Series 3 > Foreign correspondence with Marie de Lorraine, Queen of Scotland, from the originals in the Balcarres papers > Volume 7

XVI
BALCARRES PAPERS
to express approval of his half-sister. M. de Lorges,1 who
was surely in the confidence of Marie de Lorraine, was the
first to couple the names of the Dauphin and Mary Stuart,
though with no remark beyond great praise of the little
Queen. This admiration seems never to have been lacking,
and at first matters ran smoothly in the household of the
royal children. The Duchess Antoinette 2 wrote of the
consideration with which the Queen of Scots was treated
and of the beginning of what proved a lasting friendship
with the Princess Elisabeth, a few years her junior : ‘ They
are housed together and I think it a very good thing,
so that they may be brought up like sisters.’ Presents,
honour and good treatment were the lot of her suite,
among whom Lord Livingston and Lord Erskine were
distinguished by special honours. Both he and Lord
Erskine acknowledge the fact in Scots letters 3 written
to Marie de Lorraine in 1549 and 1550, and select for
special mention M. de la Brousse, or M. de Breze,4 pro¬
bably the latter, whom they had met in Scotland, as
‘ ane gud kind gentillman.’ And Lady Fleming appeared
to prove herself a satisfactory gouvernante.
The proposed marriage of Mary and the Dauphin
Francois was alluded to by Montmorency as early as
1549 in his postscript to a letter on the affairs of Scotland.
He gave news of the growing friendship between the two,
the first indication of that affection on which the Venetian
ambassador, Giovanni Capello, commented in 1555 : 5
‘ Also I can assure you that the Dauphin is careful and
fond of her as of his lady-love and his wife and that it is
easy to see that God made them for each other. . . .’ 6
But the Constable’s remark would seem to carry consider¬
able weight, because he was at all times a rival of the House
1 Letter XIV. 2 Letter XVII. 2 App. B, I., II.
4 The spelling of the name makes it doubtful.
6 Baschet, Diplomatic Vinitienne, p. 486. 6 Letter XXIII.