Montgomery manuscripts

The Montgomery Manuscripts. 13
delayed. Therefore the Laird gave the Serjeant a purse of gold, and said, I will call you cousen and
treat you respectfully, and you must visit me frequently, and bring me word from the officers (my
former comerades) what they can learn is resolved against me, entreating them to visit me. Then
he employed him to bespeake some of them that night to come to him the next morning, giving
him orders at fit times to deal liberally with the Marshall (then a widower) and his turnkeys, letting
words fall (as accidentally) that he had such and such lands in Scotland to which he designed (in
six months) to return, and also to talk of him as his honourable cousen then in restraint, for no
worse deed then was usually done, in Edinborough streets, in revenge of any affront, and especially
to magnify himself, to make love secretly and briskly to the Marshall's daughter (to whom the keys
were often trusted), giving her love tokens and coined gold, as assurances of his intire affection, and at
other times to shew her the said purse with the gold in it, telling her a Scotch kinsman had brought
it to him, as rent of his lands in Scotland, and sometimes also to shew her handfulls of silver, urging
her to take it (or at least a part of it) ; often persweading her to a speedy and private contract in
order to a marriage between them. The serjeant thus instantly pursuing his love suit, he ply'd his
oar so well that in a few nights he had certain proofs of the bride's cordial love and consent to
wed him.
In the mean time, while the Laird engaged many of his comerades (and they their friends) to
intercede for him, likewise (with great secrecy as to his concern) the serjeant procured a Scottish
vessel to be hired, and to be at readiness to obey orders, and weigh anchors when required. And
now it remained only to facilitate the escape ; wherefore the Laird had divers times treated the
Marshall and his daughter in his chamber, both jointly and severally, and one night a good oppor-
tunity offering itself of her father being abroad, the Laird (as the design was laid) had the daughter and
his serjeant, into his room, and there privately contracted or espoused them together by mutual pro-
mises of conjugall fidelity to each other, joining their hands, and making them alternately repeat
(after him) the matrimonial vow used in Scotland, they exchanging one to the other the halves of
a piece of gold which he had broken and given to them to that purpose. So, no doubt, the serjeant
kissed his bride and she him, and drank a glass of wine to each other on the bargain. Then the
Laird carressed them both, and revealed to them his design of getting out of restraint, to abscond
himself till he might get King James' letter to the Prince, that his hand should not be cut off; but
that receiving on his knee the Prince's reprimand, and making due submissions, and humbly craving
pardon and promising reconciliation and friendship to Mr. Conninghame, he should be absolved
from the punishment due for his crime. But this was a pretence to the bride only; all this was con-
trived, carried on, and done without the knowledge of the Laird's servant, who was only employed
to cajole and treat the Marshall and his turnkeys liberally, and to perform menial attendances and
offices about the Laird's person when called ; so that the intrigues prospered (with admirable conduct)
without the least umbrage of supicion, either to the household or to the comerades aforesaid, lest
any of them should be taxed with compliance or connivance to the escape.
In this little history I have been the more exact to give the reader (at least) one single instance
of the Laird's bold resolution, and of his sagatious ingenious spirit, as well as of his great prudence
(which appeared also in the sequel of this affair); as likewise to be briefe in my future report of