mary stuart-第14章

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However；　judgment　had　been　barely　given；　when　rumours　of　a　marriage

between　the　queen　and　the　Earl　of　Bothwell　were　abroad。　　However

strange　and　however　mad　this　marriage；　the　relations　of　the　two

lovers　were　so　well　known　that　no　one　doubted　but　that　it　was　true。

But　as　everyone　submitted　to　Bothwell；　either　through　fear　or　through

ambition；　two　men　only　dared　to　protest　beforehand　against　this

union：　the　one　was　Lord　Herries；　and　the　other　James　Melville。



Mary　was　at　Stirling　when　Lord　Herries；　taking　advantage　of

Bothwell's　momentary　absence；　threw　himself　at　her　feet；　imploring

her　not　to　lose　her　honour　by　marrying　her　husband's　murderer；　which

could　not　fail　to　convince　those　who　still　doubted　it　that　she　was

his　accomplice。　　But　the　queen；　instead　of　thanking　Herries　for　this

devotion；　seemed　very　much　surprised　at　his　boldness；　and　scornfully

signing　to　him　to　rise；　she　coldly　replied　that　her　heart　was　silent

as　regarded　the　Earl　of　Bothwell；　and　that；　if　she　should　ever　re…

marry；　which　was　not　probable；　she　would　neither　forget　what　she　owed

to　her　people　nor　what　she　owed　to　herself。



Melville　did　not　allow　himself　to　be　discouraged　by　this　experience；

and　pretended；　to　have　received　a　letter　that　one　of　his　friends；

Thomas　Bishop；　had　written　him　from　England。　　He　showed　this　letter

to　the　queen；　but　at　the　first　lines　Mary　recognised　the　style；　and

above　all　the　friendship　of　her　ambassador；　and　giving　the　letter　to

the　Earl　of　Livingston；　who　was　present；　〃There　is　a　very　singular

letter；〃　said　she。　　〃Read　it。　　It　is　quite　in　Melvine's　manner。〃



Livingston　glanced　through　the　letter；　but　had　scarcely　read　the　half

of　it　when　he　took　Melville　by　the　hand；　and　drawing　him　into　the

embrasure　of　a　window



〃My　dear　Melville；〃　said　he；　〃you　were　certainly　mad　when　you　just

now　imparted　this　letter　to　the　queen：　as　soon　as　the　Earl　of

Bothwell　gets　wind　of　it；　and　that　will　not　be　long；　he　will　have　you

assassinated。　　You　have　behaved　like　an　honest　man；　it　is　true；　but

at　court　it　is　better　to　behave　as　a　clever　man。　　Go　away；　then；　as

quickly　as　possible；　it　is　I　who　recommend　it。〃



Melville　did　not　require　to　be　told　twice；　and　stayed　away　for　a

week。　　Livingston　was　not　mistaken：　scarcely　had　Bothwell　returned　to

the　queen　than　he　knew　all　that　had　passed。　　He　burst　out　into　curses

against　Melville；　and　sought　for　him　everywhere；　but　he　could　not

find　him。



This　beginning　of　opposition；　weak　as　it　was；　none　the　less

disquieted　Bothwell；　who；　sure　of　Mary's　love；　resolved　to　make　short

work　of　things。　　Accordingly；　as　the　queen　was　returning　from

Stirling　to　Edinburgh　some　days　after　the　scenes　we　have　just

related；　Bothwell　suddenly　appeared　at　the　Bridge　of　Grammont　with　a

thousand　horsemen；　and；　having　disarmed　the　Earl　of　Huntly；

Livingston；　and　Melville；　who　had　returned　to　his　mistress；　he　seized

the　queen's　horse　by　the　bridle；　and　with　apparent　violence　he　forced

Mary　to　turn　back　and　follow　him　to　Dunbar；　which　the　queen　did

without　any　resistancea　strange　thing　for　one　of　Mary's　character。



The　day　following；　the　Earls　of　Huntly；　Livingston；　Melville；　and　the

people　in　their　train　were　set　at　liberty；　then；　ten　days　afterwards；

Bothwell　and　the　queen；　perfectly　reconciled；　returned　to　Edinburgh

together。



Two　days　after　this　return；　Bothwell　gave　a　great　dinner　to　the

nobles　his　partisans　in　a　tavern。　　When　the　meal　was　ended；　on　the

very　same　table；　amid　half…drained　glasses　and　empty　bottles；

Lindsay；　Ruthven；　Morton；　Maitland；　and　a　dozen　or　fifteen　other

noblemen　signed　a　bond　which　not　only　set　forth　that　upon　their　souls

and　consciences　Bothwell　was　innocent；　but　which　further　denoted　him

as　the　most　suitable　husband　for　the　queen。　　This　bond　concluded　with

this　sufficiently　strange　declaration：



〃After　all；　the　queen　cannot　do　otherwise；　since　the　earl　has　carried

her　off　and　has　lain　with　her。〃



