I will not grieve you;

Forgive me that my thoughts were sick with grief.

What can I do to give you ease at heart?

Shall I kiss now? I pray you have no fear But that I love you.

CHASTELARD.

Turn your face to me;

I do not grudge your face this death of mine;It is too fair--by God, you are too fair.

What noise is that?

QUEEN.

Can the hour be through so soon?

I bade them give me but a little hour.

Ah! I do love you! such brief space for love!

I am yours all through, do all your will with me;What if we lay and let them take us fast, Lips grasping lips? I dare do anything.

CHASTELARD.

Show better cheer: let no man see you mazed;Make haste and kiss me; cover up your throat Lest one see tumbled lace and prate of it.

[Enter the Guard: MURRAY, DARNLEY, MARY

HAMILTON, MARY BEATON, and others with them.]

DARNLEY.

Sirs, do your charge; let him not have much time.

MARY HAMILTON.

Peace, lest you chafe the queen: look, her brows bend.

CHASTELARD.

Lords, and all you come hither for my sake, If while my life was with me like a friend That I must now forget the friendship of, I have done a wrong to any man of you, As it may be by fault of mine I have;Of such an one I crave for courtesy He will now cast it from his mind and heed Like a dead thing; considering my dead fault Worth no remembrance further than my death.

This for his gentle honor and goodwill I do beseech him, doubting not to find Such kindliness if he be nobly made And of his birth a courteous race of man.

You, my Lord James, if you have aught toward me--Or you, Lord Darnley--I dare fear no jot, Whate'er this be wherein you were aggrieved, But you will pardon all for gentleness.

DARNLEY.

For my part--yea, well, if the thing stand thus, As you must die--one would not bear folk hard--And if the rest shall hold it honorable, Why, I do pardon you.

MURRAY.

Sir, in all things We find no cause to speak of you but well:

For all I see, save this your deadly fault, I hold you for a noble perfect man.

CHASTELARD.

I thank you, fair lord, for your nobleness.

You likewise, for the courtesy you have I give you thanks, sir; and to all these lords That have not heart to load me at my death.

Last, I beseech of the best queen of men And royallest fair lady in the world To pardon me my grievous mortal sin Done in such great offence of her: for, sirs, If ever since I came between her eyes She hath beheld me other than I am Or shown her honor other than it is, Or, save in royal faultless courtesies, Used me with favor; if by speech or face, By salutation or by tender eyes, She hath made a way for my desire to live, Given ear to me or boldness to my breath;I pray God cast me forth before day cease Even to the heaviest place there is in hell.

Yea, if she be not stainless toward all men, I pray this axe that I shall die upon May cut me off body and soul from heaven.

Now for my soul's sake I dare pray to you;

Forgive me, madam.

QUEEN.

Yea, I do, fair sir:

With all my heart in all I pardon you.

CHASTELARD.

God thank you for great mercies. Lords, set hence;I am right loth to hold your patience here;

I must not hold much longer any man's.

Bring me my way and bid me fare well forth.

[As they pass out the QUEEN stays MARY BEATON.]

QUEEN.

Hark hither, sweet. Get back to Holyrood And take Carmichael with you: go both up In some chief window whence the squares lie clear--Seem not to know what I shall do--mark that--And watch how things fare under. Have good cheer;You do not think now I can let him die?

Nay, this were shameful madness if you did, And I should hate you.

MARY BEATON.

Pray you love me, madam, And swear you love me and will let me live, That I may die the quicker.

QUEEN.

Nay, sweet, see, Nay, you shall see, this must not seem devised;I will take any man with me, and go;

Yea, for pure hate of them that hate him: yea, Lay hold upon the headsman and bid strike Here on my neck; if they will have him die, Why, I will die too: queens have died this way For less things than his love is. Nay, I know They want no blood; I will bring swords to boot For dear love's rescue though half earth were slain;What should men do with blood? Stand fast at watch;For I will be his ransom if I die.

[Exeunt.]