Act, 28 December 1693, Edinburgh

Att Edinburgh The Fourteenth day of December J^aj vi^c nyntie thrie years

A1693/12/13

A1693/12/13¹

Letter: royal

[Letter from the king to the council concerning levies]

The Follouing Letter being redd was ordored to be recorded wherof the tenor folloues
Supra scribitur Uilliam Rex
Right trustie and right uell Beloved Cousin and Councellor Right trustie and Entirely beloved Cousins and Councellors Right trustie and right well beloved Cousins and Councellors Right trustie and right well beloved Councellors Right trustie and uell beloved Councellors Trustie and uell beloved Councellors We Greet yow uell Our parliament by Its Act of the tuentie third of May last Having offered us a Levy of tuo thousand nyne Hundreth seventie nyne foot to be Levyed in manner therin mentioned In ordor to be divyded and modelled Into regiments as we showld think fitt And ue in place of tuo Regiments to be composed of a part of the said Levy Having Imployed in the service of that our antient kingdome tuo other regiments raised uithout any charges to it And it being both for the honor of the Natione and our service That our scotish troopes in Flanders (uith whose behaviour ue are uell satisfied) should be recruited speedily and uith good and sufficient men And ther being noe other way of doing it But by allouing them the benefite of the said Levy we Have resolved to Give them fiftein Hundreth men out of it and to put the remaining fourteen hundreth seventy nyne men into tuo Regiments for the service of that our kingdome It is therfore our pleasure that uithout Loss of tyme yow Call from the severall officers (uho ue suppose before this tyme are arryved from Flanders) for the Lists of the men they want And accordingly proportione the severall shares that they are to have which being done yow are to Give the necessary ordors for Levying the said Fiftein Hundreth men and delyvering them according to the Act of parliament provyding aluayes the saids officers pay to the paymasters of our Army threttie shillings sterline for each man whom they shall have ordor to receave The paymasters finding the same surety for the same they they² have found for the other money of our Army which sum in all Tuo Thousand tuo Hundred and Fiftie pounds sterline ue appoynte to remaine untoutched in the said paymasters hands till farder ordor: Ue doe Lykewayes Requyre yow to ordor the Levying of the³ one thousand Four Hundred seventy nyne men and the delyvering of them to such officers as shall be quickly named for the tuo new Regiments. But Because it may prove more difficult to find men to Goe abroad then to find men to serve at home And because disordors may arrise from Competitiones betuixt the officers from Flanders and the other officers We Recommend to your prudence and care the methods of adjusting this whole matter so as shall be most for our service and the ease of the Country And therfore we Leave it to you to Consider If it be best to ordor the shyres to have their Intire shares of the tuo thousand nyne Hundred seventy nyne men ready at their head burroues against a precise tyme (if that can be) ther to be divyded betuixt the tuo sorts of officers or to allot distinct shires to them or to dispatch the one bussiness before the other if better cannot be but tho ue could gladly have neither of them delayed of the tuo That of the Recruites presses most We doe farder Requyre yow to Give our officers from Flanders all Countenance and reasonable assistance in making by their oune Industrie and Intrest such other Recruites as are necessary for compleating their Regiments over and above the one thousand five Hundred men For tho ue are not at all for Indulging them in forceing any of our subjects who have not Engadged yet as to these who doe Engadge we expect the Concurrence of our Government In making them stand to it And so we bid yow heartily fareuell Given at our Court at Kensingtoune the 9th day of december 1693 and of our reigne the fifth year By his Majesties Command sic subscribitur J Johnstoun