CONTENTS

[CHAPTER I]
PAGE
The last act of the drama—Lord Burghley and Secretary Walsingham actively engaged against Queen Mary—Walsingham and his spies—Character of Walsingham—Plots of Elizabeth to take Mary's life—Savage, Ballard, Morgan, and Babington—Mary's pathetic appeal to Chateauneuf—Text of her first letter—Text of her second letter—Elizabeth and Sir Amias Paulet—The famous memoranda between Paulet and Wade as to how Mary was to be kidnapped and her papers seized—Paulet's official instructions to kidnap the Queen—Elizabeth's confirmation of these instructions—Elizabeth's final orders to kidnap Queen Mary1
[CHAPTER II]
Outline of the kidnapping scheme, and how it was carried out—Paulet requires instructions as to Nau and Curle—Queen Mary's return to Chartley—Forcible seizure of her money and cabinets by Paulet and Walsingham—Letter from Yetsweirt about Nau and Curle—Private letter of Nau to Elizabeth exonerating himself and Mary—Elizabeth's fulsome gratitude to Paulet—Letter Walsingham to Paulet—Burghley and Walsingham instruct Paulet about Fotheringay—Paulet writes Walsingham (kidnapping plot)—He writes Burghley and Walsingham—Desires to resign office—Mary complains of her cruel treatment to the Duke of Guise, the Lord Chancellor, and Pasquier—Elizabeth's second order to seize Queen Mary's money—Relations between James and his mother—Letter Walsingham to Master of Gray—Mary's intercepted letters28
[ CHAPTER III]
Interview between Queen Mary and Paulet at Fotheringay—Elizabeth nominates commissioners for the trial—Elizabeth's commission to Burghley and Walsingham to conduct the trial—Important letter, Elizabeth to Burghley, Mary's sentence prearranged—The commissioners in Mary's bedchamber—The three private interviews—The Lord Chancellor Bromley opens the trial—Mary exposes Walsingham's duplicity (Petit's version)—Close of the first day and conversation with her physician—Sentence of death—Burghley writes Davison—The gross illegality of the trial exposed—The commissioners in the Star Chamber—Tytler's opinion of the Babington Plot—Mary Seton's letter to Courcelles—Paulet to Walsingham, 24th October 158656
[ CHAPTER IV]
Elizabeth's instructions to Lord Buckhurst to communicate the sentence of death to Mary, and her remarkable reasons for this act—Elizabeth compromised in the Babington Conspiracy—Her letter to Paulet to allow the commissioners an interview with Mary—Elizabeth's chicanery (Petit's version)—Paulet to Walsingham, 21st November 1586—Letter Henry III. to his Ambassador in London to request James to save his mother's life—Sentence of death communicated to Mary by Buckhurst—Queen Mary's pathetic letter to the Pope informing him that she has been sentenced to die, and giving her last instructions—Her letter to the Duke of Guise informing him of her sentence, and giving instructions about her affairs82
[CHAPTER V]
Queen Mary's letter to Mendoza the Spanish Ambassador informing him of the sentence of death, her submission to it, and her references to Paulet's treatment of her—Her letter to Mendoza, 21st May 1586—Her remarkable letter to the Archbishop of Glasgow asserting her innocence of every charge against her, and her rebuke to the commissioners “that she would die a Queen in spite of them”—Her letter to Elizabeth with her requests regarding her death and interment—The Commendator of Pittenweem and King James—Letter of Bellievre, Chancellor of France, to Mary, 14th December 1586—The graphic interview of Bellievre and Chateauneuf with Elizabeth, when they demanded of her with a threat to spare Mary's life, or take the consequences—Elizabeth loses her temper106
[ CHAPTER VI]
Proclamation by the Queen of England announcing Queen Mary's death—Elizabeth instructs Paulet to deliver Queen Mary to the Sheriff of Northampton—Memorial from Walsingham with instructions for the execution and interment—Unfinished paper by Lord Burghley on Mary's execution—Letter from King James to Elizabeth requesting her to spare his mother's life—Sir Robert Melville and the Master of Gray wait on her and petition for Mary's life—Extraordinary commission by Elizabeth to the Earls of Shrewsbury and Kent to execute the Scottish Queen—Letter by Queen Mary to Henry III.; being the last letter she ever wrote132
[ CHAPTER VII]
Bourgoyne's Journal
