Procedure, 30 December 1701, Edinburgh

Att Edinburgh The Twenty Fourth day of February J^aj vii^c and one years

A1701/2/32

A1701/2/32¹

Letter

Letter from The Earle of Melfort to his Brother the Earle of Perth

Follows the Tenor of the said Earle of Melforts letter.
A Letter directed, To the Right Honorable The Earle of Perth, Governour to the Prince.
Friday The 18th February i701.
My Dearest Brother,
Since I promist to put in writing what we hade not tyme to talk fully off, I am sett down to it in the morning, That my letter may be ready for the messenger if any Call. I told you all that I hade heard at Versailles and the favourable audience I hade of Madam de Mentenon for which I beg it of yow to Return my most humble thanks to the Queen, and beg of her as to be so good as to thank Madam de Mentenon, and know from her what can be done in that matter, it will be a great Charity in the Queen. I told yow amongst other things the great Fleet the King Intends to put out this Summer, the orders being given and the money Ready and the Stores full, and Every one concerned active in their Stations, There is no doubt but this fleet will be master of the Sea for some tyme, if not for all the summer, because the Dutch dare not Stirr till the English be ready and they have long debates yet before they can be in a Condition to act If they have the Will, and it is a Question if they will have it at all.
The King never had so favourable a Conjuncture, if he can perswade this King that his affairs are really in the Circumstances they are in but there is the difficulty.
The King and Queen have more authority with the King and with Madam de Mentenen, then any other in the world can have, but that is not, all, There Should be some one acceptable to the ministers who Should lay before them these proofs, Their Majesties cannot Enter into the detail of, and Explain the Reasons, make plans and memoirs by their Majesties approbation to Convince them of the necessity and to shew the Easieness of Restoring the King, The Glory it brings to their King, and the advantage to Religion,
How this will be done, Their Majesties are wise Enough to consider and I think it is not a Subject felt for me to Enter upon, but their freinds in Generall, who Know not the half of what I Know in this matter think that it will not be well done by a protestant minister, Lazy in his temper, Enemy to France by his Inclination, Tainted with Commonwealth principles, and against the Kings returning by any other power then that of the people of England upon Capitulation and terms, who is Suspected to give aim to the Compounders if not worse.
That Mr Carrell is qualified no man doubts but in Society with the other, these who must be Instrumentall, will not trust him as he ought, so that so long as the other is within distance of penetrating the affairs they will never think themselves secure.
And yet the King hes no Such Gaine to play as by these very persons who are this defident, namely the true Church of England party, The Catholicks, and the Earle of Arran and I shall say some thing as to Every one of them. The King cannot but be sensible That the true Church of England party and their Principall head, now the Bishop of Norwich hes been silent of a long tyme, and Their Majesties may Remember what weight the Court of France laid upon their Joyning the King (I mean the non Swearing Clergy) in caice of a landing.
Therfore all arts should be tryed without delay to gett them Entered into a Correspondence again, and every Impediment ought to be Removed, I say without Exception, and tho Sometymes it is of hard digestion for Soveraigns who ought to be obeyed without Reserve To yeild to the humours of Subjects, Yet prudence Should teach them when they cannot without hurting their affairs do what they would, to do what they can, and Remember the fable of the dogg who lost the Substance for the Smiddow.
Assurances from the Nonswearers, The Soundest and Venerablist pairt of the English Church wold be of great use at this tyme To preswade France to undertake this great affair, for besides their own Example at a landing and their preaching and writing to the people that their Religion was in no danger, it is most certan they know better then any others can, what the Church of England in generall would do for the Kings Service, and they being to run all the hazard wold be better beleived at the Court of France, then any other, as I found by Experience.
As to the Catholicks and others associat with them unfortunatly for the King, They Were thought to have too much Inclination for me and so have been reckoned as useless to the King But I must begg leave to Say, That undertaking was the best Feather in his wing, and was most Justly thought so by him and by the Court of France too, even to that degree they pretended if this and the other article concerning the Clergy could be made appear, they wold concurr with the King to Invade England; They consisted of Seven Regiments of horse and Dragoons, Their arms, trumpets, Ketle drums, Standarts etc were all ready and are yet in Surety, their men were all listed and their officers chosen, and they had Twenty horses to a Troop Which troops lying at a distance in a horse Countrey, Twenty horses wold soon have mounted the rest.
