Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745 | Page 5

afterwards into a painful collision with the haughty

overbearing temper, and manly sincerity, of Lord George Murray.
It was in consequence of the practice adopted by some of the
hangers-on of the Chevalier's court, of luring young English or Scottish
strangers to its circles, that John Murray of Broughton, afterwards
Secretary to Prince Charles, was first introduced to the young Chevalier.
Murray was the son of Sir David Murray, Bart., by his second wife, a
daughter of Sir David Scott of Ancrum: he was at this time only
twenty-three years of age, and he had lately completed his studies at
Edinburgh, where he had gone through a course of philosophy, and
studied the civil and municipal laws. The report which prevailed that
Mr. Murray had been educated with the young Chevalier was untrue; it
was by the desire of his mother, Lady Murray, that he first, in 1741,
visited both France and Italy, and perfected himself in the language of
those countries, then by no means generally attained by Scotchmen.
Mr. Murray had been brought up in the principles of the Episcopal
Church, and therefore there was less reason, than there would have
been in the case of a Roman Catholic, to apprehend his being beguiled
into an intimate connection with the exiled Stuarts. He had not,
however, been long in Rome before he was asked by an acquaintance
whether he had seen the Santi Apostoli, as the palace of the Chevalier
was called. On answering in the negative, he was assured that, through
a knowledge of some of the servants, a sight might be obtained of the
palace; and also of the Protestant chapel, in which, as Mr. Murray heard
with great surprise, the Chevalier allowed service to be performed for
such of the retinue of the young Prince as were of the Protestant
persuasion. It was also alleged that this indulgence was with the
cognizance of the Pope, who, in order to remove the barrier which
prevented the Stuarts from enjoying the crown of England, was willing
to allow Charles Edward to be brought up as a Protestant. This
assertion was further confirmed by the fact, that the noblemen, Lord
Inverness and Lord Dunbar, who had the charge of Charles Edward,
were both Protestants; a choice on the part of James which had
produced all that contention between himself and the Princess
Clementina, with the details of which the Courts of Europe were
entertained.

The family and retinue of the Chevalier St. George being then at
Albano, Mr. Murray was able to gratify his curiosity, and to inspect the
chapel, which had neither crucifix, confessional, nor picture in it,--only
an altar,--and was not to be distinguished from an English chapel; and
here English divines officiated. Here, it is said, whilst at his devotions,
a slight accident occurred, which nourished a belief in presages in the
mind of Charles Edward. A small piece of the ceiling, ornamented with
flowers in fretwork, fell into his lap; it was discovered to be a thistle:
soon afterwards, another of these ornaments became detached, and fell
also into his lap; this proved to be a rose. Such omens, coupled with the
star of great magnitude which astronomers asserted to have appeared at
his nativity, were, it was thought, not without their effect on the hopes
and conduct of the young Prince. One can hardly, however, do him so
much injustice as to suppose that such could be the case.
Mr. Murray expressed, it is affirmed, a considerable degree of curiosity
to see the Chevalier and his two sons, who were both highly extolled
for their natural gifts and graces; the wish was communicated, and,
acting upon the principle of attracting all comers to the Court, was soon
realised: a page was sent, intimating that Mr. Murray's attendance
would be well received, and he was, by an order from the Chevalier,
graciously admitted to kiss hands. Such was the commencement of that
acquaintance which afterwards proved so fatal to the interests of Prince
Charles, and so disgraceful to the cause of the Jacobites. Such was the
introduction of the young Prince to the man who subsequently betrayed
his companions in misfortune. This step was shortly followed by an
intimacy which, probably in the commencement, was grounded upon
mutual good-will. Men become perfidious by slow degrees; and
perform actions, as they advance in life, which they would blush to
reflect on in the day-dawn of their honest youth.
This account is, however, derived from the statements of an anonymous
writer, evidently an apologist for the errors of Mr. Murray,[9] and is
contradicted so far as the sudden conversion of the young Scotchman to
the cause of the Stuarts, by the fact that he had all his life been a violent
Jacobite.[10] On the other hand, it is