The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-17

RZvERESD JOHN BoYCE's LECTURE ON MARY
STUART.
The sixth last lecture of this course was delivered
lass evening at the stuyvesan Institute BY the Rev
John Boyce Of Worcester Mass who chose for his sub
jeot the hfe character and prosecutions Of Mary the
unfortunate Queen o. Scots" The attendance was,
former occasions during the delivery of this course
very numerous the lecture being completely filled
AS the reverend lecturer entsred accompanied by the
President. and some other Catholic clergy, they
warmly greeted Mr. Boyce again when introduced
at the appointed hour the platform.
He commenced by observing, when their atterng In
vtaion to hand he had just closed the book after
reading the seventh volume Of Labsno's Life and Let
tiers Of Mary Stuart and exclaimed, 'God bless You,
Labarof Truth will at last be heard; and you have
done tine word great service;' for the world always
felt uneasy at the Aind Of silent they had t,
her death II had never felt easy under the burden
which her blood bad si1 upon Its cienoe 1t had
tut in her guilt and in proportion bsotry
which for nearly three hundred had concealed the
dispersed The burden laid still heavier Its heart and
signs Of this disrut in of timebegan to appear
and historians hessted to give their own conceptions
crushing testimony against her As old houses began
decay and Libraries transferred from family to
woven rourd them swept away secrets began TO
creep In one after aDo'her and the truth to break from
Of two kingdoms had been brought in full play against
her. and o. this truth began to appear some were i'm
pressed with the conviction that the guilt Mary Stuart
had been attempted to be proved BY subornsd and per-
jued witnesses How was it the world felt such an in
terst in this woman? The world had the viii the wish
TO ecquit her; but the in other hands and
hands in which they used with neither honor
honesty They in the hands Of the Church of Eng
land and the government the Church of England
st the judges and subtle supporters Of the justice
Of the ubiquitous sentence Those were her judges who
to be enriched by her fall, and who hs in her
death the best security for the maintenance Of their i'll
gotten wealth; and those pusianmous souls who
haY II. had T. A~u
dissentient appreciation while they felt con.cous Of
her innocence 1t because the world loved her. and
tie pure and beautiful and in til. '' Se.vinss 0s Of
its mighty heart It had thrown up out OF the
was not anaus or scotch uoye net' that had .u
cdaed it but to show the boundless interest the world
felt one quits st. Petersburg travels to Europe turns
towards Scotland searches the archives Of France Bel
GUM Spsn. and Great Britain; elbows his way through
public libraries and private collections and after four.
teen years labor spreads before hundred docu
ments-four hundred of them letters in Mary stuarts
own Handwriting never seen before BY the public Zap
would lecture here night the subject and now here
he hardly knew where to begn-the subject preg
nsnt and above all Iso sacred He would only ofer
few reflections on the crime-the great crime with
which the Is chsrged-the murder OF Darney her hus-
band He wished to speak Of her rather than to vind
cate herte something for the purpose Of
up old memories and recollections-to call out her
mcry from the mist Of yesrsto look upon her did
souls Few could have read her history untouched BY
her mfortunes But they need not be afraid Of having
tpe'r ttntlments &ppealcQ TO- lie would not her
vindcaton made out By calling their pity there
were no other excuse for tbs crimes of which she is
charged, It were better they should let them die with
her, and rest undisturbed, than have 1t de-
pend upan such paltry shifts for her scquittal
Historians noyets, religonsts philosophers and stern
Mary Stuart but 1t was time those dried
and that did her little justice And now, when Pro-
testanm could longer boast of the monopoly of all
state secrets might enquire into the truth aud shake
OIL the religious prosecutions aud tIammes which Icing
stuart vas considered du and aees
task especially for Catholic PRIEST the one side was
the fear Of offending modety by Bringing some points Of
female character with which it necessarily involved
and the other of the antagonism which he must
with bis religious opponents The latter objection had
had th. and other subjects shown too much
courtesy In trying to defend without defeating Had
With the FAD e1ey
TO insult them Had they wiped the dust and
from Their blades to prevent the fostering Of the youads
JUDGES Of these who favored theirs As all the
events and misfortunes ct Msry stuarts life
or less the acts Of her royal sister law Elizabeth the
bitter enemy of the Catholic Church their stric
te-es would, doubtless, be considered the result
der Of her husband then was she guilty OF all-but
innocent Of that then innocent o. the others Hguty
the intrigue with Rizzo and the msirag with Boutwell,
were pr, cedent and consequent. Her marriage with
Dsruley took place on july 29 1861 and the 10th of
February. 1867 nreteen months afterwards, Kirkshsd
was blown up and Mary Stuart charged with the
murder A year or two before his death, Henry VIII
had found it impossible to carry out the reformation
ySied to negotiate a marriage between the Prince of
Wales and Mary His death broke of the negotiation;
invaded SEQ land and fought the brittle Of pinkey.
lie won the battle but lost all his influence, and had
the modification Of seeing Mary allied to the Dau-
fIeueh influence in Scotland began TO wsne
snd the people having felt their nationality Of
en- berg pretentd With the proclamation OF uniformity
and John Knox came forth like savage lion ready TO
spring upon his prey Elizabeth, scotaRd and Knox,
determined foreU nd a(ath
lie religion at the same time Knox had ssid to her,
~ this city firmly aud frankly ask your approval
ended the first ect Of the revolution. The
cond began with the recall Of Mary now by the death
had rendered to her the condition of her return the
proclaim Of uniformity for her signature accom-
claims to the throne Of Engand but told them she
hated the Reformation and the reformers and her
claims che never would renoupce Elizabeth endeavored
to prevent her lar ding but unfortunately for herself
che old land What wonder In her stustion that che
vhtc FOR some to befeud and counsel herr She
Ied Darnley mere boy and barely fit protector for
Queen In such ipt.rnecine times but the heir Of the
powerful fsmi'y Of Lennox by whom she hoped to gain
solved that he should die but that his death should be
but the forerunper Of the Qneen's. Surrounded by
coppiraors bow old she hersef Perhaps the
whole range OF history there was no instance Of Queen
young acting so calmly when placed in such ordeal.
Darnley vas goadd on by Isgo like conspirators and
HE Jealousy excited and Rizzio the Secretary
d,d that Murray might be recalled aud forgiven the
rtberon-a Protestant move from beginning to end.
How bad Mary then borne herself towards her
ehe might have made II easy rreext TO separate
was perhaps the only woman .ho would not have done
But Aftxr the birth OF her con James the First
(of mean memory Murray had proposed divorce but
then she would not, and oi,mksed the deputaton 1t
might be raid her reason political In refusing this
opportunity, bat this In November 1906; and IL
che wished to the succession mo- the political
reason equally strong in February following whom the
murder was comm TIED and her only hope was a sickly
boy four months old Tbs lecturer then referred 10
some letters and descriptions BY those present showing
Mary's tenderness to her husband during his suffering
nom loatbsome disease, 20 the time OF his death
ana that her first and greatest thought and cable Of
her ambition and hopes was her heirshlp to Enaands
throne, Why should she by her hands sever that
ceoe by cutting on the connection Of Lennon, why
uus such pefons o. Boutwell, when she had ample op
porupities OF poisoning him herself, He then proceeded
70 enow nom similar sources that the marriage with
Botbwell was forced and part Of the CON pracy TO de-