PAULET.

It shall be

The first of all then craved by her of man,

Or by man's service done her, that was found

So harmless ever.

 

Enter Mary Stuart and Mary Beaton.

 

MARY STUART.

Sirs, in time past by

I was desirous many times, ye know,

To have written to your queen: but since I have had

Advertisement of my conviction, seeing

I may not look for life, my soul is set

On preparation for another world:

Yet none the less, not for desire of life,

But for my conscience's discharge and rest,

And for my last farewell, I have at heart

By you to send her a memorial writ

Of somewhat that concerns myself, when I

Shall presently be gone out of this world.

And to remove from her, if such be there,

Suspicion of all danger in receipt

Of this poor paper that should come from me,

Myself will take the assay of it, and so

With mine own hands to yours deliver it.

PAULET.

Will you not also, madam, be content

To seal and close it in my presence up?

MARY STUART.

Sir, willingly: but I beseech your word

Pledged for its safe delivery to the queen.

PAULET.

I plight my faith it shall be sent to her.

MARY STUART.

This further promise I desire, you will

Procure me from above certificate

It hath been there delivered.

DRURY.

This is more

Than we may stand so pledged for: in our power

It is to send, but far beyond our power,

As being above our place, to promise you

Certificate or warrant.

MARY STUART.

Yet I trust

Consideration may be had of me

After my death, as one derived in blood

From your queen's grandsire, with all mortal rites

According with that faith I have professed

All my life-days as I was born therein.

This is the sum of all mine askings: whence

Well might I take it in ill part of you

To wish me seal my letter in your sight,

Bewraying your hard opinion of me.

PAULET.

This

Your own words well might put into my mind,

That so beside my expectation made

Proffer to take my first assay for me

Of the outer part of it: for you must think

I was not ignorant that by sleight of craft

There might be as great danger so conveyed

Within the letter as without, and thus

I could not for ill thoughts of you be blamed,

Concurring with you in this jealousy:

For had yourself not moved it of yourself

Sir Drew nor I had ever thought on it.

MARY STUART.

The occasion why I moved it was but this,

That having made my custom in time past

To send sometimes some tokens to your queen,

At one such time that I sent certain clothes

One standing by advised her cause my gifts

To be tried thoroughly ere she touched them; which

I have since observed, and taken order thus

With Nau, when last he tarried at the court,

To do the like to a fur-fringed counterpane

Which at that time I sent: and as for this,

Look what great danger lies between these leaves

That I dare take and handle in my hands,

And press against my face each part of them

Held open thus, and either deadly side,

Wherein your fear smells death sown privily.

PAULET.

Madam, when so you charged your secretary

Her majesty was far from doubt, I think,

Or dream of such foul dealing: and I would

Suspicion since had found no just cause given,

And then things had not been as now they are.

MARY STUART.

But things are as they are, and here I stand

Convicted, and not knowing how many hours

I have to live yet.

PAULET.

Madam, you shall live

As many hours as God shall please: but this

May be said truly, that you here have been

Convicted in most honourable sort

And favourable.

MARY STUART.

What favour have I found?

PAULET.

Your cause hath been examined scrupulously

By many our eldest nobles of this realm,

Whereas by law you should but have been tried

By twelve men as a common person.

MARY STUART.

Nay,

Your noblemen must by their peers be tried.

PAULET.

All strangers of what quality soe'er

In matter of crime are only to be tried

In other princes' territories by law

That in that realm bears rule.

MARY STUART.

You have your laws:

But other princes all will think of it

As they see cause; and mine own son is now

No more a child, but come to man's estate,

And he will think of these things bitterly.

DRURY.

Ingratitude, whate'er he think of them,

Is odious in all persons, but of all

In mightiest personages most specially

Most hateful: and it will not be denied

But that the queen's grace greatly hath deserved

Both of yourself and of your son.

MARY STUART.

What boon

Shall I acknowledge? Being in bonds, I am set

Free from the world, and therefore am I not

Afraid to speak; I have had the favour here

To have been kept prisoner now these many years

Against my will and justice.

PAULET.

Madam, this

Was a great favour, and without this grace

You had not lived to see these days.

MARY STUART.

How so?

PAULET.

