[Of this letter there is no version in the Record Office, the only other version being the published French translation].
------------------------------------------------------------------------ [71] _F._ "Homme."
[72] _F._ "Quant à jouer le mien, je sçay com me jè m'y dois gouverner, mà souvenant de la façon que les choses ont esté delibereés."
[73] _F._ Adds "et tenir captive." ------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Lord, sen my letter written, zour brother in law yat was, come to me verray sad, and hes askit me my counsel, quhat he suld do efter to morne, becaus thair be mony folkis heir, and among utheris the Erle of Sudderland, quha wald rather die, considdering the gude thay have sa laitlie ressavit of me, than suffer me to be caryit away, thay conducting me; and that he feirit thair suld sum troubil happin of it: of the uther syde, that it suld be said that he wer unthankfull to have betrayit me. I tald him, that he suld have resolvit with zow upon all that, and that he suld avoyde, gif he culd, thay that were maist mistraistit.
He has resolvit to wryte thairof to zow be my opinioun; for he has abaschit me to se him sa unresolvit at the neid. I assure myself he will play the part of an honest man. Bot I have thocht gude to advertise zow of the feir he hes yat he suld be charget and accusit of tressoun to ye end yat, without mistraisting him, ze may be the mair circumspect, and that ze may have ye mair power. For we had zisterday mair then iii. c. hors of his and of Levingstoun's. For the honour of God, be accompanyit rather with mair then les; for that is the principal of my cair.
I go to wryte my dispatche, and pray God to send us ane happy enterview schortly. I wryte in haist, to the end ye may be advysit in tyme.
[There are no important variants in the only other version of this letter--the published French translation.]
The following are the French versions of the first sentence of each letter, printed in the Scots translation, published in London in 1572 (p. 163).
_Letter I._ Il semble qu' avecques vostre abscence soit joynt le oubly, [74]ceu qu'au partir vous me promistes de vos nouvelles. Et toutes foys je n'en puis apprendre, &c.