Letter I., omitted a clause which was in his French original, and is in
the English translation. Consequently, when, in the same short letter, the
English has, and the Scots has not, ‘_to Ledington, to be delivered to
you_,’ we cannot, as most critics do, and as Herr Bresslau does, infer
that Lethington had that mention of him deliberately excised from the
Scots version, as likely to implicate him in the murder. It did not
implicate him. Surely a Queen may write to her Secretary of State, on
public affairs, even if she is planning a murder with her First Lord of
the Admiralty. When the Scots translator omits a harmless clause, by
inadvertence, in line 6, he may also, by inadvertence, omit another in
line 41.
From these facts it follows that we cannot acquit Lethington of a possible
share in the falsification of the Letters, merely because a reference to
him, in the original French, existed, and was omitted in the Scots text.
He need not have struck out the clause about himself, because the Scots
translator, we see, actually omits another clause by sheer inadvertence.
In the same way Mr. Henderson’s text of the Casket Letters exhibits
omissions of important passages, by inadvertence in copying.
Again, we can found no argument on omissions or changes, in the English
versions. That text omits (in Letter II.), what we find in the Scots, the
word _yesternight_, in the clause ‘the King sent for Joachim
_yesternight_.’ M. Philippson argues that this was an intentional
omission, to hide from the English commissioners the incongruity of the
dates. The translators, and probably the commissioners, did not look into
things so closely. The English translators made many omissions and other
errors, because they were working at top speed, and Cecil’s marginal
corrections deal with very few of these blunders. On them, therefore, no
theory can be based. Nor can any theory be founded on clauses present in
the English, but not in the Scots, as in Letter II., Scots, ‘I answerit
but rudely to the doutis yat wer in his letteris,’ to which the English
text appends, ‘as though there had been a meaning to pursue him.’ This,
probably, was in the French; but we must not infer that Lennox had it
suppressed, in the Scots, as a reference to what he kept concealed, the
rumour of Darnley’s intention to seize and crown the child prince. The
real fact is that the Scots translator, as we have seen, makes inadvertent
omissions.
The English text is sometimes right where the Scots is wrong. Thus, Sir
James Hamilton told Mary, as she entered Glasgow, that Lennox sent the
Laird of Houstoun to tell him that he (Lennox) ‘wald never have belevit
that he (Sir James) wald have persewit him, nor zit accompanyit him with
the Hamiltounis.’ The English has what seems better, ‘he,’ Lennox, ‘wold
not have thought that he would have followed and accompany himself with
the Hamiltons.’ In the end of a paragraph (3), the Scots is gibberish:
Scots, ‘nevertheless he speikis gude, at the leist his son’: English
(_Henderson_), ‘and they so speakith well of them, at least his sonne,’
‘and then he speaketh well of them’ (Bain). The English then omits (Scots)
‘I se na uthir Gentilman bot thay of my company.’
In the next line (Scots) ‘The King send for Joachim yesternicht,’ the
English omits ‘yesternicht,’ probably by inadvertence. The word has a
bearing on the chronology of the Letter, and its omission in the English
text may be discounted. It is a peculiarity of that text to write ‘he’ for
‘I,’ and a feature of Mary’s hand accounts for the error. Where Darnley,
in the Scots, says, ‘I had rather have passit with yow,’ the sentence
follows ‘I trow he belevit that I wald have send him away Presoner.’ This
is not in the English, but recurs in the end of Crawford’s Deposition, ‘I
thought that she was carrying him away rather as a prisoner than as a
husband.’ Probably the sentence, omitted in English, was in the French:
whether derived from Crawford’s Deposition or not. Presently the English
gives a kind of date, not found in the Scots. Scots, ‘I am in doing of ane
work heir that I hait greitly.’ The English adds, ‘_but I had begun it
this morning_.’ Now, to all appearance, she had ‘begun it’ the night
before. How did ‘but I had begun it this morning’ get into the English?
For the answer see page 300. Even in the first set of Memoranda there are
differences: Scots, ‘The purpois of Schir James Hamilton.’ English, ‘The
talk of Sir James Hamilton _of the ambassador_.’
