attracted only three votes out of the fifteen councillors present - those of the Earl of Dumfries, Sir Alexander Bruce and the Duke himself. Bel haven was not a councillor.
"Aye, weel -I jalouse we can now proceed to our business," Lauderdale said, sitting back. "Eh, my lord Chancellor?"
The Duke of Hamilton sat down, set-faced.
"So this is how Scotland is governed!" Fletcher said to his uncle.
"Aye, lad, I fear that it is." The older man sighed.
Rothes rapped on his table for quiet. "The duty laid upon this convention is simple but important, fell important," he announced thickly. "It is the matter of granting supply. Just that. Siller! There is uprising, unlawful assembly, riot all over the land. Especially amongst the Westland Whiggamores." He stumbled somewhat over that last. "The local militia, set up eight years ago, cannot maintain the King's peace. Therefore His Grace requires that a new, permanent and established force be set up. Permanent. Paid for by the realm. Not, as now, at the expense of individual lords and lairds. As is right and reasonable . . ."
The acclaim from many of the lords and lairds was heartfelt.
"The cost of recruiting, equipping and paying such force will not be small," Rothes went on. "It will require £6,000 monthly for twenty months. Aye." He wagged a finger. "Sterling that is, mind. They tell me that it comes to £1,800,000 Scots!"
Into the consternation which struck the chamber at this enormous, unheard-of sum, Lord Belhaven's old voice rose strongly.
"My lord Chancellor - would it not be wiser, a deal less costly, and more in accord with Scriptual injunction forby, to pacify our disaffected countrymen rather than assail them with armed soldiery? If we repeal the Act Against Conventicles, all this uprising will die away of itself. That infamous Act alone provokes it . . ."
Rothes rapped on his table. "We cannot discuss here Acts of an earlier parliament. In this convention," he interrupted. "We are here to authorise supply for the provision and upkeep of His Majesty's standing army here in Scotland. Only that."
"I will not be muzzled, Chancellor! I have the right to speak," Belhaven asserted. "None here, I swear, is going to authorise raising, by cess or taxation, the sum of £1,800,000, unquestioning or in haste. When all know that there is no need. That all the unrest in the land is caused by the law against holding conventicles. If our fellow-countrymen wish to worship God in the open air, I say, let them! The ousted ministers do not endanger the peace of the realm, only the sensibilities of certain folk in high places! I say that we should not employ dragoons to regulate each other's consciences."
"I rule you out-of-order, my lord . . ." Rothes began, when Lauderdale intervened.
"I'd remind Lord Belhaven that this United Kingdom is at war with the Dutch. Troops are required to repel possible foreign invasion. You'd no' have us invaded by Hollanders?"
"Does Your Grace anticipate a Dutch descent upon Scotland? If so, I swear that you are the only man in this hall to do so!"
That produced the first laughter of the session.
"I but inform you that the raising of armed forces is for more than the putting down o' conventicles, man. The King's government has the whole peace and security o' the realm to consider."
"Expensive consideration - at £1,800,000! End the Conventicles Act and no new troops will be required in Scotland. Accordingly I so move ..."
"Not accepted," Rothes ruled. "This convention cannot repeal an Act."
"It can strongly advise the King's Grace to have the Act repealed, at least - you cannot deny that? I so move."
"And I second," Hamilton said. "I am told that troopers of Queensberry's Regiment have been quartered in my palace of Hamilton and in my town and shire of Lanark. This is an outrage! I am no Covenanter or conventicler! I demand the removal of these soldiers forthwith."
"I support," Crichton, Earl of Dumfries announced. "The man Grierson of Lag and
"Aye, weel -I jalouse we can now proceed to our business," Lauderdale said, sitting back. "Eh, my lord Chancellor?"
The Duke of Hamilton sat down, set-faced.
"So this is how Scotland is governed!" Fletcher said to his uncle.
"Aye, lad, I fear that it is." The older man sighed.
Rothes rapped on his table for quiet. "The duty laid upon this convention is simple but important, fell important," he announced thickly. "It is the matter of granting supply. Just that. Siller! There is uprising, unlawful assembly, riot all over the land. Especially amongst the Westland Whiggamores." He stumbled somewhat over that last. "The local militia, set up eight years ago, cannot maintain the King's peace. Therefore His Grace requires that a new, permanent and established force be set up. Permanent. Paid for by the realm. Not, as now, at the expense of individual lords and lairds. As is right and reasonable . . ."
The acclaim from many of the lords and lairds was heartfelt.
"The cost of recruiting, equipping and paying such force will not be small," Rothes went on. "It will require £6,000 monthly for twenty months. Aye." He wagged a finger. "Sterling that is, mind. They tell me that it comes to £1,800,000 Scots!"
Into the consternation which struck the chamber at this enormous, unheard-of sum, Lord Belhaven's old voice rose strongly.
"My lord Chancellor - would it not be wiser, a deal less costly, and more in accord with Scriptual injunction forby, to pacify our disaffected countrymen rather than assail them with armed soldiery? If we repeal the Act Against Conventicles, all this uprising will die away of itself. That infamous Act alone provokes it . . ."
Rothes rapped on his table. "We cannot discuss here Acts of an earlier parliament. In this convention," he interrupted. "We are here to authorise supply for the provision and upkeep of His Majesty's standing army here in Scotland. Only that."
"I will not be muzzled, Chancellor! I have the right to speak," Belhaven asserted. "None here, I swear, is going to authorise raising, by cess or taxation, the sum of £1,800,000, unquestioning or in haste. When all know that there is no need. That all the unrest in the land is caused by the law against holding conventicles. If our fellow-countrymen wish to worship God in the open air, I say, let them! The ousted ministers do not endanger the peace of the realm, only the sensibilities of certain folk in high places! I say that we should not employ dragoons to regulate each other's consciences."
"I rule you out-of-order, my lord . . ." Rothes began, when Lauderdale intervened.
"I'd remind Lord Belhaven that this United Kingdom is at war with the Dutch. Troops are required to repel possible foreign invasion. You'd no' have us invaded by Hollanders?"
"Does Your Grace anticipate a Dutch descent upon Scotland? If so, I swear that you are the only man in this hall to do so!"
That produced the first laughter of the session.
"I but inform you that the raising of armed forces is for more than the putting down o' conventicles, man. The King's government has the whole peace and security o' the realm to consider."
"Expensive consideration - at £1,800,000! End the Conventicles Act and no new troops will be required in Scotland. Accordingly I so move ..."
"Not accepted," Rothes ruled. "This convention cannot repeal an Act."
"It can strongly advise the King's Grace to have the Act repealed, at least - you cannot deny that? I so move."
"And I second," Hamilton said. "I am told that troopers of Queensberry's Regiment have been quartered in my palace of Hamilton and in my town and shire of Lanark. This is an outrage! I am no Covenanter or conventicler! I demand the removal of these soldiers forthwith."
"I support," Crichton, Earl of Dumfries announced. "The man Grierson of Lag and
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