own wife.

my

receit of it, send me worde sone $5. Be not offendit, for I geif not ovir greit credeit. Now seying to obey you, deir lufe, I spare nouther honor, conscience, hasarde, nor greitnes quhatsumevir, take it, I pray you, in gude pairt and not eftir the interpretation of your false Huntley. gude brother: to quhome I pray you gyif na credit, aganis the maist faithfull luffar that evir ye had, or evir Bothwell's sall haif. Se nat hir quhaies faynit teares should nat be sa mickle praysit nor esteemit, as the trew and faythfull travail, quhilke I sustayne for to merit hir place. For obtayning of the quhilke agains my naturall, I betray is thame that may impesche me. God forgyif me, and God gyif you my onely lufe the hap and prosperitie, quhilk your humble and faythfull luif desiris unto you, quba hopis to be shortlie ane uther thyng to you, for the rewart of my irksum travellis. It is lait, I desire nevir to ceisse fra writyng unto you, yit now after the kissing of your hands I wil end my letter. Excuse my evill writing, and read it twice over. Excuse that thing that is scribled, for I had no paper yesterday, quhen I wrait that of the memoriall. Remember upon you luifs, and write unto hyr, and

85 Send me word sone.] Whether to carry the king to Edinburgh, or to Craigmillar.

86 For obtayning of the quhilke agains my naturall.] Pour l'obtenir contre mon naturel; a French word retained in the translation. To appropriate the word indisputably to Mary, she writes in her subsequent letters to Elizabeth, "Avant que votre bon naturel s'est commencé à faire paroitre," Haynes, 469. Or, votre honneur, promesse, bon naturel cœur de lion, et auctorité parle pour moi." August 3d, 1568, Calig. C. 1. Laquelle sentant plus de defiance que je n'en veulx avoir de votre bon naturel." Sep. 1st. ib. "Et plus votre honneur et

Now if to please you, my dear life, I spare neither honor, conscience, nor hazard, nor greatness, take it in good part, and not according to the interpretation of your false brother in law, to whom I pray you give no credit against the most faithfull lover that ever you had or shall have. See not also her whose feigned tears you ought not more to regard than the true travails which I endure to deserve her place, for obtaining of which, against my own nature I do betray those that could lett me. God forgive me, and give you, my only friend, the good luck and prosperity that your humble and faithfull lover doth wish unto you, who hopeth shortly to be another thing unto you, for the reward of my pains. I have not made one word, and it is very late, although I should never be weary in writ

bon naturel feront forces de paroitre." Sep. 24, ibid. And again in her celebrated letter on Elizabeth's amours, "Cognoissant le naturel de la comptess." Murdin, 558. The same word occurs in Murray's answer to a letter from Mary, August 7, 1568. "I have ressavit your hienes letter the soume quhairoff consists chieflie in the accusation of my unthankfulness and evil natural." Anderson, iv. 117. But his evil natural is evidently the French phrase, son mauvais naturel (un homme d'un bon, d'un mauvais naturel) retorted from her own letter as an opprobrious epithet; and there the same process of translation was necessary, as in her letter to Bothwell, to introduce the word into Scotch.

87 Quhilk your-luif desiris unto you.] Que votre amante vous désire. To desire prosperity to one, (je vous désire toute sorte des prospérités (Dict. de l'Acad.) is peculiarly French.

88 Remember upon your luif.] Souvenez vous de votre amie. Souvenez vous du propos de Madame Reres; phrases harsh in Scotch.

that verie oft. Love me as I sal do you. Remember you of the purpoes of the lady Reres.

Remember you-of the lugeing in Edinbrough.] Souvenez vous, in the common style of a French memorandum, may be addressed either to herself or to Bothwell, which renders it doubtful whether the second series of notes be the memorandums of Friday, and as such omitted in the English version, or the credit given to the bearer as the Scottish commissioners supposed in their extracts. They may be traced, all but one (" of his mother," a forgotten

ing to you, yet will I end, after kissing of your hands. Excuse my evil writing, and read it over twice. Excuse also that I scribbled, for I had yesternight no paper, when I took the paper of a memorial. Pray remember your friend, and write unto her, and often; love me always as I shall love you.

topic) in the postscript or second part of the letter, containing "the purpose (or the king's conversation) of the lady Reres; of the Englishmen; of the Earl of Argyle; of the Earl Bothwell; of the lodging in Edinburgh," which is twice implied; but of these topics, the first and last may be found also in her verbal instructions to Paris; (Second Confession; the second is referred to the bearer in the letter itself; and Bothwell's name in the third person, is the only certain indication that these were memorandums, like those in the middle, for the queen's own use.

LETTER II.

A Letter written by hir from Glasgow to Bothwell, proving hir hate to hir husband, and some suspicions of practising hys death, quhilk letter was written in French, and here ensueth translatit word for word.

Il semble qu'avecques vostre absence so itjoynt l'oubly, veu qu'au partir vous me promistes de vos nouvelles. Et toutesfoys je n'en puis apprendre, &c.

IT appearis that with your absence there is alswa joinit forgetfulnes, seand that at your departing you promisit to make me advertisement of your newis from tyme to tyme. The awaytyng upon tham yesterday1 causit me to be almaist in sic joy as I will be at your returning, quhilk ye have delayit langer then your promise was 2. As to me, howbeit, I have na further

'The awaytyng upon tham yesterday.] En les attendant hier, (expecting to hear from him) an appropriate French phrase, of which, the awaiting upon news, is a literal and harsh translation.

2 Causit me to be almaist in sic joy as I will be at your returning, quhilk (news)' ye have delayit langer then your promise was.] En les attendant hier me causerent presqu' autant de joie que j'en aurai à votre retour, que vous avez différées plus long tems que votre promesse. Here the peculiar construction of the French participle, vous me promistes de vos nouvelles—en les attendant-que vous avez différées, at once removes the ambiguity of the translations. Bothwell had promised, not to return, but to let her hear from him yesterday, which he had deferred longer than his