MARY STUART.

Nay,

I have no kingdom left to assign, nor crown

Whereof to make conveyance: yet is this

But lawful, that of all things which are mine

I may dispose at pleasure, and to none

Stand on such count accountable.

BURGHLEY.

So be it

So far as may be: but your ciphers sent

By Curle's plain testimony to Babington,

To the lord Lodovic, and to Fernihurst,

Once provost on your part in Edinburgh

By mean of Grange your friend his father-in-law,

Speak not but as with tongue imperial, nor

Of import less than kingdoms.

MARY STUART.

Surely, sir,

Such have I writ, and many; nor therein

Beyond my birth have trespassed, to commend

That lord you speak of, and another, both

My friends in faith, to a cardinal's dignity,

And that, I trust, without offence: except

It be not held as lawful on my part

To commune with the chiefest of my creed

By written word on matters of mine own

As for your queen with churchfolk of her kind.

BURGHLEY.

Well were it, madam, that with some of yours

You had held less close communion: since by proof

Reiterated from those your secretaries

It seems you know right well that Morgan, who

Sent Parry privily to despatch the queen,

And have assigned him annual pension.

MARY STUART.

This

I know not, whether or no your charge be truth,

But I do know this Morgan hath lost all

For my sake, and in honour sure I am

That rather to relieve him I stand bound

Than to revenge an injury done your queen

By one that lives my friend, and hath deserved

Well at mine hands: yet, being not bound to this,

I did affright the man from such attempts

Of crimes against her, who contrariwise

Hath out of England openly assigned

Pensions to Gray my traitor, and the Scots

Mine adversaries, as also to my son,

To hire him to forsake me.

BURGHLEY.

Nay, but seeing

By negligence of them that steered the state

The revenues of Scotland sore impaired

Somewhat in bounty did her grace bestow

Upon your son the king, her kinsman: whom

She would not, being to her so near of blood,

Forget from charity. No such help it was

Nor no such honest service that your friends

Designed you, who by letters hither writ

To Paget and Mendoza sent as here

Large proffers of strange aid from oversea

To right you by her ruin.

MARY STUART.

Here was nought

Aimed for your queen's destruction: nor is this

Against me to be charged, that foreign friends

Should labour for my liberty. Thus much

At sundry times I have signified aloud

By open message to her, that I would still

Seek mine own freedom. Who shall bar me this?

Who tax me with unreason, that I sent

Unjust conditions on my part to be

To her propounded, which now many times

Have alway found rejection? yea, when even

For hostages I proffered in my stead

To be delivered up with mine own son

The duke of Guise's, both to stand in pledge

That nor your queen nor kingdom should through me

Take aught of damage; so that hence by proof

I see myself utterly from all hope

Already barred of freedom. But I now

Am dealt with most unworthily, whose fame

And honourable repute are called in doubt

Before such foreign men of law as may

By miserable conclusions of their craft

Draw every thin and shallow circumstance

Out into compass of a consequence:

Whereas the anointed heads and consecrate

Of princes are not subject to such laws

As private men are. Next, whereas ye are given

Authority but to look such matters through

As tend to the hurt of your queen's person, yet

Here is the cause so handled, and so far

Here are my letters wrested, that the faith

Which I profess, the immunity and state

Of foreign princes, and their private right

Of mutual speech by word reciprocate

From royal hand to royal, all in one

Are called in question, and myself by force

Brought down beneath my kingly dignity

And made to appear before a judgment-seat

As one held guilty; to none end but this,

All to none other purpose but that I

Might from all natural favour of the queen

Be quite excluded, and my right cut off

From claim hereditary: whereas I stand

Here of mine own goodwill to clear myself

Of all objected to me, lest I seem

To have aught neglected in the full defence

Of mine own innocency and honour. This

Would I bring likewise in your minds, how once

This queen herself of yours, Elizabeth,

Was drawn in question of conspiracy

That Wyatt raised against her sister, yet

Ye know she was most innocent. For me,

With very heart's religion I affirm,

Though I desire the Catholics here might stand

Assured of safety, this I would not yet

Buy with the blood and death of any one.

And on mine own part rather would I play

Esther than Judith; for the people's sake

To God make intercession, than deprive

The meanest of the people born of life.

Mine enemies have made broad report aloud

That I was irreligious: yet the time

Has been I would have learnt the faith ye hold,

But none would suffer me, for all I sought,

To find such teaching at your teachers' hands;

As though they cared not what my soul became.

And now at last, when all ye can ye have done

Against me, and have barred me from my right,

Ye may chance fail yet of your cause and hope.

To God and to the princes of my kin

I make again appeal, from you again

Record my protestation, and reject

All judgment of your court: I had rather die

Thus undishonoured, even a thousand deaths,

Than so bring down the height of majesty;

Yea, and thereby confess myself as bound

By all the laws of England, even in faith

Of things religious, who could never learn

What manner of laws these were: I am destitute

Of counsellors, and who shall be my peers

To judge my cause through and give doom thereon

I am ignorant wholly, being an absolute queen,

And will do nought which may impair that state

In me nor other princes, nor my son;

Since yet my mind is not dejected, nor

Will I sink under my calamity.

