Mary Stuart: A Tragedy

SCENE XV.

      Enter BURLEIGH.

   BURLEIGH (bowing his knee before the QUEEN).
   Long life and glory to my royal mistress,
   And may all enemies of her dominions
   End like this Stuart.

      [SHREWSBURY hides his face. DAVIDSON wrings his hands in despair.

   ELIZABETH.
               Speak, my lord; did you
   From me receive the warrant?

   BURLEIGH.
                  No, my queen;
   From Davison.

   ELIZABETH.
           And did he in my name
   Deliver it?

   BURLEIGH.
          No, that I cannot say.

   ELIZABETH.
   And dared you then to execute the writ
   Thus hastily, nor wait to know my pleasure?
   Just was the sentence—we are free from blame
   Before the world; yet it behooved thee not
   To intercept our natural clemency.
   For this, my lord, I banish you my presence;
   And as this forward will was yours alone
   Bear you alone the curse of the misdeed!

      [To DAVISON.

   For you, sir; who have traitorously o'erstepped
   The bounds of your commission, and betrayed
   A sacred pledge intrusted to your care,
   A more severe tribunal is prepared:
   Let him be straight conducted to the Tower,
   And capital arraignments filed against him.
   My honest Talbot, you alone have proved,
   'Mongst all my counsellors, an upright man:
   You shall henceforward be my guide—my friend.

   SHREWSBURY.
   Oh! banish not the truest of your friends;
   Nor cast those into prison, who for you
   Have acted; who for you are silent now.
   But suffer me, great queen, to give the seal,
   Which, these twelve years, I've borne unworthily,
   Back to your royal hands, and take my leave.

   ELIZABETH (surprised).
   No, Shrewsbury; you surely would not now
   Desert me? No; not now.

   SHREWSBURY.
                Pardon, I am
   Too old, and this right hand is growing too stiff
   To set the seal upon your later deeds.

   ELIZABETH.
   Will he forsake me, who has saved my life?

   SHREWSBURY.
   'Tis little I have done: I could not save
   Your nobler part. Live—govern happily!
   Your rival's dead! Henceforth you've nothing more
   To fear—henceforth to nothing pay regard.

                      [Exit.

   ELIZABETH (to the EARL of KENT, who enters).
   Send for the Earl of Leicester.

   KENT.
                    He desires
   To be excused—he is embarked for France.

                  The Curtain drops.