XVI. LORD NAPIER'S EXPLANATION OF THE foregoing BACK-BOND
TO THE KING. FROM HIS AUTOGRAPH.

It pleased your Majestie to employ me to furnish your Majestie during the tyme you were to abyde in Scotland, when the Officiars of estate there had refused to doe it, and to send for me to Southwick for that purpose, which having accepted, I came to London, and sent one to those who deale with such commodities, to learne the pryces of every severall sort, for ready money, whereof he brought to me a note. Then not daring to use any of them for that which wes for your Majesties owne mouth, I sent for the Sergeant of your Confectionary, to deale with him.. He told me the pryces the Green-cloath did allow him;

all others thought I should have been, only, employed; which I humbly desire your Majestie to call to memory.' The King did remember it, so that calumny failed. Lord Napier adds: 'I confess I never bought to to myselfe, nor to any other, houshold provisions, and have no skill in catery or Butchery; and if I have failed that way it is want of skill, not of honesty. As for the wreats, I am content they be produced before your Majestie, and all my proceedings examined by your Majestie, to whose judgement I only adhere.' The indorsation is thus explained by Lord Napier. 'My Lord Thesaurer having got the employment of furnising the King, and I put by it, it wes not reasonable that contracts should be standing betwixt Sergeant Walthew and. me: I desyred therefore his Majestie to give ordour to call them in, to be cancelled.

The King commanded the Chancelier to see it done. The Sergeant produced the contracts, and the Chancelier would faine have picked something out of them to my disadvantage. Then said I; I acquainted the King (as indeed I did, and his Majestie remembred it) with the maner and matter of this Bargane, to which St James Baily replyed, that the King knew it not till it wes questioned; and I (not being able to containe my selfe) said, that it wes not lyke his barganes, and his complices, in the Kings service. At which the Chancelier was so furiously mad (for it touched him) that forgetting himselfe, and me too, be commanded me out of his chamber, which I would not doe. The chamber wes none of his, but a borrowed one, and within the King's house, whither I went by the King's command.' (Lord Napier's Autograph Relation.)

which I comparing with my note found very exorbitant, telling him that I wes to give him ready money, whereas he lay long out of payment be the Green-cloath. For two or three dayes wee could not agree. At last he told me, that, if the Greencloath, and other his Customers in England, did not know, and that he thought to gaine vpon the country of Scotland, he would agree to my pryces for your Majestie. Whereupon this expedient wes proponed, (whither be the Sergeant, or be Archibald Campbell, I remember not) that ane Indenture should be drawn up containing these pryces the Green-cloath allowed him, and a backband having relation to the Indenture, and derogating from it, containing the pryces that others would afford for ready money, for so much as should serve your Majesties use. To which I consented, and set doune a brother of myne to wreat the backband, who being somewhat slow in wreating, I tooke the band, and wrote it my self;' and whill it wes awriting, the Sergeant of himselfe, without any others motion, promised, that, if he were well payed, and made a good bargane with the countrey, he would share with any freind or servant of myne the superplus which should be got of the countrey above certaine pryces set downe farre above your Majesties pryces, except in the Amber, which he knew the countrey would not buy. And although I knew the vainnes of that offer, and that none in the countrey would ever come to those pryces, and so my friend should be a sharer of nothing, yet did I set downe this offer to that effect. I wes certainly informed, when your Majestie's father went to Scotland, his banqueting stuffe did as ordinarly serve some mens tables, as his owne; and to prevent any such abuse, I thought to put one to looke to that; who because he wes not ordinary, and therefore wes to get no allowance from your Majestie, but only to

1 This is verified by the original in the Napier charter-chest. On one side of the sheet are three lines of the bond, where it had been commenced by the more methodi

cal brother, who was Alexander Napier of Torrie, third son of the second marriage of the great Napier. The document is still entire, after the lapse of two centuries.

F

be entrusted be me, and I did think be vertue of that clause to draw somewhat from the Sergeant to that man I should appoynt, which I might easily doe being his pay-Master. And this is the tenour of the backband.

