The coppy of a letter written by a friend, to the Laird of Blaikwood and his answer, with the coppy of my Lord Angus's letter, from Utrecht, 21/11 January 1692. To My Lord Marquess of Dowglas his father, Edinburgh, 16th: August 1692.

The coppy of a letter written by a friend, to the Laird of Blaikwood and his answer, with the coppy of my Lord Angus's letter, from Utrecht, 21/11 January 1692. To My Lord Marquess of Dowglas his father, Edinburgh, 16th: August 1692.

Table of contents

THE COPPY OF A LETTER Written by a Friend, to the Laird of BLAIKWOOD, and his Anſwer, With the COPPY of My LORD ANGUS'S LETTER, From UTRECHT, 21/11 January 1692. To My LORD MARQUESS OF DOWGLAS HIS FATHER, Edinburgh, 16th: Auguſt 1692.

THE COPPY OF A LETTER Written by a Friend, to the Laird of BLAIKWOOD, and his Anſwer, With the COPPY of My LORD ANGUS'S LETTER, From UTRECHT, 21/11 January 1692. To My LORD MARQUESS OF DOWGLAS HIS FATHER, Edinburgh, 16th: Auguſt 1692.

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SIR,

MY Lord ANGƲS's Death is generally Regrated by all, which occaſions ſome that are better acquaint with his Circumſtances to Reflect a little more freely on his going to this Campaign to ſerve under King William; And on that part you are ſuppoſed to have had in it: For they ſay, that my Lord Marqueſs and his Family were particularly obliedged by King Charles the Second, and King James his Succeſſour: For ſuch was King Charles his Concern and care of that Noble and Ancient Family, that in the year, 1682. He wrote to the Lord Chancellour, and Theaſurer of Scotland to know it's preſent condition, ſhewing that in regard of many ſignal ſervices performed by that Family to his Royal Predeceſſours, he would not only ſee to its ſtanding, but to its continuance, in a ſplendid and plentiful condition. And that in the mean time he would take care of the breeding of the Marques's Son: For which effect in the Year, 1684. There was realie granted to my Lord Angus a Penſion of two hundred Pound Sterling▪ And this penſion King James in the Year, 1686. Was pleaſed to continue, and alſo to order all the Arrears thereof to be payed, with two hundred pound Sterling more, by way of advance: Which were certainly ſingular marks of the Royal Bountie of theſe two Kings: And a very promiſing earneſt of far greater things, that my Lord Marqueſs might have expected from them. To this it is alſo added, That my Lord Angus himſelf was not ſo forward to have gone to this Campagne, but did rather incline, to proſecute his Travells; and that he wrote to you to obtain his Father's leave: Which as the Event hath happened, had been indeed his wiſer and better Courſe. However, theſe things do a little burden both the Marqueſs and you: And ſome are pleaſed to expreſs themſelves more freely, by declaring that they cannot comprehend what could have moved the Marqueſs to be ſo forward in this Affair; ſeing that notwithſtanding of the eminent Character of his Family, and that he himſelf was amongſt the firſt to advance King William's Intereſt in Scotland, and did both venture his Son to the Army, and put himſelf, without regard to the low condition of his Fortune, to a conſiderable expence for his Equippage: Yet [Page] it is viſible enough, that ſince the late Revolution to this day, the Marqueſs hath been acknowledged in nothing, and neither Place nor Penſion conferred upon him. It's like the Marqueſs may be unwilling that this laſt part ſhould be noticed, as knowing, That King William, a Stranger, cannot be blamed for this Omiſſion: And that the diſtribution of Favours depends often as much upon the Miniſters, as upon the Prince. But ſeing theſe things do furniſh diſcourſe, I ſhould be content to hear from you ſuch a clear and ſatisfying Account, as might inable me to do my Lord and you the ſervice in this occaſion, that you may very juſtly expect from,

For the Laird of BLAIKWOOD.

SIR,

Your humble Servant, M. T: S:

Edinburgh, 26th: Auguſt 1692.

