KING JAMES VI. TO PATRICK MASTER OF GRAY.1 Trusty and weILBELOUIT COUNSALLOUR, We greit yow hairtlie weill: Being refolwit to pas in propir perfone towart þe north partis of our realme, at þe tyme preferyuit, ffor profequitioun of pe papift Erllis and vpairis trublaris of pe quiet efteat of pe cuntrey, according to our last proclamatione direct pairanent, neceffar it is, That befoir our taking iornay fum refolutioune off our Efteatis be had quhat preparationis is requifit pairto; quhilk hes mowit ws, ryght effecteuflie, to defyr yow to meit ws at Edinburgh vpone pe xxvj of Apryill inftant, ffor your gud adwyis and opinioun to be gewin anent fik preparationis as ar neidfull for our faid iornay, as ye will kyth your zeal and dewtifull affectioun towart pe furtherance of þe godlie and honest actioun, and will do ws fpeciall gud plefour and feruice. Sa, lippinning affuredlie for your preceis keiping of pe dyet, We commit yow to God. Frome Stirling, þe xvj of Apryill, 1594. PATRICK MASTER OF GRAY TO MR JOHN LINDSAY, OF BALCARRAS.2 MY LORD, I haue fend vith this all I promist, and fume forther. Receaue the Affociatioun, the ordre of the Quene her accufatioun, the vrytis found; From the original in the possession of Francis, Lord Gray. From the original among the Balcarras Papers, vol. vi., in the Advocates Library. A fac-simile of this letter is given as a frontispiece to this work. In nombre sex, subscryuit be the Counsell of England. befyd this, to let you knou hou maiters past, I haue send you a lettre of the Quene, vrottin to his Maieftie her fone; Fontainie, her agentis lettre to the King; the articles he craueit in her name. Sindrie other thingis I haue, quhilks villingly I vould let you fee, bot in my abfence it ver hard to commit them to the receptioun of any my feruantis. As for thir, it vill please your Lordship copie them, and ether fend them, or delyuer them to my vyf in my abfence: I vould haue bein loth to haue fend fome of theis to many vithin Scotland. I vill requyft your Lordship caufe fend me a copie of your Difcours DE JURE ANGLICANO, quhilk I fau in Falkland. My Father is fommonit to be in Linlythco the 22, befor the Counfell. His inhabilitie to all men is knouin; as for the maiter, he refufit not, bot the ordour ves not formell, nether haid the officer any chairdge, nor fufficient miffiue, as your Lordship vill fee. Therfor, I pray your Lordship hould hand that he be not forther troublit then the receauing of the pledge, quhilk he will do villingly, he being prefentit according to the Act of Parliament. I recommend it then to your Lordships patrocinie. Receaue a lettre of the King of France, an vther of the Duke of Guise to the King, only for the formes. I forgot, vhen I directit my feruant to Edinburch, to tak the key of my cabinet, quhilk is the cause I send not the buk of Styllis, bot it shalbe vith you in Lythcoe, or schortly efter. To quhilk and ever I commit your Lordship to Godis holy protection. Dundie, this 15 Sept. 1596. Your Lordships louing freind to commaund, To his honored freind, My Lord Secretairie to His Maieftie. Gray It vill please your Lordship to remember, that the Lordis of Inchmartin and Kinnard receaue no rigour. Receaue 15 pieces to be copeit, and delyuerit to my Vyf, Inuentour of vrytis delyuerit to the Secretaire, 15 Sept. 1596. A copie of ane lettre of the Quene of Scotland to her Sone. Fontainie his Articles in the Quene her name to his Maieftie. The causes of condemnatioun of the Gentlemen arreynit. Reafouns for the Quene of Scotland. Reafouns contrarie. The forme of proceiding agenst her. Sex letteres fubfcryuit be the Counfell of England. SIR ROBERT CECYLL TO PATRICK MASTER OF GRAY.! SIR, What I haue written to you, in þe inclofed, I defire fhold be treuly feen to pe King; for I am refolued to come no nearer, then by my demonftratiue courses in my fervices without infinwation in particuler, or acompting (by apology) further then to be confcience of an honeft fervant to my deerest Soveraine, and a good patriot to my Contry; which refolution, (with pe vieu of my actions,) fhall cleare me to the world temporall, and fave me at þe day of Judgment, where I fhall dare to pleade pat in my foule there neuer entred base or malicious practise against him; whose hart I prefume (being guyded by God, who is pe ruler of Princes,) will From the original in the Advocates Library. It bears neither address nor date, although it evidently appears to have been written towards the end of autumn 1600. 