Series 3 > Scottish correspondence of Mary of Lorraine

MARY OF LORRAINE
239
of your graice. Of Methven, this first of Junij. The
etemell God conserve your grace evyrmair.
be your grace mast humill and obedient servitour
Henry lord Methven.1
[Endorsed : M. de Meffan.]
CLXXI
Alexander Gordon to the Queen Dowager
[c. May-July 1548 ?].
TO THE QUENIS GRACE.
Madame, I wreitt to yowr grace affoir with my servand
and is hartlye myscontentit to hawe so neidfull occasione
to molest yowr grace with my pwre adverseteis, quhilk
I am constranit do, haweand na wthyr, ondyr God, for
my releiff,—for only, beand weill rememberit, the occasione
off all this trebill I swstyne is my laboris and attendence
to hycht besynes concemyng this Realm and my pwre
hows, and hes mellit sa far thairin that I cwld nocht retyre
me from daly service bwt tynsell off my procedyng and
jopart off my honour, quhilk hed alwayis bene owt off
recowerance wer nocht yowr grace help. And in this
myn tym my pwre leyffyng wes possest with my com-
peditour,2 and can hawe na apoinctement: 3 that now
am I onhabill to obtyn possession without greitt incon-
wenience, far les abill to await on service, for gyf I pas
northrt to obtyn possession it salbe occasione to hald
syndry frome yowr grace service, quha, beand nocht will
1 A holograph letter.
2 Robert Stewart and others were summoned to underlie the law on 30th
April 1548, for ‘taking and detaining from Mr. Alexander Gordoun,
Postulate of Caithness, the House and Place of Scrabister: and for seizing
upon the fruits, teinds and other emoluments of the Bishopric of Caith-
nes : and for breaking the Queen’s Protection granted to the said Mr.
Alexander, his servants and tenants of the said Bishoprick.’ (Pitcairn,
Criminal Trials, i* 337.)
3 In April he had been confident of making terms with his rival; but
Stewart, being in possession, was perhaps not so willing to come to an agree-