After the attempt of James had failed the Master of Gray (Patrick, 7th lord) was sent with Sir Robert Melville to make a last effort. They were long refused an audience of Elizabeth, and when it was at last granted they could not help asking themselves whether they had received a favour or an insult. These ambassadors, in the name of James and the Scottish nobles, answered for all that Mary might thereafter attempt, and proposed a resignation of her rights to the throne of England in favour of her son. “That would be arming my enemy with two rights instead of one, and making him stronger to do me hurt,” said Elizabeth. She scorned the idea of Mary's resignation in favour of her son. “Is it so!” she exclaimed; “then I put myself in a worse case than before. By God's passion that were to cut my own throat; and for a duchy or earldom to yourself, you or such as you would cause some of your desperate knaves to kill me. No, by God! we shall never be in that place.” Just as she was leaving, Melville asked her to spare Mary's life for eight days. “No,” replied she sharply; “not for an hour.”[17] [Illustration: MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. _From the Collection of_ MRS. FRASER-TYTLER, _at Woodhouselee_.] In the beginning of February 1587 Elizabeth was thirsting for the blood of the Queen of Scots. From the contemporary records of the time she would seem to have been getting neither rest nor sleep; and until the culminating act of the drama had been accomplished there was no rest for her. This act, which was to disgrace her memory for all time, was now to be _un fait accompli_. The following paper is the text of the royal commission to those who were intrusted with the execution of the Scottish Queen—the most discreditable commission which was ever given by a Sovereign to a subject. It is not too much to say that these men, who had the awful duty to perform compulsorily, must have had a heavy weight on their consciences for the remainder of their lives. We reproduce the text of the commission by Elizabeth to the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Earl of Kent, and others, to proceed to the execution of the Queen of Scots, February 1587:—