III. FROM THE SAME. SIR, ; upon which declaration May 1702. NEITHER of the Dukes, I affure you, have parted well pleased with the Court. Teviot's turning out, you may tell him, was much preffed for, but in vain. It feems too a great many other things promised, or made by the undertakers, that in cafe they fucceed not, they are not to be blamed. I find the Church party here very well pleased now with the meeting of your Parliament, and they noe more mind the matter. It ftands certainly as I gueffed it did. If my friends, the Presbiterians, have noe eyes to fee, I am forry I cannot put mine in their heads: quos Jupiter vult perdere, dementat. I tooke leave of Duke Hamilton, and he was with me; but he told me nothing of what paffed with He is expected here after [the] Parliament. I expoftulated fome matters with him; he fhifted: breaches here will widen very fast. My Lord Rochester threatens to lay down, and I have ground to [believe] that he is in earnest his authors that Rochester, that he and his party would be for Epifcopacy, but the [Duke?] had not then feen Rochefter. You cannot lofe by the adjournment, if what paffes here be written doun by fuch as the minifters will believe: for it will quickly be publick difcourfe that your meeting muft end in the overthrow of Presbitery. The bearer feems refolved, in spite of his circumstances, to vote according to his judge[ment, and] your friends will noe dou[bt en]courage him; his cafe is very hard. He or you may write to me thus, For Mr. Warner, goldsmith, near Temple-barre, London, or in for me. of Mrs. The Whiggs, now that they see my Lord Rochester govern you, are turning for you. IV. FROM THE SAME. 20th June 1702. It is known, in I HAVE had all your's, and have drawn for that money. the coffee-houses, who amongst you were for staying in, and who for going out; and your friend here, who was railled at, and his moderation called treachery, is now faid to have been the incendiary, nay, to have been upon the plott, because he foretold that this matter would at last come to the refufing of the taxes, which I hope they will prevent, by calling a new Parliament, if they believe it; but hitherto they doe not believe it; but own themselves furpryfed with what has happened, which they were confident would not be. Your differences make a great noyfe here amongst the people, and I cannot think, however the addreffe be received, but that the Court will put an end to them. Those of whom you have quite another opinion, lofe noe occafions, both by themselves and their friends, to declare that they had no fhare in the counsells that have occafioned such a scandalous rent amongst you; and others you took to be friends, whatever part they act underhand, seem above-boord to condemn you mightily, and to own that the credit of authority must be maintained. In fhort, there is at bottom, a mysterye, a secret, in all this affair, which it seems your friend has ignorantly run counter to; for the pretended causes of their anger with him were nonfenfe. He wishes fome of you may be on your guard, for he reckons your c[ase the] fame, till tyme bring light [out of] darkness, which it muft doe quickly. Farewell. He wishes you and your Lady would come to the Bath, fince her health requires it. He defires to know if Ld. S. was for coming out. V. FROM THE SAME. 16th July 1702. I HAVE had all your's, and am much concerned for the trouble you are like to have in your private concerns. He has been with me; and upon my challenging him, partly denyes, or urges his neceffityes, with which I must seeme softened at prefent, for reasons I fhall tell you; for I still hope we shall quickly meet. There is noe appearance of his getting any thing here. Thofe he relyes on have not power. As to my own bufineffe, you know A'. (Annandale?) and I were not fo much as in vifiting. So far was I from paffing from the compofition, that I pofitively refused it; but I am to expect noe other usage, nor can I blame profeffed enemyes fo much as pre tended friends. But you fee the Marquis mistake me, for it is not humour that withholds me; that is now over, but I am difabled. That which he and you expect from me is noe more in my power at prefent than in any footman's. Others are poffeffed by malicious calumnys, with impreffions that are a barre in my way, which I cannot remove; for they will not own them nor enter upon the point with me. Tyme, or fome new turn, muft do it. Pray make Tweddale and others understand this; and tell the former I fhall write to him as foon as it is to any purpose. I have been tryed to write to your friends to come up. My anfwer was, That I would advise them neither one way nor other: upon which I was asked, If I thought they would come? My anfwer was, That, I thought, nothing less than the Queen's pleasure would bring them up. The Whiggs, I hear, are for the Parliament's meeting again in Auguft, to pass the Abjuration; but the Church party is for a diffolution. Farewell. By fome people's speaking to me, it seems the Court grows weary of the trouble your buffineffe gives them. You will hear, it's like, by this poft, more than I know, being where I am. VI. FROM THE SAME. London, 4th August 1702. I HAD your's, but fince I wrote laft to you, I