Series 5 > Campbell Letters 1559-1583

94
CLAN CAMPBELL LETTERS
as to our awin part trewlie we aucht him na kyndness and wald be als
glaid to haif him punissit as the Laird him self wald as salbe knawin
efterward. For God willing it that we suld do and that thing that we haif
promissit to the Laird we will perform the samin to our awin honour and
his honour and the weill of his houss.And gif the Laird be nocht content
that we advertist him of the bruit that we hard we sail nocht writt to him
agane in sik ane maner for trewlie it was for his awin honour and weill
and esshewing of ewill bruit that we wret to him and for uthir causs
quhilk we think to be our dwete. And so committis your Ladyship to the
protectioun of God. Of Streueling the xix day of Merche 1564.Youris.
38 Patrick, 3rd Lord Ruthven to Glenorchy GDI 12/39/3/28
21 March 1565, Edinburgh
To his broder the Lard of Glenurquhay
Broder efter mayst hardy commendatiounis. I resavit your wreting with
the copy of the Erie of Argylis wreting and alss hes opinnit the Erie of
Argyllis wreting that he sendis with this berer to yow.1 Quharin I find
that he wauld have yow restoring the geyr nocht making suir gyf the man
sail enter and I remembre weyll that your commission sayis as ye wret.2
Thairfor ye may keip styll the geyr without danger of the law gyf ye pless.
It aperis to me be my Lordis wreting that he wauld nocht ane querrell to
yow suppoyss he neyddis nocht. For suppoist he and ye wauld bayth assuir
me of all thingis promyst to yow I will nocht credeyt quhill I see it with
my eiis consydering samony promesis as hes ben mayd and brokin. And
last of all quhen I spak with my Lord of Argyle he gef alss gud wordis as
evir he gif bot quhat followis thairin God kennis bot I am hard of trutht
as Sant Thomas wes.3 As to your freindis of courte the [sic] stand to yow
as the wer wount. And the and I hes resonit oft anewcht anent the slauchter
of Drummond for it wes giffin thair to understand that the wer your
servandis that committyt the slauchter and come out of your houss to the
deyd doing and hes ben furneist and resayt within your boundis sensine
and remainis thair mayst I gef sufficient anser thair to ...4 and als to the
Drummondis. My Lord of Argyle is in Styrling and quhydder he goys to
1 It is not clear if this was Argyll’s letter of 19 Mar. 1565 to Grey Colin, GDI 12/39/3/
26, because it was written in Stirling and accompanied by another letter to Katherine
(37).
2 For the details concerning the stolen goods, 16 Mar. 1565 (36).
3 Ruthven* is indicating his scepticism about the performance of Argyll’s fair promises
with reference to the story of Doubting Thomas!
4 There is an indecipherable abbreviation in the manuscript which probably refers to a
person, possibly the Laird of Buchanan. The whole sentence is difficult because it is
not clear if‘mayst’ should belong with ‘remainis thair’, in the sense of‘remaining
there most of the time’, or with T, in the sense ofT must give sufficient answer’.