faict, foit ou d'vne façon ou d'vne aultre, Je ne veulx point de diuifion, d'entre moy et mon enfant. Et que Je veux, luy laiffant tout le gouuernement et biens de ma propre volonté, l'affeurer de la jufte poffeffion, et ne demander que l'auctorité deue à mère, telle que Je fuis, luy ne défaduoue plus donques l'affociation entre nous, fi vous ne voulez mettre fon tiltre en doubte, et m'effortre d'y proceder par vn aultre voye. Car pour vous dire en vng mot, Je penfe faire honneur et deuoir de bonne mère à mon fils de le faire mon compaignon à traictre. Et qu'il traicte pour moy quiconque luy a mis cela en auant, n'eft qu'vn fot et vng traistre. Mon fils a l'honneur de mon cofté et moy rien du fien: quell contentement de le voir vertueux, et en chemin de profpérer! Je prétends de defpendre entièrement de la Royne d'Engleterre, Madame ma bonne foeur, comme fa plus proche parente, de faire vne perpetuelle ligue auecques elle et entre nos pays, qu'a toufiours éfté la promeffe de mon fils, de me fuiure en fes plus importantes affaires. Cefte cy c'eft la plus Je m'affeure qu'il ne gouftera pas me défobeyr voir me griefuement offendre faifant le contraire, veu que tout ce que Je fuis, c'eft plus pour fon bien que le mien, duquel mes maulx ennuieux m'ont faict perdre tout gouft finon pour luy: f'il recule, J'appelle Dieu et touts les Princes Chreftiens à témoin, que J'ay faict deuoir de bonne mère, et que quoy luy en aduiendra après, il en faura gré à ceulx qui font de ce confeil pris contre fa promeffe, et celle de-Je n'en dirai pas d'auantage, vous m'entendrez, et vous fouuienne que ce n'eft vers moy qu'il fault diffimuler ou vfer de commandement. Et Je ne croyra jamais que mon fils foit changé vers moy, ne luy en ayant donné auculne occafion; mais Je me fais forte que tiendra la parolle et ce fans diffimuler fe monftrera naturel et obéiffant fils. Et quant à voftre particulier, Je m'affeure que fi oyez l'importance de cefte variation entre mon fils et moy, vous amyeriez mieux mourir que de mettre la main entre le bois et le corps, comme voftre commiffion l'importe. Et femble quant à voftre particulier vous eftes mal informé, comme par après Je vous fairay entendre, et que le vent vient d'ailleurs que ne penfez; auec le temps vous l'entendrez auec fatiffaction, comme Nau vous pourra tefmoigner, le quel, tant pour le crédit qu'il a de moy que les bons offices qu'il vous a toufiours faictz en mon endroict,

vous pouuez bien croire: pour le moins, il eft fi entier et affectionné au feruice et de moy et de mon fils, qu'il n'a guarde de préférer fon particulier, ny par la langue faire tort à quelque ce foit. Et pour ce Je vous prie croyez le et faictes de bons offices, aduertiffant mon fils en combien mauvaise part Je prendray cefte nouuelle inventée courfe, en ce faifant vous pourrez affeurer de ma bonne volonté vers vous et les voftres. A Dieu-qu'il vous ayt en fa guarde. Wingfield, ce xiiij de Décembre, 1584.

Voftre bonne amie,

MARIE R.

QUEEN ELIZABETH TO THE EARL OF ARRAN.1

TRUSTIE, &c.-Your letteris, conteyneinge an offer, grounded vpon the King your Soueraignes comaundment of your fervice vnto vs, one whome, next vnto him, you proteft to reuerence abou all other princes, giueth vs iufte cause to teftifie by theis our letteris our thankfull acceptacion of the fame. And for that it femeth that the continuance thereof, on your behalf towardis vs, dependeth altogether of our conftant and freindly dealing towardis your faid Soueraigne, in refpect of his vowed good will towardis vs, before all other princes, wherin you wish folide correfpondencye, we hope that we haue euer, fince his first beinge, geven so good teftimonye of our love and affection towardis him, and of a finguler care we haue alwayes had of his well doeinge, as there is no caufe that may iustlye be taken by anye, that are not parcially affected, to doubt of our perfeuerance therein, if we fhall finde in him a thankfull acknowledgment and requytall towardis vs in that behalf, as we doe nowe affure our felues we fhall: For we are not eafilye carryed, especially by fuch as you note to haue made shipwrack of honeftye, to varie or altour our courfe to

1 From the original Minute in Cott. MSS. Calig. C. VIII. art. 134, fol. 161, dated 21st Dec. 1584.

wardis fuch as fhall continue conftant in well meaneing towardis vs. And, therefore, for your felf, as the groundis of your affection towardis vs femeth to be chiefely buylt vpon our good vfage of your Soueraigne, fo accordingly as you fhall carrye yourself towardis him, with that duetye that appertayneth to a feruant that poffeffeth that portion of credit that you doe, with a master of qualitye as he is, you may affure yourself we fhall, from tyme to tyme, efteme of you as by effectis you shall finde in fo honorable forte, when opportunitye shalbe offred, as you shall haue no cause to fore think the great devocion and good will you profeffe, or rather to vowe, towardis vs. And as touching this gentleman your freind, we doe not finde in him that francknes in revealeinge vnto vs fuch practifes as were intended against vs, wherewith we knowe he was made acquainted, as we loked for, confideringe the afurance giuen, boeth by the Kings letteris, and your owne, vnto our couzen of Hunfdon, in that behalf. Some thingis in generality he hath deliuered vnto vs, whereof the greatest parte were before well knowen vnto vs. But if he would haue dealt as confidently therein, as he hath dealt paffionately in the purfuyte of the diftreffed noblemen retyred into this our realme, we fhuld then haue had better cause to like of his procedeing, though we muste nedes confeffe, that otherwife he hath carryed himself in that good forte, as we are glad the King, our good brother, hath fo rare and faithfull a fervant.

