ver'd with black Cloth. As foon as fhe was fet down, and Silence commanded, Beale read the Warrant: She heard it attentively, yet as if her Thoughts were taken up with fomewhat else. Then Fletcher, Dean of Peterborough, began a long Speech to her, touching the Condition of her Life paft, prefent, and to come. She interrupted him once or twice as he was fpeaking, pray'd him not to trouble himself, protefting that the was firmly fix'd and refolv'd in the ancient Catholick Roman Religion, and for it was ready to fhed her laft Blood. When he earneftly perfuaded her to true Repentance, and to put her whole Truft in Chrift by an affured Faith: She answer'd, That in that Religion fhe was both born and bred, and now ready to die. The Earls faid they would pray with her, to whom the faid, That the would give them hearty Thanks if they would pray for her; but to join, faid fhe, in Prayer with you, who are of another Profeffion, would be in me a heinous Sin. Then they appointed the Dean to pray; with whom, while the Multitude that stood round about were praying, fhe fell down upon her Knees, and holding the Crucifix before her in her Hands, pray'd in Latin, with her Servants, out of the Office of the bleffed Virgin Mary.

After the Dean had made an End of praying, The in English recommended the Church, her Son and Queen Elizabeth to God, befeeching him to turn away his Wrath from this Island, and profeffing that the repos'd her Hope of Salvation in the Blood of Chrift: Lifting up the Crucifix, fhe call'd on the Celestial Choir of Saints to make Interceffion to him for her: She forgave all her Enemies, and kiffing the Crucifix, and figning her felf with the Cross, the faid, As-thy Arms, O Chrift! were Spread out upon the Cross, fo receive me with the ftretched out Arms of thy Mercy, and forgive my Sins. E Then

Then the Executioners ask'd her Forgiveness, which the granted them. And when. her Women had taken off her upper Garments (which the was eager and hafty to have done) wailing and lamenting the while, the kifs'd them, and figning them with the Cross, with a chearful Countenance bid them forbear their womanifh Lamentations, for now fhe fhould reft from all her Sorrows. In like manner turning to her Men-Servants, who alfo wept, fhe fign'd them with the Crofs, and fmiling, bid them farewel. And now having cover'd her Face with a Linnen Handkerchief, and laying her felf down to the Block, the recited that Pfalm, In thee, O Lord! do I put my Truft, let me never be confounded. Then ftretching forth her Body, and repeating many times, thy Hands, O Lord! I commend my Spirit, her Head was taken off at two Strokes: The Dean crying out, So let Queen Elizabeth's Enemies perifh; the Earl of Kent anfwering Amen, and the Multitude fighing and forrowing. Her Body was embalmed and order'd with due and ufual Rites, and afterwards interr'd, with a Royal Funeral, in the Cathedral Church of Peterborough. A pompous Obfequy was alfo perform'd for her at Paris, by Procurement of the Guifes, who to their great Commendations perforin'd all the higheft Offices of Kindnefs to their Kinfwoman both alive and 'dead. Cambd. Eliz. 382.

Her CHARACTER by CAMB DE N.

Into

This lamentable End had Mary Queen of Scots, Daughter to James the 5th King of Scots, Great Grand-daughter to Henry the 7th King of England, by his eldest Daughter, in the 46th Year of her Age, and the 18th of her Imprisonment. A Lady fix'd and conftant in her Religion, of fingular

Piety towards God, invincible Magnanimity of Mind, Wisdom above her Sex, and admirable Beauty; a Lady to be reckon'd in the Lift of those Princeffes which have changed their Felicity for Mifery and Calamity. While yet an Infant fhe was earnestly defir'd by Henry VIII. King of England, for his Son Prince Edward, and by Henry the IId King of France, for Francis the Dauphin, both of them ftriving who fhould have her for his Daughter-in-law. At five Years old fhe was convey'd into France, and at fifteen married to the Dauphin. She was Queen of France a Year and four Months. After the Death of her Husband the return'd into Scotland, was married again to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnly, and bore James the first Monarch of Great Britain. By Murray, her bafe Brother, and others her ungrateful and ambitious Subjects he was much tofs'd and difquieted,depos'd from her Throne, and driven into England.

