Series 3 > Scottish correspondence of Mary of Lorraine

MARY OF LORRAINE
229
and bayd Jhone Wemmis pray my lord gyf he mycht
enschew to cum away on hors bak, quhilk he wald say
that he refwsit. And tharefter my lord schew to his
keppar quhow Jhone off Wemis schew hym sic lyk and
that he refwsit the samin. Swa Jhone off Wemis is pwt
and haldyn in ane schalmer and takis the haill mater on
hym, sayand he schew sic thynkis to my lord as my lord
governour send hym word to do ; and thus my lordis part
is haldyn gwd. And suppois the schyp be thayr I trow
it be nocht possib[i]ll to my lord to eschaip.1 Thair for,
madame, I man on force pas to my lord and gyf yowr
grace thynkkis expediane I cum to yowr grace or my
departyng, I sail do the samen. Uthyr wayis I sail pas
fordart2 and do sa, God willyng, as I sail answer to yowr
grace. Allwayis, madame, I am contrynit to schaw your
grace quhow I can gett na way off sylver fra my gud
sister my lady Hwntlye ; and trewly, madame, schew
can nocht instantlye hawe price nor sell of gwddis be
merchanddis. And as to my awyn benefice, ingudfayth
I gart never ane plak 3 sen my cummyng in Scoitland.
Quhow sone I may hawe of my awyn yowr grace sail nocht
be molestit. I am determit to aggre with my compeditour 4
quharthrow I may have sa suir lyffyng, bot in the myn
tym I hawe na uthyr esperance bot only in yowr grace :
remittand the answer in this behalf to yowr grace plesouris.
I knaw your grace is ampill anewcht advertist quhow all
1 Quiriace, a Breton sailor, had been sent with a French ship to Newcastle
with the aim of facilitating the escape of Huntly ; but the scheme proved
abortive. (See Selve, ad indices.)
2 He succeeded in having an interview with his brother in Newcastle, but on
the same day Huntly was taken back to London for safety’s sake, while the
Bishop returned to Scotland with the Earl’s bond of manrent to the Dowager.
Huntly reached London on 22nd May. (Selve, 353 ; InventoryState Papers,
Register House, 47.) Cf. following letter.
3 Flack, a small billon coin: its value to be proclaimed at 2d. by acf of
parliament in 1567.
4 On 13th April 1548, Alexander Gordon, postulate of Caithness, renounced
his rights in favour of Robert Stewart. In return the Dowager bound herself
to procure for him in compensation a benefice of equal value in Scotland or
France, with, in the interval, a pension from the French King and the
Dowager. (Teulet, i. 662-3.)