BL La 15, 24

BL MSS Lansdowne 15, 24
Wright: Queen Elizabeth and her Times Vol 1, 1838, No. 207 page 427
George Buchanan to Thomas Randolph, Sterling, the sext of August

Transcribed by Thomas Wright who notes: This elegant letter is characteristic of the terse wit of King James' school-master, and the most famous of modern Latin poets. Sir James Melvil describes Buchanan as " a man of notable endowments for his learning and knowledge in Latin poesie, much honoured in other countries, pleasant in conversation, rehearsing at all occasions moralities short and instructive, whereof he had abundance, inventing where he wanted. He was also religious, but was easily abused, and so facile, that he was led by every company that he haunted, which made him factious in his old days, for he spoke and wrote as those who were about him informed him, and he was become careless, following in many things the vulgar opinion ; for he was naturally popular, and extremely revengeful against any man who had offended him, which was his greatest fault." George Buchanan was born in 1506, and died in 158

I resavit twa pair of letters of you sense my laste wryting to you. With the first I resavit Marinus Scotus, of quhilk I thank you greatly, and specially that your Inglisemen are found liars in their chronicles alledging on hym sic thyngs as he never said. I haif been vexed with sicknes all the tyme sense, and geif I had decessit [died], you shuld haif [have] loset both the letters and recompense ; now I must never thank you, but geif [if] we are broken up of this folly laitely done on the border, for than I wyl hald the recompense as Inglis geir, bot geif peace followes, and nother ye do speak of mariage, or of the twa symptomes following on mariage, quhilk are jealousye and cuccaldry, and the gut [gout] carry not me away, I must find other [either] sum way to pay or lese kyndenes, or else, geifing [giving] up kyndenes, pay you with evil wordes, and geif this fassion of dealing pleasit me, I haif reddy occasion to be angry with you, that haif wissit [wished] me to be ane kentys man, quhilk in a manner is ane certaine half man, half beast, and yet for ane certaine consideration I wyl pass over that injury, imputing it more to your new folly than to aid wysdome. For geif ye had bene in your right wit, ye being anis escapit the tempestuous stormes and naufrage of marriage, had never entered againe in the same dangers. For I cannot tak you for ane stoik philosopher, having ane head inexpugnable with the frenetyk tormentis of jealousy, or ane cairless hart skeptick, that taks cuccaldrys as thyng indifferent. In thys caise I must nedis prefer the rude Scottis wyt of capitane Cocburne, to your Inglis solomonical sapience, quhilk, wery of ane wyfis, deliverit hir to the Queyne agayne, bot you, deliverit of ane wyfe, castis yourself in the same netts, et ferre poles dominant salvis tot revlibus ullam, and so Capitane Cocburne is in better case than you, for his siknes is in the feitte [feet] and yours in the heid [head]. I pray you geif I be out of purpose, thynk not that I suld be maryitt, bot rather consider your awyn dangerous estait, of the quhilk the speking has thus troublit my braine, and put me so far out of the way.
As to my occupation at this present tyme, I am busy with our story of Scotland (1), to purge it of some Inglis lyes and Scottis vanitie. As to maister Knox, his historie (2) is in hys freindes' handes and thai ar in consultation to mitigat sum part the acerbite of certain wordis, and sum taints wherein he has followit too muche some of your Inglis writaris, as M. Hal. et suppilatorem ejus Graftone, &c. As to Mr. Beza (3), I fear that eild [old age], quhilk has put me from verse making, salde deliver hym a scabie poetica, quhilk war ane great pity, for he is ane of the most singular poetes that has beene this lang tyme. As to your great prasyng given to me in your letter, geif ye scorne not, I thank you of luif [love] and kyndenes toward me, but I am sorrie of your corrupt judgment.
Here I wold say mony injuries to you, war not that my gut commandis me to cesse, and I wyll also spair mater to my next wryting. Fair weal, and God keip you. At Sterling, the sext of August.
By yours at al my power,

G. Buchanan

(1) Buchanan's History of Scotland, in Latin, was printed first at Edinburgh, in 1582, the year of his death.
(2) John Knox died this present year. His History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland was first printed at London, in 1584.
(3) Theodore Beza was born 1519, and died a very old man in 1606.