Notes and Queries, Number 68, February 15, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.

Excerpt

DEFENCE OF THE EXECUTION OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.

Allow me to supply a deficiency in my last volume of Extracts from the Registers of the Stationers' Company, printed by the Shakspeare Society. It occurs at p. 224., in reference to an entry of 11th Feb., 1587, in the following terms:

"John Wyndett. Lycensed alsoe to him, under the B. of London hand and Mr. Denham, An Analogie or Resemblance betweene Johane, Queene of Naples, and Marye, Queene of Scotland."

In the note appended to this entry I point out a mistake by Herbert (ii. 1126. of his History of Printing), who fancied that the Defence of the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and Kyffin's Blessedness of Britain, were the same work; and I add that "the Analogy here entered is not recorded among the productions of John Windet's press." This is true; but Mr. David Laing, of Edinburgh, has kindly taken the trouble to send me, all the way from Scotland, a very rare volume, which proves that the Analogy in question was printed by Windet in consequence of the registration, and that it was, in fact, part of a volume which that printer put forth under the following title:

"A Defence of the Honorable Sentence of Execution of the Queene of Scots: exampled with Analogies, and Diverse Presidents of Emperors, Kings, and Popes. With the Opinions of learned Men in the Point, &c.; together with the Answere to certaine Objections made by the favourites of the late Scottish Queene, &c. At London, printed by John Windet."

It has no date: but it may be supplied by the entry at Stationer's Hall, and by the subject of the volume. The first chapter of the work is headed "An Analogie or Resemblance betweene Ione, queene of Naples, and Marie, queene of Scotland," which are the terms of the entry; and the probability seems to be, that when Windet took, or sent, it to be licensed, the book had no other title, and that the clerk adopted the heading of the first chapter as that of the whole volume. It consists, in fact, of eight chapters, besides a "conclusion," and a sort of supplement, with distinct signatures (beginning with D, and possibly originally forming part of some other work), of Babington's letter to Mary, her letter to Babington, the heads of a letter from Mary to Bernardin Mendoza, and "points" out of other letters, subscribed by Curle. The whole is a very interesting collection in relation to the history and end of Mary Queen of Scots; but nobody who had not seen the book could be aware that the entry in the Stationers' Registers, of "An Analogie," &c., applied to this general Defence of her execution. The manner in which the "analogy" is made out may be seen by the two first paragraphs, which your readers may like to see quoted:—

"Ione, Queene of Naples, being in love with the Duke of Tarent, caused her husband Andrasius (or, as some terme him, Andreas), King of Naples (whom she little favoured), to be strangled, in the yeare of our Lord God 1348."

"Marie, Queene of Scotland, being (as appeareth by the Chronicles of Scotlande and hir owne letters) in love with the Earle of Bothwell, caused hir husband, Henrie Lorde Darley, King of Scotland (whome she made small account of long time before) to be strangled, and the house where he lodged, called Kirk of Fielde, to be blowen up with gunpowder, the 10th of Februarie in the yeare of our Lord God 1567."

In this way the analogy is pursued through twelve pages; but, for my present purpose, it is not necessary to extract more of it....