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4.

To the Toun of Edinburgh.

Trusty and weilbeloved, wee greete you well. Having considered the necessitie of using present moneyis for the entertainment of our houshold during our aboade in that our ancient Kingdome, wee have been pleased to require our Deputie Thesaurer to tak upon him the charge for borrowing moneyis for that purpose, who for his assurance is to have what securitie he can devise upon our rentis, casualties, and taxationes present and to come, wherby he, nor none who shall go on with him in this kind, shalbe theirby prejudgit, so if he shall have occasion to use your assistance for raising any moneyis for this purpose, we desire you so far to further him therein as you shall find yourselfes sufficientlie secured, and that thereby you be maid no loosers by this meanes; which wee will tak as acceptable service done unto us, and whereof wee will not be unmyndfull. Southwick, 28 of August, 1628.1

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1 The above four letters seem to be the original drafts of Lord Napier's warrants from the King, to prepare for his reception in Scotland. From interested motives, and jealousy of the bearer, they were resisted by the Treasurer, Mar, the Chancellor, Hay, the President of the Council, Monteith, and others of that faction. All my warrants were refused,' says Napier,- and letters sent up extolling my Lord Thesaurer's care and readiness in the King's service; and to excuse his subscribing of the letter wherein they refused the King's demand, this pretty distinction wes found out, that he had subscribed that letter as an officiar of state among the rest, but, as Thesaurer, he wes most willing to undertake the service.' 'My

warrands being refused I resolved to goe up to show his Majestie what rubs his service had got in my person, that his service might not be disapoynted, but that he might remove these, or take some other course in due tyme.' The old Treasurer, who by this time had one foot in the grave, forgetting how he had commended Napier to James VI., as being 'knawn to be both juditious and honest, and, as your Majestie writes in your awin letter, frie of partialitie or any factious humour,' essayed every art of faction to detain his persecuted colleague, and prejudice him with the King. But,' says Napier, I took my leave, and told him that I wes to goe up to lay downe that employment at his Majesties feet, to be disposed

XV. BACK-BOND FROM THE SERGEANT OF THE KING'S CONFEC-
TIONARY TO LORD NAPIER.

Be it knowen to all men, that wheras Archibald Lord Naper is to procure me to be employed in furnishing his Majesty of confections of all sortes during his Majestie's abode in Scotland, and hes covenanted and agreit with me to that effect, at the rates and pryces following, To wit, all naturall drye confections at six sh. 4d. per pound; the pastes and preserves at 3 sh. 4d. per pound; and savoy amber, savoy pistache amber, and savoy fennell amber, at 13 sh. 4d. per pound, one sort with another; and severall sortes of ordinary confects at eightene pence per pound, as in the indenture made betwix us of the date the 12 day of September anno domini 1628 is contained: Notwithstanding, for the benefitt I am to reape by the sayd employment, I am content to be bound, and by these presents do bind myself, my airs, executors and assignes, that I sall seek no more from the said Lord Naper, but that I, my aires and assignes sall rest satisfied and contented with four shilling six pence per pound for naturall dryed of all sortes, and with two shil

of as he pleased. Sir James Baily came to Court before me, with all my Lord's letters to his friends, but had no good acceptance from the King. When I came his Majestie receaved me so gratiously as I and all others thought I should be only employed.' But Napier was followed to Court by the Treasurer, the Chancellor, and the President, who there raised such a storm of calumny about his ears as threw him out of favour for a short time, and entirely crossed the design of the King to be crowned in Scotland, in that year, 1628. It is curious to observe that these preparations for Charles's progress

were going on at the very time of the assassination of Buckingham, yet Lord Napier does not allude to the fact. The warrants are dated at Southwick, on the fifth day after the murder which so powerfully affected the King. At this time,' (23d August 1628,) says Balfour, the King and Courte lay at Southwicke, some sex miles from Portsmouthe; with many teares he lamented the Duckes untymous death; yet, in his passion, was not heard to utter aney worsse expressions, then,-"Who can withstand the hand of Heaven!" (Sir James Balfour's Annals, vol. ii. p. 173.)

lings sixpence for the pound of pastes and preserves, and for savoy amber, savoy pistach amber, and savoy fennell amber, ten shillings per pound; and for pound of ordinary confects, fourtene pence; and that of these confectiones as salbe spent for his Majestie's own use only; and for such confections as salbe sente be me for the use of the countrie, I oblige me and my foresaid that what pryce I sall receave above fyve shillings for the naturells, three shillings for pastes and preserves, and for savoy fennell amber, savoy pistach amber, and savoy fennell amber, above ten shillings per pound, and for the ordinary comfits above fourtene pence the pound, salbe equally shared betwix me and any the Lord Naper sall appoynt. In witness wherof I have subscryved these presents with my hand, before these witnes, Archibald Campbell brother to Sir James Campbell of Lawers, Alexander Naper, brother to the sayd Lord Naper, and Alexander Naper [Rofs?] burges of Edinburgh. At Westminster the 12 day of September, 1628.

AR. CAMPBELL, witness.
A. Ross, witness.

ALEXR. NAPIER, witness.

[Endorsed by the Secretary.]

24 Dec. 1629, I have this day recieved this bakband from the Lord Naper, to be delyvered up to his Majesty.

1 This document affords a very curious illustration of the Times, and of the ways and means of the Sovereign. It is as well for Lord Napier's credit that he has left so clear an explanation of it. The device of this backbond was not to put the profit in his own pocket, but to economize the King's purse. Napier took the precaution, at the

Ro. WALTHEw.

time, to explain privately to the King himself the meaning of it; so that when his powerful enemies attempted to found a charge of peculation upon it, he reminded Charles, that, 'long before any such mater wes known or questioned, I told your majestie the forme and mater of this bargane, when I came from Scotland, when I, and

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.

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