602 



SCOTLAND. 



History, j'he two armies met at Carberry ; but Mary soon be- 

 r~~~ came sensible that her troops were disaffected, and, af- 

 ter some bravadoes of Bothwell, she surrendered her- 

 self into the hands of the confederates, who conducted 

 her to Edinburgh amidst the insults of the populace. 



Bothwell sailed for the Orkney islands, where he 

 was pursued by Kirkaldy of Grange, and having 

 escaped in a boat, proceeded to Denmark, where he 

 was thrown into prison and died. 



The queen experienced the most severe treatment, 

 and was sent under a guard to Lochleven castle, with 

 a warrant to William Douglas to detain her as his pri- 

 soner. The mistress of the house was the Earl of 

 Murray's mother, who pretended to have been lawful- 

 ly married to the queen's father : she therefore hated 

 her captive, and treated her with severity. When the 

 news of these events reached England, Elizabeth de- 

 spatched an ambassador to negotiate with the queen 

 and her enemies ; but the ambassador was denied all 

 access to her, and the confederates eluded every pro- 

 posal on her behalf, while the protestant preachers in- 

 flamed the minds of the people against their sovereign. 

 Murray's Under these circumstances, it was deemed eligible 

 resignation to establish a regency ; and the greatest number of the 

 at Loch- associated lords gave their suffrages to elevate the Earl 

 leven castle. Q f 7\<[ urra y to that dignity. Lord Lindsay was ap- 

 pointed to acquaint the queen with the general deter- 

 mination. She signed three instruments, resigning the 

 crown to her son, appointing Murray regent, and no- 

 minating a council to administer the laws till his arri- 

 val in Scotland. In consequence of her resignation, 

 the young prince was proclaimed by the title of James 

 A- D. 1567. the Sixth, and was crowned at Stirling. The Earl of 

 Murray arrived in Scotland soon after, and was in- 

 vested with the regency. He summoned a parliament, 

 which ratified the queen's resignation, and confirmed 

 his appointment to the regency. Sir James Balfour 

 was bribed to surrender the castle of Edinburgh, and 

 the garrison of the castle of Dumbarton was compelled 

 to capitulate. 



Notwithstanding the apparent unanimity, there were 

 many secret murmurs and cabals. The rigour of the 

 queen's sufferings moved many who blamed her im- 

 prudence ; and a party of the nobility met at Hamil- 

 ton, and concerted measures for supporting her inter- 

 ests. Meanwhile the queen was devising means for 

 her escape, and succeeded in regaining her liberty by 

 the aid of her keeper's brother, George Douglas, who 

 conducted her in disguise into a small boat, and accom- 

 panied her to Hamilton, where she was speedily at- 

 tended by a train of nobles, and an army of six thou- 

 sand. A bond of association was signed for her de- 

 fence, and it was declared that the queen's resignation 

 was illegal and void. 



Elizabeth, informed of Mary's escape, dispatched 

 Maitland with congratulations and promises of support; 

 but the queen's fate was decided before succours could 

 arrive. The regent was at Glasgow when he received 

 information of the queen's escape, and, notwithstanding 

 his inferiority, took the field, and awaited the approach 

 of the enemy. A battle was fought at Langside, which 

 was decisively in favour of the regent, and the queen's 

 army was dispersed. The queen had beheld the en- 

 gagement from a neighbouring hill, and when she saw 

 her army broken and routed, she fled southwards to 

 the abbey of Dundrerinan, a distance of sixty Scots 

 miles from the field of battle. 



She there deliberated upon the most eligible steps. 

 If she remained in Scotland, she anticipated a prison 



or death. She was unprovided with the means of es- 

 caping to France ; and as the )ate behaviour of Eliza- 

 beth afforded some hope of protection and assistance, 

 she overlooked all other considerations, and resolved to 

 take shelter in England. 



Notwithstanding the entreaties and remonstrances 

 of Lord Herries and the archbishop of St. Andrews, 

 she embarked on board a fishing-boat, and landed the 

 same day at Workington, about thirty miles from Car- 

 lisle ; dispatched a messenger to London, announcing 

 her arrival, and desiring leave to visit Elizabeth, and soli- 

 citing her protection. Elizabeth had now in her hands 

 a hated rival, yet policy required some show of friend- 

 ship and humanity to Mary; but observed, that while 

 the queen of Scots lay under the imputation of a crime 

 so horrid as the murder of her husband, she could not 

 admit her to an audience. She, therefore, required 

 that Mary should clear herself of the crimes alleged 

 against her, when she might depend upon a reception 

 suitable to her dignity, and support proportioned to 

 her necessities. 



Mary was overwhelmed with surprise and grief, but 

 she had no choice, and therefore agreed to submit her 

 cause, in the confidence of justifying herself. Elizabeth 

 now began to act as umpire between the queen of Scots 

 and her rebellious subjects, and immediately sent to 

 the earl of Murray, requiring him to desist from the 

 prosecution of the queen's party, and to delegate some 

 persons to justify his conduct against his sovereign. 

 The regent replied, that he would himself take a jour- 

 ney to London, attended by other commissioners, and 

 would willingly submit the determination of his cause 

 to Elizabeth. Mary now perceived the snare laid for 

 her. She, therefore, retracted her offer, and declined 

 making any reply to the accusations of her subjects ; 

 though she was ready, out of friendship to Elizabeth, 

 to satisfy her scruples, and Lord Herries, in her name, 

 requested present aid from England, or liberty for his 

 queen to pass over to France. 



Elizabeth submitted the affair to the privy council, 

 who agreed that she could not permit her to leave the 

 kingdom, and it was also deemed necessary to remove 

 the royal captive to Bolton castle. Mary had already 

 experienced the miseries of imprisonment, and Eliza- 

 beth availed herself of this to extort her consent to the 

 intended trial. Allured by plausible professions, Mary 

 agreed to vindicate herself by commissioners. While 

 the English court was employed in these deliberations, 

 the regent Murray resolved to proceed against his pri- 

 soners and the queen's partisans, with the greatest ri- 

 gour. He marched with 5000 troops into the west of 

 Scotland, with the intention of reducing the Hamiltons, 

 and laying waste their estates; but disbanded his forces 

 in compliance with the wishes of Elizabeth. 



He afterwards called a parliament, to obtain a legal 

 sanction for attainting those nobles who refused to ac- 

 knowledge the king's authority. Argyll and Huntly 

 assembled their forces to prevent the meeting, but 

 Mary commanded them to lay down their arms. A 

 few of the queen's pai-tisans were punished ; the rest 

 were allowed still to hope for favour, but before Mary's 

 commissioners gave in their complaints, they entered a 

 protest, stating that their appearance in this cause 

 should not be understood as compromising the dignity 

 of her crown, or as an admission of subordination to 

 England. 



During the conference, the queen's commissioners 

 seemed to triumph, as the regent had cautiously de- 

 clined accusing her of any participation in the guilt of 



