(State Papers, Scotland, Elizabeth, vol. xiii. No. 14. Cal. Foreign State Papers, Elizabeth, vol. viii. No. 954, February 1566-7.)

Firste I made my L. mye masters humble com~endac~ons vnto her Ma^ti w^th thexcuse y^t he came not to mete her praing her grace not to thinke it was eath^r for prowdnesse or yet for not knowinge hys duetye towardes her highnesse, but onelye for want of hely^e at y^e present, and allso y^t he woulde not p’sume to com in her presence vntille he knewe farder her minde bicause of the sharpe Wordes y^t she had spoken of him to Robert Cuningh^am hys servant in Sterling. Wherebye he thought he Was in her Ma^tis displesvre Notwithstanding he hathe sent hys servant? and frend? to waite vppon her Ma^ti.

She aunswered y^t there was no recept against feare.

I aunswered y^t mye L. had no feare for anie thinge he knewe in him sellf, but onelye of the colde and vnkinde Wordes she had spoken to hys servant.

She aunswered and said y^t he woulde not be a fraide in case he were not culpable.

I aunswered y^t I knewe so farr of hys Lordsh. y^t he desired nothing more than y^t the secretts vf everye creatures harte were writte in theire face.

She asked me yf I had anie farder com~ission.

I aunswered no.

Then she com~aunded me to holde mye peace.

The Kinge for y^t mye L. hys father was then absent and sicke, bye reason whereof he could not speke w^th him him sellfe, called me vnto him and theise wordes that had then passed betwixt him and the Quene, he gaue me in remembraunce to reporte vnto the said mye Lord hys father.

After theire metinge and shorte speking to geth^r she asked him of his lr~es, wherein he complained of the cruelltye of som.

He aunswered y^t he complained not w^thowt cause and as he beleved, she woulde graunte her sellfe when she was well advised.

She asked him of hys sicknesse, he answered y^t she was the cause thereof, and moreover he saide, Ye asked me What I ment bye the crueltye specified in mye lr~es, yt procedeth of yo^w onelye y^t wille not accepte mye offres and repentaunce, I confesse y^t I haue failed in som thing?, and yet greater fautes haue bin made to yo^w sundrye times, w^ch ye haue forgiue. I am but yonge, and ye will saye ye haue forgiue me diverse tymes. Maye not a man of mye age for lacke of Counselle, of w^ch I am verye destitute falle twise or thrise, and yet repent and be chastised bye experience? Yf I haue made anye faile y^t ye but thinke a faile, howe so ever it be, I crave yo^r ?done and protest y^t I shall never faile againe. I desire no oth^r thinge but y^t we maye be to geath^r as husband and wife. And yf ye will not consent hereto, I desire never to rise forthe of thys bed. Therefore I praye yo^w give me an aunswer here vnto. God knowethe howe I am punished for makinge mye god of yo^w and for having no oth^r thowght but on yo^w. And yf at anie tyme I offend yo^w, ye are the cause, for y^t wh? anie offendethe me, if for mye refuge I might open mye minde to yo^w, I woulde speak to no other, but whe anie thinge ys spoke to me, and ye and I not beinge as husband and wife owght to be, necessite compelleth me to kepe it in my breste and bringethe me in suche melancolye as ye see me in.

She aunswered y^t it semed him she was sorye for hys sicknesse, and she woulde finde remedye therefore so sone as she might.

She asked him Whye he woulde haue passed awaye in Thenglishe shipp.

He aunswered y^t he had spoke w^t thenglishe mà but not of minde to goe awaie w^t him. And if he had, it had not bin w^thowt cause consideringe howe he was vsed. For he had neath^r to susteine him sellfe nor hys servant?, and nede not make farder rehersalle thereof, seinge she knewe it as well as he.

Then she asked him of the purpose of Hegate, he aunswered y^t it was tolde him.

She required howe and bye whome it was told him.

He aunswered y^t the L. of Minto tolde him y^t a lr~e was presented to her in Cragmiller made bye her own divise and subscribed by certeine others who desired her to subscribe the same, w^ch she refused to doe. And he said that he woulde never thinke y^t she who was his owne propre fleshe, woulde do him anie hurte, and if anie oth^r woulde do it, theye shuld bye it dere, vnlesse theye took him sleping, albeit he suspected none. So he desired her effectuouslye to beare him companye. For she ever fownde som adoe to drawe her selfe frÕ him to her owne lodginge and woulde never abyde w^t him past two howres at once.

She was verye pensiffe. Whereat he fownd faulte he said to her y^t he was adv^rtised she had browght a litter w^t her.

She aunswered y^t bicause she vnderstoode he was not hable to ryde on horseback, she brought a litter, y^t he might be caried more softlye.He aunswered y^t yt was not mete for a sick ma to travelle y^t coulde not sitt on horsebacke and especiallye in so colde weather.

She aunswered y^t she would take him to Cragmiller where she might be w^t him and not farre from her sonne.

He aunswered y^t vppon condic~on he would goe w^th her w^ch was that he and she might be to geath^r at bedde and borde as husband and wife, and y^t she should leaue him no more. And if she would promise him y^t, vppon her worde he would goe w^th her, where she pleised w^thowt respecte of anye dang^r eath^r of sicknesse, wherein he was, or otherwise. But if she would not condescend thereto, he would not goe w^th her in anye wise.

She aunswered that her comminge was onelye to that effecte, and if she had not bin minded thereto, she had not com so farre to fetche him, and so she graunted hys desire and p^omised him y^t it should be as he had spoken, and therevppon gave him her hand and faithe of her bodye y^t she woulde love him and vse him as her husband. Notwithstanding before theye coulde com to geath^r he must be purged and clensed of hys sicknesse, w^ch she truisted woulde be shortlye for she minded to giue him the bathe at Cragmill^r. Than he said he would doe what soever she would have him doe, and would love all that she loved. She required of him in especialle, whome he loved of the nobilitie and Whome he hated.

He aunswered y^t he hated no mÃ, and loved all alike well.

She asked him how he liked the Ladye Reresse and if he were angrye w^th her.

He aunswered y^t he had litle minde of suche as she was, and wished of God she might serve her to her hono^r.

Then she desired him to kepe to him sellfe the promise betwixt him and her, and to open it to nobodye. For ?adventure the Lordes woulde not thinke welle of their suddine agrement, consideringe he and theye were at some wordes before.

He aunswered that he knew no cause whye theye shulde mislike of it, and desired her y^t she would not move anye of th? against him even as he woulde stirre none againste her, and y^t theye would worke bothe in one mind, otherwise it might tourne to great^r inconvenience to them bothe.

She aunswered y^t she never sowght anye waie bye him, but he was in fault him sellfe.

He aunswered againe y^t hys faultes were published and y^t there were y^t made great^r faultes than ever he made y^t beleved were vnknowne, and yet theye woulde speke of greate and smale.

Farder the Kinge asked me at y^t present time what I thowght of hys voyage. I aunswered y^t I liked it not, bicause she tooke him to Cragmill^r. For if she had desired him w^th her sellf or to have had hys companye, she would haue taken him to hys owne howse in Edinbr~. Where she might more easely visit him, than to travelle two myles owt of the towne to a gentlemÃis house. Therefore mye opinio was y^t she tooke him awaye more like a prison^r than her husbande.

He aunswered y^t he thowght litle lesse him sellf and feared him sellfe indeid save the confidence, he had in her promise onelye, notwithstandinge he woulde goe w^th her, and put him sellfe in her handes, thowghe she showlde cutte hys throate and besowghte God to be iudge vnto them bothe.

Endorsed: ‘Thomas Crawford? deposit.’