selected the ominous hue of black, which, however, did not always imply mourning.

The technical minuteness of the clerk of the wardrobe's record of all the necessary items for Margaret's bridal dress, derives a curious interest from their connection with the historic tragedy which converted that bridal into an anniversary of woe and horror.

Item, the viijth day of Februar, by the Quenis Grace precept to Bastiane Pagis, virlate, for his marriage, xiij elnis iij quarteris of blak satine, to be ane gowne, with wide slevis, to his wiffe, the elne iij Li. sĩ. xli Li. vs. Item, three quarteris of blak velvate, to bordour the gowne, and to be skirt and huid [hood], the eln vj Li. šma. Lij Li. x š. Margaret Cawood, to hir marriage, 15 ells of black velvet, and four great hanks of gold." 2

"2

In addition to these substantial marks of her favour, the Queen graciously promised to dance at the bridal of Margaret and Bastian, and to do them the further honour of putting the bride to bed-a complimentary ceremony, in full accordance with the manners of the period, and not confined to the customs of the sixteenth century. Mary Beatrice, the consort of James II., assisted at the bridal couché of Adelaide of Savoy, the Duchess of Maine and other ladies, both of the court of France and in her own household. Margaret and Bastian remained faithfully attached to the fortunes of their royal mistress in her adversity; they shared her exile and her comfortless English prisons for nearly nineteen years, with a fidelity that could neither be purchased by wages nor requited by gifts: who shall say she condescended too much in the trifling marks of esteem with which, in the brief sunshine of her greatness, she gratified hearts so leal and true? She had proved their worth in the perilous crisis of the first formidable conspiracy that threatened her life and throne, and she honoured them, not according to their rank, but their deeds. It was not in her nature to forget a benefit from persons of low degree; she

"Of friends, however humble, scorned not one."

1 Virlat-a valet, an inferior servant; a groom.

2 Exchequer Record, 1566-7, General Register House, Edinburgh.

The calumniators of Mary Stuart have not spared the reputation of poor Margaret Carwood; but their assertions are unsupported by evidence of any kind. Her courageous and incorruptible fidelity to her royal mistress was her sole offence, and this entitled her to receive a full share of the outpourings of their inventive malice. Bastian was also denounced as an accomplice in the conspiracy against Darnley's life, on the absurd ground that it was to attend his wedding fête the Queen left her consort. It is worthy, however, of observation that Hay of Tallo, one of the parties concerned in firing the train, and who was hanged for his share in the murder, affirmed in his deposition "that this purpose should have been put in execution on the Saturday night, February 8; but the matter failed that night, because all things were not in readiness for it."1 The cause of this delay may reasonably be attributed to the Queen's determination to sleep that night in the lower chamber; for, as she was destined to become Bothwell's prey, he took especial care not to blow up the house with her in it.

One of the most unscrupulous and extravagant of Mary's libellers affirms, "that Alexander Durham, who had slept in Darnley's chamber ever since their location in the house of Kirk-of-Field, as a pretext to escape doing so on the Saturday night, set fire to his palliasse, as if by accident, and flung it all in a blaze out of the room." If this incident really occurred, it is a strong corroboration of Hay's deposition regarding the original appointment of Saturday night for the deed-doing by the conspirators. Our authority adds, "that Darnley, who was very fond of Durham, pressed him to share his own bed, which he declined; and the next night also, feigning sickness, went away to sleep in the town, saying he must take physic, and thus escaped 2 the fate of Taylor and the other victims." 3

1 Anderson's Col., vol. iv. p. 75-6. 2 The author of the Oration. Ibid. 3 As there was no evidence to convict Durham of complicity, his escape might have been regarded as a providential occurrence by persons not in the secret. The Queen, who behaved with her wonted kindness and generosity to Darnley's servants, offered places and preferments to all

