Honor, that I have bene in Scotland ever synce pe last of February, and coude get no dispatche untill Monday pe fixt of this inftant, att nyne of the clock in the mornynge; and then I receyved (att th'ands of the Secretary, whoe rulethe the Courte) a letter to Mr Carie from hym, by warrante from þe Kings Maieftie, which was to this effecte; that he showlde write that the Kinge wold receyve no Embaffador as yet, partly by reafon of his hevines and forowynge for his Mother, and alfo for that he is not refolved that the Quenes Maieftie is fo fory for his Mothers death as he was informed she was; and, further, because he cannot staye the rigor of his people, being wickedly bent and evel geven, as I bothe hard and fawe with myne eyes; ffor there is dayly libells fett vpp in open ftrete, and cast into the pulpit, boathe ageynst the Kinge himself, the Master of Gray, Mr Archibald Dowglas, and the preachers; and amongeft the rest, iiijth of this inftant, there were two fett vpp at my lodginge very odiouse and deteftable ageynst the Quenes Maieftie, the coppie wherof I haue fent you here inclosed; which two I toke of, and the one I gave to the Secretary to fhewe the Kinge, the other Mr Robert Carye hath to fend to my Lord Chamberleyne. And truly I fynd, for all this sturr, that the Secretary is very well incliened towards her Maieftie, and a favorer towards the mayntenaunce of peace and amitie, and the Kinge hymfelfe also. But towchinge the fendinge awaye of Embaffadors into other countries, they are not yet fully agreed; and towchinge the Mafter of Gray and his doings, your Honor fhall heer more in Roger Afhton his packquet: and fo, vntill my next, I humbly take leave, comyttyng your Honour nowe and ever to the protection of th' Almightie, trustinge you will accept my good will. Berwick, in haft, the vjth of Marche, 1586. Your Honours to my power, ROBERT CARVYLE. POSTSCRIPT.-Curcell's man ftands faste and firme, and is ready to be employed when I fhall here from your Honour. It were good that the Secretary were vsed, for he is very gret. Your Honour shall receyve a packquet from Roger Afhtone. To the right honorable (INCLOSURE.) Fruere pro funere fune. To Jesabell, that Englishe heure, The cheyne was a litle corde off hempe tied halterwife. TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.1 MY LORD, I wreit wnto yowir Lordship in my last letters, fwme purpoifs of Gray concerning maq thxomqf fr vfhk, qwhairof I have gottine no anfweir as yeit, and therfoir will fufpend my jwgment of pat maeter till I heir yowir Lordships opinione in particwlar, alwayfs (ut candide cum amicis agam). Trew it is that he is becume ane werrie great ennemie to yowir *** Quins maiestie, your contrie, and al your procedings, egxco thxqomxq, kfgf nfemfxq, hep hb kfgf dffnqp.xcvo, and thinks heir 1 From the original in the Harleian MSS. Brit. Museum, No. 292, fol. 54. The secret writing is decyphered in another hand, written immediately above the cyphers as here given. efter till follow fwirth his first cowirs be all mins poffibill, and fua to gif no occatione mf maq nhmafbxyo mf txomfgom fr axt, qwha, as yeit, haes no fik confidens in him as is requifit to effectwat aeny gwide twrne. For the qwhilk cawfs, efter matwer deliberatione, aeftiming his ftanding to con catholik fift in doing of fume notable twrne, ms maq hghcotqcm fr maq nhmab.xy religione, or fqbxvxfcq, ff hbmqfhmxfcq fr maq dfqoqcm hqomqxm, he accwmpaniet letters of credit to the Erl of Huntlie; quha, being ane me with his bqmmqfo fr nfqpxm mf maq qfb fr agcmbxq; egah, lqxcv hcq dfqnqxo nhmafbry, miflyks alfua of pe present aefteit and governement, and haes the hoill nobill maen of this contrie bandit togither till affift, perfeu, and defend with him, and he with pem, in all his and thaer acteis, fik Marischal Ogilvy Craferd Montrois Kaertnes as nfhrqfp tfcmffxo thfxonahb fvxbgk yhqfmcqo ogmaqfbhcpq ohb toune Elfinstoune Forbes Gray, mfgcq qbrxcomfgcq rfflqo vfhk, with pe graetest pairt of owr Hielands, and all the barons and contrie maen. He offerit, in his letter and be me, let our King out of thir to to lay ane plate (hawing his affistance) mf bqm fgf yxcv fgm fr maxf maens hands, Majestie thqco ahcpo, and fo nocht only to mwif his thxqomxq to tak aerms agaenft xcvbhcpq, egahxfgdfcq bxlqfmxq fr nfcnxqco ogbp cqooxohfbxq rsbbsg, France, bot