THE mater of my transportation is so poor a contraversie, I truely not
beeing desyrous to be the subject of any dine[468] in the Generall
Assemblie of the Kirk of Scotland whoe have greater bussines to doe,
and haveing suffered once the paine of transportation, moist humbly
intreat your w. [worships] that favour as to cast yo^r thoughts vpon
some fitter man; for as it is vnbeseemeing me to lie or dissemblee, so
I must friely show you it will but mak me the subject of suffereing
and passive obedience, and I trust your w. [worships] intend not that
hurt to me, and I am persuaded it is not yo^r mind, it shall be my
prayer to God, to send that worthie societie an hable[469] and pious
man. Grace be with you.
[468] _Din_, noise. The superfluous "_e_," at the end of several of
these words, may possibly have been a dash in the writing. "Dine," for
"din"; "whoe," for "who"; "humblee," for "humble." Compare
"_honorable_," on the address of the letter with the same word in the
commencement. (A kind friend, reading this letter carefully over,
maintains that "_dine_," or "_din_," is not the word in the autograph,
but that it is "_drane_," which would mean that he did not wish _to be
a drain_ on the time of the Assembly, who had greater business to
attend to than this personal affair of his. But, so far as we are
aware, that phrase, "_to be a drain_," never occurs elsewhere in
Rutherford's writings. What if the writer, in the agitation of the
moment, allowed his pen to write "drane," though he meant it to be
"dine"?)
[469] From French, "habile," in which we see the etymology of
"_able_."
Yours at all humblee
observance in the Lord
SAMUEL RUTHERFURD
for the richt honorable my varie good lord,
Sr James Steuart proveist of Edinbrugh and
remanent magistrats Counsellers of the Citie.
S Andrews the
Last of Junii
1649