‘My grey hair has let me understand what truth and constancy is in our nobility; therefore, brother, albeit I will not enterprise as I have done, yet I pray you and others not to have the worst opinion of me; for since he is dead I mind never to subject myself over-far to any of them that are left behind, for I know their humour and condition too well. I am sure it is come to your ears, that I should give over this house for the Priory of St Andrews, to the Lord Seaton; which, truly, was never meant nor yet laid to my charge, but is only sown abroad by them that hate me, and would make me odious to the world. Therefore, this shall be to assure you, and all others, that I shall keep this house to the King’s behalf, until an order be taken, or else the highest house in it shall be the lowest. But now, to be plain with you, your manner of proceedings make many to suspect ye intend to do otherwise with us than ye have set out by your proclamation; for so have ye begun upon the Lord Maxwell, who has never offended you, nor yet left the King’s obedience, nor yet had to do with your rebels. ‘As I wrote before unto you, seeing that ye have wrecked Teviotdale, whereby your Mistress’s honour is repaired, I pray you seek to do us no more harm; for I am sure in the end you shall lose more than you can gain thereby; for the Queen your Mistress shall spend much silver, and lose our hearts in the end; for whatsoever ye do to any Scotsman, the whole nation will think them interested thereby. Amongst other things, I am sure there come many evil reports of me to you, for the putting to liberty of my prisoners. But when ye shall understand what I had for me so to do, I trust ye shall be satisfied. As I spoke to you and wrote, if your Mistress pleases she may take up this whole division that is in Scotland, and make the whole to be hers and at her devotion. I will trouble you no further; but, I pray you, do as ye would be done to; or else, all the cloaks ye can cover your cause with will be disclosed in the end. I am preparing this house to resist all that shall pursue, and to hold you at the gate, whensoever ye put on your jack. Till farther occasion, I bid you heartily well to fare. At Edinburgh Castle, 26th April, at eleven hours, in haste.--Your brother in perpetuum, W. KIRKCALDY.’ Following closely upon this, Grange dispatched to the Earl of Sussex a further and fuller explanation of his conduct. It was in reply to a letter which the Lord-Lieutenant had written a few days earlier, and of which the substance may easily be inferred from Kirkcaldy’s reply.