"
"By my saul, my lord, this is strange," said the king; "ye are
pleading for the son of your enemy!"
"Of one who WAS my enemy till your Majesty made him my friend,"
answered Lord Huntinglen.
"Weel spoken, my lord!" said the king; "and with, a true Christian
spirit. And, respecting the Supplication of this young man, I partly
guess where the matter lies; and in plain troth I had promised to
George Heriot to be good to the lad--But then, here the shoe pinches.
Steenie and Babie Charles cannot abide him--neither can your own son,
my lord; and so, methinks, he had better go down to Scotland before he
comes toill luck by them."
"My son, an it please your Majesty, so far as he is concerned, shall
not direct my doings," said the earl, "nor any wild-headed young man
of them all."
"Why, neither shall they mine," replied the monarch; "by my father's
saul, none of them all shall play Rex with me--I will do what I will,
and what I ought, like a free king."
"Your Majesty will then grant me my boon?" said the Lord Huntinglen.
"Ay, marry will I--marry will I," said the king; "but follow me this
way, man, where we may be more private."
He led Lord Huntinglen with rather a hurried step through the
courtiers, all of whom gazed earnestly on this unwonted scene, as is
the fashion of all Courts on similar occasions. The king passed into a
little cabinet, and bade, in the first moment, Lord Huntinglen lock or
bar the door; but countermanded his direction in the next, saying,--
"No, no, no--bread o' life, man, I am a free king--will do what I will
and what I should--I am _justus et tenax propositi_, man--
nevertheless, keep by the door, Lord Huntinglen, in case Steenie
should come in with his mad humour.
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