Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A05351
|
The copie of a letter writen out of Scotland by an English gentlema[n] of credit and worship seruing ther, vnto a frind and kinsman of his, that desired to be informed of the truth and circumstances of the slaunderous and infamous reportes made of the Queene of Scotland, at that time restreined in manner as prisoner in England, vpon pretense to be culpable of the same.
|
Leslie, John, 1527-1596.
|
1572
(1572)
|
STC 15503; ESTC S103368
|
31,468
|
132
|
haue so often shewed both in the Court of England and in al other places where you haue come as it might be wondered that it should not be worne in peeces with often handling long care this time if you had not some extraordinarie meane to preserue or renewe it I pray you let me demaunde of you what date beareth the letter None you say No doth Wel go to perhaps it might be forgotten Whose name is subscribed thereto None No is Why how should the Earle then knowe whence it came wel inough you say by the hand which was her owne and so well knowen Why 〈◊〉 might she as wel haue â—ouentured the subscribinge of her name as the writyng of the letter with her owne knowen hand But had it trow we any superscription Truely to say it had none neither How know you then that it was writen to the Earle Bothwel and not as wel to any other man The messenger you wil say knew wel inough to whom he shuld deliuer it That maâ— be but how knowe you Haue you at any time spokeÌ„ with him that was the bearer thereof to the Earle It is wel knowen ye neither haue nor could syns ther was neuer any suche messenger nor euer any such letter sent by her or receyued by him as shall hereafter plainely inough appeare But this letter I doubt not coÌ„â—eiuing such secrets was fast and cunningly sealed In good sooth men say that haue sene it there is no shewe that euer it was sealed or fast closed A foule ouersight truely You may see the olde saying is true that often tymes haste maketh waste But what good lucke had you so luckely to light on this letter so long after syns there is special request made therin to the receiuer presently to burne it after he had read it Wel let vs consider yet a litle better of this dealing and conferre the times perhappe we may thereby finde some more light in the matter This letter you say was taken vpon Dugglish emong other letters sent in a box from Sir Iames Balfoore the Captaine of Edenborough Castle When Forsoth after you had taken armes ageinst the Queene and Bothwel driuen them both to flee But who can beleue you herein Isther I pray you any probabilitie or likelyhod that either the Erle would sende to the said Sir Iames who assisted that factioÌ„ ageinst the Quene with the streÌ„gth force of Edenborough Castle had driuen froÌ„ theÌ„ce the very Earle him self Or is it likely that the sayd Sir Iames would for goodwil seke to coÌ„uey any such thing to the Earle whose open enemie he was Is this likely Is it credible Nay would he not rather haue kept it for euidence ageynst the Queene and the sayd Erle Bothwel for some colour excuse of y vndutiful reuolte made by himselfe the rest of you against her highnes being his your lawful natural Soueraign May it not once againe be said wel truely to y forster in of this false die Non sat coÌ„modè Diuisa sunt temporibus tibi Daue haec Can any wise man thinke it likely that the Queene hauing alwaies shewed herself so modest so circumspecte and wise wold write any such letter with her owne hande as mighte by any possibilitie be produced against her in such euident sort to touch her honour Or if shee had ben so void of grace of her woÌ„ted womaÌ„ly shamefastnes of al regard to her honour as she could haue condescended to write any such letter was she so sodeinly becom so simple of wit he also y both thei wold haue suffered that letter to remaine extaÌ„t to the peril of them both namely since the Earle was you say expressely required in the same foorthwith to burne it But yet it is her letter you say How proue you it Or is your credit such that you think men must needes beleue it bycause you say it The Ciuil Law by which your CouÌ„trey is gouerned saith SciaÌ„t cuÌ„cti ac cusatores In English thus Let al accusers know that they must bring to publik notice only such thing as is coÌ„firmed by apte lauful and sufficieÌ„t witnesses or layd foorth with open documents and demonstration or plainly vnfolded by vndoubtful prouffes as cleare as the day light This rule in the triall of criminal causes is to be obserued toward the poorest moste abiecâ— person that liueth Let vs see then whether you haue obserued it toward