having just recovered from long sickness, and others crowded in after him, till the closet was full of armed men. While Mary demanded the purpose of their coming, Darnley stood for a moment gloomily eyeing his victim; and Rizzio who saw that his life was aimed at, ran behind the Queen, seized hold of her gown, and implored her protection. The assassins threw down the table, and seized on the unfortunate object of their vengeance, while Darnley himself took hold of the Queen, and in spite of her tears and entreaties, Rizzio was dragged from her presence into an anti-chamber, and despatched with fifty-six wounds.—(see Frontispiece.)
Ruthven, after all was over, fatigued with his exertions, sat down in the Queen's presence, and called for a drink to refresh him, as if he had been doing the most harmless thing in the world.
"The witnesse⟨s,⟩ the actors, and the scene of this cruel tragedy." says an elegant historian, "render it one of the most extraordinary which history records to us. The cabinet and the bedroom still remain in the same condition in which they were at the time; and the floor near the head of the stair bears visible marks of the blood of the unhappy Rizzio."
The Queen continued to beg his life with prayers and tears; but when she learned that he was dead, she dried her tears—"I will now," she said, "study revenge!"
