company  with  the  priest*  who  was  sent  the  first  time,  and  after-
wards returned  thither. Holt  fell  ill  on  the  Border,  where  the
other  left  him. He  (Holt)  went  thence  to  Edinburgh,  where  he
was  received,  as  the  first  priest  had  been,  by  the  principal  lords
and  Councillors  of  the  King,  particularly  the  duke  of  Lennox,  the
earls  of  Huntly,  Eglinton,  Argyll,  Caithness,  and  otiier  personages
who  are  desirous  of  bringing  the  country  to  submit  to  our  Holy
Catholic  faith. Father  Holt,  who  is  a  person  of  virtuous  life,  and
as  I  should  judge,  a  prudent  man  in  mundane  affairs,  assures  me
that  these  men  show  many  signs  of  their  .sincerity  in  the  matter,
as  they  unanimously  pledge  themselves  to  adopt  four  means  of
attaining  the  object. First,  to  endeavour,  by  the  preaching  and
admonitions  of  wise  and  exemplaiy  persons,  and  by  public
disputations  with  the  Protestants,  to  convert  the  King,  of  whom
they  have  great  hopes  by  reason  of  his  good  understanding,
without  more  obstinacy  in  religion  than  is  natural  in  those  who
had  been  bred  in  error  ;  the  second  means  is  to  learn  whether  the
queen  of  Scotland  will  allow  them  so  to  manage  matters  in  the
country,  that  if  the  King  be  not  converted,  he  should  be  forced
to  open  his  eyes  and  hear  the  truth,  but  they  will  not  put  their
hands  to  this  without  her  express  order,  and  always  on  the  under-
standing that  what  they  do  should  be  with  proper  regard  to  the
respect  and  reverence  due  to  the  royal  dignity  ;  the  third  is  that,
if  the  queen  of  Scotland  should  consider  it  necessary  to  carry  the
matter  through,  by  whatever  means,  since  the  salvation  of  the
Prince  is  involved,  in  addition  to  worldly  grandeur,  they  would
transport  him  out  of  the  kingdom  to  a  place  that  she  might  indicate,
in  order  that  he  might  be  converted  to  the  Catholic  Church ;  the
fourth  expedient  is  that,  if  the  queen  of  Scotland  should  be
determined  to  convert  the  kingdom,  as  a  last  resource  they  would
depose  the  King  until  she  arrived,  unless  he  -would  consent  to  he
a  Catholic. 