He asked a night
for consideration; but during the night he was also visited by Dundee
and Balcarres. They showed him the commissions entrusted to them by
James, and told him that if things did not go better for their party
they had resolved to exercise their power of summoning a new Convention
to Stirling. At his request Dundee also gave him a paper guaranteeing
his action in holding the castle as most necessary to the cause. On the
following day, when the earls returned, Gordon told them he had decided
not to surrender his trust except upon terms too extravagant to be
seriously considered. He was accordingly summoned in form by the
heralds: guards were posted round the castle, and all communications
between it and the town declared treasonable. The Duke replied by a
largess of money to the heralds to drink King James's health, telling
them that they should in common decency have turned the King's coats
they wore on their backs before they came to declare the King's subjects
traitors.
Meanwhile a messenger had arrived with a sealed despatch for the Estates
from James. It seemed strange both to Dundee and Balcarres that the
message had not been to them, or at least accompanied by a letter
informing them of its purport; but they had no suspicion of its
contents, and willingly agreed to the terms on which the Whigs consented
to hear it read.
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