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Anent our soverane lordis lettres purchest at the instance of William, lord Forbes, Johnne, maister of Forbes, William Forbes of Fodderbus, Johnne Forbes of Fynnathe, Maister Duncane Forbes of Monymusk, Johnne Forbes of Abircatrie and remanent, thair kin, freindis and dependaris, and speciallie the auld kyndlie possouris of the landis and baronie of Craige and Monymusk, aganis George, erll of Huntlie, Adam Gordoun of Auchindoun, Patrik Gordoun in Moynes, his curatouris, for thair entres, and all utheris haiffand or pretendand to have entres in the mater underwritten, makand mentioun that quhair the said William, lord Forbes, his collegis and utheris foirsaidis and thair predicessouris hes bene possessouris and occupyaris of all and haill the saidis landis and baronie be thame selffis and thair tennentis of thair, only imputing and outputting at thair plesour as principall, and auld kyndlie possessouris and tennentis thairof under the archiebischopis of Sanctandrois, to quhome the samin appertenis, as ane part of thair patrimonie in all tymes bigane past memorie of man preceding the pretendit infeftment of fewferme thairof maid to umquhile George, erll of Huntlie, gudsir to George, now erll of Huntlie, in maner following, quhill that umquhile David, cardinall archiebischop of Sanctandrois for the tyme, haveing contractit ane new familiaritie with George, sumtyme erll of Huntlie for sum grite effairis quhilkis thay had thairto be intreatit amangis thame selffis, maist unkindlie set the said compleneris native rowmes over thair heidis to the said George, erll of Huntlie, his airis and assignayis, the said cardinall and archiebischop alwayis luiking that thairby the saidis compleneris suld not have bene removit or heichtit by thair auld dewteis payit be him and his predicessouris, bot only to haif schawin his favour and lufe to the said umquhile erll, quha, alsua upoun consideratioun that the saidis compleneris wer sa auld kyndlie possessouris and bruikaris of the saidis landis and baronie under the saidis archiebischopis and mony of thair freindis borne thairon, sua that the samin being kirklandis he culd pretend to haif na forder prevelege nor dewtie of thame bot as the saidis archiebischopis gat of befoir, conforme to the auld and lovabill consuetude anent kirklandis, sua in that respect the said umquhile erll wes for worthie consideratiounis movit to infeft certane of the principallis of the said compleneris heritabill and set takis to utheris, ilk ane for thair kindlie rowmes, quhairby thai bruikit and usit the samin landis be thame selffis and thair tennentis in thair names continewalie sensyne, but molestatioun or truble, thair never being questioun of removing intentit aganis thame or ony of thame befoir, quhill of lait occasioun and querrell borne amangis thame for thair constant professioun and trew abyding of the richteous caus of defending of our soverane lordis auctoritie and royall persone in tymes bigane, quhenas the saidis enemeis and declarit tratouris socht haif bereft and injoyit the supreme place of his grace gubernament, it hes plesit George, now erll of Huntlie, and utheris of his surname and freindis in quhome his umquhile fader transferrit his richt of divers of the saidis landis, to mak warningis to the saidis compleneris to remove fra the saidis auld and kindlie possessionis, quhairupoun thay haif persewit actionis aganis thame befoir the lordis of sessioun, and intendis to haif thame removit thairby, thinkand under cullour of law to put thame thairfra, albeit the intentioun of the saidis George, erll of Huntlie and his saidis freindis and kinnismen, persewaris of the saidis removingis, be altogidder to displace the saidis compleneris of thair saidis native rowmes for thair trew and thankfull service done to our soverane and his derrest moder in tyme of his auctoritie; and namelie at sic speciall tymes as the Erlles of Huntlie planelie rebellit as in the moneth of October or thairby the yeir of God jM vC lxij yeiris, quhen as the said umquhile George, erll of Huntlie deit with displayit baner aganis our soverane lordis derrest moder, and in the lait rebellioun begun be George, erll of Huntlie, fader to the said George, erll of Huntlie, quha now is aganis our said soverane lord and his auctoritie royall; for defence and mentenance quhairof, ane grite nowmer of the saidis compleneris name and freindschip spendit thair lyffis in the battellis at Tullieanguss and Crawistane, sum of thair housis, wyiffis and bairnis being thairin wer alluterlie wraikit and brount, the