Series 1 > Letter from Mary Queen of Scots to the Duke of Guise, January 1562

RELATIONS WITH ELIZABETH
xix
now considering they were nearer to being genuine friends,
than at any time before or after. £ Les autres seront estones,
si nous voient si bien, la Royne d’Angleterre et moy ’ (ms. p. x).
Not long after the interviews described above, Elizabeth
returned Mary’s compliment in sending her Lethington, by
despatching Sir Peter Mewtas to Scotland. After appro¬
priate compliments had been exchanged, the envoy began to
press Mary to confirm the treaty in its original and inequit¬
able form. This Mary, as might be imagined, again refused
to do, but once more pressed for its revision.1
Her answer had been received before November the 4th,
but though its fairness was evident, Elizabeth’s courtiers were
afraid to cross their mistress’s whims. Cecil told Throck¬
morton ‘ that he did not dare to be busy therein for fear of
wrong construction.’2
Section IL—INTERCOURSE WITH THE GUISES
Je lui dis . . . que j’esperoys que Ton conoitroit que ces dreseurs de
querelles la, seroient conus pour meschants et manteurs, et euls [MM. de
Guise,] pour gens de bien et sens, qui avoient fait pour le service du Roy,
ce que autre maison, quelqu’elle soit, n’oseroit se vanter (sis. pp. v., vi.).
Si je ne vous pensois plus nuire que servir, en mestant en doute, ce
que il se devoit croire de vous sans respondant que je respondroys pour
toute notre mayson (ms. p. vii.).
Je vous [ne] dirays la poine en quoi je suis, pour les bruits qui courent
ici (ms. p. ii.).
The bearer of Mary’s answer to Mewtas’s message was
passed on his way southward by one of her French esquires,
make a funeral feast while she was alive.” Maitland admitted the danger.’—
History of England, vi. 526 ; cf. 527.
The latest version of these words appears to be this : ‘ Elizabeth told Maitland
plainly that she could not recognise Mary as her successor, for fear of assassina¬
tion.’—W. L. Mathieson, Politics and Religion in Scotland, i. 125.
1 The answer made to Mewtas, in its original Scottish form, will be found in
Appendix No. 1. It was printed in French by Labanoff, Recueil, i. 115.
8 Foreign Calendar, p. 389 (2),