vay

til I heir frome you. It vil please you participat þis letter to my Lord Leicester, and your fone Sir Philip Sidnie. I have vrittin to bothe; bot quhan I find a more fure commoditie I fall more plainly vryt. I intendit to haue vritten to hir Maieftie by pis vay, a refolution of fume things I promifit by my last letter, bot, as yit, I can not, becaus I haue not, as yit, ful refolution my self; bot it vil please you, Sir, excufe me, and pray hir Maieftie to keip it fecret pat I vryt to you, for auoy ding of jaloufie. Remember þat my Lord Hunfdoun vrytt, the quhair you knaw. I tak leue, efter haueing kiffit your handis, and committis you, Sir, to God his holy protection. Att Hollyrud hous pis 24 of January, 1584.

Your verie affectionat freind
to do you feruice,

Maister of Gray

To the Ryght Honorable his fpeciall good freind, Sir Francis Valfinghame, Cheiffe Secretarie to hir Maieftie, and one of hir honorable Privie Counfell.

THE MASTER OF GRAY TO QUEEN ELIZABETH.1

PLEASE YOUR MAIESTIE, of leat thair haithe bein a copie of a letter divulgat in this country, and at lenthe fallin in his Maieftie his handis, vitche is spokin to haue beine vrittin by your Maieftie vnto the Lord Maxuell, promifing him affiftance in this his foolish attempt.2 In caice you do

1 From the original in Cott. MSS. Calig. C. IX. art. 67, fol. 140. The second page has originally been written with invisible ink, and brought out by some chemical agent, but it is now unfortunately illegible, with the exception of a word here and there.

2 The foolish attempt' evidently alludes to the insurrection of Lord Maxwell, lately created Earl of Mortoun, in favour of the banished Lords, which commenced by his attack

not find all thingis performit, according as ves promifit by þe King his Maieftie his Ambaffador, yit his Maieftie vould in no vayis beleue, til futche tym as he micht know of your felf, quhou far in this propofe haid bein knowin vnto your Maieftie, vitche is the occasion of my presente importunitie and bouldnes: For althocht, if the letter be frome your Maieftie, the King, my maifter, is a litle intereftit, yit I, as a poor minister of his, eftime my felf more, feing it is eneuche to lofe all credit I haue vithe his Maieftie, haveing promifit more of your Maieftie hir pairt than he fhall fee effectual, and yit no more than that your vryt fhall fufficiently teftifie. Quhairfor I pray moft humbly your Maieftie, ether to aduertis, or caufe me be aduertifit, if the letter proceidit frome you, or if it be donne of propose be pe faid Lord Maxuell, as in deid I tak it to be. Quhoeuer it be, vell I am affurit to heir pe treuthe from your Maieftie, feing vtheruayis it fhalbe verie preiudicyable to my crediet, the vitche, if I lofe, your Maiestie vil find þe lose gryter than þe neu conqueift freindfchipe. So taking leue, I kis moft humbly your Maieftie hir handis. At the Scottife Court pis 29 of April, 1585.

Your Maiftie hir most humble feruiter,

Maistero Gray

A la Mate.

De la Royne d'Angleterre

on the Johnstons, and ultimately succeeded by the surprise of the King at Stirling in November following. Vpone the vj of Apryle 1585, Robert Maxvell, brother to the Erle of Mortoun, brunt the Laird of Johnstounis house of Lochivood, and being accumpanied with sundrie freindis, tuik a great number of his men.'-Moysie's Memoirs, p. 52.

THE MASTER OF GRAY TO MR ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS.1

SIR, my leafur permittis me not þat I can vryt to you particularlie, bot vithein thre dayis you shalbe aduertifit of all þing heir at lenthe, for to impert to my freindis in theis pairtis. In pe mid tym, I haue vretin to my Lord Leicester and to Mr Secretarie, who vil impert thair letteris to you. I pray you interteine me in pair good grace. I feir I be constrainit to imploy them, for I am hardly preffit by my vnfreind. So I defyr you to speik to the Quene þat I fhall do no thing, except my lyf be in dainger, bot if I find it fo, you shall perfuad hir þat it is meiter I be to pe fore than hir ennemie, and fend me hir opinion of pis point. Mr Votton is verie honourably refaueit of his Maieftie, and for my awin pairt, I fhall do good vil þat he fhall haue caufe to lyk of my felf. I remit all vther thingis to pe uther tuo letteris, and committ you to Goddis holy protection. Frome our Court at Holyrud þis last of May, 1585.

To his varie affectionat freind

Mr Archibald Douglas.

