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

LETTERS TO MARY OF LORRAINE
83
buy from the King the post of treasurer of Provence. And, although it
is a great sum, he has not handed over the money and has gone to Court
to settle the matter. It will be convenient to help to pay the expenses
necessary if the Queen is to make the King’s gift to her in the country of
Guienne a profitable one. But the Queen should arrange that the King
be asked for the said sum of money so soon as possible, otherwise the gift
would be without profit on account of its expense. If the Queen cannot
obtain the money, she must ask the King for a similar sum from the
balance of the late treasurer’s accounts. His heirs and those who are
surety for him are rich, and the writer is informed that a sum of more
than 20,000 ecus is owing to the King. It is necessary for the Queen to
keep him informed of her wishes, so that his servants maybe in readi¬
ness to do the Queen good service. Written from Paris on the 12th
November.
A LA ROYNE.
Madame, depuis vostre partement de ceste ville, j’ay
fait telle dilligence et par le moyen de mes amys que hier
xje jour de ce moiz me fut fait advertissement que ung
nomme Pierre Obertaz partit de ceste ville portant en
ses [ ] sept mil escuz pour acheter du Roy I’office
de tresorier de Provence1 qui vacque a present. Et
combien que le pris en soit fort, il n’a pas encoires delivrer
les deniers ny leue ses lettres et s’en va en court pour
cest affaire. Celia viendra bien a propoz pour aider a
satisfaire aux grans fraiz et despenses qu’il vous conviendra
faire pour faire venir a prouffit le don que le Roy vous a
fait es pays de Guyenne.2 Mais, Madame, il sera besoing
que le plus tost que faire se pourra vous faictes demander
au Roy ladicte somme sans laquelle le don et present qu’il
vous a fait demeureroit inutille par faulte de fournir et
si grans fraiz.
Madame, si ne pouvez obtenir ladicte somme qui est
ung cler denier comptant, fauldroit demander au Roy
pareille somme sur le reste des comptes du tresorier
de Provence a son vivant, Nicolas Agafin, dit Decocille,
1 roffice de tresorier de Provence. For the duties of the office see Batiffol,
Century of the Renaissance, p. 389.
2 le don que le Roy vous a fait es pays de Guyenne. It is not certain to what
this refers. The grant may be part of the pension paid to the Queen Dowager
by the King. This, in 1555-6, amounted to 20,000 livres a year (Defenses de
la Maison Royale, 1548-55, Register House).