Maitland Club > Works of Sir Thomas Urquhart

336 THE DESIGNE.
upon, without a gap in its contexture, it could not be avoyded. Especially
that generous and worthy knight, the Author's father, having been un-
paralleledly wronged by false, wicked, and covetous men, himself being
of all men living the justest, equallest, and most honest in his dealings,
his humor was, rather than to break his word, to lose all he had, and
stand to his most undeliberate promises, what ever they might cost ; which
too strict adherence to the austerest principles of veracity, proved often-
times dammageable to him in his negotiations with many cunning sharks,
who knew with what profitable odds they could scrue themselves in upon
the windings of so good a nature. He, in all the (neer upon) sixtie years
that he lived, never injured any man voluntarily, though by protecting
and seconding of some unthankfull men he did much prejudge himself;
he never refused to be surety for any, so cordial he was towards his ac-
quaintance, yet, contrary to all expectations, his kindnefse therein was
attended by so much good luck, that he never payed above two hundred
pounds English for all his vadimonial favors. By the unfaithfulnes, on
the one side, of some of bis menial servants, in filching from him much of
his personal estate, and falsehood of several chamberlains and bayliffs to
whom he had intrusted the managing of his rents, in the unconscionable
discharge of their receits, by giving up one account thrice, and of such
accounts many ; and, on the other part, by the frequency of disadvan-
tages bargains, which the slienefs of the subtil merchant did involve him
in, his lols came unawares upon him, and irresistibly, like an armed man ;
too great trust to the one, and facility in behalf of the other, occasioning
so grievous a misfortune, which neverthelefs did not proceed from want
of knowledge or abilitie in natural parts, for in the businefs of other men
he would have given a very sound advice, and was surpafsing dextrous
in arbitrements, upon any reference submitted to him, but that hee thought
it did derogate from the nobility of his house and reputation of his person,
to look to petty things in matter of his own affairs. Whereupon, after
forty years custom, being habituated thereunto, he found himself at last,
to his great regret, insensibly plunged into inextricable difficulties ; in the
large field whereof, the insatiable Creditor, to mak his harvest by the
mine of that family, struck in with his sickle, and by masking himselfe
with a vizard composed of the rags of the Scotish law, in its severest
sense, claims the same right to the whole inheritance that Robinhood did to