Transcript

[fol. 184r] Yesterday in the mornyng mi good Lord, I delyverd over to the Bishop of London these Artycles, or rather remembrancs within closed: wherin I have used the more Circumstance, for that his L. might understand the matter the better & order it accordingly, which manner he toke in verey good parte. Then in the after noone following, Marck Car & som of the Scotts were examyned, [ Marginalia (by Herle): being ones apprehended & examyned & dismissed, they have lerned whatt to answer] butt they confessed smally to the purpose, only Marck Car denyed nott that he had spoken asmuche as sondry of these artycles do intend, butt withall that he had hard them in frawnce as newes, & had nott repported them here butt as newes, reffusing God if he had ani other [ deleted: knowledge] speciall knowledge for ani intent that was towardes this Reallm or his Contrey, or ani malyce in consealing that which was demanded of hym, so he knew ani further matter; excusing that Hamellton was gon to the Cowntesse of Shrewsbury to be a scolemaster; & for Mowllyns that they had non acqwayntance with hym, bothe which answers ar untrue: for Hamellton is gon to Wyckes his howse in Gloucester shire: & for Mowllyns they knew hym familyerly in frawnce, & were here still in company together, butt to morow there is a gentillman that comes face to face to justeffye som thynges unto them, namely to Marck Car, wherof shall appere how he will answer, butt the flyeng of Hamellton & Mowllyns may importe somwhat, which is in your L. to consyder of./ I wrytt to your L. a lre on sonday at night contayneng many thyngs, & shewyng mi oppinion of sondry that be ylle members here att this season, butt if the same do ani waye troble your L. graver affayres (being forced to be tedyows to you in these kynde of Legends) I shall humbly forbere from hencefurth, unles grett cawse do urge it. Butt for those the scotts men of the frenche garde that be loked for, is of som importance, & they were certaynly to be intercepted with all their money & intelligences, so good hede be taken. Again this is on speciall matter that the Bp. of Rosse within these iiij dayes receved 50li that was sent hym from the frenche Ambassador, being willed withall to be of good chere, for that [ deleted: she] he shold nott ani thyng, wherof the messenger is knowen that went bettwixt & to be produced if nede be: & so most humbly prayng for your helthe, I take mi leve. 30. septembris. 1572. your L. verey humbly Wm herle [fol. 184v] [fol. 185r]

