Mother (Maria D'Este). 11 November, 1701,men X. The King (the Chevalier de St. George) to Charles Innes of Drum- gask. St. Germains, 26 April, 1711,................................................... Admission of Mr. Lewis Innes as Almoner to the King (the Cheva- lier de St. George). 23 December, 1713,..............................nn XII. Appointment of Mr. Lewis Innes as Almoner to the King (the Che- lier de St. George). Bar-le-Duc, 17 March, 1714, The King (the Chevalier de St. George) to Mr. Innes. Rome, 30 LETTERS FROM SIMON LORD LOVAT. M.DCC.XL-XLV. My Dear [ I. FROM SIMON LORD LOVAT. ], I was truly more concernd than I can express in parting with you. It was the effect of natural affection, and I canot help it. I pray God may preserve you in health and strenth, till we see better tymes, which, I hope in God, will soon happen, otherwayes I most be overwhelmd, for my persecution begins to be very smart, by the villanous lyes and calumnys of that ungratful knight of the post, Castle Ladders. My Lord Ilay is gone into measures, as that villain asserts, to ruin my person and ffamily, and to make a slavish commonwealth of my kindred. This is pushing violence to the last point. I see plainly the design is to put me in prison upon the first accompt of an invasion, and then to make a battallion of my name for the government commanded by the two idiots, Struy and Foyers, and exclude the Lord Lovat, and all the heirs male of his family. If this be a good reward for my attachment to the family of Argyle, and to my Lord Ilay in particular, you may judge. However, I have nothing ado at present but to keep quiet, and let you see their folly in the end, for I do assure you that those very unatural gentilmen canot get twenty to follow them against me. If sickness or infirmity did so much afflict me that I could not lead my kindred, I am very sure that all of them would follow you as they would do me, for the good of their country; so, my dear [ ], this hellish contrivance stricks at me, and at you, and at all the Frasers who love our family. I hope you will have a just ressentment of it, and impress my son with it when he comes to age. I offer you [ and his bearns my affectionat respect. I beg you may not drink too much at Inverness. Your too good nature and comaradship gives me great pain. My cusin, William ] will tell you all this story; and you will have Dulcraig and Boyerfield with you this night, who will further inform you. I beg to have a letter from you before you leave your sisters house. sisters house. And believe that I am, more than any man on earth, with unalterable love and respect, [ [ I hope and wish that this may find you, and the good lady ], and all your lovly family, particularly your eldest son, in perfect health; and I sincerely assure you, and the good lady [ ], and all your lovly children, of my most affectionate humble duty and kindest respects. Having received before I came from home very pressing letters from your cousin and mine, my Lord Grange, and from Mr. McFarlane my doer, to come south immediatly, and sign the entail of my estate, which my Lord Grange has laboured these three years past; and he says himself now, that he believes it is one of the best entails in Scotland; as long as there is a shilling remaining of the estate, it must go to the heir male. My Lord Grange having writt to me that this was the most essentiall action of my life for the preservation of my family, I could not stand his call, so I took journey from my own house to come up here, the 30th of Jully, with both my daughters; but if I was as much an observer of freits as I used to be, I would not have taken journey. For two days before I came away, one of my coach mares, as she was steping in to the park, dropd down dead as if she had been shot with a cannon ball. |