[1584/5/44]¹

Pacification to David Melville

Our sovereign lord, understanding that David Melville of Newmill obtained his highness's benefit of pacification, restoring him thereby to all lands, rooms, possessions which pertained to him or in any way might pertain to him before the doom of forfeiture led against him for any cause or occasion preceding the date of the said act of pacification, and also has granted the like grace, favour and privilege and benefit as is contained in the pacification made and accorded upon at Perth on 23 February 1572 [1573], ratified and confirmed in parliament held at Edinburgh in April 1573, therefore, our said sovereign lord, with advice of the said three estates of parliament, has ratified and approved and, by the tenor hereof, ratifies and approves the said benefit of pacification given and granted to the said David in manner aforesaid, and ordains the same whole clauses and articles thereof to be as largely and favourably extended in favour of the said David and his heirs as he were specially nominated and comprehended therein, or as if the said whole articles and clauses of the same were herein expressly contained; and decrees and declares the same to have full effect and force for safety of him in body, lands and goods, and likewise for repossessing of him to whatsoever his lands, rooms or possessions which he had before the time of his forfeiture, providing that the granting of the said pacification in no way extend to the odious murders of [Henry Stewart, lord Darnley], our sovereign lord's dearest father, and [James Stewart, earl of Moray and Matthew Stewart, earl of Lennox], his two regents, but by this act specially and excepts the same; and ordains letters of publication to be directed hereupon in the appropriate form.