Those who could not divine the greatness, and the use of the undertaking blamed the rashness of it, and even some Church men have not been disapproven for endeavouring undutifully (because contrary to the Kings written orders) to break the design; But I desire yow now for all this to beleive, That yow have not such another argument to use to the Count of France as this and if yow could make it appear as it might have been done Some years agoe. I should have very good hopes of this summers work, Nay let the King have what other hopes or even promises yow please from the Court of France this is to be Encouraged, and if possible to be put in the Circumstances it was in, for if ever there be a Landing to purpose it must be before they can be armed, and they cannot be armed before the parliament come to a Resolution concerning the Warr, and Considering the few Troops in England Suppoze these men to be no better then militia, what a diversion wold it be.
It is not necessary for me to say any more of this article till I Know Whither their Majesties have as good ane opinion of this undertaking as I have, If so I shall Shew what I think to be done in it, If otherways I shall save the pains. As to the Earle of Arran, it wold be of great use to have ane understanding with him. He will have non where […] can pry; his all is at Stake, and he ought to be Wary with whom he ventures to deall. I think it better for the Kings service that the Court pairty prevailed in the manner they have done in the Parliament of Scotland then that the Countrey pairty should have got their will opposition Swells the waters to a flood, and so long as the Countrey pairty is not discouraged they gain more ground in the Kingdom then they lose in Government, so that the disaffection to the Government will Encrease, and one may Judge of the Nation in Generall, which is of ane other temper then this pretended parliament or rather presbeterian Rable, ill Representing the nation, For since even in it there is Such a Struggle against the Government, what wold there be in a free parliament which the Prince of Orange durst never hazard to Call. The Nation then at least a great pairt of it being disaffected to this Government, it is of the last Consequence That Earl of Arran may know what to do, in caice of ane Invasion of England, or in caice he and his freinds be oblidged for self preservation to rise in their own defence.
The army who ever are and were well affected are to be gained by money and a litle goes a great way with them. The disbanded Troops wold be Engaged, and the officers are well Inclined. The places of Strength wold be searched and such as can be put in defence without Expenses fortified. To do all this at least such a pairt of them as can be begin with, a small sum will Serve, and he ought to have hopes of it, and of the Command.
These being only heads to be discoursed of, and much to be said of every point, it is not to be thought That this Letter can carry a Finall conclusion for it may be upon discourse I might Change my mind, or be more Confirmed in, and see further.
This makes me again insist to yow, upon Two things as appearing to me absolutely necessary to put things upon a Right foot.
The first is the Removeing of all Impediments out of the Way, and Sending all Suspected persons to Champaigne or Burgundy according to their Goust.
And the second is of the last use both to their Majesties and the Prince which is the Establishing of such a number, under no qualification, to talk of their affairs in their Majesties presence with whom we can freely converse, and propose what may be for their Majesties Service. As for the first It will be for the Kings Reputation both at the Court of Rome, France, and with all his true freinds in England for many Reasons.
As for the Second It is according to Scripture in the multitude of Councellors their is safety.
Nothing is so dangerous as first to determine what one will doe and then hear Reasons against it, and imitat the deaf Adder who hearkens not to the Voice of the Charmer, Let him Charm never so sweetly, Reasons against a Resolution taken offend, and the more force they have, they offend the more, whilst before the Resolution be taken, Reason hes its Effect, and the determinations are not the Effects of Humour and Faction but of prudence and Justice.
If in any thing I faill, Ile swear it’s want of understanding and not of will, And I begg That their Majesties may be perswaded That it is not humour nor Vanity but their Service I have in my veiw who am,
My Dearest Brother,
Most humbly yowrs.
There are no Letters from England, I Expect and am promist I forgott to tell yow, That the Conjuncture ought to be Improven so long as the Court of France have the ill opinion of the Prince of Orange’s treachery discovered lately in their hands.
Superscription, For the Right Honourable The Earl of Perth Governor to the Prince. These.²