and menaced in their own houses.3 When Babington and several of the conspirators were captured, and brought, under a strong guard, to the Tower, the most vehement satisfaction was expressed by the people, who followed them with shouts, singing psalms, and every 2 Camden. State Trials. Mackintosh. Lingard. 3 Despatches of Chasteauneuf. State Trials. demonstration of joy at the escape of the queen from their treasonable designs. The bells rang, bonfires were kindled, and every one appeared inspired with the most ardent loyalty towards their sovereign. go he On the 13th of September, 1586, seven out of the fourteen conspirators were arraigned. They confessed their crime, and the depositions of Savage afford startling evidence, that the greatest danger to the person of the queen proceeded from the constant persuasions of Walsingham's spy, Gifford, for the deed to be attempted, at any time or place, where opportunity might serve. "As her majesty should into her chapel to hear divine service," Gifford said, (Savage) might lurk in her gallery, and stab her with his dagger; or, if she should walk in her garden, he might shoot her with his dagg; or, if she should walk abroad to take the air, as she often did, accompanied rather with women than men, and those men slenderly weaponed, then might he assault her with his arming sword, and make sure work; and though he might hazard his own life, he would be sure to gain heaven thereby."" The greatest marvel in the whole business is, that such advice as this, addressed by Gifford in his feigned character of a Catholic priest, to men of weak judgments, excitable tempers, and fanatic principles, did not cost the queen her life. But Walsingham, in his insatiable thirst for the blood of Mary Stuart, appears to have forgotten that contingency, and even the possibility, that by employing agents to urge others to attempt the assassination of his sovereign, the accusation of devising her death might have been retorted upon himself. Gifford was suffered to depart to France unquestioned and unmolested; but the fourteen deluded culprits were sentenced to expiate their guilt, by undergoing the dreadful penalty decreed by the law to traitors. Elizabeth was so greatly exasperated against them, that she intimated to her council the expediency of adopting "some new device," whereby their sufferings might be rendered more acute, and more calculated to strike terror into the spectators. Burleigh, with business-like coolness, explained to her majesty, "that the punishment prescribed 1 State Trials. After his condemnation, Babington wrote a piteous letter of supplication to Elizabeth, imploring her mercy, for the sake of his wife and children. Rawlinson MS., Oxford, vol. 1340, No. 55, f. 19. by the letter of the law, was to the full as terrible as anything new that could be devised, if the executioner took care to protract the extremity of their pains in the sight of the multitude." That functionary appears to have acted on this hint, by barbarously cutting the victims down before they were dead, and then proceeding to the completion of his horrible task on each in turn, according to the dread minutiæ of the sentence, of which the thrilling lines of Campbell have given a faint picture: "Life flutters convulsed in each quivering limb, And his blood-streaming eye-balls in agony swim ; The revolting circumstances with which the executions of the seven principal conspirators were attended, excited the indignation of the by-standers to such a pitch, that her majesty found it expedient to issue an especial order, that the other seven should be more mercifully dealt with. They were therefore strangled, before the concluding horrors of the barbarous sentence were inflicted. These sanguinary scenes were but the prelude to the consummation of the long premeditated tragedy of the execution of the queen of Scots, for which the plot against Elizabeth's life had prepared the public mind. Immediately after the apprehension of Babington and his associates, Mary had been removed unexpectedly from Chartley to Tixal, and her papers and money seized during her absence. Her two secretaries, Nau and Curle, were arrested, and threatened with the rack, to induce them to bear witness against their unfortunate mistress. They were, at first, careful not to commit her by their admissions, which they well knew they could not do, without implicating themselves in the penalty. Burleigh, penetrating the motives of their reserve, wrote to Hatton his opinion, coupled with his facetious remark, "that they would yield somewhat to confirm their mistress' crimes, if they were persuaded that themselves might escape, and the blow fall upon their mistress between her head and her shoulders."2 This suggestion was acted upon, and combined with the terror, occa 1 Letters of Burleigh to Hatton, in Lingard. * Letters from the Leigh Collection, quoted by Lingard. sioned by the execution of Babington and his associates, drew from them sufficient admissions, to serve for evidence against their mistress. The angry and excited state of feeling, to which Elizabeth's mind had been worked up, against her unfortunate kinswoman, may be plainly seen in the following letter, written by her to sir Amias Paulet, soon after the removal of the queen of Scots to the gloomy fortress of Fotheringaye. QUEEN ELIZABETH TO SIR AMIAS PAULET. "Amias, my most faithful and careful servant, God reward thee treblefold for thy most troublesome charge so well discharged. If you knew, my Amias, how kindly, besides most dutifully, my grateful heart accepts and prizes your spotless endeavours and faultless actions, your wise orders and safe regard, performed in so dangerous and crafty a charge, it would ease your travails and rejoice your heart, in which I charge you place this most just thought, that I cannot balance in any weight of my judgment the value that I prize you at, and suppose no treasures to countervail such a faith. If I reward not such deserts, let me lack when I have most need of you; if I acknowledge not such merit, non omnibus dictum. "Let your wicked murderess (his prisoner, Mary queen of Scots) know how, with hearty sorrow, her vile deserts compel these orders, and bid her, from me, ask God forgiveness for her treacherous dealings towards the saviour of her life many a year, to the intolerable peril of my own, and yet, not contented with so many forgivenesses, must fault again so horribly, far passing woman's thought, much less a princess; instead of excusing whereof, not one can sorrow, it being so plainly confessed by the authors of my guiltless death. 66 Let repentance take place, and let not the fiend possess her, so as her better part may not be lost, for which I pray with hands lifted up to Him, that may both save and spill. "With my most loving adieu and prayer for thy long life, your most assured and loving sovereign, as thereby by good deserts induced." The great point for which Burleigh, Leicester, Walsingham, and their colleagues, had been labouring for the last eighteen years, was, at length, accomplished. They had succeeded in persuading Elizabeth, that Mary Stuart, in her sternly-guarded prison, crippled with chronic and neuralgic maladies, surrounded by spies, and out of the reach of human aid, was so formidable to her person and government, that it was an imperative duty to herself and her Protestant subjects to put her to death. Having once brought their long irresolute mistress to this conclusion, all other difficulties became matters of minor importance to the master spirits, who ruled Elizabeth's council, since they had only to arrange a ceremonial process for taking away 1 State Paper. MS. Collection relative to Mary queen of Scots, written in a beautiful and very legible hand. |