[1607/3/8]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The which day the said Ludovic [Stewart], duke of Lennox produced in presence of the whole estates now presently convened the commission underwritten, under the great seal, of the date at Theobalds, 13 July 1607, of the which commission the tenor follows:
James, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland and defender of the faith, gives greetings to all his good men whom this present letter reaches. Since we have not been able in our sacrosanct person to be involved in the public committees of the estates of our realm of Scotland called at these times, as we have been prevented by our greater and more serious business elsewhere, it is necessary that we choose someone from the number of illustrious nobles of our said realm to take the place of our person in the said committees of the estates. Since, on account of our singular affection towards our most loyal kinsman John [Graham], earl of Montrose, and on account of the large number of instances of loyal obedience and of duties carried out for us by him, it has seemed good to us to promote the said earl for his lifetime to take our place and role in all the committees of the estates of the realm of Scotland in our absence, it has never occurred to us to move him or remove or diminish the responsibility. Now, however, he is in poor health and not robust, and hence unsuitable for being involved in the next committees of the estates of Scotland, and it is necessary to name someone else to fulfil the role. It does not occur to us to diminish the right or title of the said Earl of Montrose as long as he lives, or establish anyone else in preference, to be an obstacle to his occupying and performing his role in regard to the following responsibilities in relation to the committees of the estates, when he gets better, nor, even if the position itself were to fall vacant through the death of the said earl, to promote anyone else to that position thereafter. Accordingly we have designated, named and established, and by the force of the present document do designate, name and establish our most trustworthy and dearest kinsman and councillor Ludovic, duke of Lennox as our supreme procurator or commissioner of our said realm of Scotland, in order to support our royal person in carrying through everything which was necessary or was done or carried out by the foresaid earl formerly while he held the post. Therefore we order that, all and singly, the subjects of our sovereignty of every estate are to cherish, recognise and obey the forementioned Ludovic, duke of Lennox who is taking our place during the said committees of the estates of the realm, with reverence and due observance, and with the same reverence and obedience which they afforded to the foresaid earl, our supreme procurator, in previous committees of the estates. Besides, we grant and give by the present document to the foresaid Ludovic, duke of Lennox full and free authority on behalf of us and in our name, with his consent to ratify and approve as fixed, all acts, statutes and decreets, general or particular, through the estates of the said realm for the duration of these committees. We approve each and every thing our said kinsman has properly considered it appropriate to do in the past. This charter of procuratorship or commission we wish to last for the next committees of the estates to begin on 29 July and no longer. In testimony of this we have instructed our great seal to be applied to the present document, at our palace of Theobalds, on 13 July in the year of the Lord 1607, and in the forty-fifth of our reign, by the signature of our supreme lord the king and signed by the hand of his secretary of the kingdom of Scotland. Upon the production of the which commission, the said lord duke of Lennox asked instruments.