IN satisfaction to your desire touching a malicious Pam­phlet lately forged, and published against Duke Hamil­ton and his Brother the Earl of Lanerick; I shall shew you briefly and ingeniously my opinion thereof; Sine amore et odio, which blinds and transports most judgements.

The first part thereof concerning some of Duke Hamil­tons Predecessors is borrowed from Buchanan, who is known by all judicious impartial men of the Scottish Na­tion, to have been suborned by the Earl of Murray then Regent, to defame Queen Mary and her Posterity, make them odious to the people, and incapable of Government, according to his pernitious principles now revived in this Island, (whether first invented by Jesuits, or some Secta­ries about the yeer of God 1536. is not material to our purpose, since both Joyn issue in it; and like Herod and Pilate, agree against the Lords Anointed;) to make way for the setling of the Crown upon his own head, and transferring of it to his Posterity; as by Buchanan his Dialogue, De jure Regni apud Scotos, his Detectio, and History may appear: As also by the Charge, which the Earls, of [Page 4] Murray, Morton, and others gave in to Queen Elizabeth against Queen Mary; and as King James declares plainly in his Basilicon doron.

And perceiving that this could hardly be effectuated so long as the race of Hamiltons, the next undoubted lawful Heirs remained, who stood firme to the Queen: He caus­ed Buchanan to defame them also in his Libels for that same end, forfeited and banished them for their Loyalty; and as Buchanan, to insinuate his calumnies the better, took his rise from King James the fifths minority; so doth this Pamphleter now, and yet makes only use of him, when he serves his turn, building upon his own raw invention, when Buchanan makes not for it;

As when he instances Sir James Hamilton executed for Treason, Buchanan doth not charge the Earl of Arran to have had any hand in it, neither was he ever accused ther­of; the said Sir James of Evendale being known to be a profuse wicked man.

Again, Buchanan in terminis charges the Clergy, as the chief hinderers of King James the Fift his meeting at York with his Uncle Henry the Eighth of England, for fear he should have induced him to shake off the Popes Autho­rity as himself had done a little before; and that the Mar­riage with the Lady Mary might have been a means to procure it: as they likewise hindered the Marriage of Mary Queen of Scots with Edward the Sixth, agreed up­on under the Great Seals of both Kingdoms: The Queen-Mother and Cardinal Beaton who ruled all then, sending her to France; which this Pamphleter charges most in­juriously upon the Duke of Chastle-rault, whereas it is conspicuous that he obtained that title, and 1200 Franks pension (which this Duke keeps still) from the French [Page 5] King, for resigning the Regency to the Queen dowager, being that he was made Regent, not by a private faction (as the Pamphleter saies) but by the Three Estates of the Kingdom, in opposition to a forged Will of the late Kings, which Cardinal Beaton obtruded, the Duke being inclined then to the Protestant Religion, and most popular, as both Buchanan and John Knox in their Histories do testifie, and impute his after change in Religion to the Queens side, to his Brother the Abbot of Paseley, after Archbishop of St Andrews; and M. David Panter his Secretary, after Bishop of Rosse, who returning from France, got in great favour with him, over ruled him, being of no great intellectualls, and caused remove of all his ancient servants, and placed their own creatures about him: And it is very plain, that if he had been a man of an aspiring spirit to the Crown, he would never have given up his Regency; but all his actions showes him to have been a humble man, and of no ambition, and more inclined to a private, than publick way of life.

And for his eldest Son the Earl of Arran, he was known to be distracted, and died so without marriage, and Lord John the second Son, this Dukes Grand-father, never was a suitor to the Queen that I can read in any but this Pam­phleter, though I cannot see, that it had been a Crime in either to have been suitors, more than it was for the Lord Darnely to marry her.

As for the Kings murther afterwards, when the Earl of Morton suffered for concealing of it, a cleer Discovery was made, who were the chief authors of it, and actors in it; the Duke of Chastle rault and his Sons having small hand in the Government at that time, and standing fast to the Queen, when others rose in Arms against her in pro­secution of that Designe.

[Page 6] As for the Earl of Murrayes death, Bothwel-haugh that perpetrated it, flying after to France, professed that he did it out of a private revenge, because the Earl of Mur­ray had taken his Estate unjustly from him, and could not be induced by large rewards to kill a great man there, nei­ther could there ever be any legal proofes brought a­gainst the Duke, his Sons, or Archbishop Hamilton, (who was most illegally and barbarously murthered, concer­ning the Kings murther and Regents death:) though much attempted by the Faction of the times out of ma­lice to them for their Loyalty to the Queen, and con­sequently to the Prince her Son, whom the Faction set up in his Cradle, to destroy his Mother, under colour of his Authority invested in them, which, how much he abhorred, he declared fully when he came to years of understanding : and many of the cheif Actors, did not escape Gods judgement; And here I must observe, how this Scribler would seem to be a Royalist, and yet runs himself upon Sectarian Antimonarchical Rocks, that make inevitable Shipwrack of all Monarchical power.

