Knox to Sir James Croft
1559.
KNOX TO SIR JAMES CROFT.
certified.
We have receaved your commendations from our last messenger, and understand by liim your good and fervent mynd, in the which we farther desyr you to contiuew to the advauncement of Godd's glory, and to the confort of both the Eealmes.
From Styrlinge, the 6th of August 1559.
By youre good friends, Ar°. Ergyll.
James Sanctandrews.
To the worshipfull Sir James Croft knight. Captain to the Queues Majesties Town and Castell of Barwick.
Deliver these.
XXIV.
Knox to Sir James Croft.
After my most harty commendations, we arrived saiflye (albeit not without som daunger, for our brother, Alexander Wliytelaw, ^ was chased thre myles) with the Lordis, to witt / with two ; and becaus of the absence of the rest a Convention / is appointed att Glaskew, to begin this 10 of August, in whichi shall all thingis be proponed, and to our knowledge determined! upon, wherof the certaintie shalbe signifeid unto you with expedition.
I must signifye unto you, that onles the Counsall be mor fordward in this common actioun, ye \dll"uter[ie 3ascorage the hartes of all heir, for thei can not abyd the crym of suspition : thei will not trifill ; but yf thei can not have present support of thame, thei will seak the next remeady (not that I mean that ever thei intend to return to Fraimce) to preserve thare owen bodies, whatsoever becum of the coimtry, which our ennemies may easelie occupye ; and when thei have so done, mack yoiu? accompt what may ensew towardis yourself.
I thank the gentillman hartlie of his benevolence tuiching his '
In the letter only the initials "A. W."
See vol. ii. p. 31, footnote 3.
LETTERS, ETC.
1559. horses, wliarof ye shall deliver him one againe, and the other I shall send with the nixt messinger, and thus I hartlie committ you to the protectioun of the Omnipotent. From Styrveling,^ this
6 of August 1559, in great haist.
By youris to his i)Ower in godlines, John Knox.
To the right wyi'shipfuU Sir James Croftis knyght, Captain of the Quenis Majesties Town and Castell of Berwick.
Be these delivered.
XXV.
Queen Elizabeth to Sir Ealph Sadlee.
Elizabeth R.
Trusty and welbeloved, "We grete you well.
Lyke as we have uppon greate trust conceaved in you, conferred for certen speciall service to be doone by you uppon our frontiers towards Scotlande, so doo we authorise you to conferr, treate, or practise, with any maner of person of Scotland, ether in Scotland or England, for those purposees, and for the furderance of our service, and of any other thyng that may tend to make a perpetuall concord betwixt the nation of Scotland and ours.
We doo also authorise you to reward any manner of person of Scotland, with such somes of mony as ye shall thynk mete to be taken of the some of three thousand pounds, which we have ordred shuld be delyvered unto you in gold.
Wherin such discretion and secrecy is to be used, as no parte of your doings maye empayre the treatyes of peace lately concluded betwixt us and Scotland.
And for enlargement of our furder meaning in this, we referr you to consider a memoryall of certen articles to be delyvered to you by our Secretory ; whereunto '
Styrveling, Striviling, or Stirling.
1559.
LORDS OF THE CONGREGATION TO CECILL.
ye shall not uede to have furder i-espect thau the oportunite of the tyme will requyre.
Gyven under Our signett the 8th of August, at Nonsuch, 1559, the first yere of our reigne.^ To our trustie and welbeloved Sir Eafe Sadleyr knight.
XXVI.—LOEDS OF THE CONGREGATION TO CeCILL.
YouRE answer, rycht Wirschipfull, to our lettres and creditt said send by our messenger. Master Whitlaw, receaved, Strivling the 5th of August, is not so full or so plene in all things as our expectatioim war ; for we of mean simplicitie referring to yom" wisdomes thane the meanes quhair by those two Eealmes mycht assuridlie heir after be joyned in perpetual amitie, looked to have recaived some especiall heades from you whiche eyther by us should have bein granted, and a man with full creditt send to you for confirmatioun of the samyn, or elles should have bein ansuerred with lyk simplicitie as before we did wryte ; hot the cheaf part of your letter, consisting in geiving us counsall (good and fruitfuU, we grant, bot unpossible unto us now to be performed), and in schawing to us dangerous already forsein, we wer in doubt what farther till ansuer then befoir wer wryettin, only we thought good breiflie to tuich the cheaf pointis of your lettre : and first, as tuiching the doubt quhich ye seame to mak, whither that this Eeformatioun by us pretended and begoun apperteineth to all men within this realme, or to aue part thairof.
Our consciences ar assuredlie persuaded that it doht not only appartein to us, being a part of the nobilite and counsall of this realme, to provyd to our powere that the antient liljerties of the same may remain fre from the 1 The handwriting is CecilFs :
It contains Sir Kalph Sadler's private powers.
VOL.
VI.
LETTERS, ETC.
1559. tyranny of strayngaris, bot also to suppres and abolische (so far furth as God sail assist us) all manifest idolatre and meinteinans of the samyn.
In doing wliairof, albeit pouer liayth failled, yit ye have lacked no good, how soevir that our procedingis be judged by those who have not sein our doinges.
The confort and joy of you, now rouled by your naturall goodnes, doth no less confort us then doth our greaf, who suffer the burden of strayngeris, displease our selves, and as we wishe your felicitie to be perpetuall, so hoped we to liave receaved of you such ayde as ones niyght have sett us at the sam libertie.
We are not ignorant that our enemies, the Popish kirkmen, ar crafty, rich, malicious, and blood-thirsty, and most glaidlie wold have thare rictes otherweis bestowed but consider, Sir, that we have against us the established authoritie, which did evir favour you and Denmark both, in all your reformatiouns ; and thairfor, that without support we s^ can not bring tliame to suche obedience as we desyr.
The danger eminent by that army prepared against lis in France, moved us first to seak your support, and efter to send our other messinger, Maister Knox, with fuUar instructions to Sir James
Croftes, which we suppose ye have receaived ; whairof we desyr with possible expedition your plaine m}Tides and full ansuer, that we upoun the samyn may ether prepair ourselves to pyne with you for our commoun defence, or elles so pro^yed for some other meanes to allow the present inconvenience ; becaus we neyther judge you voyd of zeal to God, neyther yit of good will towardes both our one weaknes, we certainly look for your confortable support, when danger that ever shall appear by us entering in warr with France.
AVe have tempted the Duke^ by all meanes possible, but as yit of him have no ceitaintie, other then ane generall promise that he will not be our enemy, when that the mater shall cum to the uttermost.
"We cease not to provok all men to favour our cause, and of_our Nobilite we have
1 " Tempted the Duke," tried the Duke of Chastelhcrault.