that he would never make out his designs by the strength of his own Clan, resolved to take another course, and sett out on a journey to Court, where he found his Majesty very much inclined to favour him, on account of his services against the Macgrigers, which he exaggerated much beyond the trewth. He made loud complaints against Locheill, as a person that contemned the royall authority, and who scorned to live by any other lawes than his own. In short, he described him as a common robber and oppressor, destitute of all humanity; and filled the King's ears with such horried notions of his barbarity and crewelty, that he obtained the following letter to the Counceil, which I have here transcribed on purpose to show how easie it is for designeing people to ruine the most innocent at the Courts of Princes, when there are non to vindicat them.

"JAMES R.

Right Trusty and Right Well-beloved Cousins and Councelers, and Right Trusty and Well-beloved Councelours, we greet you well. -Whereas Allan M'Coiliduy, in contempt of us and our Government, standeth out in his rebellion, oppressing his neightbours, and beheaving himself as if there were neither King nor law in that our kingdom: it is our pleasure that ye ratify what acts you have heretofore made against him; and furder, that ye expede a Commission in due form, to Sir Lachlan Macintosh, the Lord Kintaill, the Laird of Grant, and such others as the said Sir Lawchlan shall nominate, to prosecute the said Allan with fire and sword, till they have apprehended him, or at least made him answerable to our laws; and that ye direct strick charges to all these of the Clan Chattan, wheresoever inhabiting, to follow the said Sir Lawchlan in that service; also, that ye charge the Marquess of Huntly and the Lord Gordon, as Sheriffs of Inverness, to be aiding and assisting to our said Commissioners: Moreover, that charges be directed to the friends of the Earl of Argyle, and all others next adjacent to the said Allan, in nowayes to assist him; with certification, that whosoever shall aid, assist, relieve, or intercommon with him, shall be accounted partakers of his rebellion, and be punished accordingly with rigour: And the pre

mises commending to your special care, as ye will doe us acceptable service, we bid you fair well. fair well. Given att our Palace of Whitehall, the 6th day of May, 1622." But notwithstanding of this letter, and of the rigorous Commissions and orders issued out in consequence of it by the Lords of the Prive Counceill, Macintosh gained nothing in effect by all his expence and dilligence, but the honour of Knighthood, which his Majesty was then pleased to conferr upon him: For Locheill, having by this time made up matters with the Lord Kintaill, with respect to the estates I have mentioned, their antient friendship was renewed in such a manner, that his Lordship declined the Commission. The Laird of Grant was much more his friend, and though Sir Lauchlan was his sone-in-law, yet he was so far from injureing him that he did him several important servieces. The Lord Barron of Lovate was the antient and hereditary friend of his family; the Marquess of Huntly and his sone were not in good terms with Macintosh; and the other gentlemen, to whom the like Commissions were directed, being equally unwilling to serve him, he was at last obliged once more to try his fortune att the head of his own Clan. Locheill was prepared to receive him, and his men were very keen to measure the justice of their cause by the length of their swords; but he himself being unwilling to oppose the Royal Commission, a treaty was artefully sett on foot, and the partys agreed to submit all their differances to the Earl of Argyll, the Laird of Grant, and some other arbi

trators.

Locheill, by this, designed no more but to gett rid of his present difficultys; and though there was a decree pronounced, adjudgeing the estate to Macintosh, who, in lieu thereof, was thereby ordained to pay Locheill certain sums of money, yet he cunningly shifted the ratification, and continued in possession till his title became once more legall, shall hereafter be shewen, when we come to the conclusion of that antient controversie, in the life of his grandsone Sir Ewen.

In all his troubles, he was vigorously supported by the Earls of Argyle and Perth, and the Lord Madderty, who espoused his intrest with a zeall that seemed to be inspyred with the truest affection and friend

ship. The Marquess of Huntly and the Earl of Enzie his sone, likewayes shewed him great favour after the reconcilment I have mentioned, nor were the Lairds of Glengarry and Clanrannald, his sons-in-law, the Lairds of Grant, and others of his neightbours, less active in promoting his intrest. Many of the letters that passed between him and these noble persons are still extant. They were collected by his grandson; and as they generally relate to the passages I have pointed att, so the most important transactions of his life may be collected from them, and some other wryts that are still to be found in the family. By this it appears that the Lord Madderdy, brother to the Earl of Perth, was surety for him in all his transactions in the Low-Countrey, and that he had the custody of his charters and such other papers as it was thought could not be safely keept at home, in these troublesome times.

