c
tHE
HISTORY OP THE
OF THE
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND,
t'ROM THE.
RESTORATION TO THE
RE VOL UTION.
WITH AN
INTRODUCTIOI^,
epNTAINING THE MOST REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES RE
LATING TO THAT CHURCH, FROM' THE RE-
, FORMATION TO THE RESTORATION.

BY WILLIAM CROOKSHANKj A. M.
^t£ ministerof the scots congregation in SWALiOW STREET,
WESTMINSTER*

in CtDO molumciSf.

VOL. II.

dEUinlJurgl) :
tRlN'tED BY THOMAS TURNBULL,

OLU ASSEMBLY CLOSE,

1812.

Mht4a C8g3

CONTENTS
I OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

CHAP. I,
Of the Rising, at Bbthiuell,' and the Attempts made against
Lauderdale - - >•' - Page 1
, 'is' "^
CHAP. II.
Of the Execution of Messrs King and Kid, and the five that suf
fired at Magus-Muir ; the Circuit-courts ; the third In
dulgence ; and other remarkable things to the end cf the year
1679 - - ' - ^ - 19
^ CHAP. III.
Of the Sufferings of Gentlemen for not attending the Kinges host ;
the repeal of the third Indulgence ; the ^ueensferry Paper ;
,the Sanquhar Declaration ; and other things to the Skirmish at
Airsihoss _ ' _ , _ _ , 3S
CHAP. IV.
Of the Skirmish at Airsmoss ; the Execution of Mr Hackstoim ¦
qf Rathillet, and others ; the Torwood Excommunication, icith
the proceedings of the Council upon it, and other branches of
Persecution to the end of the year 1680 - - 53
CHAP. V.
Of the Executions of Isabel Alison, Marion Harvey, Mr C argil,,
and others ; the followers of John Gib ; the Siifferings of
heritors, l^c. and other things to the' Session of Parliament 70
CHAP. yi.
-Of the Duke of York's . Parlicfment ; the Teft s the Trial, Con
demnation, and Escape of the Earl of Argyle ,- the Execution
at the Gallowlee ; and other things tq th^ end cf the year
1681 ' - ' ' T  7 ' 7 .' '- 91
. QHAP. VIL
Of the Declaration at Lanark ; some farther proceedings about
the Test ; the Actings of the Council against Conventicles ; th^
public Executions ; and other branches qf Persecution, during
the year 1682 - - , - - lip
CHAP. VIII.
Of the Commissio)^ 's the Prosecutions before the Justiciary ; the
Rye-house Plot ; thf circuit Courts ; ihe public Executions,
and other branches qf Persecution during the year 1633 13 Si

iv eolJTfiN'ifg.
CHAP. IX.
. Of the Persecution this year ih general; the Proceedings qfWsi
Council and Justiciary ; th^ Sufferings of particular Nohlemeri,
Gentlemen, and others ; together •Mth the public Executions
till the end of August leSAi ' " - 171
CHAP, X. ,
Of the Tortiere qf the Rev. Mr Car stairs ; the Proceedings of
the~Coitncil and circuit Courts ; together with the societiei Apo
logetical Declaration - - - 202
CHAP. XI. _ ;.
Of the Proceedings of the Council and JustiiAary ; the Murders in
the f elds ; the Trial and Execution of Mr Robert Baillie of
Jerviswood, and others ,- ¦with several other branches of Perse
cution till the Death of King Charles II ^ - 219
CHAP. XII.
Of ihe Accession of King Jamei VII. the Proceedings of the
Council and Justiciary ; the Murders in the fields.; the unsuc
cessful Attempt of the Eatl of Argyle, ; the Sufferings of.the
Prisoners sent to Dumioter ; the Actings qf the Parliament >
the Drowning two women ; and othei- branches of, oppression t«
the end qfthe Session -• - - 248'
CHAP. XIII.
Of the Execution of the Earl of Argyle, Rumbold, Mr Thomas
Archer, and others ; the Proceedings of the Council and Justi
ciary } the Siifferings of the- banished ; and other branches of
oppression fo the end qf the year \6^5 - - 2Sf
y CHAP. XIV.
Oft^e Proceedings qfthe Justiciary and' Parliament ; the King's
remarkable letter in favour of the Papists ; the Heath andfiha-
r cuter ff the Rev. Mr Peden ; the SMe of Mr Renwick and
his followers ; the various branches cf persecution and acts of
Indulgence ; with other things to the end of the year 168 1 3l8
CHAP. XV.
Of the Proceedings of the Justiciary ; the Execution of Mr James
Renwick ; the acts and proclamations of Council, and other re-
inarkablc things to the e^er-merkorable Revolution ^ with some
account of. the Proceedings of the Contention of Estates 350
Appendix - _ _ _ ' _ gg*.
Cpnclusion - - . _ _ ogt
Glossary - . . . 3^^

TfaE
HISTORY

OF THE

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

CHAP I.

Cfthe rising at Bothwell, and the attempts made against Lauder.
dale.

'OR.OM what has been related in the former volume, we may
-*¦ easily form a judgment of the dismal state of the nation, on
account of the arbitrary, proceedings of those who had the ma
nagement of affairs, and the unaccountable severities which many
innocent people endured.
The rigorous and military execution of the saijguinary laws,
now in force, could not but exasperate those who were by this
means robbed of their liberties and properties, and of every
thing that was dear and valuable, especially as oppressions of
every kind were still increasing; AU legal methods of redress
were cut offfrom the. poor suffering people. What then could
they do ? Surely one might think, that it was incumbent upon
them to fall upon measures for getting ,irom under the feet of
their cruel oppressors; for who would -chuse to continue in mi
sery,, if they could, by any lawful and justifiable method, extri
cate themselves from it ; They were most averse to take arms,
until they were forced to it in their owai defence. And though
they were obliged to have recourse to this expedient, yet they
never desired to have an opportunity of making use of it ; but,
being declared rebels on this accomit, they were constrained to
persevere in it,, till the fury of their persecutors drove them tp
the rising I am now to give an account of.
It has been already observed. That wjjpn they found that
^%maU meetings were more exposed to danger than greater as-
VOL.'II. ' A

2 . THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. I.
semblies, they altered their method, and resolved to assemble m
one meeting, in chose places which they apprehended stood- m
mostneed of the gospel.and wherethey might meet togetherwllb
greater safety. They who thus assembled were generally those
who were averse to the indulgence and the accepters of it ; and
many came to it armed. The orders giv^n to the soldiers, and
the severe laws made on account of the primate's death, tend
ed to increase their numbers ; but the divisions occasioned 1^
the unhappy indulgence were of great disadvantage to them, and
at last proved their ruin. I need not hSre repeat what has been
already said on this point.
. When the numbers of the persecuted party were, considerably
augmented, Mr Robert Hamilton, brother to the laird of Pres
ton, and some others, moved that something farther might be done
as a testimony against the initjuity of the times. Accordingly,
after serious consideration and prayer, they resolved to continue
to hear the gospel, notwithstanding all the dangers, to which
they might be exposed, and to publish to the world their testi.
mony to the truth and cause which they owned, and against
the sins and (defections of the times. In consequence of this
resolution, the said Mr Hamrlion, Mr Thomas Douglas one of
their preachers, and about 80 armed men, were pitched upon
to go up to some public place to publish their declaration, and
burn the papers mentioned in it. They judged that the 29th
of May was the most proper time for putting this in execution.
Accordingly, the afternoon of that day, they came to Ruther-
glen, a small royal burgh two miles from Glasgow, where they
extinguished the bonfires, put their resolution in practice, and
aihxect a copy of their declaration to the market-cross ; the fol-
Ibvifing is according to the copy thereof subjoined to the Infor-
matory Vindication.
The Declaration and Testimony ofsbme of ihe true Presbyterian part^
in Scotland, published at Rutherglen, ^9th May, 1679.
« A S the Lord hath been pleased still to keep and preserve his
¦^^ interest in this land, by the testimonies of some faithful
witnesses from the beginning ; so, ift our day^ some have not
been wanting, who, through the greatest hazards, have added
their testimony to those who have gotie before them, by suffer
ing death, banishment, torturings, forfeitures, imprisonments,
and what not, from a perfidiouswand cruel adversary to the
church and kingdom of ^ur Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in
the land : therefore we, owning the same interest of Christ, ac
cording to the word of the Lord, and the National and Solemn
League and CoVeni^t, desire, lo add our testimony to the testi
monies of the worthies that has gone before us (though we be

CHAP. I. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. S
unworthy, yet hoping we are true members of the Church of
Scotland) and that against all things done prejudicial to his in
terest, from the beginning of the work of reformation, especi
ally from 1648 to 1660, but more particularly, from the said
year 1660, and downwards, against the acts following. As
against the act of supremacy ; tibe declaration whereby our Co
venants were condemned ; the act for the eversion of the esta
blished government of the church, and for establishing of ab
jured prelacy ; the act recissory of all acts of parliament sind
assemblies for estabhshing the government of the church ac
cording to the word ; the act of Glasgow putting the same in
execution, whereby, at one time, were violently cast out above
three hundred ministers without any legal procedure ;. likewise
the act for appointing an holy anniversary day to be kept every
29th of May, for giving thanks for the setting up an usurped
power, destroying the interest of Christ in the land, whereby
the creature is set up to be worshipped in the room of our great
Redeemer, and a power is assumed which is proper to thc
Lord only; for the appointing of ordinances in his church, as
particularly the govemment thereof, and the keeping of holy-
days, belongeth to no prince, prelate, nor person on earth, but
only to our Lord Redeemer. And farther, we give our testi
mony against all sinful and unlawful acts, emitted and execut
ed, published and prosecuted by them against our Covenanted
Reformation. And, for confirmation of this our testimony, we
do here this day, being the twenty-ninth of May ,1679, publicly
and most justly burn the foresaid acts at this cross of Ruther-
glen, being the chief burgh of the nether-ward of Clydesdale,
as they perfidiously and blasphemously have burnt our holy co
venants through several cities of these covenanted kingdoms.
We hope none will take exception at our riot subscribing this
our testimony, being so solemnly given; for we' are ready to do
it, if necessary, and to enlarge it, with all our faithful suffering
brethren in the land.'
When this declaration was published, Mr Hamilton and the
rest retired from Rutherglen towards Evandale and Newmills'l
This affair made a great noise both at Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Mr Graham of Claverhouse (afterwards Viscount of Dundee)
having unlimited powers to kill and destroy all he found in'
arms, came suddenly upon the town of Hamilton on Saturday
afternoon, the 31st of May» ai"l if that neighbourhood seized
Mr John King and about fourteen others, whc-were not iii
arms, nor had any thing laid fo their charge. They who es-'
caped, and some who joined them in order to rescue Mi* Kings
repaired to the meeting; which they heard was to be at Lou-i
donhill next day, expecting assistance froai thence;

4 XHE HIbTORY OF THE .CHAl^^St
|i$e3n\vhile,Ciaverhpusej; having lifctwrise intdligence of that
meetitigi andresolving, to disperse them* nrarched eariy irom
Hamilton pn Sabbatll mtwnAng the first of June, and earned his
prisoners wit^h him bon&d two and two, his men driving them
before theni like so many sheep. Public worship was began
by Mr Douglas when they were informed of Clav^rbouse'sap.-,
proach Wherefore all who were armed rbsolved to leave the
meeting, face the soldiers, and, if possible, relieve the prison
ers. Aceordin^y, about forty horse and one hundred and fifty
or two hundred loot came up with" Claverhouse aiid htS Jiarty
near Drum.clog, and after a-.shdrt and close engageTient defeat
ed eiaverhous-o and rescued the. piisonCTSi Claverhouse h^d
his horse; shot under him, and narrowly escaped ; above twenty
of the soldiers; were killed, and several taken prisoners, -arhDm
they released upon their being disarmed. The countrymen lost
not above two or three.; One John Mortoun was killed ; Thomas
Weir and William Danziel (which last was concerned ia the
bishop's death) died in a few day of their wounds.
The country people, after this actipn, resolved,; since they
could not separate without evident Lazardj to-keep together till
they saw how matters would turn out-^^ Mr Hamilton marched
that night to Hamilton, and Claverhouse esC&ped to Glasgpw,
and alarmed the soldiers there. Next day Mr Hamilton, and
those who joined tbem in their march, being too much flushed
with their success, marchfed to Glasgow,, and entered the town
about ten o'clock ; but after six or eight were killed, arnong
whom was one Walter Paterson a pious youth in the parish of
Cambusnethan, and two or three wounded," they were obliged
tx> quit the place, and retire to Hamilton, where they pitched
a sort of a camp.
Such vsras the inhumanity of the soldiers, that the dead bodies
which were left in the street were for some time not perinitted
to be buried. Some papers, sayj That Claverhouse and some of
the officers gave orders that none should bury them, but that
the butchers' dogs should be suffered to eat them. But, be
that as it will, it is'certain that seven dead bodies lay in the
street from eleven in the forenoon till night ; airf when they
were taken intp houses to be dressed for their burial, the sol
diers came, and stript them of their dead-clothes; nay, whai
they permitted them to be buried, none durst appear to perform
this service but women, whom, notwithstanding, the soldiers at.!
taclted, and cut the paUs with their swords. And when the wo
men used their plaids for palls, the soldiers took their plaids
from them. In, short, they werq obliged to set the coffins in the
alms-house, near the high-church, where they continued till the
soldiers left Glasgcjjjir.
Early on.the thir4 of June the council- met, and, havii^ re
ceived a false account of those transactions, issued a proclama-

CHAP. I. CHURCH 0? SCOTLAND. 5
tion against th? r#Jf/j, as they called them, wherein,' after ag
gravating the' rising, they say. That a party of disloyal persons,
who had formerly tasted of royal bounty and clemencyt [viz.
the finings, imprisonments, intercommuning, banishments, &c.
mentioned in, the former part of thisJiistory] had come to Ruth
erglen and proclaimed their rebellious covenant, and had com
mitted a great many outrages, &c And therefore all persons
in arms were charged to lay down their arms, and surrender
themselves to the Earl of Linlithgow, or any other officer or ma-
gistrarte, within the space of twenty four hours after the publi
cation of this proclamation, or else to be treated as traitors, and
render incapable of mercy [but there was no promise of par-«
don.] In short, •all masters of families, heritors, tec. were re
quired to be cafeful, lest any of their children, servants, or ten
ants, join the' rebels, or else they were to be looked upon as dis
affected persons. We shall relate 'how the soldiers improved.
this clause after Bothwell. The' reader is to judge whether
they who were now in arrfis had any encouragement to surren
der. The same day they wrote to Lauderdale aft account of
these things. ^ •
Then the council issued a pfotslamation ordering the militia
to rendezvous, and to join arid act with the regular forces, under
severe penalties ; and another ordering all the lieritors and ffee^
holders to attend the king's hoSt ; ;a'nd made all preparations
they judged necessary for suppressing the rebellion, as it was
termed. I shall Only observe, that all, or most of the officers,
named for this host, were violent persecutors of the presbyteri
ans, many of whom had a warm side to pppery, and some were
professed' papists. But to return to the affairs of the west.
On the third of June, Lord Ross, and the officers in Glas
gow, finding that the gathering of the countiy people still in
creased, marched with the forces to Kilsyth, and carried with
them, in cajrts, some of the wounded countrymen who fell into
their hands, and about the sixth, were joined by the Earl of Lin
lithgow at Larbermuir ; but, being falsely informed that the
west-country atmy was 8000 strong, they wrote to the council,
¦that it was-' the general sense of the officers, tjiat his majesty
should be applied to for assistance from England. The council
required them to march to Edinburgh, and sent orders to the go
vernor of Stirling to taj^e special care of that city, and at the same,
time wrote to LauderdaJ«5>n account of their proceedings, arid re
quired help from England. On the 7th .of June the army* was
cantoned about Edinburgh, where they con'inued till the 16th.
Meanwhile matters were so managied at court, that the duke
of Monmouth and Buccleuch was pitched upon to command an
army for suppressing this insurrection. When the council re
ceived the news pf this, they, on the 1 5th) wrote to court, and

6 'THE HtSTORT or THE CHAF. I.
proposed that Dalziel might be made lieutenant-general under
the duke.
About the middle df this month Lord Macdonald, a proies->
sed papist, and the Macleans, having for some time ravaged the
lands of the Earl of Argyle, sent a petition to the council offer
ing their service in suppressing the rebels in the west, whose
Addresses, say they, we have rejected, and praying that the Earl
of Argyle might be required, in the mean time, to desist, &c.
The insiniiation, that the west-country people had addressed
^em, heeds no confutation; for they who opposed prelacy
could never encourage popery. But it was generally believed
ijhat this army of professed papists, now in arms, though they
falsely pretended self-defence against the Earl of Argyle, were
yet in close correspondence with, if not under pension to the
Duke of York, and in cgncert with those concerned in the popish
plot in England. But if this was not the case, yet how unac
countable it was, that the council 'should Receive a petition from
thi commander of this popish party, when all papists in arms
Were by a late proclamation, declared to' be guilty of treason,
must be left with the reader ; especially as it was with difficul-,
ty that they were npt employed in acting against the west-coun
try army, of whom we were now tp speak.
• The success they met with at Drumclog, and the xetiring of
the forces from ¦ Glasgow, gave opportunity to many' to join
'them from all quarters, considering the necessity there was to
assist them in this extremity, and that themselves were liable to
the same common danger from their enraged enemies.' They
-were likewise convinced of the righteousness of the cause in
"which they wete engaged, and that, if they should be made a
sacrifice to tiie rage of their persecuta's, they Would be account
able" for their blood did they withhold their help., -From these
-considerations many came from Galloway and Kithsdale, from
Carrick, Kyle, Cuningham, Renfrew, Lanark, the Lothian^
and Stirlingshire ; and among theni were some gentlemen of
note. ¦— ¦ '
The author of the Memoirs of North Britain, printed at Lon
don 1715, gays, f I Icnow very well that- inspfrectiffn is repre
sented as a riotous tumujt of a few factious enthusiasts '; but it
is most certain Uiat several gentlemen of note engaged in that
jbusinesS, the tyranny of the Tories being become intolerable.'
And therefore, though Bishop Burnet vindicates the non-con
formists frorh having formed any design of rebellion before this,
yet he was misinformed when he says, « That none came into
this attempt but those desperate intercommuned men, who were,
as it were, hunted from their houses into all those extravagan
cies that men may fall in who wander about inflaming one ano
ther, and are heated in it with false notions of religion.' Such

