rents, and the Letter, forged, to give credit to it; and having accordingly served its purpose, for their breach of faith and the Queen's captivity, was for fear of detection fuppreffed, and never after heard of. Mr. Hume, who is not forward in making conceffions in the Queen's favour, admits on this head, "That the re"ality of this Letter is fomewhat difput"able, chiefly," fays he, " becaufe Murray "and his affociates never mentioned it in "their accufation of Queen Mary be"fore Queen Elizabeth *."

* Hume, vol. iv. p. 483.

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CHAP. VI.

The Conduct of the Confederates with regard to Bothwell.-The Queen's Escape from Lochlevin.-Battle of Lang fide; and the Queen's Retreat into England.—Embaffy to the King of Denmark, for delivering up Bothwell.-Murray's Treachery to the Duke of Norfolk.-Behaviour as to Lethington.-His Affaffination.

MORTON and the confederates having thus, by a moft infamous breach of faith, dethroned their Queen, and imprifoned her in the caftle of Lochlevin, let us examine their procedure with refpect to the Earl of Bothwell, the chief object, as they pretended, of their refentment, and the cause of their taking arms against him

as

as the murderer of the King. Upon the Queen's delivering herself into their hands, as we have feen, although they had a formidable army, with great ftore of artillery, they never attempted to lay fiege to that castle, bnt suffered him quietly to depart. Although they broke their faith, and fent her prisoner to Lochlevin, yet they allowed the Earl of Bothwell to retire from the field almoft alone, without attempting to follow him. He went ftraight to Dunbar caftle, where he quietly remained until the 26th of June; at leaft, of that date, we find an order of Morton and his council for fummoning" the keeper of Dunbar "caftle to furrender the fame, because the "Earl of Bothwell was refet and received "within the faid caftle *.

This was furely a civil intimation for this alleged criminal to fhift his quarters. How

long after this he chose to abide there, does not appear. Some time after, as High Admiral of Scotland, he went to fea, with fome few fhips under his command, and cruised along the northern coaft, until the 11th of Auguft; when a commiffion was iffued to Murray of Tullibardine, and Sir William Kirkaldy of Grange, to provide fhips," and to purfue the Earl of Both

well, by fea or land, by fire and fword." In confequence of which, a fleet being fent after him, Bothwell fled to the coaft of Denmark; where, by fome of the King of Denmark's fhips, he was taken prifoner, and carried to that country: "They were

glad," (fays Crawford's manufcript)" of "his escape from Carberry hill; for no man "purfued him, nor did any offer to attack "him at Dunbar, whither he retreated, "and ftaid at leaft fourteen days.—And, "indeed, if Grange had taken him at "Orkney, it is more than probable (left he "had

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had betrayed his accomplices) that he " had been facrificed on the spot *."

The confederates having thus fecured the Queen a captive, and expelled Bothwell the kingdom, they completed their scheme, by wrefting the reins of government from their Sovereign, and seizing them into their own hands.

On this fatal reverse of the Queen's fortune, the Clergy were not inactive. Let us fee the spirit which actuated the heads of the Reformed religion at this time. Dr. Robertson gives us the opinions of the several ranks of the ftate, with regard to the measures propofed for fettling the government, and difpofing of the Queen. Some were defirous (fays the Hiftorian) of adhering to the plan upon which the confederacy was at firft formed, to wit, To Iring to juftice the murderers of the

* Crawford, p. 54.

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