hat neither the King
nor the Duke of Ormond comes, nor that I have not accounts from them.
Now that there is so considerable a party appearing in England, I hope
they will put it off no longer. I hope all your friends in England are
well in particular, but pray let me have an account of it.

"Lord Tullibardin and Lord George are well; they are gone again to
Atholl to bring back their men, who went off that they might retrieve
their honour, as I doubt not but they will. It is a great pity if poor
Strathmore and Clanronald, and I'm afraid honest Auchterhouse, is
killed, for we can get no account of him.

"I wish our prisoners may be as civilly treated as theirs are with us.
They are all sent to Dundee (the officers I mean), where they have the
liberty of the town, and wear their swords. My compliments to our sick
friend, who I am sorry is still so; but he has had a good second and
secretary.

"Pray let us have some good news now, and I am with all truth and
esteem,

Yours, &c."

"Perth, November 20, 1715."

"Lord Panmure recovers pritty well. The enimie give out that he gave his
parole when he was prisoner, but it was not so, he off'red it them but
they wou'd not take it from a rebel as they call'd him, and neither did
Strewan; so they were both resqued."

* * * * *

These letters place Lord Mar in a somewhat more estimable light than the
usual statements have done. The truth is, that we ought never to judge
of a man's actions before we have had an insight into his real motives
and circumstances at the time. Few individuals had greater difficulties
to contend with than Lord Mar.

Harassed by cabals among the adherents of the Chevalier; unable to
account for the continued reserve and absence of that Prince; and
weakened greatly both by the secession of the clan of Fraser, who had
joined the Insurgents with Mackenzie of Fraserdale, but who now went
away, and joined him whom they considered as their real chieftain, the
infamous Simon Fraser, of Beaufort, Lord Lovat; the Earl began to listen
to those who talked of capitulating with the enemy. He found, indeed,
that he was forced to comply with the wishes of the chieftains, some of
whom were making private treaties for themselves. It must have been a
bitter humiliation to Lord Mar to have sent a message to his former
rival in politics, the Duke of Argyle, "to know if he had power