Soon after the accession of
Elizabeth, in 1558, Randolph was acting as an agent of the English government in Germany, but in a few months returned to England; and, probably soon afterwards, bought a farm in Kent—"the house where he was born". Doubtless his acquaintance with the Scottish Protestants in Paris suggested to Elizabeth the employment of Randolph in the task of bringing the
Earl of Arran, who had been compelled to flee from France, from Geneva to England. At this time, Randolph sometimes signed his letters with a Latin phrase "
Virtus pro divitiis", and he wrote the phrase in his copy of
John Jewel's
Apologia ecclesiae Anglicanae (London, 1562), a gift from
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray. The book is now held by the
University of Edinburgh.
In Scotland Under the name of
Barnabie, and using the codename
Pamphilus he was also sent in the autumn of 1559 to secretly conduct
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran into Scotland. He left for London on 25 November, but was again sent to Scotland in March 1560, where his representations had considerable influence in encouraging the Protestants against the queen-regent, and in effecting an understanding between them and Elizabeth. The success of his mission suggested his continuance in Scotland as the confidential agent of Elizabeth; but being an ardent
Protestant, he was as well a representative of
William Cecil, Elizabeth's
secretary of state, as of the Queen. Although by no means a match for
Maitland of Lethington as a diplomatist, the fact that he possessed the confidence of the Protestant party enabled him to exercise no small influence in Scottish politics. His numerous letters are among the most valuable sources of information for this period; they abound in interesting details regarding the Queen of Scots and her court, and the political plots and social intrigues. At the marriage of
Lord James Stewart and
Agnes Keith in February 1562, on Shrove Tuesday Mary, Queen of Scots toasted Queen Elizabeth from a gold cup and then presented it to Randolph and talked to him of the "amity" between England and Scotland. Randolph described this incident in a letter to William Cecil and it was widely reported in England. Mary was sent a portrait of Elizabeth, and Randolph verified the likeness. They talked of a possible
meeting of queens. Instead of meeting Elizabeth in England, in the autumn of 1562 Randolph accompanied the Queen of Scots, who professed for him a warm friendship, in an
expedition to the north of Scotland. This resulted in the defeat and death of
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly; and Randolph even took part in the campaign, "being ashamed to sit still where so many were occupied". In January 1563, Randolph went to
Castle Campbell in
Clackmannanshire to the wedding of
James Stewart,
Commendator of Inchcolm and Margaret Campbell. He had hoped to meet
James MacConnel at the wedding. He described his entertainment at the Scottish court, "we passed our time in feasts, banqueting,
masking, and
running at the ring, and such like".
Marriage negotiations with Mary, Queen of Scots Randolph described the appearance of Mary's entourage including her four Maries at the opening of
Parliament in May 1563, writing "a fairer sight was never seen". He met a servant of the Catholic priest
John Black at
St Andrews in June 1563. He bribed the servant to show him Black's correspondence and copied it. On 5 June 1563 Elizabeth sent him a license to return to England on his private business. On 20 April 1563 he was again sent to Scotland with the special aim of entangling the Scottish queen in negotiations for an English marriage. Elizabeth suggested
Lord Robert Dudley, her own
favourite, as a consort to Mary, whom she thus hoped to neutralise by a marriage to an Englishman. Randolph tried his best to further the project, which was strongly advocated by
William Cecil, many of whose instructions to Randolph survive. At first Mary was not enthusiastic about the proposed match, however, when it became clear, that Elizabeth would declare Mary her official heir on condition that she marry Dudley, the proposal was taken very seriously on the Scottish part. In September 1564 Elizabeth bestowed on Dudley the
earldom of Leicester to make him more acceptable to Mary. In the beginning of 1565, Mary accepted the proposal. To the amazement of Randolph, however, Leicester was not to be moved to comply with the proposal: But a man of that nature I never found any...he whom I go about to make as happy as ever was any, to put him in possession of a kingdom, to make him Prince of a mighty people, to lay in his naked arms a most fair and worthy lady...nothing regardeth the good that shall ensue unto him thereby...but so uncertainly dealeth that I know not where to find him. Dudley indeed had made it clear to the Scots at the beginning of the affair, that he was not a candidate for Mary's hand, and forthwith had behaved with passive resistance. This Randolph had repeatedly tried to overcome by his letters. Elizabeth herself now had second thoughts regarding declarations concerning the succession. But as
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley became a serious candidate for Mary's marriage, Elizabeth wanted to prevent it. Randolph again received instructions to press for a marriage "with the Earl of Leicester or some other; and if he find it so far passed as it cannot be revoked, then he shall...declare, how much it shall miscontent her Majesty". Randolph had time to report on a Roman antiquity discovered near Edinburgh at