There are other mistranslations, and English omissions: the English
especially omits the mysterious second set of notes. What appears most
distinctly, from this comparison, is the hasty and slovenly manner of the
whole inquiry. The English translators had some excuse for their bad work;
the Scots had none for their omissions and misrenderings.
Letter III. (or VIII.) and Letter IV. I have translated, in the body of
this book, from the copies of the French originals.
In Letter V. the copy of the French original enables us to clear up the
sense. It is a question about a maid or lady in waiting, whom Bothwell, or
somebody else, wishes Mary to dismiss. The French is, ‘et si vous ne me
mondes [mandez] ce soir ce que volles que j’en fasse, Je mendeferay [m’en
deferay] au hazard de _la_ fayre entreprandre ce qui pourroit nuire à ce à
quoy nous tandons tous deus.’ The Scots has ‘I will red myself of _it_,
and cause _it_ to be interprysit and takin in hand, quhilk micht be
hurtful to that quhair unto we baith do tend.’ The English is the Scots,
Anglified.
The real sense, of course, is ‘if you do not let me know to-night what
step you want me to take, I shall get rid of _her_, at the risk of making
_her_ attempt something which might harm our project.’ We have no other
known contemporary English translations. Of the four known, two (I. II.)
are made with a frequent glance at the Scots, two are merely the Scots
done into English, without any reference to the French. Nothing but the
hasty careless manner of the whole inquiry accounts for these
circumstances.
The most curious point connected with the translations is Crawford’s
deposition. It was handed in on December 9, 1568. Whoever did it out of
Crawford’s Scots into English had obviously both the Scots and English
versions of Letter II. before him. Where the deposition is practically
identical with the corresponding passages of Letter II., the transcriber
of it into English usually followed the Scots version of Letter II. But
there is a corrected draft in the Lennox MSS. at Cambridge, which proves
that the Angliciser of Crawford’s Scots occasionally altered it into
harmony with the English version of Letter II. Thus, in the first
paragraph, the original draft of Crawford in English has, like the Scots
version of Letter II., ‘the _rude_ words that I had spoken to Cunningham.’
But, in the official copy, in English, of Crawford, and in the Lennox
draft of it, ‘rude’ is changed into ‘_sharpe_ wordes,’ and so on. The part
of Crawford which corresponds with Letter II. is free from obvious literal
renderings of the French idiom, as Mr. Henderson remarks.[426] These
abound in the English version of the corresponding part of Letter II.,
but are absent here in the Scots translation. It is, therefore, open to
argument that Crawford did make notes of Darnley’s and Mary’s talk; that
these were done into ‘the original French,’ and thence retranslated into
the Scots (free from French idiom here) and into the English, where traces
of French idiom in this passage are frequent.
THE CASKET LETTERS
I print the Scots Texts with one or two variations from C (the Cambridge
MS.) and Y (the Yelverton MS.). The English Texts are given, where they
are not merely taken direct from the Scots translations; these and
Crawford’s Deposition are from MSS. in the Record Office and Hatfield
Calendar.
LETTER I
PUBLISHED SCOTS TRANSLATION
It apeiris, that with zour absence thair is alswa joynit forgetfulnes,
seand yat at zour departing ze promysit to mak me advertisement of
zour newis from tyme to tyme. The waitting upon yame zesterday causit
me to be almaist in sic joy as I will be at zour returning, quhilk ze
have delayit langer than zour promeis was.
As to me, howbeit I have na farther newis from zow, according to my
commissioun, I bring the Man with me to Craigmillar upon Monounday
quhair he will be all Wednisday; and I will gang to Edinburgh to draw
blude of me, gif in the meane tyme I get na newis in ye contrarie fra
zow.
He is mair gay than ever ze saw him; he puttis me in remembrance of
all thingis yat may mak me beleve he luifis me. Summa, ze will say yat
he makis lufe to me: of ye quhilk I tak sa greit plesure, yat I enter
never where he is, bot incontinent I tak ye seiknes of my sair syde, I
am sa troubillit with it. Gif Paris bringis me that quhilk I send him
for, I traist it sall amend me.
