Series 3 > Mary Queen of Scots and the Babington plot

§ III. LETTERS OF GILBERT GIFFORD 113
The heddes of a conference betweene Ball[ard],
Babington & this Aduertiser
ffirst. That Bab[ington] after other discourse of those
matters declared the many daungers and difficultyes
touching a Cheefe man for a head and for authoritye in
this Cause : for that the noblemen wold do nothing before
they sawe some Certaintye ; & y* the rest being all equall,
wold bring Confusion. That M\orgari\ sought nothing but
honor to him selfe, & yl he wold seeke honor for them yl
better deserued it. That him selfe wold go and to sollicitt
these matters. That Bab[ington’s] discourse tended to
make him selfe Cheefe, wherin be was backed by Ball[ard]
who highly Comended him.
The answeare y1 Ball[ard] returned to M[organ] is this
in effecte.
That his demaund is farre vnreasonable to request the
naming of the personnags ; as also to seeke all to his
owne hand, being but a seruant to ^ no more then they,
&c. That they all concluded that one shold go over for
solliciting of matters.
Extract of another lettre 1
In margin, B 'f*
Wherin the partyes aforsaid having resolued to send
this Aduertiser ouer, the only Chardge they shold Comitt
vnto him by word of mouth was, 4 To knowe whither the
King of Spayne intended any thing or no ; &, at what
tyme,’ wch he was to demaund in the name of such
personags whose names & hands shold be Conveyed by
the Ambr wlh many Circumstances not fitt to be knowen
of any man till he was saefe, wch they promised this
Aduertiser shold receaue wth all expedicon.
In margin, In cither lettres of f.
That one Gage was to go ouer & to receaue his directions
th[ere].2
1 This letter B, as will be seen, will be the letter printed in full next
page below.
2 Robert Gage, though not one of the conspirators, was executed with
the others, 21 September 1586 (Boyd, ix. p. 38).
H