SIR ROBERT CECYLL TO PATRICK MASTER OF GRAY.'

SIR, I haue now receaued your lettre of the 16th, written before a short lettre of mine to Raph. Grey, bearing date pe 16th, came to yowr hands, wherby yow may perceaue my filence greu not owt of any loofe regard of those things which yow haue recomended, (either concerning your felf or others;) for it is treu, þat hither came fuch a multiplicity of reports, by fome of your owne nation, fome þat you were fledd into France, others þat yow had ben in a privat combatt flaine, as I was full of anxiety, and defirous to know where my lettre fhold find yow. But, Sir, I pray yow now receaue herewith pe treuth of all pe proceedings in this vnlucky matter which hath ben recomended hyther to pe Queen. First, I muft needs tell yow, that pe Queen ftill brandleth in her mind, owt of an irremoueable jeloufy, pat howfoever the futes concerning the brethern and fifters of Gowry haue ben fent hyther vnder a vaile of fecrefy, that pe King him felf is not ignorant of it; but rather, þat he letts it runn on by others, to discouer whyther any of þe former malicious imputations vppon pe Queen in þat matter, (because his fact fucceeded his paffadg by this Court,) might be difcouered by any extraordinary fucceeding fauour from hence, especially to those with whom she neuer held any correspondency; wherein, as God (pe Father of Heauen) knoweth, how farr fhe was from any thoght or act of participation, so I must plainly say to yow, (for she speakes it evry day,) þat þe carriadg of the business hyther hath ben fo contrary to þe refervednes defired there, as it hath much stuck in her Maiefties mynd; and so much pe rather becawse the subject of pe request was to comend a Lady, a perfon of honour, of note and quality, to ferve her; which her Maiefty still repeateth to be a matter fo well knowen vnto you, to be farr from her mind to grant, as you cold haue made pe anfwer before the queftion. This, Sir, is the fubftance of all þat I cold draw from a mynd

1 From the original in the Advocates Library. This letter appears to have been written in

refolued to fufpect all things þat come ab Aquilone, and treu it is, þat I dyd neuer hold it but as an vnfortunate fwte; for first, myne owne Soverain, who hath judgment to difcern þat to please pe Queen there is not to be farther of another day from þe Kings favour, wold easily fufpect pat whatsoever I dyd, (more then belongs meerly to my place, which is to receaue and retourn lettres,) in furthering any defires from thence, cold hardly be fevered from fome creeping defire in me to become gracious to the future. Next, for pe Queen þat is there, who knowes me not but by heare fay, fhe, finding no better fuccefs, may be apt to fufpect pat I haue not dealt as I fhold do; in which confyderation I was willing to lett þe othre lettre to my Lady Warwick go on, both because the Queen might be moved by fome other as well as my felf, (and indead, pe matter and perfon confydered, fitlier ferving her fex then another;) next, I knew it wold make pe Queen þe more affured þat all hope was not only in me but in others: all which notwithstanding, her Maiefty hath retowrned plainly a negative in þat matter, both to her and me, and hath defired alfo to be excufed in this matter without ill interpretation. This anfwer was made fome 6 dayes fince, and on the neck of it I haue receaued your last difpatch, in which two lettres were inclofed, which, till this day, I cold not deliuer, for I haue ben fick this good whyle, thogh now come well to Court, which greu lately by a relapfe after a late keping in vppon a great cold. To this, Sir, being of another forme, directed to the Queen her self, I can make no prefent anfwer; for, firft, the lettres are neuly deliuered; next, her Maiefty will anfwer this with her owne hand; and yet because I wold not, in defire to advertise all advertise nothing, I think good to impart vnto yow thus much by this prefent. Th' agent Nycolfon advertised hyther þat Scotland ronge of fauours don to th'Erl Gourys fifter; fome that I had intelligence with her vnderhand, by pe Queens direction; others pat the Queen maintained her. And of this fubiect I know not almost who fpake not, wheruppon the Queen willed pe Agent there to advertise the King, þat treu it was she had ben in London, and fome Ladyes about her, (because she was a Lady,) pitied her, but she had neuer giuen her accefs, nor wold meddle with thofe pat were, (by his proteftation so much difagreable to him;) and this loose tale was all þat Nycolfon had in chardge, with which the King, as it feemed, was well fatiffied. And thus, hauing

now related all I know, it remaines pat I add this, pat I muft chaleng of yow, (whofe destiny hath ben to bring me into this rugged path,) firft, to make my cafe your owne, and then to remember þat which yowr owne felf wrote, þat fervants to great Princes muft make no vowes, and therfore other mens good wills must not be cenfured by [ill] fucceffes. Next, þat as your felf do find in your mind an inward afection (befyds loialty) to þe vertewes and comandments of pat Princefs, fo yow will imagine of me, (whofe obligation is more infinite then any can be to his Soverain, because I am pe creature of her hands,) þat in whatsoever I may not hafard þe grieving of her mind, (which it wold be if the thoght I had a thoght beyond her,) I will alwaies be ready to do pat Queen fervice; not because the is Queen of Scotts, and fo yow may think I hold my felf in pollicy tied to ingratiat myself, but because she is a noble Princefs, full of honour and conftancy, and hath trufted me: with which I now muft end this lettre, and ever reft honestly,

