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1 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 1

Test Bank for Nutrition Your Life Science 1st Edition Turley
Thompson 0538494840 9780538494847
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Question Information Key
ANS = correct answer REF = page reference TOP = module section

Exam A
True/False
1. For a food manufacturer to make a health claim concerning fiber and heart disease, the
food must provide at least 10% of the DRV for fiber.

ANS: F REF: 55 TOP: 2.1

2. The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are appropriate to use for making nutrient
prescriptions for sick and healthy humans.

ANS: F REF: 57 TOP: 2.2

3. The Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) are the nutrient levels established to indicate nutrient
density on food package labels.

ANS: T REF: 51 TOP: 2.1

4. The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for physical activity for adults is 30 minutes cumulative
moderate activity per day.

ANS: F REF: 60 TOP: 2.2

5. The Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for vitamins and minerals are levels likely to pose
no adverse health effect when consumed daily.

ANS: T REF: 58 TOP: 2.2

6. The MyPlate dairy group can provide empty Calories.

ANS: T REF: 65|66 TOP: 2.3

7. Foods from the MyPlate grain group all provide an excellent source of dietary fiber.

ANS: F REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
2 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 2

8. Foods in the MyPlate vegetable group provide a good source of cholesterol.

ANS: F REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

9. Foods from the MyPlate fruit group provide the majority of their Calories from
carbohydrate.

ANS: T REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

10. The MyPlate food guidance system provides a personalized pattern of food intake based
upon an individualized Calorie recommendation.

ANS: T REF: 61 TOP: 2.3

11. Limiting the intake of high-fat meat and dairy foods may reduce cancer risk.

ANS: T REF: 75 TOP: 2.4

12. Food composition tables and databases explain the biological function of nutrients.

ANS: F REF: 77-78 TOP: 2.5

13. There is an Exchange List for high-sodium foods.

ANS: F REF: 79 TOP: 2.5

14. Within the Exchange List for fat is a sub-list for saturated fat.

ANS: T REF: 79 TOP: 2.5

15. Food composition information can be used to perform dietary analysis.

ANS: T REF: 78 TOP: 2.5

16. The Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) equations determine an Estimated Average
Requirement (EAR) for Calories per day.

ANS: T REF: 59 TOP: 2.2

Answer questions 17-22 based on the information below.

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces white toast with 2 teaspoons butter, and 2 cups black
coffee
Snack: 2 cups 2% milk and 2 glazed doughnuts
Lunch: 1 double bacon-cheeseburger, 1 regular french fries, and 12 ounces regular Coke
Dinner: 6 ounces light roasted chicken meat, 0.5 cups cooked carrots, 1 medium potato with 1
tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon butter
Snack: 2 cups vanilla ice cream
Partial Nutrient Analysis: Fiber: 18.5 grams Cholesterol: 1162
Calories: 4047 milligrams Sodium: 3970 milligrams
Protein: 160 grams
Carbohydrate: 375 grams
Fat: 210 grams

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
 3 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 3

%
C
al
or
ie
s
P
ro
te
in
:
1
6
%
C
ar
b
o
h
y
d
ra
te
:
3
7
%
F
at
4
7
%
Saturated fat: 19%

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
4 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 4

17. The diet shown meets the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR, % Calories
from carbohydrate, protein and fat) for all the energy-producing nutrients.

ANS: F REF: 59|60 TOP: 2.2

18. The diet shown does not meet the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for “Shift food
intake patterns to a more plant-based diet.”

ANS: T REF: 70 TOP: 2.4

19. The diet shown does not meet the American Heart Association recommended intake for
saturated fat and cholesterol.

ANS: T REF: 74 TOP: 2.4

20. The diet shown exceeds the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for sodium intake.

ANS: T REF: 72 TOP: 2.4

21. The diet shown provided one-half the grains in whole grain form.

ANS: F REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

22. The diet shown meets the American Cancer Society dietary guidelines.

ANS: F REF: 75 TOP: 2.4

Matching
Match the short phrase or term with the associated short phrase or term. Choose the best
answer. You may use some answers more than once or not at all.
A. Grains
B. Fruits and vegetables
C. Empty-Calorie foods
D. Milk products
E. Oils

1. MyPlate foods that may reduce neural tube defects:

2. MyPlate foods that provide high-quality protein:
3. MyPlate foods that may prevent osteoporosis:
4. MyPlate foods that provide essential fatty acids:
5. MyPlate foods that may reduce some cancers:

Answers:
1. ANS: A REF: 64 TOP: 2.3
2. ANS: D REF: 65 TOP: 2.3
3. ANS: D REF: 65 TOP: 2.3
4. ANS: E REF: 65 TOP: 2.3
5. ANS: B REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
5 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 5

Multiple Choice
1. There is no Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for adults for:
A. protein.
B. carbohydrate.
C. fiber.
D. calories.
E. cholesterol.

ANS: E REF: 57|60 TOP: 2.2

2. Which of the following statements is true regarding the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)?
A. They are based on a 2000-Calorie diet.
B. They are set at minimum levels to prevent deficiency.
C. They are established for each gender.
D. They are specific for age groups.
E. Both C and D are true.

ANS: E REF: 57 TOP: 2.2

3. The Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) are:

A. levels known to cause toxic reactions.
B. established for most essential vitamins and minerals.
C. established for carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
D. A and B
E. A and C

ANS: B REF: 58 TOP: 2.2

4. The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are used for:

A. food package label health claims.
B. MyPlate patterning.
C. exchange system servings.
D. dietary analysis.
E. All of the above

ANS: D REF: 61 TOP: 2.2

5. Consuming an adequate amount of potassium is associated with a reduced risk of:

A. cancer.
B. high blood pressure (hypertension).
C. osteoporosis.
D. heart disease.
E. obesity.

ANS: B REF: 56 TOP: 2.1

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
6 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 6

6. Which of the following nutrients has an Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range

(AMDR)?
A. Alpha-linolenic acid
B. Alcohol
C. Vitamin A
D. Calcium
E. None of the above

ANS: A REF: 59 TOP: 2.2

7. The portion sizes in the Exchange Lists are based on:

A. % AMDRs.
B. MyPlate.
C. grams of carbohydrate, protein, and fat and total Calories.
D. nutrient density.
E. a 2000-Calorie diet.

ANS: C REF: 79 TOP: 2.5

8. The Exchange Lists were designed to plan diets for individuals with:
A. heart disease.
B. cancer.
C. diabetes.
D. osteoporosis.
E. stroke.

ANS: C REF: 78 TOP: 2.5

9. Which of the following is a tool that can be used to plan, manage, or evaluate diets?
A. MyPlate
B. The Exchange Lists system
C. Dietary analysis software
D. A and B
E. A, B, and C

ANS: E REF: 61|78 TOP: 2.3|2.5

10. Which of the following answers is not a predominant directive of the Dietary Guidelines,
2010?
A. To promote the intake of more plant foods
B. To reduce the intake of solid fat and added sugar
C. To reduce obesity
D. To promote the intake of animal protein
E. To promote physical activity

ANS: D REF: 70 TOP: 2.4

11. There is a food package label health claim for all of the following nutrients except:
A. folic acid.
B. sodium.
C. calcium.
D. potassium.
E. vitamin E.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
7 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 7

ANS: E REF: 55-56 TOP: 2.1

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
8 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 8

12. The RDIs are expressed as on the food package label.

A. percentages
B. grams
C. 2000 Calories
D. units
E. None of the above

ANS: A REF: 51 TOP: 2.1

Answer questions 13-23 based on the information below.

