dedicates unto you hir hart, hir bodie, without any change as unto hym that I have maid possessour of hart, of quhilk you may hold you assurit that unto the deith sall na wayes be eschangit for evill nor gude sall nevir make me goe from it. 33

fait qui vous sera toujours femme humble obeyssante et loyalle; as in the sonnets.

Qu'à l'obeyir et servir loyaument.

De vous servir et loyaument aymer.

Translated "to serve him truly." But the structure and inversion of the sentence (unto you humble and obedient lawful wife) are peculiarly French; and the transition from the first to the third person was familiar to Mary, who writes to Elizabeth," Ma bonne sœur gaynes moy; envoyes moy querir; n'entres en jalousie pour faulx rapportes de celle qui ne desire que votre bonne grace." Aug. 27, 1568. Calig. C. 1.

32-That for evir dedicates unto you hir hart, &c.—as unto hym whom I have maid possesseur of hart.] Que pour jamais vous dedie son cœur, son corps, sans aucun changement, comme à lui que j'ai fait possesseur du cœur. As in the sonnets; “Et sans changer me trouvera tout une;" and in a letter to Elizabeth, "puisque je désire vous dédier ma vie et cœur pour jamais." Sept. 1, 1568. ib.

33

13 Of quhilk, &c.—that unto the deith sall na wayes be eschangit, for evil nor gude, sall nevir make me go from it.] Duquel vous pouvez vous tenir assuré, que jusqu'à la mort sera nullement eschangé car mal ou bien ne m'en fera jamais departir. Here the Scotch phrase varies with the old French, from change to eschange; and the different arrangement of

Abstract of matters shewed to the Quene's Majestie's Commissioners by the Scotles, sent the 11th of October. Vol. I. p. 225, note.

A brief note of the chief and principall poincts of the Quene of Scottes lettres written to Bothaill, which may tend to her condempnation, for her consent and procurement of the murder of her husband, as farre forthe as we coulde by the reading gather'.

480.

FIRST, the plaine and manifest wordes conteyned Haynes, ́in the said lettres, declaringe the inordinat and filthie love betwene her and Bothaill.

Next, the like wordes plainely declaringe how she hated and abhorred her said husband.

Then for the declaration of the conspiracie, and her procurement and consent to the murder of her said

the two phrases, "It behoves us to do good and to shun evil," il faut éviter le mal et faire le bien, marks the original to which the French idiom, evil nor gude belongs. But, whoever compares the letters with a single State-paper, or other letter of the period, Scotch or English, inserted in our Appendix, will be satisfied that the former possess the genuine refined idioms of a French original; and through the medium of a homely translation, will easily discover an elegance to which our language was then a stranger.

1 From a paper indorsed by Secretary Cecill.

husband, how she toke her journey from Edenburghe to Glasco, to visite him, beinge theare sicke, and purposely of intent to bringe him with her to Edenburghe.

She wrote to Bothaill from Glasco, how she flattered her said husband to obtaine her purpose; and that the earle of Lenox his father, that daye that she was devisinge to bringe his sonne to Edenburghe, did blede at the noose and mowthe, willing the said Bothaill to gheese what presage it was.

She wrote also, that she was about a worke that she hated greatly, and that she lied and dissembled to get creadite with her husband, and to bringe her faschious purpose to passe, confessing herselfe therein to do the office of a traiteresse, which, weare it not to obey Bothaill, she had lever be dead then do it, for her harte did blede at it.

Also she wrote that she had wonne her husband to goo with her to Edenburghe, and to do whatsoever she wolde have him to do, sayinge, alas! she never deceaved anie before, remittinge herselfe altogether to the will and pleasure of Bothaill, wherein she wold obey him, whatsoever come thereof; requyring him to advise with himself, if he coulde fynde owt anie other secreat invention by medicine, for her husband was to take medicine, and the bath also at Cragmiller.

She biddethe Bothaill to burn the lettre, for it was over dangerous to them, and nothinge well said in it, for that she was thinkinge upon nothinge but fascherie, requyringe him that, sithens to obey him, her dear love, she spared neither honour, conscience, hazard, nor greatnes whatsoever, he woulde take it in good parte; and that he wold not see her, whose fained tears

shoulde not be so muche praised, as the faithefull travailles which she susteyned to merite her place, for the obteyninge whereof against her nature, she betraied him that might impeche it, prayinge God to forgeave her, and to geave unto Bothaill, her only love, the happe and prousperitie which she his humble and faithful love wishith unto him; hoopinge shortely to be another thinge unto him, for the rewarde of her yrkesome troubles.

Finally, she wrote to Bothaill, that accordinge to her commission, she wolde bringe the man with her; prayinge him to worke wisely, or els the whole burden wolde lye on her shoulders; and specially to make good watche, that the bird escaped not owt of the cage.

Examinatur.

Anderson, iv. 71.

Notes dranin furth of the Quenis latters sent to the Erle Bothwell. Vol. I. p. 225, note.

From the Paper Office.

IMPRIMIS, after lang discourse of hir conference with the king hir husband in Glascow, sche wreitis to the said erle in thir termes: "This is my first jurnay, Isall end the same the morne: I wreite in all thingis, howbeit they be of littill weycht, to the end that ye may tak the best of all to judge upoun. I am in doing ane wark heir that I haitte gretlie: haif ye not desyr to lauche, to sie me lie sa weill, at the leist to dissemble so weill, and to tell hym the treuth betwix handis."

Item. Schorlie after: "We are coupled with twa fals racis: the devill syndere us, and God mot knit us togidder for ever for the maist faithful cupple that ever he unitit. This is my faith, I will die in it.”

Ilem. Thairefter, "I am not weill at ease, and zeit verray glaid to wreit unto quhen the rest are slepand, sen that I can not sleip as they do, and as I wald desyir, that is in your armis my deir luife."

Item. A littill thairefter: "Adverteis me quhat ze haif deliberat to do in the matter ye knaw upoun this point, to the end we may understand utheris wele, that nathing thair throw be spilt."

Item. Thus sche concludis the lettre: "Wareit mocht this pokishe man be, that causes me haif sa meikil pane, for without hym I wald haif ane far mair plesant subject to discourse upoun. He is not oer meikle spilt, bot he has gottin verray mekill; he has