Mary: June 1557

416. Thomas Martyn to the Queen of England. [June 11. 1557.]

Please your highness to hear some private matters not contained in our general letters. After we and the Scottish commissioners had communed a good space at Sark water, and agreed on days of meeting, &c., we talked apart one with another of them. Seeing they were "apalled" with this our new breach with France, we gave occasion of talk thus—my lord of Westmerland said to the Earl of Cassillis—'my lord I thinke hit but foly for us to treate now togyther, we havinge broken with France, and ye beinge Frenche for youre lyves.' 'By the misse,' quoth the Earl of Cassillis, 'I am no more Frenche then ye ar a Spanyard.' 'Mary,' quoth my lord of Westmerland, 'as longe as God shall preserve my master and mystrys togyther, I am and shallbe a Spanyard to the uttermost of my powre.' 'By God,' quoth the Earl of Cassillis, 'so shall not I be Frenche, and I tolde ye ons yn my lord your fathers howse, yn Kynge Henry the viij^th hys tyme, that we would dye every mothers sonne of us, reither than be subjectes untill England. Even the lyke shall ye fynd us to kepe with Fraunce: and I may tell yowe there ar vij^o Gascons arryved at Dunbryton mere then we wyll be knoen to yow of, wyche were sent to serve yn the borders heare, but we would not lette them passe the ryver, and they being alowyd but iijd. a daye, have so scatered abrode, that iij^c of them be lycked up by the waye. Syk ys the favour that owre men berythe unto the Frenche men heare'!

My lord of Durham tells me the Bishop of Orkney spoke to like effect, wishing in any wise, equal restitution on both parts to preserve amity, notwithstanding the French. M^r Makehil told M^r Henmar there was no cause to break with us on account of the French, 'For' quoth he, 'thEmperours warres with the French empeacheth not owre league and amytie with thEmperour.'

Likewise M^r Carnegy, hearing me avow with an express oath, your grace's sincere meaning for continuance of the league with Scotland, gave me his faith of a Christian, and honour of a Scottish knight, that his mistress meant the like. Mary to save his oath, he added 'As 'farre as we yet ken.' And the Earl of Cassillis lastly said—'Doe yowe my lordes, what yowre commissions directe ye to, and so wyll we.' Now I find in their commission these words—"Damus potestatem nostris commissariis audiendi, tractandi, eoncordandi, concludendi, et finaliter dissidendi." Now if this is their meaning, and not the fault of the clerk penning, they may fall out with us notwithstanding the premisses, by virtue of their commission which is not "finaliter decidere, but finaliter dissidere."

On the Earl of Cassillis pressing us to go to Dumfries, my lord of Westmerland told him plainly, they could not assure us, for they had 300 Frenchmen there. They promised to remove them before our coming. 'If hit laye yn yowr powre' quoth my lord of Westmerland, 'and how can ye assure us, seing ye can not assure yowr selfes of yowre owtlawes' ? Even then we might see the Scottish outlaws bragg nigh the Scots with their "baufles" on their spears, and "Mathewe Plumpe an owtlawe, tooke Cragyparill a Scote, yn all onr sights, and woonded another very sore, and kylled a Frenchman."

My lord of Durham, the first day he set forth, "fell for werynes downe yn the moores twyse emonges his men, who hadd mouche a doe to recover hym to lyffe." But now, God be thanked, he is cheerful and busy, and my lord of Westmerland, though so pained with his old disease, that his men had to help him on horseback, would not tarry at home, but said he would serve your grace while life lasted: and continues yet in pain. Carlisle. Signed: Tho. Martyn.

3 pp. Holograph. Addressed. Indorsed.