CHARLES II.
21
upheld , in order to curb the mutinous spirit, by c H a pwhich the Scots in all ages had been so much lxiii.governed. Lauderdale, who, from the battle ofWorcester to the restoration, had been detainedprisoner in the Tower, had considerable influencewith the king; and he strenuously opposed thisviolent measure. He represented, that it was theloyalty of the Scottish nation, which had engag-ed them in an opposition to the English rebels;and to take advantage of the calamities, intowhich, on that account, they had fallen, wouldbe regarded as the highest injustice and ingra-titude : That the spirit of that people was nowfully subdued by the servitude, under which theusurpers had so long held them , and would ofitself yield to any reasonable compliance withtheir legal sovereign, if, by this means, theyrecovered their liberty and independence: Thatthe attachment of the Scots towards their king ,whom they regarded as their native prince, wasnaturally much stronger than that of the English;and would afford him a sure resource, in caseof any rebellion among the latter : That repub-lican principles had long been, and still were,very prevalent with his southern subjects, andmight again menace the throne with new tumultsand resistance. That the time would probablycome, when the king, instead of desiring to seeEnglish garrisons in Scotland , would be betterpleased to have Scottish garrisons in England,who , supported by English pay, would be fontsto curb the seditious genius of that opulent
c 3