" CHAP. %. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 7"
invidious reflections are no more than jvhat might, be expected
from the pen of a prelate on this subjecr; for I can see no ex
travagancies they fell into but what was the natural effect of the
oppression of the managers, and there were a good many gen
tlemen that joined them, and many more who favoured their
design. There were likewise several ministers among them, as Messrs
John Welsh, John King, John Kid, William Foster, Thomas
Douglas, Samuel Arnot, John Rae, George Barclay, John Sem-
ple,-&c. They never, as Mr Wodrow thinks, exceeded 4000,
though Echard ,would have them to be 17,000, when they were
routed at Bothwell ; but then many were but ill armed, and it
was their loss that they had not officers wl^o understood the art
of war.
1 When the king's forces left Glasgow, Mr Welsh and several
otheis came thither from Carrick, and interred the bodies of
those who, had been killed in the late attempt, together with the
heads of the sufferers for Pentland. They shewed the like kin*}-
ness to the heads and hands of those which had been set up at
Kilmarnock, Irvine, and Ayr, and were well received by the good
people every where ; but the divisions that broke out among
them occasioned the defeat of their designs at this time.
The principal thing they had in view was to publish a decla
ration to the world, shewing the reasons of their conduct. Mr
Hamilton, who took upon him ithe command, Mr Douglas and
Mr Cargill, &c. were of opinion that the indulgence should be
condemned ; but this was opposed by Mr Welsh, the laird of
Kaitlock, and others : but Mr Hamilton and his adherents being
more numerous, the following general declaration was agreed to
by the majority. , ¦
« We, who are here providentially convened In our own der
' fence, for preventing and removing the mistakes and misap-
' prehensions of all, especially of those whom we wish tp be
* and hope are friends, do declare our present purposes and epr
< deavours to be only in vindication and defence of the true rf:..
' formed religion in its profession and doctrine, as we sjtand ob-
' liged thereunto by our natipnal and solemn league and covct
' nants, and that solemn -acknowledgment of sins, agd pngage-
« ment to duties, made and taken in the year 1648, decjaring
' against popery, prelacy, erastianism, and all things dppepding
' thereupon.' Wheti' the artny increased, there were seveyjil ¦sj'ho fo^nd
fault with the last clatise of the abpvQ declaration, because it
¦ comprehended the indulgenoe, and therefore moved that it
might be taken out; (;hey said tjiat nothjng should Ije i,n the
declaration that had a tendency to excliide any presbyterians
fjom joining in their assistance, esperii}l!y as the indu-gcnce,

g THE HISTORY OF THB CHAP. I- *
in its own nature disputable, had riPt yet been declared sinful
by any general assembly, or other competent judge. On the
Other hand it was argued, that the point controverted was only*
declared against in general terms : that erastianism was as ex
pressly abjured by this church as prelacy; and that the'indul-
gence was the fruit of erastianism: The debates were carried
to a great length.
At another meeting Mr Hamilton, and those of his senti
ments, moved that they might observe a day of fasting and
humiliation before they should be engaged with the enemy;
but they who opposed a testimony against the indulgence Wid
not relish this motion, unless such grounds of fasting should be
given as they all could agree in. However, they were at this
time over-ruled, and a committee was appointed, consisting of
four ministers and four gentlemen, to draw up some causes of
fasting" and humiliation. Accordingly they referred to whaf
was written in'the Causes of God's Wrath, and then mention-^
ed, 1. The extravagant rejoicing at the Restoration. 2. Thef
establishing of prelacy. 8. The neglecting of public testi-
jnonies against that abjured hierarchy.- 4. The~ sin of many in
taking unlaiwful bonds. 5. The paying of unlawful cess, &c.
for supporting the supremacy and suppressing the gospel,. 6.
The complying with abjured erastianism in the matter of the
indulgeiice. They who were of different sentiments from M^
Hamilton would not come into those things as proper to be
laid down as causes of humiliation, and so no fast was kept.
And thus divisions broke this little army before they* wer^
broken by the enemy.
^ When the cause of their appearing and continuing in arms
came to be considered at a meeting - of their officers, which
they called a council of war, Mr Hamilton and bis adherents
were for having it stated upon the fPoting of the Rutherglen
declaration ; but they who favoured the indulgence, proposed
that the king's authority should be expressly owned, according
to the 3d article of the solemn league and covenant. Against
this it was argued, that, as they had made no declaration against
him, so they must be excused, and not urged to declare' posi
tively for him, especially as he was now in a stated opposition
to the interest of Christ, and had, upon the matter, declared
war against his people, and all the present opposition, cruelty,
and persecution in Scotland, for redress of which they were
now appearing, were carried on in his name. The covenants,
they said, only bound them to him in the preservation and de
fence of the true religion, and the liberties of the kingdoms ;
but the kitig had actually over-turned the true religion, set up
jjrelacy and erastianism, ruined the covenanted work of refor
mation, invaded the liberties of the kingdom, persecuted to the

CHAP. 1. ^ CrfURGH OF SCOTLAND. S
death the asserters of both, and plainly broke the conditions of
government sworn at his coronation. To this it was answer
ed, that, in 1638, the assembly and covenanters owned the
king's authority, though he had declared war against them.
That this method Pf throwing off the king's authority would
pbstruct the redress of their greivances, and frustrate the de
sign of their appearance. vBut here the reader must observe,
that Mr HamiltSn, and his adherents, proposed no declaration
against the king's lawful authority, oiily would not positively
mention him, or his interest, in the declaration: and it is cer
tain, that what they- asserted, concerning the king's opposition
to the true religion, &c. was fact. How far their inference
was just must be left with the reader. However, they who
opposed Mr Hamilton, and his adherents; so far prevailed, as,
on the 1 3th of June, to get a declaration published at Glasgow,
called the Hamilton declaration^ wherein the king's interest is ex
pressly asserted. The reader may easily see that this little army
must have laboured under great disadvantages from their divi
sions when the enemy was coming upon them.
As they had been for some days about Hamilton, so it will
be proper to return to the king's army.
We have heard that the army under the command of the Earl
of Linlithgow was cantoned about Edinburgh, and, on the 17th,
they were at Kirkhill-park, belonging to Lord Cardross, who
suffered mijch at this time by the soldiers.
On the 18th the duke of Buccleuch and-Monmoiith came to
¦ "Edinburgh, and was admitted a privy- counsellor. The author
of the Memoirs of North Britain, formerly quoted, says, ' That
' the Tories in England persuaded the king to send his grace
* against those unfortunate people, to make him odious to the
' protestant party in both kingdoms, who wished well to all en-
* deavours for preservation pf the protestant religion, their rights
* and privileges.' This same day the council wrote to Lauder*
dale, acquaintinghim of the duke's arrival, and thanking his
majesty fpr sending him.
On the ] 9th, the duke went to the army, btit marqjied slow
ly towards Hamilton. Next day he sent to -the council, com-
plainingj that their march was retarded for want of provisions,
which were accordingly sent to him. But some think the rea
sons of his grace's slow motions was, because he expected some
apj>Jication to be made to him by those now in arms.
On the 20th, the council received a letter from the king, ap
proving of their proceedings, and requiring that they would
' prosecute the rebels with fire and sword, and all other extre
mities of war. These were orders our managers were ready
enough to obey ; accordingly they transmitted a copy of his
majesty's letter to the duke, whose army then lay within two

10 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. 1.
miles of the Kirk of Shots; and was about ten thousand strong,
which was more than twice the number of those they had to
deal with. - •
There were, at this time, pains taken to dispose those in arms
to lay before the duke their grievances> with professions of
loyalty to the king ; but their discords still increasing, did a.
great deal of damage; for the time of action approached, and
their numbers decreased before the king's army came up. When
they heard of Monmouth's arrival, a motion was made to model
their army, and pitch upon such officers as were best skilled In
military afeirs. About this time a person unknown came into
one of their meetings, with a paper, as he said, from some mi.
nisters, and others, which they earnestly desired all might sign.
The tenor of it was, '.We the officers of the presbyterian army
do hereby declare, that we have no intention or design' to over;
turn the government, civil or ecclesiastical, whereunto we are
solemnly sworn by our national and solemn league and cove
nant ; and that it is our judgment and opinion that all matters
now in controversy be forborne and referred to be determined by
their proper judicatories, viz. a free and unlimited parliament,
and a lawful general assembly.' But both these'proposab were
dropt for a time.
On Saturday the 21st the officers met, when those who were
not of the sentiments of Mr Hamilton, and his adherents, were
most numerous, and their debates ran higher than ever, though
the king's forces were almost in viev?. At thlsTneeting it was
urged, that all places in the army should be declared vacant,
and officers harmoniously phosen, that so they might be entire
ly united in the time of action. Mr Hamilton, aqd thcisp of his
way of thinking, .declared his willingness, on condition of the
right stating of the quarrel.^ Upon this the indulgence was
again byought upon the carpet, and the dispute was carried to
such a pitch, that Mr Hamilton, John Paton, WilUam Carmir
oliael, A.n*l.'^?>'' Turnbuli, &c. left the meeting. They who re
mained chused a new preses and clerk, and entered upon busi?
ness j but were unwilling to nominate officers when so many
had withdrawn. However, being acquainted wtth Monmouth's
vi'illingne'is to receive application from them, and that being an
affair which could admit of no delay, they unanimously voted a
Sjupplication to his grace, wherein, after giving a general account
of their grievances, they prayed that somepf their number might
liave liberty, under safe conduct, to come and lay before him
their grievances and requests.
On Sabbath the 22d, the duke and his army were come to
Bothwell-rnuir, and their advanced guards to Bothwell- town,
within a. quarter of a mile from the bridge. The countrymen
lay encamped on the soyth of the river Clyde in Hamilton-muir,

CHAP. I. CHUK!cH of SCOTLAND. 1 1
and had an adyanced party • ready to dispute the passage at
Bothwell-bridge, if the king's army should attempt it. Early
that morning Mr David Hume, the laird of Kaitloch, and some
say, lilr John Welsh in disguise, went to the duke with the sup
plication. They had easy access, and besides the supplication,
prayed, ' That they might be allowed the free exercise of reli
gion, and to attend gospel-ordinances dispensed by their own
faithful presbyterian ministers without molestation : that a free
parliament and a free general assembly, without the clogs of
oaths and declarations, should be allowed to meet for settling-
affairs both in church and state ; and that all those who now
are or have been in arms -should be indemnified.' The duke
' heard them patiently, but refused to treat with them till they
had laid down their arms and submitted to the' king's mercy.
He sent them back to their friends, and ordered them to bring^
an answer in half an hour at farthest; In short, when the com
missioners came to the army, they renewed their debates, and
SO no answer was returned. '
The king's troops in the mean time had free liberty to plant
their cannon ; and Lord Livingston began the attack on the
bridge with the fpot^guards, the countrymen stood their ground
near an hour, and defended the bridge with much gallantry.
Hackstoun of RathiUet, one of their commanders, shewed a
gdScf deal of bravery upon this occasion ; but their ammunition
failing them, and not being properly supported,, they were
obliged to quit the bridge where their man strength lay. IJpoa
this the duke ordered the whole army to pass the bridge with
the cannon before them, and soon after the whole west-country
army was routed.
Thus the rebellion zt Bothwell, as it was called, was suppres
sed. From this I cannot but observe, that the righteousness of
a cause Is not to be concluded because it is not always success
ful. It is plain those people rose in defence of their religion j^nd
liberties. A better cause none could be engaged in, and yet they
were defeated. Again, though their appearance has been call- -
ed rebellion, yet every one who has just sentiments of libeirty
an4 law, must view it in a^iother light. We have observed, that
the constitution of the government was overturned, perjury,
violence, and oppression were established, and those very people
put from under the protection of the law, and exposed to bonds,
imprisonments, banishments, ravages, and plunderings. And
though they did rise iri arms, and declare against the civil and
religious oppre^sicps then established by authority, yet they ne
ver did declare against the oppressors. It is true, though seve
ral of them would not take the king's interest into the state of
the quarrel, yet they did not declare against him. I shall only
add, that, had they been successful, so as to have, restored the
ci'vil and religious liberties of their co.untry, all good men woul^

is; THE HISTORY or THE CHAP. I.
have honoured -their niemory ; and- as it was they deserved ia
be had in. great reputatieiw Let rebellious Jacobites call thii
rising rd>ellim, 'none who own the glorious. Revolution, and thd^
protestant succesisionin the house of Hano-irer, can esteem..it so.
The chief thing in ^vhich these patriots.' were to . blam^ was
their making this attempt without som? greater probability.; of
success than, for ought' appears,, they had at .that time. Bat
as matters then stood the divisions on the indul^encf niiried
this attempt. It is certain they virho were. for bearing their tes-,
timony against it acted according to the; principles of the pres
byterians. Happy had it been for the nation bad it never been
complied with, especiaUy by so mrany worthy and godly mini
sters. There cannot be any just account given of the number of
the «iain, because they were murdered up and down the fields
as the solders met them. It was reckoned 400 were killed, and
1200 surrendered, piisenerson the muir, who were not only dis-
armed and stripped almost naked, but made to lie down flat on
the ground, ahd not siiffered to change that poscure. And if
any of themdid so muph as raise himself-a Iktle^ he was shot
dead in an instant. There had been a much greater slaughter
had it not been for the duke, and the interest of several noblemen
and gentlemen at that time with his grace.^ Nevertheless great
were the severities used by the soldiers^ of which the follo%!fig
are glaring instances. Mr WUliam Gordon of Earlstoun, hav
ing his affairs to settle, could not join the country army, but
sent his son Mr Alexander before,'who was in the action. Mr
'WiUiarn- not knowing of the disaster of the west-country armyj
and riding as quickly as he could to join them) was met by a
party of English dragoons, and irefusing ta surrender waskiBed
on the spot. His friends, could not get him buried with thfe
rest of his family, and therefore he lies interred in the church
yaxd of Glasserton. A pillar was erected over his grave, but
no incription was suffered to«be upon it. Mr Alexander Gor
don, one oF the predecessors of this ancient family, entertained
thediscipjesof the great WickIiff,andhadaNewiCeStament in the ^
vulgar tongue, which they used to read in meetings in the wopds-
uea Airds. Mr, afterwards Sir Alexander Gordon, the pre
sent Sir T!;o.^^as's father, narrowly escaped at this time, by
means of one of his tenants, who, knowing him as he rode.
through Hamilton after the defeat, made him dismount, put his
horse furnitureintoadunghUl, and obliged him to put on women's
ctothesrand rock the'craddle, by which mean§ he was preserved.
We shall hear more of liim afterwards. -
Several were murdered ia cold blood by the soldiers, that
same day, on the road near Hamilton. They v?ere going to
hear sermon in the camp, nofknowing that the soldiers had got
over the river, particularly James Scpukr and Gavin Semple In

CHAP. J. CHURCH OF SCOTLANI^. liJ '
«
the parish of Glasfprd, John Browning, Robert Stobo, WUliam '
:Hamiltpn, Robert Steil, WiUiam. Pate and Archibald .Dicfc, ail ¦
pf the parish of Eyandale, and Robert JFinlay In that of ,Stone-
hpuse though they had no arms. Next day Arthur ,Jngli§ in
.Cambusnethan, reading his Bible In a furrow, was. looked upon
.as a Whig by the soldiers Who happened to perceive him,«jBd,
^therefore one of them fired at a distance, but missed him., Th^
.good man looked about, and not offering to'mo-vej the soldiers
. came and clave him through the scull, and so dispatched him-;
and indeed they scarcely spared any. they met with near the
field of battle. . '
. Dreadful were the consequences of this fatal action, and had
It not been for Mpnmouth's lenity, they had been much greater ;
for some of the officers propo.sed to burn Glasgow, Hamihon,
and the country round Bothwell-bridge : but the general re.
jected the motion with indignation. We shall hear that most
of.the gentlemen inthe western shires were brou^ght to inex.-
pressible trouble. I shaU only now mention the case of Sir
Thomas Stuart of Cultness, son to Sir James Stuart late pro
vost of Edinburgh., . ^e was obliged first to abscond, and thes.
retire to Holland, orders being issued for apprehending hun,
though neither he nor any of his servants were there.
Dalziel's commission to be lieutenant general came dowjj
on the day of battle. The laird of Lundin brought the first
news of the. action to the council, who immediately sent dis
patches to -Lauderdalej-'and wrote to CoL Struthers in Nor
thumberland to secure the herders, stop and irnprisbn the rebels,
and gave orders wherethey thought it proper to accomplis.a
this end ; : but these things I omit being no more than whst
might h^veljgen expected. •
The prisoners taken at Bothwell were this day brought iiU(?
-Edinburgh, among whomwas Mr John Kid. In their journeythey
were geiierally tied two and two, made a gazin-g stock in the
places through which they passed,- and .exposed to the crdief
mockings of t,^ profane, who said, Where is now your God/
Take him up now, and Mr Welsh who said you should whi
the. day ; though Mr Welsh never said any such thing. W.hea
they came to Edinburgh, the council ordered the magistrates^
to put them^nto the inner Gray-friars church- yard, with prxw
per ceminels over them, viz. twenty four to guard tliern at
night, and eight in the day time. The officers -a-ere to keep
a list of the centinels, that, if any of the prisoners shaold .es
.cape, the centinels should .throw the dice and answer body fcr
body. The officers were to be accountable for the'icent!t;c-;i,
and the town of Edinburgh for the officers, 'i hese ^'^.ders
were put in execution, and the prisonej-s were ail carried to tlj§
place appointed, except a few who who .were put ia prisap^
-and continued in, that inclosv.va aear five months^ ms&ilv -ip.-i^

, 14 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. I.
open air. Here they generally stood all day, and lay aU night
on the cold ground without any other accommodation ; and if
any of them, in the night-time, had raised their head for a littie
€ase, the soldiers were sure to fire at them. "It would be end-
Jess to recount all .their hardships, and with what difficulty per
sons were allowed to bring themany necessary prpvisipns ; how
the women were insulted and abused by the soldiers, for no
man had access. It was esteemed a singular favour that some
huts made of deals vvere set up for them a few weeks before
they were brought out of this place.
On the 25th, having had -account from the general of his
having sent parties in quest of the rebels, whom he looked upon
as dispersed, the council ordered Henry Ker of Graden to search
fpr TumbuJl of Bowly, Turnbull of SandyhUl, Henry Hall, and
Mr Archibald Riddel, as being either at or accessory to the re
bellion ; and next day they published a proclamation against the
rebels, as they called them. Many names were inserted in this
proclamation, and among others Mr John King. The two bro
thers of the Earl of Galloway were named in the proclamation,
but the council afterwards declared those two had made it
appear that they were not in the rebellion.
This proclamation made way for the soldiers to commit many
ACrueltles up and down the country. A great many parties -were
•dispersed through the west and south ; but none were so noted
for their barbarities as Claverhouse and those under his command.
Accordingly, upon any frivolous information, they attacked the
•houses of those whom they pretended had been in the rising,
-especially through the shire of Ayr, which had suffered so much
the last year by the Highland host. The reader will be able to
judge what distress that part of the country was in by a few in-
stances. William Macleweyand, in the parish of Bar, had been at
Bothwell ; his wife got liberty to have him released from the
(the Gra.y-friars church-yard ; but, as they were returning home
Claverhouse came with his troop to this man's house, and rifled
it of every thing ; and during the rest of this persecuting period
they suffered many such plunderings, which I have not room to
mention. James Macjarrow, in the same parish, though he was
not al Bothwell, suffered much in the same manner.
Claverhouse, marching into Galloway with some English dra-
;goons, &c. scarcely made any distinction between' those who had
been at BothweU, and others, seized all the horses they could
£nd, plundered the houses, particularly in the parishes of Cars-
piiairn, Balmaclellan, and Glencairn. In'one house in-Balmac*
lellan they forced a women before her husband, and then
pillaged the house. In the parish of Gencairn, in or
der to oblige a poor harmless youth to tell who of his n.eigh-
bours^'ttere at BothweU, they tied a emaU cord round his head,