The sham Stag Hunt—The Queen starts in gleeful spirits, fully equipped and attended by her household—The shadow of Elizabeth suddenly appears, and the Stag Hunt is no more—Seizure of Queen Mary's personal attendants—Mary demands to know where they are taking her—She dismounts, and refuses to proceed—Paulet's insolence—Bourgoyne induces her to obey Paulet and proceed—She retires and offers up prayer—Bourgoyne helps her to remount—She is taken to Tixall—Refused pen, ink, and paper by Paulet—Her papers and cabinets seized at Chartley—She is brought back to Chartley—Paulet and Bagot in her bedchamber without leave—Paulet seizes her money and reopens the Babington Plot—He removes her from Chartley to Fotheringay—The remarkable procession and arrival at Burton159
[ CHAPTER VIII]
Gorges again attacks Mary about Elizabeth's life—Mary's sharp response, and Gorges silenced—Procession sets out from Burton and reaches Hill Hall Castle; next day it reaches Leicester—People there hostile to Paulet—Arrival at Fotheringay—Mary's dissatisfaction with it—Interview with Paulet—Paulet and Elizabeth's insolence—Arrival of the commissioners—They attend prayers—Elizabeth's insolent letter to Mary—Mary's interview with Mildmay, Paulet, and others, official report—Elizabeth's reply—Lord Chancellor and commissioners visit Mary in her chamber—Burghley's overbearing attitude and speech—She refuses to recognise their authority—The second interview, when she is too many for them—Third interview, when Mary delivers an eloquent speech in her defence and exposes the duplicity and false character of Elizabeth185
[ CHAPTER IX]
The Queen and the Commissioners at Fotheringay—Letter Babington to Queen Mary, July 1586—Letter Queen Mary to Babington, 17th July 1586212
[CHAPTER X]
Paulet and the Queen discuss the situation—Arrival of Lord Buckhurst—Buckhurst, Paulet, Drury, and Beale have an audience of the Queen—Elizabeth's insolent message—Mary's vigorous reply—Debate between the Queen and Beale—Text of Mary's famous letter to Elizabeth, 19th December 1586—The Drury and Melville interview—Mary demands delivery of her papers—Paulet's duplicity—Mary's opinion of Nau—Melville, Bourgoyne, and Prean separated finally from her in spite of remonstrance241
[ CHAPTER XI]
Mary prohibited from writing Elizabeth—She surrenders her life to God, and is willing to die—Paulet still insolent—The Queen remonstrates with him—She thinks they will murder her secretly—Denied the use of a priest—Paulet resents secret murder—Mary's dignities—The daïs and rod discontinued—Paulet and Melville quarrel—Arrival of the Sheriff and the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury—She receives them in her bedchamber—Shrewsbury announces sentence of death; to take place next morning—Mary's calm and pathetic reply—Takes leave of her servants: gives them her blessing and distributes presents to them—She writes her will—Names of those to be present at her death—Her last words and the scene of execution as recorded by Bourgoyne—Author's summing up and conclusion265
[ CHAPTER XII]
Appendix
Description of Queen Mary's first Parliament—Queen Mary's Proclamation anent religion—Her second Proclamation anent religion—Her third Proclamation anent religion—Declaration as to religion by Mary and Darnley—Text of her fabricated abdication—Procuratory signed compulsorily—Plots for her liberation—Text of letters in handwriting of Phillips:—
Queen Mary to Charles Paget, 20th May 1586
Charles Paget to Queen Mary, 29th May "
Queen Mary to Charles Paget, 27th July "
Queen Mary to Mendoza, 27th July "
Queen Mary's mottoes and devices, with translations
Queen Mary's Will		287

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
From a Painting in possession of the Earl of Morton.		Frontispiece
[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
Watson Gordon Portrait.		17
[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
From the Painting in Edinburgh Castle (by permission of Frank C. Inglis).		31
[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
From the collection of Lord Elphinstone, at Carberry Tower.		60
[ SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM, SECRETARY TO QUEEN ELIZABETH]90
[ BELLIEVRE, THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR WHO SILENCED QUEEN ELIZABETH]
By permission of Braun, Clément & Cie.		126
[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
From the collection of Mrs. Fraser-Tytler, at Woodhouselee.		151
[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
From the collection of Sir James Drummond, at Hawthornden.		180
[ WILLIAM CECIL, LORD BURGHLEY]
From the Hatfield collection.		211
[ MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS]
From the collection of Randolph Wemyss, Esq., of Wemyss Castle.		240
[ GEORGE TALBOT, SIXTH EARL OF SHREWSBURY]
From the collection of the present Earl.		271
[ MARY BETON, ONE OF THE QUEEN'S MARIES]
From the collection of Major Bethune, of Balfour.		300

THE LAST DAYS OF MARY STUART