Seeing your own subjects did pursue you, and had

The best in your own country.

MARY STUART.

That is true,

Because your Mildmay's ill persuasions first

Made me discharge my forces, and then caused

Mine enemies to burn my friends' main holds,

Castles and houses.

PAULET.

Howsoe'er, it was

By great men of that country that the queen

Had earnest suit made to her to have yourself

Delivered to them, which her grace denied,

And to their great misliking.

DRURY.

Seventeen years

She hath kept your life to save it: and whereas

She calls your highness sister, she hath dealt

In truth and deed most graciously with you

And sisterlike, in seeking to preserve

Your life at once and honour.

MARY STUART.

Ay! wherein?

DRURY.

In that commission of your causes held

At York, which was at instance of your friends

Dissolved to save your honour.

MARY STUART.

No: the cause

Why that commission was dissolved indeed

Was that my friends could not be heard to inform

Against my loud accusers.

PAULET.

But your friend

The bishop's self of Ross, your very friend,

Hath written that this meeting was dismissed

All only in your favour: and his book

Is extant: and this favour is but one

Of many graces which her majesty

Hath for mere love extended to you.

MARY STUART.

This

Is one great favour, even to have kept me here

So many years against my will.

PAULET.

It was

For your own safety, seeing your countrymen

Sought your destruction, and to that swift end

Required to have you yielded up to them,

As was before said.

MARY STUART.

Nay, then, I will speak.

I am not afraid. It was determined here

That I should not depart: and when I was

Demanded by my subjects, this I know,

That my lord treasurer with his own close hand

Writ in a packet which by trustier hands

Was intercepted, and to me conveyed,

To the earl of Murray, that the devil was tied

Fast in a chain, and they could keep her not,

But here she should be safely kept.

DRURY.

That earl

Was even as honourable a gentleman

As I knew ever in that country bred.

MARY STUART.

One of the worst men of the world he was:

A foul adulterer, one of general lust,

A spoiler and a murderer.

DRURY.

Six weeks long,

As I remember, here I saw him; where

He bore him very gravely, and maintained

The reputation even on all men's tongues

In all things of a noble gentleman:

Nor have I heard him evil spoken of

Till this time ever.

MARY STUART.

Yea, my rebels here

Are honest men, and by the queen have been

Maintained.

PAULET.

You greatly do forget yourself

To charge her highness with so foul a fault,

Which you can never find ability

To prove on her.

MARY STUART.

What did she with the French,

I pray you, at Newhaven?

PAULET.

It appears

You have conceived so hardly of the queen

My mistress, that you still inveterately

Interpret all her actions to the worst,

Not knowing the truth of all the cause: but yet

I dare assure you that her majesty

Had most just cause and righteous, in respect

As well of Calais as for other ends,

To do the thing she did, and more to have done,

Had it so pleased her to put forth her power:

And this is in you great unthankfulness

After so many favours and so great,

Whereof you will acknowledge in no wise

The least of any: though her majesty

Hath of her own grace merely saved your life,

To the utter discontentment of the best

Your subjects once in open parliament

Who craved against you justice on the charge

Of civil law-breach and rebellion.

MARY STUART.

I

Know no such matter, but full well I know

Sir Francis Walsingham hath openly,

Since his abiding last in Scotland, said

That I should rue his entertainment there.

PAULET.

Madam, you have not rued it, but have been

More honourably entertained than ever yet

Was any other crown's competitor

In any realm save only this: whereof

Some have been kept close prisoners, other some

Maimed and unnaturally disfigured, some

Murdered.

MARY STUART.

But I was no competitor:

All I required was in successive right

To be reputed but as next the crown.

PAULET.

Nay, madam, you went further, when you gave

The English arms and style, as though our queen

Had been but an usurper on your right.

MARY STUART.

My husband and my kinsmen did therein

What they thought good: I had nought to do with it.

PAULET.

Why would you not then loyally renounce

Your claim herein pretended, but with such

Condition, that you might be authorized

Next heir apparent to the crown?

MARY STUART.

I have made

At sundry times thereon good proffers, which

Could never be accepted.

PAULET.

Heretofore

It hath been proved unto you presently

That in the very instant even of all

Your treaties and most friendlike offers were

Some dangerous crafts discovered.