麻豆约拍

C貌 chuir arm nan Seumasach air ais dhachaigh anns an D霉bhlachd seachd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1745) nuair a bha e ann an Derby? Uill, tha fhios gum bi diofar bheachdan air sin. Ach dh鈥檉haodamaid argamaid a dh猫anamh gur e 脠ireannach 鈥� aon duine 鈥� a sheas ann an rathad a鈥� Phrionnsa The脿rlaich is a thug air tionndadh air ais gu tuath. B鈥� esan Dudley Bradstreet agus 鈥檚 e fear-brathaidh a bh鈥� ann. Bha e ag obair do na Hanoibh猫irianaich. Thug esan comhairle do bhuidheann sti霉iridh nan Seumasach nach b鈥� urrainn dhaibh a鈥� ch霉is a dh猫anamh air feachdan m貌ra an R矛gh a bha a鈥� feitheamh riutha. Ach 鈥檚 e breug a bh鈥� aige.

Rugadh is thogadh Bradstreet ann an 脠irinn. 鈥橲 e Pr貌stanach a bh鈥� ann 鈥� fear dhen fheadhainn aig an robh buinteanas do Shasainn o shean. Ged a dh鈥檉heuch e ri obair onarach a dh猫anamh ann an 脠irinn agus Sasainn airson greis, 鈥檚 e foill a b鈥� fhe脿rr leis. Agus bha e f矛or mhath air.

Bha e ann an Lunnainn nuair a chualas gu robh arm a鈥� Phrionnsa a鈥� briseadh a-mach 脿 Alba is a鈥� d猫anamh air Sasainn. Bha eagal air muinntir Lunnainn ro na Seumasaich agus bha am pr矛omh bhaile air bhoil. Bha daoine a鈥� tarraing an cuid airgid bhon bhanca, bha b霉than a鈥� d霉nadh agus bhathar ag aithris gu robh an R矛gh a鈥� d猫anamh deiseil airson teicheadh.

鈥橲 ann aig an 脿m ud a chaidh Dudley Bradstreet a bhruidhinn ri R霉naire Di霉c a鈥� Chaisteil Nuaidh 鈥� am fear a bha an urra ri t猫arainteachd na r矛oghachd. Thabhainn e obair a dh猫anamh don riaghaltas mar fhear-brathaidh. An toiseach, chaidh iarraidh air faighinn a-mach d猫 an seasamh a bh鈥� aig an luchd-obrach 脠ireannach a bha a鈥� fuireach ann an Lunnainn. An robh iad airson no an aghaidh an riaghaltais?

An uair sin ghluais e am measg feadhainn a bha taiceil do na Seumasaich, agus fhuair e a-mach mu phlana airson T霉r Lunnainn a ghabhail thairis. An d猫idh sin, chaidh a chur don phr矛osan gus gum faigheadh e a-mach bho phr矛osanaich eile mu phlana sam bith airson na Seumasaich a chuideachadh.

Nuair a r脿inig am Prionnsa Te脿rlach Manchester, chuir Bradstreet beachd-smuain 霉r mu choinneimh Di霉c a鈥� Chaisteil Nuaidh. Bha e airson a dhol am measg nan saighdearan Seumasach agus am brosnachadh gus ar-a-mach a dh猫anamh an aghaidh an ceannardan. Thug an Di霉c cead dha rudeigin a dh猫anamh airson maill a chur air an arm, agus thug e ceud not dha.

Cheannaich Bradstreet deise spaideil de she貌rsa a bhiodh aig fear beartach. Rinn e tiomnadh, eagal 鈥檚 nach tilleadh e, agus chuir e ainm 霉r air fh猫in 鈥� 鈥淥liver Williams鈥�. Dh鈥檉h脿g e Lunnainn ann an coidse air an oidhche air an d脿rna l脿 dhen D霉bhlachd. Nuair a r脿inig e Lichfield, sia m矛le deug bho Derby, thachair e ri Di霉c Richmond. Dh鈥檌nnis an Di霉c dha gu robh d霉il air Di霉c Chumberland an ceann 霉ine gun a bhith fada.

