were underground. Strabo, Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, and Meia fpeak of this monument with the fame admiration as Herodotus: but not one of them tells us that it was conftructed to bewilder those who attempted to go over it; though it is manifeft that, without a guide, they would be in danger of lofing their way. "It was this danger, no doubt, which introduced a new term into the Greek language. The word labyrinth, taken in the literal fenfe, fignifies a circumferibed space, interfected by a number of paffages, fome of which crofs each other in every direction, like thofe in quarries and mines, and others make larger or fmaller circuits round the place from which they depart, like the fpiral lines we fee on certain fhells. In the figurative fenfe, it was applied to obfcure and captious queftions, to indirect and ambiguous anfwers, and to thofe difcuffions which, after long digreffions, bring us back to the point from which we fet out. 1 1 "Of what nature was the labyrinth of Crete? it remains for us to choose that which is most probable. "If the labyrinth of Crete had been conftructed by Daedalus under Mi-, nos, whence is it that we find no mention of it, neither in Homer, who more than once fpeaks of that prince and of Crete; nor in Hero, dotus, who defcribes that of Egypt, after having said that the monuments of the Egyptians are much fuperior to thofe of the Greeks; nor in the more ancient geographers; nor in any of the writers of the ages when, Greece flourished? "This work was attributed to Dædalus, whofe name is alone fufficient to defcredit a tradition. In fact, his name, like that of Hercules, had become the refource of ignorance, whenever it turned its eyes on the early ages. All great labours, all works, which required more ftrength than ingenuity, were altributed to Hercules; and all thofe which had a relation to the arts, and required a certain degree of intelli gence in the execution, were afcribed to Daedalus... "The opinion of Diodorus and Pliny fuppofes that, in their time, no traces of the labyrinth exifted in Crete, and that even the date of its deftruction had been forgotten. Yet it is faid to have been vifited by the difciples of Apollonius of Tyana, who was contemporary with those two authors. The Cretans, therefore, then believed they poffeffed the labyrinth. "Diodorous Siculus relates as a conjecture, and Pliny as a certain fact, that Daedalus conftructed this labyrinth on the model of that of Egypt, though on a lefs fcale. They add, that it was formed by the command of Minos, who kept the Minotaur fhut up in it; and that in their time it no longer exifted, have ing been either destroyed by time or I would réqueft the reader to purpofely demolished. Diodorus attend to the following paffage in Siculus and Pliny, therefore, confi- Strabo. "At Nauplia, near the dered this labyrinth as a large edi- ancient Argos," fays that judicious fice; while other writers reprefent writer, "are ftill to be feen vaft ca-. it fimply as a cavern hollowed in the verns, in which are conftructed larock, and full of winding paffages. byrinths that are believed to be the The two former authors, and the work of the Cyclops the meaning writers last mentioned, have tranf of which is, that the labours of men mitted to us two different traditions; had opened in the rock paffes which K 3 croffed croffed and returned upon them felves, as is done in quarries. Such, if I am not mistaken, is the idea we ought to form of the labyrinth of Crète. Were there feveral labyrinths in that island? Ancient authors fpeak only of one, which the greater part place at Cnoffus; and fome, though the number is but fmall, at Gortyna. "Belon and Tournefort have given us the description of a tavern fituated at the foot of Mount Ida, on the fouth fide of the mountain, at a fmall diflance from Gortyna. This was only a quarry, according to the former, and the ancient labyrinth according to the latter; whofe opinion I have followed, and abridged the account he has given in my text. Those who have added critical notes to his work, befides this labyrinth, admit a fecond at Cnotlus, and adduce, as the principal fupport of this opinion, the coins of that city, which reprefent the plan of it, according as the artifts conceived it. For on fome of thefe it appears of a fquare form; on others round: on fome it is only sketched out; on others it has, in the middle of it, the head of the Minotaur. If the Memoirs of the Academy of Felles Lettres, I have given an engraving of one which-aps pears to me to be of about the fifth century before Chrift; and on which we fee, on one fide, the fi gure of the Minotaur, and on the other a rude plan of the labyrinth. It is therefore certain that, at that ime, the Cuoffians believed they were in poffeffion of that celebrated cavern; and it also appears that the Gortynians did not pretend to conteft their claim, fince they have never given the figure of it on their money. "The place where I fuppofe the labyrinth of Crete to have been fituated, according to Tournefort, is but one league diftant from Gortyna; and, according to Strabo, it was distant from Cnoffus fix or feven leagues. All we can conclude from this is, that the territory of the latter city extended to very near the former. "What was the ufe of the caverns