Letter of the Scottish Privy Council to King James VII, February 24, 1687

This letter was signed in Edinburgh by:

  • the Earl of Perth, Lord High Chancellor
  • the Archbishop of St. Andrews
  • the Archbishop of Glasgow Elect
  • the Marquis of Atholl, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
  • the Duke of Gordon
  • the Marquis of Douglas
  • the Earl of Linlithgow
  • the Earl of Dumfermline
  • the Earl of Strathmore
  • the Earl of Lauderdale
  • the Earl of Southesk
  • the Earl of Traquair
  • the Earl of Airlie
  • the Earl of Belcarres
  • Viscount Tarbat
  • Viscount Strathallan
  • Lord Livingstoun
  • Lord Kinnaird
  • Sir George Lockhart, of Carnwarth, Lord President of the Session
  • Sir John Dalrymple, younger of Stair, Lord Advocate
  • Sir James Foulis, of Colinton, Lord Justice Clerk
  • Sir John Lockhart, of Castlehill, one of the Senators of the College of Justice
  • Lieutenant General James Douglas
  • Sir Andrew Ramsay, of Abbotshall
  • Major General John Graham, of Claverhouse
  • Andrew Wachop, of Nidry

The letter was further signed in Westminster by:

  • the Earl of Moray, Secretary of State
  • the Earl of Melfort, Secretary of State
  • the Earl of Arran
  • the Earl of Drumlanrig
  • the Earl of Winton
  • the Earl of Seaforth
  • the Earl of Arran
  • the Earl of Dumbarton

The text was printed as His Majesties letter to His Honourable Privy Council of Scotland, together with their answer at Edinburgh and London by the heir of Andrew Anderson in 1687 (Wing J200).

May it please Your Most Sacred Majesty,

Your Majesty's commands are exactly obeyed; your royal proclamation is printed and published, by which Your Majesty has given a further evidence of your favour and goodness to all your subjects. And we are hopeful that by Your Majesty's extraordinary acts of mercy to some who have been too ready on many occasions to abuse the clemency of your royal predecessors, they will be at last convinced what they owe to so gracious a king. And if any shall be still so obstinate as to make any wrong use of Your Majesty's goodness, we do unanimously assure Your Majesty that we will maintain and assert your royal prerogatives and authority with the hazard of our lives and fortunes. And all of us shall in our several capacities do our utmost that your government may be easy to all whom Your Majesty thinks worthy of your protection.

We are very willing that Your Majesty's subjects who are peaceable and loyal may be at ease and security, notwithstanding of their profession and private worship, and to conceive that such of them as are or shall be employed by Your Majesty in offices of trust civil or military, are sufficiently secured by Your Majesty's authority and commission for their exercising the same.

We return Your Majesty our most humble thanks for giving us your royal word for maintaining the Church and our religion as it is now established by Law, and rest satisfied, believing Your Majesty's promise to be the best and greatest security we can have.

We are, may it please Your Majesty, Your Majesty's most humble, most faithful, and most obedient subjects and servants

Edinburgh, 24 Feb., 1686/7


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