Stad Bradstreet ann an Lichfield, a鈥� feitheamh ri Cumberland. Nuair a choinnich iad, mhol Bradstreet gun sgriosadh an Di霉c an rathad eadar Derby is Northampton gus an gabhadh na Seumasaich rathad eile gu deas. Bhiodh saighdearan an riaghaltais a鈥� feitheamh riutha air an rathad sin. Dh鈥櫭╥st Cumberland ris is an uair sin dh鈥檌arr e air Bradstreet d猫anamh air arm nan Seumasach airson d脿il dusan uair a th矛de a chur air. Aig ceithir uairean feasgar, dh鈥檉halbh Bradstreet air muin eich.

Mus do r脿inig e Derby thachair e ri saighdearan Seumasach agus thug e tastan do gach duine aca. Carson? Uill, innsidh mi sin dhuibh 鈥� agus na thachair dha ann an Derby 鈥� anns an ath Litir.

Faclan na seachdaine: an D霉bhlachd: December; fear-brathaidh: spy; breug: lie; Pr貌stanach: Protestant; beachd-smuain: idea; deise: suit.

Abairtean na seachdaine: c貌 chuir arm nan Seumasach air ais dhachaigh?: who sent the Jacobite army back home?; tha fhios gum bi diofar bheachdan air sin: there will certainly be a variety of opinions about that; dh鈥檉haodamaid argamaid a dh猫anamh: we could argue; is a thug air tionndadh air ais gu tuath: and forced him to turn back north; nach b鈥� urrainn dhaibh a鈥� ch霉is a dh猫anamh air X: that they couldn鈥檛 defeat X; aig an robh buinteanas do Shasainn: who had connections to England; 鈥檚 e foill a b鈥� fhe脿rr leis: it was fraud he preferred; bha e f矛or mhath air: he was very good at it (some might prefer bha e f矛or mhath oirre, as foill is feminine); bha eagal air muinntir Lunnainn ro X: the people of London feared X; bha am pr矛omh bhaile air bhoil: the capital was in a frenzy; a鈥� d猫anamh deiseil airson teicheadh: preparing to flee; R霉naire Di霉c a鈥� Chaisteil Nuaidh: The Secretary to the Duke of Newcastle; an robh iad airson no an aghaidh an riaghaltais?: were they for or against the government?; airson T霉r Lunnainn a ghabhail thairis: to take over the Tower of London; gus gum faigheadh e a-mach bho phr矛osanaich eile: so that he would find out from other prisoners; am brosnachadh gus ar-a-mach a dh猫anamh: to encourage them to start a rebellion; airson maill a chur air an arm: to delay the army; rinn e tiomnadh, eagal 鈥檚 nach tilleadh e: he made a will in case he didn鈥檛 return; an ceann 霉ine gun a bhith fada: shortly; gun sgriosadh X an rathad: that X would destroy the road; d脿il dusan uair a th矛de a chur air: delay it [the army] for twelve hours; air muin eich: on horseback; thug e tastan do gach duine aca: he gave each of them a shilling.

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: Do you know which of the simple prepositions cause a following noun (where no article is present) to be lenited, presuming of course that it starts with a lenitable consonant? Here are the examples in the Litir: o (o shean), bho (bho phr矛osanaich eile), mu (mu phlana sam bith), de (de she貌rsa). But the following also cause lenition: a (a Ghlaschu 鈥� 鈥渢o Glasgow鈥�), fo (fo bh貌rd), do (do dhaoine eile), ro (ro ch脿ch), tro (tro mheadhan na G脿idhlig). Look, however, at the first sentence of the final paragraph of the Litir. Beware of gach 鈥� it cannot be aspirated so don鈥檛 be tempted to write or say do ghach duine aca 鈥� it is simply do gach duine aca. Other examples would be tro gach duilgheadas, coimhead fo gach baga, bha an t-eagal orm ro gach luchag.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: am fear a bha an urra ri t猫arainteachd na r矛oghachd: the man who was in charge of the kingdom鈥檚 security. In Litir 137 we looked at an urra ri meaning 鈥渄ependent on鈥� but here it has an alternative meaning of 鈥渋n charge of鈥�. It takes the dative.