The Editor's main aim has been to place before the reader, as fairly as possible, the evidence for the divergent views of Mary's life and character. For this purpose, considerable space has been devoted to the Conferences at York and Westminster, in 1568 and 1569, which, although themselves outside the period specially chosen, yet refer to the events that fall within it. The selection of extracts has also been influenced by a desire to give prominence to the condition of Scotland at the time, and to the religious difficulty associated with the person of John Knox; while an attempt has been made to bring into relief the personality of the rival queens.
The Editor desires to acknowledge the courtesy of the Right Reverend Monsignor Chisholm, Rector of Blairs College, Bishop-Designate of Aberdeen, who has sanctioned the reproduction of the Blairs portrait. He has also to acknowledge the assistance of Professor W. L. Davidson of Aberdeen; Mr. Herbert Fisher, Fellow of New College; and the Editor of the series, who have read the proof-sheets. Mr. Swinburne's translation of Mary's last poem ([p. 239]) is printed by kind permission, and Mr. T. F. Henderson has allowed the Editor to use the Documents first printed in his "Casket Letters and Mary Queen of Scots."
R. S. R.
New College, Oxford,
February 1899.
CONTENTS
| Sect. | Page. | |
| [I.] | FROM MARY'S BIRTH TO HER RETURN TO SCOTLAND FROM FRANCE | 1 |
| [II.] | FROM MARY'S ARRIVAL IN SCOTLAND TO THE DARNLEY MARRIAGE | 17 |
| [III.] | FROM THE DARNLEY MARRIAGE TO THE RIZZIO MURDER | 57 |
| [IV.] | MURDER OF RIZZIO TO MURDER OF DARNLEY | 81 |
| [V.] | FROM THE MURDER OF DARNLEY TO THE FLIGHT INTO ENGLAND | 114 |
| [VI.] | THE CONFERENCES AT YORK AND WESTMINSTER | 132 |
| [VII.] | THE DOCUMENTS | 162 |
| [VIII.] | THE END | 225 |
| [APPENDICES] | 249 |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| [1.] | Queen Mary (From the painting preserved in St. Mary's College, | Frontispiece |
| [2.] | Linlithgow Palace | 1 |
| [3.] | Holyrood House (The north-west end of Holyrood, shown in the foreground, contains Queen Mary's rooms.) | 20 |
| [4.] | Queen Mary's Signet Ring (Preserved in the British Museum.) Facsimile of Queen Mary's Signature and Monogram | 83 |
| [5.] | Lochleven Castle | 125 |
| [6.] | Handbell used by Queen Mary | 238 |
| [7.] | Effigy of Queen Mary in Westminster Abbey (Erected by her son, King James, in 1612.) | 246 |
Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 are from photographs by Messrs. Wilson,
Aberdeen; Nos. 4 and 6 by Messrs. Taunt, Oxford. For full
information regarding Nos. 4 and 6, see "Catalogue of Antiquities"
&c., exhibited in the Museum of the Archæological Institute of
Great Britain and Ireland, 1856, pp. 169-182 (Edin. 1859).