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questes, et ne faisons doubte q'un bref nous venons bien au bout de scavoir ceux qui l'ons perpetré. Car Dieu ne permectra jamais qu'une telle meschanceté demeure cachée ou impunié, l'ayent une foys decouverte, vostre majestie et tout le monde cognoistra que le pays d'Escosse ne vouldra longuement endurer qu'une si grande honte luy demeure sur les espauls qui seroit bastante pour la rendre odieuse par toute la Christiannete si semblables malheuretéz demeurassent cachées ou impunyes. Nous n'avons vouler faillir de faire ceste advertissment aux majestéz du Roy et la vostre, par ce gentilhomme present porteur, le Seigneur de Clareault, qui vous en rendra compte par le menu de toutes les circontances comme celui qui est bien informé. Pour cest effect; estant sa sufficance telle que sur luy nous remeterons la surplus pour n'importuner de plus long lettre vostre majestie, à laquelle nous baisons les mains et prions Dieu, Madam vous avoir en sa saincte garde. De Lislebourg ce 10 De Feurier 1566.

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No. VI. Vol. I. Page 59.

BOTHWELL, Sir James Balfour, and his brother Gilbert, Mr. David Chalmers, Black Mr. John Spence, Signior Francis, Bastian, Bourdeaux, and Joseph, (Rizio's brother) were the persons named by Lennox as accused in the placards. From the discrepancy between this letter as inserted in Bothwell's trial, and the copy produced by Lennox at Westminster, Whitaker concludes (iii. 235.) that the former was forged by Buchanan; as if Murray would voluntarily produce, on the 7th of December, a fictitious letter, instead of the genuine one, which the commissioners had already, (November 29th,) received from Lennox, and by an unnecessary forgery, would expose himself to immediate detection. Anderson, iv. 120-74. But Mary's next letter, March 23d, is an answer to the letter inserted in Bothwell's trial, not to the copy produced by Lennox at Westminster. This last, when inspected, is evidently a rough draught of the letter, in which many words are erased; it is dated xvi of March, 1566, without any place, and the date itself has been added afterwards, in a different hand, apparently Cotton's. Caligula, b. x. f. 396. But the first is dated "Of Houston this xvi. of March," and Mary's answer begins, "We have ressavit your letter of Houston the xvi of this instant." The copy produced by Lennox, required the queen to arrest the persons named in the placards, to assemble the nobility, and by proclamation, admonish the writers to appear; when, if they fail to do so, the persons accused of the murder might be released, by advice of the nobility and council. The letter inserted in Bothwell's trial required her to arrest the persons named in the tickets,

and with all diligence to assemble her hail nobility and council, and then to take such perfect order, with the forenamed persons that they might be justly tried. The queen's answer accordingly is, "For the convention of the nobility and council, we have preventit the thing desyrit by you in your letter, and hes sent for thame to be at us in Edinburgh this oulk approcheand quhair the persons nominate in your letter sall aby de & underlye sic tryal as be the laws of this realm is accustomit:" Anderson, i. 47—8. ii. 111. an obvious answer to the second requisition to assemble the hail nobility and council that the forenamed persons might be duly tried, not to the first requisition to assemble the nobility and to summon the writers of the tickets by open proclamation, that if they fail to appear, the persons named in the tickets might be released. Lennox kept copies of his letters to Mary; but his last letter, naming those mentioned in the tickets whom he greatly suspected, requiring greater deliberation, was written anew; his acknowledgment for the wardship of Lennox, was omitted: the whole requisition was materially altered; and he retained the first draught, which he produced at Westminster, while the letter actually sent, to which alone the queen's answer refers, was produced in the justiciary court, and inserted in the trial. If Whitaker had consulted the MS. in the Cotton Library, or considered to which of the two copies Mary's letter is an answer, he would have found an easy solution of the forgery ascribed to Buchanan.

No. VII. Vol. I. Page 62.

Upon the xviij day of April MDLXVII. the day
before the reduction of the Earl of Huntlies
forfeiture in parliament, the said Earl, by an'
obligation registered that same day in the Re-
gister of Bonds in the Court of Session;

MSS.Copy.

Obliges himself to James Earl of Murray, for the great Goodall's favour which Murray bore towards him, and for his ardent requests made to the queen's majesty in Huntlie's favours concerning the reduction of the domes of forfeiture led against him and his father, to keep the tacts set by Murray of the castle lands of Inverness, with the forrestership of the wood for xix years; and also ratifies to the said Earl the earldom of Murray and lordship of Abernethy, and undertakes to cause his mother renounce all tacks, title, right and possession which she might claim thereto; and also renounces ail right, title, property, and possession which he had or might have to the lands and lordship of Pettybrackly and Strathdon, in favours of the said Earl of Murray; and obliges himself in his own name, and for his mother, brethren, and sisters, to warrant and keep skaithless the said Earl of Murray and Mr. John Wood, John Stuart and his other servants for whatever goods, jewels, or other things belonging to his father, were intromitted with by them. And because the Earl of Murray was under obligation to James Ogilvie of Findlater, that if it should happen the lands of Findlater, Deskfurd, &c. disponed be the queen heretably to the said James Ogilvie by forfeiture of the said John Gordon, Huntlie's brother to be evict、

ed in any time coming by reduction of the said forfeiture; in which case the Earl of Murray had bound himself to infeft the said James Ogilvie and his heirs heritably of new again in the lands of Strathnavern and Cardel, milns fishings and castles, &c. The Earl of Huntlie obliges himself and his heirs to relieve the Earl of Murray and his heirs at the hands of the said James Ogilvie, &c. that in case the said lands of Findlater and Deskfurd, and others shall be taken from the said James or any part of them, and thereby James Ogilvie recovers the lands of Strathnavern and Caddell the Earl of Huntley obliges himself to give the Earl of Murray alsmuch lands equally lying in a place no less convenient, and of als great yearly avail and profit; and likeways to answer to the abbot and convent of Aberbrothock for the teinds and others things pertaining to the said abbay intromitted with by him or his agents, &c.

In recompence for all which things:

By bond dated at Whittingham 8 April 1567, James Earl of Murray obliges himself to the Earl of Huntly that whereas he is to be restored to all things belonging to his progenitors, and also with respect to the tenderness of blood and amity standing betwixt the said Earl of Huntlie and us [Earl of Murray] and also in respect of an decreet arbitral by the queen and other arbiters between him and his brethren on the one part and James Ogilvie of Findlater on the other part of date at Edinburgh the 22d of March last, has bound himself in his own name, &c. for his brethren to do and cause to be done to James Ogilvie of Findlater and his heirs the renunciation and ratification of diverse articles in the said decreet for the perpetual assurance of the said James

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