1st Duke of Gordon

116
Hooke oil both his visits of 1705 and 1707, and
entered heart and soul into the movement which
he represented. In August 1705, she wrote to him
as follows : —
I judge it necessary if you think it proper that
you and I meet to discourse of affaires, whereby
I may give yy\i some light as to the difficulty^
you find in the matter on hand; apoynt you the
time and place. I must be abroade this after-
noone, but shall be at home agaiue by eight o'clock
at niprht. I suppose you know my hand and
questions not my heart to serve my friends. 1
loose as little time as I can, but dare not be too
precipitate ; it's a business, I find, that will not
worke so suddenly as I could wish, and yet 1
do not despaire. I refer the rest till meeting
r-ou].
Hooke says that she came to see him in Edin-
burgh, especially with reference to the plan pro-
pounded by Sir Patrick Maxwell of Springell to
land 1000 rneu in the Highlands and 10,000 to
12,000 in the west. It was about this 6cheme that
the Duchess wrote to Queen Mary of Modena on
August 24, using tihe cabalistic Hugo of the plot-
ters, and writing under the name of "Elizabeth
Sanders" (Hooke i., 298): —
I think this new project of trade would prove
beneficial to your interest, for you have many
tenants would pnove good workmen.
She was quite devoted to the Queen, who was
known among the plotters as "Mrs Arthur," as-
suring "Her Majesty* in 1707, Mrs Arthur and her
children shall never want my endeavours to serve
them.
On September 4 she wrote to "Mrs Arthur"
about the Maxwell project : —
I saw a letter of yours to a friend of mine
about the private affairs of your own family and
management of your estate: and a6 you have
pitched upon a person whose merit and capacity
renders him worthy of your trust, we put the
like confidence in him to give you an accouut of
our being most zealous and reddy to render all
the service [that] lyes in our power. I had don
all I can so far as present circumstances will
allow, mvd I se>nd you a brouillon of some mar-
K'inall notes [by Sir Patrick Maxwell of Springell]
from a lawyer of my acquaintance of hi6 senti-
ments, who has all along been a true friend to
your family, has spent much in your service, and
is one of the trustees without whose help some
of your friends can-not well work out your busi-
ness and yet [be] not seen in it. I think the new
project of trade may prove very beneficial to