SIR

I Take it very kindly, that you do ſo far concern your ſelf in this Affair, touching my Lord Angus, his Loſs, if he be loſt, (which you may be ſure we are loath to believe) is indeed irrepairable, and never enough to be regrated: And thence you and all Equitable Men, may very well conclude, That my Lord, his Father, had never ventured him, if the thing could poſſibly have been evited: But as he was the only Son, and hope of the Family, and had from his Fathers extream Care and Tenderneſs, received a ſutable Education; So you ſee that his Ripening years, with the concurrence of other things, did preſent to him this occaſion, which not only he himſelf, but all acquainted with the condition of his Family judged very proper, to recommend him to the Kings Notice and Favour, And to introduce him to thoſe Advantages, which his Family ſtands ſo abſolutely in need of. The only demurr that ſtood in his Fathers way, was the hazard of his Perſon; And that did weigh ſo much with him, and the principal Friends of the Family; That tho my Lord Angus was exceedingly earneſt to have made the laſt Summers Campaigne; Yet his Father did reſtrain him: But as that Reſtraint could not be made effectual without ſome inſinuation of Hope for the enſuing year, from thoſe that were imployed to deal with him: So both together wought ſo powerfully upon his boyling Spirit, Aſpyring ſo Vehemently to ſhew himſelf worthy of his Noble Progenitors, That at the Return of this Campaign, it was utterly impoſſible to make him defer any longer. And I am perſwaded, that had the ſevereſt of his Friends known his Earneſtneſs in this matter, as well as his Father and I did, They would this day have been very far from adding to his Fathers affliction, the leaſt cenſure of his proceeding. I cannot tell you all particulars, But here is one, I think may anſwer for all, Which is the coppie of the Letter he wrote to his Father with his own hand, in January laſt, which indeed broke his Father to a conſent, and without which it is probable, he had never been broke. This Letter I do therefore tranſmit to you, Not doubting, but ſince it was ſo powerful upon a tender Father, and all that ſee it, to prevail for their conſent; it will now be ſatisfying, to anſwer all the murmuring that may ariſe on ſo ſad an Event. I could acquaint you with other Letters and Paſſages, whereby you might be convinced, that his Deſire, if not complyed with, had certainly broke out into ſome more deſperate Reſolution: But this Letter alone was too perſwaſive to need any other ſupport. It hath pleaſed GOD, in his high Soveraignty, to Diſpoſe otherwayes nor was hoped: But this only requires our Submiſſion. And I am perſwaded, when all things ſhall be conſidered, all Men will conclude, That my Lord Angus's Conduct in this whole Affair, was ſo Rational in every Reſpect; That it remains only to be lamented, That ſo fair Appearances ſhould have been prevented by a Death, which, thô moſt Honourable, could never be too late. And thus I leave you, to peruſe his Letter herein incloſed;

SIR,

Your humble Servant, WILL: LAWRIE

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Ʋtrecht, 21/11 January, 1692.

