❧The copie of a letter written by one in London to his frend concernyng the credit of the late published detection of the doynges of the Ladie Marie of Scotland▪
MAny are the practises of Papistes and other false and hollow harted subiectes, & wonder it is what they dare do & say, as if they had the Maiestie of our Prince in contempt or did still beare them selues bold vpon the successe of some mightie treason, the bottome whereof hath not yet bene throughly searched. Of late hath bene published out of Scotland, a treatise detectyng the foule doynges of some that haue ben daungerous to our noble Quene, by which detection is induced a very excellent comparison for all Englishmen to iudge whether it be good to chaunge Quéenes or no, and therwith a necessary enforcement to euery honest man to pray hartely for the long continuaunce of our good mother to rule ouer vs, that our posteritie may not sée her place left empty for a perilous stepedame. Some caryed with Popishe affection that regardeth neither naturall Prince nor contrey, and puffed with the dropsey of a trayterous [Page] humor, labour what they can to discredit the same detectiō as vntrue. Some of them, whyle they lyke good sincere men forsoth, would fayne seme very indifferent iudges, say they will credit nothyng till they heare both parties, not remembryng that in the same one booke are both parties to be heard the one in the former parte, both in the declaration and oration of euidence: the other in the latter part, in the parties owne contractes, songes, letters, iudiciall procedynges protestations, examinations and confessions. Some other more open fellowes, say flatly that all is false, the booke hath no credit, the authour is vnknowne, obscure, the matter counterfaite, and all is nothyng. If any such rumors come to your eare, first I thinke verely in truth you may be bold to say to the partie Et tu ex illis es, thou art also one of them. And for the matter I haue thought good to enforme you of so much as I know for profe of the same treatise to be of credite, wherwith you may aunswere and stoppe the mouthes of such rumor [Page] spreaders.
The booke if selfe, with the oration of euidence, is written in Latine by a learned man of Scotland M. George Buchanan, one priuie to the procedynges of the Lordes of the Kynges secret Counsell there, well able to vnderstand and disclose the truth, hauyng easie accesse also to all the recordes of that cōtrey that might helpe hym. Besides that the booke was written by hym, not as of hym selfe, nor in hys owne name, but accordyng to the instructions to hym geuen by common conference of the Lordes of the priuie Counsel of Scotland, by him onely for hys learnyng penned, but by them the mater ministred, the booke ouerséen & allowed, and exhibited by them as mater that they haue offred and do continue in offeryng to stand to and iustifie before our soueraigne Ladie or her highnesses Commissioners in that behalfe apointed. And what profe they haue made of it already, when they were here for that purpose, and the sayd authour of the sayd booke one among [Page] them, when both parties or their sufficient procurators were here present indifferently to be heard, and so were heard in déede, all good subiectes may easely gather by our sayd soueraigne Ladyes procedyng sins the sayd hearyng of the cause: who no dout would neuer haue so stayed her request, but rather would haue added enforcement by ministring of aide to the Lady Marie of Scotlād, for her restitution, (the presidēt & honor of Princes, & her Maiesties own former exāple of sinceritie vsed in defence of the Scottish Quéene her selfe in Scotland against France, and her maintenance of the French Kinges honor and libertie against the hye attemptes of some his Popish subiectes, considered) nor would haue lyued in such good amitie with the yong kyng of Scotland, the Regentes, & the true Lordes mainteiners of that side, if these haynous offenses alleged on that part had not ben prouable, or if the yong Kyng had ben an vsurper, or hys Regentes and other Lordes of that faction traytors, as they must haue ben if all be false that is obiected [Page] agaynst the sayd Ladie Marie. I recite not what subscriptions & assentes haue ben to confirme the booke and the maters in it conteined, Byside that I do you to wyte that one written copie thereof in Latine was now vpon hys late apprehension found in one of the Duke of Norfolkes mens houses, and thether sent by his commaundement a litle before his apprehension to be secretlie kept there, with diuers other pamphelets and writynges. Whiche thyng not onely addeth credit to this booke that it was not counterfait, but also geueth shrewed suspicions that the Duke could not so well lyke the woman beyng such a woman, as for her persons sake to venture the ouerthrow of such a florishyng state wherin he stode before, but that some other greater thyng it might be that he lyked, the gredynesse whereof myght temper his abhorryng of so foule conditions & of so great a danger to hym selfe to be sent after his predecessours. The Byshop of Rosse lykewise doth both knowe that the Duke had this booke, and can tell how the Duke [Page] came by it.