Where he sayes, That the Queen was put and kept in Lochleven a prisoner, by command of Parliament, and that the Hamiltons took a course to releive her, and sup­presse the King and his party; he will not deny, but the Queen was their lawful Soveraigne by the Law of God, and by neer 107 Descents; by what law then, of God, or that Kingdom, could a party of her Subjects imprison, and disthrone her? Was it Treason in my Lord Hamilton, Duke of Chastle-rault to releive her, and imploy all his power to defend her? Let them cite the Law; I demand of him, Would it be so now, to rescue the King out of the Isle of Wight? But he answers, That it was to sup­presse [Page 7] the King her son, and the Nobility, that did adhere to him: This is a poore subterfuge, the Prince was in his Craddle, not fully 18 moneths of age, and what hand could he have in the ruine of his Mother, to make a Presi­dent for his own? the matter is clear to any reasonable man.

The Hamiltons would have restored the Queen accord­ing to the duty of their allegiance without wronging the young Prince in his just succession; nay, for the better pre­serving of his Royall Person to come to it in his due time, according to the Law of God, and of that Nation. But such was the perfidious guilt of the Earles of Murray, Ar­gile, Morton, Ruthen and others, that it could not be done without their destruction; therefore they laboured to keep the power in their own hands, in the name of the Infant King, and to destroy the Queen and Hamiltons, to put the crown upon the Earl of Murraye's head, the young King being in his custody to make away when he found time.

And besides, King James His Authority, (which is of great force with the judiciously learned,) all the Earl of Murrayes proceedings, do clearly demonstrate his intend­ed usurpation of the Crown; for from the first beginning of that Rebellion he was head of it, and all along acted covertly, making the Earl of Argile to own it openly, and made still a show to be for the Queen his dear sister, abusing of her goodnes, and getting into places of greatest trust, the better to betray all her Counsells to Argile, and the Lords of the congregations absenting himself ever from [Page 8] the execution of all the plots contrived against her, which himself was chief author and abettor of, untill at last she was imprisoned, and disthroned; and then when he thought all sure, he took off the mask, raised an Army openly, defeat­ed her in Langside field, and enforced her to fly into Eng­land for safety, in regard of his most violent prosecution: to the disgrace both of her, the young King, and the Scottish Nation, charging her with many base aspersions, that could not but reflect upon her Son, and subjecting her ho­nour and life to the judgement of a forreign Prince con­trary to the fundamentall lawes of that ancient free King­dome, never subject to any but their own Kings: and at the same time forfeited and banished the Hamiltons, Lord John and Lord Claud being reduced to that extremity, that they were constrained to go on foot disguised through England to France; such an influence and correspondence the Earl of Murray had then with Queen Elisabeth, that they durst not be known there.

Some Two Yeares and odde Moneths after the Earle of Murry being killed by one of the name of Hamilton out of his private revenge (as I touched before) the Earl of Lenox got to be regent; and continued the per­secution of the Hamiltons, out of an old quarrell that had been between these families for the death of John Earl of Lenox in King Iames the fift his minority (but withall stil un­der the pretence of the murther of the late King and Re­gent) and so did the two succeeding Regents, the Earls of Marre and Morton, to keepe the power in their own hands, and debarre my Lord Hamilton from his just Right, the Regency being due to him by the Lawes of the Kingdome, as next of blood to the young King.

[Page 9] Thereafter Captain James Stewart a man of a violent and hot Spirit, comming in favour with the young King, stu­dyed to raise his fortune, (being a Souldier of fortune) up­on the continuance of the Hamiltons ruin, and first begged the Ward of the Earl of Arran, being a Lunatick; and after­wards got himself to be made Earl of Arran: Thus for many years the Hamiltons suffered exceedingly for their loyalty; untill at last a great part of the Nobilitie, and Gentry, not being able to endure longer Captain Iames his oppressions, rose in a body, called home Lord John Hamil­ton, and Lord Claud his Brother, and rescued the King at Striveling out of his hands.

At which time Lord Iohn, venerable for his comely per­son, and gray haires (occasioned by his great afflictions) falling upon his knees to kiss his Majesties hand, was taken up, embraced, and called Father by him; who being over­joyd with the Kings presence, and kind reception, fell again upon his knees, and could not express for tears, his joy mix­ed with grief, that he should have been enforced to take that way to come to His Majesties Presence, humbly beg­ging pardon, if he had given any offence to his Majesty thereby. The King being much moved with his passionate expressions and manner of his carriage, took him up again, embraced him, and desired him not to be troubled, assuring him that he was now come to years, to discern what he and his family had suffered above all others, for their fidelity to his Mother, and should reward it, if God spared his days.