Your affectionate freind,

Mr. of Gray.

Sen Roger pairtit I haue difkifferit him to be a knaif better than of befor, bot I caire not; lat him incur no fkaithe.

Remember me oft to Sir Philip Sidney.

'From the original in Cott. MSS. Calig. C. IX. art. 66, fol. 139.

. There is written on the back, in a contemporaneous hand, Rog. Ashton doubted.' He was an English Messenger between the Courts of England and Scotland.

FRANCIS STEWART, EARL OF BOTHWELL, TO THE MASTER OF GRAY.!

MY LORD AND BROTHER, I hewe refewet ane letter from his Maieftie, verray fcharp, defyring me to wreit þe heill purpoifis þat was betwix Sir William Stewart and me yesterday, as oft ye mouet. I faid to him, vithin ten dayis, I fwold heire prefentlie to pe hwrt of fwm mon about his Grace, quhilk gif I wald declair pe verray trewth, I fwold heue his Heihnes fauor and prefence foner nor I belewit. I hewe wretine at lenth þe hiele fircumftainces of pat matier to his Maieftie to be reporteing of them, as salbe manifeft, praying you to geit þe fyght of my faid letter, þat ye may be affurit of [my] honeft part in that, as becumis me of my honour. Now, Sir, I am glad, vith my hert, that thair ewill will towartis me manifeftis to fek formis of deling; to be fchort, quhair I am oblifit to beir gud will, I falbe treu and conftant. Gif my Lord of Arren, or Sir William, vill allage any thing in my naime þat I reportit to tham, I fall cawyfe tham eit in thair wordis in thair throt. Theirfoir be of gud cwrage, and cair nocht thair vikkit inwention. Do quhat thay can, prowyding we hewe the King our Maieftys gud fawor, albeit thay ar knawin to be fik men as they ar, yet lat nocht pe Secretar nor pe Juftice Clark dowt of my honeftie, quhom onto I profes freindfchip, nor your Lordship quhom in herte I fa grytlie efteime; as your brother James,3 and Thomas Tyrir1 will in þat schaw you

From the original in Cott. MSS. Calig. C. VIII. fol. 203.

2 This Sir William Stewart was in his qualiteis and behavior na thing different from his brother, the Erle of Arran; a testimonie whareof he utterit in uncumlie words, upon a day in the Kings chalmer, aganis Francis Erle Bothwell. The said Bothwell having regarde to the place, said na thing for that tyme; bot within this tyme that Maxwell is his preasoner in Edinburgh, it fortunit Bothwell and Sir William to encounter with thair cumpaneis, whare Bothwell maid the first onset for the former injurie, accumpaneit with a broder of Patrik Maister of Gray, whome Sir William had delatit of before; and after a light combat Sir William was killit out of hand.' This event occurred in 1588.-Hist. of James the Sext, p. 237.

3 James Gray of Davidstoun, one of the gentlemen of the king's bed-chamber. It is probable that Thomas Tyrir, or Tyrie, was the son of David Tyrie of Drumkilbo, who married Lilias, fourth daughter of Patrick fifth Lord Gray.

at meir lenth. Swa, my hertlie commendationis being rememberit, I commit yow to be protection of God. From Leith, pe xiiij of June, 1585. Your Lordships meift lowing brother at power,

SIR WILLIAM STEWART demaunded, What fhould be the occafion of the

crymes betwixt my Lord of Arrane and me?' Whome to I anfwered, 'The innumerable breakes of his frendship never deferved by me.'

He replieth, What if all thofe may be taken away, are you not willing to enter in friendshipp as of before?' I answered, 'By what manner?' He anfwered, 'I fhall caufe him oblige him felf to gett you the Kingis Maieftys prefence, yet ere his Maieftie goe over the water.' 'In doing that, I fhould acquite my Lord of Arrane, as it apperteyned alwayes.'

'Are you not willing to enter into an fure band of frendship with him?" I anfwered, That I could not, nor would not, enter with him, who had fo fhamefully broken his faeth and promife, till firft hee obteyned me your Maiefties prefence, at what time I fhould enter with him, as he had deferved at my hands.'

6

Well, I knowe what makes you fo hard to enter in frendship with him.' What is that?'

6

'I knowe there is ten or twelve of you banded and confederate to the flaughter of the Erle of Arrane.' If you will fay that I am banded, or that know any others to be banded, in his contrary, in that I will fay you

1 Cott. MSS. Calig. C. VIII. art. 171, fol. 201. These speeches are alluded to in the previous letter.