Series 5 > Miscellany [of the Scottish History Society] XIII

TWEEDDALE’S ‘RELATIONE', 1683
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of July to the Bath, & returned not to London untill the 29 of August,
the King being then sick of an ague at Windsor and his Royall
Highness1 returned from Flanders, the Duke of Monmouth layed
aside, & that Caball ag[ains]t the Duke of Lawderdale broke & he
once more saved & preserved by his Royall Highness in regard to
whose interest and the advancement of his concern the Earle of
Tweeddale conceaved it his duety to live in better termes with the
Duke of Lawderdale, notwithstanding that his sone the Lord Yester
had met with ane dissapointment in that affair of Drumeliars Waird at
the Duke of Lawderdales disposall and whereof he had the assurance
of preference from the Dutchess, yet she upon second thoughts had
preferred Drummeliar as aforsaid, being loath to contribute any thing
to the makeing up of her husbands friendship with his goodsone. And
the Duke of Lawderdale perceaving the Earle of Tweeddale to be well
stated in his Royall Highness favour was willing likewise to comply,
and upon the Earle of Tweeddales comeing to Windsor did make him
ane full account of all that had passed since he went to the Bath, how
he had dissapoynted & overcom all his enimies & dupt the Duke of
Monmouth especially in his Comission to command the forces in
Scotland, and invited the said Earle kindly to dine with him, and so
continued interchanging visits both at Windsor and London untill his
Royall Highness going into Scotland, who endeavoured befor he
parted to have made up ane good understanding between the Duke of
Hamilton & the rest of the Lords, & the Duke of Lawderdale, but all
his endeavours with the Duke of Lawderdale were frustrat by the
Dutchess, to whom his Royall Highness condescended so far as to
make her ane visite to sollicite her to deall with her Lord, but could by
no means prevaill with her, she being scarce able to restraine her
passion, when spoke to of it, not regarding the King & his Royall
Highness service to which that good understanding might have so
much contributed.
His Royall Highness comeing into Scotland the latter end of
Novem[ber] 1679 and staying there till Aprill2 did in that time frilly
discover the mal-administrations of the Duke of Lawderdale and those
he entrusted especially of his brother Hatton, and upon his return to
London the Duke of Lawderdale discovering his countenance changed
towards him, sends for the Earle of Murray, & resigns his place of
Sole Secretarie in his favours, reserving the Signet to himself, which
1 James, duke of York.
2 He returned in Feb. 1680, not Apr.; he had been in Scotland for 12 weeks.