The same Letter translated from the Scotch.

[From the French Translation of Buchanan's Detection, printed at Rochelle.]

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Mon cœur, helas! fault-il que la folie d'une femme, dont vous cognoissez assez l'ingratitude vers moy, soit cause de vous donner déplaisir, veu que ie n'y pouvoye mettre remede, sans le donner a cognoistre ?1 Et depuis que ie m'en suis apperceue, ie ne le vous pouvoie dire, pour ce que ie ne sçavoye pas comme m'y gouverner; d'autant qu'en cecy, ny en autre chose, ie ne veux point entreprendre de rien faire, sans que ie cognoisse quelle est vostre volonté, que ie vous supplie me faire entendre; car ie l'executeray tout ma vie, voire plus volontiers que ne me le voudriez declarer. Que si vous ne me mandez des nouvelles ceste nuit de ce que voulez que ie face, ie m'en depescheray, et me hazarderay de l'entreprendre: ce que pourroit nuire a ce que nous desseignons tous deux. Et quand elle sera mariée, ie vous prie de m'en donner une autre: ou bien j'en prendray quelqu'une, dont l'estime que la façon vous contentera. Mais quant a leur langue et fidelité envers vous, ie n'en voudroye pas respondre. Ie vous supplie, que l'opinion d'une autre n'esloigne vostre affection de ma constance. * Vous meffiez vous de moy, qui vous veux mettre hors de doute, et declarer mon innocence ? O ma chere vie ne le refusez pas, et ne souffrez que ie vous donne espreuve de mon obeissance, fidelité, constance, et volontaire subjection: que ie prend a tres grand plaisir, autant que ie le puis avoir, si vous l'acceptez sans ceremonie. Car vous ne me sçauriez faire plus grand outrage, ny offence plus

mortelle."

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LETTER V.

An other letter sent from Stereline to Bothwell concernyng the practise for hir ravishment.

Monsieur helas, pourquoy est vostre fiance mise en persone si indigne, pour soupçonner ce que est entierement vostre. J'enrage, vous m'aviez promis. &c.

ALAS, my lord, why is your trust put in a person so unworthy, to mistrust that which is wholly yours? I am woodde. You had promisit me that you would resolve all, and that you would send me word every day⚫ quhat I should doe, you have done nothing thairof. I advertisit you well to take heede of your false brother in law: he came to me, and without shewing me any thing from you, told me that you had willit him

That you would resolve all.] A French idiom, que vous resoudriez tout; not to resolve all difficulties when there were none to resolve, (Whitaker, ii. 326) but to determine the whole plan for the seizure of her person.

2 Every day.] Tous les jours, at all times, upon every occasion, of which the literal translation, every day, perplexes Whitaker, as she arrived on Monday, and leaving Stirling on Wednesday, had little more than two nights and a day to hear from Bothwell every day.

3 You have done nothing thairof.] Vous n'en avez rien fait.

* I advertisit you well.] Je vous ai bien averti.

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to write to you that that I should say, and quhaire and quban you should cum to me, and that that you should do touchand hym, and thereuppon hath preachit unto me that it was a foolishe enterprise, and that with mine honour I could never marry you, seing that being maryed you did carry me away, and that his folkes would not suffer it, and that the lordis would unsay themselfis, and would deny that thay had sayd. To be short, he is all contrary. 10 I told hym, that

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5 That that I should say.] Ce que je dirois. The uniform repetition of that that, from ce que, "that that I should say," "that that you should do," is alone sufficient to demonstrate a servile translation from the French.

* Quhaire and quhan.] Où et quand; the French, instead of the Scotch arrangement, when and where; as in the sixth letter "of the place and of the time," du lieu et de l'heure, in the initial sentence.

7 And thereuppon hath preachit unto me that it was a foolishe enterprise.] Et sur cela ma préchée que c'étoit une folle entreprise; and in Paris's First Confession, tu veulx prescher; supposed by Whitaker to possess a peculiar spirit and pertness in the translation, ii. 331. as if there were no such phrase in French.

"And that with mine honour I could never marry you, seeing that being maryed you did carry me away.] Et qu'avec mon honneur je ne pouvois jamais vous epouser (of which the French arrangement, " that with mine honour," is preserved in the translation) veu que étant marié vous m'avez enlevé.

Would unsay themselfis.] Se dédiroient, a reflected verb preserved in the translation.

10 To be short, he is all contrary.] Bref, il est tout con

seing I was cum sa farre, if you did not withdraw your selfe of your selfe, 11 that no perswasioun nor deith it selfe should make me fayle of my promise. As touching the place you are to negligent (pardon me) to remit yourselfe thereof unto me. 12 Chuse it your selfe, and send me worde of it. And in the meane tyme I am sicke, I will differre, as touching the matter it is to late. 13 It was not long of me 1 that you have not thought thereupon in time. And if you had not mair chaungit your mynde since myne absence than I have, 15 you should not be now to aske such resolving,

traire, as in a letter to Elizabeth; "Combien que les effects ici serient touts contraires," July 26, 1568. Calig. C. 1.

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"If you did not withdraw your selfe of yourselfe.] Si vous ne vous retiriez pas de vous même, in the translation of which it is impossible not to recognise the French original.

12 To negligent (pardon me) to remit yourselfe thereof unto me.] Quant à la place, vous êtes trop negligent, pardonnez moi, de vous en rapporter à moi; to remit yourself there. of, in which the reflective verb is again preserved.

13 I will differre, as touching the matter it is to late.] The French verb, je differerai, quant à la matiere c'est trop tard; and the same word is employed by Mary in another letter; Monsieur après avoir longtems differé pour le respect des dangers imminent des entrepreneurs, &c. Jebb, ii. 291.

14 It was not long of me.] An English idiom employed as equivalent to il ne tient pas à moi, In Mary's other letters, "pour plus surement nouer ce nœud si à vous ne tient. Anderson, iv. 42. "Souvenez-vous que vous m'auries pour jamais votre, si à vous ne tient." 13 Aug. 1568. Caligula, C. 1.

15 And if you had not mair chaungit your mynde since

Well there wanteth nothing of my part, 16 and seing that your negligence doth put us baith in the daunger of a false brother, if it succeede not well, I wyll never ryse agayne. I send this bearer unto you for I dare not trust your brother with these letters nor with the diligence. He shall tell you in quhat stait I am, and judge you quhat amendment these new ceremonies have brought unto me. I would I wer deid, for I see all goeth ill. You promisit other manner of matter your forseying, 18 but absense hath power over you, An other quho have twa stringis to your bow. 19 Dispatch the

wife.

of

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myne absence, than I have.] Et si vous n'aviez pas plus changé d'avis depuis mon absence que moi.

16 Well there wanteth nothing of my part.] He bien, il ne s'enfaut rien de ma part, as in the initial sentence of the next letter. Whitaker quotes the word "well"' in the translation, as a colloquial expression to which there is no correspondent term in other languages (ii. 341), forgetting he bien, the very word employed in Paris's first declaration, to which he appeals.

17 All goeth ill.] Tout va mal.

18 You promisit other manner of matter of your forseying.] A literal translation of, vous promettez autre manière de matiere de votre prevoyance, can never be mistaken for a Scotch expression.

19 Quho have twa stringis to your bow.] Herself and his wife. Such an arch application of the proverb to Bothwell, could occur only to one, to whom the proverb itself was familiar; and to appropriate the letter indisputably to Mary, we discover an equally strange, and ingenious application of the same proverb to herself, in a letter to Elizabeth. "Afin de vous faire paroître, que, contente de votre promesse, je n'ay