A man who attempts to 'bout
ship morally in too great haste is liable to miss stays and be swamped,
for nothing so grates on us as the sudden reformation of our friends,
while we remain unregenerate.
But to write Hamilton's history I must begin at the beginning, which
in this case happens to be my beginning, and shall conclude with his
"hundred to one" venture, which closed his career and mine, at least
in England.
* * * * *
The Clydes, of whom I am the present head, have always had great respect
for the inevitable and have never permitted the idealization of a
hopeless cause to lead them into trouble solely for trouble's sake. So
it was that when my father of blessed memory saw that King Charles I and
his favorites were determined to wreck the state, themselves, and their
friends, he fell ill of the gout at an opportune moment, which made it
necessary for him to hasten to Germany to take the cure at the baths.
My revered father was the twenty-second Baron Clyde, Edwin by baptism,
and I, his namesake, am, or rather was, the twenty-third and last baron
of our line, having lost my title by reason of entanglement with the
desperate fortunes of George Hamilton.
My father had been a staunch supporter of Charles I, not only because
Charles was our divinely appointed king, but also because his Majesty
was a lovable person in many respects. His misfortunes were the result
of bad advice, false philosophy, and a heart too kind.
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