❧ The copy of a letter written by one in London to his friend concerning the credit of the late published detection of the doings of the Lady Marie of Scotland▪   

MAny are the practices of Papists and other false and hollow hearted subjects, & wonder it is what they dare do & say, as if they had the Majesty of our Prince in contempt or did still bear themselves bold upon the success of some mighty treason, the bottom whereof hath not yet been thoroughly searched. Of late hath been published out of Scotland, a treatise detecting the foul doings of some that have been dangerous to our noble Queen, by which detection is induced a very excellent comparison for all Englishmen to judge whether it be good to change Queens or not, and therewith a necessary enforcement to every honest man to pray heartily for the long continuance of our good mother to rule over us, that our posterity may not see her place left empty for a perilous stepedame. Some carried with Popish affection that regardeth neither natural Prince nor country, and puffed with the dropsy of a traitorous humour, labour what they can to discredit the same detection as untrue. Some of them, while they like good sincere men forsooth, would fain seem very indifferent judges, say they will credit nothing till they hear both parties, not remembering that in the same one book are both parties to be heard the one in the former part, both in the declaration and oration of evidence: the other in the latter part, in the parties own contracts, songs, letters, judicial proceedings protestations, examinations and confessions. Some other more open fellows, say flatly that all is false, the book hath no credit, the author is unknown, obscure, the matter counterfeit, and all is nothing. If any such rumours come to your ear, first I think verily in truth you may be bold to say to the party Et tu ex illis es, thou art also one of them. And for the matter I have thought good to inform you of so much as I know for proof of the same treatise to be of credit, wherewith you may answer and stop the mouths of such rumour spreaders.  
The book if self, with the oration of evidence, is written in Latin by a learned man of Scotland M. George Buchanan, one privy to the proceedings of the Lords of the Kings secret Counsel there, well able to understand and disclose the truth, having easy access also to all the records of that country that might help him. Besides that the book was written by him, not as of himself, nor in his own name, but according to the instructions to him given by common conference of the Lords of the privy Counsel of Scotland, by him only for his learning penned, but by them the matter ministered, the book overséen & allowed, and exhibited by them as matter that they have offered and do continued in offering to stand to and justify before our sovereign Lady or her highnesses Commissioners in that behalf appointed. And what proof they have made of it already, when they were here for that purpose, and the said author of the said book one among them, when both parties or their sufficient procurators were here present indifferently to be heard, and so were heard in deed, all good subjects may easily gather by our said sovereign Ladies proceeding sins the said hearing of the cause: who no doubt would never have so stayed her request, but rather would have added enforcement by ministering of aid to the Lady Marie of Scotland, for her restitution, (the precedent & honour of Princes, & her majesties own former example of sincerity used in defence of the Scottish Queen herself in Scotland against France, and her maintenance of the French kings honour and liberty against the high attempts of some his Popish subjects, considered) nor would have lived in such good amity with the young king of Scotland, the Regentes, & the true Lords maintainers of that side, if these heinous offences alleged on that part had not been provable, or if the young King had been an usurper, or his Regentes and other Lords of that faction traitors, as they must have been if all be false that is objected against the said Lady Marie. I recite not what subscriptions & assents have been to confirm the book and the matters in it contained, Byside that I do you to wite that one written copy thereof in Latin was now upon his late apprehension found in one of the Duke of Norfolk's men's houses, and thither sent by his commandment a little before his apprehension to be secretly kept there, with divers other pamphelets and writings. Which thing not only addeth credit to this book that it was not counterfeit, but also giveth shrewd suspicions that the Duke could not so well like the woman being such a woman, as for her persons sake to venture the overthrow of such a flourishing state wherein he stood before, but that some other greater thing it might be that he liked, the greediness whereof might temper his abhorring of so foul conditions & of so great a danger to himself to be sent after his predecessors. The Bishop of Rosse likewise doth both know that the Duke had this book, and can tell how the Duke came by it.  
