Series 5 > Campbell Letters 1559-1583

152
CLAN CAMPBELL LETTERS
Lady bayth. As towart my Lord of Athollis part resaiff his awyn letter1
quhairbe ye may onderstand his Lordshipis guid mynd towart yow. I assur
yow I find nay fait thairinto. He is weray diligent in outputtyng of the
men quhilkis I thynk now salbe veray schortly on fut. And the same is
deffissil2 and veray ewil to do and nocht mony villyng thairto yit he wil
nocht fail to hef it done and sendis the best willit he may get thairto.
ResaifF the writyng ye desyrit maid at Dalkeyth3 the day thairof now is
neir approchyt, this berar wes depessit als schortly as I culd. Ane certan of
Clanchamroun4 wer in Blair and hes ane gret nummer of guidis in
Rannoch of the quhilk the guid Lard is nay thyng contentit hot heichle
ofendit thairwith. MacRenald5 is now in Blair and syndry utheris ewyn
of the auld maner my Lord is spurrand veray fast to and thairis enenocht6
promeset I ken nocht quhen it wilbe performit and dowtis thairunto. I
hef nay newis to adverteiss yow.Ye hef hard quhow thai left the seig of the
dowyn.7The Maister of Grahame8 ves this last Fryday in Dunkeld ane ...
uther his... at lenth and convoit his mother agaitwarttis to Blair.The Abot
of Dunfarmlyn9 is instantly cumyn hame of Ingland his newis ar nocht
hard as yit. In t....mekil10 consistis thairon the Inglis men ar nocht past by
Berwyk. As yit I heir nay word of French men nor yit is thair ony utheris
landit in Ingland nor aperance thairof. Thair com ane poist fra the Erll of
Swsseix of Berwyk to Dunkeld wyt letteris and credit.11 Writ wyt the first
boy of youris that cumis down to the Secretar and thankis hym of his
guid mynd towart yow quhilk trewly he beris to yow in deid as I can
onderstand. Writ to my Lord of Atholl newis and utherwayis as ye thynk
guid of the pairtes quhair ye ar and sicklyk that ye wald hef done every
tyme. For albeit all thyngis may not be done vyt ane instant yit it is guid
to be done as ... may. I neid nocht now to writ to yow as I hef done weray
oft bayth to your self and your wyif to be circumspek for God now hes
warnit yow mair sufficiendy. I wil writ nay forther now bot committis
yow to God.Writyn this Satterday the x ofjunii in the nycht be your.
1 Atholl’s* letter (100).
2 Difficult.
3 Probably the bond at Dalkeith made 26 Feb. 1570 (95).
4 Probably the MacEwan sept of Clan Cameron.
5 Ranald MacDonald of Keppoch*.
6 Enough.
7 The siege of Doune Casde in Menteith.
8 James Graham, the future 3rd earl of Montrose.
9 Robert Pitcairn, commendator of Dunfermline.
10 Ellipses represent damage to MS.
11 Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd earl of Sussex, was Queen Elizabeths lord heutenant and
spent much of the summer of 1570 in negotiations with both the king’s party, and
Maitland and others of the queen’s party: Introduction.