e same proceeding of yourself. Now, my lord, as I think
myself much beholding to you for this your lordship's kindness, and
manifest argument of a faithful good will, so must I pray your lordship
to accept mine answer, with assured opinion of my continuance in the
same towards your lordship. There are specially two causes why I do not
in plain terms consent by way of conclusion hereto; the one for that my
daughter is but young in years; and upon some reasonable respects I have
determined, notwithstanding I have been very honorably offered matches,
not to treat of marrying of her, if I may live so long, until she shall
be above fifteen or sixteen; and if I were of more likelihood myself to
live longer than I look to do, she should not, with my liking, be
married before she were near eighteen or twenty.

"The second cause why I defer to yield to conclusion with your
lordship, is grounded upon such a consideration as, if it were not truly
to satisfy your lordship, and to avoid a just offence which your
lordship might conceive of my forbearing, I would not by writing or
message utter, but only by speech to your lordship's self. My lord, it
is over true and over much against reason, that upon my being at
Buckstones last, advantage was sought by some that loved me not, to
confirm in her majesty a former conceit which had been labored to be put
into her head, that I was of late time become friendly to the queen of
Scots, and that I had no disposition to encounter her practises; and
now, at my being at Buckstones, her majesty did directly conceive that
my being there was, by means of your lordship and my lady, to enter into
intelligence with the queen of Scots; and hereof at my return to her
majesty's presence I had very sharp reproofs for my going to Buckstones,
with plain charging of me for favoring the queen of Scots, and that in
so earnest a sort as I never looked for, knowing my integrity to her
majesty; but, specially, knowing how contrariously the queen of Scots
conceived of me for many things past to the offence of the said queen of
Scots. And yet, true it is, I never indeed gave just cause by any
private affection of my own, or for myself, to offend the queen of
Scots; but whatsoever I did was for the service of mine own lady and
queen, which if it were yet again to be done I would do. And though I
know myself subject to contrary workings of displeasure, yet I will not,
for remedy of any of them both, decline from the d