A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Lambrun, (Margaret)
LAMBRUN (MARGARET), a Scotch Woman in the service of Mary, Queen of Scots,
As was also her husband, who dying of grief for the sad catastrophe of that princess, his wife took the resolution of revenging the death, both of one and the other, upon queen Elizabeth. With this view she put on man's apparel, and assuming the name of Anthony Sparks, went to court, carrying always about her a pair of pistols, one to kill the queen, and the other herself, in order to escape justice. One day as she was pushing through the crowd to come up to her majesty, who was walking in her garden, she chanced to drop one of her pistols; which being seen by the guards, she was seized, in order to be sent to prison; but the queen, not suspecting her to be one of her own sex, had a mind to examine her first
Accordingly, demanding her name, country, and quality, Margaret, with an undaunted firmness, replied, "Madam, though I appear in this habit, I am a woman; my name is Margaret Lambrun; I was several years in the service of queen Mary, whom you have so unjustly put to death, and by her death you have also caused that of my husband. Now, as I had the greatest love and affection for both, I resolved, at the peril of my life, to revenge their deaths by killing you, who are the cause of both. I confess that I have suffered many struggles within my breast, and have made all possible efforts to divert my resolution from this design, but all in vain. I found myself necessitated to prove the certain truth of that maxim, that neither reason nor force can hinder a woman from vengeance, when she is impelled thereto by love." The queen heard this discourse, and said, "You are then persuaded that in this action you have done your duty, and satisfied the demands which your love for your mistress and your spouse, indispensably required from you, what think you is now my duty towards you?" The woman replied with the same intrepidity, "I will tell your Majesty frankly my opinion, provided you will please to let me know whether you put this question in the quality of a queen or that of a judge?" To which her majesty answering in that of a queen, then said she, "you ought to grant me a pardon."—"But what assurance or security can you give me, that you will not make the like attempt upon some other occasion?" Margaret replied, "Madam, a favour which is given under such restraints is no more a favour, and in so doing your majesty would act against me as a judge." The queen, turning to some of her council then present, said, "I have been thirty years a queen, but do not remember ever to have had such a lecture read to me before;" and immediately granted her a full pardon, against the opinion of the president of her council, and at her request, a safe conduct out of the kingdom.