Elizabeth: July 1564

83. Earl of Murray to Cecil. [July 13.]

By a letter received "fra" M^r Randolphe last night, and another I saw from yourself to Lethingtoun, I perceive your sovereign and her council understand that some of her best friends here mislike the "hamcumyng" of the Earl of Levenax and would have me persuade my mistress to stay him for this year. "Gif ye compt me in that nowmer," I will assure you I never meant anything against his coming, and the report, whoever made it, is untrue, and I would be glad to know the maker's name. If I had been so minded, it would have been declared when his "conduct" was procured of our mistress, "and I knaw als litle of ony uther noble men quhome ye have caus to think your freindis, that thay ar myndit to the contrair." I cannot therefore labour his stay, "nathir think I it can stand with the Quenis majesteis honour to be the occasioun thairof, seing his pasport wes grantit at the request of the Quenis majestie your soverane; quhilk mater proceding and being wrocht amangis thame selffis, it wer greit bauldnes to me to counsell the hynderance thairof! Bot gif the Quenis majestie your soverane wald have it stayit for ony respectis concernyng hirself, I think it wer bettir hir grace suld do it, nor my maistres to be the instrument thairof." As to the factions his coming might make in matters of religion—"thankes to God, oure fundatioun is not sa waik, that we have caus to feare, gif he had the gretast subject of this realme joynit to him, seing we have the favour of oure prince, and libertie of oure conscience, in sic aboundance as oure hartis can wyshe. It wilbe nather he nor I, praisit be God, that can hynder or alter religioun heiraway; and his cumyng or remanyng in that cais wilbe to small purpos." Edinburgh. Signed: James Stewart.

1 p. Addressed. Indorsed (by Cecil): " . . . Erle of Murray for the Erle Lennox."

84. Maitland to Cecil. [July 13.]

I received by my lord Bedford's messenger your letter of the 6^th instant touching the causes of the Earl of Lennox's stay in England—"which in deede I can not well onderstand." You mention two reasons—one, that your friends here did not like his coming. "I can not tell whome yow tak to be your best frendis, but I think yow owght to judge those to be best, who most ernestly go about to maneteyne quietnes betuixt the two realmes and intelligence betuixt the princesses—wherin I am well assured my lord off Murray and my selff have done as good offices as any other." And I am bold to say both of us have rather furthered than hindered his coming, and the author of any contrary report from hence has followed his own "passion," knowing nothing of our "intentis." The other reason in your letter is, that your Sovereign thought it not expedient: "wheroff I do not mervell a lytle, seing how ernestly her majesty did recommend onto me my lord off Lenox cause and my ladyes at my last being in that court, and that sodeynly after I had tayken my leave, yow your selff at her majesties commandement, did send after me by post her lettres to the Quenes majesty my maistres, veary affectionat in theyr favouris, willing me to present the same—which recommendation from the Quene her good sister, renewed also therafter by M^r Randolph, wes the principall occasion that her majesty did so liberally grant that they myght repayre to this realme. And for my selff, I never in all my lyfe had acquentance or intelligence with my lord of Lenox or my lady—yea never had seene eyther off them with my eyes, before that tyme it pleased the Quenes majesty your Sovereygne to speak onto me in theyr favouris." And though other causes might have moved my lord of Murray to favour the licence—"as that he is my ladyes nephew and he and my lord both off one name"—yet no private respect did so much move me as your Sovereign's earnest recommendation, which I think was also the "cheefest cause of my Sovereygnes inclination that way." And having once given him liberty under her great seal to come, it will be hard to persuade her to revoke it, and I dare not presume to enter on such with her majesty, knowing how she respects her honour, where promise is once passed, and how unwilling she is to change her deliberations when once resolved—"which as she will not do her selff, so doth she altogether mislyke in all other"!