Nutrition Facts: Sunflower Seeds
Serving Size 1 oz. (28g) Ingredients: Sunflower seeds, peanut
Servings Per Container 16 oil, salt
Amount Per Serving
Calories 160 Calories from Fat 130
% Daily Value
Total Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 8%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 150mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 0g
Protein 7g
Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2% • Iron 8%

13. What percent of Calories come from total fat in the sunflower seeds?
A. 123
B. 81
C. 45
D. 31
E. 22

ANS: B REF: 50|51|53 TOP: 2.1

14. The amount of fiber present in 2 ounces of sunflower seeds is _ grams.

A. 5
B. 10
C. 3
D. 6
E. 0

ANS: D REF: 49 TOP: 2.1

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
9 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 9

15. There are _ Calories from protein provided per serving by the sunflower seeds.
A. 0
B. 28
C. 49
D. 63
E. 75

ANS: B REF: 53 TOP: 2.1

16. The RDI for iron is 18 mg. How many mg of iron are provided per serving by the sunflower
seeds?
A. 0.2
B. 1.44
C. 144
D. 14444
E. 2000

ANS: B REF: 51|53 TOP: 2.1

17. The percentage of total fat by gram weight for the sunflower seeds is:
A. 5%.
B. 22%.
C. 50%.
D. 75%.
E. 81%.

ANS: C REF: 53 TOP: 2.1

18. If the sunflower seeds were modified and labeled as reduced sodium, this would mean that
the reduced product has % less sodium than the original product:
A. 10
B. 25
C. 35
D. 50
E. 75

ANS: B REF: 54 TOP: 2.1

19. The sunflower seeds are nutrient dense for:

A. vitamin A.
B. vitamin C.
C. calcium.
D. iron.
E. None of the above

ANS: E REF: 51 TOP: 2.1

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
10 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 10

20. Which of the following terms could be used regarding the sodium content in the sunflower
seeds?
A. Free
B. Negligible
C. Nutrient dense
D. Lean
E. None of the above

ANS: E REF: 48|51|54 TOP: 2.1

21. The manufacturer of the sunflower seeds could legally make the following health claim:
A. Our product is low in sodium, so it may protect against high blood pressure.
B. Our product is a good source of fiber, so it may protect against cancer.
C. Our product is low in fat, so it may protect against heart disease.
D. Our product is nutrient dense for calcium, so it may protect against osteoporosis.
E. The manufacturer of the sunflower seeds could legally make no health claims.

ANS: E REF: 55 TOP: 2.1

22. The most abundant ingredient in the sunflower seeds is:

A. sunflower seeds.
B. peanut oil.
C. salt.
D. water.
E. None of the above

ANS: A REF: 52 TOP: 2.1

23. According to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, if the
sunflower seeds were processed on equipment shared with any the following except ,
the manufacturer would have to state this on the food package label.
A. wheat
B. soy
C. milk
D. rice
E. eggs

ANS: D REF: 53 TOP: 2.1

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
11 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 11

Exam B
True/False
1. The Dietary Reference Intake for physical activity for adults is 30 minutes cumulative
moderate activity three times a week.

ANS: F REF: 60 TOP: 2.2

2. The MyPlate food guidance system recommends eating 1/4 of the needed grain ounce
equivalents as whole grains.

ANS: F REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

3. For a food manufacturer to make a health claim concerning fiber and heart disease, the
food must provide at least 15% of the Daily Reference Value for fiber.

ANS: F REF: 55 TOP: 2.1

4. The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are not appropriate to use for making nutrient
prescriptions for sick humans.

ANS: T REF: 57 TOP: 2.2

5. The Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) are specific to age and gender.

ANS: F REF: 51 TOP: 2.1

6. Exceeding the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for a vitamin or a mineral may cause
adverse health effects.

ANS: T REF: 58 TOP: 2.2

7. Foods in the MyPlate protein foods group all provide a good source of dietary fiber.

ANS: F REF: 65 TOP: 2.3

8. Oils from plants and fish provide a good source of cholesterol.

ANS: F REF: 65 TOP: 2.3

9. The processed foods in the MyPlate starchy vegetable subgroup can provide empty Calories.

ANS: T REF: 63|64|66 TOP: 2.3

10. Foods in the MyPlate grain group provide the majority of their Calories from carbohydrate.

ANS: T REF: 64|72 TOP: 2.3|2.4

11. Food composition tables and databases define the intake of nutrients for each gender and
age group.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
12 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 12

ANS: F REF: 77-78 TOP: 2.5

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
13 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 13

12. The consumption of plant sterols is associated with increased risk for heart disease.

ANS: F REF: 56 TOP: 2.1

13. Limiting the intake of high-fat animal products may reduce cancer risk.

ANS: T REF: 75 TOP: 2.4

14. The Exchange Lists System contains an exchange list called “High-Protein Foods.”

ANS: F REF: 79 TOP: 2.5

Use the dietary information provided below to answer questions 15-20.

Breakfast: 2 cups Frosted Cheerios with 1 cup 2% milk
Lunch: Taco Bell Big Beef Burrito Supreme and 1 liter regular Coke
Dinner: Half pound bucket of batter-fried chicken wings and 1 pint sweetened grape juice
Partial Nutrient Analysis: % Calories Protein:
Calories: 2290 14% Carbohydrate:
Protein: 81 grams 55% Fat: 31 %
Carbohydrate: 319 grams Saturated fat: 11%
Fat: 79 grams Linoleic Acid: 3%
Fiber: 14.5 grams Alpha-Linolenic Acid: 0.3%
Cholesterol: 1162 milligrams
Sodium: 3814 milligrams

15. The diet shown meets the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation to “shift food intake
patterns to a more plant-based diet.”

ANS: F REF: 70 TOP: 2.4

16. The diet shown meets the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges for protein, total
carbohydrate, and total fat.

ANS: T REF: 59 TOP: 2.2

17. The diet shown meets the American Heart Association recommendations for saturated fat
and cholesterol intakes.

ANS: F REF: 74 TOP: 2.4

18. The diet shown does not exceed the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for sodium
intake.

ANS: F REF: 72 TOP: 2.4

19. The diet shown meets the American Cancer Society dietary guidelines.

ANS: F REF: 75 TOP: 2.4

20. The diet shown meets the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation to “reduce the intake of
foods containing added sugars and solid fats.”

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
14 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 14

ANS: F REF: 70|72 TOP: 2.4

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
15 ~ Module 2 Test Bank Module 2 Test Bank ~ 15

Matching
Match the short phrase or term with the associated short phrase or term. Choose the best
answer. You may use some answers more than once or not at all.
A. Whole grains
B. Beans and peas
C. Empty-Calorie foods
D. Nonfat milk products
E. Oils

1. MyPlate foods containing solid fat and/or added sugars:

2. MyPlate foods that provide high-quality protein:
3. MyPlate foods that may help prevent osteoporosis:
4. MyPlate vegetable subgroup foods:
5. MyPlate foods that prevent neural tube defects:

Answers:
1. ANS: C REF: 66 TOP: 2.3
2. ANS: D REF: 65 TOP: 2.3
3. ANS: D REF: 65 TOP: 2.3
4. ANS: B REF: 64 TOP: 2.3
5. ANS: A REF: 64 TOP: 2.3

Multiple Choice
1. There is no Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for:
A. alpha-linolenic acid.
B. linoleic acid.
C. triglycerides.
D. Calories.
E. physical activity.

ANS: C REF: 57 TOP: 2.2

2. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are not established for:

A. each gender.
B. age groups.
C. ethnic groups.
D. pregnant females.
E. lactating females.

ANS: C REF: 57 TOP: 2.2

3. The Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) are established for:

A. essential vitamins.
B. essential minerals.
C. carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
D. A and B
E. A and C

ANS: D REF: 58 TOP: 2.2

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
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 PASSAGES FROM THE LIFE OF
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Through shame and ruin to love on.”—Anon.

