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

APPENDIX
311
tioun of the cuntre and certane commodites quhilk
I am bund to regard for the weill of my house and freindis
movis me to write agane to the Kingis hienes and to my
Lord Cardinall and Duke of Gweis that thai fynd nocht
my returnyng evil bot that I have ther gude will thairto
as to the thing that prosedes of honeste naturelle [ ]
and affectioun. And als that it will pleis zour grace to wit
that the King hes send this berar Monsieur Erase 1 onto
your grace quha hes bene ane gude servand to zour derrest
dochter the Queue and ay reddy to do us all plesir that is
in hir grace cumpane, the quhilk I dout nocht bot zour
grace will thank hym therefore. As for novellis of this
cuntre, this berar Monsier Erase can schaw zour grace
better nor I can write. Madame, I pray God Almychty
haif zour grace in his keiping at your nobill hertis disir.
Writtin at Sant Germyngis the xxv day of Aprile be zour
graces humyll servitor
Alexander Levingston.2
IV
From Jean Sinclair, Nurse to Mary Stuart, to the
Queen Dowager
[1552-3 ?] Register House.
TO THE QUENIS GRACE IN SCOTLAND.
Madame, pleis zour grace to wit the Quenis grace and
Monseris and Mesdames is in gude prosperite and heell
living to God. Madame, I pray zour grace maist humblie
that ze be nocht descuntent with me that I adverteis zou
1 Monsieur Erase. See Appendix B, Letter I.
2 Alexander Levingston. Alexander, fifth Lord Livingston, was one of the
nobles of Scotland to accompany Mary Stuart to France. According to the
Scots Peerage, he died, probably in Paris, some time before 4th January 1550-51.
He married Jeanne Pieddefer, whom the same authority states to have been one
of the ladies-in-waiting of the young Queen. It is more probable, however, that
she was in the service of the Queen Dowager, as a letter in this volume and
several entries in the Treasurer1 s Accounts and the fifth volume of the Balcarres
Papers show her to have been in charge of various matters for Marie de Lorraine.