Remember zow of the purpois[62] of the Lady Reres
Of the Inglismen
Of his mother.
Of the Erle of Argyle.
Of the Erle of Bothwell.
Of the ludgeing in Edinburgh.
[The memoranda in the middle of the letter constitute the "thing that is scriblit," for which pardon is asked in the last sentence. The concluding words, from "Remember" to "Edinburgh," are instructions for the bearer.]
Letter III.[63]
My Lord, gif the displesure of zour absence, of zour forzetfulnes, ye feir of danger sa promisit be everie ane to zour sa luifit persone, may gif me consolatioun, I leif it to zow to juge, seing the unhap that my cruell lot and continuall misadventure hes hitherto promysit me, following ye misfortunes and feiris as weill of lait, as of ane lang tyme by-past, the quhilk ye do knaw. Bot for all that, I will in na wise accuse zow, nouther of zour lytill cair, and leist of all of zour promeis brokin, or of ye cauldnes of zour wryting, sen I am ellis sa far maid zouris, yat yat quhilk pleisis zow is acceptabill to me; and my thochtis ar as willingly subdewit unto zouris, that I suppois yat all that cummis of zow proceidis not be ony of the causis forsaid, bot rather for sic {such} as be just and ressonabill, and sic as I desyre myself. Quhilk is the fynal order that ze promysit to tak for the suretie and honorabil service of ye only uphald of my lyfe. For quhilk alone I will preserve the same, and without the quhilk I desyre not bot suddane deith, and to testifie unto zow how lawly I submit me under zour commandementis, I have send zow, in signe of homage, be Paris, the ornament of the heid, quhilk is the chief gude of the uther memberis, inferring thairby that, be ye seising {placing} of zow in the possessioune of the spoile of that quhilk is principall, the remnant cannot be bot subject unto zow, and with consenting of the hart. In place thairof, sen I have ellis left it unto zow, I send unto zow ane sepulture of hard stane, collourit with blak, sawin with teiris and bones. The stane I compair to my hart, that as it is carvit in ane sure sepulture or harbor of zour commandementis, and above all, of zour name and memorie that ar thairin inclosit, as is my heart in this ring, never to cum furth, quhill deith grant unto yow to ane trophee of victorie of my banes, as the ring is fullit, in signe that yow haif maid ane full conqueis of me, of myne hart, and unto yat my banes be left unto yow in remembrance of your victorie and my acceptabill lufe and willing, for to be better bestowit than I merite. The ameling that is about is blak, quhilk signifyis the steidfastness of hir that sendis the same. The teiris are without number, sa ar the dreddowris to displeis yow, the teiris of your absence, the disdane that I cannot be in outward effect youris, as I am without fenzeitnes of hart and spreit, and of gude ressoun, thocht my meritis wer mekle greiter then of the maist profite that ever was, and sic as I desyre to be, and sall tak pane in conditiounis to imitate, for to be bestowit worthylie under your regiment. My only wealth ressaif thairfoir in als gude part ye same, as I have ressavit your marriage with extreme joy, the quhilk sall not part furth of my bosum, quhill yat marriage of our bodyis be maid in publict, as signe of all that I outher hope or desyris of blis in yis warld. Zit my hart feiring to displeis you as mekle in the reiding heirof, as I delite me in ye writing, I will mak end, efter that I have kissit zour handis with als greit affectioun as, I pray God (O ye only uphald of my lyfe) to gif yow lang and blissit lyfe, and to me zour gude favour, as the only gude yat I desyre, and to ye quhilk I pretend. I have schawin unto this beirer that quhilk I have leirnit, to quhome I remit me, knawand the credite that ze gaif him, as scho dois that will be for ever unto zow humbill and obedient lauchfull wyfe, that for ever dedicates unto zow hir hart, hir body, without ony change, as unto him that I have maid possessour of my hart, of quhilk ze may hald zow assurit, yat unto ye deith sall na wayis be changeit, for evill nor gude sall never mak me go from it.
The original French version of this letter is in the Record Office (State Papers, Mary Queen of Scots, vol. ii. p. 66). It is printed by Mr. Henderson, and by Hosack. No Latin or French version of it was printed in the Detectio.
Letter IV.
I have walkit laiter thair up then I wald have done, gif it had not bene to draw sumthing out of him, quhilk this beirer will schaw zow; quhilk is the fairest commodity {i.e. the most suitable opportunity} that can be offerit to excuse zour affairis. I have promysit to bring him the morne. Put ordour to it, gif ze find it gude.
Now, Schir, I have brokin my promeis; becaus ze commandit me nouther to wryte nor send unto zow Zit I have not done this to offend zow, and gif ze knew the feir yat I have presently, ze wald not have sa mony contrary suspiciounis in your thocht; quhilk notwithstanding I treit and chereis, as proceeding from the thing in the warld that I maist desyre, and seikis fastest to haif, quhilk is zour gude grace; of the quhilk my behaviour sall assure me. As to me: I sall never dispair of it, and prayis zow, according to zour promeis, to discharge zour hart unto me, Utherwayis[65] I will think that my malhure, and the gude handling of hir that has not ye third part of the faithfull nor willing obedience unto zow that I beir, hes wyn, aganis my will, yat advantage over me, quhilk the second lufe of Jason wan; not that I will compair zow unto ane sa unhappy as he was, nor zit myself to ane sa unpietifull ane woman as scho. Howbeit, ze caus me to be sumthing lyk unto hir in onything that tuichis zow, or yat may preserve and keip zow unto hir, to quhome only ze appertene; gif it be sa that I may appropriate that quhilk is wyn throch faithfull, zea only, lufiing of zow, as I do, and sall do all the dayis of my lyfe, for pane or evill that can cum thairof. In recompense of the quhilk, and of all the evillis quhilk ze have bene caus of to me, remember zow upon the place heir besyde.
I craif with that ze keip promeis to me the morne; but that we may meit togidder, and that ye gif na faith to suspiciounis without the certanetie of thame. And I craif na uther thing at God, but that ze may knaw that thing that is in my hart quhilk is zouris; and that he may preserve zow from all evill, at the leist sa lang as I have lyfe, quhilk I repute not precious unto me, except in sa far as it and I baith ar aggreabill unto zow. I am going to bed, and will bid zow gude nicht. Advertise me tymely in the morning how ze have fairin; for I will be in pane unto I get worde. Mak gude watch,[66] gif the burd eschaip out of the caige, or without hir mate. As ye turtur I sall remane alone for to lament the absence, how schort yat sa ever it be. This letter will do with ane gude hart, that thing quhilk I cannot do myself, gif it be not that I have feir that ze ar in sleiping, I durst not wryte this befoir Joseph, Bastiane, and Joachim, that did bot depart even quhen I began to wryte.