been mistaken with regard to James's behaviour on his mother's trial and execution, that he was not really the pious son he pretended to be, that the appearances which deceived the world, were put on at the solicitation of the French Ambassador, Courcelles, and that I should find all this proved by a manuscript of Dr Campbell's. I accordingly spoke of the matter to Dr Campbell, who confirmed what you said, with many additions and amplifications. I desired to have the manuscript, which he sent me. But great was my surprise, when I found the contrary in every page, many praises bestowed on the King's piety both by Courcelles and the French Court; his real grief and resentment painted in the strongest colours; resolutions even taken by him to form an alliance with Philip of Spain, in order to get revenge; repeated advices given him by Courcelles and the French Ministers, rather to conceal his resentment, till a proper opportunity offered of taking vengeance. What most displeased me in this affair was, that as I thought myself obliged to follow the ordinary tenor of the printed historian, while you appealed to manuscript, it would be necessary for me to appeal to the same manuscripts, to give extracts of them, and to oppose your conclusions. Though I know that I could execute this matter in a friendly and obliging manner for you, yet I own that I was very uneasy at finding myself under a necessity of observing any thing which might appear a mistake in your narration. But there came to me a man this morning, who as I fancied gave me the key of the difficulty, but without freeing me from my perplexity. This was a man commonly employed by Millar and Strahan to decypher manuscripts. He brought me a letter of yours to Strahan, where you desired him to apply to me in order to point out the passages proper

to be inserted in your Appendix, and proper to prove the assertion of your text. You add there, these letters are in the French language. I immediately concluded that you had not read the manuscripts, but had taken it on Dr Campbell's word: for the letters are in English, translated by I know not whom from the French. I could do nothing on this occasion but desire Strahan to stop the press in printing the Appendix, and stay till I wrote to you. If I could persuade you to change the narration of the text, that sheet could be easily cancelled, and an appendix formed proper to confirm an opposite account. If you still persist in your opinion, somebody else whom you trusted, might be employed to find the proper passages; for I cannot find them.

There is only one passage which looks like your opinion, and which I shall transcribe to you. It is a relation of what passed between James and Courcelles upon the first rumour of the discovery of Babington's conspiracy, before James apprehended his mother to be in any danger." The King said he loved his mother as much as na"ture and duty bound him; but he could not love her

:

"For he knew well she bore him no more good-will than she did "to the Queen of England: That he had seen with his own eyes, "before Foulnaye's departure out of Scotland, a letter to him, "whereby she sent him word, that if he would not conform himself "to her will, and follow her counsels and advice, that he should " content himself with the Lordship of Darnley, which was all that "appertained unto him by his father: Farther, that he had seen "other letters under her own hand, confirming her evil towards him: "Besides, that she had oftentimes gone about to make a regency "in Scotland, and to put him besides the Crown; that it behoved

U u

" him to think of his own affairs, and that he thought the Queen of England would attempt nothing against her person without making him acquainted: That his mother was henceforward to carry "herself both towards him and the Queen of England after another "sort, without bending any more upon such practices and intelli

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gences as she had in former times: That he hoped to set such "persons about her as-"(Here the manuscript is not farther le gible.) But though such were James's sentiments before he apprehended his mother to be in danger, he adopted a directly opposite conduct afterwards, as I told you. I can only express my wishes that you may see reason to conform your narrative in vol. ii. p. 139, 140, to this account, or omit that Appendix altogether, or find some other person who can better execute your intentions than it is possible for me to do.

Mr Hume to Dr Robertson.

25th January, 1759.

4

My dear Sir, What I wrote you with regard to Mary's concurrence in the conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth; was from the printed histories of papers; and nothing ever appeared to me more evident. Your chief objection, I see, is derived from one circumstance, that neither the secretaries nor conspirators were confronted with Mary; but you must consider that the law did not then require this confrontation, and it was in no case the practice. The Crown could not well grant it in one case without granting it in all, because the refusing of it would then have been a strong presumption of inno

cence in the prisoner. Yet as Mary's was an extraordinary case, Elizabeth was willing to have granted it. I find in Forbes's MS. papers, sent me by Lord Royston, a letter of hers to Burleigh and Walsingham, wherein she tells them, that, if they thought proper, they might carry down the two secretaries to Fotheringay, in order to confront them with her. But they reply, that they think it needless.

But I am now sorry to tell you, that by Murden's State Papers, which are printed, the matter is put beyond all question. I got these papers during the holidays by Dr Birch's means; and as soon as I had read them, I ran to Mr Millar and desired him very earnestly to stop the publication of your History till I should write to you, and give you an opportunity of correcting a mistake of so great moment; but he absolutely refused compliance. He said that your book was now finished, that the copies would be shipped for Scotland in two days, that the whole narration of Mary's trial must be wrote over again; that this would require time, and it was uncertain whether the new narrative could be brought within the same compass with the old; that this change he said would require the cancelling a great many sheets; that there were scattered passages through the volumes founded on your theory, and these must also be all cancelled, and that this change required the new printing of a great part of the edition. For these reasons, which do not want force, he refused, after deliberation, to stop his publication, and I was obliged to acquiesce. Your best apology at present is, that you could not possibly see the grounds of Mary's guilt, and every equitable person will excuse you.

I am sorry, oh many accounts, that you did not see this collection.

of Murden's. Among other curiosities, there are several instructions to H. Killigrew, dated 10th Sept. 1572. He was then sent into Scotland. It there appears, that the Regents, Murray and Lennox, had desired Mary to be put into their hands, in order to try her and put her to death. Elizabeth there offers to Regent Mar to deliver her up, provided good security were given, " that she should "receive that she hath deserved there by order of Justice, whereby no further peril should ensue by her escaping, or by setting her "up again." It is probable Mar refused compliance, for no steps were taken towards it.

I am nearly printed out, and shall be sure to send you a copy by the stage-coach, or some other conveyance. I beg of you to make remarks as you go along. It would have been much better had we communicated before printing, which was always my desire, and was most suitable to the friendship which always did, and I hope always will, subsist between us. I speak this chiefly on my own account. For though I had the perusal of your sheets before I printed, I was not able to derive sufficient benefits from them, or indeed to make any alteration by their assistance. There still remain, I fear, many errors, of which you could have convinced me, if we had canvassed the matter in conversation. Perhaps I might also have been sometimes no less fortunate with you. Particularly, I could almost undertake to convince you, that the Earl of Murray's conduct with the Duke of Norfolk was no way dishonourable.

I have seen a copy of your history with Charles Stanhope. Lord Willoughby, who had been there reading some passages of it,' said, that you was certainly mistaken with regard to the act passed in the last parliament of Mary, settling the Reformation. He said that the