14 A JACOBITE EXILE

fair and open warfare. Have no faith whatever in politi-
cians, who are ever ready to use the country gentry as an
instrument for gaining their own ends. Deal with your
neighbours, but mistrust strangers from whomsoever they
may say they come.”

Which advice Charlie, at that time thirteen years old,
gravely promised to follow. He had naturally inherited
his father’s sentiments, and believed the Jacobite cause .
to beasacred one. He had fought and vanquished Alured
Dormay, his second cousin, and two years his senior, for
speaking of King James’ son as the Pretender, and was
ready at any time to do battle with any boy of his own
age in the same cause. Alured’s father, John Dormay, had
ridden over to Lynnwood to complain of the violence of
which his son had been the victim, but he obtained no
redress from Sir Marmaduke.

“The boy is a chip of the old block, cousin, and he did
right. I myself struck a blow at the king’s enemies when
{ was but eight years old, and got my skull well-nigh
cracked for my pains. It is well that the lads were not
four years older, for then instead of taking to fisticuffs
their swords would have been out, and, as my boy has for
the last four years been exercised daily in the use of his
weapon, it might happen that instead of Alured coming
home with a black eye, and, as you say, a missing tooth, he
might have been carried home with a sword-thrust through
his body. It was, to my mind, entirely the fault of your
son. I should have blamed Charlie had he called the king
at Westminster Dutch William, for although each man has
a right to his own opinions, he has no right to offend those
of others—besides, at present it is as well to keep a quiet
tongue as to a matter that words cannot set right. In the
same way your son had no right to offend others by calling
James Stuart the Pretender.

“Certainly, of the twelve boys who go over to learn what