Series 1 > Loyall dissuasive

134
THE LOYALL DISSUASIVE
other of the King, ffor sayes he I would be content that all the
Kings barrens were my Vassalls, and all my Vassalls the King’s
barrens.
Having returned his Lo/ my humble and heartie thanks for
his generous proposall, and the good opinion his Lo/ was
pleased to have of our name and familie, I took the liberty
humbly to sugest to his Lo/ that tho the thing was very
prestable If gone about with secrecie, yet if it once took air
the family of Huntly would be sure to knock it in the head.
You are in the right on’t, sayes my Lord, and for that caise,
said he If Cluny and his freinds relishes the motione, be you at
the trouble to let me know so much, and as a blind for Clunie’s
coming, I shall, said my Lo/, call a head Court of my Vassals
and dependents for Dunkell, wher Cluny may come under
pretext of a Law sute he has depending at my Court, and that
I may have some ground to put a j ust respect upon him and
not postpone him to persons farr inferior to him in quality as
this Marquess of Huntly uses to do.* Be carefull says my
Lo/ that Clunie’s apearance at that Court, being his first,
may be like himself, with a train of two or three hundred of
the Cliverest of his kinsmen at his heels, and I ’le give you my
word for’t, says my Lo/, now that he is declared by decreet
of Council * to be Cheef of the Clanchatton, ther is not on
Gentleman in the shire of Perth should, or shall preceed him
If I can. Our comoning by this tyme being at ane end I took
leave of his Lop/, and upon my arrivall in Badanach having
imparted the wholl that passed to Cluny, furthwith ther was
a meeting called of the best and choisest of his freinds who
being sworn to secrecie, and the scheam laid down befor them
as above related, after I had convinced e’m by unanswerable
arguments that ther was never any thing yet thought of, more
for the honour and interest of ther family, without a contra¬
dicting voice they all agreed to it unanimously. Cluny himself
had a Thusand pounds in ready Cash at this tyme Lying in
Calder’s1 hands, and for the other two it was so proportioned
* All this may be proved by the Laird of Cluny and the cheef gentle¬
men of the family, and besids by Mr. John Ffleaming advocat then
Secretarie to the Marquess of Athole.
1 Doubtless Sir Hugh Campbell of Calder. For his account keeping, and
business transactions, see Thane of Cawdor, passim.