Quhill the seige thus continewit, ane suddane fyre chanceit in Leith, quhilk devourit many housses and mekill victuall; and sa began God to fecht for us, as the Lord Erskin in plane wordis said to the Quene Regent: "Madam, (quod he,) I can se na mair, but seing that men may not expell injust possessouris furth of this land, God him self will do it; for yon fyre is nocht kindellit be man." Quhilk words offendit the Quene Regent not a littill; quhais seiknes daylie increassing, greit craft sche usit that Monsieur D'Osell mycht have bene permitit to have spokin with hir; belyke sche wald have biddin him fairweill (for auld familiaritie was greit); bot that denyit, sche wrait as it [had] bene to hir chyrurgian and apothecar, schawing hir seiknes, and requyreing sum droggis. The letter being presentit to the Lord Gray, he espyit the craft; for few lyneis being writtin above and sa mekill quhyte paper left, he said, "Drogis ar aboundand and freschear in Edinburgh than thay can be in Leith: thair lurkis heir sum uther misterie." And sa he began to try; and be halding the paper to the fyre, he persavit sum writting [to] appeir, and sa began he to reid. Bot quhat it was, na uther man can tell; for immediatelie he brunt the bill, and said to the messinger, "Albeit I have bene hir Secretary, yitt tell hir I sall keip hir counsall. But say to hir, Sik wairis will nocht sell till a new marcatt." [Sidenote: THE DEATH OF THE QUENE REGENT.] The answer receavit, sche was nathing content: and than travellit sche earnistlie that sche mycht speik with the Erlles Argyle, Glencairne, Merschell, and with the Lord James. Efter deliberatioun it was thocht expedient that they sould speik hir, bot nocht altogidder, leist that sum pairt of the Guysianis practise had lurkit under the cullour of [sik] freindscheip. Hir regrait was unto thame all, "That sche haid behavit hir self sa fulischlie, that sche had compellit thame to seik the support of otheris than of thair awin Soverane; and said, that sche soir repentit that ever it came to that extremitie. Bot sche was nocht the wyte, bot the wickit counsell of hir freyndis on the ane pairt, and the Erle of Huntley upoun the uther; for gif he had nocht bene, sche wald have fully aggreit with thame at thair communyng at Prestoun." Thay gave unto hir baith the counsale and the confort quhilk thai could in that extremitie, and willit her to send for sum godlie learnit man, of quhom sche mycht resaif instructioun; for these ignorant Papistis that war about hir, understude nathing of the mysterie of oure Redemptioun. Upoun thair motyve was Johnne Willock send for, with quhom sche talkit ane reassonabill space, and quha did planelie schaw unto hir, alsweill the vertew and strenth of the death of Jesus Christ, as the vanitie and abominatioun of that idole the Mess. Sche did oppinlie confesse "That thair was na salvatioun, bot in and by the death of Jesus Christ." Bot of the Mess we hard not hir confessioun.