CHAP. I. CttUnCH OS SCOTtAND. 15
then fastened the two ends of It about the but of one of their
pistols, and twisted It so hard, that the flesh was cut round in
to the scull. In the same parish they seized a poor shepherd
boy, and to force him to discover his master, fastened two cords
to his thumbs, and by these hanged him up to the roof of the
house. Mary Gorden of Robertoun suffered much by frequent
quarterings of soldiers, who took away her horses,' and plundered
her house. In a short time after they returned, ahd carried her
and her only son John Gordon, a boy, to prison together, with
two of her servants, who were both transported to America.
She and her son continued some time In hold to their great loss.
Her tenants were sadly oppressed for her sake. One of them,
John Sprat, was plundered, and fined in 201. for speaking to his
own son who had been at Bothwell.
Other shires were not exempted. Francis Park, in the parish
of Carmunnock, had forteen soldiers quartered upon him,
and was bbUged to give 501. to save his house from being plun
dered, because he had lent his plough to a neighbour of his who
had been at Bothwell. George Park In the same parish was
forced to give 200 merks for harbouring his own son, who hadi
been in the rising. John Mitchel's wife, in the parish of Cath-
cart, near Glasgow, had lighted matches piit between her fiijgerSi
to force her to discover her husband, and, when the soldiers,
found they could not prevail, they rifled the house and destroyed
the provisions. I shall leave the reader to make refl.ectioas on
these things.
On the 4th of July the council wrote to the sheriffs on the
south of the Tay, to send up exact lists of the heritors who did
not. attend the king's host, or who left it without permission.
This occasioned many to suffer, as we shall relate next, year.
At the same time they received a letter from the king, d-Ated th©
29th of June, conceming the prisoners, in which his majesty
was graciously pleased to require the council to examine such,
of them as they thought could best discover the rise and progres?
of the late rebellion, and what correspondence the rebels had,
especially with the kingdom of England, and to offer them par
don upon making out their discoveries, but to put them to the,
torture if they refused to inform in what the council had test-
son, to believe they knew. His majesty approved of their send
ing three or four hundred of them to the plantations, and or-,
dered the ringleaders to be prosecuted as traitors, and the rest
to be set at liberty upon their enacting themselves not to take
arms against the king or his authority.
Together with tliis letter a proclamation came down of the same
date, of which I must give the foUowing abstract, as this w.is
the foundation of the third indulgence. * We having — passed so
many acts, in favour of the prctestant-^religion, against field-eo».
. ^ 1

16 THE HISTORY OF THE CH^'i **
renticles, whereby our subjects were withdrawn from public or
dinances, in such ways as exposed theni to hear Jesuits, or any
other irregular preachers, and were at last debauched to meet.
in arms in formed rebellions. — We 'have therrfore thought fit
— to recommend the vigorous execution of all our former lawji
— against such, rendezvouses of rebeUion. — As also, we most
peremptorily command all in office under us, to prosecute, with
all legal rigour, those inhuman and execrable murderers of thp'
late archbishop of St Andrews, and all such as have had acces
sion thereto  But we being desirous to reclaim aU such — ^a^
have been misled by ignorance" or blind zeal, — and to convince
all indifferent persons that too great severity is as far from our'
design as our inclin<ttion, have, according to -the power reserv
ed to us by — oar second -parliament, suspended the executian
of .all laws and acts against such as frequent house-canvgpli-
cles in the low countries on the-, south side of the Tay«onIy,
exceptlngEdinburgh andtwo miles round, the lordshipsof Musel-
bujgh and Dalkeith, the cities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, and
StirUng, and a mUe round each. — And — we hereby suspend
all diligences for fines, upon the account of conventicles, except
Such fines as are imposed by our privy-council, and sucb<^as
were — transacted for prior to the 29th of May, last But —
we hereby ordain all such as shall be suffered to preach to^re
tb^ir names given in, and surety found to our privy-coun^fOT
their peaceable behaviour, only one preacher being aUoi|H to
a parish, and hone to be allowed who have^ appeared agaii^.DS
in the late rebellion, nor none who shall be adipitted by theun-
conform ministers in, any time hereafter ; assuring all those to
whom We have extended this favour, that if they, or any c^
them, shall, fbr the future, frequent any field-conventid^ or
disturb the peace of these our kingdoms, we will secure our
people and maintain our authority. — ^This our forbearance being
to continue in force only during our royal pleasure.'
It is in this proclamation alleged, that they who frequented
fifeld-meetings were exposed to hear Jesuits. W^iether this be
not a most vile innuendo must be left With the reader. Though
my author says. That the favour here granted to the ministers
was one of the least clogged favours that had been granted to
the presbyterians since die Restoration, yet I cannot but think
it Impossible for those who had the management of affairs in
t'his period to grant a favour without a clog. I'shaU notthercr
fore compare this with the former two indulgences, but shall
leave it with the reader, whether they who exercised their m-
nistry, in consequence of this, did not virtually acknowledge
the wickedness of: field-convcnticles, of the late appearance In
arms in defence of religion and liberty, nay, and the justice of
the laws then made ag^gst the brethren. However, it was-
S

CHAP. I. CHURCH OF SCO'tLAND. 17
certainly some favour to be excused from the rigorous execu
tion of thpse wicked laws then in force, though the condition
of it was a burden to many tender consciences. But, such as
it was, It Is likely that it would not have been granted, had it
not been for the interest of the Duke of Monmouth ; and, in
consequence of it, the council ordered the magistrates of Edin .
burgh to release Messrs John Mosman, Archibald Maclean, '
James Frothie, William Kyle, Robert Flcminfg, Francis Irvine,
and Thomas Wilkie, upon their engaging to live peaceably, and'
not to preach at field-conventicles. The ministers in the Bass
were likewise sent for to be set at liberty upon the same terms.
The same day the council, in obedience to his majesty's let
ter, agreed that so many of the prisoners (except the ringleaders)
as would oblige themselves not tatake arms against the king or
his authprity, should be released ; and ordered intimation to be
made, that if they, or any of them, shall afterwards be found
in arms at field-conventicles, they shall fbrfeit the benefit of the
indemnity. Accordingly the foUoWing bond was drawn up to
be subscribed by the Bothwell prisoners. «I — - being -appre
hended for being at the late rebellion; and whereas the lords of
his majesty's privy-council, in pursuance of his majesty's com-
* "mand, have ordained me to be set at liberty, I enacting myself
to the effect under- written ; therefore, I bind, oblige, and enact
myself, in the books of the privy-council, that hereafter I shall
not take up arms without or against his majesty or his authori
ty. As Witness my hand.' &c. It Is plain that they who sign-
'^ed'this bond acknowledged that the rising at B©thvi;ell was re
bellion, and obliged themselves against defensive arms for the
future ; and therefore it is no v/ortder though many stood out,
and refused to accept deliverance upon terms they thought not
: only contradicted their principles, bot also trampled upon the
blood of their brethren who died in the cause.
About this time the Duke of Buccleuch and Monmouth pub
lished a pardon and indemnity to aU tenants and sub-tenants
who had been at Bothwell, in case they submitted-themselves
against guch a day. There wa's likewise a bond required of the
heritors- in the west country, obliging themselves to use their
¦utmost for securing those who did not accept of this favour;
But as few of the tenants chused to venture themselves into the
¦hands of the magistrates at that time, so the heritors chiefly
concerned refused the bond. Oni the 6th, the duke took hi.s
leave of the council, and in two or three days returned to Eng
land. On the Mth of July, the council received a letter from L-ju-
derdale, signifying, ' That the king was informed of an infa
mous libel wrote, and dispersed at -Edinburgh, printed and dis
persed at London, and cried in the streets, reflecting on the pvo--

18 THfi HISTORY OI THE CHAP. tt
ceedings of the lords of council and session ; that the king
orders a dUigent inquiry where and by whom the copies were ; . .
written out and dispersed at Edinburgh, the accounts at I..on-
don bearing, That they were virritten in the chamber of James
Hay, writer, who married a niece of Sir Archibald Primrose.*,^.'
The council appointed a committee to examine into this affair,
and wrote a letter of thanks to the king for his concern for thepi.
That the reader may know the rise of this, he v/Ill remember.
that Lauderdale's administration had been blamed by many as
oppressive, and subversive of the liberties and properties of the
subject, and that several attenipts had been formerly made in
vain to get him set aside ; nevertholess as such a brave struggle
was at this time making m England against popery and arbi
trary power, and as Lauderdale was , as disagreeable there as he
was to many in Scotland, so several resolved to renew their at
tempt against him.
Accordingly Duke Hamilton repaired to court In the spring,
and soon after was foUovved by the Marquis of Athol, Sir John
Cochran, and others; together vvjith these two eminent lawyers.
Sir George Lockhart, and Sir John Cuningham, with an intent
to renew iheir accusations against Lauderdale. The king's ad
vocate went up on the other side. Bishop Burnet says, he was ' '
sent for to defend the administration. On the 29th of May the
commons of England presented another address to the king, in-
treating his Majesty to remove the Duke of Lauderdale from
his council and presence forever.
When Duke Hamilton and the rest got access to the king,
' they laid before him their grievances, which were printed under
the following title : Some-particular matters of fact relating to
the administration of affairs in Scotland under the Duke of "Lau
derdale, humbly offered to your majesty's consideration, in obe
dience to your royal commands. This paper exposed the ra
vages of the Highland host, the hardships of incapacitating per
sons for public trust, of which several instances were given ;
the injustice of illegal imprisonments, the cruelty used to pri
soners, the hardships many endured by unreasonable and arbi
trary fines, and by placing garrisons. in gentlemen's houses, &c
The curious reader may peruse the paper at large in Mr Wod
row, p. 102, &c. who justly observes, that it certainly contain
ed a material vindication of the people at Bothwell, who ap
peared in defence of religion and liberty ; and adds, that
had the noblemen and gentlemen, who drew up this paper, laid
many things contained in it at the door of the prelates, as weU
as that of Lauderdale, the representation had been more full and
just. But Sharp, the primum mobile was gone, and so the duke
was charged with all. Now it was the publishing: and dis
persing of this paper that occasioned the letter to the council

CHAP. I. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 19
formerly mentioned. However, before the council's answer to
the king's letter reached the court, his majesty aUowed a con
ference in his own presence at Windsor-castle as to the matters of
complaint. The debates lasted no less than eight hours, viz.
frotn ten to one in the forenoon, and from four to nine in the
evening on the Sth of July. There was to be another confer
ence on the 1 3th, but Duke Hamilton and the rest, seeing how
things were like to go, desisted from making any further at
tempt ; for on the Hthof July, the complainers found that
now his majesty was resolved to stand by Lauderdale ; and on
the 13th the king sent' three letters, one to the council, another
to the lords of session, and a third to the lords of justiciary, ap
proving of alk their conduct ; so that Lauderdale still stood his
ground. Bishop Burnet says, ' The hearing came on as was
proposed, and it was made out, beyond the possibility' of an an
swer, that the giving commissions to an army to live on free
quarters, in a quiet time, was against the whole constitution, as
well as the express laws of that kingdom; and, that it was nevei
done but in an enemy's country; or to^ suppress a rebeUion.
They shewed likewise how unjust and illegal all the other parts
of, his administration were. The Earls of Essex and Hallifax
told him that every thing was made out fully,' He farther says.
That though kings naturally love to hear prerogatives magni
fied, yet, on this occasion, the king had nothing -to say in de
fence of the administration. But when May, the master of the
privy-purse, asked him in his familiar Way, What he thought
now of his Lauderdale ? he answered, as May himself told the
doctor. That they had objected many damned things that he
had done against them ; but there was nothing objected that
was against his service.' From the whole it appears that the
king was inflexible. And, as this administration had the royal
countenance and approbation, the reader will not be surprised
at the continuance and increase of injustice and oppression.
CHAP. II.
Of the execution of Mr King, Mr Kid, andof the five that suffered
at Magus-muir ; the circuit-courts ,- the third indulgence, and
other remarkable things to the end of the year.

M'

TANY- suffered unto death on account of BothweU. Mr
King and Mr Kid were the first who fell a sacrifice to
the rage of the persecutors, and were the only ministers who
were apprehended on this occasion When Mr King was taken
is not certainly known; only it is remarkable, that, when a party
of the English dragoons were on horseback at Glasgow, one of
them called for some ale, and drank to the confusion of the

20 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. II,
covenants, &c. Then meeting one of his comrades at the Sta
ble-green-port, who asking him whetber he Was going ? He an
swered, To carry King to hell. This was on the Lord's day.
But the poor wretch had not rode far, tiU his carabine acci-
dently went ofTand' kUled him on the spot. The party carried
Mr King to Edinburgh.
Mr Kid was, among the prisoners taken at Bothwell, and was
frequently examined by some of the cotmsellors, articularly as
to the occa'sion and beginning of the rising, and the persons
concerned in It ; but they could find nothing more than- has
been related. And though he had been accused of being a
popish priest, yet he gave abundant proof of his being a firm
protestant, and a good man.
Both Mr King and Mr Kid were before the council on the
9th of July. When they were examined Mr King confessed
that he, was with those that rose at this time y. that he remem
bered that Earlsjtoun younger was with them likewise, &c.
but denied that he-was with them when the king's forces were
assaulted at Glasgow, or that he ever heard of a rising before it
happened, or was ever ufpon any couiicU with them. Mr Kid .
confessed that he had preached in the fields, but never where
there were men in arms, except in two places. They signed
their confessions, vi'hich were afterwards produced as evidence
against them at their trial before the j usticiary, '
On the I2th of July the Earl of Queensberry was admitted a
counsellor, for his zeal In promoting his majesty's service and
suppressing the rebels. The same day, in a letter to Lauder
dale, they proposed some difficulties relating to the pro
clamation of the 29th of June, which was a modest way <rf
asking a repeal of It, for they did not relish any favours to be
shewn. However, on the 14th,. a letter came by express from
his majesty, at the procurement of the Duke of Monaiouth,
enlarging favours to ministers, which was so very disagreeable
to the managers, that the archbishop of Glasgow was dispatch
ed to court where it Is likely heTell Ih with the Duke of -York's
.party ; for in a little time these favours were curtailed, and
about the ei;id of the yeay wholly taken away. The same day
Mr Kid was examined before the council ; and they imagining
that he was not'ingenious in his answers, ordered him to be put
to the torture; It seems he Was more than once In the boots,
and behaved With great meekness and patience. - ;
On the 16th Mr King was examined before the justiciary;
and when he signed bis confession it was ordered to be inserted
in the books of adjournal, to be produced as evidence against
him. Mr Kid appeared next day, but refusing to sign his con
fession, the lords subscribed it, and ordered it to bo registered,
as in the case of Mr King.

<;HAP. II. CHURCH OF SCOTLAKD. 21
On the 18th the council granteda petition to prosecute A-
lexander Hamilton of Klnkell, in order to his being forfeited j
and being informed that John Cuningham of Bedlane, who had
been forfeited on account of Pendand, had been at Bothwell,
ordered him and his sureties to be summoned before them.
Mr Hamilton of Kinkell underwent a series of trouble ever since
the Restoration; for he had sheltered the ejected ministers,' and
encouraged them to preach in his house, without hindering any
that had a mind to come and hear them. This exposed him to
the indignation of the primate, who ordered him to be summon
ed from the pulpit, in order to excommunication. The pioplc
of St Andrew''s being so disgusted that a person of Kinkell's
piety and character should be thus served, generally went out of
the church. I'he bishop seeing his excommunication would be
treated with contempt, got him intercommuned, which obliged
him to quit his house, and undergo many hardslilps. Soon af
ter that a garrison was sent to, his house, ,by whom his hidy
(who was then near her time) and family were turned out of
doors. The garrison continued in the house several weeks, de
stroyed most of the furniture, and consumed the provisions.
After BothweU he was taken, bound with cords, and carried to
Edinburgh, where he remained prisoner about eight months.
Though he escaped forfeiture, yet his estate was ruined. And
it was after a kind of banishment for several years, that, in 1687,
he returned to his own house at Kinkell ; but upon his setting
up a meeting-house, he was brought under new, troubles ; fpr at
the instigation of the primate, Ross, he and Mr Orrock the
preacher, were, by a party of soldiers, carried prisoners to Edin
burgh, but in a little time they were set at libertyi
It was about this time that the -king and councU made over
the moveables of those who had been at Bothwell to whom they
thought -proper, .which occasioned great oppression ; for the
donatars, as they were called, who had this gift made to them,
in a manner plundered all they suspected, so that few parishes
in the west and south escaped this heavy oppression.
On the ] 9th the council wrote to Lauderdale acquainting him
that they had called the preachers, who were prisoners in Edin
burgh, (my author thinks these^ were the field-preachers, the o-
thers,being released the 4th), and offered them a bond, which
two of them subscribed, and the rest refused, and that they had
sent for the prisoners in the Bass in order tq make the same of
fer to them.. Accordingly Mr Patrick Anderson, Mr James
Fraser of Brae, Mr Thomas Hog, Mr John Macgilligen, Mr
John Macaulay, Mr Robert Ross, Mr John Law, and Mr Wil
liam Bell, were brought from the Bass to the tolbooth of Edin
burgh, where some other ministers were confined, particularly
Mr Roljert Fleming minister at Cambuslang, afterw.irds, pf the'

22 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP IU
Scots congregation. at Rotterdam. Though they were wUlin'g
to find bail for their appearance when caUed,yej^ because they
refused to oblige themselves to live peaceably, and not to rise
in arms against the king, or any authorised by him, they were
remanded to prison. This was contrary to the king's letter,
which allowed them, either to oblige themselves as above, or
find baU ; but the managers Insisted.on the first. Mr WUliam
Kyle, and Mr Francis Irvine, who signed the obligation, were
set at liberty. However, after some time, the^rest of the mi
nisters were released upon bond to appear when called.
On the 22d, Robert Hamilton of Airdry, his servant, and a-
bout fifteen other prisoners, were set at liberty upon obliging
the.mselves to live peaceably, &c. The same djy the council ,
had permission to release Lord Cardross upon paying his fine.
Mr King and Mr Kid received their indictment at this time ;
and, on the 24th, they petitioned the council that they might
be aUowed advocates to plead for them, since they were sosoon
to be tried fortheir life ; accordingly Mr David Thoirs aud Mr
William Monnipenny were allowed them.
This day Mr Veitch, instead of having sentence of death pass-
cd upon him, was, in consequences of a letter from his majes
ty, ordered to be set at liberty, and to retire to England. "The
reason of this sudden turn was, that Mr 'Veitch, finding that
sentence of death was to be pronounced against him, prevailed
with his friend Mr G. Elliot, afterwards oneof the lords of ses
sion, to ride post to London. Mr Elliot, not having access to
Lauderdale, applied to the Earl of Shaftsbury and others of his
party, by whom he was advised, to print Mr "Veitch's case, sig
nifying his being apprehended in England, after near thirteen
years residence in that country, and sent to Scotland to be judg
ed for old alleged crimes, and to give a copy of the case to each
of the members of parliament. This was' done. Then the king
vvas applied to, and in a manner threatened with a parliamen
tary inquiry into this conduct to an English subject. Where
upon the king wrote the letter just now hinted ; and it came
within an hour -before the sentence of deadi was to have been
passed. The same day about twenty more prisoners for con
venticles were set at liberty.
These favours were granted to put some stop to the clamours
made against Lauderdale's administration ; and it is not impro
bable, had not the Duke of York come down, that there had been
more of this kind shewn ; however, they were so far from be
ing agreeable to the managers at Edinburgh, that, on the 25th
of July, the Earl of Linlithgow and Claverhouse had the coun
cil's permission to repair to London. They were in a few days
followed by the chancellor, and great changes were about this
time talked of.

