122

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

chap, distinguished from dishonesty, suffered the arms to be spoiled,J6S5. wasted the provisions, and lived riotously at a time when theyought to have set to all beneath them an example of ab-stemiousness.

The great question was whether the Highlands or theLowlands should be the seat of war. The Earl’s first objectwas to establish his authority over his own domains, to driveout the invading elans which had been poured from Perthshireinto Argyleshire, and to take possession of the ancient seat ofhis family at Inverary. He might then hope to have four orfive thousand claymores at his command. With such a forcehe would be able to defend that wild country against the wholepower of the kingdom of Scotland, and would also havesecured an excellent base for offensive operations. Thisseems to have been the wisest course open to him. Rumbold,who had been trained in an excellent military school, andwho, as an Englishman, might be supposed to be an impartialumpire between the Scottish factions, did all in his power tostrengthen the Earl’s hands. But Hume and Cochrane wereutterly impracticable. Their jealousy of Argyle was, intruth, stronger than their wish for the success of the expedi-tion. They saw that, among his own mountains and lakes,and at the head of an army chiefly composed of his own tribe,he would be able to bear down their opposition, and to exer-cise the full authority of a General. They muttered that theonly men who had the good cause at heart were the Low-landers, and that the Campbells took up arms neither forliberty nor for the Church of God, but for Mac Callum Morealone. Cochrane declared that he would go to Ayrshire if hewent by himself, and with nothing but a pitchfork in his hand.Argyle, after long resistance, consented, against his bettorjudgment, to divide his little army. He remained with Rum-bold in the Highlands. Cochrane and Hume were at the headof the force which sailed to invade the Lowlands.