your Soueraigne You produce to defame her a letter which you say she wrote with her owne hand to y Erle Bothwel which letter yet beareth no date no subscriptioÌ„ no superscription no seale no one word in it of coÌ„mandmeÌ„t to coÌ„mit the vile murder or any other cruel fact or importing ani liking or somuch as knowlege of any such fact before don But you say it hath in it these suspicious wordes our affaiers As though the Queene had no affaiers to imploie her faithful foretried subect but in the murdring of her husbaÌ„d which you ghesse she meÌ„t by those words O impudeÌ„t vnkind subiects that be not ashamed if she had writteÌ„ any such thing so measure construe the meaning of your moste vertuous Soueraigne by the vitious coÌ„cepts that possesse your owne vnnatural and dishonest mindes But who was the bearer of this letter Of like the man in y mone For he that you would needes face to be the bearer toke God and his conscience to recorde at his death that it was vtterly vntrue So doth y Queene her self protesting vpoÌ„ her honour and faith that she neuer wrote that letter So did her Highnes Commissioners at Yorke opeÌ„ly producing for proufe that it was forged two other letters written in her name with her hand notably counterfaited by one emong you whom for some respects I wil forbeare to name There is recorded by Valerius Maximus of a noble Roman whose name was M. Aemilius Scaurus a man of greate credit and seruice in the commoÌ„ welth that was accused by one Varius a vile person of no credit or accoÌ„pt to whose accusation the Noble man woulde vouchsafe no other answâ—â— but thus He saith it I denie it Upon which onely answer the people of Rome being present did not onely with one voice presently acquit y noblemaÌ„ but forthwith theifel vpoÌ„ y accuser forced him out of y place nor without some daunger of his life Suche was the credit of that Nobleman and such the Noble consideration of that graue and wel aduised people y his only denial weied downe all that the other had craftily forged was estemed for sufficient matter both to acquit the accused to condemne the accuser The like with as good reason might haue ben don in this case vpoÌ„ the only denial of this moste noble Queene renoumed Ladie But thus muche I thought not amisse to sette doune in answer of this point of the supposed letter for the ful satisfiyng of the
not onely the Queenes highnes was vtterly innocent and vnwitting of the Lord Darleys death but that the same was coÌ„mitted chiefly by the counsel inuention and drift of the Earle Murrey and some others whose names I spare for iust respectes Secondly the Lord Harris a stout graue faithful Noble man who was at the first made priuy to the deuise after vpon good causes to long to be rehersed in this letter withdrew himself from any farther action or dealing in the matter tolde an Earle yet liuing to his face euen at the Earles owne table nulla circuitione vsus that the saide Earle was of counsell to the murder of the Lorde Darley And afterward at Yorke did the like openly in presence of the English Commissioners to the face of Murrey and of the other whose name I will forbeare to expresse in hope of his repentance and there protested that he well knewe the Queene to be vtterly giltlesse and innocente of the matter nobly demaunding the combat of them both in that quarrel Thirdly when the Confederates hauing nowe laid and raised so farfoorth the foundation of their building that they thought the worlde blinded with the mistes they had cast would iudge they had reason in their doings then proceeded they to open rebellion taking armes and assembling people agaynst their Queene whome they falsely charged with diuers crimes without care of their conscience allegeance the offense of God or regarde to any other honest or duetiful respect being caried hedlong with a furious desire only to that end wherto their restlesse ambitious heads had so longe before bended their Macheuelian practises The Queene seeing this assembled likewise a strong armie of her faithful subiects to represse these Rebels WherevpoÌ„ thei perceiuing her Heighnes to draw fast toward them sent to her from Edenborough where by the fauour of Sir Iames Balfore the Caâ—â—ellan they had assembled them selues and their power a Noble maÌ„ yet lyuing who in the names of al the lords and other confederats did most humbly vpon his knees assure her Highnes of the securitie of her person of the safetie both of her life and honour and of al loialtie and obedience at their hands if it would please her Grace to forbeare force to come peaceably into the towne of Edenbrough ioyne with them in