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Delightful as such an evening must naturally be to all who have
hearts awake to the influence of sweet sounds and lovely sights,
how inexpressibly soothing must it seem to one who, languishing
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for the bluer skies and softer breezes of his fatherland, feels himself
at once transported, by the unusual aspect of the heavens, to the
distant home of his regrets! It was, perhaps, some fancied similarity
to the nights in which he had been wont to court the favor of the
high-born dames of France with voice and instrument, that had
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every note that issued from his lips. Foremost in place, as first in
rank, was one whose charms have been said and sung, not by the
poet and the romancer only, but by the muse of history herself, who
almost seems to have dipped her graver pencil in the hues of fiction
when describing Mary Stuart of Scotland. Her form, rather below
than above the middle stature of the female form, was fashioned
with such perfect elegance, that it was equally calculated to exhibit
the extremes of grace and majesty. Her ringlets of the deepest
auburn, glancing in the light with a glossy, golden lustre, and
melting into shadows of dark chestnut; the statue-like contour of her
Grecian head; her eyes, on which no man had ever gazed with
impunity to his heart—more languid and at the same time far more
brilliant than those of created beauty; her mouth, whose wreathed
smile might have almost tempted angels to descend and worship;
her swan-like neck of dazzling whiteness; and, above all, the
glorious blending of feminine ease with regal dignity—of
condescension and affability toward the meanest of her fellow-men,
with the exalted consciousness of all that was due, not to her rank,
but to herself—combined to render her perhaps the loveliest, as
after-events proved her beyond a doubt the most unfortunate, of
queens or women. Sorrow at this time had scarcely cast a shadow
on that transparent brow; or, if an occasional recollection of the ill-
fated Francis did leave a trace behind, it was a sadness of that
gentle and spiritualized description which is, perhaps, a more
attractive expression to be marked in the features of a lovely
woman, than the full blaze of happiness and self-enjoyment. Simple
almost to plainness in her attire, the queen of Scotland moved
before her four attendant Maries, ten thousand times more lovely
from the contrast of her unadornment to the gorgeous dresses of
those noble dames, who had been selected to be near her person,
with especial regard, not to exalted rank alone, or to the distinctive
name, which they bore in common with their royal mistress, but to
intellect, and beauty, and all those accomplishments which, general
as they are in our day, were then at least as highly valued for their
rarity, as for their intrinsic merits. A robe of sable velvet, with the
closely-fitted corsage peculiar to the age in which she lived, a falling
ruff from the fairest looms of Flanders, and the picturesque head-
gear which has ever borne her name, with its double tressure of
pearls, and a single string of the same precious jewels around her
neck, completed Mary’s dress, while rustling trains of many-colored
satin, guarded with costly laces and stomachers studded with gems,
bracelets, and carcanets, and chains of goldsmith’s work, gleamed
on the persons of her ladies. Still the demeanor of the little group
was more in accordance to the simplicity of the mistress than to the
splendor of the others. No rigid etiquette was there; none of that
high and haughty ceremonial which, in the courtly festivals of the
rival queen of England, froze up the feelings even of those trusted
few who bore with the caprices, in seeking for the favors, of
Elizabeth. The titles of grace and majesty were lisped indeed by the
lips of the fair damsels, but the character of their remarks, the
polished raillery, the light laugh, and the freedom of intercourse,
were rather those of the younger members of a family toward an
elder sister, than of a court-circle toward a powerful queen. As the
last notes of the song died away, she who was nearest to Mary’s
person whispered in a sportive tone, “Your grace has heard that lute
before—”
“In France, Carmichael,” answered Mary, with a breath so deeply
drawn as almost to resemble a sigh, “in our beautiful France; when,
when shall I look upon that lovely land again.”
 While she was yet speaking the music recommenced. A dash of
impatience was mingled with the plaintive sweetness of the strain,
and the words “pensez à moi” swept past their ears with all the
energy of disappointed feelings.
“It is the voice—”
“Of the sieur de Chastelar,” interrupted the queen; “we would
thank the gentleman for his minstrelsey. Seyton, ma mignonne, hie
thee across yon woodbine-maze, and summon this night-warbler to
our presence.”
With an arch smile the lively girl bounded forward, and was for
an instant lost among the foliage of the garden.
“Dost thou remember, Carmichael,” said the queen, whose
thoughts had been reflected by the well-remembered strains—“dost
thou remember our sylvan festivals in the lovely groves of Versailles,
with hound and hawk for noonday pastime, and the lute, the song,
and the unfettered dance upon the green sward, beneath moons
unclouded by the hazy gloom of this dark Scotland’s?”
“And does your grace remember,” laughed the other in reply, “a
certain fête in which the palm of minstrelsey was awarded by your
royal hand to a masked hunter of the forest? Yet was his bearing
somewhat gentle for a ranger of the green-wood, and his hand was
passing white to have handled the tough bow-string? Does your
grace’s memory serve to recall the air whose executions gained that
prize of harmony? Methinks it did run somewhat thus,”—and she
warbled the same notes which had formed the burthen of the
serenade.
Whether some distant recollections conjured up the mantling
color to the cheeks of Mary, or whether she dreaded the
misconstruction of the serenader, on his hearing his own tender
words repeated in a voice of female melody, it was with brow, neck
and bosom of the deepest crimson that she turned to Mary
Carmichael—
 “Peace, silly minion!” she said, with momentary dignity; “wouldst
have it said that Mary of Scotland is so light of bearing as to trill
love-ditties in reply to unseen ballad-mongers? Nay, weep not
neither, Marie; if I spoke somewhat shortly, ’twas that the gentleman
was even then approaching. Cheer up, my girl; thou hast, we know
it well, a kind, a gentle, and a trusty heart, though nature has
coupled the gift to that of a thoughtless head and random tongue.
Take not on thus, or I shall blame myself in that I checked thee,
though surely not unkindly. Mary of Stuart loves better far to look
upon a smiling lip than a wet eye, even if it be a stranger’s—much
less that of one whom she loves—as I love thee, Carmichael.”
There was, perhaps, no circumstance more remarkable than the
power which, at every period of her momentous life, Mary appears
to have possessed of winning, as it were at a glance, the affections
of all who came in contact with her. The deep devotion, not of the
barons and the military chiefs alone, who bled in defence of her
cause, but of the ladies, the pages, the chamberlains of her court,
nay, of the very grooms and servitors, with whom she could have
held no intercourse beyond a smile or inclination of the head, in
return for their lowly obeisance, was ever ready for the proof, when
circumstances might demand its exercise. Not shown by outward
acts of heroism only, or by those deeds which men are wont to
perform, no less at the instigation of their wishes for renown, or of
rivalry with some more famed competitor, this devotion was
constantly manifested in the eagerness of all around her to execute
even the most menial duties to Mary’s satisfaction; in the
promptness to anticipate her slightest wish; in the lively joy which
one kind word from her could awaken, as if by magic, on every
brow; and, above all, in the utter despondency which seemed to sink
down upon those whom she might deem it necessary to check, even
with the slightest remonstrance. In the present instance the
sensitive girl, to whom the queen had uttered her commands in the
nervous quickness of excitement, rather than with any feeling of
harshness or offended pride, felt, it was evident, more bitterness of
grief at the rebuke of one whom she loved no less than she revered,
than she would have experienced beneath the pressure of some real
calamity. As quickly, however, as the sense of sorrow had been
excited, did it pass away, before the returning smiles, the soft
caresses, and the winning manners of the most fascinating of
women the most amiable of superiors.
Scarcely had the tears of Mary Carmichael ceased to flow, when
the footsteps, which for some moments previously had been heard
approaching, sounded close at hand; the branches of the
embowering shrubbery were gently put asunder, and the lady Seyton
stood again before the queen, attended by a gentleman of noble
aspect, and whose very gesture was fraught with that easy and
graceful politeness which, perhaps, showed even more to advantage
in that iron age and warlike country, displayed, as it often was, in
contrast to the rude demeanor and stern simplicity of the warrior
lords of Scotland, than in his native France.
The sieur de Chastelar was at this time in the very prime of
youthful manhood, and might have been some few years, and but
few, the senior of the lovely being before whose presence he bent in
adoration humbler, and more fervently expressed, than the
reverence due from a mere subject to a mortal queen. Tall and
fairly-proportioned, with a countenance in which almost feminine
softness of expression was blended, with an aspect of the eye and