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS TO KING JAMES VI.1

Si au

N'AYANT iamais de voftre part ouy que vous feiffiez difficulté aulcune iufques à prefent, de forte que le langage que Gray en a tenu. contraire m'a femble merveilleusement estrange, ne me doubtant iamais ny que vous que J'aime fi chèrement, ny luy qui m'avoit donné tant d'affeurences de fon fervice, euffiez voulu me deuancer en aulcun traicté

'Cott. MSS. Calig. C. VIII. art. 94, fol. 108, where this article is dated 5 Jan. 1584. See foot note, p. 8.

par deça à mon défavantage, et luy donner pluftoft le tort, ou à quelque particulier qui l'a dirigé, qu'à vous. Si c'eft le Compte d'Arran, rementenez luy que J'ay encores fes lettres, auec celles de divers aultres. Seigneurs pour l'approbation et confirmation de noftre affociation, &c.

THE MASTER OF GRAY TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.1

I

SIR, it vil pleafe you, I vret of befor a priuie pacquet to Baruik directit to Capitaine Caruel,2 bot pe lacky, not finding him thair, retournit me my letteris, fo pat I knew not by quhat moyen to fend my letteris, til yifterday I refeiuit aduertifment frome Capitane Caruel þat he lay at Beaucaftell, on pe Veft Mairtches; yit pe vay is fo vncertaine þat it vil be hard to mak a dayly vse of conuoy by it, vitche makis me be pe more earnest to defyr you prouyd fume fure moyen þe vitche I fhall vfe. And alfo, I vil skairse be so plaine presently, as otheruays I vold be if kneu of a fure moyen, bot you fhall knaw forder by fume vther meine. I haue directit a pacquet to my Lord Hunfdoun, conteining one vnto hir Maiefty, as you vil fee. vil fee. As it pleafit hir Maiefty to account better of þe dischairge of my comiffion, pan any merit of myn deferuit, fa it haithe pleafit the King my maifter to allou verie veil of my anfueris, as you vil fee his auin letteris giue fuffifient teftimonie, as lykuayis of pat gryt good vil he doethe beare to pe Queene your fouueraigne, and I fpeik it in confcience it is meint in effect; þairfor I pray you to be a good inftrument for þe continuance of it, for althocht pe King vas verie evil informit of your good vil touardis him, yit I hoyp fchortly it fhalbe manifestit þat he nou accountis them leiers, for in deid I declarit vnto his Maieftie treuly futche difpofition as I fand in you. I muft neidis pray you of one thing, pat you be no henderer to lat pe bainift gentlemen pas furthe of Ingland for

1 From the original Cott. MSS. C. IX. art. 43, fol. 95. This letter is indorsed in a contemporaneous hand, From the Master of Gray-Kings association with his mother.'

2 Robert Carvyle, one of the Captains of Berwick. He was frequently employed in conveying correspondence between the English and Scottish courts.

F

a feafon, and in pat doing it fhall be found you ar their verie gryt freind, for þair name is nou fo odioufe to pe King þat the more any man mak for them, the vors is thair eftet; so þat the grytyst veil presently thay can haue, is to avoid all occafion of jaloufie, and abyd tym, and I affur you tym vil be þair gryteft freind þan any thing ellis. I haue vrittin my opinion frely in pis maiter vnto hir Maieftie, pe vitche, I beleue, shalbe participat vnto you. Thair ennemis be in very gryt crediet, yit vithe futche a continuall feare, as I rather be dead than continually deing, if I ver in pe lyk caes. I prayfe God my crediet augmentis dayly vithe my Maister, fo pat I haue pe better moyen to interferm the freindfchip begune betuene thair Maiefties; feu vthers presently haithe any gryt crediet, bot pe Earle of Arrane. The Secretaire, Mr Maitlaine, is in good favouris, yit not in fpeciall crediet. Ther be many gryt jaloufeis presently amongis our felfis, yit ve comport pe best ve may. The tym is verie feit presently, þat fume gentleman be fend heir vithe horfis to his Maieftie, for he ves verie glaid quhan I fhoued him, pat hir Maiestie vould fend him fume opine tokin of opinly profeffit freindfchipe. The founer þe gentleman come it fhalbe pe better, for pan you fhall be more plainly, and at gryter lenthe, aduertifit of all thingis in theis pairtes. The King is marvelously comoueit presently, at þe euil handeling of me by his mother, and that day I difchargit myself my embaffad, it ves votit in one voice by all his Counfell, þat the Affociation ves a thing verie dyfauantagieuse bothe for þe King his Maieftie and countré, and confequently vorthy to be anulit for euer. So as he haithe auouit me by his auin letteris to hir Maieftie, þat it ves neuer concludit fo, nor heirefter it fhall neuer fall in queftion. And becaus it ves fumquhat flandrous pat Nau haid faid, þe Quene, his Maieftie his mother, haid pe moyen to caus him put vater in his vyn, þe Counsell thocht it meit þat Fontainie, hir man, fould mak furthe of the countré; fo he is to obey vithe the first comoditie. Befor my homecoming he has maid a thousand leifings, and amongeft diuers vpers, he faid þat his brother Nau haid maid him aduertifment, pat I had promifit in England to kil þe Earle of Arrane; fo it being reueilit, I ves fumquhat vrothe vithe him, and intendit to haue reuengit one him pe querel I bare, bothe agenft his brother and him felf, bot his Maieftie commandit me pe contraire. I vil vryt no more pis

of