searching out poÌ„nishing the murder of the Lord Darley her late husband the reueÌ„ge wherof they sayed was the only cause of their assembly and that in so doing her Highnes shuld finde them al there as ready to serue her to the sheding of their blood as any in her owne armie there present The good Queene hearing this their humble sute and thinking them to haue meant as plainly and honourably as she did loth if it might be auoided to see such effusion of the blood of her subiectes as was like otherwise to follow and being armed with the secure testimonie of a giltlesse conscience hauing there withall a minde no lesse desirouse in dede to see the horrible murder of her late moste deare husbande boulted out and duely punnished as so heinouse a crime deserued then they in wordes pretended to haue carriyng with her the innoceÌ„cy of her owne coÌ„science yeelded ouer soone to this theâ— fraudulent sute and so leauing her power made repaire into the Towne of Edenborough where when shee was arriued expecting to haue bene in solemne and dutifull sort receiued by the Lordes according to the saide Noble mannes woordes and pretensed promises made in all their names her Highnesse to her greate amasinge founde all contrary For her aduersaries proudlye remaining in her Graces Palace â–ª whereof they hadde possessed themselues seeing nowe the praie in their handes which they had so long hunted after and whereon they intended to feede their bloudy and ambitiouse mindes were so farre from dooing that whiche they had promised and she expected that they caused her to alight at a marchantes house there rudely and homely vsing her Grace al that daie the next night made her priuily and spedely to be coÌ„ueied in disguised apparel to the stroÌ„g Castel of Loghleuen where within a few daies she was dispoiled of her Princely ornaments and clothed with a course broune caâ—â—ocke And though the good Lady ful often remembred vnto them their faithful promises made most pitiful earnest intercessioÌ„ that shee might be brought before the Counsel to haue her cause iustly examined yet for al this could finde no maner fauour or iustice at their handes The said Earle Murrey then hauing brought his reckenings to this passe presently without shame or farther cunctation boldely vsurped and intruded himselfe into the gouernement of the Realme for the whiche his ambitious and traiterous mind had so long and so greedily thirsted The Queene seeing these thinges and being therewith not a litle astonied repented though to late her so quiet relenting to their sute and ouer-quicke crediting their feyned humble promises when shee was in case wel enough by force to haue suppressed them But this her doing gaue yeâ— a moste cleare and notorious testimonie to the worlde of her innocent conscience tender care of her subiects liues and a plaine honourable mynd farre from crafte and muche farther from such blooddy and cruel malice as could geue coÌ„sent to the murder of her husband whome shee so dearely loued This her guiltlesse innocencie was yet more notoriously testified when her Highnes being by the merciful prouidence mighty hand of God deliuered out of the strong Castel of Loghleuen enuironed with a brode large water furnished with great garde and nuÌ„bers of souldiers whereof the Lorde of the Castel himself â–ª being Murreys halfe brother did euery night kept the keies â–ª wheÌ„ I say she being thus miraculously deliuered offered by diuers her owne subiects to be trustely coÌ„ueied into their quaâ—ters wher they would warranâ— her Grace safely to remain aâ— libertie to haue gone freely to any forreyne Prince at whose hands she might well hope foâ— aide in her iust cause ageynâ—â— her vnnatural subiects namelâ— in France where while sheâ— was Queene shee had by hâ—â— many vertues gayned greatâ— loue and estimation and wherâ— the worthie Cardinall of Loraine and the reast of her Noble Uncles bare vnder the yong King and his mother the chiefe swey in the gouernment of the Realme did yet for the more notoriouse clearyng of her selfe and notifiyng of her innocencie to the world chuse voluntarily to make her repaire into Englande where shee knewe were the Earle of Lineux and the Noble Princesse the Ladie Margarete her late husbandes father and mother who she trusted would not see the blood of their deare sonne vnreuenged where also shee knewe were a worthie sorte of Noble menne who woulde by all likelyhood affoord their traueile in the indifferente examination of the cause and therevppon finding out the truth would doe iustice to the guiltie for the murder of their Noble countrieman and see the innocent both