upon the peaceful steamers and
merchant ships which are continually gliding along under its guns, up
and down the Clyde.

Queen Mary concluded to move forward to Dumbarton, it being a place
of greater safety than Hamilton. Murray gathered his forces to
intercept her march. The two armies met near Glasgow, as the queen
was moving westward, down the river. There was a piece of rising
ground between them, which each party was eager to ascend before the
other should reach it. The leader of the forces on Murray's side
ordered every horseman to take up a foot-soldier behind him, and ride
with all speed to the top of the hill. By this means the great body
of Murray's troops were put in possession of the vantage ground. The
queen's forces took post on another rising ground, less favorable, at
a little distance. The place was called Langside. A cannonading was
soon commenced, and a general battle ensued. Mary watched the
progress of it with intense emotions. Her forces began soon to give
way, and before many hours they were retreating in all directions,
the whole country being soon covered with the awful spectacles which
are afforded by one terrified and panic-stricken army flying before
the furious and triumphant rage of another. Mary gazed on the scene
in an agony of grief and despair.

A few faithful friends kept near her side, and told her that she must
hurry away. They turned to the southward, and rode away from the
ground. They pressed on as rapidly as possible toward the southern
coast, thinking that the only safety for Mary now was for her to make
her escape from the country altogether, and go either to England or
to France, in hopes of obtaining foreign aid to enable her to recover
her throne. They at length reached the sea-coast. Mary was received
into an abbey called Dundrennan, not far from the English frontier.
Here she remained, with a few nobles and a small body of attendants,
for two days, spending the time in anxious consultations to determine
what should be done. Mary herself was in favor of going to England,
and appealing to Elizabeth for protection and help. Her friends and
advisers, knowing Elizabeth perhaps better than Mary did, recommended
that she should sail for France, in hopes of awakening sympathy
there. But Mary, as we might naturally have expected, considering the
circumstances under which she left that country, found herself
extremely unwilling to go there as a fugitive and a suppliant. It was
d