Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 1.djvu/142

  home their new devised liturgie to old St Geilles: Bot our day here begane to darken ere twelffe o'clocke, (a verey short day in Julay indeid) and if we live to tell you, my lorde lykely to become a foule day, ver not our pryme churchmen had large breiches (happily) and nimble heiles to save them from a stoney tempest, which at two several tymes menacd, destructione to all, yet nibled the noddells of bot two or three. Nather could that lubardly monster with the satin goune defend himselve by hes swollwen hands and gressey belley, bot he had half a dissone neck fishes to a reckoninge, and Maxwell becam so affrighted that to have been safely gone I verely think that he wold have left Arminius house, and run under the keyes of the baticane—nay, he that first vented here Christ's locall discension to hell, if he might have been liberal of feare, wold have (before his tyme) gone thither himselve. Bot this day is fair wether, and ane indictione set on Edinburghe, for since the preceisse peopell will not sing ther prayers, our famous clergy will not suffer them to have aney in prosse. Our weyffes heir inveighss [envy] your lordships happines, quho may pray publickly as the primitive fathers did, and say so be it, quheras ther gressey bellied fathers wold have them to sing Amen, and to usse maney vantone curtisies, bobbings, nodings, and kneilings, which this roughe and uncivill multitude have not been accustomed nor acquanted with—a world of such trash and trumpries as your lordship may behold landeit in ther New Alcoran. God bless our prince and all thouse that gives him healthfull counsaill, and as to thesse men quho only ambitiously hunts ther commodity and honor, God gif them the reward of that honorles persone, quho after he had betrayed his maker and master, hanged himselve, and gif your lordship many happey dayes to be assured of the treuth, by which I own myselve to be, Your lordships faithful friind and servant. But, though indignant, in common with all people of his own persuasion, at the religious innovations attempted by the government, Sir James appears to have very soon adopted different feelings. Like many moderate persons, who had equally condemned the ill advised conduct of the king, he afterwards began to fear that the opposition would produce greater mischiefs than the evil which was opposed. He conceived that the people, in their indignation at the royal measures, had put themselves under a more slavish subjection to a band of ambitious nobles, who appeared determined to press upon the royal prerogative till they should leave no trace of the ancient government in the land. Thus, so early as May 1639, less than two years after the publication of "Stoneyfield Day," and while the popular leaders enjoyed an unlimited power, he is found addressing the following letter "to a noble friend."

Altho, my lord, you think perhaps I might gaine muche by silence, for my part I will never make question in speaking, quhen I have aney thing in my head better than silence, and admonishe your lordship once again to bewarr of thosse men quho, furiously seeking to cry downe the present government, and to shake the fundamentall lawes of the kingdom, doe bot rather aim at ther owen particular advantages than redress of disorders, and since I have admonished your lordship quhat to eshew, I wold also gladly advysse you quhat were most fitting for your awen housse and the preservation of your awen family to follow. And to causse, if I could, good lawes to arysse out of evill maneris were not I think it more fitt to take tyme to deliberate upone a matter of such importance, and trewly, my lord, to speake heirin to purposse all the witt I have, joined to that of others, were no more than sufficient. In confidence of your lordship's pardon, and in assurance that ye will remaine constant to be my werrey good lord, I will heir subscribe myself, Your lordship's most obliged servant. Falkland, 9 May, 1639.

At a somewhat earlier date, he writes in the following terms to his friend Drummond, who, it will be recollected, was also a devoted loyalist:—

Sir,—By your letters, you aske how I live heir in winter, out of the capitall citey. I assure you, mured up within the royall walles, expecting the sessone of primrosses and anemonies. I am heir in a place of no curiosites. The sunne hath yet heat eneuche to dissolve our medow snowes, which all the winter fall upon the neighbouring mountains. If ye wold have me to conceill nothing from you, I must freely tell you that there is no place quhar verteu is so neir to vice as heir. Idleness in this place