By fome English-men, who were careful for preferving their Religion, and providing for the Queen's Safety, fhe was (as indifferent Cenfurers have thought) circumvented; and by others, who were defirous to restore the Romish Religion, thruft forward to dangerous Undertakings; and overborn by the Teftimonies of her Secretaries, who seem'd to be brib'd and corrupted with Money.

Near her Tomb this EPITAPH was fet up, but foon after taken away.

MARY Queen of Scots, a King's Daughter, the King of France's Widow, the Queen of England's Kinfwoman, and next Heir; a Princefs accomplish'd with Royal Virtues, and a Royal Soul; having many times (but in vain) demanded her Royal Privilege, is by barbarous and tyrannical Cruelty extinct, who was the Ornament of our Age, and a Light truly Royal; E 2 and

and by one and the fame wicked. Sentence is both Mary Queen of Scots doom'd to an unnatural Death, and all furviving Kings, being made as commen People, are Jubjected to a Civil Death. A new and unexampled Tomb is here extant, wherein the Living are enclosed with the Dead: For know that with the Sacred Afbes of Saint MARY here lieth violate and proftrate the Majefty of all Kings and Princes. And becaufe (Reader that travelleft this Way) the unrevealable Secret of Kings doth moft fufficiently admonish Kings of their Duty, I Say no more.

Her CHARACTER by Archbishop SPOTSWOOD.

Archb. Spotfwood, in his Hiftory of the Church of Scotland, fays, fhe was a Princefs of many rare Virtues, but crofs'd with all the Croffes of Fortune, which never any did bear with greater Courage and Magnanimity to the laft. Upon her Return from France, for the firft 2 or 3 Years fhe carried her felf moft worthily; but then giving Ear to fome wicked Perfons, and tranfported with the Paffion of Revenge for the Indignity done to her in the Murder of David Rizio, her Secretary, fhe fell into a Labyrinth of Troubles, which forc'd her to flee into England, where, after eighteen Years Captivity, fhe was put to Death.

Reflections on the CHARACTER given her by CAMBDEN and SPOTSWOOD.

It is obfervable that both Cambden and Archbifhop Spotfwood are very tender of this Princefs's Honour; they endeavour to draw a Veil over her youthful Failings, and prefent us only with the bright Side of her Character, when they fum it up; tho' there appear feveral Facts, even in thefe Hiftorians, which bear hard upon her Conduct.

I fhall

I fhall not mention her Match with my Lord Darnley as one, (yet this is cenfur'd by fome as a very imprudent A&t, her People, as well as Queen Elizabeth, being fo averfe to it) for his Perfon is faid to have been extremely agreeable,his Years fuitable, and his Quality little inferior to the Queen's, being her first Coufin and next Heir to the Crown; and hard is it upon Sovereign Princes, if they have not an equal Freedom of Choice, in the most important Concern of their Lives, with the meaneft of their Subjects.

But her preferring David Rizio from being her Fiddler to be Secretary of State; and after fhe had married the Lord Darnley, and he was proclaim'd King, fetting up this Rizio to rival him, as it were, and admitting him to the greatest Intimacies, whilft the treated the King her Husband with Contempt: This feems to require an Apology. And indeed this Usage so provok'd the King, that one Evening, when the Queen was at Supper with the Countefs of Argyle and Rizio (for the Queen us'd to fup with Company) he rufh'd into her Apartment with the Lord Ruthuen, and four or five more and Ruthuen feeing Rizio at the Table, bid him get up and come forth, for the Place where he fat did not become him.

The Queen ftarting up haftily, got between Ruthuen and Rizio, to fave him; and Rizio clafping his Hands about her Middle, the King endeavour'd to loose them, defiring her not to be afraid, for they were come only to take Order with that Villain: Then was he drag'd down Stairs to the Gallery, and there they fell upon him, and ftriving who fhould give the first Blow, they kill'd him with many Wounds.

Well had it been (fays the Hiftorian) if they had taken him at another Time and Place than in the Queen's Prèfence For befides the great

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Peril