else ye have done with it; quhilk bill I tuike and gave to the erle Bothwell, wha tuike it and gave it to the quein, and she tuike it and read it, and gave it to the erle Huntlie, thair present, wha read it, and thairafter turnit unto me, and turnit her back, and gave an thring with her shoulder, and passit away, and spake nothing to me. This is the haill thing I knaw, ather affoir or eftir, as I sall ansuer to my God, with whom I hope to supe. Efter the quhilk being inquyred, gif ever the quein spake unto him at any tyme, or gif he knew what wes the quenis mynd unto it, ansrit, as I shall ansuer to God shoe spake never to me nor I to hir of it, nor I knaw nathing of hir part but as my lord Bothwell shaw me; for I will not speike bot the trewth for all the gold of the earth, quhilk I desyre you, guid minister, bear record hearof as ye have written, quhilk I pray yow read over to me: let me alswa see it; quhilk I did affoir Archibald Dowglass constabill of the castell, and George Towers of Bristo, with uthers divers gentlemen and servants being in the chalmer, quhilk beand done, he said, for God's saike, sit down and pray for me, for I have bein ane greit sinner utherwyse, for the quhilk my God this day is punishing me; for of all men on the earth, I have bein ane of the proudest and heich myndit, and maist filthie of my body, abusying myself dyvers ways. Bot specially I have shed innocent blood of ane Michael Hunter with my awin hands: allace theirfoir, because the said Michael havand me lyeing upon my back, haveing ane fork in his hand, myght have slayne me gif he pleasit, and did it not, quhilk of all things greives me maist in conscience: alswa in a raige I hangit a poor man for an horse; with mony uther wickit deids; for the quhilk, I aske my God mercy, for its not mervell that I

have bein wickit, for the wickit companie that ever I have bein in, bot speciallie within thir seaven yearis bypast, quhilk I never saw twa guid men or ane guid deid, bot all kind of wickedness; and yit my God wald not suffer me to be lost, and hes drawen me from them as out of hell, and hes given me lazer and space, with guid companie, to repent, for the quhilk I thank him, and is assurit that I am ane of his elect.

Thir words, with mony mae, cryand continually unto his God, even to the very end, cryand, my Lord Jesus, sweit Jesus, have mercy upon me, as you have had upon uther sinners, in sick sort, that he was, to the appearance of man, ane of the maist penetent sinners that hes bein sein this lang tyme, and mey be comptit ane example of God's mercies to all penitent sinneris.

No. XXVIII. Vol. II. Page 38.

the State

Office.

ld.

"LORD HUNSDOWN writes to Cecil from New- Anderson's castle, 7th Sept. 1569, that he heard for truth that Led- Notes from ington was apprehended and committed to ward the 3d Paper instant, being accused of several articles of treason." 7 Sept.1569. "In another letter, from Alnwick, 8th Sept. 1569, he says, this morning came to me this packet which I 8 Sept.1569. send you herewith, with a letter to myself from the regent, whereby I find that my advertisement of Ledington is true. James Bawfur was taken out of Fife with sixteen horsemen and harkebusiers. They are accused by one Crawford, a servant of the Earl of Lennox, to be consenting, aiding, and devisers of the murder of the Lord Darnley, and I think Paris, who was lately executed, hath affirmed no less."

From the two letters in No. XXVI, it appears that Elizabeth had received immediate notice of Paris's Confession on the 9th and 10th, as her letter to prevent his execution arrived at Berwick on the 23d, and reached Murray on the 24th of August, eight days after his execution on the 16th. A packet from Lady Lennox is also mentioned, to which the conclusion of Murray's letter alludes, viz. "that the testimonie sall not seame doubtful, neyther to thame quho be nature hes graitest cause to desyre condign punishment for the said murther." Murray's letter was written about the end of August; and we must conclude that Crawford, one of Lennox's dependents, accused Lethington on the 3d of September, in consequence of instructions contained in Lady Lennox's packet, sent on the first information of the discoveries made by Paris. Crawford

was the gallant Captain Crawford of Jordanhill, so distinguished afterwards by taking Dumbarton castle; and the accusation was probably instigated by Cecil, to crush Lethington's busy intrigues for Mary's divorce, restoration, and marriage with Norfolk. That the delay of the trial was not collusive, appears from the following facts which honest Goodall, who quotes Murray's speech, has suppressed in order to vindicate Bothwell, by representing the whole as a mere artifice for the preservation of Lethington, the regent's associate in the murder. Goodall, i. 397.

"Upon the 21st of November, the day appointed for Lethington to underly trial, and the verdict of ane assize, many noblemen and gentlemen repaired to Edinburgh whom he had written for to maintain him as he pretended in his innocency and just cause. His friends were all that were unfriends to the king or privy to the murther, all the Hamiltons, Huntley, Argyle, Athol, Seton, Boyd, Livingston, Fleming, and the Hepburns. Hume came with the Hepburns and other friends to Edinburgh, and Athol, Huntley, and the Hamiltons came to Linlithgow; who being charged be the regent to come no nearer, stayed. The Earl of Morton, with three thousand, lay at Dalkeith, waiting till the regent sent for him. Lethington, confident in the power of the other faction, which was strong, notwithstanding that Norfolk was committed to prison, urged trial, and bragged of his innocency. The regent finding the convocation of his friends and followers so great by expectation, sent for the chief noblemen in the town, to whom he made an oration, as after followeth to this sense: For as meikle as, when ye interprised the revenge of the king's slaughter, I was in France, where ye sent to me, and desired me to come home, and take

upon me the regiment, ye caused me take an oath that I should to the uttermost revenge the murther of the king, and ye on the other part did swear to fortify me; now there is a gentleman accused of the same murther, and I purposed to take trial, but ye having conveened to hinder justice, wherefore ye shall understand that I will continue this day of law till another time. If he be clean, he shall suffer no harm, but if he be found guilty, it shall not ly in your hands to save him. So the day of law was continued, and deferred to another time." Calderwood, ii. 146. MS.