This berer to me, and that I would send Joseph away. sumwhat I am wil tel you abashit quho hes schawin hym sa farre, yea he spake upon this 16, evin of the mariage of Bastian. I inquirit hym of his letters, quhairintil he playneit of the crueltie of sum, aunswerit that he was astonyshed, and that he was sa glad to see me that he belevit to die for gladness; he fand great fault that I was pensive, I departit to supper, thys bearer wyll tell you of my arrivyng, he prayit me to returne, the quhilke I did, he declarit unto me hys sickness 18, and that he would make na testament but onely leif all thyng to me, and that I was the cause of bys malady, because of the regrait that he had that I was so strange unto hym 19. And thus he sayd, ye aske me quhat I meyne by the crueltie conteynit in my letter, it is of you alone that will not accept my offeris and repentance. I confesse that I have fayled, but not into that quhilke I ever denyit, and sic lyke hes fayled to sundry of your subjectis, quhilk ye have forgeven 20. I am yong. Ye will say that ye have forgiven me oft times, and yet that I returne to my faultis. May not ane man of my aige for lacke of counslae fall twyse, or 16 Sumwhat upon this.] The marginal note in the English edition, was probably an omission, not of the original, but of the Scottish version, in which it was inserted on the margin, as the English translation preserves it in its proper place in the text. Whitaker's conclusion that the note was superinduced after the letters were shewn at York, (ii. 47.) is founded on a mistake already corrected, (supra, ch. iv. n. 22.) of the Scotch Extracts for the English Abstract, both of which we have annexed to these letters. 17 That he belevit to die for gladness.] Qu'il pensa mourir told him so much even of the marriage of Bastian. This bearer shall tell you now, upon that I asked him of his letters. And where he did complain of the cruelty of some of them. He said that he did dreme, and that he was so glad to see me that he thought he should die, indeed that he had found fault with me. This bearer shall unto me, and that I sorrow he had, and And (said he) you I went my way to sup. tell you of my arriving He prayed me to com agayne, which I did, and he told me his grief, and that he would make no testament, but leave all was cause of his sickness for the that I was so strange unto him. asked me what I meant in my letter to speak of cruelty. It was of your cruelty, who will not accept my offres and repentance. I avow that I have don amisse, but not that I have also always disavowed, and so have many other of your subjects, and you have well pardoned them. I am young. You will say that you have also pardoned me in my time, but that I return to my fault. May not a man of my age, for want of coun de joie; but the whole sentence, in both versions, is indisputably French. Je l'enquis de ses lettres où il se plaignoit de la cruauté de quelques uns; répondit qu'il rêvoit, et qu'il étoit si joyeux de me voir, qu'il pensa mourir de joie. 18 Hys sickness.] Son mal, translated grief in the one, and sickness in the other, as his maladie, (sa maladie,) is rendered in the English version. 19 Because of the regrait that he had that I was so strange unto hym.] A cause du regret qu'il avoit que je lui étois si étrange; alienated from him. 20 Quhilk ye have forgeven.] In the English, well pardoned them, vous leur avez bien pardonné. thryse, or in lack of hys promyse, and at last repent hymselfe, and be chastised by experience? If I may obteyne pardoun, I protest I shall never make fault 21 agayne. And I crave na uther thyng but that we may be at bed and bourd together as husband and wyfe, and if ye wyll not consent heirunto, I shall nevir ryse out of thys bed. I pray you tell me your resolution. God knowes how I am punisht for making my god of you 22, and for having no uther thought but on you, and if at any time I offend you, ye are the cause, because quhen any offendis me, if for my refuge I might playne unto you, I woulde speake it unto no uther body, but quhen I heare any thyng, not beyng familiar wyth you, necessitte constreynes me to kepe it in my breast. And that causes me to tyne my wit for very anger. I aunswerit ay unto hym 23, but that woulde be ouer long to