[Sir James Melville was sent as ambassador from the Queen of Scots to the Queen of England to advance negotiations for Mary's marriage, and to discover, if possible, Elizabeth's real meaning.]

September 28, 1564. Melville's Memoirs, pp. 115-128. (Bannatyne Club.)

The next morning Master Lattoun and Master Randolph, late agent for the Queen of England in Scotland, came to my lodging to convoy me to her Majesty, who was, as they said, already in the garden.... I found her Majesty pacing in an alley.

... She inquired if the Queen had sent any answer anent the proposition of a marriage made to her by Master Randolph. I answered, as I was instructed, that the Queen thought little or nothing thereof, but looked for the meeting of some Commissioners upon the borders, with my Lord of Murray and the secretary, Lethington, to confer and treat upon all such matters of greatest importance.... So seeing that your Majesties cannot so soon find the opportunity of meeting, so much desired between yourselves ... the Queen, my mistress ... is in hope that your Majesty will send my Lord of Bedford and my Lord Robert Dudley. She said that it appeared that I made but small account of my Lord Robert, seeing that I named the Earl of Bedford before him; but, or it were long, she should make him a greater earl, and that I should see it done before my returning home; for she esteemed him as her brother and best friend, whom she should have married herself, if ever she had been minded to take a husband.... And to cause the Queen, my mistress, to think the more of him, I was required to stay till I had seen him made Earl of Leicester and Baron of Denbigh, with great solemnity at Westminster, herself helping to put on his ceremonial, he sitting upon his knees before her, keeping a great gravity and discreet behaviour. But she could not refrain from putting her hand in his neck to kittle {tickle} him smilingly, the French Ambassador and I standing beside her. Then she asked me how I liked of him. I said, as he was a worthy subject, he was happy that had encountered a princess that could discern and reward good service. "Yet," she said, "ye like better of yonder long lad," pointing towards my Lord Darnley, who, as nearest prince of the blood, bore the sword of honour that day before her. My answer again was, that no woman of spirit could make choice of such a man, that was liker a woman than a man; for he was very lusty, beardless, and lady-faced. I had no will that she should think that I liked of him, or had any eye or dealing that way: albeit I had a secret charge to deal with his mother, my Lady Lennox, to purchase leave for him to pass in Scotland, where his father was already, that he might see the country and convoy the Earl, his father, back again to England.

Now the said Queen was determined to treat with the Queen, my sovereign, first anent her marriage with the Earl of Leicester, and for that effect promised to send commissioners unto the borders. In the meantime I was favourably and familiarly used; for during nine days that I remained at Court, her Majesty pleased to confer with me every day, and sometimes thrice upon a day, to wit, afore noon, after noon, and after supper. Sometimes she would say, that since she could not meet with the Queen, her good sister herself, to confer familiarly with her, that she should open a good part of her inward mind unto me, that I might show it again unto the Queen; and said that she was not so offended at the Queen's angry letter as for that she seemed to disdain so far the marriage with my Lord of Leicester, which she had caused Master Randolph propose unto her. I said that it might be he had teached something thereof to my Lord of Murray and Lethington, but that he had not proposed the matter directly unto herself; and that as well her Majesty, as they that were her most familiar counsellors, could conjecture nothing thereupon but delays and drifting of time, anent the declaring of her to be the second person {i.e., the next in succession to the throne of England} which would try at the meeting of commissioners above specified. She said again that the trial and declaration thereof would be hasted forward, according to the Queen's good behaviour, and applying to her {Elizabeth's} pleasure and advice in her marriage; and seeing the matter concerning the said declaration was so weighty, she had ordained some of the best lawyers in England diligently to search out who had the best right, which she would wish should be her dear sister rather than any other. I said I was assured that her Majesty {Mary} was both out of doubt hereof, and would rather she should be declared than any other.... She said that she was never minded to marry, except she were compelled by the Queen, her sister's, hard behaviour towards her, in doing by {beyond} her counsel, as said is. I said: "Madam, ye need not tell me that; I know your stately stomach; ye think if ye were married, ye would be but Queen of England, and now ye are King and Queen both; ye may not suffer a commander."

She appeared to be so affectioned to the Queen her good sister, that she had a great desire to see her: and because their desired meeting could not be hastily brought to pass, she delighted oft to look upon her picture, and took me in to her bed chamber, and opened a little lettroun {cabinet} wherein were divers little pictures wrapped within paper, and written upon the paper, their names with her own hand. Upon the first that she took up was written, "My lord's picture." I held the candle and pressed to see my lord's {Leicester's} picture. Albeit she was loth to let me see it, at length I by importunity obtained the sight thereof, and asked the same to carry home with me unto the Queen, which she refused, alleging she had but that one of his. I said again, that she had the principal; for he was at the furthest part of the chamber speaking with the secretary Cecil. Then she took out the Queen's picture and kissed it; and I kissed her hand for the great love I saw she bore to the Queen.... ... Her {Elizabeth's} hair was redder than yellow, curled apparently of nature. Then she entered to discern what colour of hair was reported best, and inquired whether the Queen's or her's was best, and which of them two was fairest. I said, the fairness of them both was not their worst faults. But she was earnest with me to declare which of them I thought fairest. I said, she was the fairest Queen in England, and ours the fairest Queen in Scotland. Yet she was earnest. I said they were both the fairest ladies of their courts, and that the Queen of England was whiter, but our Queen very lovesome. She inquired which of them was of highest stature. I said, our Queen. Then she said the Queen was over high, and that herself was neither over high or over low. Then she asked what sort of exercises she used. I said, that I was dispatched out of Scotland, that the Queen was but new come back from the highland hunting; and when she had leisure from the affairs of her company, she read upon good books, the histories of divers countries, and sometimes would play upon lute and virginals. She sperit {asked} if she played well. I said, reasonably for a Queen.

