Series 1 > Papal negotiations with Mary Queen of Scots during her reign in Scotland, 1561-1567

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT
163
1562-3]
number of our prelates go to the Council. The Cardinal of
Lorraine will explain these points more amply. Edinburgh,
31 January 1563.
in. Connection with the de Gouda Mission.—There is no other
known letter of Mary which has a better right than this to be taken as
her answer to the brief brought to her by de Gouda. The chief points
in the reply which she made then and there to de Gouda (No. 38, § 7)
reappear here, viz. her good intentions, the difficulties arising from the
state of her kingdom, that she would endeavour to send bishops to Trent.
On the other hand no mention is made of forwarding the briefs to the
bishops {ibid., § 12). This Italian translation does not indeed confirm
all that Father Crichton, speaking from memory of things that had
happened fifty years previously, affirmed about the Latin original (No.
40, § 3); but neither does it contradict him. In any case, if this be not
Mary’s official answer, we may regard it as an informal repetition of that
answer, sent later, by a different route, in order to make sure that its
substance at least should reach the Supreme Pontiff.
iv. Date and Postal Route.—It will be noticed that this is one of the
first letters which Mary sent through Cardinal Granvelle, through whom,
from this time forward, her intercourse with foreign courts was in great
measure conducted.
v. Covering Letter op the Cardinal of Lorraine.—Mary had asked
her uncle to write to the Pope, to assure him of her fidelity, and to
‘ make my excuses, if I have failed in any part of my duty towards
‘ religion, for you know better than any other what my will is and what
‘ my power.’ The Cardinal’s letter to the Pope for this purpose is not
to be found, but a similar letter for a like purpose, addressed to the
French ambassador in Austria, has been printed by Le Laboureur,
Memoires de Castelnau (1731), ii. 208.
Monsieur de Rennes. [After other business]. Besides this
you may say to the emperor that I received a few days ago
news from the Queen of Scotland. She tells me that she has
had her share of the rebellions which subjects nowadays
make it their business to raise against their princes. That a
certain lord, the Earl of Huntly, and his sons had secretly
made such a levy of soldiers that she would have been in very
great danger if she had not been informed of it. When the
practice was discovered, she took such good order to raise men
at once, that she had enough to offer battle, in which, thanks
be to God, the victory remained with her, and she has had