Series 1 > Loyall dissuasive

THE LOYALL DISSUASIVE
71
may pasture eight or ten cows, there may be still some among
us, readie to sacrifice the honour aud wellfare of the family to
the worship of Idols, their own private interest. But I hope
you’ll have the judgement to distinguish them, and the resolu¬
tion to brand them with a mark of Infamy, if it is but to
make them sensible you know them, and know yourself too
well to trust them.
If the MTntoshes could work their point and bring your
family in subjection to their own by discreet and decent
methods, I know not who would blame them, because ’tis much
their interest it should be so, but their proposals on that head
are so vain and foolish, and have folded in them such a mean
opinion of your sense and the fidelity of your friends, that
their insolence can hardly be forgiven them. They may fancie
what they please, but as you are stated, you are as much and
as truelie ChiefF of the Clanchatton as Lochiel is of the
Camerons, Balnagoun of the Rosses, etc. having all that they
can plead to constitute your right, with the Council’s authority
superadded, which none of them pretends to.
And such, if it may not offend the M‘Intoshes and whether
it do or not, I must crave to tell them, that you owe no pre-
cedencie to M‘Intosh himself, bnt on the contrair, reckon
which way he will, he owes it unto you, so that to challenge it
for his son or for Invercauld, whom they themselves believe a
cadet of their family, besides the absurdity of the thing seems
to me very unwise and impolitick. For if you have any frag¬
ment left you of the heart and mettle of your ancestors, they
could hardly think of a worse way to bring you to their hand.
But herein I desire not to be mistaken, as if I insisted on this
out of any prejudice to the Laird of Invercauld, I do assure
any that may be of that opinion, that ’tis only in defence of
your just Right. Invercauld is a gentleman I am bound on
many accounts to honour and respect, and for whom I may
venture to say, that tho. he be not of that standing and
antiquity as may priviledge him to dispute it with the Chieffs,
he has several other advantages may justly intitle him to
come in immediatly after them, tho’ not among them.
For besides his good Estate, he has founded a very con¬
siderable family, distinguished from all others by a different