2 A be as foon fatiffied by his devine influence, as by any vulgar or fubordinate adreffes or flatteryes of mine. To you, I yeld thanks for your good will, and because I wold haue you retourn me fuch an anfuer as may still fatiffy my Mistress, þat you dyd but propound it de bene effe, (and with defire pat the Queens mynd fhold approve it, for whofe fervice you wifhed it efpecially,) let your answer reply in pat ftile; faiing, þat I need not mislike you, (nor the Queen miflike your courfs in it). But I pray you, Sir, let the King, in any cafe, fee my lettre, and in your lettre retourn his treu anfuer, for I will fheu it to the Queen what ever it be. For pe Duke of Nevers, he is gon back, and fheued here no purpose to go further northward, for which the Queen took his vifitation the more gratefull, and I dare fay of pat fhe kept no counfaile to him felf. For your fute, be fure I will haue no idle thoghts in pat bufinefs; but I can not yet anfuer you directly, for, as much lies in pe forme as pe matter, and I may peradventure better carve you out a peece of work then your cofen Grey can, for land is land, and leafe is land in valuation: but of this I can write no more certainty yet, then of mine owne defires; vppon your next dispatch I fhalbe readyer. In þe meane tyme, what Hamilton brings I knou not; but I do love pe man, and haue no purpofe to do otherwise. For pe Duke, what he fends I knou not, but fure I am, my pen fhall reply to none in Scotland (if not by order) but your felf, (I meane perfons of rank and place). Sir, I affure you, þe noble man is very worthy, and I do with the King had more fuch well tempered fubiects. For pe Kings oune adreffes hyther, or dayly dispatches from hence, I can not reade þe ryddle; but I think fuerly as you do, they are all but vifions of idolls, offred and multiplied to him by fuch as defire thanks. For pe other 2, þat still misleade him from believing iuftly of me, they are wife, and were to blame, if they fhold not maintaine their oune former principles, fed jacta eft alea; onely I am forry to see by you, þat all is fifh þat comes to nett, and þat it is fo eafy for men about a Prince to make him valeu poor filly felloues for men of vfe, because they are paincted to him to be men pat haue place or creditt here (as you fay) with the Queen or her Counfaile, a matter not strange to me. If þat be treu which you do write, pat the King thinks Ladyes can do him alfo fuch pleasure, fwerly I can hardly think it to be treu that pe Lady you write of doth or can write to him. Think not pat her Father knoues it, for, God knoues, he wold treade her vnder his feet, rather then therby to adventure his fortune for pe prefent, thogh, in my foule, otherwife he dreames of no practife. Let me knou, therfore, Sir, treuly, what is treu, and I will take it for a courtesy, and vse it like a jentleman. When your Son comes I will do þat which you shall think fitt for me to you, who shall ever find me, Your affured frend, Ro. CECYLL. PATRICK MASTER OF GRAY TO CARDINAL BORGHESE.' IN Scotiâ, tumultuofè omnia fatis apparent; et miniftri Calviniani fatis adhuc et poffunt et præfunt. Rex, ut poteft, non pro religione, fed pro læfâ fuâ majestate, et authoritate, in contrarium aliquo modo nititur. Quæ, pro Rege, Romæ acta erant, elapfâ hyeme, Reginæ Angliæ non minus funt nota quam ipfis actoribus, infcitiâ fortè negotiantium. Itaque, non video quod quæ Regis nomine afferabantur, præftari poffint; neque quod vera fint, præcipuè de ipfius religione. James, verè cum Catholicis favere puto, cum nihil contra fuam ipfius voluntatem adhuc moliti funt. Comes Gourius cum fratre, præfente ipfo Rege, trucidati funt: At, de eâ re, quod adhuc nihil comparuit, incertè relinquo. Quæ mihi fcripfit quidam aulicus, hic accipe; et, pro interprete, utere Jacobo Scaveo, Scoto. 1 From the Sloane MSS. in the Brit. Museum, No. 4160, art. 114, where it is thus marked: The Master of Gray to Cardinal Borghese, from London, 12 Cal. Novemb. 1630, sent to the Nuncio at Brussels. The date 1630 is evidently a mistake, as the letter must have been written shortly after the slaughter of the Earl of Gowry, which happened in August 1600. |