Montgomery manuscripts

IO
The Montgomery Manuscripts.
had John, his youngest brother, who was graduated Doctor in physick, in a French University or
College; he returning homewards came to London, where, having practised his art (with good
repute), he died of that sweating imoveable sickness which raged in Queen Elizabeth's reign.3 1
But I return to the history of the said 6th Laird, who leaving Glasgow Colledge'and his parents
at home, he travelled into France, and after some months' stay at Court there, he settled himself in
Holland, and became a Captain of foot in a Scottish Regiment, under the Prince of Orange, grand-
father to our present gracious Sovereign King William.3 2 He was in service some years there, till
hearing of his mother's and (soon afterwards) of his father's death,33 and that his sisters were dis-
posed of in marriage,34 and knowing that there were debts on his estate, on that account (his brothers
having formerly received their portions), he then obtained leave to dispose of his command and ar-
rears of pay, and so returned to Braidstane, and appearing at the Court in Edenborough, he was
respected as a well-accomplished gentleman, being introduced to kiss King James the 6th hand, by
divers Noblemen, on whose recommendation he was received into favour (and special notice taken
of him), which encreased more and more, by reason of a correspondence he had with his brother
George (then Dean of Norwich in the Church of England), whereby he received and gave frequent
intelligence to his Majesty of the Nobility and State Ministers in' Queen Elizabeth's Court and Coun-
cil, and of the country Gentlemen, as they were well or ill affected to his Majesty's succession.
The said Laird upon his return above said, having paid the said debts and settled his estate (his
as a permanent institution of the French court. The
first captain of this guard, after its re-organisation, was a
count de Montgomery, descended, it is supposed, from
the family of this surname anciently owners of Largs.
31 Elizabeth's Reign. — John Montgomery was a student
at Padua, probably after leaving the French university.
Paterson, Account of the Parishes and Families of Ayrshire,
vol. i., p. 280. His death may have, probably, occurred
in 1597, as in that year no fewer than 17,890 persons are
said to have died in London. Chambers, Domestic
Annals of Scotland, vol. i., p. 292. Camden describes
the disease mentioned in the text as " the English sweat,
which made great mortality of people, especially those of
middle age ; for as many as were taken suddenly with this
sweat within one foure and twenty houres eyther dyed or
recovered. But a present remedy was found, namely,
that such as in the day-time fell into it, should presently
in their clothes as they were goe to bed ; if by night and
in bed, should there rest, lye still, and not rise from thence
for foure and twenty houres ; provided always that they
should not sleepe the while, but by all means be kept
waking. Whereof this disease first arose, the learned of
physicians know not for certaine." This account was
written of an outbreak of the disease in I5S 1 - The great
mortality in 1597 would prove — supposing the complaints
were exactly similar — that the simple remedy here men-
tioned was of little avail in the latter instance. Camden,
Britannia, vol. i., p. 7.
32 King William. — Maurice of Nassau, stadtholder at
the time referred to in the text, was grand-uncle of
William III. of Nassau, Prince of Orange, ultimately
king of England. Maurice succeeded in 1584, became
Prince of Orange in 1618, and died in 1625. He was
succeeded by his younger brother, Frederic Henry, who
was grandfather of William III., king of England. The
sixth laird of Braidstane probably served in Holland dur-
ing the last few years of the life of William I. of Orange,
great-grandfather of William III. of England, so that
grandfather in the text must be a mistake, or a misprint, for
great-grandfather. William I. of Orange, surnamed the
Silent, and founder of the Dutch Republic, was assassinated
in 1584. The author states that the sixth laird was mar-
ried in 1587, after his return from Holland "where he had
been in service some years," — a form of expression which
would imply a longer period than from the date of the
assassination in 1584.
^Father's death.— His father had died before 1587, the
year of the sixth laird's marriage.
34 Disposed of in marriage. — One of the sixth laird's
sisters wag married to Patrick Shaw, a son of John Shaw
of Greenock. The following is an account of their burial-
place in the old church of Largs: — "West of the Skel-
morlie aisle, stands the funeral vault of the ancient family
of Brisbane of Brisbane. It is constructed entirely of stone
and its only chiseled adornments are two shields of arms
built in the gable over its well-secured portal. The shield
on the right bears two mullets in fesse, between three cups
covered, for Shaw, impaling three fieurs de lis, and parted
per fess, three annulets, for Montgomery. On the upper
part of the shield are cut the letters P. S., and in the flanks
J. M., with the date 1634 below. The other shield bears
only Shaw, as above, and the initials J. S. It would
appear from these armorials, that the vault was built by
Shaw of Kelsoland, or his heirs, considerably prior to that
property becoming part of the estate of Brisbane, in which
its name was subsequently merged. The letters on the
right-hand shield are the initials of Patrick Shaw; second
son of John Shaw of Greenock, and those of his wife Jean,