On the Saturday, after dinner, Bothwell came again to the Provost's house at Kirk-of-Field, and peremptorily demanded the key of the Queen's bed-chamber of the trembling Hubert, who, terrified as he was at the fear of incurring personal violence from his ruffian patron, had no power of complying with his requisition, and again humbly repeated, "that it was not his office to take charge of that key." And here the inference is plain that, if the Queen had been on those terms of familiarity with Bothwell her calumniators pretend, Bothwell would not have been reduced to the necessity of either bullying or importuning her gentleman-in-waiting for the key of her bed-chamber, as from Hubert's statement he did on three several days in vain. Neither could Archibald Beton, her usher, have been in the plot, as some of the tortured servants of Bothwell were compelled to depose, or the key would have been surrendered to Bothwell at the first word. It was because no such guilty intelligence existed between the Queen and him, and the usher faithfully performed his duty to his royal mistress in keeping the key from Bothwell, that the latter tried to get it in an underhand manner through Hubert, and, in reply to his protestations of the impossibility of complying with his reiterated demands, made the following boastful speech: "I have keys enough without thee, for there is not a door in this house of which I have not the key; for Sir James Balfour and I have been up all the night to examine and search the best means and place for the execution of our design, and have found good entry

who chose to remain with her. Durham, having been one of the officers of the wardrobe in her infancy, desiring to continue in the royal household, received from her the appointment of Master of the Wardrobe to the Prince her son, with a salary of £100 per annum Scots, about five-andtwenty pounds a-year-too small a sum to bear out the inference Malcolm Laing attaches to it; for if the Queen had been a party to the murder, she would have been compelled to pay very largely to purchase the silence of subordinate agents. Laing, with his usual want of candour, quotes the Queen's trifling mark of consideration for a favourite attendant of her husband's as a suspicious circumstance, and carefully conceals the fact that the good Regent Moray promoted Durham, in the following April, to the more lucrative and important office of Master of the Household to himself, in which he was continued by his worthy uncle, the Earl of Mar.-Treasurer's Accounts, April 1568, and July 1572.

thereto; but thou art a beast, whom I will not employ in it, for I have people enough without thee, faint-hearted as thou art." That the duplicate keys of the house, thirteen in number, were obtained from the Balfours, is confirmed by the confession of the Laird of Ormiston "that they had them of him that owned the house." 2

After Bothwell's departure, Hubert went into the Queen's chamber, where Margaret (the bride-elect) and some others were waiting for her Majesty, who was in the apartment above, bearing her sick consort company. Presently the word was given out to those below, "the Queen is going to the Abbey!" every one then vacated her Majesty's chamber to follow her, and Hubert, being the last, took the opportunity of locking the door and pocketing the key. At the Abbey he again encountered Bothwell, who asked him if he had got that key? "Yes, my lord," replied Hubert. "Then I command you to keep it," said Bothwell. In the course of an hour Margaret came to Hubert, and entreated him "to return to the lodgings at Kirk-of-Field, and search for a coverlid of marten fur in the Queen's chamber there, and ask young Sandy Durham, the King's door-keeper, to find some one to bring it up to the Abbey." Durham asked Hubert to let him have the key of the Queen's chamber.3 "Pardon me,” replied Hubert, "it is not for me to give it to any one but the usher." "Well, then," said Durham, "he will not let me have it." Another proof this of the fidelity of Archibald Beton, especially if Durham were, as asserted, leagued with the conspirators. Hubert, as he could get no assistance from Durham, carried the coverlid up to the Abbey himself, and delivered it to Margaret, who was waiting in the Queen's bed-chamber there to receive it from him. It was probably one of the royal presents for her wedding, and intended to dress her bridal bed on the following night, as her couché was to be honoured by the presence of the Queen and all the ladies of the Court, to assist in the national observances of breaking the benediction-cake over her head, pre

1 Hubert or French Paris's First Confession-Laing's Appendix. 2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

senting the silver posset-cup, and throwing the stocking.1 Margaret required a costly coverlid, among other pretty things, to set off her chamber for the reception of all the good company who would be sure to throng it on that

occasion.

1 Sir Walter Scott alludes to the customs of the period, and of the condescension of royalty at bridals, in the facetious couplet with which he concludes his noble poem of Marmion,—

"And bluff King Hal the curtain drew,

And Catharine's hand the stocking threw."

As lately as the marriage of the son of George II., Frederick Prince of Wales, and the Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, these coarse customs of the olden times were practised by royalty: and they were not abolished till the marriage of George III. and Queen Charlotte; for in a most interesting account of that distinguished bridal, by one of the noble ladies-in-waiting, in a letter to a friend in Norfolk, of which I have been favoured with a copy, it is especially noticed "that there were no foolish ceremonies practised-such as throwing the stocking, handing the posset-cup, or breaking the cake-such as had been done at previous royal weddings."