Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: APPENDIX WODROWS LIFE OF BRUCE. No. I. CHANCELLOR MAITLAND'S LETTERS TO BRUCE. Vide Life, p. 20 and 21. To my loving Brother, Mr Robert Bruce, Minister of Christ's Evangel at Edinburgh. Brother,—By your letter of the 28th of November, delivered to me the 4th of January, (whereof I thank you most heartily,) I understand what was then the estate of that realm, more quiet than there was appearance at his Majesty's departure, which is chiefly to be imputed to the mercy of Grod; as also, all men standing upon their own guard, leaning to no other protection, the practice of busy men tending to incompatible ends, and your own travels in composing differences, and watchful eye, and pains taken to obviate too factious persons, has been no small occasion of quietness, in hoc quasi interregna. Ye have been occupied, beside your ordinary charge, to keep all things in good frame there, whereof his Majesty has understood by divers means, and so conceives of you M one in that realm most careful of him and of his estate, as ye will more amply understand by his own letter. My chief care was to persuade his Majesty's returning before the closing of the seas, which I could not obtain (for such occasion as, I doubt not, yehave known ere now) by such as were directed from us since that time. I am holden, perplexed, and encumbered to conserve his Majesty's tocher, which moved me chiefly to be so far opposite in opinion to his Majesty and others here, and to withstand the resolution taken for his repairing from Norway to Denmark, foreseeing (besides the cumber and cost to these countries, and their Majesties' travel in so longsome a journey) what occasion of expenses he should have in a foreign part in the eyes of strangers, where divers Dukes of Germany used to repair, whose company, ex...