The other matter of the contracts, letters, songs etc. have, among other, these proves. Lively witnesses of great honour and credit can tell that the very casket there described was here in England showed, the letters & other monuments opened and exhibited, and so much as is there said to have been written or subscribed by the said Lady Marie, the Earl Bothwell, or other, hath been by testimonies and oaths of men of honour & credit of that country, testified and avowed in presence of persons of most honourable state and authority to have been written & subscribed as is there alleged, & so delivered without rasure, diminution, addition, falsifying or alteration in any point. And a number there be in England, of very good and worshipful calling beside the Commissioners thereto appointed, that have seen the originals themselves of the same hands whose this book doth say them to be. Which things have been heard and understood by these that can tell, and those whose truth in reporting is above all exception.  
Wherefore scythe the Scottishemen have, for satisfaction of us their good neighbours, among whom the said Lady Marie remaineth to the peril of both Princes as the Scottishmen say, published these matters, to the intent that the impudency of the said Lady Mary's fautors in denying those truths may not seduce English subjects to the undermining of the estate, honour, and noble proceeding of our most gracious sovereign, and diverting of affections to undue places, and to the great peril of both Realms, which the adversaries call beneficial uniting, but is in deed most maleficiall confounding, intended to join the Realms in other persons, excluding the person of our said sovereign Lady: Let us receive this admonishment thankfully, and gather the fruit thereof to the establishment of our loyalty to our own Queen, against whom the favourers of the other side have banded them selves in hostility and treason.  
This I have thought good to writ to you for your satisfaction in knowledge of the case, whom I know already sufficiently satisfied in good and dutiful affection. God disclose these hollow hearts, or rather God grant her Majesty, and those that be in authority under her, an earnest will to see them, for they will disclose themselves fast enough. And God sand her Majesty so to remove the grounds of her peril, that not only we which by open thrusting ourselves against her enemies have set up our rest upon our Queen Elizabeth, and shall never be admitted to favour on the other side, but also all wise and honest men may know that it shallbe safe to be true, & dangerous to be false. Otherwise the mischief is evident. For men in nature and in policy will seek for their own safeties, which if they may not find in truth, it is a great advancement of falsehood. God long preserve our good & gracious Queen Elizabeth, and make her enemies know that there is sure peril in treason, and her true subjects bold to stick to her without dread of any revenge or displeasure▪ So far ye well.  
FOr further proof that the said letters written by the said Lady Marie & mentioned in the said book are not counterfeit but her own, I have herewith also sent you the most authentic testimony of the three estates of Scotland assembled in parliament. The copy of which act you shall receive word for word as it was enacted in Scotland in December 1567. & remaineth publicly in print, saving that I have for your more easy understanding changed the Scotish orthography, which I would to God had been done for Englishmen'S better satisfaction in Master George Buchnans' book. Howbeit the same is not so hard but that after the reading of two leaves a man may easily enough grow acquainted with it, and doubtless the knowledge & mounumentes therein contained are well worth so small a travel to understand them.  

The Scottish act of Parliament.  
Touching the retention of our sovereign Lords mother's person.  
ITem touching the article propounded by the Earls, Lords, & other Noble men, who took arms at Carbarie hill, upon the xv. day of june last bypast, & touching their convenynges of before, and of the cause of the apprehension of the Queen mother to our sovereign Lord: And whether the said Noble men, and others which took arms of before her said apprehension, and which joined with them, & assisted them at that time, or any ways sense, have done the duty of Noble men, good, & true subjects of this realm, & no ways offended, nor transgressed the laws in that effect, or any thing depending thereupon, either preceding, or following the same.  
