1st Duke of Gordon

104
Lord Grange, writing to his brother, the Earl
of Mar, March 2, 1707-8, describes how the clerk
of the Council should report what arms were in
the Duke's land (Mar and Kellie Papers: Hist.
MSS. Com., 430).
The Duke wrote a mysterious letter to George,
1st Earl of Cromartie, from "Citadaill" of Leith,
September 8, 1709 ("Earl of Cromartie," ii., 98) : —
My Lord, — I send this express off purpostoen-
quer off your Lordship's health. Last week I
expected to haw -uaited on yow, as your letter
mentioned, iff I uas not mistaken, as Kincrage
uas lykways, uhos help I was forcesed to tak to
read your Lordship's letter, for indeed my eayes
ar faild. I can nott goe courcing with your
Lordship for on day or tuo, the dog I had beeing
taken up aboutt his mariage att Edenburgh. I
believ hee will catoh rabattes, did uee know uher
abondance ar to bee found. You hau quitt for-
got your apuntment to goe to Hoptoun-nous. I
am quitt in concett to see it by Sir William
Bras, who I uas to uisit t'other day. He is realy
ill, butt nott in suden danger as I uas tould;
deuly strenthed meen ar nott soen taken auay,
tho' lean and languishing. Your Lordship and I
haw knowen him a uigurus littel man as ould bee.
Hooping to gett mies off your health, which I
uish as an antiant friend and humbel servant to
your Lordship and famely,
Goedon.
The Duke felt the disqualifications of his creed.
Writing to the somewhat notorious Lord Strafford
on April 21, 1711 (Add. MSS., British Museum,
22,221, f. 474), he says: —
None can wish you mor hartaly than I doe all
the prosperity immaginable, for though by hav-
ing! the misfortune of being of a religion conterary
to the laws of my cuntray, and by that rendered
usles both to my freinds and to myselfe, yett I
hope my sence of duty to my God will not by so
good a judge as yr lo[rdshf]p bee esteem 'd other-
ways then a proof of my sincerity in other things.
In his heart of hearts, I feel that the Duke did
not wish to see the question of the dynasty
thrashed out again ; but though he had evaded
the crisis, which Hooke would fain have precipi-
tated, it came all the same in 1715 with the actual
landing of "King" James (Edward) on the Aber-
deenshire coast. But the Duke could take no
part, for he was virtually a prisoner.