Show mary stuart aacen of scotland historic sketch by LEO elizabeth of england was not much pleased with her unexpected guest bhe did not however refuse the fugitive queen an asylum but imposed upon her the humiliating condition to exculpate herself of all suspicion of complicity in Darn leya assassination before the would bo admitted into her elizabeths royal pret ence mary protested against any such proposition of an exculpation which looked rather like belf incel but her protest was in vain iter refusal caged her arrest and at last she was compelled to submit to a kind of trial on the charge of participation in the murder of ner own husband there ensued a lengthy trial retarded by party intrigue interrupted by unsuccessful attempt at liberation and by marya accious denials of all charges brought up against her A new plot which did not bly aim t mary delivery from her odious captivity but also at the assassination of WM concocted and partly executed by partisans of the roman court it was discovered und grift overtook the panties es marys own case wa fatally collated pre thereby as all the little sympathy which had yet been felt by the english public for ane exiled scotch queen turned into loathing and detestation the fair prisoner was accused of having ori mated and inspired th regicidal plot and she was indicated of high trea ioa mary denied all th charts with luranee wu ranee but passages of correspondence pon dence testified too audly against her innocence in th matter she was convicted of felony and on october the the tribunal of english peers sentenced her to death on the the english parliament confirmed the verdict and demanded from alon elizabeth the speedy eze cation of ha death warrant for the sake of hio maintenance of religion the pace of the realm and the efty f ahe queens person A long time elizabeth hesitated A lenient peni ent confession and a plea for narcy from her dethroner dethroned royal bater would have been more welcome to her such however will not to be looked for from the proud mind of mary who showed more resolution of character and of purpose under the heavy blow of adversity than she had evar oa used under the sunshine of prosperous prop erous times while ras thus holding hack in suspense a new attempt was made on her life and this time the threads of the con piracy could be tracked up to the french embassy em basy this criminal temerity put the pen for the siana ture of the death warrant into aliza beths hand but yet she delayed its execution the tender cornista tion eold reasons of state policy iier royal councillors councilors counci lors however fearing lett pity might prevail in her proceeded to the execution with greatest haste mary listened to the reading of her sentence with calmness and proud self control nineteen years had she been dragged arora castle to castle and dungeon to dungeon as a hated prisoner in ft strange land amongst hostile guardians it is therefore not hard to believe she poke the truth when li the announcement of her d with satisfaction it being welcome te her as the one final and sure deliverer from her ignoble bondage HT whole conduct in the last days before her da h div evidence of an interior purification t which w cannot refuse our to the very troublous life she maintained a tranquillity of soul a certain placid dignity which extorted admiration aan fraai her enemies she had earnestly asked or catholic clergyman to prepare her for bar departure from life with the rite of her own anith but the intolerant spirit of her protestant judge refused berth harmless corn fort in the night afore her becu tion mary slept few hours nd then arrayed herolf rai ments for alie wished to appear queen in her very last moment the lait hour he pent in devotional tier aises before her house altar it was on the morning of th ath of feb 1587 when she left her prison leaning on her faithful servants some of whom had with rare fidelity stood by her ida all through tier dreary exile with n imposino impo sint dignity che ascended tho scaffold which was erected in the loer hall of the castle of fotheringham fotheringhay once more they read the sentence to her thea mary addressed tha few bystanders in most pathetic manner onca more the declared that the departed this life with joy when after this the commenced praying lor herself in catholic rite ft fanatical priest of the reformed church stepped up and intruded hi assist ance en her mary however declined his offer nd BB he with intolerant kalhe zal he ordered him to bo silent praying with loud voice and prostrate on her knees ulie awaited the final blow but the executioners execution ers led her to the block one of them adjusted her head thereon the other arranged her hands on her back while tha queen was the words in thy hand oh lord I commend my soul the fattal sword her beautiful neck but only the blew severed the head the executioner lifted it up exclaiming god protect queen thus ended not without faults of her own the lifo of a proud and richly endowed monarch a life which hao begun in brilliant affluence and terminated in ignominious death enry stuart could have saved her she had renounced her prin confessed confes red her elored tho mercy of queen elizabeth she preferred to remain faithful unto to the principles of her training and family in this she deserves the admiration of posterity the impartial historian cannot withhold his compassion when ho considers that an treatment provokes her to participate in the con piracies pi against queen elizabeths life bior whole life illustrates aub linia truth of word the court of dej it tso |