And fo it is wished by all good men, both for the common good of this ifland, and for his own greatnefs every way, that he were advised, and to thank God, who hath delivered him by this means of a great burden of confcience, which operwife must haue been upon him, as at whofe hands God would have looked for a revenge of his Fathers blood, fo innocently and horribly spilt, by her confent and privity, not to speak of pe goodness of God towards him, in establishing his throne, continually undermined by her practises; the end whereof will be, if he be well counselled, the beginning of all happenefs here, inftead of being fent as hoftage or ward to Pope or Spanyard, as pe faid Quene would haue made him, he may abfolutely and quietly reign. Thus you fie how pe care and defyre I haue of pe continuance of amity and peace between ye 2 kingdoms, has carried me into a long difcourfe. I trust you will do all pe good offices which on your part shall be poffible, confidering þat our satisfaction in this behalf shall be joined with pe fervice of God, your own Soveraign, and Country, which perby shall reap pe bleffed fruits of peace. TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.1 MY GUID LORD, notwithstandine yowir Lordship be fufficientlie prouydit of frindfchipe in pir pairts, and of fik qwhom wit, moyen, and experiens ferwis them, till informe yowir Lordship better of the present aesteit of this contrie than I, yeit, newertheles, I thocht it juft well be this prefent to mak the guid will I haif to do yowir Lordships honur and ferwife manifest and knowine onto yowir Honur, qwhairof yowir Lordship fall haif fik prwif as my small walewr maey extend to. I haif wretine to Mr Archibalt Dwglas at lenthe, the werrie aestaet of matters at þis prefent, quhilk I dowt nocht bot he will commwnicat with yowir Lordship: onely will I defyr and foir 1 From the original, Harl. MSS. No. 292, fo. 48. This and the two following letters marked 876 †† are stated in the printed catalogue to be written by a Scots Intelligencer.' warne yowir Lordship to be ware of the Secretarie, qwha traevells, be all moyen, to diveft Inglant of all kynd of frindschipe in þir pairts, and be pat moyen to mak yow unaebill to do aeny thing in pis contrie by him; quhairbe, togither with his graetnes with the King, he compellit France to feik his frindschipe, and fua to debaifche his ennemies, and tranffer þe credit of all in his owine perfone; for affuritlie, if he dwrft hazarde, or saw aeny apirans, he wald nocht feis ass yeit to preis þe Kings Maieftie to goe pe Fraence cours; bot feing his Maieftie uperwayfs affectionat, he folwis his hwmowr, to mak his profeit be all occafions, for, afs he says him felf, he lipins for no gwid at þair hands, and is affurit þat þe King will be conftraenit to leif that cours before ane yeir be paft. For the quhilk cowrfs it fall nocht be gwide, pat ye leif of yowir deling with pe Master of Gray as yeit, qwha, fens his homcwme, is graetwmlie affectionat yowir way; and alls, þat it will be no fmall brydill to hawld pe Secretaire in ordwr. And in respect þat þe Master dar nocht deill him felf with none of yow direclie, in respect of pe evill bruit he haes incwrrit for his last deling with Inglande, it war gwide he war afs yeit delt with specialie be yowir Lordship, in qwhom he haes no fmall trwfte, if it war bot to hawld of his will. He haes defyrit me to wreit to Mr Archibald in pis pwrpois, for wþerwafs I am no ways plaen with him, þerfor fik letters as is directit to him fend þem with myn, for fo haes he defyrit to be done, and I fall mak þe answeris to be delywerit to Sir Haenrie Widdrintone. He is entering at þis fam tyme in confederacie with the Erll of Huntlie, Crafwirde, Montrois, Rothes, Maxwell, and my Lord Clowde of Paesley, qwha ar all for þe moist pairt catholikis, affectionat to pe Fraence cowrs, and ennemies to pe Lords pat cam in at Stirline. The Mafter, afs he fays to me, dois pis to paertie pe Secretarie, qwha dois þat he can for pe present to wrack him, for all þir nobill men invyfs þe Secretaries credit. Alwayss quhaitfoever near effect pis mater fall tak, yowir Lordship fall be forfein perwith, togither with all þat Tomas Tyrie haes done in France for pe Mafter of Gray, quhoufone he fall cwme home, quhilk, afs pe Mafter is aduertifit, will be fchortlie; fua pat paer fall be nothing done heir in aenie forrein cowrfis bot yowir Lordship fall be dewlie acqwentit perwith. He is nocht till infift diligentlie with pe Kingis Maieftie, nochtwithstandine of aeny thing þat is past, and yowir traevell will nocht be in waen, for his Maieftie will goe yowir way for aens, in fpyt of all theis þat will infift in pe contraer. My Lord Hamiltone and Boidwell ar pe graetaeft ennemies ye haif heir; bot ye haif þat awantage, pþat þay are nocht ye wyfeft in pe warld. I haif newer gottine woird afs yeit from yowir Lordship, quherof I merwell. I am conftraenit to mak my continwall refidens in Court, or wperwayfs I wald be improfitable in þir twrns. Remittine pe reft to yowir Lordshipis difcretione, with my affectionat commendations of ferwice to yowir