Musselburgh where there was an inscribed altar and a
hypocaust, and to court
Mary Beaton, one of Mary, Queen of Scots' companions. In April 1565 Beaton and Randolph teamed up to play bowls with the queen and
Lord Darnley at
Stirling Castle. They won, and Darnley gave Beaton a ring and a brooch with two agates worth fifty crowns. One of Randolph's Scottish contacts,
Alexander Clark sent him a letter teasing him about their relationship in a joke using nonsense words; "And as to your mistress Marie Beton, she is both darimpus and sclenbrunit, and you in like manner without contrebaxion or kylteperante, so you are both worth little money." Randolph, to his utter
chagrin, could not prevent the marriage of the queen to Lord Darnley, and after the marriage, he declined to recognise Darnley's authority. Randolph's representations and promises may have contributed to the rebellion of
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, known as the
Chaseabout Raid. On 16 January 1566 he reported Mary withheld the "Matrimonial crown" from Darnley and was now pregnant:It is now spoken for certain that she is with child; and, as it is said, she felt it stir in her belly upon new year's day. Some ladies affirm that she hath milk in her breasts; and finding all other tokens to concur belonging to women lately married, assure it for certain that it can be no other. On 14 February 1566 Randolph wrote to the Earl of Leicester that he was unable and unwilling to commit his opinions on Mary's actions on paper for fear of appearing "malicieus foolyshe and unadvised". In February 1566 he was accused by Mary of having assisted Moray and her rebellious subjects during the Chaseabout Raid with a gift of three thousand crowns, and was required to quit the country within six days. Ultimately he retired to
Berwick upon Tweed, and while there he was, after the murder of Riccio, accused by Mary of having written a book against her, called ''Mr. Randolph's Phantasy''.
Embassy to Russia and Scotland He was recalled to England about June 1566, and apparently it was shortly after his return that he was appointed "Master of the King's Post," a position that later became
postmaster general. On 2 November 1567 he obtained from Robert Constable an assignment of the office of constable or keeper of the
Queenborough Castle and steward of the lordship or manor of Middleton and Merden in the county of Kent. In June 1568, he was sent on a special embassy to
Russia in behalf of the English merchants trading in that country; and he succeeded in obtaining from
Ivan IV a grant of certain privileges to the merchant adventurers, which led to the formation of the
Muscovy Company. He returned from Russia in the autumn of 1569. Following representations made by
Regent Moray's agent
Nicolas Elphinstone in January 1570 he was sent to Scotland, although uncertain news of the
Regent's assassination had reached London. He remained in Scotland for a year.
Again in France and Scotland In October 1573 and April 1576 he went on special embassies to France. He was sent to Scotland in February 1578, but too late to prevent the fall of
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton. After the imprisonment of Morton in 1580 he returned to Scotland to conduct negotiations on his behalf. At a
convention of the estates, held on 20 February 1581, besides presenting a paper declaring the "Intention of the Queen's Majesty and her Offers to the King of Scotland', he, in a speech of two hours" duration, denounced
Esme Stewart, created
Duke of Lennox by the king, as an agent of
Rome. If anything, however, his bold intervention only helped to seal Morton's fate. Having failed to thwart the purposes of Lennox by a public accusation, he now attempted, with Elizabeth's sanction, to concoct a plot for the seizure of him and the young king; but, the plot having been betrayed, he fled to Berwick, after he had narrowly escaped death from a shot fired into the room he occupied in the provost's house at Edinburgh. Randolph's advice from Scotland had a direct effect on English policy, he counselled Elizabeth against the use of military intervention in Scotland against the Lennox government.
Scotland in 1586 Randolph was sent on his last mission to Scotland in January 1586, accompanied by Thomas Mills, with instructions for the negotiation of a
treaty between the two kingdoms, to which he succeeded in obtaining the signature of James VI despite the efforts of a French diplomat
Charles de Prunelé, Baron d'Esneval. In August 1586 Randolph and the Scottish ambassador in London,
Archibald Douglas, sent male deer and huntsmen to serve James VI at the park of
Falkland Palace. The huntsmen probably included
Cuthbert Rayne. Randolph wrote:I have sent the Kynge two hunting men, verie good and skillful, with one footman, that can hoop, hollow and crye, that all the trees in Fawkland will quake for fear. Pray the Kynge's Majestie to be mercifull to the poor bucks; but let him spare and look well to himself. Randolph presented £4,000 to James VI from Elizabeth, the first payment of a
regular subsidy. He noted in a memorandum that James VI did not issue receipts for money given to him, and neither had
Regent Morton and
Regent Moray in previous years. He explained that princes and others do not give "bills of their hands" for "danger or reproach unto themselves for receiving of the same". == Later years ==