I pray zow, advertise me of zour newis at lenth, and quhat I sall do
in cace ze be returnit quhen I am cum thair; for, in cace ze wirk not
wysely, I se that the haill burding of this will fall upon my
schoulderis. Provide for all thing, and discourse upon it first with
zourself. I send this be Betoun, quha gais to ane Day of Law of the
Laird of Balfouris. I will say na further, saifing that I pray zow to
send me gude newis of zour voyage. From Glasgow this Setterday in the
morning.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION AT THE RECORD OFFICE
(State Papers relating to Mary Queen of Scots, vol. ii. No. 62)
It seemyth that with your absence forgetfulness is joynid consydering
that at your departure you promised me to send me newes from you.
Neuertheless I can learn none. And yet did I yesterday looke for that
that shuld make me meryer then I shall be. I think you doo the lyke
for your returne, prolonging it more than you have promised.
As for me, if I hear no other matter of you, according to my
Commission, I bring the man Monday to Cregmillar, where he shall be
vpon Wednisdaye. And I go to Edinboroughe to be lett blud, if I haue
no word to the contrary.
He is the meryest that euer you sawe, and doth remember vnto me all
that he can, to make me beleve that he louith me. To conclude, you
wold saye that he makith love to me, wherein I take so muche plesure,
that I never com in there, but the payne of my syde doth take me. I
have it sore to daye. Yf Paris doth bring back unto me that for which
I have sent, it suld muche amend me.
I pray you, send me word from you at large, and what I shall doo if
you be not returnid, when I shall be there. For if you be not wyse I
see assuredly all the wholle burden falling vpon my shoulders. Prouide
for all and consyder well first of all. I send this present to
Ledinton to be delivered to you by Beton, who goith to one Day a lau
of Lord Balfour. I will saye no more vnto you, but that I pray God
send me good newes of your voyage.
From Glasco this Saturday morning.
LETTER II
PUBLISHED SCOTS TRANSLATION
1. Being departit from the place quhair I left my hart, it is esie to
be judgeit quhat was my countenance, seeing that I was evin als mekle
as ane body without ane hart; quhilk was the Occasioun that quhile
Denner tyme I held purpois to na body; nor zit durst ony present
thameselfis unto me, judging yat it was not gude sa to do.
2. Four myle or I came to the towne, ane gentilman of the Erle of
Lennox come and maid his commendatiounis unto me; and excusit him that
he came not to meit me, be ressoun he durst not interpryse the same,
becaus of the rude wordis that I had spokin to Cuninghame: And he
desyrit that he suld come to the inquisitioun of ye matter yat I
suspectit him of. This last speiking was of his awin heid, without ony
commissioun.
I answerit to him that thair was na recept culd serve aganis feir; and
that he wold not be affrayit, in cace he wer not culpabill; and that I
answerit bot rudely to the doutis yat wer in his letteris. Summa, I
maid him hald his toung. The rest wer lang to wryte.
3. Schir James Hammiltoun met me, quha schawit that the uther tyme
quhen he hard of my cumming he[427] departit away, and send Howstoun,
to schaw him, that he wald never have belevit that he wald have
persewit him, nor zit accompanyit him with the Hammiltounis. He
answerit, that he was only cum bot to see me, and yat he wald nouther
accompany Stewart nor Hammiltoun, bot be my commandement. He desyrit
that he wald cum and speik with him: He refusit it.
The Laird of Lusse, Howstoun, and Caldwellis sone, with xl. hors or
thairabout, come and met me. The Laird of Lusse said, he was chargeit
to ane Day of Law be the Kingis father, quhilk suld be this day,
aganis his awin hand-writ, quhilk he hes: and zit notwithstanding,
knawing of my cumming, it is delayit. He was inquyrit to cum to him,
quhilk he refusit, and sweiris that he will indure nathing of him.