utheris touris, castellis and fortalices pertening to thame mast barbarouslie rewinit, thair movable guidis insicht and plenessing and kattell spulyeit and away takin, thair orcheartis, wodis, policeis, yairdis and planting cuttit and distroyit, the maillis, fermes and dewteis of thair landis intromettit with and disponit; and that for the maist pairte in manifest contempt of our soverane lordis auctoritie efter the conclusioun of the abstinence takin at Leyth, the last day of Julii, the yeir of God jM vC lxxij yeiris, aganis the said abstinence, thair awin consent and ayth and aganis the law of all nationis. And albeit at last quhen the forces of the said erll and rest of his adherence failyeit in sic sort as thay culd not langer abide the rigour of our said soverane lordis auctoritie than arrysing, thay acceptit the conditionis of pacificatioun than concludit at Perth in the moneth of Februar, the yeir of God jM vC lxxij yeiris, and ratefeit and apprevit in parliament haldin at Edinburght in the moneth of Aprile thairefter, to the conditionis of the quhilk pacificatioun oure said soverane lord nor his estaitis wald never condiscend to it, upoun provisioun that the haill injureis and attemptatis committit of befoir and speciallie sen the conclusioun of the first abstinence to the tyme thairof suld be reparit to the sempill availl; and, to that effect, jugis and places of sitting wer appointit and tyme of the space of yeir and day lykwayis appointit to the persute and finissing of the proces thairanent. And albeit the saidis compleneris did exact diligence, as is notourlie knawin, that thay behuiffit to raisis compulsatouris in the saidis materis under the pane of horning, with our soverane lordis lettres to denunce thame rebellis, yit the maist part of thame, being personis of estait, caussit the saidis lettres to be suspendit; and sua that the saidis compleneris having consumit without proffitt the tyme appointit for thair jugement, thay thairefter gaif plane ansuer that efter the outrynning of the yeir and day thay had na jurisdictioun and sua wes the saidis compleneris travellis and expensis loist and thair expedience of administratioun of justice frustrat, sua that that maner of deling maid, as appeiris, plane declaratioun that the promiss of redress of thair said dampnage wes proponit to persuade thame to thair contentment at this present tyme, seing thair hes followit sa litill gude effect thairupoun to thair favour. And nochttheless, the said Erll of Huntlie, his fader and his freindis, haiffand all thair sutes aganis the saidis compleneris, ressavit frie expeditioun befoir the lordis of sessioun, jugeis arbitratouris, that all infeftmentis of landis disponit to thame be ressone of thair foirfaltouris led aganis thame, and speciallie of the saidis landis of Kerge and Monymusk of lang tyme retreitit, notwithstanding that the saidis compleneris thairfoir debursit grite sowmes of money and thairwith all ar left unreparit of thair saidis dampnagis, luiking for na uther recompence bot be this, thair lait sute, to be removit fra thair saidis landis and possessionis, quhilkis ar thair native and kyndlie rowmes. And anent the charge gevin to the said erll and his saidis tutouris and curatouris and all utheris haiffand entres to haif comperit befoir our soverane lord and thrie estaitis of parliament, to haif hard and sene jugeis unsuspect appointit to sitt and decyde in the actionis writtin ellis intendit be the saidis persewaris unto the finall end and decisioun thairof, or ellis to haif allegit ane reassonabill caus quhy the samin suld not haif bene done, as at mair lenth is contenit in the saidis lettres, the said Johnne, maister of Forbes, being personalie present, and the remanent personis abovewrittin comperand be Maisteris Johnne Scharp and Clement Litill, thair procuratouris, and the saidis George, erll of Huntlie and the saidis Adame Gordoun of Auchindoun and Patrik Gordoun, his curatouris, comperand be Mr Thomas Crage, thair procutour, quha sand cautioun, viz., Alexander Gordoun of Aberyeldy and Johnne Gordoun of Petlurge, that he and his curatouris suld hald ferme and stabill the jugement and defence of the said caus, and that he and thay sall ratefie and appreve the samin as accordis of the law; and all utheris haiffand or pretendand to have entres, being all lawchtfullie summound to this actioun, oftymes callit and not comperit; and thairefter all thair richtis, ressonis, allegationis of the pairtie comperand hard sene and understand first befoir the lordis of articlis and thairefter be the kingis majestie and thrie