Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/250

236 These representations fully confirmed those of other agents who had been sent over to Scotland during the struggle for the union. A Mr. Scott had made a very close and extensive observation of the country, of its army, its resources, of the well and ill affected amongst its nobility and gentry in almost all parts of the country; and in his letters to lord Middleton had assured him that in all the northern shires, the nobility, gentry, and people were devoted heart and soul to the pretender, and that the hatred to the union was fast producing the same effect in almost every other quarter. A captain Stratton, in the autumn of 1706, also informed Middleton, that the Scots were longing for a French army under their own king; that they were making every effort to reject the union, and did not doubt to succeed, provided the Scottish parliament was not actually bought up by English money.

Hooke now informed Middleton that the carrying of the union, and the subsequent conduct of the English, had so exasperated the whole country, that the different parties seemed to have lost all care about their particular interests, and burned only to throw off the English yoke. Formerly the greater part of the Scottish people were favourable to the king of England (the pretender), but that now even the presbyterians, his ancient enemies, were won over, and wished for nothing so much as his arrival. That they looked to him as their only resource, and offered to arm thirteen thousand men, and to begin the war upon the first orders they should receive, requiring only a ship load of gunpowder, and the young king to put himself at their head. He afterwards asserted that the nobles were ready to march into England at the head of thirty thousand men, whom they would supply with provisions, clothes, carriages, and even in part with arms. He sent to the king of France, inclosed to Middleton, a memorial from some of the chiefs of the nation, and in the names of thirty others, who had appointed them their proxies, but who would not be named till they had full assurance of France effectually co-operating. All, he said, were unanimous except the duke of Hamilton and another lord, a friend of his. He considered that the whole nation was engaged, and that if the king of France would only prosecute the enterprise, he would engage that in a very little time England would be in no condition to furnish either troops or money to the enemy, but would be glad to make peace on the king's own terms.

In the spring of 1707 Hooke was over in Scotland a second time. He and his co-incendiaries, the brothers Moray, were lauded at the castle of Slaines, in the north of Aberdeenshire, in February. He found that the union had passed the Scottish parliament, and that all the lords and other members of parliament had retired to their country residences except the high constable, at whose castle he was, the duke of Hamilton, and the earl marshal. That the nation was more than ever enraged, but that the countess of Errol, the mother of the high constable, handed him several letters from her son, giving him all encouragement, saying that all the well-affected were now convinced that they could obtain better terms, sword in hand, than those of the union. Both the countess and other correspondents warned him, however, not to put any trust in the duke of Hamilton, for that he had suddenly and greatly changed; that all his friends had abandoned him, suspecting him of holding secret correspondence with the court in London. If the duke had received the assurance, to which we have alluded, from the court of St. Germains, to cease his opposition to the union, and in consequence of which he appeared suddenly paralysed, it may account for this, and the after uncertain conduct of this nobleman. Having been suddenly checked in his zealous opposition to the union, it would at once confound him, and throw suspicion upon him amongst his friends and adherents. At all events, from some cause the duke had altered his conduct, and whilst he attributed his sudden change to secret advices from France, others attributed it to secret money or promises from London. From other nobles Hooke seems to have received great encouragement, particularly from the earl of Errol, the high constable, lord Drummond, son of the earl of Perth, commonly in Scotland called the duke of Perth, the dukes of Athol and Gordon, and lord Saltoun. The earl of Errol, on arriving at the castle of Slaines, confirmed all that the countess, his mother, had said of the duke of Hamilton; that for a long time he had been in correspondence with the duke of Queensberry and the earl of Stair, and after the union, had done all in his power to be nominated one of the peers to serve in the British parliament. That Hamilton had discouraged preparations for rising, and the earl of Strathmore, lord Stormont, and the lords of Powrie and Finglas, confirmed this from their own knowledge. Hooke then advised that they should leave Hamilton out of the question, who was neither considerable for his riches nor the number of his vassals; but then Errol showed him a letter written by father Innes, almoner to Maria D'Este, the pretender's mother, to this effect:—"The king of England desires that his friends will follow the directions of the duke of Hamilton, and not declare themselves till the duke has declared himself, when they may, without danger, follow his example."

At the same time the earl of Errol showed two letters from two Scottish gentlemen in France, who declared that Louis would do nothing for the Scots, and that Hooke's journey was only a feint. All this went to show that, however Hamilton might be suspected of being in correspondence with the English court, he was still in the confidence of the court of St. Germains, which probably thought the passing of the union as advantageous to them as it was to Anne, the question of the protestant succession being one which, at the proper time, might be set aside. Hooke's zeal might endanger the real designs of the French court, and therefore these letters were sent to put some caution on him and his co-agitators. When Hooke got into correspondence with Hamilton, some further light was thrown on these mysterious circumstances. Hamilton professed his interest in the cause of the pretender unabated, but contended that Louis would do nothing for the king of England's enterprise, and that it was useless attempting any such enterprise unless it was supported by French funds and ten thousand French soldiers. Hooke contended that foreign soldiers would ruin instead of assisting the cause; that foreigners were not used to live on so little as Scotchmen; that they did not understand their language, and were not of their religion; that it would have an air of