Never ane of that towne came to speik to me, quhilk causis me think
that thay ar his; and neuertheles he speikis gude, at the leist his
sone. I se na uther Gentilman bot thay of my company.
4. The King send for Joachim zisternicht, and askit at him, quhy I
ludgeit not besyde him? And that he wald ryse the soner gif that wer;
and quhairfoir I come, gif it was for gude appointment? and gif I had
maid my estait, gif I had takin Paris [this berer will tell you
sumwhat upon this], and Gilbert to wryte to me? And yat I wald send
Joseph away. I am abaschit quha hes schawin him sa far; zea he spak
evin of ye mariage of Bastiane.
5. I inquyrit him of his letteris, quhairintill he plenzeit of the
crueltie of sum: answerit, that he was astonischit, and that he was sa
glaid to se me, that he belevit to die for glaidnes. He fand greit
fault that I was pensive.
6. I departit to supper. Yis beirer wil tell yow of my arryuing. He
prayit me to returne: the quhilk I did. He declairit unto me his
seiknes, and that he wald mak na testament, bot only leif all thing to
me; and that I was the caus of his maladie, becaus of the regrait that
he had that I was sa strange unto him. And thus he said: Ze ask me
quhat I mene be the crueltie contenit in my letter? it is of zow alone
that will not accept my offeris and repentance. I confess that I haue
failit, bot not into that quhilk I ever denyit; and siclyke hes failit
to sindrie of zour subjectis, quhilk ze haue forgeuin.
I am zoung.
Ze wil say, that ze have forgevin me oft tymes, and zit yat I returne
to my faultis. May not ane man of my age, for lacke of counsell, fall
twyse or thryse, or inlacke of his promeis, and at last repent
himself, and be chastisit be experience? Gif I may obtene pardoun, I
protest I sall never mak fault agane. And I crafit na uther thing, bot
yat we may be at bed and buird togidder as husband and wyfe; and gif
ze wil not consent heirunto, I sall never ryse out of yis bed. I pray
zow, tell me your resolutioun. God knawis how I am punischit for
making my God of zow, and for hauing na uther thocht but on zow; and
gif at ony tyme I offend zow, ze ar the caus, becaus quhen ony
offendis me, gif, for my refuge, I micht playne unto zow, I wald speik
it unto na uther body; bot quhen I heir ony thing, not being familiar
with zow, necessitie constranis me to keip it in my breist; and yat
causes me to tyne my wit for verray anger.
7. I answerit ay unto him, but that wald be ovir lang to wryte at
lenth. I askit quhy he wald pas away in ye _Inglis_ schip. He denyis
it, and sweiris thairunto; bot he grantis that he spak with the men.
Efter this I inquyrit him of the inquisitioun of Hiegait. He denyit
the same, quhill I schew him the verray wordis was spokin. At quhilk
tyme he said, that Mynto had advertisit him, that it was said, that
sum of the counsell had brocht an letter to me to be subscrivit to put
him in Presoun, and to slay him gif he maid resistance. And he askit
the same at Mynto himself; quha answerit, that he belevit ye same to
be trew. The morne I wil speik to him upon this Point.
8. As to the rest of Willie Hiegait’s, he confessit it, bot it was the
morne efter my cumming or he did it.
9. He wald verray fane that I suld ludge in his ludgeing. I refusit
it, and said to him, that he behovit to be purgeit, and that culd not
be done heir. He said to me, I heir say ze have brocht ane lytter with
zow; but I had rather have passit with zow. I trow he belevit that I
wald have send him away Presoner. I answerit, that I wald tak him with
me to Craigmillar, quhair the mediciner and I micht help him, and not
be far from my sone. He answerit, that he was reddy quhen I pleisit,
sa I wald assure him of his requeist.
He desyris na body to se him. He is angrie quhen I speik of Walcar,
and sayis, that he sal pluk the eiris out of his heid and that he
leis. For I inquyrit him upon that, and yat he was angrie with sum of
the Lordis, and wald threittin thame. He denyis that, and sayis he
luifis thame all, and prayis me to give traist to nathing aganis him.