He had the good fortune to be reconciled with his Majesty before his death. This favour he owed chiefly to the friendship of the Earls [of] Argyle and Perth, who represented matters in such a light, that the King gave him a full remission for all the illegall and irregular steps of his life, which are therein recited. It is dated the 28th June 1624, which was the last year of that King's life. of that King's life. His Majesty was likewayes pleased to wryte to his Counceil to receive him and his Clan as his most loyall and dutifull subjects; and because he woud be obliged, in obedience to the laws, to goe in person to Edinburgh in order to find surety for his Clan, the King furder commands them to issue forth Letters of Protection, dischargeing the Lords of Session and Justiciary and all other judges to sustain proces against him and his said clan for years, for any cause, civil or criminall, preceeding that date.

The only person that now gave him trouble was the Laird of Macintosh; but he had too much cunning and mettle for him. The recitall of the adventures that befell him in his frequent journeys to Drummond Castle, the principall seat of the family of Perth, his adress and cunning in eluding the stratagems made use of by Macintosh to become master of his person while he was an outlaw, would be entertaining to the reader, if my intended brevity allowed place for them, in so short ane abstract. His eldest sone, John, has been often mentioned; he [was] a gentle

man of exquisite judgement, and had a genius happily turned for the management of civill affairs. He seldome mistooke his measures; and had not the cross accidents I have mentioned very often disconcerted his projects, it is probable that he would not only have recovered the antient patrimony of the family, but also have advanced it to a degree of ritches and splendour beyond what it ever enjoyed. He died sixteen years before his father, and by his Lady, Mrs Margaret Campbell, daughter to Robert Campbell, then of Glenfalloch, afterwards of Glenurchy, whom he married in October 1626, he left behind him two sons and two daughters.

The actions of Ewen, his eldest sone, are the subject of the following Memoirs; and Allan, his younger sone, proving also a gentleman of courage and parts, was maryed to Mrs Jean Macgrigor, sister to James, Laird of Macgrigor, in August 1666, and died young.

Locheil's second sone, Donald, became afterwards tutor to his nephew, and acquitted himself of that charge with singular probity and honour. Of him is the family of Glendesary, now a very considerable tribe of the Camerons, descended. We shall hereafter have occasion to mention him. Besides these, he had many daughters; one whereof was marryed to the Laird of Glengarry, another to the Captain of Clanrannald; a third to the Laird of Appine, a fourth to Maclean of Ardgour, a fifth, if I am not mistaken, to Macdonald of Keppoch, and the rest to other gentlemen of that neightbourhood, whose names doe not just now occur.

His charracter, with what furder remains to be said of Locheill, we reserve to a more proper place; for he outlived the battle of Inverlochy, and died about the year 1647, in a very advanced age.

But before we conclude this Introduction, it will be proper to give some account of a clergeyman of his name, whose extraordinary genius and parts rendered him so famous, that he was distinguished by the name of The Great Cameron. He was the sone of Mr John Cameron, Minister of Dunune, the same who was Governour to Locheill, as we have

formerly related. He passed his greener years in the University of Glasgow, and leaving his own countrey while he was very young, arrived att Burdeaux, in 1600, where some of his Religion observing his

great qualitys, and the progress he had made in learning, sent him to study Divinity att their proper expences. He afterwards became a Minister of their Church. But the place where he gott most reputation was at Samur, where he taught Divinity for three years. Being of oppinion that Calvin's tenets concerning grace, free-will, and predestination, were very harsh, his judgement inclined more to those of Arminius ; and herein he was followed by so many learned men among the Protestants of these parts, such as Amarat, Capell, Bochart, Daille, and others, that the Calvinists spoke of the Schoole of Samour as of a party opposite to theirs.

Cameron published many learned Treatises in support of his opinion, all in a copious and neat stile, whereby he became one of the most famous men of that age. But the books that got him the greatest charracter were printed after his death; and, in particular, his most learned and judicious Remarks upon the New Testament, which were published under the title of Morothecum Evangelicum, and were afterwards inserted in the Criticks of England.