alfua to perfwaid him to tak jwrnay to rfhcnq, þat thereby all things my lord Huntlie micht attein to paer defyrit effectis. I traevelit with tk bffp agcmbxq in this purpois, qwha was moir pan willing perto, and werrie cwriwfs to knaw the rfftq fr mahm dbhmq; in particular promisen all kynd of affistance to pe forderance of the faming pat cwld be reqwryit. For the quhilk caws, nocht hawing þat in commiffione, he wreit bak with me letters fwll of cre dit to maq thxomqf fr vfhk, hawing promifit þat ane of his maist specialls, nhdxmhqc yhf, qwha is ane gqaqtqcm nhmafbxy, fuld haif folwit me with Maister expeditione, þat he and I micht haif fpokine with pe thromqf at lenthe in þat purpoifs. Alwayfs at my bakcwmine maeters wafs alterat, and maen pwt by paer dyet, pairtlie be his Maieftie rydinge wpone my Lord Max T wall, and pairtly be the thromqfo provfhqnq, qwha haes nocht bein at court fens; and yeit he affuris me þat his disgraece is nothing els bot Secretaer his ennemie, and thir polords Angus and Mar, licie to pleifs the oqnfqmhqf axo qccqtxq, hcp maxf bffpo hovgo hep thf, Plat vas, qwha haes alredie confaewit ane jalwfie agaenift him. The dbhm gho, that the King sould have beine mahm maq yxcv ofgbp ahgq lqxcq pfhgxc mf pgcrqftbxcv, hnngtdhcxqm vith sik of his auin domestiks as war for the purpois; gxma oxy fr axo hgxc pftqomxyo ho ghf rff maq dgfdfxo; and fo to haif my lord of Huntlie, perfuadit his Maieftie to haif wretine for tk bffp fr agcmbxq, qwha fulde haif beine with all his forcis alredie cwming fordwarte for þat effect, fua the King þat maq yxcv fuld newer haif knowine the weritie of pat interpryfs qwhill the twrne haed bein doing, and maeters fatlit, bwt ony hazarde or daenger his Majesties auin persone; of axo thxqomxqo hgxc dqfofcq; qwhilk, bwt dowt, compellis him to temporrifs farder with pir lords pat ar abowt him, pan wperwayfs he wald doe; for hawine difcuwerit fik attempts of maq qfb fr agcmbxq, and wperis, the Erl of Huntlie, maide his Maieftie foircein, and pat, afs is fupponit, rether by rqaf rhnx letie or craft, bqmxq ff nfhrm, they think it nocht nidfwll þat his Maieftie be in aeny wayfs forrein of thaer proceiding, being affurit to haif his fawoir and gwid My Lord of Huntlie will qwhainfoewer thaer confpiracies fall be effectwat. tk bfp fr agcmbxq at his goine to court, the xx day of Apryll, wafs ftaeyit be ane chaerge of the Kings maieftie; and yeit cam fordwart wpone the affurance of ane letter of his Majestis prively convoyit to him, ane bqmmqf fr axo thxqomxo dfxgqbk nfcgfkxm mf axt, qwhair he was hcq nicht be the vay in Dunfermling vith the Maister of Gray, cxnam lq maq ghk xc pgcrqftbxcv gxma maq thxomqf fr vfhk, and fwld be paer in his Lordships bakcumine; at qwhait tym fwll refolwtione will be taen of all pwrpoifes befur fpecifiet. Wpon paer refolwtione, I fall nocht feill till adwertifs yowir Lordship in haeft, togither with ony wther thing of importance pat fall occwr in pis meintyme. There is graet appirance of ane alteratione at þis prefent, and pat in refpect of the graet miscontentment, togither with his Maieftie is wpone pe point to pas his yeirs of rewocatione. Qwhaitfuewer the King haes done afs yeit with France, the Catho Secretar puts the laerd of Fintrie liks heir haes no howpe of it. The oqnfqmhf dgmo maq bhqfp fr rxcmfxq the King to goe the Fraence in ane graet opinione þat he fall mwif maq yxcv mf vfq maq rfhqcnq Fintrie ye quhilk affurance rxcmfxq did qwhait he cwld to haif renewit Fintrie þe frindfchipe twixt þem, quhilk wafs nocht effectwat. rxcmfxq wreit into the Bischoipe of Glasgu France in þe faid oqnfqmhfo rhgffo mf maq lxonafxdq fr vbhovg and wperis, bot his letters war interceptit, and he haed in þe laes aeftimatione in refpect of his ower graet fimplicitie. Remitting pe reft to yowir Lordfhips difcretione and anfweir, hawing my hwmble dewtie rememberit unto yowir Lordship, committs yowir Lordship in Gods holy protectione, the xxvj of Apryll, 1587. towne, and brought no anfwere of those letteris, because the tyme was not convenient nor the [King] and Counsell at leasure; for that upon the xth 1 Cott. MSS. Caligula. D. 1, fo. 206. Unfortunately the volume of MSS. marked Calig. D. 1, is very imperfect, being so much injured by fire as in many places to be illegible. The words within brackets are conjectural readings. |