Mary was more French than Scots, that was part of the problem.

The actress may not have known French, but the REAL Mary of Scots would've been quite fluent not only in French but several languages as well. ALL the royals had far more and better education than the poor peasants.
If you ever watch Monty Python, (as my mother says), our ancestors were probably the ones in the mud instead of some royal court.
Grandma was a Hunter, the other Grandma was a Bramley who became a Bishop.

The song VIVRE ET MOURIR composed by John Barry and with lyrics (?) by John Hale (wellnot really) is an extract from some doggerel poetry ascribed to Mary on flimsy evidence. The poem is part of the famous Silver Casket Letters used at her trial. The French is very bad and the poetry not in keeping with Marys refined sense of style and her own status as Queen.
The French (16th century spelling):
Vous cogoistrez aveques obeisance,
De mon loyal devoir nobmettant la science,
A quoy jestudiray pour tousjours vous complaire,
Sans aimer rien que vous, soubs la subjection
De qui je veux sans nulle fiction,
Vivre et Mourir(et a ce jobtempere).
VERY roughly translated, it comes out to something like this
You know with obedience
My loyal duty not to omit the knowledge
That I will study to please you always,
Without loving anyone but you, under the submission
Of whom I wish no doubt (without any fiction)
To live and to die(and I comply to this).
It surprises me that Vanessa Redgrave had to learn the song phonetically; her French sounds fine in CAMELOT and here as well (French and English are equally my first languages). As an English girl of a well-heeled family, she would have learned French at school.

it means "to live and die"

Hi
I have the mp3 of this song send me your email and i will forward it to you.
kinghal@msn.com..
Regards.

Well, good luck! If you can find it, I'd be more than happy to help you with it
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
SCOTLAND THE BRAVE

Thanks, I will try - but I am having a terrible time finding it. There is supposed to be a recording of Redgrave singing it - maybe I can find that!

If you can get me lyrics, I'll translate/explain it for you.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
SCOTLAND THE BRAVE