CHAP. II. CHURCH OF SCPTLAND. 23
Meanwhile the trial of Mr King and Mr Kid came on, and
they appeared before the justiciary on the 28th. Their advo
cates gave in a petition in their favour, praying that, the lords
would allow them an exculpation, or liberty to vindicate them
selves from the charge of high treason given in against them.
In order to this the petition, be-ars, that Mr King's being with
the rebels did not proceed from any rebellious principles,,but be
ing taken by Claverhouse, he was released* by the rebels, and
not suffered to go from them ; so that, in fact, he was always
in the quality of a prisoner ; that, during the time he was with
them, he not only refused to preach, but made it his business
to persuade them to return to their former loyalty, and actually
persuaded several tP desert them ; and that he only carried a
sword the better - to disguise himself from being taken for a
preacher, but never made use of it. And as to Mr Kid, that he
retired from them as soon as he could, and absolutely refused to
return, and intreated such of them as came in. his way to lay
down their arms, and throw themselves on the king's mercy.
And that it was at the desire of some of the most peaceable,
that in the simplicity of his heart, he went to HamUton to per^
suade them to obedience ; so that, when Robert HamUton and
some of the ringleaders became enraged ac his advice, ais he was
going home he was pursued by a party of the rebels, who, threat
ened to kill him if he did not return ; and, when taken, he got
quarters and assurance of his life from the lord-general, &c.
And as for being present at field-conventicles, it was pleaded,
that, if the petitioners freed themselves from the rebellion, they
were secured from this by his majesty's late proclamation ; and
they offered to prove all the premises by unexceptionable wit
nesses. But no exculpation Was aUowed them ; for, when their
indictment was read, the advocate, produced their confessions
before the council as proofs against them ; and accordingly they
were brought in guilty, and condemned to be hanged at the
market-cross of Edinburgh on Thursday the 14th of- August,
and their heads and right arms to be cut off, and disposed of at
the council's pleasure. The reader is tb judge how far it was
equitable to refuse them access to vindicate themselves as far as
they were able- Interest was made for a remission, but to no
purpose. On the 3 Ist of July, John Balmerino, Andrew Snodgrass,
and about twenty others, were set at liberty,ron signing a- bond
lo live peaceably, and not to rise in arms against the- king, or
any commissioned by him. The same day Lord Cardross was
ordered by^ the council to be released, upon paying the sums in
which he was fined. Accordingly his lordshlpcgave bond, and
got out of prison ; but, being outlawed for not paying his fine„

24 - - THE HISTORY OJf THE CHAP. 11.
his simple and life-rent escheat^was fallen into the king's hands.
We shall hear more of him next year.
Meanwhile the king signified, in a letter to the council, his
detestation of the murder of the late archbishop of St Andrews,
and commanded them to prosecute nine of those who were con
cerned in the late rebellion, with this additional consideration of
having owned these murderers who were excepted fiom any in
demnity ; and that, *f those were convicted, they should be
hangedjn chains in the place where the murder was committed.
Accordingly a committee was appointed, who, on the 6th of
August, repprted that they had ordered nine to be prosecuted
as directed, had examined the prisoners in the Gray-friars
church-yard, and took particular notice of those who refused to.
call the late rising in arms' rebellion, or killing the archbishop
murder, and those that refused the bond not to rise In arms here
after, and had made up a list of thirty persons. They likewise
gave;ic as their opinion, that, as there were other prisoners in
ifhe tolbooth of Edinburgh and Canongate of the same guilt and
-persuasion, the king's advocate or deputy should be appointed"
to examine them, and prosecute nine of the most guUty ; and
that a secret committee, consisting of three or four at most,
should be ordered to give in .lists of such heritors, ring-leaders,
and preachers, as were not yet taken, to General Dalziel, with
warrant to secure their persons tUl they be brought, to justice.
They: likewise moved, that the prisoners for conventicles be set
at liberty, and that William Page, who had been fined in 1000/.
and Robert Blair in 2000 merks, bs remitted to the treasury for
a modification. All whicli the council approved of, and ap
pointed the Earl of Moray, the bishop of Edinburgh, LordCol-
lingtoun, Mr Maitland, and GeneraL Dalziel, or any three of
them, to be a committee fpr the said purposes.
On the .8th of August a considerabls number of ministers
met at Edinburgh, and agreed, ' 1. That all ministers should in
the first pl-ace, visit their own congregations where they were
formerly settled, and try what access they "can have to preach
the gospeL to them. 2. That they associate themselves into
meetings as their numbers in particular bounds and their cir
cumstances w'ill best allow, and take care to provide preacjiing
to the people in the bounds of their respective meetings who are
desirous of it. 3. That every minister shall be a member of
the meeting within whose bounds he resides. 4. That indul
ged ministers, not indulged to the congregations they were in
when laid aside, if their people, of whom they formerly had the
charge, call them, return to them, and quit, the places they art
at present in. 5. That i\\ who are licensed to preach be parl-
ticularly taken obliged into subjection unto the meeting- which
licensed them, and to submit themsclvis to their direction. ¦

CHAP. II. CHURCH OF tCOTLANlJ. 2o
Though Mr Wodrow says, that the ministers of this meeting
had the principles of presbyterian government at heart, together
with the preservation of the ehurch from any hazard from per
sons who should afterwards be licensed and ordained, and that,
had they not been stopt by the new turn of affairs at court, the
last indulgence would have been so managed as to have cured
the divisions, and been of great service both to church and state,
yet I find the Rev. Mr Macward, Mr Brown, Sec. were of a
contrary opinion ; for, as they esteemed the Indulgence, first
and last, to be the product of the supremacy, and Inconsistent
with presbyterian principles, §o they could not call this a pres
byterian meeting, because, instead of testifying against the In
dulgence, they plainly approved of it, and virtually abandoned
that testimony which many sealed with their blood. But these
things I must leave with the reader.
On the 13th, at a large-meeting of the council, the, king's in
demnity was "ordered to- be published, by the magistrates of
Edinburgh, with great solemnity, and all demonstrations of joy.
At the same time a committee was appointed to consider what
was farther to be done with the murderers of the archbishop,
the case of the prisoners, and the state of the Highlands. This
committee proposed the holding of circuit-courts, .the better tP
prosecute those concerned at BothweU, and the murderers of
the primate, and moved that James Hamilton an apprentice,
prisoner in the Gray-friars church- yard, be set at liberty.
Accordingly, On the J 4th, the proclamation for holding circuit-courts in
October next was published, signifying, among other tliingSj
that'they .who did not lay hold on the indemnity, and all who
were concemedln Pentland and at Botiiwell, and the murderers
of the archbishop, and all who supplied or corresponded with
them, were to be prosecuted with rigour before them. By this
proclamation the clerks of the jiistice-court were enjoined to
have- in readiness a porteous-roU, or a list of the names and 'de
signations of the said rebels, and of those who s!/ould be in
formed against, upon oath, to have been In the rebellion, or to
have harboured the rebels, or the murderers of the late Arch-
, bishop of St Andrews, and of those who had been at field-con
venticles since the proclamation of the 29th of June last ; sum
monses were likewise ordered to be given in time to those who
were to^appear. In this proclamation for circuits, they who
kUled the archbishop were particularly described. All heritors
and landlords, v/here any of the rebels lived, were commanded
to apprehend and present them to the circuit, and, in case they
fled to remove their wives, children and servants from off their
grounds (so that the innocent were to be punished with the
guilty.) By this proclamation a reward of 10,000 mcdcs ^was

^$ , THEHI&TORY OF THE ^ CHAP. Jt.
offered to those who should bring iri any of the murderers of
the priniate, dead or alive ; nay, the persons whom his ma
jesty had cut off from his ihdeninity were to be pardoned, and
have the rewi-rd besides, if they should apprehend John Bal
four cf Kinloch, and David Hackstoun of " Rathillet, dead or
alive ; and to put the greater honour on these courts, ..U dukes^
marquises, archbishops, earls, lords spiritual and temporal, were
ordered to attend. I shall only observe, t.at these courts were
established through all the principal parts of the country,
where it could be imagined any of these people were suppose4
to be found. _ ¦
The act of Indemnity above mentioned, was published the
same day with all the outward signs of rejoicing. A scaffold
was erected at the Cross, and the magistrates, in their formali
ties, were witnesses to the proclamation. But, considering the
many exceptions, it yielded very little joy to the people con
cerned in the rising ; for at one stroke, ministers and -heritors
who were concerned in the rebellion, or contributed tb it,, were
cut off together with those that did not come to assist the king's
host. Nay, few could comply with the conditions of this
famous act oi. grace ; for they were to engage never to bear
arms against the king or his authority, nor to be at any fieU-
cohventicles. They had no notion of passive obedience and
non-resisrance, though at the same time, none she-wred greater
loyalty than they. But what, could- they do, when their
liberties and lives, and, which was dearer to them than all,
their religion, were in the most cruel and barbarous manner in
vaded .'' It was likewise in vain to think that these brave con
fessors would bind up themselves from hearing the gospel in
the open fie'ds. Ho-wever, this indemnity pardoned all authors
oi InTamous libels or pasquils, all who had misrepresented any
of the king's judicatories and servants. This, plainly points
at Duke Hamilton, &c. So that matters were come to a fine
pass, v/hen somepf the chief of the nobility were ranked a-
mong those whom they reputed rebels and traitors. In short,
this was like King Charles's acts of grace, good for nothing.
However, the yuhlication of it was attended with ringing
of bells in the forenoon, and in the afternoon Mr John King
and Mr John Kid were hanged, and their f eads cut off upon
another scaffold. One ~ would be tempted to think the mana
gers pitched on that day to be a day of rejoicing for a mock in
demnity, when those two faithful ministers of Christ were put
to death. However, though they were cut off from having a
share in this indemnity, yet they died in peace, and with a
joy which non< of their persecutors could intermeddle with.
Their last speeches '3V,e in Naphtali, in which thev bore a faiths

CHAP. II. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 27
ful and honourable testimony against poperyj prelacy, erastian
ism, and for the covenanted work of reformation.
Mr Kid, when speaking of the rising at Bothwell, says,
« For personal presence with that party whom they called rebels,
for my part I never judged them or caUed them sueh. I ac
knowledge there were a great many there who came in the
simplicity of their, hearts.  1 am as sure, on the other Jiand,
there was a great party there that had nothing before them but
repairing of the Lord's fallen down work, and restoring of the'
breach which is wide as the sea  But for rebellion against
his majesty's person or lawful authority, the Lord knows my
soul abhorreth it, name and thing. Loyal I have been, and
will every Christian to be so ; and I was ever of this judgment,
to give to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to 'God the things
that are God's.' . After this he declared his abhorrence of popery
with which he had been falesly accused, and , concluded his
testimony with these words, « As I have lived in the faith of
this, that the three kingdoms are married lands ; so I die in the
faith of it, that there will bg a resurection of his name, word,
cause, covenants, and aU of his interests therein ; though I dare
riot determine the time when, or the manner how ; but leave
aU'these things to the infinitely wise God, who hath done, and
win do all things well. O that' he would return to this land
again, repair our breaches, take away our backsklings, and appear
for his work !  Come, Lord Jesqs, come quickly ! himself
hasten it iii. his own time and way i the Lord is my light and
my life, my Joy, my song, and my salvation. The God of his
chosen be my mercy this day, and the enriching comforts of '
the Holy Ghost keep me up, and carry^ me fair through, to the
glory of his grace, tq the edification of his people, and my own
eternal advantage. Amen.
Mr King's testimony was much, to the same purpose with
that of his fellow martyr. .Among other things he spoke to the
commendation of the cross of Christ, and concluded Ir^ this
moving and affecting manner, 'Now I bid farewell to all my
friends and dear relations ; farewell my poor wife and child,
whom I leave on the good hand, of him who is better than se
ven husbands, and will be a father to the fatherless. Farewel all
creature-comforts, and welcome everlasting life, everlasting
glory, everlasting love, and everlasting praise. Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and ail that is within me.' <
Thus these two went to their Master's joy, and left their
persecutors to conclude the day with their bonfires, on account
of the notable indemnity published in the, forenoon. Their
heads and light hands were cut off, and placed beside that of
'^Ir Guthrie, on the Netherbow-port.

28 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP.'II.
On this dismal day the councU wrote to Lauderdale, defir-
ing that a frigate might be sentvdown, in orde'r to transport the
prisoners in the Gray friars church-yard. They likewise or
dered the ministers, who were prisoners In Edinburgh, (those, -
viz. that refused their bond) to be released, on finding sufficient
bad to appear when Called, under the penalty of 10,000 merks
each. Next day, the ISth of August; the king wrote to the council,
and ordered the following persons to be criminally prosecuted.
The reason was, that, upon examination of some of the prison
ers, several did not own the rising of Bothwell to be rebeflion;
noi: the kUlIng of the primate to be murder. And we shaU
afterwards find that several were executed on this very account,
when nothing else, could be laid to their charge. The persons
who had been called and examined, were James Lileburn in
Kinross, refused the bond, N M s David Hardie in Leslie re
fused the bond, N R, N M; Robert Bogie in Newbigging,
N R, N M s John Richardson In StenhoiiSe refused the bond,
NRj Robert Macgill, .weaver in^GaUashlels, N M .• David
Somerwell In East Calder refused the bond, NR,NM; Alex-
ander Steven in Bothwell parish, N R, N M ,-. "Thofflas
WiUiamson in Overcranstoun, N R,N M ; John Scot in Et-
trick, 'N R, N.M ; WiUiam Cameron in Dalmellingtoun,
N R,N M ; Robert Millar in Waterford, N R, NM; James
Wood in Newmills, N R, W M ; John Govan in Kirklistoun,
N R, N M ; Thomas Pringle in Stow parish, NR,NM;
Andrew Sword in the parish. of Borg in the stewarty of Kirfc-
evidhnght,-N R, N M ; Jarnes Gr^ In West Calder, N M,
N Ms John Thomson in Shots, N M .• John Waddel in ditto,
N M ; Patrick Keir in the parish of Kincairdin, .N R,N M; '
Thomas Brown in Edinburgh,, N R, N M ; WiUiam Ander
son in Livingstone parish, N R, N M ;
N. jS. The names marked N R are those who would not
' acknowledge the rising to be rebellion, and those marked
N M who would not own the primate's death to be
murder;
About this time fifteen of the prisoners in the Gray friars
church -yard, whom they looked upon as the ring-leader's, were
brought to the tolbooth bf Edinburgh, in order to be tried for
their life. -Mr Edward Jamieson was sent to them , from the
meeting of ministers formerly mentioned ; though Mr Wodrow ,
says be found no evidence' that he was sent by them, yet he
owns he went and reasoned with the/n at a considerable length,
in order to persuade them to subscribe the bond. He urged
the lawfulness of this expedient to save their lives, and endea
voured to make them sensible that their refusal would be a re
flection on religion, and the cause they appeared for, and 'th;ow-

CHAP. n. Church of Scotland 29
Ing away their Uves, for which their friends would not be able
to vindicate them. He prevailed with thirteen of them, who-
were set at liberty. But this compliance lay heavy on several
of them. Most of the prisoners in the church-yard, by the
solicitations of their friends, and the advices of some ministers,
particularly, asJ is said, of Mr Hugh Kennedy, Mr WUliam,
Grelghton, Mr Edward'Jamieson, and Mr George Johnston,
signed the bond, while others refused to accept deliverance upon
such terms as were inconsistent with their principles. The
Rev. Mr John Blackadder, being at, this time in Edinburgh,
was very serviceable to these prisoners, and, in a particular
manner, dissuaded them from complying with the bond. What
came of those who refused this compliance we shall hear In its
proper place; only, several who did comply shared the same
fate with those who did not.
¦ On the 26th of August, William Richardson In Stenhouse,
Thomas Brown shoemaker in Edinburgh, John and Alexander
Balfours in Gilstoun, Thomas Williamson in Over-Waristoun,
Robert Macgill in Gallashiels, Robert Miller in Waterfoot,
James Paton in Inverkeithlng, and Andrew Thompson in
Sauchy, were indicted for treason in joining with those at
.BothweU; but it was the month of November ^before any of
them were brought to trial, meanwhile several were appointed
to plead for them. The same day Mr Andrew Donaldson, Mr
 Erskine, and John Henderson in Cliesh, who had been
confined for conventicles, and had been forgot when others ob
tained their liberty, were released.
On the igithpf September the council wrote ta Lauderdale
for liberty to the justices to offer the bond, which was granted.
At the same time hew powers were given to the army to seize
the murderers of the archbishop, to apprehend any ministers or
heritors guilty of the late rebellion, or others of the rebels who
had not signed the bond, or any who harboured them, and
secure them in prison, with power likewise to di^ipate field-
conventicles, and apprehend the preachers, and others present
at them, and indemnified the soldiers of all slaughter and mu-
tUation, in case of resistance. They likewise oi'dered the repts,
money, and moveables belonging to the murderers of the pri
mate, and the heritors engaged in .the rebeUion, to be seques
trated : and enjoiried the advocate to prosecute Mr George
Johnstoun, or any other ministers who have been guUty ot
field-conventicles since the 29th of June last, with power to
Major Robert Johnstoun to search for any suspected conven.
tides in or about E^dinburgh, &c.
On the same 19th of September they sgreed 'upon the fol
loAving licence to be given to those ministers v/ho had liberty
to preach: ' The lord.s of his ipajesty's ptlvy-councU, having

30 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, tt,
considered the petition of  , representing that theythave
chosen  to preach and administrate the sacraments in the
parish of  , conform to his majesty's proclamation, June
29th,;and his letter, July llth, and therefore desiring that-cau.
tion may be received for the said  , conform to the said proj
clamation. The lords grant the supplicants desire, who have
apcordingly found sufficient caution acted in -the books of privy-
councU for the said  -, that he shall Hve peaceably, and in or
der thereto that the said  shall appear before the council,
when the said cautioners shall be called to produce him, under
the penalty of six thousand merks, in case of faille.'
The followmg bond was likewise to be given for the said
minister : ' Be it kend to all men, by these presents, me — .—^ ,
for as much as, upon a - humble supplication, given in to his
majesty's privy-councU, they have, ordained caution to be re
ceived for  ,who is allowed to preach and administrate
sacraments in the parish of — — , therefoye I bind and' oblige
myself, my heirs, and successors, that the said  shall live
peaceably ; -and, in order thereunto, that I the said  oblige
myself and foresaids' to present him before his majesty's privy-
council when I am called so to dp ; and, in case of my faUie in
not presenting him, I shall be Uable in the payment of the sum
of six thousand merks Scots money. Consenting, &c.' In com
mon form.
It was Pn account of these bonds that some have called this
the banded indulgence. At a meeting of ministers, about the
end of this month, the most part judged it lawful at this time
to comply ; but I find them condemned by others, who thought
that, by coming under these bonds, they condemned themselves
as gu'rity of former unpeaceableness, and engaged in a sinful
peace with the enemies of God, and became- bound and fetter
ed, by these bonds, from bearing a testimony against the defec
tions of the times, and the encroachments made both upon civil
and sacred liberty* . But these things I must leave with the
reader. We shall find that this third indulgence was but of
short .continuance.
* Some time after this a pamphlet was publilhsd, intitled, T£r banden d'ljhjndcd ;
in which the author, faid to ^e Mr Macward, endeavours to prove, that it was
¦ finful, icandaloiis and inconvenient to' comply with thefe bonds, It will not
therefol-e be improper to give- the reader a fhort view of fome part of his reafon-
ing-oa^this fubject. Having accordingly laid down fimdry pofitions concerning
the reformed government of tlie church of Scotland, and fliewn the many engage
ments that lay upon the nation, by the coveiiants, to maintain and defend the
fame, together with the manifold enchroachnienis and invafions made by the civil
magiftrate upon the royal prerogatives of C:hiift, the intrinfic privilegPS of his
church, and the juft freedom of his anibafiadors, by introducing prelacy, and
perfecuting non-conformiils &c. and t.iken notice of tlie faithful vvreftliugs an'd
contendings of our worthy predeceflbrs in defence of their facred liberties, from
thence h© infers, that the vrry name and notion of any bond and engao-emcDt.

