3. Of all men Lethington, from his knowledge of Mary’s disgust at his desertion, ingratitude, and ‘extreme opposition’ to her, in her darkest hour, and from his certainty that Mary held, or professed to hold, documentary proof of his own guilt, had most reason to fear her, and desire and scheme her destruction. 4. Kirkcaldy of Grange, on April 20, 1567, months before the Letters were discovered, wrote to Cecil that Mary ‘has said that she cares not to lose (a) _France_, (b) _England_, and (c) _her own_ country’ for Bothwell.[393] Compare, in the Lennox version of the letter never produced (p. 214)-- (_a_) The loss of her dowry in _France_. (_b_) Her titles to the crown of _England_. (_c_) The crown _of her realm_. Unless this formula of renunciations, _in this sequence_, was a favourite of Mary’s, in correspondence and in general conversation, its appearance, in the letter not produced, and in Kirkcaldy’s letter written before the Casket was captured, _donne furieusement à penser_. 5. Another curious coincidence between a Casket Letter (VII.) and Mary’s instructions to the Bishop of Dunblane, in excuse of her marriage, has already been noticed. We may glance at it again. INSTRUCTIONS We thocht his continuance in the awayting upon us ... had procedit onelie upoun the ackawlegeing of _his dewtie, being our borne subject_. The _persuasionis_ quhilk oure friendis or his unfriendis _mycht cast out for his hinderence_ ... Sa ceased he nevir till be persuasionis and _importune sute, accumpaneit nottheles with force_. LETTER VII. Gif _abone the dewtie of ane subject_ yow advance yourself. That uther admonitiounis or forane _persuasiounis_ may not let me from consenting ... To use _ane humbil requiest joynit to ane importune action_. The whole scheme of excuse given in Letter VII. is merely expanded into the later Instructions, a piece of eleven pages in length. ‘The Instructions are understood to have been drawn by Lethington,’ says Sir John Skelton; certainly Mary did not write them, as they stand, for they are in Scots. ‘Many things we resolved with ourselves, but never could find ane outgait,’ say the Instructions. ‘How to be free of him she has no outgait,’ writes Maitland to Beaton. If Lethington, as Secretary, penned the Instructions, who penned Letter VII.?