to which the name of labyrinth was given? I imagine that they were firft excavated in part by nature ; that in fome places ftones were extracted from them for building cities; and that, in more ancient times, they ferved for a habitation or afylum to the inhabitants of a district expofed to frequent incurfions. In the journey of Anacharfis through Phocis, I have fpoken of two great caverns of Parnaffus in which the neighbouring people took refuge; in the one at the time of the deluge of Deucalion, and in the other at the invafion of Xerxes. I here add that, according to Diodorus Siculus, the moft ancient Cretans dwelt in the caves of Mount Ida. The people, when enquiries were made on the fpot, faid that their labyrinth was originally only a prifon. It may have been put to this ufe; but it is difficult to believe that, to prevent the efcape of a few unhappy wretches, fuch immenfe labours would have been undertaken.” CURIOUS LETTER from the EARL of SUSSEX to SIR WILLIAM CECIL, relating to the unfortunate MARY QUEEN of SCOTLAND. [From the fecond Volume of Illuftrations of British History, Biography, and Manners, in the Reigns of Henry VIII. Edward VI. Mary, Elizabeth, and James. By Edmund Lodge, Efq. Purfuivant of Arms, and F. S. A.] "Une, made in for re of the PON yor requeste and pro myfe, yo xvih, I wyll wryte to you fully what by eny meanes I conceyve in this grete mattr: althowghe the gretenes of the caufe, in respecte of the pfone whofe it is, the ynconstancy & fot telness of the pepell with whom we deale, and the lyttell accompte made allwayes of my fymple jugement, geve me good occasyon: And, ther for (excepte it be to the Quene's Ma, from whom I wowld not wyshe eny thowght of my harte to be hydden) I looke for p formance of you promyse. "This matter muste at lengthe take end, ether by fynding the S. Quene gyltye of the crymes that be objected ageynst her, or by some manner of composytyon w a shewe of savying her honor. The fyrste I thynke wyll hardely be attempted for causes: The one, for that yf her adverse ptee accuse her of the murther by producyng of her les, she wyll deny them, and accuse the moste of them of manyfeste cosent to the murther, hardely to be deny ed; so as, upon the tryall on bothe sydes, her proofes wyll judycyally falle beste owte, as it is thowght: The other, for that ther yonge Kynge is of tender and weake yeres and state of bodye; and yf God showld calle hym, and the Quene were judycy ally defaced & dysho noured, and her sonne, in respecte of Crowne, Hambleton, upon his her wyckednes, admytted to the deathe, showld fuccede; wch as Murrey's factyon utterly deteste, so, after her publyke defamatyon, they dare not (to avoyde Hambleton) receyve her ageyne for fere of revenge: And, therefore, to avoyde these grete perells they suerly entend (so ferre as by eny meanes I can discover) to labor a co posytyon; wherein Lydyngton was a dealer here; hathe by meanes delte w the Scottyshe Quene; and wyll allso, I thynk, deale ther; and to that end I beleve you shall shortely here of Melvyn * there, who I thynk be the instrument betwene Murrey, Lydyngton, & ther Quene, to worke tins co posytyon; wherunto I thynk suerely bothe ptyes to enclyne, althowghe dyversly af fected for pryvate respects. "Th' Erle of Murrey, and his factyon, work that ther Quene wowld nowe wyllyngly surrender to her sonne, after the example of Naverre; end procure the confyrm. yng of the regency in Murrey; and therw admytt Hambleton, and his factyon, to lace of councell accordyng to ther stats; and to remayne in England herself, w her dowry of Fraunce, wherunto I thynk they wowld also adde a portyon owt of Scotland: And yf she wowld agree to this, I thynk they wowld not only forbere to toche her in honor, "Sir Robert Melvil, brother to the author of the Memoirs. He was much trusted by Mary at this time, and is fufpected, perhaps unfairly, of having betrayed her.” KA but but also delyver to her all mattrs that they have to charge her, and denownce her clere by plament; and therw put her in hope, not only to receyve her ageyne to her royal estate yf her sonne dye, but, also, upon some proofe of the forgettyng of her displesuer, to procure in shorte tyme that she may be restored in her sonne's life, and he to gyve place to her lyfe; and yf she wyll not surrender, it is thowght Murrey wylle allowe of her restytution, and abode in England, so as he maye co tynewe Regent. The Hambletons seeke that the yonge Kyng's auctorytè should be disanulted; the hurts don on ether syde teco pensed; and the Quene restored to her crowne, and to remayne in Scotland: And yet, in respecte of her mysgov nment, they be contented that she showld be govned by a councell of the nobylyte of that realme, to be appointed here; in wch councell ther showld be no su perior in auctoryté or place appointed, but that every noble man showld hold his place accordyng to his state; and that the Quene's Mate showld compone all dyfferences from tyme to tyme, amongste them. And, to avovde dyfference and perell, there Quene showld have certen howses of no force; and a porcvon to maynteyne her estate: And the castells of Edenboroughe, Sterlyng, & Dunbarre, and other pryncypall forts of the realme, to be delyvered into the hands of upryght noble men, that lened to no fac tyon; to be sworne