St. Andrews to a house which this prelate--who, as one remembers,
had followed the queen's fortunes to the last moment--had at Linlithgow.
This house, situated in the main street, had a wooden balcony looking
on to the square, and a gate which opened out into the country.
Bothwellhaugh entered it at night, installed himself on the first floor,
hung black cloth on the walls so that his shadow should not be seen from
without, covered the floor with mattresses so that his footsteps might
not be heard on the ground floor, fastened a racehorse ready saddled and
bridled in the garden, hollowed out the upper part of the little gate
which led to the open country so that he could pass through it at a
gallop, armed himself with a loaded arquebuse, and shut himself up in
the room.

All these preparations had been made, one imagines, because Murray was
to spend the following day in Linlithgow. But, secret as they were, they
were to be rendered useless, for the regent's friends warned him that
it would not be safe for him to pass through the town, which belonged
almost wholly to the Hamiltons, and advised him to go by it. However,
Murray was courageous, and, accustomed not to give way before a real
danger, he did nothing but laugh at a peril which he looked upon as
imaginary, and boldly followed his first plan, which was not to go out
of his way. Consequently, as the street into which the Archbishop of St.
Andrews' balcony looked was on his road, he entered upon it, not going
rapidly and preceded by guards who would open up a passage for him, as
his friends still counselled, but advancing at a foot's pace, delayed as
he was by the great crowd which was blocking up the streets to see him.
Arrived in front of the balcony, as if chance had been in tune with the
murderer, the crush became so great that Murray was obliged to halt
for a moment: this rest gave Bothwellhaugh time to adjust himself for a
steady shot. He leaned his arquebuse on the balcony, and, having taken
aim with the necessary leisure and coolness, fired. Bothwellhaugh had
put such a charge into the arquebuse, that the ball, having passed
through the regent's heart, killed the horse of a gentleman on his
right. Murray fell directly, saying, "My God! I am killed."

As they had seen from which window the shot was fired, the persons in
the regent's train had immediately thrown themselves against the great
door of the house which looked on to the street, and had smashed it
i