And soon after created him Marquis of Hamilton, made him a Privie Councellor, and desired much his advice in all business of Weight; but he being of retired disposition waved as much as he could the Court, to enjoy a private con­tented life in the Country. [Page 10] Some of the furious Ministers wrote to him the famous 17 day of December, 1596. when they stirred up the hot-head­ded Zelots in Edenburgh against the King, to come and be head of their faction, which they called God and the Kirks Cause, which was a fair occasion for him to have embra­ced, if he had been more ambitious then loyal; but he flat­ly refused, advising them to submit to their Soveraign; sent their Letters to the King, and offered his best assistance to suppress them, and so continued all his time most passi­onately affectionate to his sacred Majesties service, which leads me to observe this Libellers malice in his Post-script against him, most injuriously, and upon no ground, unless he do with some of our times interpret the greatest loyalty to be treason, as he asserts plainly in some parts of his dis­course, and particularly in the Post-script, to bring home his conclusion grounded upon false Premises, against my Lord Hamiltons Predecessors, and to make way for a more easie belief, in the Readers of these things, that he libels a­gainst the Duke himself, and his Brother, to whose parts I am now come, (not esteeming it needful to insist upon the Noble disposition of the Dukes Father, not mentioned by the Pamphleter, and the faithful service that he did to King Iames in the general Assembly at Perth, and in His Majesties Royal Family.)

The first arrow wherewith he thinks to wound my Lord Dukes honor, is drawn from that Levy for Germany, about seventeen or eighteen years ago, and carryed on with a long­winded story concerning the Lord Rae, Ochiltrie, and o­thers.

Sir, it is well known, that in that publike tryal, before the Marshal Court, between the L. Rae, & David Ramsey, and at the Councel Table between Major Borthuik, and M. Robert [Page 11] Meldram, he was acquitted; David Ramsey being known to be no better then a mad man, and the other e­steemed a man of no stable spirit, both very unlikely to be entrusted by so prudent a Statesman, (as the Duke is thought to be) in a business of that nature. The Lord Raes concealing of the business so long, makes it suspiti­ous, that if he could have obtained a lease of Orknay (which it should seem, the Lord Duke either crost him in, or did not [...]ive him that furtherance which he expe­cted, there had never been a word of it. And Major Borthuik (as I have been informed by them that knew him) was a bare Souldier that would have raised a for­tune any way. The Lord Ochiltrie, son to Captain Iames Stewart, formerly mentioned, being of a desperate estate, is confessed by the Pamphleter, to have gone far beyond his information, and consequently to suffer just­ly (whatsoever he says to the contrary.)

The second arrow that he shoots at my Lord Duke, taketh its flight from the beginning of the troubles in Scotland, about which time my Lord Duke being im­ployed by His Majesty as his Commissioner into that Kingdom, to settle all differences there, left no means unattempted to advance His Majesties service, (what­ever this Scribler falsly surmiseth to the contrary) and notwithstanding so great a mountain of opposition as he then met with, did imploy his uttermost power with all fidelity, wisdom, zeal and courage for His Majesties interest, (his now enemies themselves then being Judges:)

Immediatly after he hath shot this second arrow, pag. 16. perceiving it to fall short, he feathers it of new with some Articles once in preparation (as he says) by [Page 4] the House of Commons here in England against my Lord Duke, but this embrio wherewith this ardelio seems to please himself very much, proved abortive, like one of his births, who hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falshood; and the truth is, that my Lords unsain­ed zeal and unwearied fedulity to promote His Maje­sties Interest in both Kingdoms, was that which rendred him obnoxious to the fury of the times in both, and might have cost him dear, if he had not taken some fair prudential ways to save himself, when the King was not able to protect him: As for this Pamphleter, to draw conclusions from the event and successe of things, which is only in Gods hands, and many times follows the worst or weakest councels, savours of too much spleen.

And to drive on Consequences from, perhaps, it may be, it seemeth, and such dialectical mediums, and suppo­sitions, as also upon foolish Prophecies, which like Sy­biliaes Oracles have ever divers senses, and are interpre­ted at pleasure with additions, diminutions and alterati­ons, relishes too much malice. As this of Cadyow, which is laid by him as the corner stone of his accusation,—was made use of by the Zealots, against the Dukes Fa­ther, when he was His Majesties Commissioner in the general Assembly at Perth, with the addition of the word Kirk, thus; When Cadyow shall be King (interpreted by) them the Kings Commissioner) he shal mickle wo to the Kirk bring.

But this word Kirk is now omitted by this Libeller, he following, for his own finister ends, the footsteps of his Father the Devill.

As for my own part, I profess to you, Sir, that I look [Page 3] upon these pretended Prophecies no otherwise, then up­on the cheats of Wizards, though there may be some­times cunning policy in them, to abuse the simple cre­dulous people.