lip, which proved the vicinity of bolder and more manly qualities,
slumbering but not extinct, he seemed at the first glance a man
most eminently qualified to win a female heart. And who, that
looked upon the broad and massive brow, and the quick glance of
that eye, fraught with intelligence, could doubt but that the mind
within was equal to the more perishable beauties of the form in
which it was encompassed? And when to all this was added, that the
sieur de Chastelar had already won a name in his green youth that
ranked with those of gray-haired veterans in the lists of glory; that in
all manly exercises, as in all softer accomplishments, he owned no
superior; that the most skilful master of defence, the far-famed
Vicentio Saviola, confessed De Chastelar his equal in the quickness
of eye, the readiness of hand and foot which had combined to
render him the most distinguished swordsman of the day; that the
wildest and most untameable chargers that ever were compelled to
undergo the manége, might as well have striven to shake off a
portion of themselves, as to dismount De Chasteler by any display of
violence and power; that his hand could draw the cloth-yard arrow
to the head, and speed it to its aim as truly as the fleetest archer
that ever twanged a bow in Sherwood; that he moved in the stately
measure of the pavon, or the livelier galliarde, with that grace
peculiar to his nation; that, in the richness of his voice, his execution
and taste on lute or guitar, he might have vied with the sons of Italy
herself; in short, that all perfections which were deemed most
requisite to form a gentleman were united in De Chastelar, what
female heart, that was not proof to all the allurements of love or
fancy, could hope to make an adequate resistance? Young,
handsome, romantic, ardent in his hopes, enthusiastic almost to
madness in his affections, he had been captivated years before in
the gay salons of the French capitol, by the beauty and irresistible
fascinations of the princess.
In the intercourse of French society, which even in the times of
the Medici, as it has been in all succeeding ages, was far more
liberal in its distinctions, and less restricted by the formalities of
etiquette, than in any other court, a thousand opportunities had
occurred, by which the youthful cavalier had profited to rivet the
attention of the princess; at every carousel he bore her colors; in
every masque he introduced some delicate allusion, some soft
flattery, palpable to her alone; in every contest of musical skill,
which yet survived in Paris, the sole remnant of the troubadours,
some covert traces of his passion might be discovered, if not by
every ear, at least by that of Mary. Intoxicated as she was, at this
stage of her life, by the adulation of all, by the consciousness of
beauty, power, and rank, far above all her fellows, the queen of
Scotland owed much of her misery in after-years to the unclouded
brilliancy of her youthful prospects, and to the wide distinction
between the manners of that court, in which her happiest hours
were spent; and of her northern subjects, by whom her gaieté de
cour, her love for society less formal than the routine of courts, and
her predilections for all innocent amusements, were ever looked
upon in the light of grave derelictions from decorum and morality.
That she had regarded the gallant boy, whose accomplishments
were so constantly before her eyes, with favorable inclinations was
not to be doubted; and that at times she had lavished upon him
marks of her good will in rather too profuse a degree, was no less
true; but whether this line of conduct was dictated merely by a
natural impulse, which ever leads us to distinguish those whom we
approve from the common herd of our acquaintance, or by a warmer
feeling, can never now be ascertained. It mattered not, however, to
the youth, from which cause the conduct of the lovely princess was
derived; it was enough for him that she had marked his attentions,
that she had deigned to look upon him with favorable eyes, that she
might at some future period learn to love.
Not long, however, was it permitted to him to indulge in those
fair but fallacious dreams; the marriage of the Scottish princess with
the royal Francis was ere long publicly announced, the ceremonies of
the betrothal, and lastly of the wedding itself, were solemnized with
all the pomp and splendor of the mightiest realm in Europe, and the
aspirations of the united nations ascended in behalf of Francis and
his lovely bride.
It was then, for the first time, that Mary was rendered fully
aware of the misery which her unthinking freedom had entailed
upon the ardent nature of De Chastelar; it was then, for the first
time, that she learned how deep and powerful had been the passion
which he had nourished in his heart of hearts—that she was
awakened to a consciousness that she was loved, not wisely, but too
well. Heretofore she had believed, that the eagerness of the gay and
gallant Frenchman to display his equestrian skill, his musical
accomplishments, before her presence, and as it were in her behalf,
and the devotedness with which he turned all his powers to a single
object, were rather to be attributed to a desire of gaining general
approbation as a gentle cavalier, a slave to beauty, and a favored
servant of earth’s loveliest lady, than to a passion, the romance of
which, considering the wide distinction of their sphere, would have
amounted to actual insanity. Now she perceived, to her deep regret,
that the arrow had been shot home, and that the barb had taken
hold too firmly to be disengaged by a sudden effort, how vehement
soever. She saw, in the pale cheek and hollow eye, that he had
cherished hopes which reason and reality must bid him discard, at
once and for ever; but which he yet had not the fortitude to tear up
by the roots, and cast into oblivion. For a time he had wandered
about, a spectre of his former person, among the festivities and
happiness of all around him, paler every day, and more abstracted in
his mien; then he had exiled himself at once from rejoicings in which
he could have no share, and had buried his hopes, his anxieties, his
misery, in the loneliness of his own secluded chamber.
Thus had passed weeks and months; and when at length he had
come forth again to join the world and all its vanities, he was, as it
seemed to all, a wiser and a sadder man. The queen, ever kind and
affectionate in her disposition, imagining that he had struggled with
the demon which possessed him, and cast his hopeless love behind
him, met his return to the courtly circle with her wonted
condescension. On his preferring his request to be installed her
chamberlain, willing to mark her high sense of his imagined integrity,
in thus manfully shaking off his weakness, she granted his request;
and trusting that his own acuteness would readily perceive the
distinction between royal favor to a trusted servant and feminine
affections to a preferred lover, assumed nothing of formality or
etiquette, more than had characterized their former days of
unrestricted intercourse. Her own first trial followed; the first year of
her nuptials had not yet flown, when the gallant Francis, the earliest,
the worthy object of her young love, sickened with a disease which
from its very commencement permitted but slight hopes of his
recovery. Then came the wretchedness of anxiety, hoping all things,
yet too well aware that all was hopeless; the watchings by his
feverish bed, when watching, it was too obvious, could be of no
avail; the agony when the announcement that all was over, long
foreseen, but never to be endured, burst on her mind; the long,
heart-rending sorrow, the repinings after pleasures that were never
to return; and, last of all, the cold, stern carelessness of despair. She
awoke at length from her lethargy of wo; awoke to leave the lovely
climate which she had learned almost to deem her own; to be torn
from the friends whom she had loved, and the society of which she
had been the brightest gem, to return to a country which, though it
was the country of her birth, had never conjured up to her
imagination any pictures save of a gloomy hue and melancholy
nature.
A few who had served her in the sunny land of France adhered
to her with unshaken resolution, despising all inconveniences,
setting at naught all dangers, save that separation from a mistress,
whom, to have attended once, was to love for ever. Among those
few was De Chastelar. The alteration in her condition had
undoubtedly suggested to the widowed queen the necessity of an
alteration in her conduct toward De Chastelar, particularly when it
was added, that familiarity between a creature so young and lovely
as herself and a gentleman so noble, even in his melancholy, as the
chamberlain, would have at once excited the indignation of her stern
and rigid subjects. In these circumstances it would perhaps have
been a wiser, though not a more considerate plan, to have confided
the cause of her embarrassment to the causer of it, and to have
requested his absence from her court. It was not, however, in Mary’s
nature to give pain, if she could possibly avoid it, to the meanest
animal, much less to a friend valued and esteemed, as he who was
the innocent cause of her anxiety. She adopted, therefore, what,
being always the most easy, is ever the most dangerous, an
intermediate course. In public De Chastelar received no marks of
approbation from the queen, much less of regard from the woman;
but in her hours of retirement, when surrounded by the ladies of her
court, the most of whom had followed her footsteps northward from
gay Paris, she delighted to efface from his mind the recollections of
neglect before the eyes of the censorious Scots, by a delicacy of
attention, and a warmth of friendship, which, while it fully answered
her end of soothing his wounded feelings, led him to cherish ideas
most fatal in the end to his own happiness, and to that of the fair