Our sovereign Lord, with advise of my Lord Regent, and three estates, & whole body of this present Parliament, hath found, declared, & concluded, & by this present Act findeth, declareth, and concludeth, that the cause & occasion of the conventions, & messages of the said Earls, Lords, Noble men, Barons, & others faithful & true subjects, and consequently, their taking of arms, & coming to the fields with open and displayed banners, & the cause & occasion of the taking of the said queens person, upon the said xv. day of june last bypast, & holding, & detaining of the same within the houses & Fortalice of Lochleum, continually, sense presently, & in all time coming, & generally all other things invented, spoken, written, or done by them, or any of them to that effect, sense the x. day of Febr. last bypast, upon the which day, the late Henry King, than the said queens lawful husband, & our sovereign Lord the Kings dearest father, was treasonably, shamefully, & horribly murdered, unto the day & date of this present Act, & in all times to come, touching the said Queen, and detaining of her person: That the cause & all things depending thereon, or that any ways may pertain thereto, the intermission, or disponing upon her property, casualties, or whatsoever thing pertaining, or that any ways might pertain to her, was in the said Queens own default, in so far as by divers her privy letters written wholly with her own hand, and sent by her to james sometime Earl of Bothwell, chief executor of the said horrible murder, aswell before the committing thereof, as thereafter, and by her ungodly, & dishonourable proceeding to a pretended marriage with him, suddenly, & unprovisedly thereafter, it is most certain, that she was privy, airt, & part, of the actual devise, & deed of the foresaid murder, of the king her lawful husband, & father to our sovereign Lord, committed by the said james, sometime Earl of Bothwell, his complices, and partakers. And therefore justly deserveth what soever hath been done to her in any time by-gone, or that shallbe used towards her, for the said cause in time coming, which shallbe used by advise of the Nobility, in respect, that our said Sovereign Lords mother, with the said james, sometime Earl of Bothwell, yeid about by indirect and coloured means, to colour, and hold back the knowledge of the truth of the committers of the said crime. Yet all men in their hearts were fully persuaded, of the authors & devisers of that mischievous, and unworthy fact, awaiting while God should move the hearts of some to enter in the quarrel, for revenging of the same. And in the mean time, a great part of the Nobility, upon just fear to be handled, & demeaned in semblable manner, as the King had been of before: perceiving also the Queen so thrall, & so blindly affectionate to the private appetite of that tyrant, & that both he, & she had conspired together such horrible cruelty, being therewith all garnished with a company of ungodly, & vicious persons, ready to accomplish all their unlawful commandments, of whom he had a sufficient number, continually a waiting upon him, for the same effect, all noble & virtuous men abhorring their tyranny, & company, but chief suspecting, that they, who had so treasonably put down, & destroyed the Father, should make the innocent Prince, his only son, & the principal, & almost only comfort, sent by God to this afflicted nation, to taste of the same cup (as the many invented purposes to pass where he was, & also where the noble men were in) by their open confession gave sufficient warning & declaration, where through the said Earls, Lords, Barons, & others faithful, & true subjects taking arms, or other ways whatsoever joining, and assisting in the said action, & in the said conventions, displaying banners, & coming to the fields, taking & retaining of the queens person, aswell in times bypassed, as hereafter, & all others that have thereafter, or shall in any time coming adjoin to them, and all things done by them or any of them, touching that cause, and all other things depending thereon, or that any ways may appertain thereto, the intromission, or disponing upon her property, or casualties, or whatsoever other things pertaining, or any ways might appertain to her, was in default of herself, and the said james sometime Earl of Bothwell, & by the horrible and cruel murder of our said sovereign Lords late dearest Father, conspired, devised, committed, counseled, and coloured by them, & not condignly punished according to the Laws. etc.    

This Act with the rest is thus subscribed in the Scottish book. Extractum de libro actorum Parlamenti per me lacobum Makgill de Rankelour neither Clericum rotulorum Registri ac consilij S. D. N. Regis sub meis signo & subscriptione manualibus. jacobus Make gill. And is imprinted at Edinburgh by Robert Lekprevik Printer to the king's majesty the vi. day of April, in the year of God. 1568.