MY LORD,

I Cannot expreſs the Extreme Trouble and Grief it is to me, to be ſo long without hearing from your Lordſhip, ſince it is now near four moneths, that neither Mr. Cranſtoun nor I, have had the honour of one Letter, tho we have wrote ſeveral times both of us; So I'm aſſured our Letters muſt have been miſcarried, ſince the circumſtances I am now under, are ſo difficult, and of ſo great importance, both to me, and (if I dare ſay) to your Lordſhip alſo, and the Family, I have the Honour to belong to; That if you had got my Letters, you would not have been ſo long of letting me know your Commands: This made me take the Reſolution ſome dayes agoe, to write to my Lord Drumlangrig, and the Maſter of Stair, and to intreat that they together with the Duke of Queensberry, Melvil, Tarbat, and Carmichael, being all at Court, would conſider upon my Caſe; And upon what might be the propereſt courſe for me to take; Give your Lordſhip Advice of their Opinion in a Letter. My Lord, I know too well your Lordſhips Goodneſs and Kindneſs to me, beyond moſt of Fathers, and much beyond what ever I ſhall be able in my life to acknowledge, with that dutifulneſs that becomes me; And therefore can proteſt to you, that I had no other, neither Deſign nor Proſpect in Writing to London, than ſimply this, That theſe Perſons being the neareſt Relations of our Familie, and theſe whom I have alwayes obſerved moſt concerned, both in your Lordſhip and in me: I was perſwaded that being all at Court, they would have a further view of things, and be more able to Judge truely what would be fitteſt for me to do, then either they themſelves, or your Lordſhip could do, being only in Scotland, where they could not ſo narrowly ſee the ſtate of things. I know not whither they will be ſo good as to do what I deſired of them; But I'm ſure, my Lord, That all that I can ever expect or pretend to hereafter, my honour in the eyes of all the World, and all that ought to be dear to a Gentleman, are moſt deeply concerned in my Conduct at this time. I have been aſſured both by my Lord Drumlangrig, and others, That if I had been in the Campaigne laſt year, when Leiutenant General Dowglas died, I had gotten the Regiment of Guards: And tho thats a Poſt more honourable and lucrative, than any I can expect to get in many years to come; Yet, my Lord, if you knew the cenſures paſt upon my abſence. I'm perſwaded you would believe my miſſing of that preferment is not the greateſt loſs I ſuffer by it. The Mr. of Stair particularly can inform your Lordſhip, how much to my diſhonour, all the General Officers of the Army, all the Court; And I may ſay, all perhaps that knew me in the Army, ſpoke of my being here; while others that were both younger, Men of Qualitie, and only Sons as well as I, were there ſerving as Volunteers, tho they had not half the Obligation to do it that lyes upon me, conſidering my Regiment was there in actual ſervice: And how theſe Reflections went ſo far as to be ſpoken in the Kings Bed Chamber, and even in his Majeſties own hearing, till the King had the goodneſs to take it upon himſelf, and to tell the Company, That he had commanded me for this year to follow my Studies. Tho this was a great goodneſs in the King to me. Yet my Lord, I may ſay, it ſav'd but little of my Honour, ſince even my Lord Portland, the Kings own Favourite; Notwithſtanding he both knew at the Hague, the King had diſcharged me, and heard his Majeſty own it again in the Campt; Yet after that ſpoke ſeriouſly of it both to my Lord Drumlangrig, and Sir John Dalrimple, and fell a laughing at their alleadging the Kings Commands, as a thing either procured expreſly by my Friends from the King, or at beſt commanded by his Majeſty out of meer Bounty and Goodneſs; Becauſe he obſerved my Relations averſe from my ſerving of him. And Portland told them further, that theſe ſort of Commands were not to be obeyed by a Young Man like me. And that however the King had commanded me not to make the Campaign; Yet to be ſure, He would not be ill pleaſed to ſee me diſobey him, and that I would find it would be my great Intereſt as well as Honour to do it. Beſides when the King ſpoke to the Maſter of Staire laſt Spring, at the Hague, to diſcharge me from coming to the Fields, he told him expreſly, he would not hinder me the next Year; Which coming from the King, any Man will interpret as a poſitive command, Lievtenant General Dowglas, tho but few Dayes in the Campt, was pleaſed both to his Nephew, and Sir Robert Dowglas in that time, to ſhow a great concern in me, and ſpoke of my abſence in ſo ſtrong Terms, that he told them it had been better for me to have been there, tho I ſhould have come bare-foot, and without a whole Coat; And was pleaſed to ſay, that the next year, he would come himſelf, and pull me from Ʋtrecht to the Campt, tho he ſhould be obliged to ſeek a Contribution from my Friends that are Officers in the Army for my Subſiſtence there, ſince it was the only way I had▪ both to make my own Fortune, and Contribute to the eſtabliſhing [Page] of the Family I belonged to. And Major General Talmaſh ſpoke of my abſence with great heat to my Lievtenant Collonel, And told him, I would ruin my ſelf and Family by it: Notwithſtanding, he knew that the King had commanded me to ſtay here.

When theſe People who are all my Friends have ſpoke of my being from the Campaign, your Lordſhip may be pleaſed to conſider, what other perſons, both Princes and General Officers of the Allyes Army, to moſt of whom I have the Honour to be known at the leaſt, in a general acquaintance, will ſay of it; And with what freedom they will paſs their Cenſures on me. I'm not capable to make thoſe deep Reflections upon my own Intereſt that your Lordſhip and others of your Relations, who are much wiſer then I, can do; But it ſeems obvious to me, that conſidering the low Circumſtances of our Family, it will be impoſſible for me ever to raiſe my ſelf, or indeed to live as your Son ought to do, unleſs I have the Kings Favour, and be able to obtain both His Majeſties Protection, and ſome Penſion or place, to help me, and releive your Lordſhip of the burthen of maintaing me hereafter. And I find that the wiſeſt of thoſe about the Court, think not only, that the making a Campaign will be the ſureſt way to get ſome part in his Majeſtie good Graces; But that unleſs I do it, I can never have the Face to pretend hereafter at Court to any thing, nor any of my Friends the confidence to ſolicite for me. And for my own part, if I can make but this Compaign, as I hope it will remove the foule Cenſures that have paſt on my laſt years abſence, So if I do not make it, I do not ſee, that I can ever without Shame and Confuſion look any Man of Honour in the Face hereafter, either at Home or Abroad; And I have reaſon to apprehend. I'le bee looked upon by all Men as a Coward, and one that is a diſhonour to your Lordſhip, and to the Family: And I believe, the only part that will be left fitteſt for me after it, will be, that your Lordſhip ſhould call me Home, and let me ſpend my Life as a private Geutleman in the Countrey. I hope your Lordſhip will not condemn me for it, if the ſenſe of this touch me ſo near, ſince all that ought to be dear to a Man upon Earth ſeems to be lying at the Stake with me in it: And when People conſider the Race I am come off, and the Illuſtrious things done by our Predeceſſors; It will ſerve to heighten my ſhame and confuſion, and increaſe the Worlds contempt of me. Therefore I earneſtly beg, my deareſt Lord, by all your Lordſhips goodneſs to me, and by all the kind Affection you have been pleaſed to ſhew to me all my life hitherto; That you would conſider on this as a thing concerns your own Honour, and the Honour of the Family of DOWGLAS, as well as mine in particular; And that if it be poſſible in any way of the World, you would let me wait upon the King this Summer, tho I ſhould do it in never ſo poor and mean a way.