being whom he so adored. It was with a heightened color and
throbbing breast that Mary turned to address her unconfessed lover,
yet there was no flutter in the clear, soft voice with which she spoke.
“We would thank,” she said, “the sieur de Chastelar for the
delightful sounds by which he has rendered our walk on this sweet
evening even more agreeable than the mild air and cloudless heaven
could have done without his minstrelsey. Yet ’twas a mournful strain,
De Chastelar,” she continued, “and one which, if we err not, flows
from a wounded heart. Would that we knew the object of so true a
servant’s worship, that we might whisper our royal pleasure in her
ear, that she should list the suit of one whom we regard so highly. Is
she in truth so obdurate, this fair of thine, De Chastelar? she must
be hard of heart to slight so gallant a cavalier.”
“Not so, your grace,” replied the astonished lover, in a voice
scarcely less sonorous than the music he had made so lately. “She to
whom all my vows are paid, she who has ever owned the passionate
aspirations of a devoted heart, is as pre-eminently raised in all the
sweet and amiable sentiments of the mind as is unrivalled beauty
above all mortal beings.”
For an instant the queen was dumb; she had hoped, by affecting
ignorance of his sentiments, that she should have been enabled to
make him comprehend the madness, the utter inutility of his
passion, and she felt that she had failed; that words had been
addressed to her, which, however she might feign to others that she
had not perceived their bearing, he must be well aware she could
not possibly have failed to understand. It was with an altered mien
and with an air of cold and haughty dignity, that she again
addressed him as she passed onward toward the palace.
“We wish thee, then, fair sir, a better fortune hereafter, and until
then good night.” Without uttering a syllable in reply, he bowed
himself almost to the earth; nor did he raise his head again until the
form he loved to look upon had vanished from his sight: then slowly
lifting his eyes he gazed wistfully after her, dashed his hand violently
upon his brow, and turning aside rushed hastily from the spot.
An hour had scarcely elapsed before the lights were extinguished
throughout the vaulted halls of Holyrood; the guards were posted for
the night, the officers had gone their rounds, the ladies of the royal
circle were dismissed, and all was darkness and silence. In Mary’s
chamber a single lamp was burning in a small recess, before a
beautifully-executed painting of the virgin, but light was not
sufficient to penetrate the obscurity which reigned in the many
angles and alcoves of that irregular apartment, although the
moonbeams were admitted through the open casement.
Her garb of ceremony laid aside, her lovely shape scantily veiled
by a single robe of spotless linen, her auburn tresses flowing in
unrestrained luxuriance almost to her feet, if she had been a
creature of perfect human beauty, when viewed in all the pomp of
royal pageantry, she now appeared a being of supernatural
loveliness. Her small white feet, unsandalled, glided over the rich
carpet with a grace which a slight degree of fancy might have
deemed the motion peculiar to the inhabitants of another world. For
an instant, ere she turned to her repose, she leaned against the
carved mullions of the window, and gazed pensively, and it might be
sadly, upon the garden, where she had so lately parted from the
unhappy youth, whose life was thus embittered by that very feeling
which, above all others, should have been its consolation.
Withdrawing her eyes from the moonlit scene, she knelt before the
lamp and the shrine which it illuminated, and her whispered orisons
arose pure as the source from which they flowed; the prayers of a
weak and humble mortal, penitent for every trivial error, breathing
all confidence to Him who alone can protect or pardon; the prayers
of a queen for her numerous children, and last, and holiest of all, a
woman’s prayers for her unfortunate admirer. Yes, she prayed for
Chastelar, that strength might be given to him from on high, to bear
the crosses of a miserable life, and that by Divine mercy the
hopeless love might be uprooted from his breast. The words burst
passionately from her lips, her whole frame quivered with the excess
of her emotion, and the big tears fell like rain from her uplifted eyes.
While she was yet in the very flood of passion a sigh was breathed,
so clearly audible, that the conviction flashed like lightning on her
soul, that this most secret prayer was listened to by other ears than
those of heavenly ministers. Terror, acute terror took possession of
her mind, banishing, by its superior violence, every less engrossing
idea. She snatched the lamp from its niche, waved it slowly around
the chamber, and there, in the most hallowed spot of her widowed
chamber, a spy upon her unguarded moments, stood a dark figure.
Even in that moment of astonishment and fear, as if by instinct, the
beautiful instinct of purely female modesty, she snatched a velvet
mantle from the seat on which it had been cast aside, and veiled her
person even before she spoke—“O God! it is De Chastelar!”
“Sweet queen,” replied the intruder, “bright, beautiful ruler of my
destinies, pardon—”
“What ho!” she screamed, in notes of dread intensity, “à moi, à
moi mes Français. My guards! Seyton! Carmichael! Fleming! will ye
leave your queen alone! alone with treachery and black dishonor!
Villain! slave!” she cried, turning her flashing eyes upon him, her
whole form swelling as it were with all the fury of injured innocence,
“didst thou dare to think that Mary—Mary, the wife of Francis—the
anointed queen of Scotland, would brook thine infamous addresses?
Nay, kneel not, or I spurn thee! What ho! will no one aid in mine
extremity?”
“Fear naught from me,” faltered the wretched Chastelar, but with
a voice like that of some inspired Pythoness she broke in—“Fear!
thinkst thou that I could fear a thing, an abject coward thing like
thee? a wretch that would exult in the infamy of one whom he
pretends to love? Fear thee! by heavens! if I could have feared,
contempt must have forbidden it.”
“Nay, Mary, hear me! hear me but one word, if that word cost
my life—”
 “Thy life! hadst thou ten thousand lives, they would be but a
feather in the scale against thy monstrous villany. What ho!” again
she cried, stamping with impotent anger at the delay of her
attendants, “treason! my guards! treason!”
At length the passages rang with the hurried footsteps of the
startled inmates of the palace; with torch and spear, and brandished
blades, they rushed into the apartment; page, sentinel, and
chamberlain, ladies with dishevelled hair, and faces blanched with
terror. The queen stood erect in the centre of the room, pointing,
with one white arm bare to the shoulder, toward the wretched
culprit, who, with folded arms, and head erect, awaited his doom in
unresisting silence. His naked rapier, with which alone he might have
foiled the united efforts of his enemies, lay at his feet; his brow was
white as sculptured marble, and no less rigid, but his eyes glared
wildly, and his lips quivered as though he would have spoken.
The queen, still furious at the wrong which he had done her
fame, marked the expression. “Silence!” she cried—“degraded!
wouldst thou meanly beg thy forfeit life? Wert thou my father, thou
shouldst die to-morrow! Hence with the villain! Bid Maitland execute
the warrant. Ourself—ourself will sign it—away! Chastelar dies at
daybreak!”
“’Tis well,” replied he, calmly, “it is well—the lips I love the best
pronounce my doom, and I die happy, since I die for Mary. Wouldst
thou but pity the offender, while thou dost doom the offence, De
Chastelar would not exchange his shortened span of life, and violent
death, for the brightest crown in Christendom. My limbs may die—
my love will live for ever! Lead on, minions; I am more glad to die
than ye to slay! Mary, beautiful Mary, think—think hereafter upon
Chastelar!”
The guards passed onward; last of the group, unfettered and
unmoved, De Chastelar stalked after them. Once, ere he stooped
beneath the low-browed portal, he paused, placed both hands on his
heart, bowed lowly, and then pointed upward, as he chanted once
again the words, “Pensez à moi, noble dame, pensez à moi.” As he
vanished from her presence she waved her hand impatiently to be
left alone—and all night long she traversed and re-traversed the
floor of her chamber, in paroxysms of the fiercest despair. The
warrant was brought to her—silently, sternly, she traced her
signature beneath it; not a sign of sympathy was on her pallid
features, not a tremor shook her frame; she was passionless,
majestic, and unmoved. The secretary left the chamber on his fatal
errand, and Mary was again a woman. Prostrate upon her couch she
lay, sobbing and weeping as though her very soul was bursting from
her bosom, defying all consolation, spurning every offer at remedy.
“’Tis done!” she would say, “’tis done! I have preserved my fame,
and murdered mine only friend!”
The morning dawned slowly, and the heavy bells of all the
churches clanged the death-peal of De Chastelar. The tramp of the
cavalry defiling from the palace-gates struck on her heart as though
each hoof dashed on her bosom. An hour passed away, the minute-
bells still tolling; the roar of a culverin swept heavily downward from
the castle, and all was over. He had died as he had lived, undaunted
—as he had lived, devoted! “Mary, divine Mary,” were his latest
words, “I love in death, as I loved in life, thee, and thee only.” The
axe drank his blood, and the queen of Scotland had not a truer
servant left behind than he, whom, for a moment’s frenzy, she was
compelled to slay. Yet was his last wish satisfied; for though the
queen might not relent, the woman did forgive; and in many a
mournful hour did Mary think on Chastelar.

