cognizance) should fall by the mouth of Arran. When the precept arrived at Dunbarton Castle for transporting him to Edinburgh, he was startled at seeing the Earl of Arran mentioned in it as one of the two who should command his guard. Inquiring of the keeper of the castle who this Arran was, and being informed that it was Stuart, he was struck with surprise. "And is it so?" he said; “I know, then, what I may look for." was supposed that he looked upon this accidental re-appearance of the dreaded name, in connection with a sworn enemy, as a certain proof that the prophecy should hold good.

It

His trial took place at Edinburgh on the first of June 1581. As he himself observed, it did not signify whether, in the matter charged to him, he was as innocent as St Stephen, or as guilty as Judas. His death was determined on, and he was accordingly condemned. On the morning of the succeeding day (that of his execution), he was waited on by some of the ministers of Edinburgh, to whom he uttered a lengthened confession of his concern in Darnley's murder, amounting to no more than the guilt of fore-knowing and concealing it. He also joined them in some devotional exercises, and entered into a discussion of the state of his mind on the score of religion, and his hopes of immortality. When that was done, he invited his ghostly counsellors to breakfast with him; which they consented to, although far less disposed to eat than the unhappy culprit before them. He ate his breakfast with great cheerfulness, talking all the time.

One of his remarks on this occasion supplies us with a very curious psychological fact. "I now

observe," said he, "that there is a great difference between a man who is occupied with the cares of the world, and him that is free from them: the night before my accusation, I could get no rest for care; anxiety to prepare proper answers for any charge which should be put to me on the morrow, kept me awake the whole night: Last night, on the contrary, when I knew I only had to die, I never slept better in my life. William," he added, turning to Captain William Stuart of the guard, you can bear me record of this?" Stuart answered, "it is true, my Lord," and confirmed the belief of the hearers in a circum stance which they might otherwise have questioned.

Mr Walter Balcanqual, a minister, now said to him, 66 My Lord, I will drink to you, on condition that you and I shall drink together, in the king. dom of heaven, of that immortal drink which shall never suffer us to thirst again." He answered; "Truly, I will pledge you, Mr Walter, on the same condition. Having then taken up a cup, he said to John Dury, another of the clergymen in attendance," John, I will drink to you on the same condition; "to which proposal John assented; and the whole three then drank this singular toast. He afterwards retired to the solitude of an inner chamber, where he spent the hours of the forenoon.

Early in the afternoon, the clergymen returned, and in a still greater number. Morton, singling out Mr John Ferguson, whom he had not seen at breakfast, embraced him very cordially. "Mr John, " said he to this individual, "you once wrote a little book against me; but truly, I never meant evil

tears.

towards you in my mind: forgive you me, and I forgive you." This behaviour moved Ferguson to He then sat down to dinner. During his meal, the clergymen, learning that the King had received an erroneous account of his confession, it was resolved that three of them should go to Holyroodhouse, where his Majesty was now re siding, and give him a more correct report of it; so that the Ex-Regent might die with a satisfi ed mind on that score. They did so, and the re sult was an order that he should be beheaded at once, without the preliminary ceremony of hanging.

When the clergymen returned with this order, the jailor informed him that he must now proceed to the scaffold. "Seeing they have troubled me so much to-day," said he, "with worldly things, I thought they would have given me a night beside, to have advised ripely with my God." The keeper answered, "All things are now ready, my Lord, and I think they will not stay." "I praise my God," said he, "I am ready also," and immedi ately passed towards the gate.

Arran now

Here a strange scene occurred. came ruffling up, and, having led him back to the chamber, requested him to tarry till his confession should be put in writing, and signed with his name. "Nay, my Lord," said Morton, "trouble me no more, Ꮀ pray you, with these things. I am now at a point to go to my death, and have a much nobler thing to muse on-to prepare for my God. I cannot write in the state wherein I now am. these honest men can testify to what I have spoken in that matter."

All

Arran, touched perhaps by the resignation of

the man he had persecuted to death, now expressed a wish to part with him on good terms. "My Lord," he said, “ you will be reconciled to me: I assure you I have done nothing against you from any particular grudge, but in the mere course of my duty to the King." Morton replied, "It is no time now to remember quarrels: I have no quarrel to you nor any other: I forgive you and all others, as I will you forgive me." This whole interview certainly puts the bad taste of the age in a striking point of view.

Morton then passed towards the scaffold. It was remarked of him, as a very unexpected thing, that, being solicited for charity as he went along by a multitude of beggars, he had no money of his own, but was obliged to have recourse to a friend who accompanied him, before he could perform the distribution of his own dead-dole, so it was called, in the style expected from a culprit of his rank. The people were thus perplexed more than ever, as to the fate of the immense loads of gold which he had amassed during his government.

When arrived at the last fatal stage, he addressed the people with a firm countenance and voice, more than once using the expression-" Sure I am, the King shall lose a good servant this day.”—“ I testify before God," said he, " as I professed the gospel which this day is taught and professed in Scotland, so also I willingly lay down my life in the profession thereof; and, howbeit I have not walked thereunto as I ought, yet I am assured God will be merciful to me. I pray you all, good Christians, pray for me. I charge you all in the name of God that are professors of the gospel, that ye continue in the true profession thereof, and main

tain it to your power, as I should have done (God willing) with my life, lands, and goods, aye and as long as I had lived; which, if you do, I assure you God will be merciful to you. But if you do it not, be sure the vengeance of God shall light on you, body and soul."

An earnest prayer was then made in his behalf by one of the attendant clergy; during which Morton lay prostrate on his face, giving manifest signs, by the rebounding of his body from the scaffold, as well as by audible sobs, of the effect which it had upon his feelings. When that was done, a number of persons came, like Arran, to be reconciled to him. All these he received with expressions of kindness. He then advanced with a placid countenance to the block, laid down his head, and began to utter such devout ejaculations as "Lord Jesus, receive my soul ! into thy hands, Lord, I commit my spirit!" which were only interrupted by the descent of the axe.

*

To increase the public excitement which attended Morton's execution, it was performed by a novel instrument, which he himself had introduced into Scotland, and which had an uncommonly dreadful appearance. This instrument he copied from one he had seen in his youth in Italy; but, though he caused it to be constructed some time during his government, it had never been used till now, when, probably in consequence of the remission of that part of his sentence which condemned him to be hanged, it was applied in his own favour. It almost exactly resembled the modern French

• MS. Account of Morton's confession and last moments, in Matthew Crawford's Collections, Advocates' Library.