[At the beginning of the Westminster Conference, Mary found herself "ever straiter and straiter kept from liberty," and demanded to be allowed to appear in person. Her request and Elizabeth's reply will be found on pp. 145, 148. On the 26th November, Murray made his "eik" or additional charge. For the relevant portions of this document, and of the reply of Mary's Commissioners, see pp. 146-7. On December 6th, Mary's representatives protested that they would withdraw from the Conference if their mistress's demand were not granted. Cecil declined, on a formal point, to receive the protest. On the 6th, 7th, and 8th, Murray produced his proofs. On the 9th, the protest was accepted, and Mary's Commissioners withdrew. After their retirement further evidence was received. It may be of use to enumerate the documents produced at Westminster:—
PRODUCTIONS AT WESTMINSTER
The Book of Articles.
Acts of Parliament ratifying the proceedings of the insurgent Lords.
Two contracts of marriage, and record of Bothwell's trial and divorce.
Five of the six letters produced at York, three additional letters, and the sonnets (pp. 162-201).
Recognition of the Regent's Government by Huntly, Argyll, and Herries (pp. 154-5).
Depositions and confessions of Hay, Hepburn, Powrie, Dalgleish, Nelson, and Crawford.
Murray's "Journal or Diary of Events."
The Book of Articles is a document of considerable length. It is a summary of the charges against the Queen of Scots, but contains no important charge which is not to be found elsewhere. The reader is already in possession of its essential allegations. It formed the material for Buchanan's "Detectio," with which it is, at times, almost identical. It is printed, from the Hopetoun MS., in Hosack's "Mary," I. App. B. For the depositions of Nelson and Crawford, see pp. 207-213. The depositions of Hay, Hepburn, Powrie, and Dalgleish do not directly accuse the Queen of the murder, beyond stating that the powder was placed in her room, and they have therefore been omitted. The question of the position of the powder is discussed in Hosack, vol. i. pp. 247-8, and the reader is referred to the authorities there quoted, and to Mr. Hay Fleming's "Mary Queen of Scots," pp. 435-6 (cf. also pp. 219-220). The confession of Hepburn (English edition of Buchanan's "Detection") contains the following sentence:—"He said, let no man do evil for counsel of great men ... for surely I thought that night that the deed was done, that although knowledge should be gotten, no man durst have said it was evil done, seeing the handwriting and acknowledging the Queen's mind thereto." No question was put to Dalgleish regarding the casket found in his possession.
A quotation from Murray's "Diary," so far as it bears on the murder, will be found on pp. 213-215.]
