friends, and make them do all in their power for your service; but
how far they would be able to resist such a formed body of regular
troops as will be against them, I must leave your Majestie to judge.

"I have sent accounts from time to time to Lord Bolingbroke, but I
have not heard once from any of your Majestie's servants since Mr.
Ogilvie of Boin came to Scotland, nor none of the five messengers I
sent to France are return'd, which has been an infinite loss to us.
I sent another, which is the sixt, to France, some days ago, with
the account of our victory, who I suppose is sail'd ere now.

"May all happiness attend your Majestie, and grant you may be safe,
whatever come of us. If it do not please God to bless your kingdoms
at this time with your being settled on your throne, I make no doubt
of its doing at another time; and I hope there will never be wanting
of your own subjects to assert your cause, and may they have better
fortune than wee are like to have. I ask but of Heaven that I may
have the happiness to see your Majestie before I die, provided your
person be safe; and I shall not repine at all that fortune has or
can do to me.

"Your Majestie may find many more capable, but never a more faithful
servant than him who is with all duty and esteem, Sir, your
Majestie's most dutiful, most faithfull and most obedient subject
and servant,

"MAR."

"From the Camp of Perth, Nov. 24, 1715."

A fortnight previously the Earl of Mar had addressed the following
curious letter to Captain Henry Straiton,[113] at Edinburgh, to whom
many of Lord Mar's epistles are written. The allusion to Margaret Miller
refers to Lady Nairn, the sister-in-law of the Marquis of Tullibardine,
and wife of Lord Nairn, who, in compliance with a Scottish custom, took
his wife's title, she being Lady Nairn in her own right. The allusion
to "a dose" which will require the air of a foreign country to aid it,
seems to offer some notion of the Earl's subsequent flight.

"Novemb. 8th, 1715.

"Sir,

"I had yours of the fourth this forenoon, which was very wellcome.
And I hope we shall soon see the certainty of what the accounts
makes us expect of these folks' arivall. I sent of a pacquet
yesterday with an answer to Margar