SIR, I haue answered moft of pe contents of your 3 lettres in this other lardg difcourfe, and haue alfo let yow know what we do in these fouthern

From the original in the Advocates Library. The signature to this letter is crossed by several strokes of the pen. The 'lardg discourse' alluded to is apparently the following letter, in another hand, though in some parts bearing Cecyll's own corrections. The date, 1602, is marked on the back; and from the reference which is made to certain events, it has undoubtedly been written early in that year.

parts of pe world. It remaineth now pat I do fhortly let yow knou in this lettre pat there is not an vntreu word in þat to my knoledg; and next, þat for my offer, (rather to be yowr pledg for þe maintenance of your Sonn1 abroad, till your owne meanes better ferved you,) then to driue you for such a tryfle to refort to her Maiefty, (my ftate neuer fo ill forting with my affections as to be to feek for fuch a courtesy to a jentleman of qwality, and my freend, as I hold you to be,) you shall vnderstand þat if yow let me know whyther yow will haue his payments affigned either to Roan or to Paris, I will caufe a Bill to be fent or deliuered to whom yow will apoinct me by your next lettre, wherby he shall be deuly payd of (400) Crownes yearly, by half yeares portion, for which he shall haue his first half yeares affignation before hand. If yow will haue this bill fent to yow eyther for Paris, Roan, Orleance, or any other cyty where exchang runneth in France, I will fend it yow by poft to Mr Rafe Greys; but I will not apoinct any payments to be affigned into Scotland, for of this poor molehill wold be raised a rampart for many a fool to bestow his canon vppon. And it fhold be decreed pat all fuch courtefies, which are but feathers toffed between men of quality or ingenuity, draw with them fome confequences of practise or combination, of which, I proteft to pe Lord, I am refolued to difcard all idle ouertures, more then to keep frendship with one or two fuch as your felf, wherby I may be informed, without fraud, how things go; and fo accomodate all things to be prefervation of amity, in which confifteth pe fælicity of þe whole Iland. For pe Erle of Marr his oppofition to you fo violently, it makes me wonder, because he feemed here to me to haue a mind not ill prepared for frendship; but it may be his doubt, left yow wold part ftakes with his power about his Soverain, may yeld yow be reflexions of bitter æmulation. But to God I leaue yow, for yow haue a strange Court, and ftrang particularitys (me think) pofess fo as for mine owne part I will refolue neuer to pafs pe riuer of Twede, thogh if yow come hyther in his naturall tyme I will hope pat

yow,

Andrew Gray, the Master's eldest son, afterwards eighth Lord Gray. He married Anna Ogilvie, daughter of Sir Walter Ogilvie of Findlater. His father, Patrick Lord Gray, was a party to the contract, which was dated at Foullis, Dec. 3, 1608.

we fouthern men fhall rectify yow with our mild medecins, and temper the violence and inconftancy of your humours.

Ro. CECYLL.

If yow heare any expectation of our Parliament to do any wonders, take my woord þat we shall make it an epitome, and after our fubfydy, herken to no other proiects; and belieue me, Sir, now Queen Elizabeth gouerns and not Rychard 2, as the fhold haue ben, if Henry þe 4th had profpered.

SIR ROBERT CECYLL TO PATRICK MASTER OF GRAY.

SIR, Since your last dispatches (of the 19 and 25th of July), I remayned ftill in expectation what to heare from you; the rather because I perceaued by them you weare declyninge agayne, as alfoe that I founde by fome woords in Mr Grayes lettre, that you, havinge vnderstood of a new purpose in the Kynge to command you to ward, had taken the fea; which did much greiue me, in regard of the hope I had, that your honeft and difcreet indevours would haue fett you in a better degree for the Kings favour, and whereof I was ever fince in payne to heare the iffue, which hath been [the] caufe of my filence. Now haue I receaued from Mr Rafe Gray of the 13th of Awguft, and in it noe mention made of that perticuler, which keepeth me still in diftraction, because I know not where my lettres fhall fynde you, and yet, (for anfweare to your late dispatches,) I thought not amiffe to adventure theife. I was by your lettres informed of the Dukes imployment, and of his defyre to know by you, (for which purpofe Forrest was addreffed vnto me,) whether his comminge into England fhould be well taken. Now, Sir, if you will know what moued me to forbeare my anfweare to this, you fhall vnderstand, that if I had feene that the Duke, had depended in this perticular only vppon my anfweare to you, I had then forthwith made a dispatch, both because it should haue ap