RIZZIO.
 Bru. Do you know them?

Luc. No, sir; their hats are plucked about their brows,
And half their faces buried in their cloaks,
That by no means I may discover them
By any marks of favor.—Julius Cæsar.

The shadows of an early evening, in the ungenial month of

March, were already gathering among the narrow streets and wynds
of the Scottish metropolis. There was a melancholy air of solitude
about the grim and dusky edifices, which towered to the height of
twelve or thirteen stories against the gray horizon. No lights
streamed from the casements, no voices sounded in loud revelry or
chastened merriment from the dwellings of the gloomy quarter in
which the scene of our narrative is laid. The cheerless aspect of the
night, together with the drizzling rain, which fell in silent
copiousness, had banished every human being from the streets;
and, except the smoke which eddied from the dilapidated chimneys,
and was instantly beat down to earth by the violence of the shower,
there was no sign of any other inhabitants, than the famished dogs
which were snarling over the relics of some thrice-picked bone.
Suddenly the sharp clatter of hoofs, in rapid motion over the broken
pavement, rose above the splashing of the flooded gutters,
betokening the approach of men; and ere a minute had elapsed two
horsemen, gallantly mounted, rode hotly up the street. The foremost
bestriding, with the careless ease of an accomplished rider, a jennet,
whose thin jaws, expanded nostril, and flashing eye, no less than
the deerlike springiness of its gait, and its unrivalled symmetry,
proclaimed it sprung from the best blood of the desert, was of a
figure that could not be looked upon, however slightly, without
awakening a sense of interest, perhaps of admiration, in all
beholders.
His countenance, of an oval form, and of a darker hue than the
blue-eyed sons of northern latitudes are wont to exhibit—the full and
somewhat wild expression of his dark eye, the melancholy smile
which played upon his curling lip, pencilled mustache, and the
peaked beard—contributing to form a face that Antonio Vandyke
would have loved to paint, and after ages to admire, when invested
with the life of his rich coloring. His dress of russet velvet slashed
E
with satin, his feathered cap, with its gay fanfarona and enamelled
medal, his jeweled rapier, and the bright spurs in his falling buskins,
were well adapted to the agile limbs and slender, though
symmetrical proportions of the horseman.

E
The Fanfarona was a richly-fashioned chain of
goldsmith’s work, not worn about the neck,
but twisted in two or more circuits around the
rim of the cap, or bonnet, and terminating in a
heavy medal. It was probably of Spanish
origin, but was much in vogue in the courts of
Mary and Elizabeth.