The other mater of the contractes, letters, songes &c. haue, among other, these proues. Liuely witnesses of great honor and credit can tell that the very casket there described was here in England shewed, the letters & other monumentes opened and exhibited, and so much as is there sayd to haue ben written or subscribed by the sayd Ladie Marie, the Erle Bothwell, or other, hath béen by testimonies and othes of men of honor & credit of that contrey, testified and auowed in presence of persones of most honorable state and authoritie to haue ben written & subscribed as is there alleged, & so deliuered without rasure, diminution, addition, falsifieng or alteration in any point. And a number there be in England, of very good and worshypfull callyng byside the Commissioners thereto apoynted, that haue séene the originals them selues of the same handes whoes this booke doth say them to be. Whiche thinges haue been heard and vnderstoode by these that can tell, and those whoes truth [Page] in reportyng is aboue all exception.
Wherefore sithe the Scottishemen haue, for satisfaction of vs their good neyghbours, among whom the sayd Ladie Marie remayneth to the perill of both Princes as the Scottishmen say, published these maters, to the intent that the impudencie of the sayd Ladie Maries fautors in denyeng those truthes may not seduce English subiectes to the vnderminyng of the estate, honor, and noble procedyng of our most gracious soueraigne, and diuertyng of affections to vndue places, and to the great perill of both Realmes, which the aduersaries call beneficiall vnityng, but is in déede most maleficiall confoundyng, intended to ioyne the Realmes in other persones, excluding the person of our sayd soueraigne Lady: Let vs receiue this admonishment thankefully, and gather the frute thereof to the stablishment of our loyaltie to our owne Quéene, agaynst whom the fauorers of the other side haue banded them selues in hostilitie and treason.
This I haue thought good to write [Page] to you for your satisfaction in knowledge of the case, whom I know alreadie sufficiently satisfied in good and dutifull affection. God disclose these hollow hartes, or rather God graunt her Maiestie, and those that be in authoritie vnder her, an earnest will to sée them, for they will disclose them selues fast enough. And God send her Maiestie so to remoue the groundes of her perill, that not onely we which by open thrustyng our selues agaynst her enemyes haue set vp our rest vpon our Quéene Elizabeth, and shall neuer be admitted to fauour on the other side, but also all wise and honest mē may know that it shalbe safe to be true, & daungerous to be false. Otherwise the mischief is euident. For men in nature and in policie will seke for their own safeties, which if they may not finde in truth, it is a great auauncement of falsehode. God long preserue our good & gracious Quene Elizabeth, and make her enemyes know that there is sure peril in treason, and her true subiectes bold to sticke to her without dread of any reuenge or displeasure▪ So fare ye well.
[Page] FOr further proofe that the sayd letters written by the said Ladie Marie & mentioned in the sayde booke are not counterfait but her owne, I haue herewith also sent you the most autentike testimonie of the three estates of Scotland assembled in parliamēt. The copie of which acte you shall receiue word for worde as it was enacted in Scotlād in Decēber 1567. & remaineth publikely in print, sauyng that I haue for your more easy vnderstāding changed y e Scotish orthography, which I would to God had been done for Englishmēs better satisfaction in Maister George Buchnans boke. Howbeit the same is not so hard but that after y e readyng of two leaues a man may easily enough grow acquainted with it, and doutlesse the knowledge & mounumētes therin cōtained are wel worth so small a trauell to vnderstand them.
The Scottishe act of Parliament.
Touching the retention of our soueraine Lordes mothers persone.
ITem touching the article propounded by the Earles, Lordes, & other Noble men, who tooke armes at Carbarie hill, vpon the xv. day of Iune last bypast, & touching their conuenynges [Page] of before, and of the cause of the apprehension of the Quéene mother to our soueraigne Lord: And whether the sayd Noble men, and others which tooke armes of before her sayd apprehension, and which ioyned with them, & assisted them at that tyme, or any wayes sence, haue done the dutie of Noble men, good, & true subiectes of this realme, & no wayes offended, nor transgressed the lawes in that effect, or any thyng dependyng therupon, either preceding, or following the same.
