Maitland Club > Works of Sir Thomas Urquhart

406 LOGOPANDECTEISION.
me, I would ever have been well pleased to forgo all interests for the bare sum which
I lent ; and how nevertheless I do not plead immunity or exemption from any debt
due by my self, my condition, I thank God for it, being such, with all manner
of people I have had to deal with, of what country soever, that upon three hours
warning, I shall pay all I owe in the world, and to the utmost farthing give satis-
faction to all those that properly can be called my creditors, may very well be thought
to furnish ground sufficient for what I have deduced, by way of grievance against the
aforesaid flagitators.
72. Wherefore I likewise answer, if ever there fall forth a contingencie of the like
occasion, in all its specialties and circumstances, the lack of any one whereof will un-
doubtedly alter the case ; that is to say, if, besides what I have already said, a good
deal of contiguous rent, priviledged with the title of a shire within it self, and wor-
thily possessed for the space of two thousand thirty and nine years, by threscore and
twelve several generations of heritable sheriffs, and sole owners of the whole shire,
descended, for the most part, of one another in a direct consecutive and uninterrupted
line from father to son, accordingly served and retoured heirs to their immediately-
foregoing predecessors in the same family, happen to undergo the lamentable disaster
of being legally threatned to be taken away by creditors, for vast sums of money,
from the righteous heir, who never was bound, nor any of his ancestors, save his
father alone, to them or any of theirs, in so much as the value of one bare groat, and
himself nevertheless able, out of the nimble reach and perspicacity of his wit, to afford
stuff equivalent to both land and money joyned in one.
Vide Art. 73. If ever, I say, it chance that all these prenotated restrictions, and limited de-
54 59' &c. signations, occur in any country -man of mine, which I trust will first cost the revolu-
of the Se- tion of the great platonick year, the State should have my advice, were there twenty
and others ' 0I " them, to instal them, other means failing, upon the publick charge, in the place
forvindicat- f their fore-fathers, with all emoluments and profits thereupon depending; ; that like
ingtheAu. .. . ... i • , i . a • ■
thor from so many radiant stars in one constellation, they might dart an influence propitious to
Phtlotisme. j- ue furtherance of the glory of this Island.
74. And in truth, for my owne part, before that in the person of such a one, should
be seen the overthrow of the house of his progenitors, I would allow him the admini-
cular)' succour of half my meanes, when at best, for his aid of support, and think in
so doing to gaine by the bargain ; being certaine, besides that it is a deed of vertue,
whose recompenee, for being held by all moralists to be in the action it self, makes
the very doing thereof to pass for a sufficient reward, that for a gratuity of that im-
portance, so seasonably administered, from a spark of such a nature, would never be
wanting a most thankful acquital to the utmost of his power.
75. After which manner, without striving for examples, the publick may be
throughly and fully assured of me, and of the infallibility of my grateful return, which