The same day after dinner, my Lord of Hunsden {Huntingdon} drew me up to a quiet gallery that I might hear some music, but he said he durst not avow it, where I might hear the Queen play upon the virginals. But after I had hearkened a while, I took by the tapestry that hung before the door of the chamber, and seeing her back was toward the door, I entered within the chamber and stood still at the door post, and heard her play excellently well; but she left off so soon as she turned her about and saw me, and came forwards seeming to strike me with her left hand, and to think shame; alleging that she used not to play before men, but when she was solitary her alone, to eschew melancholy; and askit how I came there. I said, as I was walking with my Lord of Hunsden, as we passed by the chamber door, I heard such melody, which ravished and drew me within the chamber I wist not how; excusing my fault of homeliness, as being brought up in the Court of France, and was now willing to suffer what kind of punishment would please her lay upon me for my offence. Then she sat down low upon a cushion, and I upon my knee beside her; but she gave me a cushion with her own hand to lay under my knee, which I refused, but she compelled me; and called for my lady Stafford out of the next chamber, for she was alone there. Then she asked whether the Queen or she played best. In that I gave her the praise.... She inquired at me whether she or the Queen danced best. I said, the Queen danced not so high or disposedly as she did. Then again she wished that she might see the Queen at some convenient place of meeting. I offered to convey her secretly in {to} Scotland by post, clothed like a page disguised, that she might see the Queen: as King James the 5 passed in France disguised, with his own ambassador, to see the Duc of Vendome's sister that should have been his wife; and how that her chamber should be kept, as though she were sick, in the meantime, and none to be privy thereto but my Lady Stafford, and one of the grooms of her chamber. She said, Alas! if she might do it: and seemed to like well such kind of language, and used all the means she could to cause me persuade the Queen of the great love that she bore unto her.... My Lord of Leicester began to purge himself of so proud a pretence as to marry so great a Queen, esteeming himself not worthy to deicht her shone {clean her shoes}; alleging the invention of that proposition to have proceeded of Master Cecil his secret enemy. "For if I should," said he, "have seemed to desire that marriage, I should have lost the favour of both the Queens," praying me till excuse him unto the Queen.... At my homecoming I found the Queen's Majesty still in Edinburgh ... she inquired whether I thought that Queen meant truly towards her as well inwardly in her heart as she appeared to do outwardly by her speech. I said, in my judgment, that there was neither plain dealing nor upright meaning, but great dissimulation, emulation and fear that her princely qualities should over soon chase her out, and displace her from the kingdom; as having already hindered her {Mary's} marriage with the Archduke Charles of Austria, and now offering unto her my Lord of Leicester, whom she would be as loth as then to want. Then the Queen gave me her hand, that she should never marry the new-made earl; albeit shortly while after, my Lord of Murray and Bedford met beside Berwick to treat upon the marriage with Leicester.... The Queen of England began to fear and suspect that the said marriage might perchance take effect. And therefore my Lord Darnley obtained the rather, license to come into Scotland, who was a lusty youth, in hope that he should prevail being present before Leicester that was absent. Which license was obtained of the means of the secretary Cecil; not that he was minded that any of the marriages should take effect, but with such shifts and practices to hold the Queen unmarried so long as he could.

Randolph to Cecil from Edinburgh. Foreign Calendar. December 15, 1564.

This parliament, being only assembled for restoring Lennox, began upon Monday, and ended the Saturday after. The third day the Queen came to the house, when she had an oration of her affection towards her subjects and the weal of her country, which moved her to show her favour towards Lennox, to restore him to his country, the rather for the suit of the Queen of England, whose desire to her was of no small moment, which words were duly rehearsed....

[The next development in the situation took the form of a correspondence between Murray and Lethington, and Cecil, on December 4, 1564. Randolph wrote to Cecil "that Murray and Lethington had concluded that amity with England is fittest," and added, "No man will be more acceptable to the people than the Lord Robert. There has been more thought of Lord Darnley before his father's coming than is at present. The mother more feared a great deal than beloved." The two Scottish lords had already written to Cecil, who replied on the 16th, informing them that Elizabeth would never consent to their request, the establishment of Mary's "title to be declared by Parliament in the second place to the Queen," but "promising that she will cause inquisition to be made of their Sovereign's right; and as far as shall stand with justice and her own surety, she will abase such titles as shall be proved unjust and prejudicial to her sister's interest;" and giving them warning. "Let there not be found any intention to compass ... a kingdom and a crown, which, if it be sought for, may be sooner lost than got, and not being craved may be as soon offered as reason can require." To this Murray and Lethington replied on the 24th, asking what Cecil meant by the words "as shall stand with justice and her own surety," for they "never meant anything prejudicial to the surety of Queen Elizabeth;" stating that if Elizabeth "will nowise establish the succession of her crown," the Leicester project must fall to the ground; and urging Cecil to secrecy, for if it were discovered that they had "meddled without her Majesty's knowledge, the opening thereof" would be the ruin of them both. (Foreign Calendar, 14th, 16th, and 24th December 1564.) This episode is of importance in connection with Mary's subsequent attitude to the Darnley marriage.]