Historical memoir of the family of Eglinton and Winton

164 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
I sail pay it upon the sicht of your letter what ye
agrie for ; and gif thair be any mae young anes in
the cuntrie speak Bellie Gellie and sum otheris to
get me sum. So desyring you to let me heir from
you with diligence, I rest your loueing father,
Eglintoitn."
Various notices occur in the family papers indi-
cative of his lordship's attachment to field sports
and zeal in the preservation of game — the deer he
was so anxious to obtain from Ireland, not impro-
bably, were with a view to the improvement of the
stock of those in the old preserve of Little Cumbrae.
Soon after the composition of the difficulty regard-
ing his succession to the earldom, he was compli-
mented by the following hunting concession by
his majesty James the Sixth : —
"James R. — Right trustie, &c, — Whereas our
seruant John Leuingston hath bene an earnest suitor
vnto vs that yee mighte haue license to hauke and
hunte in the west cuntries of that our kingdom©,
wee are well pleased (in respect that our inten-
tion was not to debarre anie of your ranke from
his honest recreation or lawfull disporte, but onlie
to preserve the game in a reasonable estate,) thus
far to yealde to your desire, as ye may with long
winged haukes, hauke and kille all sortes of foules ;
absteyning onlie from partridges and moorefoules
[rather a serious exception surely], and hunte
hares with raches, giuing tliem faire play, not hunt-
ing them with gi-eyhounds : and persuading our-
selfe that yee wolde use your pastime no otherwise