The second rider was a boy, whose black and scarlet liveries—
the well-known colors of all servitors of the Scottish crown—were
but imperfectly hidden by the frieze cloak which had been cast over
them, evidently for the purposes of concealment, rather than of
comfort; yet he, too, like the gallant whom he followed—if any faith
was to be placed in the evidence of raven hair and olive complexion
—owed his birth to some more southern clime.
After winding rapidly through several dim and unfrequented
lanes, the leading horseman, checking his speed, gazed around him
with a doubtful and bewildered eye.
“Madre di Dio,” he exclaimed at length, “what a night is here; a
thousand curses on this learned fool, that he must dwell in such a
den of thieves as this; or rather a thousand curses on the blind and
heretical Scots, that drive a man of wisdom, beyond their shallow
comprehension, to bed with the very outcasts of society. Pietro, what
ho!” and he raised his voice above the key in which he had pitched
his soliloquy, “knowest thou the dwelling of this sage—this Johan
Damietta? methought that I had noted the spot, yet have these
sordid lanes banished the recollection. Presto, time fails already.”
Without uttering a syllable in reply, the page sprung from his
horse, and pointed to the doorway of a mansion, dilapidated even
more than those in its vicinity, yet bearing in its site the marks of
having been constructed in former days for the residence of some
proud baron. Nor even now—although all the appliances of comfort
were utterly neglected, although the casements were void of glass,
and the chimneys sent up no volumes from a cheerful hearth—were
the external defences of the pile forgotten; heavy bars of iron
crossed and recrossed the deep-set embrasure which once had held
the windows, and the oaken gate was clenched with many a massive
nail and plate of rusted iron. The cavalier alighted, cast the rein to
his servitor, and with the single word “Prudence,” ascended the
stone steps, and struck thrice at measured intervals upon the wicket
with his rapier’s hilt. The door flew open, but without the agency, as
it appeared, of any living being, and, as the visiter entered, was
closed again behind him with a heavy crash.
A narrow passage was before him, scarcely rendered visible by
the flickering light of a cresset suspended from the ceiling, and
nourished, as it seemed, with spirit, rather than with the richer food
of oil. Uncertain, however, as was the illumination, it served to show
a second door, even more strongly constructed than the first,
fronting the intruder at the distance of some ten paces; while the
wall, perforated with loops for musketry, or more probably, if the
remote antiquity of the building were considered, for arrows, proved
that the hostile intruder had effected but little in forcing his way
through the outward entrance. It would be wrong, in the description
of this difficult passage, to omit the mention of certain orifices, or
slits, extending in length from the floor even to the ceiling of the
side-walls, but not exceeding a single inch in width, as they may
tend perhaps to cast some light upon an invention of the darkest
ages of Scottish history, the reality of which has been considered
doubtful by acute antiquarians. From the upper extremity of these
slits protruded on either side the blades of six enormous swords,
which, being placed alternately, and worked by some concealed
machinery, must inevitably hew to atoms, when once set in motion,
any obstacle to their appalling sway. This was the dreaded swordmill
first discovered by the wizard baron Soulis, and thence invested with
superstitious error, which was needless, at the least, when the actual
horrors of the engine were considered. It is, however, probable, that
these gigantic relics of an earlier age were no longer capable of
being rendered available at the period of which we write; at all
events they hung in rusty blackness, suspended like the sword of
Damocles above the head of the intruder, rendering his position
awful, at least, if not in reality insecure.
Notwithstanding the warlike and turbulent character of Scotland
during the reign of Mary, there was nevertheless enough of the
uncommon in the defences of this dark and dangerous entrance to
have riveted the attention of a man less anxiously engaged than was
the foreign cavalier. Apparently undismayed by the wild contrivances
around him, the gallant strode forward to repeat his signal on the
inner wicket, when a broad glare of crimson light, produced by some
chemical preparation, considered in that dark age supernatural, was
shot into his very face from an aperture above, clearly displaying to
some concealed observer the form and features of his visiter.
“Ha!” cried a voice so shrill and grating as to produce a painful
impression on the nerves of the hearer. “Thou art come hither, Sir
Italian; enter, then—enter in the name of Albunazar!—enter, the
hour is propitious, and thou art waited for!”
The door revolved noiselessly on its hinges, and a few steps
brought the Italian to the chamber of the sage. It was a small and
central cell, without the slightest visible communication with the
outward air. Books of strange characters and instruments of singular
device were scattered on the floor, the tables, and the seats;
astrolabes, globes of the terrestrial and celestial world, crucibles,
and vials of rare and potent mixtures, lay beside discolored bones,
reptiles, and loathsome things from tropical climes, some stuffed,
and others carefully preserved in spirit. A huge furnace glimmered in
the corner, covered with vessels containing, doubtless, alembics of
unearthly power; a large black cat—to which inoffensive animal wild
notions of infernal origin were then attached—and a gigantic owl,
perched on a fleshless skull, completed the ornaments of this
receptacle of superstitious quackery, which was rendered as light as
day by the aid of some composition, burning in a lamp so brilliantly
as to dazzle the firmest eye. In the midst of this confused
assemblage of things, useless and revolting alike to reason and
humanity, the master-spirit of his tribe was seated—a small old man,
whose massive forehead, pencilled with the deep lines of thought,
would have betokened a profound and powerful mind, had not the
quick flash of the small and deeply-seated eye belied, by its crafty
and malignant glances, all symptoms of a noble nature.
“Hail, Signor David!” he said, but without raising his eyes from
the retort over which he was poring. “Hail! methought that thou
didst hold the wisdom of the sage mere quackery! Ha! out upon
such changeful, feather-pated knaves, who scoff before men at that
which they respect—ay, which they tremble at in private!—tremble!
well mayst thou tremble—for thy doom is fixed! See,” he cried, in a
fearfully unnatural tone, as he raised the metallic rod with which he
had been stirring the contents of the glass vessel, and exhibited it
dripping with some crimson-colored liquid—“see! it is gore—thy
gore, Signor David!—ha, ha, ha!” and he laughed with fiendish glee
at the evident discomposure of his guest.
“Nay, nay, good father—” he began, when the other cut him off
abruptly—
“‘Good father!’—ha, ha, ha! Good devil! Fool, dost think that
thou canst change the destinies that were eternal, before so vain a
thing as thou wast in existence, by thine unmeaning flatteries? I spit
upon such courtesies! ‘Good father!’ listen to my words, and mark if
I be good. Thou hast risen by meanness, and flattery, and cringing,
and vice; thou hast disgraced thy rise by insolence and folly—weak,
drivelling folly; and thou shalt fall—ha, ha, ha!—fall like a dog! Look
to thyself!—‘Good father!’ Begone, or thou shalt hear more, and that
which thou wilt like even less than this—begone!”
“I meant not to offend thee,” replied the astonished courtier,
“and I pray thee be not distempered. I have broken in on thy
retirement to witness that unearthly skill of which men speak, and I
would ask of thee in courtesy mine horoscope, that I may so report
thee—”
“Thou! thou report me, David Rizzio! the wire-pinching, sonned-
jingling, base-born scullion, report of Johan Damietta! Get thee
away! I know thee! Begone—nay, if thou wilt have it, listen: bloody
shall be thine end, and base. A bastard foeman is in thy house of
life. Tremble at the name—”
“Rather,” interrupted the Italian, enraged at the language of the
conjurer, “rather let that bastard tremble at the name of Rizzio; and
thou, old man, I leave thee as I came, undaunted by thy threats,
and unconvinced by thy jugglery.”
“To-night! to-night!” hissed the old man, in notes of horrible
malignity—“to-night shalt thou know if Damietta be a juggler! If thou
wouldst live—for I would have thee live, poor worm—fly from the
hatred of the Scottish nobles!—away!”
“Know’st thou,” asked Rizzio, tauntingly, “a Scottish proverb—if
not, I will instruct thee—framed, if I read it rightly, to express the
character of their own factious brawlers? ‘The bark is aye waur than
the bite.’ Adieu, old man! to-morrow thou shalt learn if Rizzio fears
or thee or thy most doughty brawlers.”
“Ha, ha, ha!—to-morrow! mark that—to-morrow!” and a yell of
laughter burst from every corner of the chamber; the mixture in the
retort exploded with a stunning crash, the lights were extinguished,
and, without being aware of the manner of his exit, the royal
secretary found himself beyond the outer gate of the wizard’s
dwelling, with a throbbing pulse and swimming brain, but still, to do
him justice, undismayed by that which his naturally incredulous and
sneering turn of mind, rather than any clear conviction of the truth,
led him to consider as a mere imposture.
Without replying a syllable to the inquiries of the terrified page,
who had heard the frightful sounds within, he flung himself into his
saddle, plunged the rowels into the flanks of the jennet until she
reared and plunged with terror, and dashed homeward at a fearful
rate through alleys now as dark as midnight. Nor did he draw his
bridle till he had passed the guarded portals of the palace, and
galloped into the inmost court of Holyrood: there indeed he checked
his courser with a violence which almost hurled her on her
haunches, sprang from her back, and, without looking round, hurried
into the most private entrance, and disappeared.
Scarcely had he passed through the gateway, and ere yet the
page had left the courtyard with the horses, when the sentinel, who
had permitted the well-known secretary of the queen to pass
unquestioned, brought down his partisan to the charge, and
challenged, as a tall figure, whose clanging step announced him to
be sheathed in armor cap-à-pie, muffled in a dark mantle, with a
hood like that worn by the Romish priesthood drawn close around
his head, approached him.
“Stand, ho! the word—”