Lordshipis felf, committs yowir Lordship in Gods holy protectione. From Edinbroche pe thride day of Maerche, 1586. Yowir Lordships awin to be comanditt. To my werrie gwid Lorde, TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.1 MY GWID LORDE, fens pe clofine of my letter wnto yowir Lordship, hawing founde pe Master of Gray greatwmlie alterat and chaengit of his former gwidwill and intentione profeffit to Inglande, afs in particwlar, he haed impairtit to myself pe nicht of befoir; qwhairat I merwelit greatwmlie, and þat in refpect of his inconftante deling and suddean mwtatione, and being werrie inquifitive to knaw and understande qwhait he haed for it, (afs in all things he is plaen with me), fo did he dilaet at lenth unto me pe hoill cawfs of pis his haeftie wraeithe and paffionat deling, confeffine to me pat he haed wretine to my Lord of Leicester befoir his last cwmine in Inglande, and þat in maeters of aeftate and graet importance, quhilk ar 1 From the original in Harl. MSS. No. 292, fo. 50. nocht neffifair to be reherfit at pis prefent; quhilk wreits my Lord of Lecifter delywerit to Sir Alexander Stewart, to haif prefentit to pe Kingis Maieftie of Scotlande, and þat for his disgrace only, afs in plaen terms he fpak to Alexander, quhilk woirds he haes nocht left unreherfit. For pe quhilkis wreits, fuppois he haed his warrand of pe Kingis Maieftie, yiet pe maeter itself was fwa odiwfs, pat my Lord of Leicester did qwhait in him laey to perrall þe Masteris lyf, standing, honwr, and reputatione for ewer; and nocht only pis, bot pe Qwins maieftie hir self communicat fik purpofis to Sir Alexander of þe Master, giffine him an exprefs commiffione to impairt þe famings to his Maieftie, pat if Sir Alexander haed nocht difclofit pe fecrecie of all pir plattis, the Master haed bein in no les parrell, þan he and all pat lwiffis him ar of aweill. Thir maeters war rewelit be Sir Alexander this Setterday, the thrid of Marche, I hawine clofit my letters þe nicht of befoir, and delywerit þem to Capitaen Carwell. I maey heir mak trew recoird of pir things, hawine hard Sir Alexander my cwfinge, and read be Masters letters, being delywerit be Sir Alexander to pe Mafter; qwhairat I was not lytill abaifchite at my Lords wyfdome, qwha cwld nocht conjectwr of þe mans naturall better, quhilk is knowine till all be woirld heir, and enters pe felf in all his actions; yeit I haue infiftit fua far with pe Mafter þat he is content till differ and fuperceid his jwgment of this maeter till I fulde wreit to Mr Archibald, ass I promifit to his Lordship to doe. Befoir my gwid Lord, faiuane yowir Lordshipis better awyfs and opinione, it war gwid my Lord Leicester fuld wreit his excwfis to pe Master in thir things pat ar fallen out, afs I belif far by his expectatione, and þat yowir Lordship wreit in pe Qwins pwrgatione, qwhairof Sir Alexander haes no prwif bot his awine fayine, quhilk is nocht with wfs werrie awtentik. Moirower, yowir Lordship will commwnicat pis maeter to Mr Archibald, and cawfs him wreit to me afs if I haed wretine to him in þis maeter. I gif nocht my awyfs to yowir Lordship in pis maeter, but graet cawfs and mony gwid motiwes and confiderations, afs yowir Lordship fall knaw be tyme; for indeid I am aeftemit participant of all his procedings, fua that if he be falline, I can nocht gwidlie ftande to do yowir Lordship aeny ferwice or plefeir. Feir nocht of aeny thing þe Mafter can attempt agaenft yowir aefteit, for I fall be aebill to cawfs yow anticipat all his defeins, as yowir Lordship fall haif pe prwif of my honeftie, fo will I howpe to be acknowlegit. I will pray yowir Lordship to cawfs returne Mr Archibalds anfwer of pis pwrpois to me with expeditione, togither with my Lord of Leicesters and yowir Lordships letters, if it feim expedient to yowir wifdome. I howpe fchortlie till haif farder credit to do gwid officis for pe Kings Maieftie my maisters ftanding, and for continwing pe paece and frindschipe betwixt the twa contris, qwhairinn I fall lack no gwidwill, fua far afs my fimpill moyen may extend. Sua, hawing prefentit my hwmbill commendations of ferwice unto yowir Lordships felf, I leif yowir Lordship in Gods holy protectione. Frome Edinebroche, pe thride day of Maerche, 1586. Your Lordships maist affectionat to be commandit with ferwice, 876 †† Thaer is nichtlie cartells tint, and pafqwills affixit, agaenst the King and pe Lords of his Cownfall, prowokine him till ane rewenge of his Moperis dethe. It were beft perfor pat maeters war hotlie handelit, for tym is preciwfs. To my werrie gwid Lorde, Sir Francis Walfinghame, Secretaer to the Qwines Maiestie of Inglande. ROBERT CARVYLE TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGAAM.1 RYGHTE HONOURABLE, my dutie remembred, these are to fertifie your 1 From the original in the Cotton MSS. Calig C. IX. fol. 171. This letter was first published in Chalmers' Life of Queen Mary. It is also included in the Excerpta Scotica,' 8vo., Edin. 1825, a volume of fugitive pieces relating to Scottish affairs; and again printed by Sir Henry Ellis in his collection of Original Letters, 8vo., 1827. |