Mary Queen of Scots 1542-1587 Part 24

11. Mon coeur, mon sang, mon ame, & mon soucy, {Las,} vous m'auez promis qu'aurons ce plaisir De deuiser auecques vous a loysir, Toute la nuict, ou ie languis icy Ayant le coeur d'extreme paour transy, Pour voir absent le but de mon desir Crainte d'oublir vn coup me vient {a} saisir: Et l'autre fois ie crains que rendurcie Soit contre moy vostre amiable coeur Par quelque dit d'un meschant rapporteur.

Un autre fois ie crains quelque auenture Qui par chemin detourne mon amant, Par vn fascheux & nouueau accident.

Dieu detourne tout malheureux augure.

12. Ne vous voyant selon qu'auez promis I'ay mis la main au papier pour escrire D'vn different que ie voulu transcrire, Ie ne scay pas quel sera vostre aduis Mais ie scay bien que mieux aymer scaura Vous diriez bien que plus y gaignera.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ [77] Ny?

[78] Roch.e.l.le text has "affection" wrongly.

[79] Buchanan, "luy" only. Roch.e.l.le text, "lui le fair."

[80] Read "Mon pis subject"?

[81] Buch., "fainte."

[82] Buch., "ont fait."

[83] Buch., "Pour son profit elle."

[84] Scots translation, "And not the less, my heart, ye doubt of my constance."

[85] Buch., "vous la."

[86] Buch., "la constance."

[87] Buch. inserts "receu."

[88] Text of s.e.xtain corrupt.

[89] Omitted in Roch.e.l.le version as corrupt.

[90] Buch., "envoy."

[91] Buch., "mestimez legier que le voy."

[92] Buch., "viuray, &".

[93] Scots--"For him I will stryve aganis wan-weird."

[94] Roch.e.l.le version to read "luy tout."

[95] Buch., "lesser."

[96] Buch., "Que m'en pensa ... & frayeur."

[97] Roch.e.l.le text, "et vostre ... de la mienne suivi," and later version "la mien suivre."

The Contracts of Marriage.

_Goodall_, vol. ii. p. 54, from Cot. Lib. Calig., C. i.

At Seton, the 5th day of April, the year of G.o.d, 1567, the right excellent, right high and mighty Princess, Mary, by the grace of G.o.d, Queen of Scots, ... in the presence of the Eternal G.o.d, faithfully, and on the word of a Prince, by these presents, takes the said James, Earl Bothwell, as her lawful husband, and promises and obliges her Highness, that how soon the process of divorce, intended betwixt the said Earl Bothwell and Dame Jane Gordon, now his pretended spouse, be ended by the order of the laws, her Majesty shall, G.o.d willing, thereafter shortly marry and take the said Earl to her husband.... He presently takes her Majesty as his lawful spouse, in the presence of G.o.d, and promises and obliges him ... that in all diligence possible, he shall prosecute and set forward the said process of divorce already begun and intended betwix him and the said Dame Gordon, his pretended spouse....

MARIE, R.

JAMES, EARL BOTHWELL.

Here note, that this contract was made the v of April, within viii weeks after the murder of the King, which was slain the x of February before; also it was made vii days before Bothwell was acquitted, by corrupt judgment, of the said murder. Also it appears by the words of the contract itself, that it was made before sentence of divorce betwixt Bothwell and his former wife, and also in very truth was made before any suit of divorce intended or begun between him and his former wife, though some words in this contract seem to say otherwise, which is thus proved; for this contract is dated the v of April, and it plainly appears by the judicial acts, ... wherein is contained the whole process of the divorce between the said Earl and Dame Jane Gordon his wife, that the one of the same processes was intended and begun the xxvi day of April, and the other the xxvii.--Buchanan's "Detection."

Nous Marie, par la grace de Dieu, Royne d'Ecosse, douaryere de France, &c, promettous fidellement et de bonne foy, et sans contraynte, a Jaques Hepburn, Comte de Boduel, de n'avoir jamais autre espoulx et mary que luy, et de le prendre pour tel toute et quant fois qu'il m'en requerira, quoy que parents, amys ou autres, y soient contrayres. Et puis que Dieu a pris mon feu mary Henry Stuart dit Darnley et que par ce moien je sois libre, n'estant sous obeissance de pere, ni de mere, des mayntenant je proteste que, lui estant en mesme liberte, je seray preste, et d'accomplir les ceremonies requises an mariage; que je lui promets devant Dieu, que j'en prantz a tesmoignasge, et la presente, signee de ma mayn: ecrit ce--

MARIE, R.

[This contract merely promises to marry Bothwell, without constraint, and refers to the writer's freedom from the necessity of any one's permission, since Darnley's death. It contains no reference to the divorce.]

_MORTON'S DECLARATION_

The Discovery of the Letters--1. The Earl of Morton's Declaration.

_Henderson's Casket Letters_, pp. 113-116, from fol. 216, Add. MSS. 32,091, Brit. Mus.

