“Drury began to speak to Melville, and said that many great lords had told him that the King of Scotland had good reason to know and respect the Queen of England, who had been to him a good mother: that it was not the English who had separated him from his mother, but it was because he would not make a league in which she (Mary) was included; thus they had treated with him as King of Scotland, as one who was recognised in England and in all foreign countries. There was no other with whom to treat but he who was recognised by the Parliaments of England and Scotland. Her Majesty answered on the first point that it must be allowed to pass as above, she not having been allowed by the Queen of England to arm her people. The English not having laid down their arms they burned and wasted the country, and she, being kept by force, had not been able to make good conditions for getting away. Her party would not have been the weakest if the English had not mixed themselves up in it. She was obliged to tell them that one well-known man in England (John Wood) had written to Moray that 'they had not been able to keep the devil when they had him in their possession.' Better to have kept him tied and chained than to let her go. She desired to be judged by her peers or by twelve subjects not kings or primates, by whom England had no right to make laws. It was no great honour to praise such a wicked man as Morton, who was known for a tyrant and usurper, who pillaged and ravaged all the wealth of the poor subjects of Scotland, took her son prisoner, and extorted money tyrannically from everyone. He was a false man and a traitor, his life debauched and vicious, coming to a climax in luxury and adultery. Melville said he could corroborate this statement. She wondered at Elizabeth thinking herself a good mother to her son in having kept him separate from her and hindered friendship with his mother, having intercourse with those who kept her prisoner, receiving her rebels and favouring them. They ought not to have taken the counsel of young Gray to treat with the son rather than with the mother to whom the kingdom belonged, and that as soon as he became King she declared she had submitted by force, that she permitted him to take the title of King provided he took her counsel in affairs of importance and that he would do nothing without her. Otherwise she would disavow all that he did. The foreign kings recognised him only on this condition. (Paulet was evidently unable to reply.)