10. As to me, he wald rather give his lyfe or he did ony displesure to
me. And efter yis he schew me of sa money lytil flattereis, sa cauldly
and sa wysely that ze will abasche thairat. I had almaist forzet that
he said, he could not dout of me in yis purpois of Hiegaite’s; for he
wald never beleif yat I, quha was his proper flesche, wald do him ony
evill; alsweill it was schawin that I refusit to subscrive the same;
But as to ony utheris that wald persew him, at leist he suld sell his
lyfe deir aneuch; but he suspectit na body, nor zit wald not; but wald
lufe all yat I lufit.
11. He wald not let me depart from him, bot desyrit yat I suld walk
with him. I mak it seme that I beleive that all is trew, and takis
heid thairto, and excusit my self for this nicht that I culd not walk.
He sayis, that he sleipis not weil. Ze saw him never better, nor speik
mair humbler. And gif I had not ane prufe of his hart of waxe, and yat
myne wer not of ane dyamont, quhairintill na schot can mak brek, but
that quhilk cummis forth of zour hand, I wald have almaist had pietie
of him. But feir not, the place sall hald unto the deith. Remember, in
recompence thairof, that ye suffer not zouris to be wyn be that fals
race that will travell na les with zow for the same.
I beleve thay[430] have bene at schuillis togidder. He hes ever the
teir in his eye; he salutis every body, zea, unto the leist, and makis
pieteous caressing unto thame, to mak thame have pietie on him. This
day his father bled at the mouth and nose; ges quhat presage that is.
I have not zit sene him, he keipis his chalmer. The king desyris that
I suld give him meit with my awin handis; bot gif na mair traist
quhair ze ar, than I sall do heir.
This is my first jornay. I sall end ye same ye morne.
12. I wryte all thingis, howbeit thay be of lytill wecht, to the end
that ze may tak the best of all to judge upon. I am in doing of ane
work heir that I hait greitly. Have ze not desyre to lauch to se me
lie sa weill, at ye leist to dissembill sa weill, and to tell him
treuth betwix handis? He schawit me almaist all yat is in the name of
the Bischop and Sudderland, and zit I have never twichit ane word of
that ze schawit me; but allanerly be force, flattering, and to pray
him to assure himself of me. And be pleinzeing on the Bischop, I have
drawin it all out of him. Ye have hard the rest.
13. We ar couplit with twa fals races; the devil sinder us, and God
knit us togidder for ever, for the maist faithful coupill that ever be
unitit. This is my faith, I will die in it.
Excuse I wryte evill, ye may ges ye half of it; bot I cannot mend it,
because I am not weil at eis; and zit verray glaid to wryte unto zow
quhen the rest are sleipand, sen I cannot sleip as thay do, and as I
wald desyre, that is in zour armes, my deir lufe, quhome I pray God to
preserve from all evill, and send zow repois: I am gangand to seik
myne till ye morne, quhen I sall end my Bybill; but I am faschit that
it stoppis me to wryte newis of myself unto zow, because it is sa
lang.
Advertise me quhat ze have deliberat to do in the mater ze knaw upon
this point, to ye end that we may understand utheris weill, that
nathing thairthrow be spilt.
14. I am irkit, and ganging to sleip, and zit I ceis not to
scrible[431] all this paper in sa mekle as restis thairof. Waryit mot
this pokische man be that causes me haif sa mekle pane, for without
him I suld have an far plesander subject to discourse upon. He is not
over mekle deformit, zit he hes ressavit verray mekle. He hes almaist
slane me with his braith; it is worse than zour uncle’s; and zit I cum
na neirer unto him, bot in ane chyre at the bed-seit, and he being at
the uther end thairof.
15. The message of the father in the gait.
The purpois of Schir James Hamilton.
Of that the Laird of Lusse schawit me of the delay.
Of the demandis that he askit at Joachim.
Of my estait.
Of my company.
Of the occasion of my cumming:
And of Joseph.
