hart, and all shalbe yours, and at your command- } ment. I thought to satisfy you holely, if I might Alas do not as the serpent that

have seene you. stoppeth his heering, for I am no inchanter, but your suster and naturall cousyne. If Cesar had not disdaynid to heere or reede the complaint of an advertiser, he had not so dyed. Why should Prince's eares be stopped, seeing they are payntid so long; meaning that they shuld heere all, and be well advised before they answer. I am not of the nature of the basilisk, and lesse of the camelions, to turne you to my lykenesse: and though I shuld be so dangerouse and curst as men say, yow ar sufficiently armyd with constance, and with justice, which I requyre of God, who give you grace to use it well, with longe and happy lyfe. From Carlile this vth of July 1568. Your good suster and cousyne

MARYE R.

LETTER CXCV.

The Lord Herrys to Lord Scrope and Sir Francis Knollys.

[MS. COTTON. CALIG. C. I. fol. 149. Orig.]

QUHEN thair was no laws minstrata upone the Marches bot suir I am thair is thrys alsmekill stowin b

out of Scotland as out off Ingland. And quhair it is said yat ony proud Attemptat is meint to be maid upone Ingland be ony that now obeyes our maistres, it is maist wntrewa and inventit to displesour ye Quenis Matie of Ingland, as thay do mony sik things to sett fordwart thair awin torns. Bot God y' is the author of trewt will not latt the trewt alwayes wt falfett be exprest. And thus committing zo' LL. to his divyne protection I tak my leif for ye pn't. Off Drūfres ye xvij of August 1568.

Your LL. assurit to comand

att my rower leiffullie

Mary Queen of Scots to Sir Francis Knollys, from Bolton, Sept. 1st 1568: her first Letter in English.

[MS. COTTON. CALIG. C. 1. fol. 161 b. Orig.]

The Letters of Mary Queen of Scots, when written in her own hand, are almost uniformly in French. She was not six years old when she sailed from the Clyde for France. She arrived at Brest on August 13th. 1548. After passing a few days at Court, she was conveyed to a

a untrue.

their own turns.

⚫ safety.

Nunnery for education, and there remained till the time of her marriage with the Dauphin. Her acquaintance with her native language, at least till her return to Scotland in 1561, must have been slight; though Mr. George Chalmers says that at the opening of the Parliament of May 1563, she delivered a speech in her native language a.

From the following Letter it is evident that she studied English very soon after her removal from Carlisle to Bolton; Sir Francis Knollys undertaking himself to instruct her. Nicholas White, who had been sent to Tutbury to talk with Mary, writes thus to Sir William Cecil, Feb. 28th. 1569:

"This much past, she harde the English sarvice with a Booke of the Psalmes in Englishe in hir hand, which she showed me after. When sarvice was done, hir Grace fell in talke with me of sundry matters from six to seven of the Clocke, beginning first to excuse her ILL ENGLISHE, declaring hir self more willing then apt to lerne that language; howe she used translations as a meane to attayn it; and that Mr. Vice Chamberlayn was hir good scole-master." b

f

MESTER KNOLEIS, y heuu har sum neus from Scotland; y send zou the double off them y vreitd to the quine my gud sister, and pres zou to du the lyk, conforme to that y spak zesternicht vnto zou, and sut hesti ansur y refer all to zour discretion, and wil lipne beter in zour gud deling for mi1, nor y kan persuad zou, nemli in this langasg excus my iuel vreitink for y neuuer vsed it afor, and am hestet1. Ze schal si my bel" vhuilk" is opne, it is sed Seterday my unfrinds wil bi vtho zou, y sey nething bot trests weil, and ze send oni to zour wiff ze mey asur her schup wald a bin weilcom to apur strenger, hua' nocht bien aquentet vth her, wil nocht bi ouuer bald to vreit

S

bot for the aquentans betuix ousa. Y wil send zou letle tekneb to rember zou off the gud hop y heuud in zou, guefe ze fend a mits mesager y wald wysh ze bestouded it rederi apon her nonk ani vder; thus effter my commendations y prey God heuud zou in his kipin.

QUEEN Mary's predilection for the French tongue is observable upon many occasions. Even James her son corresponded with her in it. One of his Letters to her in that language will occur hereafter.

In the Anthologie Françoise, tom. i. p. 19. we have the following Chançon of her composition, written upon her quitting France in 1561.

"Adieu, plaisant pays de France,

O ma patrie la plus cherie,
Qui as nourri ma jeune enfance!

Adieu, France, adieu mes beaux jours.
La Nef qui dé-joint nos amours,

N'a cy de moi que la moitié ;

Une part te reste, elle est tienne;
Je la fie a ton amitié

Pour que de l'autre il te souvienne."

LETTER CXCVII.

Bernard Randolph Common Serjeant of London, to Sir William Cecil, upon the practice of a Game called Rifling.

[MS. LANSD. BRIT. MUS. NUM. 11. art. 22. Orig.]

RIGHTE honorable, after my humble duetie to your Honor remembred, pleasethe the same to be adver

a Us; i. e. herself and Sir Francis Knolles.
d have.
f find.
rather.

c gif, if.
k than.

b a little token.

e remember.

g meet.

h bestowed.

tised that I (allthough most unworthie) being by dyvysion lymytted under your honor and M'. Deane to the Citie of Westminster and lyberties of the same, aswell for thexamynacion of rogues and sturdye vagabondes and masterlesse men, as also for to punyshe other enormyties and mysdemeanors theare; to the whiche precincte above other in the Shire, in th’absence of your honor (and the said M Deane) I thinck myself more bounden to have a vigillant eye then if the same M: Deane weare at home, or your honor somewhat nearer. And repayring thither this daye (as comonlie I doo but ones everye fortenight yf I have no especial cause), but this is the thirde tyme of my goinge thither, to examyn a lewde persone whoe hathe stolen diverse parcells of brass and copper that did adorne the Tombe of the late Kinge of famouse memorie Henrie the Seventhe and Queene Elizabeth his wife. And at my nowe comynge thither M Staunton and others of th'inhabitants of the said Cytie, gave me to understande thatt there was a greate disorder in or near Long Acre, by reason of certain Games that were proclaymed there to be exercised, wheare indede theare was none used but one onlie Game, called Riflinge, by which they saide diverse persons weare spoyled and utterlie undon. Wheruppon I comaunded M: Colbrande the highe Constable of the saide Cytie and Lyberties (taking with hym suche nomber of petit constables and others