2nd Duke of Gordon and the part he played at the battle of Sheriffmuir

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when Huntlie went north I was resolved to goe
with him.
It'g scarce Lie to be believed that Mar, while he
was makedng his outward applications to my Lord
Huntlie to stay, wanted he should be gone, and
did all he could, for the ten days he stay'd, to
exasperate Mm, by rancouringr all the old sores,
to inorease the gangrene. His associates again
attackt Huntlie's follouers to leave him, and did
not stand to say, that mo honest man ought to
have the least regarde to such a man as he, and
would allow none of these gentlemen who they
durst attempt, to bear his cockard, which was
the liverie, as they said, of a very ill man; and
this tho' they knew they could gaine no ground,
and all would be told him. The others, who they
still called .mutineers, were not more favoured
tli an he, except that Mar used to send for them,
one by one, and wonder that so wort hie a man
as he who he spoke to, should bee.i mislead by
some others who bad treacherous designes, or
were acted by fear; and, when be thought con-
venient, named some, and desired them to be-
lieve that the cause was not desperate ; he had
got good neus, but that it was not proper to tell
them so soon, for he had done himself harm by
being too communicative; and missed the enter-
taining very few of them an this manner, and
speakein? ill of the one to the other, while some
of bis emissaries were employed to act the same
part which be did, and confirm people, and tell
everio man in private, who they spoke to, that
Mar bad a great value for them; and used to
express himself in their favours ; tho' the greatest
part of his accomplices breathed nothing but re-
venge against those who had betrayed their King
and countrie.
Sinclair also cites another grievance of Huntly.
It was the question of the payment of his horse,
among whom "there is a great many gentlemen
o.f the poorer sorts, his feuars and vassalls who
reallie could not subsist themselves and horses.'"
Huntly represented the point to Mar, who got a
sort of bogus petition from the men of another
squadron to .get only a groat a day. Huntly ac-
cordingly "subsisted" bis poor men out of his
own pocket for some time.
Another lurid light on the situation is thrown
bv Macdonald of Keppoch, who was a vassal of
Huntly. He went to Perth with 240 men after
Sheriff muir, and Sinclair tells rs he "robbed the
other Highlanders who were going home." Mar
was "extieamlie civill to him," so in a day or
hw Keppoch look "no more notice of his master
Huntlie then many of the others.'"