His last arrow flyeth high, but how far wide, and how much, in this last aspersion, his tongue is like a razor that cutteth deceitfully; will appear by this true nar­ration, which I shal briefly give you, as followeth.

In the year 1643. upon the Dukes arrival at Oxford from Scotland, out of his Zeal to His Majesties Interest; some Doegs then of both Nations conspiring together, and being led with a most perverse and ungrateful spi­rit (divers of them being raised by his means to their highest and best fortunes,) most falsly and injuriously laid to his charge things that he knew not, acting the part of informers, accusers and witnesses; whereupon a process was drawn against the Duke, but when the same was given into Sir Robert Holborne (that late famous Lawyer) to see how far it would strike against my Lord Duke: In plain terms he affirmed it was of no weight, withall adding, there was never greater injustice done to a Peer of this Realm; for which plainness and candor, the said Sir Robert Holborn was like to have suf­fered deeply: Besides, to this day there never was, nei­ther then could be any reall proof made against him. And though my Lord Duke, during his aboad at Oxford, did from day to day most humbly supplicate access to His Majesty for clearing of himself; yet the said com­bined faction (well knowing, that if the Lord Duke had got access to His Maiesty, he could as easily have shook off their forged accusation, as Saint PAUL did the Viper from his hand;) prevailed by their multiplyed malicious Suggestions, subtile [Page 14] insinuations, and the influence of their abettors, over the Kings good nature, as to get my Lord removed from Court, and committed to Pendennis, where he endured a long and tedious imprisonment with great Patience, his good conscience being a continual feast to him.

Now least I should trespass upon your patience, and transgres too far the just limits of a Letter, I shal shut up the Dukes part with this, That all that the Pamphleter hath packt together in his Letter, is but a fardle of gross lyes and false aspersions, whereby, if that he hath not ly'd himself out of all credit with all men of any can­dor or ingenuity; I report my self to any who hath not the pearl of prejudice in the eye of their judgment; As also that he proves himself a Libeller in not putting his name to the charge, according to the Laws of that Kingdom.

To draw towards a conclusion, pag. 21. he shewes no smal particular spleen against the Earl of Lanrick in the citation of two passages that could not drop from the mouth of any rational man, much less from one of my Lord Lanricks wisdom and temper: The passages he takes upon him to confirm by my Lords horoscope (wherin it seems he is versed) & with a Peut-estre and his bare affirmative; as his Peut-estre, hath no strength in it, and his affirmative no credit, so I hope none will fan­cy my Lord Lanrick of so mean a capacity, and credu­lous a brain as to place so great confidence (as the Pam­phleter speaks of) in a horoscope, much less to glory in the same, contrary to the Canons of the Primitive Church, and practice of all good Christians, nay even the Laws of some Pagan Emperors. Sir, as for the na­ture of Horoscopes in general, I have spent some time [Page 15] in the search of it, but could never find any certain grounds to build upon, and can instance an hundred fai­lings for every truth hath faln out.

Lastly I conceive this Pamphlet (as things stand) to have been unseasonably vented, to the no smal encour­agement of all disaffected to his Majestie and Monar­chical Government, and the grand discouragement of all well affected to his Majesties service and interest; yea even to divide and disturb them. But to winde up all, my Lord Duke being made General of the Scotish Army, not by a private Faction, but by the Estates of that Kingdom assembled in a full and free Parliament, I am confident (and so desire you to be] that his Graces faithful, vigorous and active prosecution of that high and weighty imployment now laid upon his shoulders, will prove, (by the blessing of him who is the Lord of Hosts the Panpharmacon of all our distempers and dis­eases, turn all our water into wine, speak this conjurer (for so he takes upon him to be pag. 23. dead, falsifie all his panick predictions, undeceive many who out of their too much credulity and no less partiality, have appre­hended and entertained divers groundless fears and jea­lousies of my Lord Duke, and in the end fatal to none but this upstart Merlin and his pertinacious Proselites : My Lord Duke having nothing before his eyes, nor prising any thing upon earth more dear to him then the setling of Religion in its power and purity, his sacred Majesties restauration to his Royal Throne and Dignity; the firm union of both Nations; and the peace and tran­quillity of all these so long bleeding and distempered Kingdoms : which the God of Peace speedily accom­plish [Page 16] and I presume that you and all the lovers of truth, justice and peace, will say A men to the Prayer of

I forgot (being in haste] to shew you how that the Author of the Pamphlet doth Pag, 20, & 21. intimate himself to have been very inward with the King at New­castle, to be a man of no vulgar intelligence, and as con­fident as a Secretary of State; but as he plundred Bu­chanan in the first part; so he discovers the like, or more interest then Buchanans plundred mare and cloke­bag in the last part.