APPENDIX, No. IV.

Notices of the first EARL of AIRTH and MONTEATH.

Or that very eccentric Earl of Monteath, who, enjoying a high situation, first under James VI., and afterwards under Charles I., by the title of Earl of Strathern, as well as that of Monteath, lost, by a rash speech, these titles and that situation, we have it in our power, from an inspection of the Monteath papers in the house of Gartmore, to mention a few things, which, while they are amusing, have not, as far as we know, found their way into print. He was made a commissioner of exchequer in Scotland in 1627; and on the 21st of February, 1628, he was raised to be president of his majesty's privy council of Scotland.*

In the plenitude of royal favour and official consequence, he had rashly given way to the natural vanity of his character, by saying, "My blood is the reddest in the kingdom." Among the papers recently alluded to, there is one, written in his own hand, and, though without any title, obviously alluding to that fatal slip of the tongue. It is as follows: "Notwithstanding that I have examined myself even from my very infancy, and that I protest to God I cannot re

* Papers at Gartmore, containing the instruments of his appointments. The signature of James, contrary to the royal practice, is a SUBscription.

member that ever I spake thes words in Sir James Skeene's paper, or any words to that sense, zit seing a person of qualitie hes affirmed so much to his matie as in the strictness of law micht be a probatione, I doo absolutly submit my self to his matie to be disposed of at his pleasour.

"And concerning the services of Strathern, although I protest to God I did not proceide ane iote in them bot be the advyse and directione of sum qa hes speciall trust from his matie in maters of law, and quhous judgment is a greate deall better nor myne in busines of that kind, qch I am habile to verifie, zit seing it is conceaved as a thing consisting to have been doune, I doo lykways in that submit myself to my gratious master, to be disposed upon his pleasour."

From the last part of this paper it appears, that he had been accused of having taken undue advantage of the king in obtaining as hereditary what his ancestor had been found to have no right to. He elaborately and artfully throws the blame upon others.

day

Among the Monteath papers at Gartmore, there is one titled, "His Maties Letter to Myself for calling the Advocates togidder concerning the Reduction of Stratherne." The date is " off December, the year of God, 1632." Addressed " To my Trustie and Well-beloved Cousine and Counsellour, William, Earle and Constabill of Stratherne, President off our Counsell of State, &c."

In the end of the preceding year, and the beginning of the present, he had been nearly two months at the court of his sovereign; and we are enabled, from an extant voucher, to give a few memora bilia of the tavern expence, during that time, of the president of his majesty's privy council in Scotland.

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Excerpta from "The Erele of Stratherne his Bills, the first of December, 1631," when President of the Privy Council of Scotland. The place is not specified, but from a passage at the end, it would appear it was London, whither he had probably gone to attend the court of his sovereign. The tavern, or hotel, is not named; and whether, like his grandson, above thirty years after, he frequented the "Black Swan in the Strand," is not known. That it was a tavern kept by a Scotchman, the "mutton and brothe" so often set down,* and the name of Lumsden, would seem to indicate.

Bread and beer was the earl's breakfast all the time he appears to have staid in London, and it invariably costs four-pence. We may give one specimen of a dinner bill :

Fryday, Dinner the 9

for oringes and lemons

0 8

for mutton and brothe

1 6

*No less than forty-three times in the course of nearly two months, (every time the ear is recorded to have dined here, or seems to have given a supper to his friends) did his lordship enjoy the luxury of "mutton and broth," a "dishe" of which was regularly charged 1s. 6d.

This seems to have been the farewell entertainment to his London friends. "Boiled beife" is once mentioned as a dinner dish; and "beef," probably salted, and in thin slices, for a relish, is once admitted," after supper. "The roast beef of old England" is utterly excluded. As no mention is made of wine, it is to be presumed that the earl provided this article himself. The document from which these extracts are made, thus concludes:

"The totall soume of all theis bills, frome the fyfthe day of desember, 1631, untill the laste day of Januarie, being Teusday dinner, the laste maill is,

payed compleitlie by Mr Harie Drumand, att his cuming outt of Scotland, being the last day of Jannuar, 1632. Witnes wt my hand.

(Signed) ALEXANDER LUMSDEN."

The title of Strathearn had been ratified by the king in July 1631, but in consequence of the singular speech above-mentioned, his majesty deprived him both of this and of the title of Monteath; the last-mentioned of which, about two centuries before, had been given to his forefather in lieu of Strathearn. He now fell into disgrace, notwithstanding the king had created him Earl of Airth, with precedence equal to what he had enjoyed as Earl of Monteath. Among the Monteath papers, we find an epistle dated 17th March, 1638, congratulating Airth (as he was now called) on his restoration to the royal favour, and affording a specimen (probably by one of his "mutton-and-broth" friends) of the gigantic in letter-writing.

"Right Honorbl.

"I desyer that those few lynes may hartely congratulat your lops happie returne unto the king's maties favor: In the diminutione whereof to yow wards, as no servant of yors was more dejected, soe in the accretione of it non can be more elevated. My lord, in my opinione, yor resurrectione frome the grave wherein yow lately lay, to the feild wherein yow now stand, was a harder taske then being rissen to remount to the highest spheare that ever yow moved in. Observe, therefor, the tymes weill, powsse yor fortoun, trye yor witts and frends, and feare not but that yor Master, by his clement

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