_Item_, The purpois that he and I had togidder. Of the desyre that he
hes to pleis me, and of his repentence.
Of the interpretatioun of his letter.
Of Willie Hiegaite’s mater of his departing.
Of Monsiure de Levingstoun.
16. I had almaist forzet, that Monsiure de Levingstoun said in the
Lady Reres eir at supper, that he wald drink to ye folk yat I wist of,
gif I wald pledge thame. And efter supper he said to me, quhen I was
lenand upon him warming me at the fyre, Ze have fair going to se seik
folk, zit ze cannot be sa welcum to thame as ze left sum body this day
in regrait, that will never be blyth quhill he se zow agane. I askit
at him quha that was. With that he thristit my body, and said, that
sum of his folkis had sene zow in fascherie; ze may ges at the rest.
17. I wrocht this day quhill it was twa houris upon this bracelet, for
to put ye key of it within the lock thairof, quhilk is couplit
underneth with twa cordounis. I have had sa lytill tyme that it is
evill maid; bot I sall mak ane fairer in the meane tyme. Tak heid that
nane that is heir se it, for all the warld will knaw it, becaus for
haist it was maid in yair presence.
18. I am now passand to my fascheous purpois. Ze gar me dissemble sa
far, that I haif horring thairat; and ye caus me do almaist the office
of a traitores. Remember how gif it wer not to obey zow, I had rather
be deid or I did it; my hart bleidis at it. Summa, he will not cum
with me, except upon conditioun that I will promeis to him, that I
sall be at bed and buird with him as of befoir, and that I sall leif
him na ofter: and doing this upon my word, he will do all thingis that
I pleis, and cum with me. Bot he hes prayit me to remane upon him
quhil uther morne.
He spak verray braifly at ye beginning, as yis beirer will schaw zow,
upon the purpois of the Inglismen, and of his departing: Bot in ye end
he returnit agane to his humilitie.[432]
19. He schawit, amangis uther purposis, yat he knew weill aneuch that
my brother had schawin me yat thing, quhilk he had spoken in
Striviling, of the quhilk he denyis ye ane half, and abone all, yat
ever he came in his chalmer. For to mak him traist me, it behovit me
to fenze in sum thingis with him: Thairfoir, quhen he requeistit me to
promeis unto him, that quhen he was haill we suld have baith ane bed:
I said to him fenzeingly, and making me to beleve his[433] promisis,
that gif he changeit not purpois betwix yis and that tyme, I wald be
content thairwith; bot in the meane tyme I bad him heid that he leit
na body wit thairof, becaus, to speik amangis our selfis, the Lordis
culd not be offendit nor will evill thairfoir: Bot thay wald feir in
respect of the boisting he maid of thame, that gif ever we aggreit
togidder, he suld mak thame knaw the lytill compt thay take of him;
and that he counsallit me not to purchas sum of thame by him.
Thay for this caus wald be in jelosy, gif at anis, without thair
knawledge, I suld brek the play set up in the contrair in thair
presence.
He said verray joyfully, And think zow thay will esteme zow the mair
of that? Bot I am verray glaid that ze speik to me of the Lordis; for
I beleve at this tyme ze desyre that we suld leif togidder in
quyetnes: For gif it wer utherwyse, greiter inconvenience micht come
to us baith than we ar war of: bot now I will do quhatever ze will do,
and will lufe all that ze lufe; and desyris zow to mak thame lufe in
lyke maner: For, sen thay seik not my lyfe, I lufe thame all equallie.
Upon yis point this beirer will schaw zow mony small thingis. Becaus I
have over mekle to wryte, and it is lait: I give traist unto him upon
zour word. Summa, he will ga upon my word to all places.
20. Allace! I never dissavit ony body: Bot I remit me altogidder to
zour will. Send me advertisement quhat I sall do, and quhatsaever
thing sall cum thairof, I sall obey zow. Advise to with zourself, gif
ze can find out ony mair secreit inventioun be medicine; for he suld
tak medicine and the bath at Craigmillar. He may not cum furth of the
hous this lang tyme.