I know your Lordſhips ſtraits, & the difficulty you may have to live, much leſs to furniſh me money upon this Occaſion; And I confeſs I do not ſee well how it can be done, but if there were any poſſibility of it, I am perſwaded it will be laying out money the moſt profitable way that ever I can ſpend it, even in point of intereſt; And that it will be a fair, if not certain way of giving me Acceſs to obtain things hereafter of the King: that may do much more then make up what has been given out on this Occaſion. And beſides, I have heard both my Lord Drumlangrig and the Mr. of Stair ſay, as well ſince the Campaigne, as laſt Spring, while we were upon this ſubject, That if your Lordſhip conſented once freely to my making a Campaign, they were perſwaded there might be ſome ſum of money got from the King, to help to put me in a Condition to do it with; And I perſwade my ſelf, that both they two, and my Lord Carmichael, would need but to be deſired by your Lordſhip, to do ſomething for me in it. But the Seaſon is now ſo far advanced, that I know not what to do, ſince its very like the King himſelf will be in the Fields before eight or nine weeks at the fartheſt; And however ſmall an Equippage I have, there will be ſtill many things that will be of an abſolute neceſſity for me, in caſe you allow me to go, and which I will have but a very ſhort time to prepare. I intreat therefore, your Lordſhip will let me know your Commands ſo ſoon as poſſible, for there is now no time to loſe; And I'm ſure you will be ſatisfied, that it is neceſſary I be determined to one thing or another before the King comes over here; ſince if I be not to make the Campaigne, I can neither appear at Court, nor ſtay at this place, without the Kings knowing himſelf that I am here: If I am to make the Campaigne, I believe it will not do ill, ſo ſoon as your Lordſhip comes to a Reſolution in it, if you ſhould write to the Secretary and Drumlangrig, to ſee if they can fall upon a way to obtain any thing from the King, to help me to make an Equippage. I only long to hear from your Lordſhip, I know you will command me nothing but what ſhall be the fitteſt for me to do; ſo I truſt to it, and ſhall ſtrive above all things while I live, to Carry alwayes as becomes,

My LORD,

Your Lordſhips moſt Dutifully Obedient, and moſt Affectionate Son, Sic Subſcribitur. ANGUS.

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Information about this book

Title statement

The coppy of a letter written by a friend, to the Laird of Blaikwood and his answer, with the coppy of my Lord Angus's letter, from Utrecht, 21/11 January 1692. To My Lord Marquess of Dowglas his father, Edinburgh, 16th: August 1692.

Edition statement

1692

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2006-06 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A58601

ID [STC]

Wing S119

ID [STC]

ESTC R217869

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99829512

ID [PROQUEST]

99829512

ID [VID]

33952

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Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A58601)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 33952)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1980:06)

Source

— The coppy of a letter written by a friend, to the Laird of Blaikwood and his answer, with the coppy of my Lord Angus's letter, from Utrecht, 21/11 January 1692. To My Lord Marquess of Dowglas his father, Edinburgh, 16th: August 1692., Lawrie, William, d. 1700?, Angus, James Douglas, Earl of, 1671-1692., Marketing/Technology Service..

Extent

2, [2] p.

s.n.,. [Edinburgh :: 1692]. (Letters are signed: M. T: S:, Will: Lawrie, and Angus [i.e. James Douglas].) (Caption title.) (Imprint from Wing.) (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

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