John Charnock and John Travers having their Minds wholly fixt on Prayer, recommended themselves to God and the Saints. Gage extolled the Queen's great Grace and Bounty to his Father, and detefted his own perfidious Ingratitude towards his Princess. And Jerome Bellamy, with Confufion and deep Silence, fuffer'd laft.

The Queen being inform'd of the Severity us'd in the Executions the Day before, and detefting fuch Cruelty, gave exprefs. Orders that thefe fhould be us'd more favourably; and accordingly. they were permitted to hang till they were quite dead before they were cut down and bowell'd.

Their CHARACTERS.

The Confpirators were moft of them Gentlemen of good Families, whom nothing but the fpecious Pretence of Religion could probably have prevail'd upon to turn Affaffins.

The Execution of MARY Queen of Scors, the 8th of February, 1587.

Ueen Elizabeth, after fome Hefitation, having deliver'd a Writing to Davifon, one of

her Secretaries, fign'd with her own Hand, commanding a Warrant, under the great Seal of England, to be drawn up for the Execution; which was to lie in readiness in Cafe of any dangerous Attempt upon Queen Elizabeth, and commanded him to acquaint no Man therewith; the next Day the Queen changed her Mind, and commanded Davifon by Killegrew that the Warrant should not be drawn. Davifon came prefently to the Queen, and told her that it was drawn and under Seal already; at which fhe was fomewhat mov'd,

and

and blam'd him for making fuch hafte, He notwithstanding acquainted the Council both with the Warrant and the whole Matter, and easily perfuaded them, who were apt to believe what they defir'd, that the Queen had commanded it fhould be executed. Hereupon, without any Delay, Beale, who in refpect of Religion was the Queen of Scots moft bitter Adyerfary, was fent, down with one or two Executioners, and a Warrant, wherein Authority was given to the Earls of Shrewsbury, Kent, Derby, Cumberland, and others, to fee Execution done according to Law; and this without the Queen's Knowledge. And tho The at that very time told Davison that he would take another Courfe, yet did not he for all that call Beale back.

As foon as the Earls were come to Fotheringhay, they, together with Sir Amias Pawlet, and Sir Drue Drury, to whofe Cuftody the Queen of Scots was committed, came to her and told her the Caufe of their coming, reading the Warrant, and in few Words admonifh'd her to prepare her felf for Death, for fhe was to die the next Day. She undauntedly, and with a compos'd Spirit, made this Anfwer: I did not think the Queen, my Sifter, would have confented to my Death, who am not fubject to your Law and Jurisdiction: But feeing her Pleafure is fo, Death shall be to me most welcome; neither is that Soul worthy of the high and everlasting Joys above, whofe Body cannot endure one Stroke of the Ex

ecutioner.

She defir'd fhe might have Conference with her Almoner, her Confeffor, and Melvin, the Master of her Houthold: For her Confeffor, it was flatly deny'd that he fhould come at her, and the Earls recommended to her the Bifhop, or the Dean of Peterborough, to comfort her; whom the refufing, the Earl of Kent, in a hot burning Zeal

to

to Religion, broke forth into thefe Words among other Speeches: Your Life will be the Death of our Religion, as contrariwife your Death will be the Life thereof. Mention being made of Babington, the conftantly denied his Confpiracy to have been at all known to her, and the Revenge of her Wrong The left to God. Then enquiring what was become of Nawe and Curle; the ask'd whether it were ever heard of before that Servants were fuborn'd and accepted as Witneffes against their Mafters Life.

When the Earls were departed, fhe commanded Supper to be haften'd, that he might the better difpofe of her Concerns. She fup'd temperately, as her manner was; and feeing her Servants, both Men and Women, weeping and lamenting as fhe fat at Supper; fhe comforted them with great Courage and Magnanimity, bad them leave mourning, and rather rejoice that fhe was now to depart out of a World of Miseries. Turning to Burgoin, her Phyfician, fhe ask'd him whether he did not now find the Force of Truth to be great; They Say (quoth fhe) that I muft die because I have plotted against the Queen's Life, yet the Earl of Kent tells me, there is no other Cause of my Death, but that they are afraid for their Religion because of me; neither bath my Offence against the Queen, but their Fear because of me, drawn this End upon me, while fome, under the Colour of Religion, and the publick Good, aim at their own private Refpects and Advantages.