“Another word, and thou never speakest more!” replied the
other, in a hoarse, rapid whisper, offering a petronel, cocked, and his
finger on the trigger, at the very throat of the astonished soldier;
“the king requires no password!”
“The king?” replied the sentinel, doubtfully, “the king?—I know
not, nor would I willingly offend; but thou art not, methinks, his
majesty.”
“Take that, thou fool, to settle all thy doubts!” cried the other, in
the same deep whisper as before; while, casting his weapon into the
air, he caught it by the muzzle as it turned over, and sunk the loaded
butt deep into the forehead of the unwary sentinel. The whole was
scarcely the work of an instant; and ere the heavy body could fall to
earth, the ready hand of the assailant had caught it, and suffered it
to drop so gently as to create no sound. In another moment he was
joined by three or four other persons similarly disguised, and
followed by a powerful guard of spearmen. A heavy watch of these
was posted at the principal gateway, and knots of others were
disposed around the court at every private entrance, with orders to
let none pass on any pretext whatsoever. “Warn them to stand back
twice! the third time kill!” was the muttered order of the chief actor
in the previous tragedy. “So far, my liege, all’s well!” he continued,
turning with an air of some respect to another of the muffled
figures, of a port somewhat less commanding than his own huge
proportions; “and Morton must, ere this, have seized all the
remaining avenues.” While he was yet speaking, a slight bustle was
heard at a distance, and in a second’s space they were joined by him
of whom they spoke.
“How goes the business, Morton?” said the first speaker.
“All well!—the gates are ours, and not a soul disturbed; the
villain sentinels laid down their arms at once, and are even now in
ward! Let us be doing: a deed like this permits of no delay!”
“On, friends! Be silent, and be certain!”
And one by one they filed through the same portal by which the
Italian had, so short a time before, sped to the presence of his royal
mistress.
In the meantime, unconscious of the fearful tragedy that was
even then in preparation, the lovely queen, with her most trusted
servants, the devoted David, and the noble countess of Argyle, had
retired from the strict ceremonies of the court circle to the privacy of
her own apartments.
In a small ante-chamber, scarcely twelve feet in width,
communicating with the solitary chamber of the queen—solitary, for
the notorious profligacy and insolent neglect of Darnley had left her
an almost widowed wife—the board was spread, glittering with gold
and crystal, and covered with the delicacies of the evening meal.
The beautiful queen, freed from the galling chains of ceremony,
her robes of state thrown by, and attired in the elegant simplicity of
a private lady, sat there—her lovely features beaming with
condescension and with unaffected pleasure, conversing joyously
with those whom she had selected from her court as worthiest of
her especial favor. Bitterly, cruelly had she been deceived in the
character of him whom she had in truth made a king; for whose
gratification she had almost exceeded the rights of her prerogative,
and given deep offence to her haughty and suspicious nobles;
having discovered, when too late, that, while possessed of all the
graces and accomplishments that constitute an elegant and
agreeable admirer, Henry Darnley was deficient, miserably deficient,
in all that can render a man eligible as a friend and husband.
Deserted, neglected, outraged in a woman’s tenderest point, almost
before the first month of her nuptials had elapsed, the flattering
dream had passed away which had promised years of happy,
peaceful communion with one loved and loving partner. Ever
preferring the society of any other fair one to that of the lovely being
to whom he should have been bound by every tie of love and
gratitude, the king had early left his disconsolate bride to pine in
total seclusion, or to seek for recreation in the society of those
whose qualities of mind, if not their rank, might render them fit
companions for her solitude; and she, poor victim of a brutal
husband, and unhappy mistress of a turbulent and warlike nation,
fell blindly but most innocently into the snare of her unrelenting
enemies.
Of all who were around her person, Rizzio alone was such by
habits, education, and accomplishments, as could lend attraction to
the circle of a gay and youthful queen. Accustomed, from her
earliest youth, to the elegant and polished manners of the French
nobility, the rude and illiterate barons—with whom the highest grade
of knowledge was the marshalling of a host for the battle-field, and
the highest merit the fighting in the front rank when marshalled—
could appear to her in no other light than that of brutal and
uneducated savages. What wonder, then, that a youth well skilled as
David Rizzio in all the arts and elegances most suitable to a noble
cavalier, handsome withal and courteous, attentive even to adoration
to her slightest wish, and ever contrasting his cultivated mind with
the untutored rudeness of the warrior-lords of Scotland, should have
been admitted to a degree of intimacy by his forsaken mistress,
innocent, undoubtedly, and pardonable, even should we be disposed
to admit that it was imprudent?
Two menials in the royal livery waited upon that noble company,
but without the servile reverence which was exacted at the public
festivals of royalty. The fair Argyle, who, in any other presence than
that of her unrivalled mistress, would have been second to none in
loveliness, jested and smiled with Mary more in the manner of a
beloved companion than that of an attendant to a queen. But on the
brow of David there was a deep and heavy gloom; and when he
answered to the persiflage and polished railleries of the queen or
that young countess, although his words were gay, and at times
almost tender, the tones of his voice were grave almost to sadness.
“What has befallen our worthy secretary?” said Mary, after many
fruitless efforts to inspire him with livelier feelings. “Thou art no
more the gay and gallant Signor David of other days than thou
resemblest the stern and steel-clad—”
Even as she spoke, it seemed as though her words had conjured
up an apparition: for a figure, sheathed in steel from crest to spur,
strode, with a step that faltered even amid its pride, from out the
shadows of her private chamber into the full glare of the lamps. The
vizor was raised, and the pale brow and haggard eye, the uncombed
beard, and the corpse-like hue of the whole visage, better beseemed
the character of some foul spirit released from its peculiar place,
than of a noble baron in the presence of his queen. A loud shriek
from the terrified Argyle first called the attention of Mary to the
strange intruder. But David sat with his eye glaring, in a horrible
mixture of personal apprehension and superstitious dread, upon the
person of his deadliest foeman.
“Arise, David, thou minion! arise, and quit the presence to which
thou art a foul and plague-like blot!” cried the deep voice of
Ruthven, ere a word had yet found its way to the lips of the
indignant queen.
“Sir Patrick Ruthven—if our eyes deceive us not,” she said at
length, erecting her noble figure to its utmost, and bending upon
him a glance which, hardened as he was in crime and cruelty, he
could no more have met with his than the vile raven have gazed
upon the noonday sun—“Sir Patrick Ruthven, we would learn what
means this insolent intrusion?”
“It means, fair madam,” replied Darnley—who now followed his
savage instrument, accompanied by his no less fierce accomplices,
the base-born Douglas, the brutal Ker of Fawdonside, in bearing and
in manners fitted rather for the guardhouse than the court, and the
most thorough ruffian of the party, Patrick de Balantyne—“it means
that your vile minion’s race is run!”
“Ha! comes the blow from thee?—I might indeed have deemed it
so,” she replied, calmly but scornfully. “What is your grace’s
pleasure?” and she smiled in beautiful contempt.
“My pleasure is that he—yon base Italian, yon destroyer of my
honor, and of yours—of your honor, madam, if you know such a
word—shall perish!”
“Never, Henry Darnley! mine own life sooner!” And she
confronted him with flashing eyes and heightened color, her whole
frame quivering with resolve and indignation. “Thinkst thou to put a
stain like this upon the honor of a queen, and that queen, too, thine
own much-injured wife? Out, out upon thee, for a heartless, coward
thing! A man, a brute, hath some affection, hath some touch of love
for those who have loved him, as I have once loved thee; of
gratitude toward those who have elevated him—not, no! not as I
have elevated thee—for never yet did woman lavish honor, power,
kingdom, upon mortal man, as I have lavished them on thee! Away,
insolent and ungrateful, hence! Thinkst thou to do murder, foul
murder, in the presence of a woman, of a wife—a wife soon, wretch
that she is, to be the mother of a child—of thy child, Henry? Hence,
and I will forgive thee all—even this last offence! Banish these
murderous ruffians from my presence; spare an honest and a noble
servant—one who hath never, never wronged thee or thine! spare
him, and I will take thee yet again unto my heart, and love thee, as
I have loved thee ever, even when thou hast been most cruel—ever,
Henry Darnley, ever!”
The king was moved, his lips quivered, and he would have
spoken: all might still have been explained, all might have been
forgiven; but it was not so decreed.
“Tush, we but dally,” cried the brutal Ruthven, “we but dally! On,
gentlemen, and drag the villain from the presence!”
Foremost himself, he strode to seize the unarmed wretch, who,
broken in spirits, and appalled more perhaps by the recollection of
the wizard’s doom than by the sordid fear of death, clung to the
robe of his adored mistress, poor wretch, as though the altar itself
would have been to him a sanctuary against his ruthless murderers.
“Mercy!” shrieked the miserable queen; “mercy, for the love of
Him that made you! mercy, Henry—mercy, for my sake, or, if not for
mine, mercy for thine unborn infant’s sake! Ruthven—villain, false
knight, uncourteous traitor—forego thy hold!” and she struggled
madly with the assassins. “To arms!” she screamed in shriller tones,
“to arms!—O God! O God! have I no guards, no friends, no
husband? Oh, that I had been born a man, and ye should rue this
day—ay, and ye shall rue it!”
Ruthven had clutched his victim with a grasp of iron, and,
whirling him from his frail tenure, cast him to the attendant
murderers. “Spare him!” she shrieked once more; “spare him, and I
will bless you! Ay, strike!” she continued in calmer tones, as the
ruffian Ker brandished his naked dagger at her throat; “and thou,
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