proceedings during this progress. Witnesses enow might have been brought forward from among her lords-in-waiting and bedchamber-women, or even their servants, if she had thus forgotten herself; but it was because there were no facts of the kind to elicit that the black arts of falsehood and forgery were employed against her.

MARY STUART

CHAPTER XXVI.

SUMMARY

Queen Mary at Kelso-She receives letters from Darnley-Their distressing effect-Her stately progress through Liddesdale-She desires to see Berwick-Met at the Bound Road by the English authorities-Her conversation with the Deputy-Governor, Sir John Forster-Conducted by him and his company to Halidon Hill-Honours paid to Queen Mary by the town of Berwick-She is hurt by Sir John Forster's horse-Her courage and courteous behaviour-Ill from the effects of the accidentHer equestrian dress-Particulars of her wardrobe and costume-Her lodgings at Coldingham-She arrives at Dunbar-Writes to Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council about the English succession-She comes to Craigmillar Castle-Receives the French ambassador-Rejoined by Darnley there-Things go worse and worse between them-Mary's illness and dejection-Her desire of death-Plots of her ministers against Darnley -Their secret intelligence with Morton-Archibald Douglas's disclosures of their proceedings-Darnley leaves the Queen in anger-Moray and Lethington urge her to divorce him-She resists their temptationsWill not stain her honour-Her ministers determine on his death-They draw a secret bond for his murder-Their reasons for not slaying him at Craigmillar Castle.

WHILE at Kelso, Queen Mary received letters from Darnley, in the presence of those inimical observers, Moray and Lethington. She did not communicate the contents, but that they were of a nature calculated to distress her very poignantly may be surmised from the agitating effect they produced both on her mind and body, for she cast a piteous look when she had read them, and appeared in danger of relapsing into her recent sickness, expressed a passionate desire of death, and even suffered herself to be transported into the sinful exclamation, "that rather than

live to endure such sorrow she would slay herself;" with other bitter and impatient words, if we may believe Buchanan and his informers, on whose credibility the incident rests. 1

Mary left Kelso November 10, and slept that night and the next at Home Castle, visiting Wark on her way. She rested on the nights of the 12th, 13th, and 14th at Cowdenknows, Langton, and Wedderburn. 2 At the latter place, precisely at the time the journal subsequently fabricated by her brother Moray and his confederates, for her defamation, asserts that she was sojourning alone with Bothwell at Dunbar Castle, she took a sudden resolution to go in state to visit the English boundary. Queen Mary was accompanied on this occasion by Moray himself, and the rest of her ministers, and attended, as a matter of course, by Bothwell as her Lord-lieutenant, Lord Hume, and the other Wardens of the Border, 3 and an escort so numerous that Sir John Forster, the English deputy-governor, to whom she had sent notice of her approach, considered it prudent to take precautionary measures for the defence of Queen Elizabeth's good town of Berwick-uponTweed, by having the artillery mounted, the walls manned, and the gates secured, before he and his colleagues ventured to go forth to meet and salute the fair North British Sovereign at the Bound Road-evidently in some alarm lest, in spite of her friendly message, she had hostile intentions. The details afford so characteristic a picture of the manners of the times that they must be related in his own words: "My Lord of Moray yesterday morning sent me word that the Queen his Sovereign was to pass to Coldingham, and in her way desired to pass through some part of the Bounds. Whereupon I gave order to the Master of the Ordnance to prepare in readiness the great ordnance, and left him and certain captains in the town, and took with me to the number of forty

1 Detection of the Doings of Mary Queen of Scots. Anderson's Col. 2 Lethington's Letter, quoted in Keith and Chalmers.

8 Lethington's Letter to Archbishop Beton, printed in Keith. See also Border Correspondence.

horsemen, and caused the gates to be locked after me, and suffered none else to depart out of the town, and gave order that all the soldiers should be on the old walls with armour and weapon, to the utmost show that could be; and so rode to the Bound Road and met the Queen, accompanied with my Lord of Moray, the Earl Huntley, the Earl Bothwell, the Secretary, and the Lord Hume, with the number of five hundred horse. At our first meeting she said, 'I am thus bold upon my good sister's favour to enter into her bounds, not meaning anyway to offend her nor any subject of hers." "1

After a suitable exchange of compliments from the governor, "for then," observes Sir James Melville, who was also present," all England bore her Majesty great reverence,"2 Mary expressed a wish to behold Berwick in the distance; and the English gentlemen, proud to oblige their royal neighbour, conducted her to Halidon Hill. She made Sir John Forster ride by her side, and honoured him with much discourse, observing, "There has been much cumber between these realms, but never during my life will I give occasion for any wars to England." "After this, and other pleasant talk," continues Forster," she said 'she had something to say to me touching the Earl of Morton, that I should be a favourer of him and his company.' I answered her Majesty,' that, until I had received direction from the Queen's Majesty, my mistress, for their passing away out of this realm, I had used them friendly; but so soon as the Queen my mistress had commanded me to avoid them, I had after no dealings with them: for I mean not to have my mistress's indignation for any subject you have;' adding, ‘ I trust your Majesty hath that opinion of me that I make more estimation of your favour than of any subject you have.'" Mary appeared very well pleased with this discreet answer, and pursued the theme no further. "I had great discourse of our Border matters," continues Forster, " and

1 Sir John Forster to Sir W. Cecil, 16th November 1566. Border Correspondence-State Paper MS., inedited.

2 Sir James Melville's Memoirs.

3

Letter to Cecil, November 16, 1566-Border Correspondence, inedited.

then she called my Lord Bothwell, the Laird of Cessford, and the Lord Hume, and gave straight commandment, in my hearing,' to cause good rule to be kept; and if she heard by me that the same were not kept, her officers should repent it;' with very earnest words,' that she would do all things that might continue the peace." "1

When Queen Mary reached the summit of Halidon Hill, she was saluted by a royal feu-de-joie from all the guns at Berwick, 2 and beheld not only that town, but a far-off prospect of the land she fondly hoped one day to call her own. A proud moment it doubtless must have been, as she sat gazing across the broad waters of the Tweed, surrounded by the admiring gentlemen of England who had conducted her to that spot. And here an accident of a very alarming and painful nature befel her; for, as she was conversing earnestly with Sir John Forster, his fiery charger reared up, and in coming down struck her above the knee with his fore-feet, and hurt her grievously. Few ladies but would have screamed or fainted, but Mary, though still feeble from her recent severe illness, had sufficient fortitude and selfcontrol to preserve her composure and conceal her pain. Sir John Forster, far more disconcerted at this unlucky occurrence than she, sprang from his horse in great distress, and knelt to entreat her pardon. Mary bade him rise, and kindly said "she was not hurt," 3-exerting all her firmness with right royal spirit to control her pain while preforming the ceremonial courtesies of taking leave of the English gentlemen, and returning thanks for the honours that had been paid to her. She requested Sir John Forster to "make her commendations to the Queen of England, her good sister, and to tell her Majesty, in his next letters, how she had presumed on her friendship;" and so she parted, not forgetting, however, to send six-score French crowns as a reward to the gunners of Berwick.4 Sir James Melville, who was an eyewitness of the accident that befell his Sovereign, says, "she was very evil hurt, and compelled, in

1 Letter to Cecil, November 16, 1566-Border Correspondence, inedited. 2 Ibid. Carr's History of Coldingham. 8 Sir James Melville's Memoirs. Forster to Cecil, Nov. 16-State Paper Office MS.