• i Imprimis that Alexander Hamellton had a Pasport from the Bishop of Glasco, & another from master Walsingam, which being ij contraryes, was unmete for a Protestant (suche as he names hym self to be) [ deleted: to receve] , & may argue a dooble mynde in hym./
• ii Item that he hath bin ones with the Scotish Q. before, who using fynesse in [ deleted: before] the Erlle of Shrewsburys, [ deleted: wold not in his] presence [ deleted: talke with hym for] wold not talke with hym openly, for that she noted hym to be a Protestant, ^^ that under this colowr his [ deleted: servyce] secrett servyce might be hydden./
• iii Item that he pretends now to sue to go to her, for the payment of a pensyon that he hath owtt of her dowry in frawnce, to then that hereby he might comunicate suche tresons with her as be intended against this Reallme, against Scottland, & against the State of the Refformed Religion./
• iiij Item that ^it may plese the Comissioners that^ he & all the rest of the Scotts be examyned uppon these artycles following, butt specially Marck Car, who hath both secrettly & openly uttred asmuche, aswell to frenchemen & englishmen, as to scotts, which is firste, that the frenche king wold verey shortly joyne in open maner with the king of Spaigne against the Q. majestie of England.
• v Item that the sayd frenche king wold with like spede favor the scottish Q. factyon in Scottland by armes./
• vj Item that the frenche king wold be glad to fynde the lest qwarrel, wherby he might breke the leage with England, & wold leve no occasyon unsought to provoke the same./
• vij Item that the Q. of Scotts shold be solempnly demanded in mariaige for the Duke of Angeow, as a thing allredy dispensed with by the Pope, & Contracted by the sayd Duke as his wife, which if she were delyverd, then might they make ^an^ assured clayme to bothe Reallmes, butt being denyed it wold serve for a preparative to the qwarrel that is purposed.
• [fol. 185v]viij Item that the frenche king & his allyes, do strengthen them selves by all menes to procede in these their practises against the Q. majestie of England & nottwithstanding will entertayne [ deleted: will entertayne] the tyme, tyll they be fully redy, & that to this end Strozzi & his Compani ar reserved to enter into Scottland./
• ix Item that they have affirmed to sondry that the Erlle of Marre Regentt in Scottland was slayn, as on pece of the platt which the frenche kyng had layd, & being demanded whatt shold becom of the yong king, dyd signefye ^darckly^ that he & others mo shold passe that way, expectyng herin the governement of the Scottish Q. agayn.
• x Item that by like obscure speches, they did signeffie that within this moneth there shold happen suche a change here, as shold perplex us all, ether by Rebellyon, invesyon, or som sodeyn acte, or perhaps by all iij, which wold happen unloked for./
• xj Item that they have threttned the Q. majesty here, that if she dyd succor or receve the Cownty Mongomery or the vydame of Charters, that she shold reppent it, concluding that she durst not do it./
• xij Item that they have had their privey Conventicles with on Chambers a Scott, who was on of the murtherers of the Lord Darnley king of Scotts, a traytor bothe to England & Scottland & a minister of mischeeff for the Duke of Chattelleroy. Which Chambers when he had att sondry tymes fully comunicated with them, is lately retorned into frawnce with suche instructyons as he had, with whom they be privey & partakers./
• xiij Item that som of them, namely Marck Car, Mings, & Hamellton, have had bothe open & privey accesse to the Frenche Ambassador, with suche privey conferences, as though they had ^had^ som grett charge to dele with hym by the Bp. of Glasco, from whom they had their pasports, allso to thretten them that they have browght [ deleted: hym secrettly lres] secrett lres to th'embassador./
• [fol. 186r]xiiij Item to inqwire of this Marck Car, whither he have the vowsyon of his uncles benefice, the abbey of Newbokel from the Pope or no, which he hath confessed to be confirmed to hym from Rome, & then if he denye it to the Comissioners, his truthe may be argued in the rest, for no Protestant will participate with the Pope, butt suche as ar given over to partake with his tresons withall./
• xv Item that the sayd Marck Car be examined, whither his uncles howse be directly bettwen the kinges syde & those of the Castell, & whither he knew of the kinges murther in Scottland, as allso of bothe the Regents with the Rebellyon that succeded in England, which thing as it is true: so uppon this may be inforced to Car, that he hath like intelligens before hand whatt is intended against this yong king now, his Regent, & other of the nobility, which were horrible & unnaturall to concele. The like speche might be used to hym to discover the practises that shold be wrowght here within so short space, as he hath preffixed./
• xvj Item to examyne them whatt intelligence they have with the Bp. of Rosse, & who be his mynisters. allso if they know william seres & John Hamellton who be com owtt of flanders hyther of late, & where they be. Lastly that they wold discover suche ill practisers & Instruments as they know to be here, & whatt partakers they have of what natyon soever it be. withall to know whatt familiarity they have with Dowglas that is now in prison [ Marginalia (by Herle): (comitted by the reverend father in God the Bishop of London)] of whom may be sayd that he hath confessed somwhatt of them. To conclude if they were allured aswell by rewards, as by thretts to utter the truthe, so obstinacye appere in them, it wold prevayll muche in mi oppinion, butt specially it wold fere them muche if they were examyned in the Towre, ye & threttned with the rack & with the sight of it, so nede were, & with this it might be objected that Hamellton & Mowlyns who ar fled, ar now apprehended, & ar redy to averre to their face the knowlege [fol. 186v] or giltynes of these things premised, mary withall you shall have for a beginneng a gentillman which shall avowche the most of these thinges to their face, & repete som speciall places & tymes where & when their conventyons & metyngs were./

The prynciple partyer in these artycles if Marck Car (who is the forwardest) Mings, & bothe the Hamelltons, & theyre grett furtherer (for on that is privey to their conceyts as a private english Companion) is mowllyns, therfore the yonger & weker sorte ^of the scotts^ ar to be consydred of, yett in effect they be all Scotts & dooble, & moreover their nature is so given to tattyll, as being skilfully used they can leyde nothing./

Articles to Examin certen scotts