write at length. I askit quhy he would passe away in the Inglishe schip, he denyes it and sweares thairunto, but he grantes that he spake wyth the men. After thys I inquirit him of the inquisitioun of Hiegait, he denyit the same quhile I schewd hym the very wordes was spokin. At quhilke tyme he said that 24 21 I shall never make fault agayne.] Faire faute, not to commit a fault, but to fail, disappoint, or shrink from; (Cotgrave.) and Darnley, who had failed twice for lack of couusel, or in lack of promise, protests, if he may obtain pardon, never, faire faute, to fail or disappoint her in his duty again. Making my god of you.] Pour vous faire mon dieu. To make his god of one, is neither Scotch nor English, but the French phrase, "Il en fait son dieu." Dict. de l'Acad. answerit ay unto hym.] Je lui repondis toujours. To avoid a multiplicity of notes, many intermediate idioms, 22 23 cil, fail twice or thrice, and misse of promise, and at the last repent and rebuke himself by his repentance? If I may obtain this pardon, I protest I will not make fault again, and I ask nothing but that we may be at bed and table together as husband and wife, and if you will not, I will never rise from this bed. I pray you tell me your resolution hereof. God knoweth that I am punished to have made my God of you, and had no other mind but of you, and when I offend you some time, you are cause thereof; for if I thought when any body doth any wrong to me that I might for my resource make my moan thereof unto you, I will open it to no other; but when I hear any thing, being not familiar with you, I must keep it in my mind, and that troubleth my witts for anger. I did still answer him, but that I shall be to long. whether he would go in the disavow it, and sweareth so, but confesseth to have spoken to the men. Afterwards I asked him of the inquisition of Hiegate, he denied it till I told him the very words, and then he said that Minto sent him word In the end I asked him which it is impossible to quote, are referred throughout to the reader's discernment. 24 After thys I enquirit him of the inquisitioun of Hiegait.] Après cela je l'enquis de l'inquisition de Hiegate. In Mary's letter to Elizabeth, August 26. Enquirez-vous s'ils n'estoyent à Dumfries avec eulx;" (1568, Caligula, c. 1.) and in her letter to Archbishop Beton, written in Scotch with her own hand, "Hiegate, being enquyrit, in our council, of his communication had with Walcar," (Keith, pref. 8.) the same phrase is introduced in writing upon the same subject four days before her letter to Bothwell. I Minto had adverteist him that it was sayd that sum of the counsell had brought ane letter to me to be subscrivet to put hym in pressoun, and to slay him if he mayd resistence. And he askit the same at Mynto hymselfe, quho aunswerit that he belevit the same to be true. The morne I will speake to hym uppoun thys point. As to the rest of Willie Hiegaits he confessit it. But it was the morne after my cumming or he did it. He wald very faine that I should lodge in hys lodging, I refusit it, and sayd to hym, that he behovit to be purgeit, and that could not be done here, he sayd to me, I heare say ye have brought ane lytter wyth you, but I had rather have passit wyth you. trow he belevit that I would have sent hym away presoner: I aunswerit that I woulde take hym with me to Craigmillar quhair the medicinar and I myght helpe hym, and not be farre from my sonne, he aunswerit that he was reddie quhen I pleasit, so I would assure him of hys request. He desires no body to see hym, he is angry when I speake of Walcar and sayis that he shall plucke the eares out of hys head25, and that he lyes; for I inquyret him upoun that, and that he was angry wyth sum of the lordis, and would threaten them, he denies that, and sayis he luifs tham all, and prayes me to geve trust to nathing against him, as to me he wald rather geve hys life or he did any displeasure to me. And after thys he shewd me of so 25 Plucke the eares out of hys head.] Arracher les oreilles de la tête, which is literally translated in the two versions. Our vernacular idiom is to pluck out his eyes, and to pull his ears, or to cut them off. "Thereifore wald God I had his eris to pull;" (Gawin Douglas's Virgil, Prol. 1. iv.) and |