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264 HIGHLAND PAPERS
written about 1656.' With other items this tract contains,
but without throwing any light on its authorship, a narrative
which corresponds much more closely with the passages in
which Sir Robert Gordon deals with what he calls ' The
civill troubles of the Lewes,' and has even been referred
to as an earlier and better version of that part of his
History than the one published in 1813. In the main
MS. 22.7.11 agrees closely with what is in the tract. But
there are discrepancies which seem to show that this is not
a transcript from Sir Robert Gordon, but rather one of the
MSS. used by him and by other compilers of Highland
history. In particular, either this MS. or a copy was known
to John Mackenzie of Applecross, who quotes passages from
it in his history of the Mackenzies, printed in this volume,
ante p. 5. Before MS. No. 22.7.11 was pasted into the
little volume as already mentioned, it had evidently been
.subjected to bad treatment, with the result that parts,
notably at the foot of pages, have been torn, and it is also
illegible in other places. Attempts, more or less successful
as the reader will see, have been made to supply within
square brackets the missing words or their probable
equivalents, and a few notes have been added which it
is hoped may be of use. If any one desires to go into
the matter more thoroughly, abundant information is
contained in the published volumes of The Register of the
Privy Council of Scotland for the period.
At the end of the history are printed three curious
documents which throw some light on its earlier part.
The first two are from Mr. Gregory's MS. Collection,
vol. i., where they are included among 'Excerpts from
documents in the Dunvegan Charter Chest.' The third
is from the Record in H.M. General Register House.