Paris il fault que tu controuves quelque chose en tort esprite pour faire peur à Joseph, affin qu'il s'en aille: et voyant qu'il ne pouvoyt rien faire elle luy dict, je feray faire une lettre que tu perderas derrier luy pour luy faire peur; mais luy ne pouvant ce faire elle le feist dire par le justice clerk, comme il peust, qu'il eust à comparoistre au parlement, chose qu'il l'affrayast grandement, et courut ça et la demandant son congé, enfin la Royne baille neuf vingtz escus à Paris pour les bailler à Joseph, affin qu'il s'en allast, ce qu'il feist, et ainsy ayant receu la dict somme il s'en alla.

Item, dict, que Jehan Hay souvent apres la mort du Roy le conseylloyt et le confortoyt bien, et qu'aultre ne le consolloyt, sy non que souvent comment Mons'. de Honteley le voyant deffaict, le demandoyt, Paris, qu'as tu?

This is the trew copy of the declaration and depositioun of the said Nicholas Howbert als Paris, quhairof the principall is markit every leif with his awin hand. And the same being red againe in his precence, he avowit the same, and all partes and clauses thairof to be undoubtedlie trew.

Ita est Alexander Hay, scriba secreti consilli S. D. N. Regis ac Notarius Publicus.

No. XXVII. Vol. II. Page 23.

Confession of the Laird of Ormiston, who was executed for the Murder of Darnley.

The Castell of Edinburgh, 13th of December, 1573.

MSS.

THE quhilk day John Brande, minister at Hallyruid- Anderson's house, being sent to the laird of black Ormistoune, to give him comfort be the promiss of God's word offereit to sinners, and alswa torequyre the said laird to glorifie God in shawing of the truth, &c.; after lang conference, and prayers made, above the space of ane hour, or theirby, the said John Brand minister said unto him, Sir, althocht I am trewlie persuadit that the haill trewth ye have shawen me of this matter, yit, because divers and greater doubts are passit of you, and alse the memorie of men are bot weak, theirfoir, gif ye thought guid, I wald wryte certaine of they things briefeley that you have spoken; quha answerit meiklie, for God's saike doe the samen; wreit even as I shall speike. As I shall answer unto God, with whom I hope this night to sowp, I shall declaire unto you the haill, from the beginning unto the end of my pairt. First, I confess that the earle Bothwell shew that samen wickit deid unto me, in his own chalmer in the abbey, on Fryday before the deid wes done, and requyred me to take pairt with him therein, because, as he alledged, I wes ane man of activeness, (alace theirfor!) quhair I utterly refuisit, and said, God forbid, bot, gif it were upon the field, to fight with your Lo. unto the death, I sould not feir my skinn cutting. Then the said earle said unto me, tuishe, Ormistoune,

ye need not take feir of this, for the haill lords hes concluded the samen langsyne in Craigmiller, all that wes ther with the quein, and nane darr find falt with it quhen it shall be done. Efter the quhilk, I departit hame to Kaitis Tames, quhilk was Thomas Henderson's house in Edinburgh, for his mother was called Kait: being in part seik, I lay doun in my bed, and lay all Saturday, chieflie for that cause, beleivand that way to have put off that evil hour; and swa I knew na farder of it quhill Sunday at night, quhere I being in my chalmer in the Black Frier Wynd, gangand beltit in ane goun, John Hepburne and John Hay of Talla come unto me, and said the quenis grace and lords are past up to sie the king, and my lord is standand at the Black Frier Wynd fute, and bids you cume to him incontinent; quhere I layd my goun from me, and tuik ane ryding clock, because I beleivit all had bein weill anewche now agreit, seing they had passit up to visit him; and cuming at the first I mist the said earle, for he had comiten upe anuther closse to seik me himselfe, in my awn chalmer, and thair he fand my cousing Hob, quhom he brought with him, and thairafter met togidder in the middis of the Wynd, wha tuike me againe, and we all passit up to the Freier Yaird, through the slape, quhair Pareis and Archie Betoun com and met us, and said all wes ready preparit for the setting of the lunt; and they all enquyrit how it sould be set to; and, after diverse speakingis, I said, take ane piece of lunt of thrie or four inch lang, and kindle the ane end of it, and lay to the cald end, and it wald burn syne to the train, and swa will blaw up; efter the quhilk, the queine passing hame, the erle Bothwell said, speid, and clois all the duris, for they had 13 fals keys of the lodging maide, and givin,