Chap. ir. church of Scotland. 31
On the 20fh of September another proclamation was issued
against the murderers of the archbishop, witii their names in
serted, viz. John Balfour of Kinloch, David Hackstoun of Ra-
thUet, George Bal-our in GUstoun, James Russel in Kettle,
Robert Dingwal a tenant's son in Camden, Andrew Guillan
weaver In Balmerinoch, Alexander and Andrew Hendersons
sons to John Henderson in Kilbrachment, and George Fleming'
son to George Fleming in Balbiithy. Such ministers and heri
tors who were in what they called the late rebellion, and any
that had harboured' any of the mftrdertrs or rebels, were put
into the proclamation ; at the end of which all magistrates of
royal burghs were ordered to take the declaration by next Mi-
chalmas. The same day Mr William Erskine, who had been prisoner
in Stirling above three years, was ordered to be set at liberty,
by the then required rulers as a condition of admitting minlfters to the exercife
of their minifiry, was odious and detcftable at the firft vitw, efpecially to e/igaee -
. in fuch a bond as then rquired, and mofl of all that a body of minillers Oiould
vote tbisvto be lawful and warantable. And, -
1. He produces feveral arguments to prove the fiiifulnefs of giving such bon^3,
tccaufe the cautioner, or furety, by this bonji, obliges himfelf to perform o-r. ir.i_
pcflibility ; for however he might engage for himfelf, yet he could not en.sage f*?r
another, whom he could neither conllrain by force, nor command by autlloriity,
H? farther (liewE, that whoever engages in this bond, thereby acknowiegiee the
civil magiftrate to be the fountain of all eccUliaftical authority, without any pf.
gard either to the rights of thc people, or the juft authority of the cbuxcli-j|j<ili-
ratories. He llkewift pbferves, that this bond' may be interpreted contrary to
fornjcr lawful bonds and covenants, and fo caiyiot be entered into without fin,
Eefides, he that engages in this bond, binding himfelf to pay 3000 merks iu cafe J>e
fail, ur do not prefent the minifter to the council v.-hcn called, to be active in pteir..
fecutinj and puniftiing himfelf for that wliich is not his own fault. From thffs
and-feveral 'other cotiiiderations he infers, that thefe bonds could not be ca te
ed into without lin. But,
2. This author aflerts it to be fcandaloue to enter into thefe engp.gements, fcsf.,
canfe the bond prefuppofes the faithful miniflers of the golpel to have fiirnierSy
been of a turbulent and rebellious difpofition, and therefore were not now to kts
Irufled, but otlrers vvere to be taken engaged as fureties for their peaceable car
riage and behaviour ; and tlierefdre, as this hr.s a natural tendency to put a dis
grace upou miniflers, fo alfo to bring their miniftry into contempt ; for what J,F»
fpeiS!; can any have for thc miniftry of^'thofe who arc looked npon as fo infamsMSi
ss not fit to be t-,-ufted ? The author, after infifting on f=vevai other a.rgvmemi .
fn^win^ the fcandaloufnefs of thefe bonds, proceeds,
3. To fhevv tlie manifold inconvenieticies of coming under the obligation «£
them. By this, he fays, the minirtcr is brought inio a great ftrait, eidjcr ?,>
conceal fome part of the v.'hole counfel of God, or, 1)y p.'-et'Chlpg ijip his jini-:;^-
serial principles, to eepofe himfelfieit.her to lofe his liberty, or l,e otberwile ilb^i-
iihed. By this the furety i5 obliged eidier to perfecute: i,be minifter, if he fti^wly,
in liis apprehenfion, (peak any chin^ that ought not to be'ipoken, by j!c{.ir.',\i}r
him to the council, nr be obliged to pay thc penalty if able, and, if nor, io '¦iiltp
other bar,! (hips. Sy this alfo, riot only tfce furety himfelf, but his iviire and i.-,;,r-
reffors are involved with him : from tliefe, and many other topics, !h;s authos- in
fers thc inconveniency of these bonds How far liis a.-i-u.meuts are, c(!'.v:'4ti',iit
muft be left with thc reader, who,will 'ftill be a LiLlei juJ^e it; iV'f f.i.'-li-.LljrfS
ie i-arcftilly eKainiiie tbe pamjihlet itfclf.

32 the HISTORY OF THE CHAP. U
And though Mr James Rjmer,vlate professor of philosophy at
St Andrews, was found innocMit of harbouring any of the mur
derers of the primate, yet he was ordered to give another bond,
under the penalty of 10, 000 merks, to appear before the jus
ticiary when called'.
According to the order of time wfe are now come to speak of
the circuit-courts, which were appointed to sit down on the
first of October, &c. A distinct account ,pf their proceedings,
is not to be expected, as their records. If they kept any, are not
to be found.' According to the proclamation, the clerks, or their
deputes, before the meeting of the circuits, vi'ent through every
parish in the precinct of the court, and took up information as
directed ; and not only the sheriffs and justices of the peace, but
also the curates, exerted themselves to the utmost to get infor-
niations. From these informations the porteous-roUs were fratned.
These rolls were filled up with all sorts of persons who had
any substance, whether they had been at Bothwell or not. The
most innocent were, informed against by any envious neighbour,
or base prodigal, and, when once in those rolls, the greedy do-
nators obliged them to compound for their moveables, or seized
them, even before any indictment or sentence. Many were
the oppressions and hardships which numbers endured upon this
score. When the lords of the circuit sat down in the places assigned
them, great numbers were before them, especially at Glasgow,
Ayr, and Dumfyes. They who appeared, and confessed they
had been at Bothvi^U, if they were not heritors, had the bond
offered them. They who appeared, .and desired their indictment,
were Imprisoned till they found bail to appear at Edinburgh,
and answer to the things that should be laid to their charge •,
but all who did not appeat; were declared fugitives, and de
nounced rebels. The absent heritors (for very few of them ,
appeared) were denounced,, and not a few soon after were for
feited. Noblemen, gentlemen, soldiers, and others, who were
most active In the arbitrary measXires of this period, obtained
gifts of their estates, and several kept possession of them till
the happy Revolution ; and they who had no heritage had their
houses and goods spoUed by the soldiers. These were the hap
py effects of these itinerary courts ! We shall hear more of them
in the following years.
On the 16th of October, the council, being informed that
the Duke of York was coming to Scotland, wrote to the absent
members to repair with all speed to Edinburgh, since they iri-
tended to meet his Royal, Highness on the borders. All noble-.
men and gentlemen in the neighbourhood were ordered to at-
1 •

CHAP., a. church of SCOTLAND. S3
tend them on this occasion ; and Mr Maitland of Dudhop. was
sent to wait on the duke in England.
About the end of August last, the king being at Windsor
was seized with three violent fits of an intermitting fever. The
fits were so long and severe that the physcians apprehended he
was in danger. The Earl of Essex and Lord Halifax, two of
the four" counsellors who then managed the. king's affairs, fear
ing if the king died, to fall into the hands of the Duke of Mon
mouth and Earl of Shaftsbury, advised the king to send for the
Duke of York, which was done with all secrecy and speed; for
the Duke arrived at Windsor on the 2d of September. But the
king being then out of danger, pretended a surprise at his arri
val : arid, when he was recovered. It was moved that the duke
should return beyond sea. This was contrary to the inclina
tions of his highness ; but, finding his brother positive, he mo-
ved that the Duke of Monmouth might be put out of all com
mand, and sent abroad. This was complietl with. Both, dukes
went beyond sea.. But, saiys bishop Burnet, Lord Tweeddale,
being then at London, moved the Lord Peterbourgh, that it
would be more honourable, and more for the duke's interest,
instead of living beyond sea, to go and live In Scotland ; his
motive was, that, since the Duke.of Monmouth had lost all cre
dit with the king, Duke Lauderdale would again be continued
-in his po'sts, and act over his former extravagancies ; he judged,
that, u'pon the Duke of York's being in Scotland, Lauderdale
would be chequed. Peterbourgh went immediately to the king,
"who approved of it. So notice was given to the duke, and he
was appointed to meet the king at Newmarket. The duke met
the king accordingly ; upon which Shaftsbury was soon turned
out, and Lord Roberts, then made Earl of Radnor, became pre
sident of the council. There were several other alterations j
and the king became entirely under the managemant of his bro
ther. Besides all this, his highness, perceiving a storm gather
ing against him in England, was willing to retire till that wras
a little abated. However, the reader may see that the ministry
in Scotland had early notice of these proceedings; for the council
had a letter. from the king on the ISth of September, signifying
that he had recalled the commission of the Duke of Buccleuch
and Monmouth from being general, and on the 16th of October
tJiey began to prepare for the reception of his, royal: highness,
-whose presence very much strengthened the violent party in the
council, and promoted the severe measures of the prelates against
the presbyterians, vf ho could expect no favour from popery and
papists. •'''•
By a letter from the king, dated November 1, General Dal
ziel received an unlimited commission, except in emergencies of
state, when the council were allowed to give directions; arid
'i^OL. II. C

34 THE HISTOK.T OF THE CH4P. II.
the officers and soldiers had orders to search for and appr^end
those who were declared fugitives and rebels by the justiciBry.
When the managers found, that, what .would arise from the
estates of those who had been personally concerned in the ris-
ing, would, not answer their expectation, a more gea^al oppres-
.slen was resolved upon. Accordingly, on the sisifth of Novem
ber, a committee _was appointed to meet with the lords of jus.
ticiary to consider wlnat was to be done wndi'thosewhodid not
attend the king's host. Accordingly, on the Sth, they gave it as
their opinion that they should be fined, the most guUty not abav-i;
tft-o y'ears valued rent, and the least in tlie fourth part, of their
rent, atid be obliged to take the oath of allegiance and the ,ds.
claratlon ; but, if they refused this la^t, to be fined in the high.
est degree. This was approved of,, first' by the council, and
afterwards by the king ; afld, measures were taken for getting
lists of all those gentlemen they intended to proaecHte on this
point. The same day the councU ordered about thirty of the prison
ers itl the tolbooth of Edinburgh, who had refused the bond, to
be prosecuted before the criminal court. Accordingly, on the
] 0th, James Finlay, Thomas Brown, J. Wood in NewmiUs, An
drew Sword weaver in the stewartry of Kirkcudbrigh^i John
Waddel in Newmonkland, J. Clyde in Kilbryde, with several o-
thers, w-ere before the. Justiciary. In their indictment they were
charged with entering Into a deep combination to overturn the
fundamental laws both of church and state, prof essing that they
would have a 'parliameat of their own framing, without either
bishops, or noblemen, \_oU this ivas false'} with- burning his ma
jesty's laws at Rutherglen ; declaring his, majesty an usurper^
(false) and that he had robbed Jesus'Christ erf his crown, because
he would not acknowledge them^and their ministers to be Christ's
infallible vicegerents,, and to be superior to him in liis own king-
dom,.(false and slanderous ; no such thing ever entered their thoughts)
that, when they engaged his majesty's forces they gave for their
word, Na quarter ; and that they refused it to ail uiiiversally
who fought for his majesty ; (false) that they joined with the
murderers of the archbishop, as their emissaries, Y^^/iE/yfl//'^ and
assembled an army of. 10 or 12,000 men; (they never •aim
half tl^,7iund>er) that at Glasgow >they robbed and spoiled the
king's subjects, openedthe prison doors,andtiirewoBtof,the graves
the dead bodies of such children as belonged- to the orthodox
clergy, (false) 'In short, their indictment was stuffed with
falsehoods, and embellished' -with lies. The truth is, the pri
soners favduredthe rising at BothweU, though only someof thgra
\^ere persoji^aUy there, and fine without arms too. However, it
was thought, -necessary to aggravate their rising to the utmfist.
My author jiustly observes, that, as the public papers of this pe-

CHAP. If. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. .^5
iriod were generally so fuU of lies and slanders, it was no won
der though the English historians were led into mistakes when
treating on the affairs of Scotland, especially considering the
many lying pamphlets that were published by the Jagobite? ^fter
the Revolution.
The same day, John Brown of Drumsarhan, James Clow in
Balloch, and John Stevenson in Water-side, and eigl^t otjiers,
were indicted for harbouring the m\irdei;ers of the -archbishop ;
hut if seems the process was dropt ; wherggis.five of tlie prison
ers that had been indicted for the affair at Bothwell, viz,. Tho
mas Brown, John Waddel, Andrew Sword, James Wood, 9iri.d
John Clyde, were marked ont for ruin ; jjnd upon confessing
their being at Bothwell, and refusing tlje bondj-vyere condepm-
ed to be eJiecuted at M'agus-muir on the l§th instant, and to be
hanged in chains, as if they had been the persons that killed the
primate, though they were no ways accessory to it. However,
it seems, that, for some reasons .their execution was put off to
the 25th- And though the jury brought in James Wood as
being taken at Bothwell without arms, yet the judges made no
difference. November the IStlx, the magistrates of Linlithgow, Inverkeif]i-
ing and Kirkcaldy, had orders tp suppress the mettlng-houses
there, ; and a proclamation was published against conventicles,
discharging all to preach or hear sermons, in any patish which
had not giveil bond to the council, uijde-r serviee^nalties. Aijd
the same day, by another proclamation, the coipj?;!^ people en
gaged in BothweU wete ordered, by the first of January next,
to come and sign the bond, ^nd satisfy the : Jlords of justiciary
why tbey had so long d-elayed it. There is nP occasion fpr any
remarks on these things.
On the 15th, 257 of the prisoners in jh^ Gray- friars ch'nrch-
jard were put abparda ship lying in tlifi Roads of Leith, before
any of their friends ksew of it ; and, though SO were dapger-
pusly ill of a flux and other distempers, yet they were Ijijrtl^d a-^
way with the rest. They continued t\ve}v,e days aboard, Ij.^^Qfe'
the ship saUed, and suffericd inexpressibly feaf bgr^y in t% ship.
"They were so closely pinned up together, that fhey had; scarce
room" to move. Their friends were neither perinitted to see
them nor minister to their necessit,lea. , Some of th^m yere
forced tq drink their owe urine to quench their thirst ; and S05p,e
of the wicked sailors throw thgir excren};?,nts in their face? ; ^fld
though a large coUfiction, amOHnting, as was repprtjid, tp Hr,,p0,0
merks, was made for them, yet littie 6i.k, fame to tJipjr hands ;
and ijsdeed few of them lived long,tQ wafU it,, as we shajl hear.
On the 21th, his RoyalHighness the Puke,f))f Y.clr.^ >^'a3 receiv
ed into the town of .Edinburgh with gre^it soleginity, f^fld. '^'^^
sumptuojaly eatenained. by the magistrates and the npi^iUtjf'

3'5 xilfi HISTORY OF THE ' CHAP. 11.
And thus the managers in Scotland caressed the great promot
er and silppotter of popery and tyranny, while many brave pa-
triots in England were endeavouring his exclusion, as the only
means to preserve the • protestant ' religion and the liberties of the
subject. Next day the five prisoners above-mentioned were executed
at Magus-muir ; and nothing could be more proper, after the
arrival and s'plendid reception of a popish prince, than to gratify
him by cutting off some of the worst of heretics. The joint
ahd separate testimonies of these sufferers are in Naphtali, to
which I refer the reader, who will there find the reasons why
tirey, could not take the bond to save dieir lives, &c.
Thomas Brown was the first that was executed. He de
clared that he was never before in that country, and so was no
ways accessory to the bishop's death ; and added, ' *¦ As for my
part in rising ih arms, I intended no rebellion, but was then
¦with that party in defence of the gospel, which I judged my
duty.'-:.; — Aftet be had prayed, 'he blessed the Lord, that, Jf
this day e^ery hair of his head was a man, and every drop of
his blood a life, he would cordially and heartily lay them down
for Christ arid his cause, fOr which he was now sentenced.'
Andrew Sword sung the 34th Psalm, and declared that he
was never In that place before, and never saw a bishop/^ that
he knew to be so. He blessed God for being kept from taking
the ensnariuMbond ; and having bid farewell to all created com
forts, prayedi^efore he died.
James Wood said the same as to the bishop's death, and was
so far from repenting his being at Bothwell, or refusing the
bond, that he gloried in it. "When he Was almost at the top
of the ladder, he pulled up tlie napkin, and said, ' Now I am
going to l^ydown this life, and to step out of time into eter
nity ; and if I had as many lives as there are hairs in mine
head, arid dtops of blood in my body, I would wHKngJy lay
them dovrh fbr Christ, and for you all that are here upon Christ's
account. You hiay think that this Is a frothy Word, but it is
the wdrd of a dying man.' He theft recommended Christ and
his cause, in a moVing way, to the spectators.
John Waddel declared his innocence as to the- bishop's death,
being never in that country before. He said that he refused
to take the bond, because it was a denying of. all appearances^.
for Christ and his cause. He bore his testimony against po
pery, prelacy, malignancy, the indulgence first and last, and the
abominable CesS. Before he went to prayer, he said, ' Now,
Sirs, I am ntot a whit discouraged to see my three brethren
liWrtging befote mine eyes, nor before aU this multitude to pray,'
After John Clyde had gone to the ladder he said, « I think
our being fetched here is like that Which we have in scripture

CHAP. II. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. &^>
a^out Herodias's suit to Herod ancnt John the Baptist's head
tb gratify the unsatiableness of th-^t lewd woman. Nothing
would satisfy the lust of our persecutors but our blood, and Iri
this manner and place, to gratify the bishop's friends. ^le
vindicated his joining those at Bothwell, and his refusing the
bond, as the others had done before him. At the ladder-foot
he said to his brother, « Weep not for me, brother, but weep
for yourself and the poor land ; and seek God, and make blrix
sure to yourself, and he shall be better to you than ten brethren.
Now, farewell all friends and relations ; fareweU brother, sister
and mother, and welcome Lord Jesus ; Into thy hands I com?
mit my spirit.' And lifting his napkin from his face, he said,
¦^ Dear friends, be not discouraged because of the cross, nor at
this ye have seen this day ; for I hope- you have seen no dis
couragement in me, and you shall see no more.*
They were hung in chains according to the sentence, but
now lie hurried in a corn field near Magus-muir. with a grave
stone upon them, which was set up in October 1728, with an
inscription, which the reader may see in the last edition of the
Cloud of Witnesses. ^ ''¦'
On the 27th, the ship sailed from the Roads of Leith, with the
poor prisoners, and met with several storms in her passage. On
the 10th they got to Orkney in a very tempestuous sea. The
prisoners, fearlqg what happened, desired to be set ashore, and
sent to what prison the master pleased. But the captain, who .
was a papist confined them under the hatches. About ten
at night the ship was drove from her anchor upon a rock, and
broke In the middle. The sailors "quickly got down the mast,
and laying it between the broken ship and the rock, got ashore ;
but such was their barbarity, that no intreaties of the poor men
could prevail with them to open the hatche9, though, had that
been done, most of them had been saved ; whereas all of them
were drownedin the hold, except only that an honest seamen,
being struck with horror at this cruelty, ventured his life to go'
aboard, and with an ax cutting through the deck of the vessel,
got forty-nine or fifty of them out aliv'e ; and so two hundred
were] drowned, or rather murdered. [' After this piece of
cruelty, says the author of the Memoirs, I think I need make
no apology for saying, that the reign of Dioclesian, or any of
the most cruel persecutors of God's church, could not match
this ;, for these were men delivered, men to' whom life was
granted,' according to the king'-s letter, dated 29th June, and
the indemnity' afterwards ; and consequently the perpetrators of
this villany ought to have been punished by death, Bift no no
tice was taken of it. And If it be true, as was reported, that
it was not possible that the ship in which these prisoners were
to be sent to America, could contain provisions sufficient for

pttAF. II. THE HISTOEV OT THt Sh
such a nttmber for so long a voy.nge, I leave the reader to make '
his own reflectrbns.
Meaftwhile a letter came down from the ISng, dated thfe SOth
of November, ordering the Duke of York to b^ admitted to act
as a privy-coaiiSellor ifi Scotland without taking the oaths ; to
Which our obsequious managers readily complied, his Majesty
alleging, that this was the privilege pf the lawful soils and
brothers of the king.
About this time John Lord Bargeny, nephew to the Duke of
Hamilton, being suspected to favour those concerned at Both-
well, was imprisoned in Blackness, Though he Was examined
by a committee, yet nothing Was recorded ; and, aftift all" the
attempts tliey made to fasten guilt upon him, they were forced
to drop the affair.
On the 18th of December, the council ordcted" Alexaiidet-
and Jariies Balfours, with James Ness, to be farther, examined
concerning the primate's death, and Robert Garnock, smith in
Stirling, to tie in prison for farther exatninatidn. Some were
released, as John Henderson, an old man, who had been im
prisoned for harbouring his sons, after they had been at what
they called the murder. Henry Schaw and Robert Blaw,
peorge Fleming and  -Sterk were contifluedin prison on sus
picion bf accession to the death of Sharp.

