upply from her of men and money; but though
she had reason to deem the prosecution of the three Popish earls a
common cause, she never could be prevailed on to grant him the least
assistance. The tenth part of the expense which she bestowed in
supporting the French king and the states, would have sufficed to
execute this purpose, more immediately essential to her security;[**]
but she seems ever to have borne some degree of malignity to James, whom
she hated, both as her heir, and as the son of Mary, her hated rival and
competitor.

* Spotswood, p. 391. Rymer, tom. xvi. p. 190.

** Spotswood, p. 393. Rymer, tom. xvi. p. 235

So far from giving James assistance to prosecute the Catholic
conspirators, the queen rather contributed to increase his inquietude,
by countenancing the turbulent disposition of the earl of Bothwell,[*]
a nobleman descended from a natural son of James V. Both well more than
once attempted to render himself master of the king's person; and being
expelled the kingdom for these traitorous enterprises, he took shelter
in England, was secretly protected, by the queen, and lurked near the
borders, where his power lay, with a view of still committing some new
violence. He succeeded at last in an attempt on the king; and by the
mediation of the English ambassador, imposed dishonorable terms upon
that prince: but James, by the authority of the convention of states,
annulled this agreement as extorted by violence, again expelled
Bothwell, and obliged him to take shelter in England. Elizabeth,
pretending ignorance of the place of his retreat, never executed the
treaties, by which she was bound to deliver up all rebels and fugitives
to the king of Scotland.

* Spotswood, p. 257, 258.

{1594.} During these disorders, increased by the refractory disposition
of the ecclesiastics, the prosecution of the Catholic earls remained in
suspense; but at last the parliament passed an act of attainder against
them, and the king prepared himself to execute it by force of arms. The
noblemen, though they obtained a victory over the earl of Argyle, who
acted by the king's commission found themselves hard pressed by James
himself, and agreed on certain terms to leave the kingdom. Bothwell,
being defected in a confederacy with them, forfeited the favor of
Elizabeth, and was obliged to take shelter, first in France, then in
Italy, where he died some years after in great poverty.

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