by you it shall pass any man's power in Scotland to stay it. All danger or suspicion is quite set apart. It hath been said unto myself not long since that the dishonour of the father breaking his promise"-to meet Henry VIII. at York-"should be repaired with the affiance and trust the daughter hath in our Queen's virtue and honour. This Queen is so far resolved, that she hath already pressed twice or thrice the Lord of Ledington to pass in post with full commission from her to demand an interview, and to accord in what manner and how it may be ordered." Maitland, indeed, was still desirous to have some more definite promise from Cecil,-" to know from your Honour what appearance there may be of good to either realm-unto which he seemeth to bear so equal and indifferent favour, as if the misfortune of either were utter destruction to himself,"1-while there were others, like Knox, who did not regard any approach to friendliness between the Queens with favour. "Some allege the hazard of herself and nobles; many are loth for the charges; others say that amity being once made, that her power will be the greater. Though in verity the charges will be great, and a hard matter to find so much gold that is current in England in men's hands in

1 Randolph to Cecil, 28th February 1562.

Scotland as will furnish this voyage, yet I know that this last point is more feared of many in Scotland than either of the other two. The difficulty is for the exchange, seeing there are many here that have great sums of silver that have little gold. Of this matter the Lord of Ledington shall have commission to confer,1 as also of divers other points." It was not, however, until the twenty-third of May that he was able to announce that the Lord of Lethington "departeth hence without fail on Tuesday next"; and Mary's letter to Elizabeth recommending "our trusty and well belovit, the Lord of Lethington, our Principal Secretar," as "being a man of a lang time well known unto you," and inviting her to give credence to him "as to ourself," is dated two days later.

Maitland's mission was speedily accomplished; but the meeting, as we shall see, never took place, an excuse for delay having been discovered at the last moment by the English Council. He was again in England on Mary's service in 1563. "It is now resolved that the Lord of Ledington shall visit the Queen's Majesty from hence. How shortly he departeth I know not. One thing your Honour may know

1 The difficulty was afterwards arranged by Maitland.

VOL. II.

2 Randolph to Cecil, 31st March 1562.

G

assuredly, that for the advancement of his mistress' service he will do and say whatsoever lieth in his power. He is charged here to have been over good servant unto her. His advice is followed more than any other's. A man in such place ought to have many wits and well tempered." On the occasion of this visit he went as far as Paris, and proposals for Mary's marriage with a prince of the blood were made to him when there, both by Spain and Austria. He had been instructed on this occasion to correspond directly with Mary, and his growing authority with the Queen appears to have been resented by Moray. He had not returned when Randolph on 3d June wrote to Cecil :-"I know not upon what deserts, but many men have conceived strangely of the Lord of Ledington. I would to God that he had been plainer with my Lord of Moray than he hath been. I know the wisdom of the Lord of Ledington to be such that he will use those matters well at his return. His desire is to do good to all men; and that never framed well to any man that hath the place that he occupieth. I write not these things unto your Honour with other mind. than that I do lament that such a friend unto our country, such a servant as this Princess

1 Randolph to Cecil, 6th February 1563.

1

hath not his like, one that is able and willing to do good for the continuance of amity and peace betwixt the two realms, should in anything overshoot himself." The differences with Moray, however, appear to have been quickly composed on Maitland's return. "Upon Thursday last the Lord of Ledington arrived here. These three days past have been too little to satisfy the Queen's demands. I can yet perceive no misliking of his doings, nor worse opinion of himself than was at his departure. This Saturday at night the Earl of Moray arrived from St Johnston, and found the Lord of Ledington and me communing, being even then in purpose of those points that the unkindness rose between them. I doubt not the Lord of Ledington will well satisfy him, wherein though I never desired to meddle, yet will the Lord of Ledington that I shall speak somewhat before his departure. The natures of them both is so good, that I neither mislike nor mistrust but all matters shall grow to a good end."2

Diplomacy had failed to bring about a meeting between the Queens; and the marriage negotiations which followed were still less successful. The vague promises of Elizabeth, that

1 Randolph to Cecil, 3d June 1563.

2 Randolph to Cecil, 13th June 1563.

in the event of Mary making a marriage agreeable to England her title to the English Crown would be recognised, were distrusted by Maitland from the first. "The Lord of Ledington wishes that the Queen had descended into more particulars, for he sayeth that those general dealings breed ever suspicion of good meaning. I charged him with no less on his Sovereign's behalf, or rather his own, who was the whole guider of her affairs." Maitland had become by this time "the whole guider of her affairs"; and a year later Randolph, on his way to the Berwick Conference, uses even stronger language. "To meet with such a match your Majesty knoweth what wit had been fit; how far he exceedeth the compass of one or two heads that can guide a queen, and govern a whole realm alone!"?

So much for Randolph. I have brought together a few scraps from a voluminous correspondence, which, if carefully sifted and intelligently annotated, might be made public with immense advantage to the serious student of Scottish history.

I now turn to the Cecil correspondence, which, in so far as it is devoted to the discussion of the larger political questions of the day-the Union

1 Randolph to Cecil, 13th December 1563.

2 Randolph to Elizabeth, 7th November 1564.