THE NEW-MADE EARL
Randolph to Cecil from Edinburgh. Foreign Calendar. December 15, 1564.
This parliament, being only assembled for restoring Lennox, began upon Monday, and ended the Saturday after. The third day the Queen came to the house, when she had an oration of her affection towards her subjects and the weal of her country, which moved her to show her favour towards Lennox, to restore him to his country, the rather for the suit of the Queen of England, whose desire to her was of no small moment, which words were duly rehearsed....
MURRAY, LETHINGTON, AND CECIL
[The next development in the situation took the form of a correspondence between Murray and Lethington, and Cecil, on December 4, 1564. Randolph wrote to Cecil "that Murray and Lethington had concluded that amity with England is fittest," and added, "No man will be more acceptable to the people than the Lord Robert. There has been more thought of Lord Darnley before his father's coming than is at present. The mother more feared a great deal than beloved." The two Scottish lords had already written to Cecil, who replied on the 16th, informing them that Elizabeth would never consent to their request, the establishment of Mary's "title to be declared by Parliament in the second place to the Queen," but "promising that she will cause inquisition to be made of their Sovereign's right; and as far as shall stand with justice and her own surety, she will abase such titles as shall be proved unjust and prejudicial to her sister's interest;" and giving them warning. "Let there not be found any intention to compass ... a kingdom and a crown, which, if it be sought for, may be sooner lost than got, and not being craved may be as soon offered as reason can require." To this Murray and Lethington replied on the 24th, asking what Cecil meant by the words "as shall stand with justice and her own surety," for they "never meant anything prejudicial to the surety of Queen Elizabeth;" stating that if Elizabeth "will nowise establish the succession of her crown," the Leicester project must fall to the ground; and urging Cecil to secrecy, for if it were discovered that they had "meddled without her Majesty's knowledge, the opening thereof" would be the ruin of them both. (Foreign Calendar, 14th, 16th, and 24th December 1564.) This episode is of importance in connection with Mary's subsequent attitude to the Darnley marriage.]
QUEEN MARY'S MERRY CONCEITS
Queen Mary and Randolph.
Randolph to Queen Elizabeth, from Edinburgh, February 5, 1565. Chalmers's Queen Mary, vol. ii. pp. 123-127.
"IT LIETH IN YOUR MISTRESS'S WILL"
Her grace lodged in a merchant's house; her train were very few; and there was small repair from any part. Her will was, that for the time that I did tarry, I should dine and sup with her. Your Majesty was oftentimes dranken unto, by her, at dinners and suppers. Having, in this sort, continued with her grace, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I thought it time to take occasion to utter unto her grace, that which last I received in command, from your Majesty, by Mr. Secretary's letter, which was to know her grace's resolution touching those matters propounded, at Berwick, by my Lord of Bedford, and me, to my Lord of Murray and Lord of Lethington. I had no sooner spoken these words, but she saith, "I see now well that you are weary of this company and treatment. I sent for you to be merry and to see how like a Bourgeois-wife I live, with my little troop; and you will interrupt our pastime, with your great and grave matters. I pray you, Sir, if you be weary here, return home to Edinburgh, and keep your gravity and great ambassage until the Queen come thither; for I assure you, you shall not get her here, nor I know not myself where she is become. You see neither cloth of estate, nor such appearances, that you may think that there is a Queen here; nor I would not that you should think that I am she, at St. Andrews, that I was at Edinburgh." I said that I was very sorry for that, for that at Edinburgh, she said that she did love my mistress, the Queen's majesty, better than any other, and now I marvelled how her mind was altered. It pleased her at this to be very merry, and called me by more names than were given me in my christendom. At these merry conceits much good sport was made. "But well, Sir," saith she, "that which then I spoke in words shall be confirmed in writing.... You know how willing I am to follow her advice ... and yet I can find in her no resolution nor determination. For nothing, I cannot be bound unto her ... and therefore, this I say, and trust me I mean it, if your mistress will, as she hath said, use me as her natural born sister or daughter, I will take myself either as one or the other as she please, and will show no less readiness to oblige her, and honour her, than my mother, or eldest sister; but, if she will repute me always but as her neighbour Queen of Scots, how willing soever I be to live in amity and to maintain peace, yet she must not look for that at my hands, that otherwise I would, or she desireth." ... I requested her Grace, humbly ... to let her mind be known, how well she liked of the suit of my Lord Robert, Earl of Leicester, that might be able somewhat to say or write touching that matter, unto your Majesty. "My mind towards him is such as it ought to be of a very noble man, as I hear say by very many, and such one as the Queen, your mistress, my good sister, doth so well like to be her husband, if he were not her subject, ought not to mislike me to be mine. Marry, what I shall do, it lieth in your mistress's will, who shall wholly guide me and rule me." I made myself not well to understand these words, because I would have the better hold of them. She repeated the self same words again.