well as by her friends. In the first placard, her assent to the murder, is imputed to " the persuasion of the erle Bothwell, and the witchcraft of the lady Buccleugh;" (Anderson, ii. 156.) and in the Declaratioun of the Lordis Quarrell, a poem printed at Edinburgh 1567. Gif that a freind with fay's away war led, Than Sen that bowdin bludy beist Bothwell Dalzell's Scottish Poems, ii. 271. Edin. 1801. Twenty years afterwards, in Bothwell's Testament, forged for her vindication, her attachment is ascribed to enchantment, to which he was addicted from his youth, and by which he had drawn the queen to love him. Appendix XXXI. The gloss put upon her marriage by a part of the lords, was necessary from their situation then; especially before the rest had determined, whether to conceal, or to expose her guilt and deprive her of the crown. 16 of July 1567. Original Paper Office, co pied by M. Craw ford. No. XIII. Vol. I. Page 119. Letter from Sir Nich. Throkmorton to the right honorable Sir Will Cecil Knight on of the Queens Mats. prevye Counsayle and principall Secretarye. SIR me thynkyth the sd. LL. be on their way to make an end of theyr matters with theyr Soveraigne amongst themsellvs albeyt they kept bothe the Frenche and us in hand, for they cannot tell how to be rydd of theyr Queene (wyche I mystruste they intend anwey or other) withoute she consent; of the Frenche I kno them to be better inclynd to serve theyr humors then we And fyndynt they wyll thys coarse (notwithstanding ony threatnyngs of ony prynce) I muste take hede that we lose them not holy, and dryve them to be more French then they wold be, throughe the Q. Majesties sharpe impungyng theyr deseyeres. It were well don to make a vertu of necessyte, unless hyr Matie. will use arms agaynst them, And I see no happie end destynd unto us in these matters. To be playne with you I feare the end bothe for Gods dysplesure and for some unaptness amongst ouer folkes to enter and prosequte the warr; To understand what hathe passed synce my last dyspatch of the xiiii of July, I do referr you to hyr majesties letter sent now, and so do humbly take my leave of you. At Edynboroughe the xvi of July 1567. Yours to use and command N. THROCKMORTON. As yet these lords will not suffer Mr. N. Elveston, sent from my Lord of Murray, to have accesse to the Quene, nor to send my L of Murray's letter unto her. Sir Nich Throkmorton to the Q. Maty. Office. IT may please yer Majestie I did advertyze by my 16 July letters of the 19 of Julye how the Lordes assembled at 1567. Original Edenboroughe, had deferred myne audience and confe- Paper rence with them, untill the retorne of the Earles of Marr and Glenkerne and the rest of theyre associates unto thys towne. But perceyvynge the sayde Lordes absent dyde not mynde to make anye spedye repayre hether, I did ernestlye presse theyr Lordes agayne to give me audyence, and the rather for that I saw theyre assembly agaynst the 20th of thys moneth drawe on, whereof I advertyzed yor Majestie in my last. Whereupon the 15 of thys moneth the Earles of Atholl, Moreton, the L. Hume, the L. of Lyddyngton, Sir James Boufor Capten of thys Castle and clerke of the Register, the L of Tyllyberne, and the L. of Cragmyller provost of thys toune dyd come to my lodgynge where (after ordynarye salutacyone donne) I dyd reqayere them to heare and receyve what I had to say unto them from yor matie, The Lordes desyred me to forbeare the openinge of myne instructyons untell theyre halle companye weare assembled, notwithstandinge I pressed them to desyst from delayes, and so the sayd Lordes aunswered me, that albeit they cam at thys tyme to salute me, and byd me welcome, and to entreate me to forbear to negotiate with them untill the rest of the companie weere assembled, yet to satisfye myne importunacye they woulde enter into negotyacun with me and so requyred me to declare youre Majesties pleasure, whereupon I did delyver them your Majesties letter, and did declare unto them your Majesties instructions given unto me, reservynge that article wche did concern the Frenche and the alyenacyon of theyre mynds from dealyngs with them. The lordes recey ved yor Majesties letter with great reverence, and hard very attentyvelye without interrupcyon the halle discourse of myne instructions: whereunto theye answered by the mouthe of the L. of Lyddington (who sat hyest but the two Earles and the L. Hume) that they humblye thanked yor Majestie that yt walde please you to deale so honorablye with them, whereby they had good occasyon to be well advysed on thyre answer to your Majestie, and therefore theye thought convenyent to tell me, that they might not make answer to the matters proposed by me upon the sudayne, and so requyred me to take in good parte theyre dely beracyon of suche matters as were conteyned and uttered by me in my instructyons at good length; and though they had agynst theyre oun determynacyon, and good order, for the satisfaction of my desyre, and to avoyde at yor majesties hands mysconceyvinge, adventured in the absence of theyre Complices to recyve yor Majesties letter to reade the same, and to heare what I had to saye on your Majesties behalf unto them, yet they requyred that bothe your Majestie would allow,and I would take in good part the suspencyon of theyre answer untill theyre assosyates were joyned with them. I replyed sayinge that though there were bothe noblemen and wyse men absent, and such as I coulde have bene verye well contented should have harde what yor matie had given me in charge; yet I knew right well that assemblye consystynge of such persons as it did, both for honor wysdome and credyt, had suffycyent habylytie and authorytie as well to answer and resolve as to heere what had been declared and therefore I requyred them to absteyne from ceremonyous delayes, and to make me answer to that I had declared on your Majesties behalf, and no longer to defere my repayre to the Quene theyre Soverayene. Than the Earle of Moreton answered and requyred me that I woulde not thynke that they ment anye unnecessary delays, but did forbeare upon good advysemente to make aunswer to so mayne and weychtye matters as had been opened by me on yor Majesties behalfe, without the advyce delyberacyon and consent of theyre fellowes: And therewith all the rest of the counsellors dyd, as it were with one voyce, confyrme what had been sayde by the Earle Moreton and the L. of Lyddyngton, wherupon I was compelled to take this for an answer at thys tyme. Then I entred with them concerninge the state of the Borders, havynge recyved the same daye advertyzments from Sir John Trotter of a great spoyll made upon the fronteyre of Englande by two hundred Scottes accompanyed with the fugityves of Englande: the lords answered by the mouthe of the Earle Morton that they weere sorye of such dysorders, and that they had given as good order as might be to keepe all things upon the frontyers in good staye, nevertheless the dyvysyon beinge so amongst them as it was, and Bothwell the murderer favored as he was bothe upon the frontyers and else where, it coulde not be otherwyse but troubles would be raysed and nourished; and sure they weere 'that 'the pryncypall authors of thys forreye weere eyther of Bodwells payrty, or set on by hys partye, who had no other meane to helpe hymself thoughe it weere but for a tyme but bye troubles, breatche of peayce, and spolyacyon: notwithstandinge they dyd assure use they 'would wryte to all the wardens and to all the heade men upon the frontyre to conserve the peasce, and to lyve in good order, and moreover theye woulde en |