All the Hammiltounis ar heir, that accompanyis me verray honorabilly.

All the freindis of the uther convoyis me quhen I gang to se him. He desyris me to c.u.m and se him ryse the morne betyme. For to mak schort, this beirer will tell zow the rest. And gif I leirne onything heir, I will make zow memoriall at evin. He will tell zow the occasioun of my remaning. Burne this letter, for it is ovir dangerous, and nathing weill said in it; for I am thinkand upon nathing bot fascherie. Gif[60] ze be in Edinburgh at the ressait of it, send me word sone.

Be not[61] offendit, for I gif not ovir greit credite. Now seing to obey zow, my deir lufe, I spair nouther honour, conscience, hasard, nor greitnes quhatsumevir; tak it, I pray zow, in gude part, not efter the interpretatioun of zour fals gude-brother, to quhome, I pray zow, gif na credite aganis the maist faithful luifer that ever ze had, or ever sall have.

Se not hir, quhais fenzeit teiris suld not be sa meckle praisit nor estemit, as the trew and faithful travellis quhilk I sustene for to merite his place. For obtening of the quhilk agains my natural, I betrayis thame that may impesche me. G.o.d forgive me, and G.o.d give zow, my only lufe, the hap and prosperitie quhilk zour humble and faithful lufe desyris unto zow, quha hopis to be schortly ane uther thing to zow for the reward of my irksome travellis.

It is lait; I desyre never to ceis fra wryting unto zow; zit now, after the kissing of zour handis, I will end my letter. Excuse my evill wryting, and reid it twyse over. Excuse that thing that is scriblit, for I had na paper zisterday quhen I wrait that of ye memoriall. Remember upon zour lufe, and wryte unto hir, and that verray oft. Lufe me as I sall do zow.

Remember zow of the purpois[62] of the Lady Reres

Of the Inglismen Of his mother.

Of the Erle of Argyle.

Of the Erle of Bothwell.

Of the ludgeing in Edinburgh.

[The memoranda in the middle of the letter const.i.tute the "thing that is scriblit," for which pardon is asked in the last sentence.

The concluding words, from "Remember" to "Edinburgh," are instructions for the bearer.]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- _E._ = _English_; _F._= _Published French_; _L._ = _Latin_.

[20] _E._ "Considering what the body may without heart, which was cause ... that till dinner I had used little talk." So also French, but Latin as in Scots.

[21] _E._ Adds after "letters," " ... as though there had been a meaning to pursue him."

[22] _L._ and _F._ Omit "He desired ... refusit it."

[23] _E._ "The Lord Luse, Houstoun, and the son of Caldwell, and about forty horse came to meet me, and he told me that he was sent to one day o' law from the father, which should be this day," &c. _L._ and _F._ as in Scots.

[24] _E._ Omits "I see ... company."

[25] _E._ Omits "yesternight;" _L._ "heri;" _F._ "hier."

[26] _E._ ... "Whether it were for any good appointment that he came, and whether I had not taken Paris and Gilbert to write, and that I sent Joseph."

_L._ "Item cur venisrem? an reconciliationis causa? ac nominatim, an tu hic esses? An familiae catalogum fecissem? An Paridem et Gilbertum acceptissem, qui mihi scriberent? an Josephum dimissura essem?"

_F._ "Item pour quoy j'estoye venue, et si c'estoit pour faire une reconciliation; si vous estiez icy; et si j'avoye faict quelque rolle de mes domestiques; si j'avois prins Paris et Gilbert, afin qu'ils m'escrivissent; et si je ne vouloye pas licentier Joseph."

[27] Scots has a marginal note, "This berer will tell you sumwhat upon this," which appears in the English text and is omitted in the other versions.

[28] This berer will tell you somewhat upon this. [Marginal note in original.]