XVII. ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL TO ARCHIBALD FIRST LORD NAPIER.

MY LORD, I am laitlie informed that some of your Lordship's on freinds, forgetting the dewtie of honest men, haue most wrongfullie accused your Lordship to his Majestie, alledging, most impudentlie, that your Lordship had passed in my favour a gift of non-entrie, or some such lyk thing, quherby his royall Majestie was prejudged in a matter of fourtie-eight thousand pounds, or thairby. Quherfore, not trusting to my own memorie (altho matters of that kind could not be easilie forgot), I have causit search the Register and can find no such matter quherin my name is used. And quhillas I was making searche, I fund a gift of non-entrie, grantit laitlie to the Lord of Lowdon, of some lands quherto he pretends a title; and supposing that to be the matter they poynt at, I consulted the Lord of Lowdoun his Advocatis, that I micht informe your Lordship the true estaite of that bussines; and they declair that the Lord of Lowdoun brocht them a chairtour he had laitlie found among his predecessors writts granted to one of his predicessors tuo or thrie hundreth yeir agoe, and they advysed him to inter actioun thairupoun befoir the tyme of prescryving of securities suld run out: And first he behoved to pas a gift of non-entrie before he served and retoured his Ladie as narrest air to hir predicessor,' quho was last

1 Margaret Campbell, grand-daughter and heiress of Hugh, Lord Loudon, married John Campbell, son of Sir James Campbell of Lawers, in 1620. Hence he is styled in this letter Lord Loudon. He was created

Earl of Loudon in 1633, but the patent was stopped at the Chancery in consequence of his violent opposition to the measures of the King. It was confirmed, however, in 1641, when Charles made over Scotland to

infeft in thes lands, wherwayis he wold be lyable for the non-entrie, quhich no doubt wald extend to far more than the lands were worth, although he suld obtaine his actioun. Therfore, according to the ordinarie cours in such caices, the Lord of Lowdoun gave in a signatour of non-entrie of thes lands to the Lords of Exchekker, and the Lords finding that the lands were not in the Lord of Lowdoun his possession, bot posest by ane uther qua was his Majesties tennent thairof, they all accorded to pas the said gift to the Lord of Lowdoun for ane easie compositioun, and so, to testifie that it was not a matter privatlie done, the gift is subscryued be the Lord Chancellour, the Thesaurer, the Precedent of the Counsaill, the Lord Privie Seal, your Lordship, and divers uthers of the Exchekker: And, as I am crediblie informed, it was so publick a thing, that the Lords ressoned anent the same, both pro and contra, before it was granted: And this much farder I have thoucht goode to informe your Lordship of, that it be affirmed to his Majestie that the matter may be of very great consequence to the Lord of Lowdoun, your Lordship on my on my credit may undertak that the Lord of Lowdoun sall quyt to his Majestie the foirsaid gift of non-entrie, and all uthir richts he hes to thes lands for ane easie compositioun; and if your Lordship can secure a bargane with thes quho so lewdlie misinformes his Majestie anent that particular, ye sall do the Lord of Lowdoun a good office. Bot howsoevir, since they have bene so impudent, I cannot sie how your Lordship can come fairlie of, unless that matter be brocht to a publict tryall; and quhen they sall not be able to prove ther alledgeance, ther is no doubt bot his Majestie may be

the Covenanting party. Loudon then also became Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and was one of the most conspicuous of the party of Argyle, who ruled that unhappy country. It was Loudon who pronounced sentence of death upon Montrose, and he

did so con amore, from personal motives. 'He accompanied the inhuman sentence,' says Clarendon, with all those insolent reproaches upon his person and his actions. which the liberty of that place gave him leave to use.'

graciouslie pleased to put a mark of his Majesties dislyk on such misformers.

My Lord, it may be easilie perceived that ther calumnies ar forged be reasson of that fair and frie offer made be your Lordship' for defraying his Majesties expensis at his cuming to this his kingdom, querin I must not want a blow for taking the boldnes to remember his Majestie of your offer when as uthers had refused the same (as I am crediblie informed.) Bot let them doe thair worst. We have to thank God that we leive under a most just and gracious King, quho will not receive misinformationes of the meanest of his subjects on calling them to a reckoniug, and both can and will esteme of the misinformers as they merit. And as to the chairge his Majestie was graciouslie pleased to grant me for outleting those moneyis suld be levied for defraying his Majesties expensis heir, if his sacred Majestie find not the same expedient for his Majesties service, I sall rest hairtlie weill content with his Majesties most gracious pleasour; and, altho I may not compare with great ones in power, yet ther sal be none more affectionatlie bent to doe his Majesties service then I sall be, quherof I have alreadie given als great proife as those quho hes made themselves better acquentit to his Majestie. So wishing your Lordship a happie and a safe returne, I rest,

Your Lordship's evir to serve you,

Edinburgh, the 18 of November, 1628. To the Right Honourabill My Lord Neper.

AR. CAMPBELL.2

1 See No. XIII. The King's progress at the time was defeated by this faction. 2 Archibald Campbell is designed brother

to Sir James Campbell of Lawers, in the back-bond, No. XV.; from which it would seem that he was uncle to Loudon.