XIV.

THE MURDER OF THE KING OF SCOTS.

The catastrophe of Henry Stewart, lord Darnley, the unfortunate husband of Mary 2 of Scots, is the Jubject of this ballad. It is here related in that partial imperfect manner, in which fuch an event would naturally ftrike the fubjects of another kingdom; of which he was a native. Henry appears to have been a vain capricious aworthless_young man, of weak understanding, and dissolute morals. But the beauty of his perfon, and the inexperience of his youth, would difpofe mankind to treat him with an indulgence, which the cruelty of his murder would afterwards convert into the most tender pity and regret: and then imagination would not fail to adorn bis memory with all thofe virtues, he ought to have poffeffed. This will account for the extravagant elogium beflowed upon him in the firft ftanza, &c.

ames

Henry lord Darnley, was eldeft fon of the earl of Lennox, by the lady Margaret Douglas, niece of Henry VIII. and daughter of Margaret queen of Scotland by the earl of Angus, whom that princefs married after the death of Jam IV.-Darnley, who had been born and educated in England, was but in his 21ft year, when he was married Feb. 9, 1567-8. This crime was perpetrated by the E. of Bothwell, not out of respect to the memory of David Riccio, but in order to pave the way for his own marriage with the queen.

This ballad (printed from the Editor's folio MS.) feems to have been written foon after Mary's efcape into England in 1568, fee v. 65.- It will be remembered at v. 5. that this princess was 2. dowager of France, having been firft married to Francis II, who died Dec. 4. 1560..

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W°

OE worth, woe worth thee, false Scotlande! For thou haft ever wrought by fleighte; The worthyeft prince that ever was borne,

You hanged under a cloud by night.

The queene

of France a letter wrote,

And fealed it with harte and ringe;

And bade him come Scotland within,

And thee wold marry and crowne him kinge.

To be a king is a pleasant thing,

To be a prince unto a peere:

But you

have heard, and foe have I, A man may well buy gold too deare. ́

There was an Italyan in that place,

Was as well beloved as ever was hee, And David Riccio was his name,

Chamberlaine to the queene was hee.

If the king had rifen forth of his place,
Hee wold have fate him downe i' th' chaire,
Although it befeemed him not fo well,

And though the kinge were prefent there.

Some lords in Scotlande waxed wroth,

And quarrelled with him for the nonce; And I fhall tell how it befell,

Twelve daggers were in him att once.

When the queene fhee faw her chamberlaine flaine
For him her faire cheeks fhee did weete,
And made a vowe for a yeare and a day

The king and shee wold not come in one sheete.

Then fome of the lords they waxed wroth,
And made their vow all vehementlye;
That for the death of the chamberlaine,
How hee, the king himselfe sholde dye.

With gun-powder they firewed his roome,
And layd greene rushes in his waye;
For the traitors thought that very night
This worthye king for to betraye.

To bedd the king he made him bowne;
To take his reft was his defire;

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30

35

He was noe fooner caft on fleepe,

But his chamber was on a blafing fire.

Up he lope, and the window brake,
And hee had thirtye foote to fall;
Lord Bodwell kept a privy watch,

All underneath the caftle wall.

Who have we here? lord Bodwell fayd :
Now anfwer me, that I may know.
"King Henry the eighth my uncle was;

For his sweete fake fome pitty show."
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49

45

Who

Who have we here? lord Bodwell fayd,
Now answer me when I doe fpeake.
"Ah, lord Bodwell, I know thee well;
Some pitty on me I pray thee take."

Ile pitty thee as much, hee fayd,

And as much favour fhow to thee;

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As thou didst to the queenes chamberlaine,
That day thou deemedft him to dye.

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Through halls and towers the king they ledd,
Through towers and castles that were nye,
Through an arbor into an orchard,

There on a peare-tree hangd him hye.

When the governor of Scotland heard,
How that the worthye king was flaine;

He perfued the queen fo bitterlye,

That in Scotland fhee dare not remaine.

But she is fledd into merry England,

And here her refidence hath tane;
And through the queene of Englands grace,
In England now shee doth remaine.

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65

XV. A.

XV.

A SONNET BY Q ELIZABETH.

The following lines, if they difplay no rich vein of poetry, are yet fo ftrongly characteristic of their great and spirited authorefs, that the infertion of them will be pardoned. They are preferved in Puttenham's Arte of Eng. Poefie; a book in which are many fly addreffes to the queen's foible of shining as a poetefs. The extraordinary manner in which these verses are introduced, fhews what kind of homage was exacted from the courtly writers of thofe times, viz.

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"I find, fays this antiquated critic, none example in Englife metre, fo well maintaining this figure [Exargafia, or "the Gorgeous, Lat. Expolitio] as that dittie of her majefties "owne making, paffing fweete and harmonicall; which figure beyng as his very originall name purporteth the most bew"tifull and gorgious of all others, it afketh in reafon to be "referved for a laft complement, and defciphred by a ladies "penne, herfelfe beyng the most bewtifull, or rather bewtie " of queenes*. And this was the occafion: our foveraigne lady perceiving how the Scottish queenes refidence within "this realme at fo great libertie and eafe (as were fkarce "meete for fo great and dangerous a pryfoner) bred fecret factions among her people, and made many of the nobilitie "incline to favour ber partie : Some of them defirous of in"novation in the ftate: others afpiring to greater fortunes by her libertie and life. The queene our foveraigne ladie to declare that he was nothing ignorant of thofe fecret practizes, though she had long with great wifdome and " pacience

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66

She was at this time near threescore.