CHAP. ni.
Of the sufferings of gentlemen for not attending the Ring's host"; tie
repeal of the third indulgence ,¦ the Queensferry paper ; the San
quhar declaration, and other things to the skirmish at Airsmss,
.T ¦ xHE affair of BothweU was improved by the managers as a
-^ sufficient handle for oppressing all ranks of people who
could not in conscience conform to' prelacy ; for not oiriy the
he*itQrs and gentlemen who were suspectqd to have .' counte
nanced the rising, but thosg who ^id not attend the king'sT host,
were rigorotsly prosecuted, together with several others, for no
thing but theirnon-conformity. They Who did not appear before
Jthe circuit-courts were declared fugitives, and the donato'rs wete
most severe upon the houses and possessions of thope who wete
declared fugitives ; and, in some places, the enemies of the pres
byterians discovered what spirit tbey were of> when they could
act without cbntrbul. Thus, from the year 1680 to 16i^7, ilo
family was permitted to live in the toWn of Dundee* but. such
as constantly heard the episcopal ministers. And this year
WiUiam -MitcheU, John Davidson, John Sterrock, Elizabeth
¦'\Vhite, and several more, M'ere forced to leave th- town on th:->

OHAP. III. cHuRCH OP SCOTLAND. 39
very account. But I shaU, as briefly as possible, telate the pro-
cgfidings in the order of time.
Accordingly, on the sixth of January, the councU gave full
power and commission to the Ead of Glencairn, Lotd Ross,
General Dalziel, or any fit person in the army, to discover the
heritors Who were at Bothwell, in the shires pf Ayr, Lanark,
Renfrew, and Dumbarton ; and likewise to the Earl of Queens
berry, Sir Rbbett Dalziel of Glena, Claverhouse, or any two of
them, and such as they should appoint, for the shires of Dum
fries and Wigtoun, the stewarty of Kiirkcudbright and Annan
dale. There were the like commissions i given to others for
other shlrgs, and doubtless the commissioners acted their part.
On the l^th of January, tiie council, Iti consequence of a pe
tition from John Lord Bargenv, ordereiSihim to be brought from
Blackness to the castle of Edinburgh, whenever the advocate
should have his indictment ready. And,
pn the Sgth, they impowered the Earl of Monteith to dissi
pate the conventicles'in that shire, and apprehend and imprison
the preachers, in order to their being brought to trial.
On the 15th of February, Lord Cardross presented a petition
to the king, praying that his simple and life-rent escheat might
be granted to the Earl of Mar. With his- petition he present
ed a paper, intitled, '.(4 short account of his sufferings. The Duke
of Lauderdale had procured a gift of tliis for his nephew, Mr
Maitland ; and when his lordship's representation had like
to have some Weight, a cbpy of it was transmitted to the privy-
councli, that they might interpose and prevent the king's grant
ing his petition.. Accordingly they wrote to his majesty, and
represented Cardross as disaffected, &c.,so that he obtained no
redress, but continued under hardships tiU the Revolution.
Meanwhile, <?ii 'the 12th of February, the councU granted
liberty to such aS had a mind to use the English liturgy in
their families^but very few were now tempted with this- novelty.
I shall only observe, that, while the council were paving the
way for the introduction of the liturgy and- ceremonies in Scot
land, tliere yas a brave set of patriots in .England, who began
at this time to talk of reforming it there. And it is certain that
the Scots'episCOpat clergy never received the service-book, ti|l
the intcTest of a popish pretender "came to be promoted in the
rdgn of Oueen Anne.
On the l5th of February, the Duke of York took his leave of
the councU, and, on the 17th, set out for court, where he ap
peared on the 24th, and was received with great pomp and satis
faction by the king. The council at Edinburgh wrote up a letter
full of the highest encomiuiris on' his Royal Highness.
On the 1 Sth, many heritors were forfeited, mostly in absence,
for their pretended accession to the rebellion. The witnesse;.

*0 THE HISTOK.Y OF THE CHAP. IJI.
brought against them were generally spies and soldiers. ¦ Mr
WiUiam Ferguson of Kaitloch^ the lairds of Earlstoun, elder and
younger, James Gordon, younger of Craichlaw, William Gor
don of Culvennan, Patrick Dunb.ar of Machrimoir, and  .
Macghie of Larg were all called, and -the prepared witnesses
swearing to their being concerned in the rebellion, were forfeit
ed. The reader is to observe, rth3t the laird of Earlstoun was
killed 'when going to join the west country army. On this same
day, Patrick Macdonald of Freugh was called, and two witnesses
swearing that they saw hinj: among the; rebels^ .was sentenced to
be executed when taken, and all his goods, &c.,to be confiscated.
On the 23d a great nuniber of gentlemen were brouht before
the justiciary for absence from the host, and were fined, parti.
cularly Jam'es Young g{ Kirktoun in 1870/  — — Pitlochie,
700/. Alexander Durham of Largo 18^0/. David Balcanquel
S0O/. Alexander Nairn of Samford 294-7. , George Moncrief of
Redie 300/. James Weems in Glencprstoun 175/. Scots money,
with many more. This was the practice of other meetings m,
the justiciary, by whoni not a few were fined in thousands of
pounds. 'We shall afterwards find that this affair bf absence
from the host was taken from the justiciary, and put into the
hands of the council. ,
On the 24th, John Lord Bargeny was Indicted for cursing
some of the chief, nobility, Corresponding with Mr Welsh ^nd
others, of that party, maintaining' the principles of Naphtali and
Lex Rex, and declaring that it -would never be -well in Scotland
till episcopacy was brought down, &c. and therefore, ought to
be punished with forfeiture pf life, &c. In March he was be
fore ,the lords of justiciary, who pps'tponed the. affair till thp se
cond Monday of June, because the advocate wanted some of his
material witnesses, notwithstanding his pains to produce them,
and the prisoner had neglected tb give a copy of his letter of ex
culpation or deferice.'
The councU, on the 6th of March, wrote to Alexr. Macken
zie, sheriff-depute of the .shire of Ross, to use his utmost to sup
press conventicles, and to apprehend Mr Denoon,-andMi Hep
burn, and dissipate their meetings with all severity!
On the 1 2th.they wrote to the Earl of Moray on the same sub-
. ject, and renewed their appointment of a committee for public
affairs, for there 'had been none since last year ; and accordingly
they named Mr Alexander Burnet, Archbishop of St Andrews,
who was translated from Glasgow after Sharp's death, -the Mar
quis of Athol, Earl of Moray, bishop, of Edinburgh, Lord El-
phingston, &c. or any three of them, to rneet, as they shall see
fit, and take the most effectual methods for suppressing field-
conventicles and other disorders, with all the powers the former
committees had. The same duf, being infoi;med, that these

CHAP. III. CHURCH OF SCOyLANB. 4,' I
meetings abounded, especially between the shires of Edinburgh,
Berwick, and Peebles, they ordered the general to have some of
the guards ready to suppress them.
Some time in this, month the council interposed in behalf of
William Paterson, who had the care of the prisoners whom he
drowned at Orkney, for repairing the loss he sustained by his
shipwreck. 1]hus a murderer was rewarded/ whUe the innocent
were persecuted to death !
On the Sth of April they wrote to I^auderdale, and proposed,
that since the lords of justiciary were so much engaged in pro
secuting the heritors and ministers who were in the rebellion,
and the^absentees from the king's host, justiciary commissions
riiight be granted to severel persons for punishing those who
frequented field-conventicles,. &c. With the letter they sent up
articles for the general, by which they moved that the forces
might attack ^he king's enemies, viz. 1. All who were forfeit
ed by the parliament; or criminal court. ' 2. All heritors and mi
nisters who had been in the rebeUion. 3. Heritors who contri
buted to it. 4. All rebels who have not taken the bond- 5.
All such, who, though they have taken the bond, have been at
field-conventicles §ince the 27th of July last. 6. AU those who
have done violence t&the orthodox clergy. 7, Assassins, espe-.
cially the murderers of the ibishop, &c. All these proposals
were readUy complied with at court, as we shall hear. The
same day, James, David, and George Slnclairs, and John Baptie
in PenCaitland, werQ, fined, as guilty of field-conventicles, because
they heard sermon in a private house where some stood without
doors. At thq same time the Rev. Mr Gilbert Rule (after the Revo.
lution, principal of the college of Edinburgh) being found guiltjr
of keeping conventicles, and baptizing children without the pa
rish of PrestonhaBgh, where he was indulged, and preaching in
§t Giles's church, Edinburgh, and baptizing the two children
of Jbhn Ke^nnedy apothecary, and James Livingston jmerchant ;
for these dreadful crimes, the council deprived him of his ma.
jesty's indulgence, and sent him to the Bass till the king's plea
sure should be known. He had been regent in Glasgow, and
afterwards sub-principal in the king's college at Aberdeen, and
before the Restoration was minister at.Alnwich in Northum
berland ; but, upon his being ejected by the Bartholomew act,
hh came down to Scotland, and now was imprisoned. John
ICenri'edy was fined in 100/. and James Livingston in 200/. Scots.
' On the 18th one Arthur Dougal, who had been at BothweU,
having been seized by the Earl of Monteith with some papers
about diim, wns ordered to be sent to Edinburgh, as was one
Robert Short for sbme attempt. on Mr Honnym-an minister at
Livi;igstone.

42 , TH^ HisTORY OF THE CliAP. Il{. '
On the 6th Pf May, Mr James Ker, having preached at the
house of. Grange to about five hundred hearers, whUe some were
without doors, was ordered to oblige himself 'to keep no more
conventicles, under the penalty of 5000 merksl
The same day they Wrote to the king, and moved that, fof
the security of the government, and conveniency of the forces,
the mansion-houses, castles, and'towers standing on the forfeit.
ed estates, might be employed as he should judge proper. The
king thanked them for their care, and ordered them to give out
commissions of justiciary, arid sufficient warning to the owners
of the houses where the garrisons were to be placed^ And
now I am brought, in the order of time, to shew the rise of i^ew
troubles, and of the increase of the persecution ; for on the 3d
of June, Henry HalLof Haughead was seized. This gende
man, during the monui of May and begiiming of June, was much
in comparsy v/ith M^ Cargill. They kept themselves as private
as they could, but at last Were discovered and inforriled against
by Mr John Park the curate of Carridden and the curate of
Boijro'wstbunriess ; for the curates were very diligent in inform
ing against the wanderers. Middleton the governor of Black
ness, who was a papist, caine 'to the hotfse where they were, as
if he had been a stranger, and pretended a great deal of respect
for Mr Cargill, begged leave to drink a glass of wine with them.
At last, drawing his sword, he told them they were his pri
soners, ahd called the house to his assistance ; however, none
regarded him, except one Thomas George. *Mr HaU struggled
hard with the governor, tUl Mr Cargiil made his escajie,' not
withstanding his being wounded. Mr Hall would likewise have
got off, but Thomas George knocked him on the head with the
dbg-head of his carabine, by which he was mortally wounded.
However, the townswomen cariie in a body, and conveyed him
out of the town. But such was the nature of his wound, that,
not being able to walk far, he fainted, and was obliged to be
carried to. the next country house belonging to one Robert Pun-
ton. Dalziel, in the mean time, whose liouse of Binns was in
the neighbourhood, came with a party of the guards and appre
hended hirri; Arid though every body saw he was a-dying, yet
Dalziel would carry him directly to Edinburgh ; but, he died
among their hands before they got thither. His corps Were laid
in the Canongate tolbooth for three days without bdrial j neither
could his friends be f uffered to do this List office for him, fiU at
last he was buried in the night-time. When Mr Hall was taken^
there war found in his pocket an unsubscribed paper, caUed^
from the place where it was found. The Qumisfcrrv pnpcr, b}
which I sh.iU give tlie following abstract. ' ' i '

CHAP. III. CHURCH OF SpOTLAKD. 43
Abstract of the Queensferry paper.
'E undersubscribers, for ourselves and all that shall ad
here to us — are resolved — to bind ourselves with a
solemn and sacred bond, — declaring, those and nothing but
those, to be our present purposes.' I. We covenant and swear,
that We acknowledge and avouch the only true and living God,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be our God, and that we
^close with his way of redemption by his Son Jesus Christ, — and
that we acknowledge tho Old and New Testaments to be by
divine irevelatibn, and to contain the will of Gpd to man, &c.
2. That we shall, to the utmost of our power, advance the
kingdom of God (if at any time - God shall give us power) by
establishing, throughout the lands, righteousness and the true
reformed religion, in its doctrine — worship — discipline, and go
vernment; and that we shaU< free the land from — prelacy on the
oiie handj^and erastianism on tjie other. 3. Tbat we confess
with our mouth, and believe with the; heart, that the doctrine
of the reformed chui-ches, especially that of Scotl.^nd, contained
in the scriptures, summed up in our Confessions of Faith, and
engaged tb by us in our Covenants, is the only true doctrine df
God ; and that we purpose to persevere in it to the end. 4.
That we shall endeavour, to our utmost, thc overilirow of the
kingdom of darkness, and whatever is contrary, to the kingdom
of Christ, especially idolatry and popery — supersllt on, will-
worship and prelacy — and erastianism, — and execute righteous
judgment impartially, according to the word of God and degree
of offences, upon the committers of these things especially, viz.
blasphemy, idolatry, atheism, buggery, sorcery, perjury, &c. -
S. Seriously consideringjthatthehandof our kings and rulers With
them hath been a long time against the throne of the Lord, —
the power and purity of our religion — and Christ's reigning
over nis church, — 'and that there is no more speedy way of re
laxation from the wtath of God, (that halh ever lien heavy on
us sinc^ we engaged with him) bnt of rejecting them, who h-ave
So manifestly rejected God, — disclaiming the covenants, with
God, — ^governing contrary to all right laws divine and human, — .
and to all the ends of government, — seeing they have stopt the
course of law ^""^ justice — and have made butcheries and mur
ders on the Lord's people, sold them as slaves, &c. -and that
upon no other accountbut for maintaining Christ's right cf rul
ing over their consciences, against usurpations of men, for
fulfiUirig their vpws, &c for — I. Our -ancestors Neither did,
lior could bind us.; they did npt buy their liberty and conquest
with our thraldom and slavery ; — neither did they bind \is to
any thing but to a government which they esteemed best for the
cptTimonwealth and subject'-.; anci when this ceaseth we are fre^

ii ' THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP; Hi,
to chuse another. — 2. The covenant — only binds us to maintain
our king in the maintenance of the true established and cove.
nanted religion — without the swearing'and sealing of which our„
fathers, or rvither \ff^ ourselveis, refused to receive hirii for king,
or them for rulers ; and — we Ste free to reject him upoi^ his"
renouncing of it.— 3. Neither is there any hopes of the return-
ing from these sinful cburseS, having so often renewed their
purposes and promises of persevering in those crimes': and,
suppose they should' dissemble a repentance, — yet they cannot r
now be" beUeved, after they have violated, all ties that human
wisdom can devfse to bind men. And, besides," vfho sees not
somewhat of folly to be in this, to think to bind a king that pre
tends to absoluteness ? — We then do reject that king, and those
associate with him in the government, from being our king and
rulers ; — they having altered and destroyed the Lord's esta
blished religion, overturned the fundamental and established
laws of the kingdom — and changed the civil government.^^HMI
tyranny — We then — do declare, that we shall set 'up ourseMe^
and over what God shall give us power of, government and go
vernors according to the word of God, and especially that word,
Exod. xviii. 21.--that we shall no more commit the government
—to- any one single person, or lineal successor, we not being
by God, as the Jews were, bound to one single family, — that
kind being liable to most inconveniences, and aptest to dege
nerate into tyranny. — Moreover, we declare, that those men,
whom we shall set over us, shall be engaged to govern us, prin-
clpally, by that civU and judicial law (not that which is ceremo
nial or typical) given by God to his people of Israel.— ^6. It be
ing the work of the ministers- of the gospel to preach; — and de
fend the kingdom of God, and to preserve the doctrine, disci
pline, &c. of the same, from all corruptions and encroachments '
of rulers and all others ; and seeing the greatest, part of mini
sters were not only defective in preaching against the acts of
the rulers for overthrowing religion and reformation, but-^
hindered those who were v/illing, and Injured some that did it,
&c. &c. v/e declare, that we 'neither can nor will hear preacli:
ing, nor receive sacraments from any of these ministers,- — nor
from any ^vho have encouraged and strengthened their hands,
by hearing and pleading for them  7. We declare, that a gos
pel ministry is -i standing ordinance of God, — and that none pf
us shall take upon him the preaching of the word, or administer
ing of the fjacraments, unless called andordaifted thereto. — And
yet separation -cannot be imputed to ui; there is both malipe
and ignorance in the calumny ; for If there be a separation, it
must be where the change is, and that iS not inns. We are
net separating from the communion of the church, and setting
lip new crditiances and a new ministry, buf cleavin" to the ,