Yet　two　circumstances　were　still　opposed　to　this　marriage：　the　first；

that　Bothwell　had　already　been　married　three　times；　and　that　his

three　wives　were　living；　the　second；　that　having　carried　off　the

queen；　this　violence　might　cause　to　be　regarded　as　null　the　alliance

which　she　should　contract　with　him：　the　first　of　these　objections　was

attended　to；　to　begin　with；　as　the　one　most　difficult　to　solve。



Bothwell's　two　first　wives　were　of　obscure　birth；　consequently　he

scorned　to　disquiet　himself　about　them；　but　it　was　not　so　with　the

third；　a　daughter　of　that　Earl　of　Huntly　who　been　trampled　beneath

the　horses'　feet；　and　a　sister　of　Gordon；　who　had　been　decapitated。

Fortunately　for　Bothwell；　his　past　behaviour　made　his　wife　long　for　a

divorce　with　an　eagerness　as　great　as　his　own。　　There　was　not　much

difficulty；　then；　in　persuading　her　to　bring　a　charge　of　adultery

against　her　husband。　　Bothwell　confessed　that　he　had　had　criminal

intercourse　with　a　relative　of　his　wife；　and　the　Archbishop　of　St。

Andrews；　the　same　who　had　taken　up　his　abode　in　that　solitary　house

at　Kirk　of　Field　to　be　present　at　Darnley's　death；　pronounced　the

marriage　null。　　The　case　was　begun；　pushed　on；　and　decided　in　ten

days。



As　to　the　second　obstacle；　that　of　the　violence　used　to　the　queen；

Mary　undertook　to　remove　it　herself；　for；　being　brought　before　the

court；　she　declared　that　not　only　did　she　pardon　Bothwell　for　his

conduct　as　regarded　her；　but　further　that；　knowing　him　to　be　a　good

and　faithful　subject；　she　intended　raising　him　immediately　to　new

honours。　　In　fact；　some　days　afterwards　she　created　him　Duke　of

Orkney；　and　on　the　15th　of　the　same　monththat　is　to　say；　scarcely

four　months　after　the　death　of　Darnleywith　levity　that　resembled

madness；　Mary；　who　had　petitioned　for　a　dispensation　to　wed　a

Catholic　prince；　her　cousin　in　the　third　degree；　married　Bothwell；　a

Protestant　upstart；　who；　his　divorce　notwithstanding；　was　still

bigamous；　and　who　thus　found　himself　in　the　position　of　having　four

wives　living；　including　the　queen。



The　wedding　was　dismal；　as　became　a　festival　under　such　outrageous

auspices。　　Morton；　Maitland；　and　some　base　flatterers　of　Bothwell

alone　were　present　at　it。　　The　French　ambassador；　although　he　was　a

creature　of　the　House　of　Guise；　to　which　the　queen　belonged；　refused

to　attend　it。



Mary's　delusion　was　short…lived：　scarcely　was　she　in　Bothwell's　power

than　she　saw　what　a　master　she　had　given　herself。　　Gross；　unfeeling；

and　violent；　he　seemed　chosen　by　Providence　to　avenge　the　faults　of

which　he　had　been　the　instigator　or　the　accomplice。　　Soon　his　fits　of

passion　reached　such　a　point；　that　one　day；　no　longer　able　to　endure

them；　Mary　seized　a　dagger　from　Erskine；　who　was　present　with

Melville　at　one　of　these　scenes；　and　would　have　struck　herself；

saying　that　she　would　rather　die　than　continue　living　unhappily　as

she　did；　yet；　inexplicable　as　it　seems；　in　spite　of　these　miseries；

renewed　without　ceasing；　Mary；　forgetting　that　she　was　wife　and

queen；　tender　and　submissive　as　a　child；　was　always　the　first　to　be

reconciled　with　Bothwell。



Nevertheless；　these　public　scenes　gave　a　pretext　to　the　nobles；　who

only　sought　an　opportunity　for　an　outbreak。　　The　Earl　of　Mar；　the

young　prince's　tutor；　Argyll；　Athol；　Glencairn；　Lindley；　Boyd；　and

even　Morton　and　Maitland　themselves；　those　eternal　accomplices　of

Bothwell；　rose；　they　said；　to　avenge　the　death　of　the　king；　and　to

draw　the　son　from　hands　which　had　killed　the　father　and　which　were

keeping　the　mother　captive。　　As　to　Murray；　he　had　kept　completely　in

the　background　during　all　the　last　events；　he　was　in　the　county　of

Fife　when　the　king　was　assassinated；　and　three　days　before　the　trial

of　Bothwell　he　had　asked　and　obtained　from　his　sister　permission　to

take　a　journey　on　the　Continent。



The　insurrection　took　place　in　such　a　prompt　and　instantaneous

manner；　that　the　Confederate　lords；　whose　plan　was　to　surprise　and

seize　both　Mary　and　Bothwell；　thought