1567-] THE MURDER OF DARNLEY. 509 God knit us together to be the most faithful couple that ever he united. This is my faith I will die in it. I am writing to you while the rest are sleeping, since I cannot sleep as they do, and as I would desire that is, in your arms, my dear love ; whom I pray God pre- serve from all evil and send you repose/ Without much moral scrupulousness about her, Mary Stuart had still feelings which answer to a loose man's ' sense of honour.' 'I must go forward/ she said, 'with my odious purpose. You make me dissemble so far that I abhor it, and you cause me to do the office of a traitress. If it were not to obey you I had rather die than do it ; my heart bleeds at it. He will not come with me except I promise him that I shall be with him as before, and doing this he will do all I please and come with me. To make him trust me I had to fence in some things with him ; so when he asked that when he was well we should both have but one bed, I said that if he changed not purpose between now and then it should be so ; but in the mean time I bade him take care that he let no- body know of it, because the lords would fear if we agreed together, he would make them feel the small ac- count they made of him. In fine, he will go anywhere that I ask him. Alas ! I never deceived anybody ; but I remit me altogether to your pleasure. Send me word what to do and I will do it. Consider whether you can contrive anything more secret by medicine. He is to take medicine and baths at Craigmillar. He suspects greatly, and yet he trusts me. I am sorry to hurt any
