hearers
shall need. In this and many other matters, I require your trust to our
ambassador, which faithfully will return them to me. Praying God for your
safe keeping. Your faithful and loving sister, E. R."

Such plain speaking might not be relished by the Scottish King, but the
interests at stake were too great to enable him to disregard it. He was in
thorough sympathy with Buccleuch, but he dare not resist further, and so
pacified the angry Queen by yielding her demands.

XII.

FLAGELLUM DEI.

"Then out and spak the nobil King,
And round him cast a wilie ee--
Now, had they tongue, Sir Walter Scott,
Nor speak of reif nor felonie:
For, had every honest man his awin kye,
A right puir clan thy name wad be!"

BALLAD OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.

While reflecting great credit on the prowess of the Bold Buccleuch, the
rescue of Kinmont Willie gave rise to many serious local as well as
international complications. As we have seen, the English Queen was deeply
offended. She resented the high-handed and arbitrary manner in which the
release of this famous prisoner had been effected. It constituted a gross
insult to the Crown, and she was determined that those responsible for the
deed should suffer for their temerity. The anger of Elizabeth was no
trifling matter under any circumstances, but to James, whose courage was
never a conspicuous quality, it was dreaded in the last degree. He simply
quailed before the storm, and hastened to tender his humble submission.
The Queen received his assurances of contrition with commendable
graciousness. Yet it would seem she was not quite satisfied. Buccleuch had
been put in ward, but he had not been, as was demanded, surrendered to the
English government, and satisfaction was apparently out of the question
until this condition had been complied with. She expostulated with James
on the impropriety of the course he had seen fit to adopt, and gave him an
interesting lecture on the manner in which he ought to discharge the
duties of his high office. "For the punishment given to the offender," she
says, "I render you many thanks; though I must confess, that without he be
rendered to ourself, or to our warden, we have not that we ought. And,
therefore, I beseech you, consider the greatness of my dishonour, and
measure his just delivery accordingly. Deal in this case like a king, that
will have all this realm and others adjoining see how jus