from policy or because she realised he was the tool of Edinothers, Mary at once tried to detach him from his burgh confederates, and succeeded so well that she persuaded under the him to escape with her to Dunbar. Darnley's conduct, Stewarts: however, did not improve, so Mary returned to Edin- Robert II. burgh. Holyrood had associations too tragic and too recent for her to care to return there, so she went to the house of a private citizen in the High Street, then to the house in Castlehill where her mother had lived, and finally, for greater security, she removed to the Castle.

There on 19th June a son was born to her-afterwards James vi. of Scotland, James 1. of England. The room where James was born is still shown to visitors, and though now unfurnished is probably otherwise pretty much as it was then. It is a small room of peculiar shape commanding an extensive view and looking sheer down on the Grassmarket. The legend that James was let down from this window in a basket is quite unauthenticated, but it is one which the attendant seldom fails to produce for the benefit of tourists. The greatest joy prevailed in Scotland and corresponding gloom at the court of England. When she heard the news Elizabeth exclaimed, 'The Queen has a fair son and I am but a barren stock."

Mary soon after pardoned about seventy people, including Morton, who had plotted the death of Rizzio. Darnley's position at this time was most unpleasant. He was estranged from Mary, and the return of the exiled nobles was an awkward circumstance, as they were in no mood to forgive him for having played them false. He left the Queen and went to Glasgow, where he took smallpox. His illness seems to have revived all Mary's affection, for she went to him and nursed him back to health, risking not only her life-she was a Stewart and knew no fear-but her beauty, which would have been a serious loss to her. When Darnley was

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convalescent she persuaded him to return to Edinburgh with her, and he was lodged in the house near the Collegiate Church of St. Mary's-in-the-Fields (the Kirko'-Field). Mary spent a great part of each day with him, and on 9th February 1567 she was with him in the evening, but left to be present at a masque at Holyrood. Bothwell's servants met her on her way back, ' gangand before them with licht torches as they came up the Black Frier Wynd.' At two o'clock next morning the Kirk-o'-Field was blown up with gunpowder, and the dead body of Darnley was found in the garden. No one doubted for a moment that Bothwell was responsible, but when he was brought to trial in the Tolbooth two months later he was acquitted. There were too many others directly implicated in the murder-like Morton and Maitland-for a thorough investigation to be considered safe. Moray had taken good care to be away from Edinburgh at the time. The leading nobles also signed a 'bond' declaring that Bothwell was a suitable husband for the Queen, though he had a wife living at the time, whom he speedily divorced.

His abduction of the Queen followed a fortnight after his acquittal. When Bothwell brought Mary back to Edinburgh she turned her horse's head towards Holyrood, but Bothwell seized her bridle and compelled her to ride to the Castle instead, a typical incident surely. They were married in the Chapel at Holyrood on 15th May by Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney. Mary's next appearance in Edinburgh was a month later, after the battle of Carberry Hill, when she was imprisoned in the house of the Provost, Sir Simon Preston, near the Tron Church. Here she was insulted by being confronted with a banner representing the murder of Darnley and bearing the inscription, Judge and revenge my cause, O Lord." This was too much for the Queen, who exclaimed, 'Good people, either satisfy your cruelty and hatred by taking away my miserable

burgh under the Stewarts: Robert II.

life, or release me from the hands of such inhuman Edintyrants.' Thereupon some of the loyal citizens displayed the Blue Blanket and rushed to the rescue, but she was immediately removed to Holyrood. On 16th June 1667 Mary was removed from Holyrood to Lochleven, so she passes out of the history of Edinburgh. Yet her memory survives still, more strongly than ever, and when we walk along the cloisters of Holyrood or stand on the Castle battlements or wander through the aisles of St. Giles', it is the lovely and hapless Mary Stewart who fills our thoughts.

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CHAPTER III

EDINBURGH UNDER LATER KINGS

ROM this time on the character of Edinburgh changed considerably. During the twenty-five years that James reigned in Scotland, Stirling, not Édinburgh, was his chief place of abode, and after the removal of the King and Court to England, Edinburgh retained only a shadow of its former greatness-which was still farther attenuated by the Union of the Parliaments in 1707.

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The first use the new government made of its power was to bring to trial certain attendants of the Queen on the charge of the murder of Darnley. Sebastian escaped, but Blackadder and the others were put in irins and tormentis for furthering of the tryall of the veritie,' and in spite of their-presumably well-founded-assertions of innocence they were executed on 24th June 1567. We find other incidents occurring in Edinburgh at this time: the magistrates' assertion of their superiority over Leith, the proclamation of Moray as Regent at the Cross of Edinburgh, and the siege of Edinburgh Castle, which was held for Queen Mary by Kirkaldy of Grange. The country was at this time torn by civil war, families were divided, and even children in their games declared themselves Kingsmen' or 'Queensmen.' Moray, however, contrived to reduce the country to something like order, but he was assassinated in 1570 by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh. Knox preached his funeral sermon in St. Giles', the text

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being, 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord,' and Edinhe preached so eloquently that we are told he made burgh three thousand persons to shed tears for the loss of such under a good and godly governor.' He was buried in the south later transept of St. Giles', which in his honour still bears the Kings name of the Moray Aisle.' Knox died two years later and was buried in the churchyard of St. Giles. It is almost superfluous to refer to Morton's well-known eulogium, Here lies one who never feared the face of man.'

Moray had been succeeded by Lennox, and he in his turn by Mar. Morton now succeeded to that difficult office. Kirkaldy of Grange still held the Castle. There were minor inconveniences connected with this fact, besides the obvious awkwardness of having a hostile force in the midst of the capital. The Regalia was kept in the Castle for safety, so that when the crown jewels were wanted for state functions they might not be had,' and their place was taken by gilt imitations. The Castle was gallantly defended, but lack of provisions compelled surrender in 1573. No quarter for the leaders was to be expected from Morton, and Grange and his brother were accordingly hailit in cairtis bakwart' to the Cross and there executed.

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In 1579 James made his first public appearance in Edinburgh. He was received in the usual way with every magnificence and with allegorical representations. People representing Dame Music,' Peace, Plenty, Justice, Religion, etc., received him, the story of the judgment of Solomon was represented, and, in compliment to the 'British Solomon,' he was addressed in Latin, Greek, Scots, and Hebrew. The fall of Morton took place about this time. He had ruled with a high hand and had overcome his own enemies and the enemies of his house-the Hamiltons. But in 1580 he was accused and tried on the charge of Darnley's murder. It is undoubtedly true that Morton was mixed up in the affair, but his guilt