[29] _E._ "He said that he did dream, and that he was so glad to see me that he thought he should die--indeed, that he had found fault with me." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

[30] _E._ "You have well pardoned them." _F._ and _L._ as in _S._

[31] _E._ "And at the last repent, and rebuke himself by his repentance." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

[32] _E._ "The rest, as Will Hiegate hath confessed; but it was the next day that he came hither." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

[33] _E._ omits "I trow ... Presoner."

[34] _E._ "He denyeth it, and saith that he had already prayed them to think no such matter of him." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

[35] _E._ "And indeed it was said that I refused to have him let blood." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

[36] _L._ "Praesidium." _F._ "Forteresse."

[37] _E._ "By that false race that would do no less to yourself."

_L._ "A gentle illa perfida, quae non minore contentione te c.u.m de hoc ipso aget." _F._ "Par ceste nation infidele, qui avec non moindre opiniastrete debatra le mesme avec vous."

[38] _E._ Adds after "greitly"--"but I had begun it this morning."

[39] _E._ Adds after "all out of him"--"I have known what I would. I have taken the worms out of his nose."

[40] _E._ "We are tied to with two false races. The good yure {goujere} untye us from them. G.o.d forgive me, and G.o.d knit us together forever." _L._ "Diabolus nos sejungat, ac nos conjugat Deus in perpetuum," &c. _F._, "Le diable nous vueille separer, et que Dieu nous conjoingne a jamais," &c.

[41] _E._ "I am weary, and am asleep." _L._ "Ego nudata sum, ac dormitum eo." _F._, "Je suis toute nue, et m'en vay coucher." [The Latin and French translation mistook "irkit" for "nakit."]

[42] _E._ "He is not much the worse, but he is ill arrayed." _L._ "Non magnopere deformatus est, multum tamen accepit." _F._ "Il n'a pas este beaucoup rende diforme, toutesfois il en a pris beaucoup."

[43] _L._ "Propinqui." _F._ "Parent."

[44] _E._ "By his bolster, and he lieth at the further side of the bed." _L._ "Ad pedes ejus." _F._ "A ses pieds."

[45] _E._ "The talk of Sir James Hamilton of the amba.s.sador." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

_E._ "Lord of Lusse." _L._ "Lussae Comarchus." _F._ "Le prevost de Lusse."

[46] _E._ "You may well go and see sick folk." _L._ "Bella huiusmodi hominum visitatio." _F._ "Voyla une belle visitation de telles gens." [_L._ and _F._ translators confusing _sik_ (sick) and _sik_ (such).]

[47] _E._ "And said, 'One of his folk that hath left you this day.'"

_L._ "Respondit, unus eorum qui te reliquerunt." _F._ "Respondit, c'est l'un de ceux qui vous ont laissee."

[48] _E._ "To my tedious talk." _L._ "Ad inst.i.tutum meum odiosum."

_F._ "a ma deliberation odieuse."

[49] _E._ Omits "or I did." _L._ and _F._ as in _S._

[50] _E._ "No more." _L._ "Ne saepius." _Fr._ "Ne ... si souvent."

[51] _E._ "Till after tomorrow." _L._ "In diem perendinum." _F._ "Encor deux jours."

[52] _E._ "More pleasantly." _L._ "Valde ferociter." _F._ "Fort asprement."

[53] _E._ "Make but one bed." _L._ "Communem fore lectum." _F._ "Ne faisions plus qu'un lict."

[54] _F._ "But did fear lest, considering the threatening which he made in case we did agree together, he would make them feel the small account they have made of him, and that he would persuade me to pursue some of them." _L._ "Sed in timore futuros quod comitatus fuisset, si aliquando inter nos concordes essemus, se daturum operam ut intelligerent quam parvi eum aestima.s.sent; item quod mihi consuluisset ne gratiam quorundam seorsum a se expeterem." _F._ "Ains seroient en crainte de ce qu'il m'auroit suivy. Et si nous pouvions estre d'acord ensemble, qu'il pourroit donner ordre, qu'ils entendroient combien peu ils l'avoient estime. Item de ce qu'il m'avoit conseille, que je ne recercha.s.se la bonne grace d'aucuns sans luy."