this open sort to be used.' If Murray had not yet set out she required Bedford to stay him by his authority; if he had started he must be sent after and recalled.1 The harshness of Elizabeth's language was softened by the council, who expressed their regret that the common cause had not hitherto had better success ;' they promised their own support so far as their power and credit might extend;' but they entreated Murray 'patiently to accommodate himself to her Majesty's resolution.' 2 Unluckily for Elizabeth, Murray had anticipated the prohibition, and had followed so closely behind the announcement of his approach that the couriers charged with the letters of the Queen and council met him at Ware. He opened the despatch which was addressed to himself, and immediately sent on a note to Cecil regretting that he had not been sooner made aware of the Queen's wishes, but saying that as he had come so far, he should now remain where he was till he was informed of her further pleasure. Embarrassed, irritated, and intending at all hazards to disavow her connection with the lords, Elizabeth, since Murray had chosen to come to her, resolved to turn his presence to her advantage. When she had once made her mind to a particular course she never up 1 Elizabeth to Bedford, October | letter is signed by Norfolk, Pem20: Scotch MSS. Rolls House. broke, Lord William Howard, and Cecil. 2 The Council to Murray, October 20: Scotch MSS. Rolls House. The hesitated on the details whatever they might cost. The Earl of Murray was told that he would be received; he went on to London, and on the night of his arrival the Queen sent for him and arranged, in a private interview, the comedy which she was about to enact.1 The following morning, the 22nd of October, he was admitted to an audience in public, at which de Foix and de Mauvissière, who had by this time returned from Scotland, were especially invited to be present. De Silva describes what ensued, not as an eye-witness, but from an account which was given to him by the Queen herself.2 Elizabeth having taken her place with the council and the ambassadors at her side, the Earl of Murray entered modestly dressed in black. Falling on one knee he began to speak in Scotch, when the Queen interrupted him with a request that he would speak in French, which she said she could better understaud. 1 'Yo fué avisado que la noche | herself, and the Courts of France antes desta platica el de Murray and Spain, states that the Queen estuvó con ella y con el secretario received Murray openly and none Cecil buen rato, donde se debió con- otherwise.' The consciousness that sultar lo que pasó el dia siguiente.'— | she had received him otherwise exDe Silva to Philip, November 5. plains words which else might have And again, 'La Reyna oyó al de seemed superfluous. Murray la noche que llegó en secreto, y otro dia hizó aquella demostracion delante del Embajador de Francia.' Same to the same, November 10: MS. Simancas. A report of the proceedings in the Rolls House, which was drawn up for the inspection of Mary Stuart ! 2 The account in Sir James Melville's Memoirs is evidently taken from the official narrative, with which in most points it verbally agrees. Murray objected that he had been so long out of practice that he could not properly express himself in French; and Elizabeth, whose object was to produce an effect on de Foix and his companion, accepted his excuse for himself; but she said that although he might not be sufficient master of the idiom to speak it, she knew that he understood it when he heard it spoken; she would therefore in her own part of the conversation make use of that language. She then went on 'to express her astonishment that, being declared an outlaw as he was by the Queen of Scots, the Earl of Murray should have dared to come unlicensed into her presence. The Queen of Scots had been her good sister, and such she always hoped to find her. There had been differences between them which had made her fear for their friendship; but the King of France had kindly interposed his good offices between herself, her sister, and her sister's subjects; and the two ministers who had been his instruments in that good service being at the moment at her Court, she had requested both them and others to attend on the present occasion to hear what she was about to say. She wished it to be generally understood that she would do nothing which would give just offence to the Queen of Scots, or which would impair her own honour. The world, she was aware, was in the habit of saying that her realm was the sanctuary for the seditious subjects of her neighbours; and it was even rumoured that she had instigated or encouraged the insurrection in Scotland. She would not have done such a thing to be sovereign of the universe. God, who was a just God, she well knew would punish her with the like troubles in her own country; and if she encouraged the subjects of another prince in disobedience, He would stir her own people into insurrection against herself. So far as she knew, there were two causes for the present disturbances in Scotland; the Queen of Scots had married without the consent of her Estates, and had failed to apprize the princes her neighbours of her intentions; the Earl of Murray had attempted to oppose her and had fallen into disgrace. This was the first cause. The second was that the Earl of Lennox and his house were opposed to the reformed religion; the Earl of Murray feared that he would attempt to destroy it, and with his friends preferred to lose his life rather than allow what he believed to be the truth to be overthrown. The Earl had come to the English Court to request her to intercede with his sovereign that he might be heard in his defence. There were faults which proceeded of malice which deserved the rigour of justice-one of these was treason against the person of the sovereign; and were she to understand that the Earl of Murray had meditated treason she would arrest and chastise him according to his demerits; but she had known him in times past to be well-affectioned to his mistress; he had loved her, she was confident, with the love which a subject owes to his prince. There were other faults-faults committed through imprudence, through ignorance, or in self-defence, which might be treated mercifully. The Earl of Mur rays fault might be one of these; she bade him therefore say for which cause he had instigated the late disturbances.' Elizabeth had exercised a wise caution in preparing Murray for this preposterous harangue. He commanded himself, and replied by calling God to witness of the loyalty with which he had ever served his sovereign she had bestowed lands, honour, and rewards upon him far beyond his desert; he had desired nothing less than to offend her, and he would have stood by her with life and goods to the utmost of his ability. Elizabeth then began again: 'She held a balance in her hand,' she said; 'in the one scale was the sentence of outlawry pronounced against him by the Queen of Scots, in the other were the words which he had just spoken. But the word of a Queen must outweigh the word of a subject in the mind of a sister sovereign, who was bound to show most favour to her own like and equal. The Earl had committed actions deserving grave reprehension: he had refused to appear when lawfully summoned; he had taken up arms and had made a league with others like himself to levy war against his sovereign. She had been told that he was afraid of being murdered, but if there had been a conspiracy against him he should have produced the proofs of it in his sovereign's presence.' Murray replied in Scotch, the Queen interpreting as he went on. He said that it was true that there had been a conspiracy; the condition of his country was |