bedience; and
Irongray, Welsh's own parish, have for the most part
conformed; and so it is all over the country. So that, if I
be suffered to stay any time here, I do expect to see this
the best settled part of the Kingdom on this side the Tay.
And if these dragoons were fixed which I wrote your Lordship
about, I might promise for the continuance of it.... All
this is done without having received a farthing money,
either in Nithsdale, Annandale, or Kirkcudbright; or
imprisoned anybody. But, in end, there will be need to make
examples of the stubborn that will not comply. Nor will
there be any danger in this after we have gained the great
body of the people; to whom I am become acceptable enough;
having passed all bygones, upon bonds of regular carriage
hereafter."[37]

For these services Claverhouse was summoned to Edinburgh to receive the
thanks of the Council, to whom he presented an official report of his
proceedings which is no more than a summary of his letters to
Queensberry.[38]

It was not likely that a man so uniformly successful and of such high
spirit would be able to steer clear of all offence to men, who probably
felt towards him much as Elizabeth's old courtiers felt towards the
triumphant and masterful Raleigh. Nor, conscious of his own powers and
confident in the royal favour, is it probable that he was always at much
pains to avoid offence, for, though neither a quarrelsome nor a wilful
man, he had his own opinions, and was not shy of expressing them when he
saw fit to do so. With all his constitutional regard for authority and
his soldier's respect for discipline, Claverhouse would suffer himself
to be browbeaten by no one. In those jealous intriguing days a man who
could not fight for his own hand was bound to go down in the struggle.
Claverhouse was now to give a signal proof that he both could and would
fight for his when the need came.

The Dalrymples of Stair had been settled in Galloway for many
generations. Sir James, the head of the house, was one of the first
lawyers of the day, and had held the Chair of Philosophy in the
University of Glasgow: the son, Sir John (afterwards to earn an undying
name in history as prime mover in the Massacre of Glencoe), was
heritable Baillie in the regality of Glenluce. There had been bad blood
between them and Claverhouse for some time past. The father had not
profited sufficiently by hi