Life of Mary Queen of Scots Volume II Part 10

[128] Pennant, in his "Tour in Scotland," thus describes Lochleven, and the island where the Queen resided:--"Lochleven, a magnificent piece of water, very broad but irregularly indented; is about twelve miles in circ.u.mference, and its greatest depth about twenty-four fathoms. Some islands are dispersed in this great expanse of water, one of which is large enough to feed several head of cattle; but the most remarkable is that distinguished by the captivity of Mary Stuart, which stands almost in the middle of the lake. The castle still remains, consists of a _square tower_, a small yard with two round towers, a chapel, and the ruins of a building, where (it is said) the unfortunate Princess was lodged. In the square tower is a DUNGEON, with a vaulted room above, over which had been three other stories."--Tour in Scotland, vol. i. p. 64.

[129] Keith, p. 431.

[130] Keith, p. 426.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 299.

[131] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 166, and 344.

[132] Leslie, p. 37.--Jebb, vol. ii. p. 221 and 222.

[133] Goodall, ibid.--Freebairn, p. 147.--Whittaker, vol. i. p. 301. _et seq._--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 248.

[134] Keith, p. 436.

[135] History of James VI. p. 17. Keith, p. 438.

[136] Melville's Memoirs, p. 193. Keith, p. 442. et seq.

[137] Throckmorton's Letter in Keith, p. 444 et seq.

[138] What Mark Antony, according to Shakespeare, said of Caesar, might be, with propriety, applied to the Earl of Murray:

"You all did see that, on the Lupercal, I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse.--Was this ambition?"

[139] Anderson, vol. ii. p. 251 and 254.--Chalmers, vol. ii. p. 355.

[140] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 66.--Anderson, vol. ii. p. 206 et seq.

[141] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 299, and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275 and 278.

[142] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 230.--Keith, p. 471--and Chalmers, vol. i. p. 275.

[143] Sir William Drury's Letter in Keith, p. 470.

[144] Buchanan's Cameleon, p. 13.

[145] Jebb, vol. ii. p. 65 and 230.--Keith, p. 471.--Freebairn, p. 152, et seq.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 277, et seq. The interest taken in Queen Mary by George Douglas, is ascribed by Mackenzie to a motive less pure than the affection of a good subject. His chief characteristic, we are told by that author, was an excessive love of money, and it was by bribing him, he a.s.serts, with the best part of what gold and jewels she had about her, that Mary prevailed upon him to a.s.sist her. But this statement does not seem well authenticated. Another story, still more improbable, was told by the Earl of Murray to the English amba.s.sador, Sir William Drury, namely, that Mary had entreated him to allow her to have a husband, and had named George Douglas as the person she would wish to marry. Murray must have fabricated this falsehood, in order to lower the dignity of the Queen; but he surely forgot that the reason a.s.signed in justification of her imprisonment in Loch-Leven, was her alleged determination not to consent to a separation from Bothwell. How then did she happen to wish to marry another? See Sir William Drury's Letter in Keith, p. 469.

[146] Keith, p. 472, et seq.

[147] Buchanan, Book xix.--Melville's Memoirs, p. 200. et seq.--Keith, p.

477.--Calderwood, Crawfurd, and Holinshed. The accounts which historians give of this battle are so confused and contradictory, that it is almost impossible to furnish any very distinct narrative of it, even by collating them all. Robertson hardly attempts any detail, and the few particulars which he does mention, are in several instances erroneous.

[148] Keith, p. 481 and 482.--Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1.

[149] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 1. et seq.--Keith, p. 481.

[150] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 69.

[151] Chalmers, vol. i. p. 283.

[152] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 71.

[153] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 6.--Chalmers, vol. i. p. 288. Even at Carlisle, Mary was always strictly watched. In one of his letters to Cecil, Knollys writes thus:--"Yesterday, her Grace went out at a postern, to walk on the playing green, towards Scotland; and we, with twenty-two halberdeers, diverse gentlemen and other servants, waited upon her. About twenty of her retinue played at foot-ball before her the s.p.a.ce of two hours, very strongly, nimbly, and skilfully,--without any foul play offered, the smallness of their ball occasioning their fair play. And before yesterday, since our coming, she went but twice out of the town, once to the like play of foot-ball, in the same place, and once she rode out a hunting the hare, she galloping so fast upon every occasion, and her whole retinue being so well horsed, that we, upon experience thereof, doubting that, upon a set course, some of her friends out of Scotland might invade and a.s.sault us upon the sudden, for to rescue and take her from us; we mean hereafter, if any such riding pastimes be required that way, so much to fear the endangering of her person by some sudden invasion of her enemies, that she must hold us excused, in that behalf."

[154] Anderson, vol. iv. p. 95.--Stuart, vol. i. p. 300. It is of Dr Stuart's translation that we have availed ourselves.

[155] Anderson, vol. iv. part ii. p. 33.

[156] Buchanan, book xix. It is worth remarking, that of these particular friends of Murray, the two Commissioners, Lord Lindsay and the Commendator of Dunfermlin, and the two lawyers, Macgill and Balnaves, sat on the trial of Bothwell when he was unanimously acquitted. Yet they afterwards accused the Queen of consenting to an unfair trial.

[157] Anderson, vol. iv. Part ii. p. 3.

[158] Anderson, vol. iv. Part I. p. 12.

[159] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 128.

[160] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 144.

[161] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 162.

[162] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 62.

[163] We do not at present stop the course of our narrative to examine these letters more minutely, but we shall devote some time to their consideration afterwards.

[164] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 182.

[165] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 184.

[166] Goodall, vol. ii. p. 206.

[167] Ibid. p. 220.

[168] Ibid. p. 221.

[169] Ibid. p. 184 and 206.

[170] Ibid. p. 283.

[171] Ibid. p. 312.

[172] Ibid. p. 300 and 301.

[173] There is one other circ.u.mstance connected with this conference, which, though not bearing any immediate reference to Mary, is worth mentioning. We allude to the challenges which pa.s.sed between Lord Lindsay, one of Murray's Commissioners, and Lord Herries, one of Mary's most constant and faithful servants. Lindsay, whose pa.s.sionate violence we have formerly had occasion to notice, attempted to force a quarrel upon Herries, by writing him the following letter:

"Lord Herries,--I am informed that you have spoken and affirmed, that my Lord Regent's Grace and his company here present, were guilty of the abominable murder of the late King, our Sovereign Lord's father. If you have so spoken, you have said untruly, and have lied in your throat, which I will maintain, G.o.d willing, against you, as becomes me of honour and duty. And hereupon I desire your answer. Subscribed with my hand, at Kingston, the twenty-second day of December 1568. PATRICK LINDSAY."

To this epistle Lord Herries made the following spirited reply: