Mary Stuart | Page 9

its waves.
Threatening, and sword in
hand, these thousand years,
From both its banks they watch their
rival's motions,
Most vigilant and true confederates,
With every
enemy of the neighbor state.
No foe oppresses England, but the Scot

Becomes his firm ally; no civil war
Inflames the towns of Scotland,
but the English
Add fuel to the fire: this raging hate
Will never be
extinguished till, at last,
One parliament in concord shall unite them,

One common sceptre rule throughout the isle.
BURLEIGH.
And from a Stuart, then, should England hope
This
happiness?
MARY.
Oh! why should I deny it?
Yes, I confess, I cherished the fond hope;

I thought myself the happy instrument
To join in freedom, 'neath
the olive's shade,
Two generous realms in lasting happiness!
I little
thought I should become the victim
Of their old hate, their long-lived
jealousy;
And the sad flames of that unhappy strife,
I hoped at last
to smother, and forever:
And, as my ancestor, great Richmond, joined

The rival roses after bloody contest,
To join in peace the Scotch
and English crowns.
BURLEIGH.
An evil way you took to this good end,
To set the
realm on fire, and through the flames
Of civil war to strive to mount
the throne.
MARY.
I wished not that:--I wished it not, by Heaven!
When did I
strive at that? Where are your proofs?
BURLEIGH.
I came not hither to dispute; your cause
Is no more
subject to a war of words.
The great majority of forty voices

Hath

found that you have contravened the law
Last year enacted, and have
now incurred
Its penalty.
[Producing the verdict.
MARY.
Upon this statute, then,
My lord, is built the verdict of my judges?
BURLEIGH (reading).
Last year it was enacted, "If a plot

Henceforth should rise in England, in the name
Or for the benefit of
any claimant
To England's crown, that justice should be done
On
such pretender, and the guilty party
Be prosecuted unto death." Now,
since
It has been proved----
MARY.
Lord Burleigh, I can well
Imagine that a law expressly aimed
At me,
and framed to compass my destruction
May to my prejudice be used.
Oh! Woe
To the unhappy victim, when the tongue
That frames the
law shall execute the sentence.
Can you deny it, sir, that this same
statute
Was made for my destruction, and naught else?
BURLEIGH.
It should have acted as a warning to you:
By your
imprudence it became a snare.
You saw the precipice which yawned
before you;
Yet, truly warned, you plunged into the deep.
With
Babington, the traitor, and his bands
Of murderous companions, were
you leagued.
You knew of all, and from your prison led
Their
treasonous plottings with a deep-laid plan.
MARY.
When did I that, my lord? Let them produce
The
documents.
BURLEIGH.
You have already seen them
They were before the court, presented to

you.
MARY.
Mere copies written by another hand;
Show me the proof
that they were dictated
By me, that they proceeded from my lips,

And in those very terms in which you read them.
BURLEIGH.
Before his execution, Babington
Confessed they
were the same which he received.
MARY.
Why was he in his lifetime not produced
Before my face?
Why was he then despatched
So quickly that he could not be
confronted
With her whom he accused?
BURLEIGH.
Besides, my lady,
Your secretaries, Curl and Nau, declare
On oath,
they are the very selfsame letters
Which from your lips they faithfully
transcribed.
MARY.
And on my menials' testimony, then,
I am condemned;
upon the word of those
Who have betrayed me, me, their rightful
queen!
Who in that very moment, when they came
As witnesses
against me, broke their faith!
BURLEIGH.
You said yourself, you held your countryman
To be
an upright, conscientious man.
MARY.
I thought him such; but 'tis the hour of danger
Alone,
which tries the virtue of a man.
[He ever was an honest man, but
weak
In understanding; and his subtle comrade,
Whose faith,
observe, I never answered for,
Might easily seduce him to write down

More than he should;] the rack may have compelled him
To say
and to confess more than he knew.
He hoped to save himself by this
false witness,
And thought it could not injure me--a queen.
BURLEIGH.
The oath he swore was free and unconstrained.

MARY.
But not before my face! How now, my lord?
The witnesses
you name are still alive;
Let them appear against me face to face,

And there repeat what they have testified.
Why am I then denied that
privilege,
That right which e'en the murderer enjoys?
I know from
Talbot's mouth, my former keeper,
That in this reign a statute has
been passed
Which orders that the plaintiff be confronted
With the
defendant; is it so, good Paulet?
I e'er have known you as an honest
man;
Now prove it to me; tell me, on your conscience,
If such a law
exist or not in England?
PAULET.
Madam, there does: that is the law in England.
I must
declare the truth.
MARY.
Well, then, my lord,
If I am treated by the law of England
So hardly,
when that law oppresses me,
Say, why avoid this selfsame country's
law,
When 'tis for my advantage? Answer me;
Why was not
Babington confronted with me?
Why not my servants, who are both
alive?
BURLEIGH.
Be not so hasty, lady; 'tis not only
Your plot with
Babington----
MARY.
'Tis that