Towards the End of Supper the drank to all her Servants, who pledg'd her in Order upon their Knees, mingling Tears with the Wine, and beging Pardon for their Neglect of their Duty; as The alfo in like manner did of them.

After Supper the perus'd her Will, read over the Inventory of her Goods and Jewels, and wrote down the Names of thofe to whom the bequeath'd every Particular. To fome the diftri

buted

buted Money with her own Hand. To her Con feffor fhe wrote a Letter that he would make In terceffion for her to God in his Prayers. She wrote alfo Letters of Recommendations for her Servants to the French King and the Duke of Guife. At her wonted time fhe went to Bed, flept fome Hours, and then waking, spent the reft of the Night in Prayer.

The fatal Day being come, which was the 8th of February, the drefs'd her felf as gorgeoufly as fhe was wont to do upon feftival Days, and calling her Servants together, commanded her Will to be read; pray'd them to take their Lega→ cies in good Part, for her Ability would not extend to giving them any greater Matters.

Then fixing her Mind wholly upon God in her Oratory or ordinary Place of Prayer, with Sighs and Groans, and Prayers, the beg'd his Divine Grace and Favour, till fuch time as Ther mas Andrews, Sheriff of the County, acquainted her that the muft now come forth: And forth fhe came with State, Countenance and Prefence majeftically compos'd; a chearful Look, and a Matron-like and modeft Habit; her Head cover'd with a Linnen Veil, and that hanging down to the Ground, her Prayer-Beads hanging at her Girdle, and carrying a Crucifix of Ivory in het Hands.

In the Porch fhe was receiv'd by the Earls and other Noblemen, where Melvin, her Servant, fal ling upon his Knees, and pouring forth Tears, bewail'd his hard Hap, that he was to carry into Scotland the woful Tidings of the tinhappy Fate of his Lady and Miftrefs: She thus comforted him, Lament not, but rather rejoice, thou shalt by and by fee Mary Stuart freed from all her Cares. Tell them that I die conftant in my Religion, and firm in mý Fidelity and Affection towards Scotland and France.

God

God forgive them who have thirfted after my Blood, as Harts do after the Fountain. Thou, O God! who art Truth itself, and perfectly and truly underftandeft the inward Thoughts of my Heart, knoweft how greatly I have defir'd that the Kingdoms of England and Scotland might be united into one. Commend me to my Son, and affure him that I have done nothing which may be prejudicial to the Kingdom of Scotland; admonish him to hold in Amity and Friendship with the Queen of England; and fee thou do him faithful Service.

And now the Tears trickling down, the bad Melvin feveral times farewel, who wept as fast as fhe. Then turning to the Earls, fhe pray'd them that her Servants might be civilly dealt withal : That they might enjoy their Legacies, that they might stand by her at her Death, and might be fent back into their own Country with Letters of fafe Conduct. The former Request they granted, but that they fhould ftand by her at her Death, the Earl of Kent fhew'd himself somewhat unwilling, fearing fome Superftition. Fear it not (faid fhe) Thefe harmless Souls defire only to take their laft Farewel of me I know my Sifter Elizabeth would not have denied me fo fmall a Matter, that my Women fhould be then prefent, were it but for the Honour of the female Sex. I am her near Kinfwoman, defcended from Henry VII. Queen Dowager of France, and anointed Queen of Scots.

When she had faid this, and turned her felf afide, it was at laft granted, that fuch of her Servants as she should name fhould be prefent. She named Melvin, Burgoin her Phyfician, her Apothecary, her Surgeon, two waiting Women, and others, of whom Melvin bore up her Train. So the Gentlemen, two Earls and the Sheriff going before her, the came to the Scaffold, which was built at the upper End of the Hall, on which was plac'd a Chair, a Cufhion, and a Block, all co