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 his studies either in law or philosophy to recognise the folly of a man in disgrace venturing to measure swords with one of fortune’s favourites.  And Sir James at the time of his quarrel with Claverhouse was in disgrace.  At the close of 1681 he had been dismissed from the office of President of the Court of Session for refusing the Test Act; and for some while previously he had been coldly regarded for his advocacy of gentler measures than suited Lauderdale and his creatures.  The Dalrymples were strict Presbyterians; and though the men were too cautious to meddle openly with treasonable matters, their womenfolk were notoriously in active sympathy with the rebels.  All through Claverhouse’s letters of this time run allusions to some great personage whom it might be wise to make an example of, and he himself had taken an early opportunity of impressing on Sir James the necessity of caution.[39] But the latter would not be warned.  He set himself against Claverhouse at every opportunity, both openly and in secret.  He wrote long querulous letters to Edinburgh, complaining of the latter’s disrespect.  Finally, when he found it prudent to leave the country for a while, his son carried the business to a height by bringing a formal charge against Claverhouse of extortion and malversation.  The latter saw his opportunity, and at once carried the war into the enemy’s country.  He preferred a specific bill of complaint against Sir John, in the course of which it came out that he had been offered a bribe both by father and son not to interfere with their hereditary jurisdictions; and, notwithstanding the exertions of Sir George Lockhart and Fountainhall, the most eminent counsel of the Scottish bar, utterly defeated him on every point.  The Court found that Sir John Dalrymple had been guilty of employing rebels and of winking at treasonable practices:  of not exacting the proper fines by law ordained for such misdemeanours:  of stirring up the country-folk against the King’s troops; and, finally, of grossly misrepresenting Claverhouse to the Council.  For these offences he was sentenced to pay a fine of five hundred pounds and the whole costs of the proceedings, and to be imprisoned in the Castle of Edinburgh till the money should be paid.  Claverhouse, on his side, received not only a full and most complimentary acquittal from all his adversary’s charges, but also a signal proof of the royal favour in the presentation to a regiment of cavalry raised especially for this purpose.  His commission was dated December 25th, 1682, and in the following March he was sent into England with despatches from the Council to the King and the Duke of York, who was still nominally Commissioner for Scottish Affairs.[40]