t'jg2. Memoirs of the Earl of Marr. 45 



Mr Bowes in his letter to Burleigh and Wal- 

 singham of May 3. 1580, dated at Stirling, givfca 

 ■an account of Morton's challenge to the authors, 

 and spreaders of the accusations against his fidelity, 

 and concerning his intention to seize and remove 

 the king from Scotland. " The earle of Marre like- 

 wise on the said 29th of April, preferred his com- 

 plaint, requiring trial of the like bruit devised a- 

 gainst hii-.i, and sundry of his house that were 

 bruited to deteine, and use the king's person and 

 his pofsefsions unlawfully, against his own good 

 will and pleasure. Whereupon the kinge, by his 

 own moi;th and testimony, did declare that tale to 

 be altogether false and untrue ;" and Marr was ac- 

 cordingly acquitted by an act of the council ; but 

 from thence forward, he entered so warmly into 

 the interests, councils, and defence of ]\Torton, and 

 into the views of the EngliQi ambafsadors and 

 agents, that, becoming obnoxious at court, he afso- 

 ciated seldom with the king or his favourites. 



In the beginning of June 1580, Marr was be- 

 trothed to Anne Drummond, second daughter of 

 David Lord Drummond. The earl of Angus and 

 T.nrd Ruthven, her father being dead, were the 



)ntracting kinsmen, and Morton was the promo- 

 ter of this marriage*. On the 2 2d of June, queen 

 Kllzabeth wrote to the carl of Morton, informing 



'.m th.at from her ambafsador in France, she had 



• Cal. fol. 46. Jan. 15 1580, L. from R. Bowes to lord Bur- 

 leigh and Wahinflum, Cotton lib. They were married at thj: 

 t'i# earl of Mgntross's liousc on the hit sunJ.iy of Oiflober, and tlie 

 k.>g a'M-.A-.d to give the bride awi-y as his kins womxi. Cul. £79. 