CHAP. HI. CHURCH OE SC0,TLAND. 45
same ministers and the same ordinances, when others have slid-
den back; to new ways, and have a new authority supperadded,
which is like' the new piece in the old garmfent. 8. We bind
and oblige ojirselves to defend .ourselVes, and one another, in
our worshipping of God, and in our natural, civil and divine
rights and liberties; — and if we shall, be pursued or troubled,
in pur worshipping, rights and liberties, — we shall look on it as
a declaring .war, and take all the advantages that one eriemy
doth of another, — but not to tro-able or injure any but those
that have injured lis.'
This then Is the -substance of that paper called. The Qiieens-
ferry paper. It was but a rude draught, ajid unsubscribed, and
had not been consulted upon by the rest of the community.
Whether there were just grounds for the severe things said
against the governors at that time must be left with the reader.
As to their disowning the king's authority, we shall have occa
sion to consider that afterwards; but, fortheir taking upon them
to alter the form of govermcnt, and introduce a new constitu
tion, I do see how to vindicate it ; only this must be said, that
it was a rude draught, and the contents of it had never been deli-"
berated upon.
The reader wUl observe, that, after the defeat at Bothwell,
they who opposed the indulged kept by themselves, not being
able to comply or countenance those that did accept the indul
gence : and however they were blamed for running into the
heights and excesses, yet this must be said. That some of the
gre-atest lengths, as my author calls them, such as renouncing
the authority" that then was, in less than ten years after this,
had the approbation of the whole nation-. That in some things
they might have been wrong, who can wonder at it, considering
. the tlriie in which their lot was cast .?
•On the 4th of June the councU enjoined the general to send
a sufficient number of soldiers to Queensferry, for guarding the
passages and apprehending those that should be Informed against,
together with two of the magistrates who refused to suppress
' the tumult, and other suspected persons, and indemnified them
iri case of slaughter; and ordered the advocate to prosecute,
before the justlGlary, Anne Hamilton, Lady Giichristcleugh,
and James Thomson tenant in Tankertoun parish^ fpr harbour
ing the murderers of the archbishop.
On the 10th, one MargarePWauch was brought In prisoner
from Queensferry, for being access;!ry to Mr Cargiii's esciipe.
When he got out, though much woLir.dCd, during, the confu
sion about Mr Hall, lie retired to a private place on th? ee.-inh
s'lde of the.town. A certain woman, finding him therp, tied
up his wounds with her head-clothes .ind conducted him fo
James Punton's in Carlo-ivr e, where i'f: .;;;v i:i thc- bar« all.

iG tits, H13T0S.Y OF XHfi . CHAP... lit
night. ,Mrs-Punton- gave him some warm milk, and a surgeon
happening-to come, to the house dressed his wounds. General
Dalziel -came aild . took James Pujiton to Kirklistoun, where,
being accused by the curate for shewing kindness to such a re.
bel, as he calledMt Cargill, he was carried to Edinburgh,
where he lay in ! prison, three months, and paid 1000 merks
fine. y • -
The same day thc council received a letter from the. king,
dated at Windsor the 14th of May last, 'wherein his majesty,
after expatiating against field-cdnventicles as the causes of re.
bellion, and signifying hjs riasolution to preserve the sacred
~^rder of Episcopacy, 8cc/ declared that he was resolved to con.
tinue the' indulgence for some time ; but then that he had
thought fit to send' these instructions : 1. They were to suffer
none to preach who had been banished from any paris]^ or cor
poration In England, or who, since the last indemnity^ had
jjieached in places constructed field meetings, or who could
iiot certify their ordination before the 29th of June List, or
who did not receive their licence from them. In short, they
.were to indulge none upon the north suje of the river Tay. 2.
They were to suffer no meeting-house to be within a mile of a
pa^-ish-cliurch, and to pall down such as were, especiaUy that
^t Newbottle. 3. They were to suffer none to preach in the
parishes where they v^-ere formerly , ministers. 4. No indulged
ministers must preach or baptize out of their oven parishes^ or
take upon them to marry any persons, that being restricte^to
the regular incumbents. 5. None is . to be liid-jlged where the
generality are regular or orderly, i. e. Episcopalian. 6. No ki^
dulged ministers are to be suffe,red to keep presbyteries or
synods, these being the grand nurseries of -schism and sedition.
7. The farnilies of irregular ejected ministers [such as would ham
fi9ne of their indulgencesjaiast be removed fromjidinburgh, St An
drews, and Glasgow. S. As by a former proclamation npnon-coi)!-
fomists were to preach la-Edinburgh, nor two miles roundit, so,
least that city should be corrupted in its religion and loyalty, none
of these preachers were to be suffered wlthiri twelve mUe&pf it;
and If the council had given any such licences^ they were to
jreypke them. 0. They were to protect the regular ministers.
In pursuance of these instructions, which, in effect, repealed
the indulgence, the council that same day recalled Mr John
ston's licence at Newbottle, and^rdered hia riieetlng-house to
be puUed down, which was accordingly done : and the, tlra,ber
-and seats were iold at 101. sterling; td ,Cs. 8d. was giVjen,to the
poor of the parish, and the rest tb tlie persons employed in excr
eating these orders. The meeting-houses in Kilpatrick, Lcng'
tounj Prestonhaugh, Orwal, Ceips, &c. wero all ordered to b?

-CHAP. HI. Church of Scotland 47
shut up, and the ctfuricil 'gav,e an account of their diligence in
his majesty's service in a letter to the kiijg. , >
' These proceedings bring to my mind what the -marquis of
Argyle, when under sentence of death said to some ministers,
« My skiU falls me, if you who are ministers will uot either
suffer much or sin much ; for", though you go along with .those
men in -part, if you do it not in all things, you are but where
you were, and so must suffer ; and if you go r.ot at -all with
them, you shall but suffer.' I dp not in the least question that
v-many worthy and valiiable persons "complied v.'ith the indul
gence, but they foudd that no partial compliances could satisfy ;
and as for those who would makfe'*-no cbmpUanees, yea, resisted
even to blood, though their sufferings ivere the most severe,
yet they bad this for their comfort, stedfastness in their prin
ciples, and peace of conscience. "
On the ]4'th of June the advocate appeared against Lord Bar
geny, and offered an additional libel or accusation, signifying
that his lordship had spbken in favour of the murder of the
archbishop ; bat an act bf council w-as produced, ordering him
to be set at liberty, since he had found bail to appear when call
ed ; upon which the process was dropt ; for the king' had like
wise wrote in his favour.' He waS accordingly released. ' The
whole process Was malicious. Bishop Burnet says, ' When he
was at liberty he discovered a conspiracy in which Halton and
others were conc-erned. They-had practised on some who had
been in that rebeltion to swear that he and several others were
engaged in it, and that they had sent them out to join in it.
They promised these witnesses a large share in the cotifiscatcd
• estates if they went through in the business. Depositions wera
prepared for them, and they promised to svi^ear tb them-: upon
whieh a day was. fixed for their trial; but the hearts' of these
witnesses failed them, or .their consciences rose upon thein ; soi
that, when the day came, they could not bring themselves to
swear against an innocent man, and they plainly refused it.' In
short, after allprabtlces of this kind, Bargeny was at last re
leased. , '^•
After Mr Cargill escaped at Queensferry, he Bed south,.
where several of his friends were wandering and concealing
themselves ; for the reader must know that all these wanderer.s-
were outlawed and declared rebels. Mr Richard Cftmeroh and
gome, others, after several meetings among themselves, for form
ing a declaration and testimony they were to- publish to the
• world, at last agreed upon one; and about twenty persons came
armed to the small burgh of -Sanquhar, vihere Michael Came-
xon read the declaration at, tho cross, and left a copy nffixed
there, as follows : ' . - , .
1

48 the histort of'the chap. ni.
The Declaration and Testimony of the true Presbyterian, Anii-pre..
latic, Anti-erastian,- persecuted party in Scotland, published, at
Sanquliar, June 22, 1680.
* "TT Is riot among the smaUest of the Lord's mercies to 'ihis
-"- poor land, that there have always been some who: have
given thelir testimony against every course of defection we were
guUty of, which is a Vbken for good, that he doth not intend to
cast us off altogether, but that he will leave a remnant in whom
he will be glorious, if tlfey, through his grace;, keep themselves
clean, and -walk in his ways and methods, as they have been
walked in and owned by our predecessors, of truly worthy me
mory, in their carrying on of our noble work of reformation in
the several steps thereof, both from popery and prelacy, and
likewise from erastian supremacy, so much usurped by him,
who,- it is true, so far as we know, is descended from the race
of our kings, yet he hath so far deborded from what he ought
to have been, by his perjury and usurping in church-matters,
and tyranny in matters clvl.l, as is known by the whole land,
that we have just reason to account it among the Lord's great
controversies against us, that we have not disowned him, and
the men of. his practices, whether inferior magistrates, or any
other, as enemies to our Lord Jesus and his crown, and the
true protestant and presbyterian interest iu these lands, our
Lord's; espoused bride and church. Therefore, ahhough we be
for government and governors, such as, the word of God and
our covenants allow ; yet we, for ourselves, and all that will
adhere to us, the representatives of the true presbyterian church,
and covenanted nation of Scotland, considering the great hazard
of lying under sin any longer, do, by these presents, disown
Charles Stuart, who hath been reigning these years bygone^ or
rather, we may say, tyrannizing, on the throne of Britain, as
having any right, title, or interest to, or In the said crown of
Scotland or government, as forfeited several years since by his
perjury and breach of covenant with God, and his church, and
usurpation of hiS crown and royal prerogative, and many other
breaches in matters ecclesiastic, and by his tyrannv and breach- '
es in the very rules of government in matters civiL For which
reasons we declare, that,^ several years since, he should have
been denuded of being king, ruler or magistrate, or of having
any power to act, or to be obeyed as such. As also we, under
the banner of our Lord Jesus Christ, the captain of our salva
tion, do declare a war with such a tyrant and usurper, aiyl all '
ihe men of these practices, as eripmies to pur Lord Jesus Christ
and his cause and covenant ; and against all such as have an*
way strengthened him,. sided with, or acknowledged' him, in
his usurpation, civU and ecciesiasric ; yea, and against aU such

<:hap. III. CHURCH oF,scoTLA:;n. 49
as shall any ways strengthi^n, side with, or acknowledge him, or
any other, in the like usurpation and tyraimy ; far more against
such as would betray or deliver up our fr^ and reformed
church into the bpndage of Antic^jrist the pope of Rome. And
by this. we homologate oui: testimony at Rutherglen, the 29tli
of May I67&, and all the faithful testimonies of those that have
gone before us, as also of those who have suffered of late. Al
so we disclaitnlhat declaration published at Hamilton the 13th'
of June. 1679, chiefly because it takes in the king's interest,
which we are, several years since, loosed from; as also, because
of the foresaid reasons, and others that we may after this (if the
Ijord will) publish. As also we disown. and resent the recep-
t.ion of the Duke of York, a professed papist, as repugnant to
our principles and vows to the Most^ High God, and as that
which is the great, though (alas !) the just .reproach of our
church. We also, by this, protest against his succeeding to
the crown, as against whatever hath been done, or any are as
saying to do in this land.gi/en to the Lord, in prejudice to our
work of reformation. And, tb conclude, we hope after this
none wiU bl-amf us, or offend at our rewarding.of- those that
are against us, as they have done to us, as the Lord gives. the
opportunity. This is not to, exclude any that have declined, if
they be willing to give satisfaction according to the degree of
offence.' It is Scarce worth while to take notice of the false and indis
tinct account given of this matter by bishop Burnet, whore-
presents those, whom he calls Cargillites, as being acted by a
strange spirit of fury, and that they affixed their declaration to
the cross of Dumfries, since it was at Sanquhar, from whence
their declaration had its name, and which exposed them not on
ly to the cruelty of their enemies, but even to the censures of
those who shonld have been their friends. Though every ex
pression in their declaration was not so well chosen, ¦ yet that
which' was most cried out against is not incapable of bemg de
fended. They disowried the king's authority, and they gave
their reasons for so doing, viz. his breaking all his engagements,
overturning the constitution both in church and state, depriving
his subjects, not only of their liberties and properties, but like
wise of.the free exercise of their religion, by claiming andas-
suming an absolute, tyrannical, and arbitr-ary, government. If
matters were as they represented, and . the reader is to judge,
from the former part of this history, whether they- were ot^not,
then it |S certain that the conduct of the whole island at the
Revolution, justifies their disowning^he authority that thenwa?.
' It Is certainly unlawful, says an'iij'igjnipus tmodern author, to
resist goverfiment ; but it is certainfj^wful, to resist the devia-
'tionfronvgovernment, To resist the ab'use of government is tp
VOL. H. , D *¦* ¦

50 TH6; HISTORT OF THE CHAP. HI.
assist government. It is allowed to be just to help our protec
tors; but it is equally just [to oppose our enemies, madmen^
and ^poUers. Now, what was Nero, "w^^^ Caliguli and Clau-
dius ? The one a bloody idiq^, the other two inhuman madmen.
— If their course of cruelties and oppression was govemmeq^
so are plagues, tempests and inundations ; but if their lives and
actions were altogether pernicious and detestable, the extermi
nating such monsters from among men would have been a ser
vice to the whole race.' And a little farther he says, « "What
avail laws and liberty, ever so excellently framed, when they
are at the mercy of lawless rage and caprice ? If we are forbid
by God to defend laws, why do we make them ? Is it not un
lawful to make what it is unlawful to defend ? What else is
the end of government but the felicity of men ? And why are
some raised higher in society than others, but that ail may be
happy ?.^ — What mofe right had Nero to take away the lives of '
innocent men than any other assassin, what more title to their
fortunes tharrany other robber? What better rights to spill
their blood than any other tiger ? And is it unla-wfid to resist
robbers and assassins and beasts of prey ? Did the Almighty
ever say of that beastly tyrant, I'ouch not Nero mine anointed,
and do his ruffians no harm?' And as the Rev. author of the Hind
let Loose, says,. Though it is not the prudence of the manage
ment, but the justice of the action, that I would have vindi
cated from obloquies, yet nothing was waiting but success to
justify both. From the whole I think I may assert, that It was
from the vigorous prosecution of the principles upon which
these men acted, that the nation owed the Revolution, and the
iiappiness of the protestant succession. It was therefore a pity
that tliey had so few to take theii: part and espouse their cause,
especiaUy of those who were under the ?ame covenant engage
ments with them. Had all the presbyterians In Scodand re
mained united, and continued In opposing erastianism, as well
as prelacy, none, humanely speaking, would have had occasion
to accuse these men of going heights and lengths, and what
not. As for their protestations against the succesaon of the
Duke of York, it was no more than what was done by those
worthy English patriots who promoted the bUl of exclusion. If
the reader wants- a farther vindication of these men, I must re
fer him to their own Informatory Vindication, the Hind let
Loose, and Jus Populi Vindicatum, and proceed In the history
of matters of fact.
When the account of.the above declaration came to the counc
ell, they wrote to Lauderdale, June 30, where In, as might be
expected, they branded theae poor people with the names of
viUains, ruffians, the scum of the people ; and the same day
published ?. proclamation for apprehending Mr Donald Cargill, -

CHAP. II?. CHURCH 01 SCOTLAND. 51
Mr Richard Cameron and his brother, Mr Thomas Douglas,
John Vallange, Daniel Macmltchill, "Thomas Campbell, John
Moodle, Pat. Gemble, James Stewart, Alexander. Gordon,
Francis Johnstoun, and— — — Chrighton. In order to this
there was not only a price set upon each of them, for the better
encouragement of all who should be at pains to apprehend them,
but likewise all heritors, Sec. in [the south and west shires,
were to call all who dwelt within the bounds of their estates,
from sixteen years of age and upwards, to swear whether they
sawany of these persons, or discovered any lurking or conceal- ,
ing themselves, under the pain of being looked upon as traitors
themselves. Jointly with this proclamation they ordered Dalziel to send
out parties to search for and apprehend the last mentioned per
sons, and bring them in dead or alive, and to call to his assist
ance any of the nobility and gentry, with their dependents, as
.he should see proper.
The people concerned in the Sanquhar declaration, perceiving
the preparations against them, entered Into the'foUowing bond
of mutual defence, subscribed by Mr Richard Cameron, his
brother Michael, Archibald Stewart, John Potter, and, about
thirty more, which was found on Mr Cameron when he was
killed at Airsmoss.
* We underscribers bind and obllge:ourselves to be faithful
to God, and true to one another and to all others who shall join,
with us, in adhWing to the Rutherglen testimony, and disclaim
ing the Hamilton-declaration, chiefly, because it takes, in the
king's interest, which we are loosed from by reason of his per
fidy and covenant breaking, both to the Most High. God, and
.the people over whom he was- set, on the terms of his propa
gating the main ends of the covenants, viz. the reformation, of
religion ; and, instead of that, usurping to himself the royal
prerogatives of Jesus Christ, and encroaching upon the liberties
of the church ; and so stating himself in opposition to Jesus ,
Christ, the Mediator, and the free government of his hopse ;
and also In disowning and protesting against the reception of'
the Duke of York, a professed papist, and whatever else hath
beendonein this li)nd (given to tihe Lord) iq prejudiceof our cove
nanted and universally sworn to reformation. And although, as
the Lord who searcheth the heart knows, we be for government
andgoVefnors, both civil and ecclesiastic, such as the word of God
andour covenants allow, yet by this we disown the present magi
strates, who openly and avowedly are doing what in them lyes
for destroying utterly our work of reformation from popery, pre
lacy, erastianism, and other heresies and errors ; and by this
we declare also, that we are not any more to own miaistcvs
3

52 THE History OF the chap. itlJ
indulged, and such a'sdrl-?e a sinful union with tbem ; nor are
we to join any more in this public cause with ministers, or prd-
fessbrs of any rank, that are guilty of the defections of tills time',
until they give satisfaction proportioned to the scandal and of
fence they have given.'
On the first of July a process was commenced against the
Earl of Tweeddale, for a meeting in. the town-barn belonging
to his lordship in the town of Inverkeithlng ; but, as the barn
held of the town, the Earl was acquitted^ and the magistrates
fined in 501. sterling, which the inhabitants were obliged- to
pay. The same -day Messrs WUl. Row-.and Jo. Gray, not
having proper licences, were discharged from preaching,i and
Messrs Geo. Hamilton and Ja. Rymer, not appearing .to an
swer for their preaching in several places, were denounced and
put to the horn. ¦ , ;"
On the 6th the Earl of Rothes was made a Duke ; and the
following gentlemen were forfeited In absence fbr their supposed
accession to BothweU, viz. John Bell of White-side, John Gib
son of Auchinchyne,  Gibson younger of Ingllstopn,; — —
Gordon of Dundeugh,  ^Grier of Dalgoner,  Smith of
Kllroy  Macclelland of Bermagachan, Thomas Bogle of
Bogleshole, Baird younger of Dungeon-hill, Gordon of Craig,
Lennox of Irelandtoun, Gordon of Barharraw, John Fulertbuh
of Auchinhare, David MaccuUbch son to Ardwell, William
Whitehead of MillhoUse, John Welsh of Cornley,  NeUson
of Corsack, Robert Macclellan of Barscob, and his brother S»-
muel,  FuUertoun of NethermlU, Geo. Mackartney of Blaket,
 Grodon of Garrerle,  Gordon of Knockgray,  Her-
ron of Little park, Gordon of Holm, Gordon of Overbar, John
Macnaught of Culquhad, Murdoch, alias laird Murdoch, and
John Benning of Dalvennan. Many others -were forfeited whose
names are not now known, and many were declared fugitives.
And, to conclude the affair of the forfeitures
My author, from written accounts from Galloway, tells us,
that Alex. Hunter of Colquhasben was forfeited, and his estate
given to the Countess of Nithsdale a papist, A. Hay of Ard-
wallen was likewise forfeited, and his estate given to the same
popish family. His mother, a pious gentlewoman of eighty
years of age, was imprisoned for non-conformity, ajid her an-
nuity given to the said popish fariiUy. Thus the Duke of York
and his creatiires were making way for the introduction of
popery, so low was the reformation brought under the tyranny
of pi'elacy. ,
On the 1 5th of July,^ John Niven shipmaslter was prosecuted
for saying, at Bruntisland, ' That the Duke of York had been
upon a plot for taking away his maj.esty's life, and had contriT- '

