The depositions of Paris were not produced at Westminster. They were taken, in the early autumn of 1569, in connection with the charges against Lethington (who had by this time, with Kirkcaldy of Grange, joined the Queen's party). "Paris" was the nickname of Nicholas Hubert, a French attendant of Bothwell, who, shortly before the murder, attached himself to the Queen's service. He was known to be concerned in the murder, but succeeded in escaping from the country. He took refuge in Denmark, and was delivered up on Murray's request. Queen Elizabeth wrote to the Regent asking him to delay the execution of Paris, and Murray replied: "The said Paris arrived at Leith about the middle of June last {1569}, I at that time being in the north parts of this realm far distant, whereupon it followed that, at my returning, after diligent and circumspect examination of him, and long time spent in that behalf, upon the xvi day of August by-past, he suffered death by order of law, so that before the receipt of your Highness letter by the space of 7 or 8 days he was execute." {Laing, vol. i. p. 295, from the Paper Office.} The letter is undated. But Professor Schiern, of Copenhagen, sent Mr. Hosack a copy of a document from the Danish archives, containing a receipt for the delivery of "two men, William Murray, and Paris, a Frenchman," accused of Darnley's murder. The receipt is dated 30th October 1568, and is given by Captain Clark, on behalf of the Scottish Government. (Hosack, vol. i. pp. 250-251.) There is a copy of the depositions in the Cotton Library, bearing the following note: "This is the true copy of the declaration and deposition of the said Nicholas Hubert or Paris, whereof the principal {original} is marked every leaf with his own hand.... Ita est Alexander Hay, scriba secreti consilii S.D.N. Regis, ac Notarius Publicus." But the originals, sent to London in October 1569, and preserved in the Record Office, bear that they were taken "in presence of Mr. George Buchanan, Master of St. Leonard's College in St. Andrews; Mr. John Wood, Senator of the College of Justice; and Robert Ramsay, writer of this declaration, servant to my lord regent's grace." {Hosack, vol. i. p. 256.} The documents were first published in Anderson's "Collection" (1725), not in Buchanan's "Detection," along with the depositions of Hay, Hepburn, and Dalgleish.

The first deposition of Paris is a Confession, in French, made at St. Andrews on 9th August 1569, "without any constraint or interrogations." It states that, on the Wednesday or Thursday before the murder, Bothwell told Paris of the plot, and requested his aid. "What do you think?" said he.... "My Lord," said I, "I have served you these five or six years in all your great troubles ... now, my Lord, by the grace of God, you are free of all these difficulties ... if you undertake this great matter you will be in worse case than before." Bothwell then assured him that Lethington was the moving spirit, and that Argyll, Huntly, Morton, Ruthven, and Lindsay were in league with him. Paris then asked, "My Lord, I pray you tell me of one whom you have not named; I well know that he is loved in this country of the common people." ... "Who is that?" said he. "It is, my Lord," said I, "my Lord the Earl of Murray; I pray tell me what part he will take." To which he replied, "He will not meddle with it." "My Lord," said I, "he is wise." Then the Lord Bothwell turned his head to me ... and said, "My Lord of Murray, my Lord of Murray, he will neither help nor hinder; but it is all one." ... On the Saturday before the murder, Margaret Carwood, one of the Queen's attendants, told "Paris to go to Kirk-of-Field for the coverlet of the mattress in the Queen's room," which he did.... When he heard of Murray's leaving Edinburgh on Sunday morning to see his mother, he remarked that he did it to be out of the way when the wicked deed should take place, and so to dissociate himself from it. On Sunday evening Mary supped with Argyll, and seeing Paris, "as she washed her hands after supper, she asked me if I had removed the coverlet of the bed in her room in the King's lodging." These are the main points of interest in the first document signed by Paris. {Laing, vol. ii. p. 296.}

The second deposition consists of answers to interrogations, and is dated at St. Andrews on August 10th, 1569. It makes a number of allegations against the Queen, with which the reader is already familiar. As it is a long document, we can quote only the most important sentences. "Interrogated when first he entered into credit with the Queen, he replied that it was when the Queen was at Callander on her way to Glasgow, when she gave him a purse with three or four hundred crowns to take to the Earl of Bothwell, who, after having received the said purse on the road between Callander and Glasgow, told him to go with the Queen and remain with her, and to attend well to what she did, saying that the Queen would give him letters to carry to him. When the Queen reached Glasgow, she said to him, 'I will send you to Edinburgh,' ... and after he had remained two days with the said lady, she wrote the letters and gave them him, saying, 'You will tell the Earl of Bothwell, by word of mouth, to take to the Laird of Lethington the letters addressed to him.' Bothwell and Lethington were to consult as to whether Darnley should go to Craigmillar or to Kirk-of-Field, and Paris was to report their decision to Mary. Further, he was to 'say to Bothwell, that the King wished to kiss her, but that she would not, for fear of his malady.' Paris carried out his commission, and returned with the message that Kirk-of-Field was considered most suitable. On the way from Glasgow to Edinburgh the Queen received a letter from Bothwell and sent one to him, and also gave Paris a bracelet to take to him. At Kirk-of-Field, where the Queen's room was immediately underneath that of the King, Bothwell told him that he must not place the Queen's bed in the corner of the room under the corner containing the King's bed, because he wished to place the powder there. This order was reiterated by the Queen, when she observed that it was being disregarded.... Paris said to the Queen, 'Madam, the Earl of Bothwell has commanded me to take the keys of your chamber, because he wishes to do something, that is, to place there the powder for the explosion to blow the King in the air.' That night she wrote letters to Bothwell...." The only other circumstance of importance affecting the Queen is a statement that Paris carried correspondence relating to Mary's seizure by Bothwell.