The Messrs Hay have shewn no backwardness to obey your wishes [_i.e._,
to send the MS. for inspection]. I read to them that part of your
letter intended for their ears (keeping, of course, strictly to
myself all that was confidential) [Sir Thomas, no doubt, refers to
the second portion of Sir Walter’s letter relating to the descent of
John Sobieski Stuart and his brother Charles Edward, which, as having
no relation to the subject of this work, has not been reproduced],
when they displayed every possible readiness to get the older copy of
the MS. sent from London, where it is in their father’s possession,
to Edinburgh, as you desire; and accordingly they took an early
opportunity of writing to their father to beg he would send it without
delay. Meanwhile they immediately put into my hands the old copy of
the MS. in their possession,[87] with full powers to transmit it to
you. In the event of their father having any doubt about parting with
what he values as the apple of his eye, they suggested the alternative
of the MS. being examined in London by Meyrick, or any of the people
about the British Museum, or any one else, in short, in whose judgment
in such matters you could have confidence. I may repeat again that
there are two copies of the MS. in their family, viz., that which is
believed to be the original, which is in possession of the father in
London, and that which is presumed to be a copy (though a copy of
above a century old). The latter is in my custody at this moment,
ready to be sent you. But I very much regret that the father not only
refuses the request made to him about sending down the London MS.,[88]
but also expresses the strongest objection to its publication. I shall
copy for you what he says by-and-bye, but before doing so I shall
copy for you the description of the London or original MS., which
description was sent down some time ago at my request in a letter from
the father:—
My copy of the _Vest[i]arium Scotiæ_ is written on vellum in the
common black letter hand of the sixteenth century, with illuminated
capitals at the heads of sections of the kind used in ordinary
missals. There are thirty-four pages in the book, which is a small
quarto, bound in white vellum, and stamped and gilt. I never heard
of any other MS. copy of the work than that in our possession, but
there was a printed copy made by order of the late prince, with an
introduction describing the book and containing facsimiles of the
capitals, and the Bishop of Ross’s date. By the former it appeared
that the original had been in the Library of the Scots College at
Douay, and from it was removed, with many other of the MSS. of that
body, and presented to His Royal Highness some time afterwards. The
printed copy was in possession of His Royal Highness the Cardinal of
York a short time before his death, and is supposed to have fallen
into the hands of the English Government, and along with what they
obtained of the Stuart papers.
In addition to this information about the MS. (which I asked for that
I might put it as a memorandum on my own copy), Mr Hay sent me a
traced facsimile of the Bishop of Ross’s name and notandum, which I
read, “Jo. Rossen, primo Maii 1571. I tuck my feaver and ageu at ix
huris at ny^t.” This I now enclose for your inspection, with a request
that you will have the goodness to return it to me safely when you
have had leisure to satisfy yourself perfectly with it, as I mean to
paste it on to a blank leaf in my copy. It is not impossible that you
may know of or hear of some signatures of John Leslie’s to be found
in some of the public collections in Edinburgh. If so, it would be
curious to compare this facsimile with it. And now with regard to the
father’s letter refusing to send the original MS. I copy it _verbatim_
from the first half sheet of it, which his son has torn off and sent
me:—
_July 5th, 1829._—MY DEAREST IAN,—I have been reflecting upon all
which you request concerning the MS., but you know that there are
certain things about which I never consult either the feelings or the
opinions of others, but act up to previous unalterable determinations;
therefore I feel sorry that you did not consult me before you gave any
acquiescence to the purpose of publishing the _Garderope of Scotland_,
as you ought to have remembered the private memorandums written on
the blank leaves, and that it was impossible, coupled with other
circumstances, to subject them to common curiosity, which neither
I nor you can think of for a moment to reclaim the whole history
and use of tartan from oblivion. [As to the opinion of Sir Walter
Scott, inasmuch as I never heard it respected among antiquaries as of
the least value, it is quite indifferent to me.][89] I wish for no
connection with the public either for me or mine, or anything in my
possession; and if you had kept still more retired from observation
the relics of which I gratified you and Charles by the keeping, it
would have been a much better proof of your regard for them and
respect to the memory of those to whom they belonged. Love to all, and
believe me, my dearest Ian, your affectionate father,