Our soueraigne Lord, with aduise of my Lord Regēt, and thrée estates, & whole body of this present Parliamēt, hath found, declared, & concluded, & by this present Act findeth, declareth, and concludeth, that the cause & occasion of the conuētions, & messages of the sayd Earles, Lordes, Noble men, Barons, & others faythfull & true subiectes, and consequently, their takyng of armes, & comming to the fieldes with open and displayed baners, & the cause & occasiō of the taking of the sayd Quéenes person, vpon the sayd xv. day of Iune last bypast, & holdyng, & deteinyng of the same within the houses & Fortalice of [Page] Lochleum, continually, sence presently, & in all tyme cōmyng, & generally all other things inuēted, spoken, written, or done by them, or any of them to that effect, sence the x. day of Febr. last bypast, vpon the which day, y e late Henry Kyng, then the sayd Quéenes lawfull husbād, & our soueraigne Lord the Kynges dearest father, was treasonablie, shamefully, & horriblie murthered, vnto the day & date of this present Act, & in all tymes to come, touchyng the sayd Quéene, and deteinyng of her person: That the cause & all things dependyng thereon, or that any wayes may perteine therto, y e intermissiō, or disponyng vpō her propertie, casualities, or whatsoeuer thyng perteyning, or that any wayes might perteyne to her, was in the sayd Quéenes own default, in so far as by diuers her priuie letters written wholly with her own hād, and sent by her to Iames somtyme Earle of Bothwell, chief executor of the sayd horrible murther, aswell before the committing therof, as therafter, and by her vngodly, & dishonorable procedyng to a pretēded mariage with him, sodainly, [Page] & vnprouisedly therafter, it is most certain, y t she was priuie, airt, & part, of the actual deuise, & dede of the foresaid murther, of the king her lawfull husbād, & father to our soueraigne Lord, cōmitted by the said Iames, somtime Earle of Bothwell, his complices, and partakers. And therfore iustly deserueth what soeuer hath ben done to her in any time bygone, or that shalbe vsed towardes her, for the sayd cause in time cōming, which shalbe vsed by aduise of the Nobilitie, in respect, that our sayd Soueraigne Lordes mother, with the sayd Iames, sometime Earle of Bothwell, yeid about by indirect and coloured meanes, to colour, and hold backe the knowlege of the truth of the committers of the sayd crime. Yet all men in their hartes were fully perswaded, of the authors & deuisers of that mischieuous, and vnworthie fact, awaityng while God should moue the hartes of some to enter in the quarell, for reuengyng of the same. And in the meane time, a great part of the Nobilitie, vpō iust feare to be hādled, & demeaned in semblable maner, as y e Kyng had ben [Page] of before: perceiuyng also y e Quéene so thrall, & so blindly affectionate to the priuate appetite of that tyrāne, & that both he, & she had cōspired together such horrible crueltie, being therw t all garnished with a cōpanie of vngodly, & vitious persōs, ready to accomplish all their vnlawful commaundementes, of whō he had a sufficiēt nōber, continually a waytyng vpō him, for the same effect, all noble & vertuous men abhorryng their tyrannie, & companie, but chiefly suspecting, that they, who had so treasonablie put downe, & distroyed the Father, should make the innocent Prince, his onely sonne, & the principall, & almost onely comfort, sent by God to this afflicted natiō, to tast of the same cup (as the many inuēted purposes to passe where he was, & also where the noble men were in) by their open confession gaue sufficiēt warnyng & declaratiō, where through the sayd Earles, Lordes, Barons, & others faythful, & true subiectes taking armes, or other wayes whatsoeuer ioynyng, and assisting in the sayd action, & in y e sayd conuētions, displaying baners, & commyng to the fieldes, [Page] takyng & reteinyng of y e Quéenes person, aswell in tymes bypast, as hereafter, & all others that haue therafter, or shall in any time cōming adioyne to them, and all things done by them or any of them, touching that cause, and all other things depending thereon, or that any wayes may appertaine therto, the intromission, or disponing vpō her propertie, or casualties, or whatsoeuer other thinges perteining, or any wayes might apperteine to her, was in default of her selfe, and the sayde Iames sometime Earle of Bothwell, & by the horrible and cruel murther of our sayd soueraigne Lordes late dearest Father, conspired, deuised, committed, counseled, and coloured by them, & not cōdignely punisht according to the Lawes. &c.
This Act with the rest is thus subscribed in the Scottish booke. Extractū de libro actorū Parlamenti per me lacobum Makgill de Rankelour nether Clericum rotulorum Registri ac consilij S. D. N. Regis sub meis signo & subscriptione manualibus. Iacobus Mak gill. And is imprinted at Edinburgh by Robert Lekpreuik Printer to the kings maiestie the vi. day of Aprill, in the yeare of God. 1568.