My notes are taken from me, and no man

Dares but step forth to be my advocate.

I am clear from all crime done against the queen,

I have stirred not up one man against her: yet,

Albeit of many dangers overpast

I have thoroughly forewarned her, still I found

No credit, but have always been contemned,

Though nearest to her in blood allied. When late

Ye made association, and thereon

An act against their lives on whose behalf,

Though innocent even as ignorance of it, aught

Might be contrived to endangering of the queen

From foreign force abroad, or privy plots

At home of close rebellion, I foresaw

That, whatsoever of peril so might rise

Or more than all this for religion's sake,

My many mortal enemies in her court

Should lay upon me all the charge, and I

Bear the whole blame of all men. Certainly,

I well might take it hardly, nor without

High cause, that such confederacy was made

With mine own son, and I not knowing: but this

I speak not of, being not so grieved thereat

As that mine own dear sister, that the queen,

Is misinformed of me, and I, now kept

These many years in so strait prison, and grown

Lame of my limbs, have lien neglected, nor

For all most reasonable conditions made

Or proffered to redeem my liberty

Found audience or acceptance: and at last

Here am I set with none to plead for me.

But this I pray, that on this matter of mine

Another meeting there be kept, and I

Be granted on my part an advocate

To hold my cause up; or that seeing ye know

I am a princess, I may be believed

By mine own word, being princely: for should I

Stand to your judgment, who most plainly I see

Are armed against me strong in prejudice,

It were mine extreme folly: more than this,

That ever I came to England in such trust

As of the plighted friendship of your queen

And comfort of her promise. Look, my lords,

Here on this ring: her pledge of love was this

And surety sent me when I lay in bonds

Of mine own rebels once: regard it well:

In trust of this I came amongst you: none

But sees what faith I have found to keep this trust.

BURGHLEY.

Whereas I bear a double person, being

Commissioner first, then counsellor in this cause,

From me as from the queen's commissioner here

Receive a few words first. Your protest made

Is now on record, and a transcript of it

Shall be delivered you. To us is given

Under the queen's hand our authority, whence

Is no appeal, this grant being ratified

With the great seal of England; nor are we

With prejudice come hither, but to judge

By the straight rule of justice. On their part,

These the queen's learned counsel here in place

Do level at nothing else but that the truth

May come to light, how far you have made offence

Against the person of the queen. To us

Full power is given to hear and diligently

Examine all the matter, though yourself

Were absent: yet for this did we desire

To have your presence here, lest we might seem

To have derogated from your honour: nor

Designed to object against you anything

But what you knew of, or took part therein,

Against the queen's life bent. For this were these

Your letters brought in question, but to unfold

Your aim against her person, and therewith

All matters to it belonging; which perforce

Are so with other matters interlaced

As none may sever them. Hence was there need

Set all these forth, not parcels here and there,

Whose circumstances do the assurance give

Upon what points you dealt with Babington.

MARY STUART.

The circumstances haply may find proof,

But the fact never. Mine integrity

Nor on the memory nor the credit hangs

Of these my secretaries, albeit I know

They are men of honest hearts: yet if they have

Confessed in fear of torture anything

Or hope of guerdon and impunity,

It may not be admitted, for just cause,

Which I will otherwhere allege. Men's minds

Are with affections diversly distraught

And borne about of passion: nor would these

Have ever avowed such things against me, save

For their own hope and profit. Letters may

Toward other hands be outwardly addressed

Than they were writ for: yea, and many times

Have many things been privily slipped in mine

Which from my tongue came never. Were I not

Reft of my papers, and my secretary

Kept from me, better might I then confute

These things cast up against me.

BURGHLEY.

But there shall

Be nothing brought against you save what last

Stands charged, even since the nineteenth day of June;

Nor would your papers here avail you, seeing

Your secretaries, and Babington himself,

Being of the rack unquestioned, have affirmed

You sent those letters to him; which though yourself

Deny, yet whether more belief should here

On affirmation or negation hang

Let the commissioners judge. But, to come back,

This next I tell you as a counsellor,

Time after time you have put forth many things

Propounded for your freedom; that all these

Have fallen all profitless, 'tis long of you,

And of the Scots; in no wise of the queen.

For first the lords of Scotland, being required,

Flatly refused, to render up the king

In hostage: and when treaty last was held

Upon your freedom, then was Parry sent

By your dependant Morgan privily

To make the queen away by murder.

MARY STUART.

Ah!

You are my adversary.

BURGHLEY.

Yea, surely I am

To the queen's adversaries an adversary.

But now hereof enough: let us proceed

Henceforth to proofs.