You write that her majesty is informed that his resort hither shall breed troubles not only in religion but in civil causes. I who know our state as well as your informant, see no such peril, or that my lord of Lennox's coming or not coming shall alter either, and factions are not so easily "suscitat" here as some think. "Whosoever doth appeare to have greatest occasion to grudge at that matter, before he uter any mislyking off it, wilbe fayne to put water in his wyne to swage his collere a litle." Religion here does not depend upon my lord of Lennox coming, nor "do those off the religion hang upon the sleeves off any one or two that may mislyke his commyng." For us whether he come or not, "I tayke it to be no greate mater up or downe."That the stay should grow on the Queen's side here would somewhat touch her Majesty's honour, having once given him licence freely; "oneles she myght shadowe the change off her mynd by the Quene her good sisters request, and so do it for her pleasour—which I perceave is not your Sovereygnes meaning, but wold she shold tayke the mater upon her selff—which she thinketh to hard, and it is no honorable cullour for her to allege that her owne subjectis do mislyke it." If there any such, they make no demonstration, but rather profess the contrary. To be short: the Queen sees no danger in this matter to move her to put her reputation in doubt before the world by breach of promise. You will see my lord of Murray's mind disagrees nothing with this my writing. I have used the best means I could to recover the Queen's letter, that I might have returned it to her highness—but was answered "that the lettre wes brent, at her owne request in the said lettre." I may not omit that though this is the first advertisement the Queen or "we" have of the Earl of Lennox' stay, it was known to some of this realm above 20 days past and from them conveyed to me. "I have according to your desire retorned onto [yow] your owne lettre," and look for answer of my others when it shall please you. Edinburgh. Signed: W. Maitland.

4 pp. Holograph. No address leaf.

85. Mary to Elizabeth. [July 15.]

Requesting safe conduct for George Hopper, merchant burgess of Edinburgh, to trade by sea or land to England and foreign parts, for a year. Edinburgh. Signed: Your richt gud sister and cusignes Marie R.

Broadsheet. Addressed. Indorsed. Wafer signet (Scotland). Collar of the Thistle.

86. Boundaries of The Marches. [July 17.]

Commission by the Queen of England to Francis, earl of Bedford, governor of Berwick and warden of her East Marches, and Sir John Forster, knight banneret, warden of the Middle, to settle their respective limits with Scotland.

1½ pp. Latin. Draft corrected by Cecil. Indorsed: " . . . xvij Julij 1564."

87. Elizabeth to Bedford and Forster. [July 17.]

Instructing them to meet the Scottish commissioners, the Master of Maxwell and Justice Clerk, and settle the limits of the East and Middle Marches, making a "chart" of the "Threap groundes," and setting "notable meare markes" of the new bounds, to be yearly viewed.

2¼ pp. Draft corrected and partly written by Cecill. Indorsed: "17 July 1564 . . . "

88. Maitland to Cecil. [July 27.]

Your letter of 26^th June came but of late to my hand, so that I could not answer before. You would make me believe we stand in "disparite," which I can no ways admit, but trust our sovereigns believe we love and honour them, and tender their service above all things, and that neither of us "will think, write, or procure any thing prejudiciall to the same." I cannot see what danger can come of our writing freely to each other, considering such was your sovereign's mind, that thus "theyr majesties maters myght be some what digested," and their meaning better expressed by us their servants, than by their own letters. You write "the best order is for them to begyn that have cause to require. What we do require is not onknowne to yow, neyther yet to the Quenes majesty her selff—and if now yow would seame to misknow it, I think ther hath byne to moch tyme spent about it in vayne, and I would repent my selff to have travayled so moche and proffyted so litle." If your sovereign's affection to mine remain such as I ever found it, "then can yow stand in no danger for wisshing her well, and procuring her greatnes before all other, nixt your maistres—for so shall yow but follow your maistres affection, honouring that person whome she doth preferre to all others. Mary! if tyme or any other occasion hath changed her mynd (which I will never suppose and am certanely perswaded off the contrary)," then both you and I would have good reason to meddle no farther "in a mater which shold but irrite the one and nothing proffit nor please the other." It is I know profitable for both countries, and the best and wisest sort do not mislike it. My comfort is that the "travaill" has not been misspent, and though the "passionat" do what they can to hinder it, it shall "fall out as God his providence hath appoynted." Your own mind I put no doubt "is no wyse to go before your maistres, and in your mynd to favour best whear most ryght is—farthar I neyther will looke for at your handes nor requere off yow." S^t Johnston. Signed: W. Maitland.

2 pp. Holograph, also address. Indorsed (by Cecil): "27 Julij, L. of Ledyngton to W. Cecill."