1566.] THE DARNLEY MARRIAGE, 383 need not more plainly describe the person you have heard of the man whom we mean. 'The time of execution and performance of these matters is before the Parliament, as near as it is. To this determination there are privy in Scotland these Argyle, Morton, E/uthven, Boyd, and Lidington ; in England these Murray, Grange, Rothes, myself (Bed- ford), and the writer hereof (Randolph). ' If the Queen will not yield to persuasion, we know not how they propose to proceed. If she make a power at home she will be fought with ; if she seek aid from abroad the country will be placed at the Queen's Ma- jesty's disposal to deal as she think fit/ In the blindness of confidence, and to prevent the chance of failure in Parliament, Mary Stuart had col- lected the surviving peers of the old ' spiritual estate/ the Catholic bishops and abbots, and placed them ' in the antient manner/ intending, as she herself declared, 1 ( to have done some good anent the restoring the auld religion, and to have proceeded against the rebels ac- cording to their demerits/ On Thursday, the yth, she presided in person at the choice of the Lords of the Articles, naming with her own mouth ' such as would say what she thought expedient to the forfeiture of the banished lords ; 2 and on Friday there was a preliminary 1 The Queen of Scots to the Archbishop of Glasgow, April 2 : KEITH. 2 RUTHVKN'S narrative. 'Who those the Lords of the Articles ? ' Ruthven said to the Queen. 'Not I,' said the Queen. ' Saving your presence,' said he, ' you chose them all, and nominated them.'