to hold in sorte to be prescrybed; and that the hole noblyté of Scotland showld swere amyté, and showld testyfye the same under ther hands & seales: And that the Quene's Mate showld take assurance for pformance, and have the bryngyng up of the yonge Prynce in England, by nobylyté of England or Scotland, at her appoynt ment: And, fo as this might take effecte, I thynk they might easyly be induced to consent ther Quene showld also remayne in England, & have her dowrye of Fraunce, and a portyon owte of Scotland, to mayntene her state and her sonne's, in places to be appoynted by the Quene's Mate. "Thus do you see howe these 11 factyons for their private caufes tosse betwene them the crowne and publyke affayers of Scotland, & howe nere they be to agree yf ther pryvate causes were not; & care nether for the mother nor the chyld (as I thyrk before God) but to serve ther owne turnes. Nether wyll Murrey lyke of eny order wherby he showld not be Regent styled; nor Hambleton of eny order wherby he showld not be as grete, or gretter, in gov nment then Murrey: So as the govnment is pres sently the matter, what so ever they say was heretofore the cause; and, therefore, it wylbe good we forgett not our p'te in this tragedye. "The opуnyon for the tytell to the Crowne, after the death of ther Quene and her sonne, is dyversly carryed, as the ptyes be affected to these two factyons. The Hambletons affiyrme the Duke of Chatylerowe to be the nexte ayer by the lawes: The other factyon save that the yonge Kynge, by his coronatyon, & mother's furrender, is ryghtfully invested of the Crowne of Scotland; whereby his nexte ayer in bloodd is, by the lawes, nexte ayer also to the Crowne; and therby the Duke avoyded. The fere of this devyce maketh Hambleton to withstand the Kyng's tytell for the suerty of his owne, & the Regency of Murrey in respecte of his clayme to be Gov nor, as nexte aver to the Crowne; for wch causes it is lykely Hambleton wyll hardely yeld to the on or the other; and yet Jeames Jeames Macgylle, an assured man to Morton, talks wt me secretly of this matter; and (defendyng the ryght of the Erle of Lenoyse' sonne, as nexte ayer in bloodd to the younge Kynge) confessed to me that he thought bycase it came by the mother it muste retorne by the lawe to the mother's syde, wch was Hambleton; but it wowld put many men on horsback before it were pformed; wherby you may see what leadethe in Scotland. Ther is some secret envye betwene Lydyngton and Macgylle; and, as 1 thynke, yf they agree not by the way, ye shall fynd Lydyngton holly bent to co posytyon, & Macgylle, of himselfe, otherwayes enclyned: Yf the Quene's Mate wowld assure ther defence ye maye deale wt bothe as you see cause. "Thus ferre of that I have gathered by them; wherin, yf they do not alter, I am fure I do not erre. And now, tochyng my opynyon of the mattr (not by waye of advyse, but as impartyng to you what I conceyve) I thynke suerly no ende can be made good for England excepte the p son of the S. Quene be deteyned, by on meanes or other, in England. Of the two ends before wrytten I thynke the fyrste to be beste in all refpects for the Quene's Ma', yf Murrey wyll produce such mattr as the Quene's Mas maye, by vertue of her superyoryté over Scotland, fynd judycyally the S. Quene gylty of the murther of her husband, and therwt deteyne her in England at the charges of Scotland, and allow of the crownyng of the yonge Kynge, and Regency of Murrey: Wherunto yf Hambleton wyll submytt himself, it were well don, for avoydyng of his dependancy upon Fraunce, to receyve him, w provysyon for indemnitye of his tytell; and yf he wyll not, then to assyste Murrey to p'se. cute him and his adhere ts, by co fyscatyon, &c. Yf this wyll not falle owt suffycyently (as I dowte it wyll not) to determyne judycyally, yf she denye her Ires; then suerly I thy nk it beste to procede by co po sytyon, wtowte shew of eny meanyng to procede to tryall; and heryn as it shalbe the surest waye for the Q' Mae to procure the S. Quene to surrender, &c. yf that maye be browght to passe, so, yf she wyll by no meanes be induced to surrender, and wyll not end excepte she may be in some degree restored, then I thynk it fete to co syder theryn these mattis followyng. "Fyrste, to provyde for her, and her sonne, to remayne in England at the charges of Scotland. 66 Secondly, to maynteyne in strengthe and auctorité Murrey's factyou, as much as may be, so as they oppresse not unjustly Hamble ton. "Thyrdely, to compone the causes betwene Murrey and Hambleton, & ther adherents; and to provyde for Hambleton's indemnyté in the matter of the tytell, to avoyde his dependency of Fraunce. Forthely, that the Quene's Mate order all dyfferences that shall aryse in Scotland; &, to that end, have securyté of bothe sydes. "Fyftely, yf Hambleton wyll wyllfully dyscent from order, it is better to assyste Murrey in the p'secutyng of Hambleton by cofyscaty James Macgill, Clerk of the Rolls (Clericus Rotulorum Registri). He was sent to to London soon after, accompanied by Lethington, to sure for Elizabeth's sanction to certain conditions which Murray had proposed for his own indemnification, in case he should proceed to the formal accusation of the Queen of Scots. It is well known thạt Elizabeth's refusal prevented any further proceedings." on, |