wrote once to your friend the Marquis; but pray tell him, that nothing is fure here, till it be refolved in the Cabinet; for whatever the inclination may be, they often change when they meet. However, your friend has been again spoke to, and changes there will be very speedily, they fay; tho' at the fame tyme I believe Queensberry must first be heard. He and others give great hopes of the elections, and that there will be no dispute nor hefitation in the payment of the taxes. Thus it's like they will afk a new delay, till the elections be over. But the Church party here, who carry it out of fight, preffe for a Parliament with you; and they feem now to be more and more for Duke Hamilton, as we speak here. They seem to be pofitive that they will doe fomething before the elections to fway them the Church way: it seems they will turn out Seafield, and put Tarbat in his place, (which [I believe] Queensberry will not bear) or Register; but, as I have told you, nothing is certane. As for B" (Belhaven ?), I directly nor indirectly have noe need of them [him?]; and my reafons not to flye to extremityes with him concerned rather you than myself; for he has now a merit here as a martyr; and I know that he had, in a verry good place, given a verry good caractere of you; and I spoke to him till he cryed, which foftened me. As to his part with C (Carstairs ?) he has, to my knowledge, done me fuch offices these 7 years; fo you may imagine whether your friend be upon his guard or not. It's true, too, that he has done Crs (Carftairs?) more hurt than all the enemyes he has. I told him that you would carry matters against him as far as you could, and reach him here if you could. Pray dire&t Mr. Douglafs, (for mine to him may be opened,) to doe nothing that may hinder me to quarrell and reduce in due tyme that compofition [from the] Ex (Exchequer ?); tho it's noe purpose to discover any fuch intention at prefent. Tarbat should be on the road hither. Your friend begins to be fairly stated again; that is, they feeme defirous to h[ave] him; but he defires you to depend on nothing he writes, if not that they will fuffer matters to goe noe farther wrong. Farewell. VII. FROM THE SAME. 11th August 1702. THE Queen has ordered my Lord Blantyre to fignifye her pleasure to Duke Hamilton, and those that were here with him, that she shall be glad to see them here again; fo I doe not fee hou they can fhun coming up. It will be conftrued humour or worse; I mean that you are dipped in bad defigns, as has been whisper'd about here of fome of you. I cannot tell you what the Court will doe, when you are come; only, in general, they seem refolved to make changes, I believe both of measures and men. Tarbat, too, is fent for, or allowed to come. As for yourself, I have given you trouble already; however I cannot abstain from giving you my opinion, that as your and G's (Godolphin's?) friend, as well as the countrey's, you should be both here. There is a great difpofition in the Court towards your friend the Marquis; he will be much to blame if he doe not come. Your friend here is again in very good terms with his friends, fo that the ftorme is over; but he asks nothing, which makes him the welcomer. Tarbat has written as one newter, or rather on your fyde; that is, for a new Parliament; and the Epifcopall party here trufts him. Farewell. VIII. FROM THE SAME. 25th August 1702. I WROT to you this day 14 night, and to my other friend, which was my fecond to him. If you be not come off, and [have no better] reasons to stay, pray lay them afide, and loose noe time. After the greatest applications imaginable to come to buffineffe, all is put off, because of the journey to the Bath, as is faid; but indeed till you come. My friend will have his father's place, or I have loft much pains; but I think the thing certain. Make what use of this you please. If Duke Hamilton doe not come, it will be concluded that the Jacobits have hindered him; for they have openly declared themselves againft his coming; nay, fome of [them have been] fo foolish as to be pofitive he will not come, as if they had an entire afcendant over him. Pray see that my friend come, whether he (the Duke) come or not: and come with him, you and others. If you defpyfe this opportunity, [we] cannot redeem it in this reigne. B. (Blantyre ?) yeilds to reason, and is more happy in his working than ever I knew any [novice] at a Court. There is a great jealousy here of fome of you; but I am reckoned [too much] your friend to be [told, what are] the grounds of it. There is trickerye fomewhere, and molehills are made mountains; but they own that they have no jealoufy of my friend, and that, if they truft fome others, it will be in conjunction with him. Farewell. SIR, IX. FROM THE SAME. 21ft November 1702. I HAVE had two from you lately, but know not what to write. Tarbat feems to be the favourite, and is to be quickly amongft you, and your Jacobits will be tempted to leave you. It's uncertain when the Parliament is to meet: If you will pay the taxes, Why should it meet? Tullibardin [was to] be in Melville's place, and the Treasurer-Depute [turned] out. But Tullibardin is averse to come in alone, and nothing is defigned for others at present. |