, which possibly deceives even themselves. I myself saw one
of these gentlemen wear the Badge of High Constable of Scotland, which
he could have no more right to wear than the Crown. Davidoff used also
to amuse us with stories of knighthoods and orders which he saw them
wear at Sir William Cumming Gordon's. Now this is all very well, and I
conceive people may fall into such dreaming habits easily enough, and be
very agreeable and talented men in other respects, and may be very
amusing companions in the country, but their authority as antiquaries
must necessarily be a little apocryphal when the faith of MSS. rests
upon their testimony. An old acquaintance of mine, Captain Watson of the
navy, told me he knew these gentlemen's father, and had served with him;
he was lieutenant, and of or about Captain Watson's age, between sixty I
suppose, and seventy at present. Now what chance was there that either
from age or situation he should be receiving gifts from the young
Chevalier of Highland Manuscripts.

"All this, my dear Sir Thomas, you will make your own, but I cannot
conceal from you my reasons, because I would wish you to know my real
opinion. If it is an imitation, it is a very good one, but the title
'Liber Vestiarium' is false Latin I should think not likely to occur to
a Scotsman of Buchanan's age. Did you look at the watermark of the MS.?
If the Manuscript be of undeniable antiquity, I consider it as a great
curiosity, and most worthy to be published. But I believe nothing else
than ocular inspection will satisfy most cautious
antiquaries....--Yours, my dear Sir Thomas, always,

WALTER SCOTT."

"EDINBURGH, 5 _June_ 1829."

The Messrs. Hay Allan subsequently took the names of John Sobieski
Stuart (who assumed the title of Comte d'Albanie) and Charles Edward
Stuart. John Sobieski died in 1872, and Charles Edward in 1880. The
"original" of Sir Richard Forrester's manuscript was never submitted to
the inspection of the Deputy Register, as suggested by Scott; but it was
published in a very handsome shape a dozen years later, and furnished a
text for an article in the _Quarterly_, in which the authenticity of the
book, and the claims of the author and his brother, were unsparingly
criticised by the late Professor Skene of Glasgow.--See "The Heirs of
the Stuarts" in _Quarterly Review_, vol. lxxxii.

[334] _Ante_, vol. i. p. 91, 92.

[335] There are so few of "Darsie Latimer's" letters preserved that the
following may