as they said to me, be him that aught the house. Efter the quhilk I departit incontinent, and came not nearer, as I shall answer befoir God, nor the duir; and as I was cumand hame it strake ten hours, wher then I pasit to Katis Tames hous, to avoyd suspitioun, that na man sould say I was at the deid doinge, for I was an hour and mair in my bed or the blast and crack was. Being requyrit be the said minister, gif he knew not that the king was utherways handilit be menes handes, for it is comonlie spokin he was brought furth and wirryit, quha anserit, as I sall answer to my God, I knew rothing but he was blawin up; and did enquyre the samyn maist diligentlie at John Hepburne and John Hay, and all that tarreit behind me, quha swore unto me, they never knew nae uther thing bot he was blawin and swa I think it was ane work done be God for the punishment of money wickit men, qubairof I am ane, and ane great siner before God, for the quhilk I ask God mercy.

up;

Thirdly, Being requyrit, gif he knew na farder hereafter, ansrit, at the pasche thairafter, when the bruite begouth to rys upon us, and all cryit, ane vengeance upon them that slew the king, it prickit my conscience, and I come unto the erle Bothwell in his chamber, and said to him, quhat devil is this now, my lord, that every body suspectis you of this deid, and cryes, ane vengance for the samen, and few or no uther spoken of bot yow. Aneuther thing you said to me: quha ansrit, I sall let you sie sume thing that I had for me; quha lute me sie ane contract subscryvit be four or fyve handwrittes, quhilk he affirmit to me was the subscription of the erle of Huntlie, Argyll, the secretar Maitland, and Sir James Balfour, and alleaged that mony mae promisit, wha wald assist him gif he were

put at; and thairafter read the said contract, quhilk, as I remember, conteinit thir words, in effect: "That, for samikle it was thought expedient and maist profitable for the commoun wealth, be the haill nobilitie and lords undersubscryvit, that sick ane young fool and proud tirrane sould not reign nor bear reull over thame; and that for diverse causes, thairfoir, that thays all had concludit that he sould be put off by ane way or uther, and quhosoevir, sould take the deid in hand, or do it, they sould defend and fortifie it as thamselffis, for it sould be every ane of their awin, recknit and halden done be themselffis." Quhilk writting,ļas said earl shew unto me, was devysit be Sir James Balfour, subscryvit be them all ane quarter of ane year befoir the deid was done; after the quhilk I never spake to the said earle of it quhill the day he gate his assyse, quhaire the said earle standing at the barr, luiking doun sad lyke, I plukit upon him and said, fye, my lord, what divill is this yee are doand. Your face shawes what ye are: hald up your face, for Godis sake, and luik blythlie; ye might luike swa and ye were gangand to the deid. Allace, and wo worth them that ever devysit it, I trow it sall garr us all murne: quha ansrit me, had your tongue; I wald not yet it wer toe do: I have ane out gait fra it, cum as it may, and that ye will knaw belyve.

Forder, the tyme when my brother was hurt be the laird of Seffaird, first com word to me that they war slayne, and then thair came ane bill from thamselffis, and said they wer onley hurt, and wald not die; but ane thing did them mair evill than the hurting, viz. that ane commoune bruit was risen, that I was at the king's slaughter, and theirfoir disirit me to get sume guid way to purge myselfe, that it pass na farder, or