20 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 63. ^81. The name of Sir James Balfour will be re- January. mem b ere( j as one o f Bothwell's confederates. Balfour, like many others who had been concerned at Kirk o' Field, had profited by the general disinclination to look deeply into the history of the murder, but he had found it prudent nevertheless to remain chiefly on the Continent. It happened that he, and only he, was in a position to prove the communication which had passed between Morton and Both well. He had a quar- rel of his own with Morton, which he had long watched for a chance of settling. He had been in communication with Lennox it was believed in England that he had been at Madrid, and had obtained money from Philip to assist Lennox's enterprise, 1 and he had now secretly re- turned to Scotland to give his evidence. The arrest was effected on the last evening of the year in the Earl's own room in the Palace. 2 That night and the next day, which was Sunday, he remained there under a guard, and it was said that he might have escaped had he tried. On Monday morning Captain Stewart carried him up to the Castle with a strong escort, which appeared however not to have been required. Morton had but few friends. The Catholics hated him as the champion of Protestant- ism ; the Protestants, for having betrayed the liberties 1 'Avisan assimismo que este Sir James Balfour habia estado en Es- pana, que V. M d le habia mandado dar quantidad de dinero con que habia ganado algunas voluntades en Escocia para conseguir la execution del negocio.' Bernardino de Men- doza to Philip, January 15, 1581: MSS. Simancas. 3 Bowes to Walsingham, Jan- uary i : MSS. Scotland. Calder- wood says erroneously, that it was in the council chamber, where Morton had ceased to sit.
