Stuarts

MARY STUART IN ENGLAND 59
house, which in my opinion stands much like Windsor, I espied two halberdiers
without the castle wall searching underneath the Queen's bed-chamber window.
And so — waiting an easterly wind — I humbly take my leave."
In connection with Mary's request that White should excuse her bad
English, the following extract from a letter she wrote Sir Francis Knollys
from Bolton, will be read with interest.
" Mester Knoleis y heuu har sum neus from Scotland, y send zou the
double off them y vreit to the quin my gud sister and pres zou to do the lyk,
conforme to that y spak zester-nicht vnto zou and sut hesti ansur y refer all
to zour discretion & will lip ne beter in zour gud delin for mi, nor y kan
persuad zou, newli in this langasg. Excus my iuel vreitin for y neuuer
vsed it afor & am hested."
In the Talbot Papers there is a letter from the Earl of Shrewsbury to
the Lord Treasurer and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, begging them to
make him a larger allowance of "wine without impost." He writes from
Tutbury, and in his petition shows that the consumption must have been
very considerable. He says " truly two tuns in a month have not sufficed
ordinarily, besides that that is occupied at times for her bathings and such
like uses." The " her " of course refers to the Queen of Scots, and in his
letter Shrewsbury enlarges upon the daily charges " that I do now sustain,
and have done all this year past."
Elsewhere in the letter we learn that it was customary to allow wine
to noblemen for household expenses without impost. Seeing the large
quantity which Shrewsbury says was not sufficient, it becomes interesting
to know of whom the castle establishment consisted. From a "cheke roll"
endorsed by Mary's keeper in 1571, we find that her regular household
consisted of thirty persons of whom "my Lady Leinston " (Livingstone)
was the head, she being "dame of honour to the Queen's Majesty."
Mr. Beaton was the Master of the Household, which comprised a
physician, a secretary, a master cook, "a pottiger," and "a pastilar," pages,
and servants to her ladies, etc., etc. Besides these were "permitted of my
lord's benevolence nine others, namely five women and four men servants,"
who appear to have waited on the Queen's household. Two years earlier,
as we see by White's letter quoted above, the retinue consisted of some
sixty persons.
After the discovery of the attempt of Leonard Dacre, who was a relative
of Shrewsbury's, to rescue her, the household of the Queen of Scots was