The trew declaration and report of me, James, Earl of Morton, how a certain silver box overgilt containing diverse missive writings, sonnets, contracts, and obligations for marriage betwix the Queen mother to our sovereign lord, and James sometime Earl Bothwell, was found and used.

Upon Thursday the xix of June, 1567, I dined at Edinburgh, the Laird of Lethington, secretary, with me. At time of my dinner a certain man came to me, and in secret manner showed me that three servants of the Earl Bothwell, viz. Mr. Thomas Hepburn, parson of Auldhamesokkes, John c.o.c.kburn, brother to the laird of Skirling, and George Dalgleish were come to the town, and pa.s.sed into the castle. Upon which advertis.e.m.e.nt I on the sudden sent my cousin Mr. Archibald Douglas and Robert Douglas, his brother, and James Johnston of Westerrall, with others my servants, to the number of xvi or thereby, toward the castle to make search for the said persons, and, if possible were, to apprehend them. According to which my direction, my servants pa.s.sed, and at the first missing the forenamed three persons for that they were departed forth of the castle before their coming, my men then parting into several companies upon knowledge that the others whom they sought were separated, Mr. Archibald Douglas sought for Mr. Thomas Hepburn and found him not, but got his horse, James Johnston sought for John c.o.c.kburn and apprehended him, Robert Douglas seeking for George Dalgleish. After he had almost given over his search and inquisition a good fellow understanding his purpose came to him offering for a mean piece of money to reveal where George Dalgleish was. The said Robert satisfying him that gave the intelligence for his pains, pa.s.sed to the Potterrow beside Edinburgh, and there apprehended the said George, with divers evidences and letters in parchment, viz. Earl Bothwell's infeftments of Liddesdale, of the Lordship of Dunbar and of Orkney and Shetland, and divers others, which all with the said George himself, the said Robert brought and presented to me. And the said George being examined of the cause of his direction to the castle of Edinburgh, and which letters and evidents he brought forth of the same, alleged he was sent only to visit {examine} the Lord Bothwell, his master's clothing, and he had not more letters nor evidents than these which were apprehended with him. But his report being found suspicious and his gesture and behaviour ministering cause of mistrust seeing the gravity of the action that was in hand, it was resolved by common a.s.sent of the n.o.blemen convened, that the said George Dalgleish should be surely kept that night, and upon the morn should be had to the Tolbooth of Edinburgh and there be put in the iron and torments for furthering of the declaration of the truth, wherein being set, upon Friday the xx day of the said month of June before any rigorous demeaning of his person, fearing the pain, and moved of conscience, he called for my cousin Mr. Archibald Douglas, who coming, the said George desired that Robert Douglas should be sent with him, and he should show and bring to light that which he had. So being taken forth from the irons, he pa.s.sed with the said Robert to the Potterrow, and there, under the sceit {seat} of a bed took forth the said silver box, which he had brought forth of the castle the day before, locked, and brought the same to me at viii hours at night, and because it was late I kept it all that night. Upon the morn, viz., Sat.u.r.day, the xxi of June, in presence of the Earls of Atholl, Mar, Glencairn, myself, the Lords Home, Sempill, Sanquhar, the Master of Graham, and the Secretary, and Laird of Tullibardine, Comptroller, and the said Mr. Archibald Douglas, the said box was broken open because we wanted the key, and the letters within contained sighted {_i.e._ examined} and immediately thereafter delivered again into my hand and custody. Since which time, I have observed and kept the same box, and all letters, missives, contracts, sonnets, and divers writings contained therein fairly without alteration changing adding or diminishing of anything found or received in the said box. This I testify and declare to be undoubted truth.

This is the copy of that which was given to Mr. Secretary Cecil upon Thursday the 8th of December 1568.

This is the true copy of the declaration made and presented by the Earl of Morton to the Commissioners and Council of England sitting in Westminster for the time, upon Thursday being the 29 of December 1568.

Subscribed with his hand thus, MORTON.

2. Buchanan's Account.

_Translated from the History_, book xviii. c. 51.

It happened that, about the same time, Bothwell sent one of his confidential servants to the castle of Edinburgh, to bring to him the silver casket, covered with inscriptions, which had once belonged to the French king, Francis. In it were letters of the Queen, almost all written with her own hand, in which both the King's murder and the whole sequel were plainly discernible; and in almost every letter there was an injunction to burn it. But Bothwell, who knew the Queen's inconstancy, of which he had recently seen many instances, preserved the letters, so that, in any disagreement, he might use their testimony, and prove himself not the author of the crime, but only an accomplice. This casket Sir Robert Balfour gave to Bothwell's servant to take away; but first he told the leaders of the opposite party what had been sent, and the agent and the destination.... It was captured....

The Deposition of Thomas Nelson.

_Goodall_, vol. ii. p. 243, from Cott. Lib. Calig. i. 165.