estaitis in parliament, and they thairwith being ryplie advisit, the kingis grace and thrie estaitis of parliament present hes gevin and grantit, lykas thai, be the tennour heirof, gevis and grantis thir persones underwrittin: that is to say, Robert, erll of Buchan, Williame, lord Ruthven, Robert, lord Boyd, Alexander, commendatar of Culross, Maister Thomas Makalyeane of Cliftounhall and Mr Robert Creychtoun of Eliok, advocate, or ony four of thame conjunctlie, in jugeis unsuspect to sitt and decyde in the faiths, causis ellis intentit be the saidis persewaris unto the finall end and decisioun thairof, quhome thai ordane to sitt for takin cognitioun thairintill within the tolbuith of Edinburgh, dispenasnd with the place and makand the samin als lawchtfull as it wer within ony pairt of the said schirefdome. And the saidis Erll of Buchan, Lord Ruthven, Lord Robert Boyd, Alexander, commendatar of Culross and Maister Robert Creychtoun hes instantlie acceptit the decisioun of the saidis materis in and upoun thame, and hes maid fayth for dew administratioun thairintill; and als hes gevin and gevis power to the lordis of sessioun, or any of thame, to ressave the ayth of the said Mr Thomas McCailyeane for doing of justice in the saidis causis, and siclyk makis and constitutis David Lawtie and Archibald Myllar, conjunctlie, clerkis and notaris in the said caus to the finall end thairof, with power to the saidis jugeis, or ony ane of thame, to ressave thair aythis to that effect; and hes appointit and ordanit the saidis jugeis, or ony four of thame, to sitt and begin within the said tolbuith of Edinburgh for doing of justice to the saidis parteis in the saidis causis the first day of November nixttocum, and in the meantyme to derect preceptis at the instance of the saidis persewaris to the said day or ony utherwayis as the saidis persewaris requiris, as they pleis, lybell thairanentis for proces to be led in the saidis materis quhair they left or of new to begin, or for translationis in the saidis action, or ony of thame, active or passive, as the caus requiris, and as heirefter sall pleis the saidis persewaris to lybell, and thairefter to proceid in the saidis actionis and do justice thairintill unto the finall end and decisioun thairof; and to gif furth thair decrete according to the probationis and deductioun of the proces to be led befoir thame within auchtene monethis efter the said first day of November nixttocum, viz., befoir the first day of Maii in the yeir of God jM vC fourscoir yeiris. And to the effect foirsaid, witnes to caus be summound, sworne and examinat etc., provyding alwayis that the saidis persewaris do thair diligence for persute of the saidis actionis and obtening of the decreit befoir the saidis jugeis thairintill within the space foirsaid. With certificatioun to thame and thay failyie thairin, the saidis auchtene monethis being bipast and na lawchtfull diligence done be thame, the saidis actionis sall expyre and be prescrivit and thay never hard to persew for the same heirefter. And als geves power to the saidis jugeis to creat serjandis and utheris memberis of court neidfull, gif the samin beis requirit, as accordis of the law becaus the saidis Erll of Huntlie, his saidis curatouris and all utheris, haiffand or pretendand to haif entres in the said mater, wer lawchtfullie summound to haif comperit befoir our said soverane lord and thrie estaitis of parliament at ane certane day bipast, to haif hard and sene jugeis unsuspected appointit to sitt and decyde in the saidis actionis ellis intentit and to the finall end and decisioun thairof, or ellis to haif allegit ane reassonabill caus quhy the samin suld not haif bene done. With certificatioun to thame and thay failyeit thairin, the saidis jugeis wald be appointit and gevin in maner abonementionat. And thay being all lawchtfullie summound to that effect, and the said erll and his saidis curatouris comperand be thair saidis procuratouris as said is, first befoir the lordis of articles, efter that thai wer chosin be the thrie estaitis in publict parliament, and thairefter in presens of the kingis grace and thrie estaitis foirsaidis, and all utheris, the said Erll of Huntlie tutouris and curatouris, gif he ony had, and all utheris haiffand or pretendand to have entres in the said mater as said is, being all lawchtfullie summound and not comperand, schew na reassonabill caus in the contrair, lyk as wes cleirlie understand to our said soverane lord, lordis of articles and thrie estaitis foirsaidis; and ordanis lettres to be direct heirupoun, gif neid beis, in forme as efferis.