Series 3 > Scottish correspondence of Mary of Lorraine

INTRODUCTION
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expense of the craftsmen. [No. CCLXVIII.] As con¬
cerning trade itself, it is indicated that she meant to give
effect to the letter of the law which, on grounds of national
policy, prohibited exports to England.
In 1546, under the Governor’s administration, Lord
Borthwick ‘ hes sauld his woll to men that hes put it in
Ingland like as all the merchandices and vittales on this
syde of the watter passis thair.’ [No. CXX.] In the
early years of the Queen’s regency, however, William
Mudy found it less easy to evade the law. He could have
found a better market for his ‘ schipe and fysche . . . fra
the Inglis man and youre grace hed grantit me licence to
sell.’ [No. CCLXV.] We may believe that she was
sincerely anxious to promote prosperity, although it was
an additional inducement that as an individual she would
reap the fruits of her labours as a public patron. William
Mudy was alive to this double aspect of the situation
when he informed the Regent that ‘ I compt my scayth
in ane part youre graces, for gif I hed gottin reddy money
for my gudis and schipe the samyn wauld have bene
halele at youre grace command.’
The Correspondence shows that poverty constantly
dogged the steps of Mary of Lorraine. We have seen that
it threw her into alliance with the monied classes : it
was one factor in the failure of her bid for office in 1544 :
and it burdened her with ‘ affarris and cummerris ’ during
a crisis in the English wars. [No. CCXIX.] The wages
of her servants were in arrears; and she was forced
to borrow from friends like the Countess of Montrose,
who could herself ill spare ‘ the twa hundretht crounis
I lent your graice.’ [Nos. CCXC, CCXCVL] Poverty
also forced her to turn the screw on her own debtors.
Thus, peremptory demands ‘ to mak gud and haiste
payment ’ were laid upon the Countess of Moray, the
harassed steward of the Queen’s lands of Ross. Her