Chiefs of Grant > Correspondence

404 IV. — LETTERS FROM SIMON LORD LOVAT. [1740.
show'd their zeal to me more than ever they did at any time in their lives ; for not only all
the gentlemen, even those of the hest substance, but all the commons, to the poorest fellow,
roar'd and cry'd out, while I held my tongue and did not speak a word. This is true matter
of fact, well known in all the countrey, and wast numbers of my friends in and about
Inverness, and in all the countreys of my neighbourhood, openly express' d their regrate and
concern for my misfortune, and whoever gives any other account of it are but pityfull lyars
and calumniators ; and if I cou'd use the same freedom with the Earle as I us'd to do, I cou'd
easily convince him how much he suffers, as well as I do, by his giving ear to pitifu.ll rogues,
who are openly known to be common lyars and calumniators, and who have nothing in the
world to live upon but their false, treacherous shiffts in imposing upon great men. This
is as well known in this countrey as that you are Laird of Grant and I Lord Lovat ; so I
refer to yourself to consider, my dear Sir James, after seriously reading this letter, how much
you are concern'd, in friendship to the Earle and to me, to disabuse his Lordship as to those
impudent lyars who make a villainous use of the countenance that he gives them, which, I
do assure you, does no service to his Lordship in any shape. . . .
I earnestly intreat that you will do me the honour and kindness to send me a plain
answer to this letter ; and believe that I am, with unalterable attachment and respect, my
dear Sir James,
Your most affectionate brother, most obedient and most faithfull humble servant,
Lovat.
P.S. — You know, my dear Sir James, that Fraser of Foyres is a very silly, weak,
ignorant creature, that really cannot be said to have common sense. Besides, he truly owes
me twenty-four thousand merks of money that I lent himself, to save his estate from being
sold ; and his brother that is dead owes me twice as much of borrow'd money, and debts
that I pay'd for him out of my pocket. So that this miserable wretch owes me, for himself
and for his brother, twice as much money as all his lands are worth, if they were sold at
thirty years' purchase, and I am now doing dilligence against his estate. And as to Fraser
of Struy, he is known through all the countrey to be a fool and a madman, in a starving
condition, not worth a groat, and the poor six hundred merks that he possesses is only by
my tolerance and good will, for he has no more right to it than you have, so that I can
demolish him when I please ; and I do assure you that neither Foyres or Struy wou'd get
two men of their name to follow them a mile if they were acting in the least against me.
This you may depend upon to be a reall truth, and I 'le prove at any time what I say of
those gentlemen, under the perrill of losing my estate. As for Phopachy, he is not a Fraser
of the family of Lovat or of this countrey. He pretends to be of another branch of the
Frasers of the South ; but it is little matter, for he has not a single man in the lordship of
Lovat that wou'd go a mile of ground with him or salute him on the high road, while they