n, his silver plate taken from him, and some officers who remained
about him made him buy their services with the most bitter vexations. As
for the queen, she no longer even took the trouble to conceal her dislike
for him, avoiding him without consideration, to such a degree that one
day when she had gone with Bothwell to Alway, she left there again
immediately, because Darnley came to join her. The king, however, still
had patience; but a fresh imprudence of Mary's at last led to the
terrible catastrophe that, since the queen's liaison with Bothwell, some
had already foreseen.

Towards the end of the month of October, 1566, while the queen was
holding a court of justice at Jedburgh, it was announced to her that
Bothwell, in trying to seize a malefactor called John Elliot of Park, had
been badly wounded in the hand; the queen, who was about to attend the
council, immediately postponed the sitting till next day, and, having
ordered a horse to be saddled, she set out for Hermitage Castle, where
Bothwell was living, and covered the distance at a stretch, although it
was twenty miles, and she had to go across woods, marshes, and rivers;
then, having remained some hours tete-a-tete with him, she set out again
with the same sped for Jedburgh, to which she returned in the night.

Although this proceeding had made a great deal of talk, which was
inflamed still more by the queen's enemies, who chiefly belonged to the
Reformed religion, Darnley did not hear of it till nearly two months
afterwards--that is to say, when Bothwell, completely recovered, returned
with the queen to Edinburgh.

Then Darnley thought that he ought not to put up any longer with such
humiliations. But as, since his treason to his accomplices, he had not
found in all Scotland a noble who would have drawn the sword for him, he
resolved to go and seek the Earl of Lennox, his father, hoping that
through his influence he could rally the malcontents, of whom there were
a great number since Bothwell had been in favour. Unfortunately, Darnley,
indiscreet and imprudent as usual, confided this plan to some of his
officers, who warned Bothwell of their master's intention. Bothwell did
not seem to oppose the journey in any way; but Darnley was scarcely a
mile from Edinburgh when he felt violent pains none the less, he
continued his road, and arrived very ill at Glasgow. He immediately sent
for a celebrated doctor, called James Abrenets, who found his body
covered