GWAP'. IV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND , 5S
ed with the king of France to invade' England with an army,.
and had come to Scotland to make a party and faction, and to
introduce popery.' Tliey wrote to London before they passed
sentence, though he was found guilty. At last he was con
demned to be hanged on the 18th of August ; but the king at
the intercession of his dear brother, ordered tlie sentence to be
suspended, and that he continue in prison during pleasure. On
the 19th, Al^xr. Ross was condemned for being in the rebellion ;
but, upon his casting himself on the king's mercy, and promis
ing to take the oaths, obtained a remission. f
CHAP. IV.
Of the. skirmish at Airsmoss ; ihe execution of Mr Hackstoun of
Rathillet, and others; the Torwood excommunication, ivith the
proceedings of ihe council upon it, and other branches of persecution
to the end of the year.
WHILE the soldiers were ranging up and down the coun
try, in quest of the wanderers, a 'remarkable skirmish
, happened at Airsmoss in the parish of Auchlnleck in Kyle.
On the 20th of July, Bruce of Earlshall, commanding Lord Air-
ly's troop and Strachan's dragoons, having information from Sir
John Cochran of Ochiltree where Mr Cameron and several of
his f&Uowers were, came upon them With great expedition and
fury, about four o'clock. Perceiving the enemies approach, and
that there was no possibility of escape, Mr Cameron, after a short
prayer, encouraged them to fight in their own defence. The
dragoons that came upon them were about one hundred and
twenty, whereas the persecuted people- were o"ly about forty
foot, indifferently armed, and twenty-six horse. Mr Hackstoun
and Mr Cameron commanded the horse, who all behayed with
great bravery ; but were over-powered and broken by a vast su
periority of numbers ; the former was wounded and taken pri
soner, and the latter was killed. There were in all nine kUled
on the spot, viz. Mr Richard Cameron and his brother' Michael,
Captain John Fowler, John Gemble, John Hamilton, Rob.
Dick," Tho. Watson, Rob. Paterson in KirkhiU of Cambusne
than, a singularly pious youth; and James Gray' younger of
Christoun, who was a youth of good parts and eminent piety.
Mr Cameron was observed to pray, when he had the prospect
ofthis erigageriient, iarJ, take thc ripest, and spare the greenest,
which was evidently to be seen in this pious youth. The sol
diers owned he vvas the person who mauled them most. Se
veral .were wounded.  Manuel of Shots died of his wound^, *

54 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP IV.
as he entered the "tolbooth of Edinburgh, and John Vallange
died ori the day following, Archibald Alison In the parish 'of
Evandale and John Malcom in the parish of Dairy were taken -
prisoners, as was one John Pollock, who was pKt In the boots,
and endured the torture with great firmness and resplution, and
was afterwards banished. Bishop Burnet was misinformed In
saying that Mr CargUl was taken here.
When Mr Cameron was kUled, his bead and hands were cut
off by Robert Murray, arid carried in to the council, who order
ed them to be set up on the Netherbow-port In Edinburgh,; '
It is said that Earlshall gave a guinea for this piece of service.' i.
John Fowler's head was struck off through mistake. Instead of
Michael Cameron's. When Earlshall came to Edinburgh, he
ordered the heads to be taken out of the bag in which they were
carried, put them upon a halbert, and carried them to the coun
cil. Rob,ert Murray said,' There Is the head and hands that liv
ed praying and preaching, and died praying and, fighting: " Mr
Cameron's father being In the tolbooth of Edinburgh, they
carried theni to him to add to his sorrow, apd enquired if he
khew them. He took his son's head and hands' and kissed
them, and said, I know them, they are my son's, my dear son's.
It is the Lord, gbbd Is the will of the Lord, who cannot
wrbng me hor mine, but has made goodness and mercy to fol
low us all ou;r days.. Mr Cameron's head was fixed on the
port, and his hands by his head, with his fingers upward.
Thus the famous Mr Cameron fell a sacrifice to prelatlc fury,
and died a martyr for rehgion and liberty. It was from him
that theSe tossed and persecuted people were afterwards nick-,
named Cameronians.' He was a zealous preacher, not only a-
gainst prelacy,' biit also against the indulgence, following the
example pf Mr John Welwood and Mr John Kid. For a far
ther account" bf him the reader may consult P. Walker's remark
able passages of his life, "who was a sufferer in this" period, and
the appendix to the Cloud bf Witnesses. Mr CargiU, the Sab
bath followlngi preached "from 2 Sam. ill. 38,' ' ¦
On the 23d of July Mr Rule Was appointed to be set at li
berty, upon giving a bond of 5000' merks to leave the kingdom
in eight days. Accordingly he Went abroad, studied physic, and
took his degrees. ' After which he came and lived in Berwick,
where he was very' liseful. ' 'While there, the Earl of Hume
formed a design to apjiTehend him, because, when visiung the
laird of Hounw'ood's fainily, lie expounded a chapter, which was
constructed keeping of a conventicle ; but he very providen
tially escaped, though Houndwood was fined in 100 merks.
See the account given of him by the Rev. and worthy Dr Ca-
lamy, in his abridgement of Baxters life, Vol. II. p.. 5 17, ..

CHAP. VI. CHURCH, OF SCOTLAND, 55
On the 24th, the magistrates of Glasgpw were' ordered to turn
all the non-conform preachers out of town, and suffer none of
them to live within a mile of it.
The same day,being informedof the taking of Rathillet and the
other prisoners, they ordered the magistrates pf Edinburgh to
receive him at the Water-gate, to set him on a bare horse, with
his face to the tail, to tye his feet under the horse's belly, a^id
his hands with ropes ; that the executioner go before him cov
ered, carrying Mr Cameron's head on a halbert, and leading the
horse up the high-street to the common prison ; that the other
three prisoners be conducted on foot bare-beaded -after him, with
their hands tied to a goad of iron ; that no meat be given to
Rathillet, but what should be prepared by the master of the
jaU, nor any, permitted to speak with him, or any letters convey
ed to him.
In a letter to his friend, he says. That he was carried up to
the parliampnt-close, arid brought before the council, where the
chancellor read an indictment against him ;. first concerning the
bishop's murder, to which he answered. That he was obliged
by no law, either of God or man, to answer to- it, either by ac
cusing himself, or impeaching others. Being asked if he thoi^ght
it murder, he told them. That he was not obliged to answer
such questions, yet he would not call It so, but rather say it
was no murder. Being farther asked, if he owned the king's
authbrity, he replied. That though he was not obliged to answer,
yet, being permitted to speak, he would say something to that ;
and first, «That there could be no lawful authority but what
was of God ; and that no authority stated in a direct opposition
to God, could be of God ; and that he knew of no authority
nor justiciary this day in these nations, but what were in a di
rect ppppsition to God, and so could neither be of God, nor
la.wful; .and that their fruits were kytliing it, in that they were
setting buggerers, murderers, sorcerers, and such others, at li
berty from justice, and employing them in their service, and
riiade it their whole work to oppress, kill and destroy thc Lord's
people.' This enraged thc chancellor and the rest so ipuch,
that they required/him to give, an instance. He answered,
< Though it were enough to instance any such when he saw a
judicature to execute justice, yet he would instance one ; and
accprdlngly mentipned a buggcrer released at the sheriff-court of
Fife, and employed in their service; and offered to prove it not
withstanding all' their rage.' Bishop Paterson asked. If ever Pi
late and that judicature, who were direct enemies to Christ,
we.re disowned by him as judges ? He said. He would answer
no perjured prelate In the nation. Paterson replied, He couhi
not be called perjured, since he never .to(\k that sacrilegious co
venant. Mr Hackstoun told him, that God would cw;i that cb:

SG -fHt HISTCRV 06 TiiE CHAP. IV,
venant when none of them wei;e to oppose it. A good deal more
passed to the same purpose, which the reader may see^ in the
Cloud of Witnesses. Notwithstanding his bold and open an-
swers, he was threatened with torture,which he no way regarded.
On the 26th-the affair cf absence from the king's host was
taken out of the hands of the justiciary, and put into those of
the council, which was a more arbitrary court ; and the follow
ing gentlemen, viz. Dundas of Brothwick, the laird of Riddel,
John Douglas of Bonjeburgh, Ker of Cherytres, James Scot
of Thiriestane, Francis Scot of GrecnhUl, P. Wardlavir, Robert
Brown of Blackburn, Pringle of Greenknows, Alex. Hume of
St Bathans, Sa, Spence, Clappertoun of Wyliecleug^ji Geo.
Hume bf Bassenden, were'fin'ed in above 2201/. sterling.-'; Many
others were fined for the same cause ; and about the- end of
this year the council ordered all found guilty of absence to be
kept in custody,' for the future, till their fines be dischargd.
Mr Hapkstoun was again before the councU this day, and an.
swered much to the saine purpose as before, and on the 27th
was before the justiciary, when, as he says himself in another
letter to his friend, « He declined the king's authority,'as an us
urper of the prerogatives of the Son of God, wherry he hath
involved the lands in idolatry, perjury, and other wickednesses,
and declined theVn, (as exercising under him the supreme power
. over the church usurped from Jesus Christ) Who, Ih carryingon
their designs of confirming themselves in their usurpations of
the crown of Christ, had shed so much innocent blood through
the land ; and therefore he durst not, ^ with his own conseiir,
sustain them as competent judges, but declined them as c^eii
and stated enemies to the living God, and competitors for his
throne and pbv^er belonging only to him?
On the 39th, the day before he' was brpught to his trial, the
council, in a most unprecedented manner, appointed the man
ner of his execution. ' Oh Friday the 30th, being £,gain broogJit
before t'he justiciary, arid being asl^ed if he had any thing more
to Say, he answered, that which I have said I will seal it. Then
they told him that they had something to say fo him, andcom^
manded. him to sit down and receive' his seritenfce, which he did;
but told them, « They' were all murderers ; for all that power
theyhad was derived from tyranny ; and that, these yeats'by-
-gone, they had not only tyrannized over the church of God, but
had also grinded the faces of the poor ; so that oppression,
bloodshed, perjury, and many murders 'were to be found in
their skirts.'
Upon this he wtis condemned, and carried from the bar to
the place; of execution. None were suffered to be with him but
,twoof the bailies, the executioner, ^nd hisservarits. ^ He was
pcririitted to pray ; but not to .speak to the people. His right

CHAr. IV.. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 57
hand was first cut off 5 and a little after his left ; which he en
dured with great firmness and constancy. The hangman being
long in cutting off his right hand, Mr Hackstoun 'desired him
to strike in the joint of the left ; but spoke no such .thing as
bishop Burnet represents, « That when his hands were cut off,
he asked Hke one unconcerned, if his feet must be cut of likff-
wlse.' He was next drawn up to the top bf the gallows Vith
a pulley, and, says the Cloud of Witnesses, was soft'ered to fall
down a very. considerable way, upon the lower scaffold, three
times with his whole weight; then he was fixed at the top of
the gallows, and the executioner, with a large knife, cutting o-
pen his breast, puUed, out his heart before he was dead; for 1:
moved when it fell on the scaffolds He- then stuck his knife
in it, shewed it on all sides to the people, cfylng, Here is the
heart of a traitor; At last he threw it in a fire prepared on pur
pose, with his other inwards ; and, having quartered his body,
ilia, head was fixed on-theNeither-bow, oneof his quarters, with
his hands, at St Andrews, another at Glasgow, a third at Leith
and a fourth at Bruntisland. Thus felK David Hackstoun of
R-arhilletV'Esq ; a gentlemen related to'some of the principal
lamilies in Scotland, and a person of eminent piety and courage.
On the 4th of August, John Malcolm in the p-arish of Dairay
in GjUovp-ay, -arid Archibald Alison in the parish of Evandale in
Clydsdal^, two other prisoners taken ac Airsirjoss, were sentsn.
eed to ht hanged on the 1 Ith instant in the, Grass market, which
was executed accordingly. Their testimonies are both in thc
Cloud of Witnesses, wlierein they shew the reasons of their
conduct, and declare their constant adherence to the covenant
ed work of 'reforination against popery, prehcy, erastianism, and
tyranny. Tiius' all the prisoners taken at Airsmoss, except John
PoUock, were executed as above.
Meanwhile, on the said 4111 of August, another committee
for gublic affairs was appointed, consisting of the archbishop of
St Andrews, the earl of Linlithgow, the bishop of Edinburgh,
the president, Coilingtoun, Lundin, Niddry, the officers of state x
.or any three of them-, with the former powers ; and the former
endeavours for discovering those concerned in Bothwell were en
forced with new orders. The reader perhaps may think it tire
some to pursue the various and repeated -commissions granted
in order to apprehend those concerned in the last rising.'
, During these things many parties of soldiers were sent through
the country to quarter in the west and south, to bein readiness
when any of ths persecuted party v/ere heard pf ; and Gone of
them was more eager, than one Captain Inglis, in searching
for those who had been hearers of Mr Cameron or. Mr CargUl;
Robert Cannon of Montdroggat,.oncc a professor, -was very use
ful to the soldiers in discpvei-ing thc lurking plr.ces of the pbpr

58 THE HISTORY 0¥ THE CHAP, Ir*
wanderers ; and about this time he was made collector of the
cess and excise in Carsphairn and the neighbourhood ; and as,
he was pretty much acquainted, so, when the soldiers seized
suspected persons, Cannon was sent for, and they were kept or
let go according to his direction. Courts likewise were held at
JNew GaUoway, and other places, for the trial of those who had
the misfortune to fall into their hands ; but, as the heritors were
not very cordial in these things, the officers of the army took the
work upon themselves, and put many to their oath in a most
arbitrary and unprecedented manner. • s.^ «
In* consequence of the opinion of the last made committe^i ^
on the first of September, Mr James Ker and Mr Arthur Dou
gal were ordered to be released upon bail, but Mr John Dick
son, late minister of Rutherglen, was sent first to prison at
Edinburgh, and from thence to the Bass, where he continued
several years, ^y a letter from the king, of the third, the com
mon .people, who had been concerned In Bothwell, had to the -
first of March next to take the bond ; but heritors, ministers,
ringleaders, &e. were«tUl excepted.
, Mr CargiU was now the only person who ventured to preach
in the fields, notwithstanding the sanguinary laws against that
practice, and who prosecuted the testimony for religion and li
berty in that manner ; and considering all the preachings, pro-
testations and declarations against the wickedness and tyranny
of those who had the administration of the government in their
hands, and that. both the defensive arms of men, and the Chris
tian arms pf prayers, &c. had been used, yet that of ecclesias
tical censure had not been authoritatively exerted ; therefore,
though he could not have the concurrence of his brethren to
strengthen the solemnity of the action, yet he did not thinkthat
defect, in this broken state of the church, could disable his au
thority, or lessen the-duty. Accordingly, inSeptember or Octo
ber this year, he had, a large meeting at the "Torwood ingStir?
lingshire, when he pronounced the sentence of excommunication
against some of the most violent persecutors of that day, as for
mally as the present state of things could permit ; and in doing
this he gave them the ordinary names by which they were call
ed, that all might know who the persons were. '
After he had lectured upon Ezekiel' xxi. 25, 2Q, 27. and
preached from 1 Cor. v. 13. he discoursed a little concerning
the nature of excommunication, and declaring that he was not
acted from any spirit of revenge, but merely from the constraint
of conscience ; he then pronounced the following sentence :
I being a minister of Jesus Christ, and having authority and
power from him, do in his Name, and by his Spirit, excom-
municate, cast out of the true church, and' deliver up to Satan,
Charies II king, &c- and that upon thc account of these grounds

CHAP. IV. , CHURCH OF SCOTL.AND .59
following : 1 . For his high mocking of God, in that, after he
had acknowledged his own sins, his father's sins, his mother's
idolatry, he hath, notwithstanding, gone on more avowedly in
thoseslns thanaU thatwent before him. 2. For hisperjury,in that
after he had, twice at least, solemnly subscribed that covenant,
he did so presumptuously renounce," disown, and command it to
be burned by the hands of the hangman. 8. Because he hath
rescinded all laws for establishing. of that religion and reforma
tion engaged to in, that covenant, aud enacted laws for establish
ing Its contrary, and is still working for the introducing popery
into theSe |ands. 4. For commanding of armies to destroy the
Lord's people, whowere standing iu their own just defence,
and for their privileges and rights, against the tyrannies, oppres
sions) and injuries of men, and for the blood he hath shed in
fields, on scaffolds, and on seas, of the people of God, on ac
count of religion and righteousness, (they bemg most wUling in
all other things to render him obedience, if he had reigned and
ruled them according to his covenant and oath) more than all
the kings that have been before him In Scotland. 5. 'That he
hath been still an enemy to, a persecutor of the true protestants,
a favouiEer and helper of the papists, both at home and abroad ;
and hath hindered to the ntmost of his power, the due execu
tion of just laws against them, 6. For his relaxing of his king
dom, by his frequent grant of remissions and pardons for mur
derers, (which Is in the power of no king to do, being expressly
, contrary to the law of God) which was the ready way to em
bolden men In committing of murdersy to the defiling the land
with blood. Lastly, To pass by all other things, his great and
dreadful uncleanness of adultery and incest, his drurikeimess, '
his dlsembling with God and man, and performing his prbmises'
where his engagements were sinful, &c. >J[ext,
By the same authority, and, in the same name, I excommu
nicate, 3tc. James Duke of York, Sfc. and that for liis idolatries,
(for I shall not speak of any other'slns but what have been per
petrated in Scotland,) and for setting up idolatry in Scotland, to
defile the Lord's land, and his inticeing and encouraging others
to do so, &c.
Next, in the same name, &;c. I excommunicate, Sec. James
Duke of Monmouth, &c. for coming into Scotland, upon his
father's unjust command, and leading armies against the Lord's
people, who were constrained to rise, being killed in' and for the
;-ight worshipping of the true God, and fpr his refusing, that
morning at Bothwell-bridge, a cessation of arms, for hearing
and redressing their injuries, w-rorigs, and oppressions, &<5^
Next, I do, by the same authority, '&c. excommunicate, &c.
John Duk6 of Lauderdale, Scc.Tor his dreadful blasphemy, es
pecially that word to the prelate of ^t Andjews, Sit thou at m'y

r>0 tHB HISTORY or THE chap: IV,
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool ; his atheistical
drolling on the scriptures of God, scoffing at religlbri and reli:
grous persons ; his apostacy from the covenant and ireformation,!
and his persscuting .thereof, after he had been a professor, plead
er, and presser thereof; for his perjury in the business of Mr
James Micchel — for his adulteries and uncleanness; for his
counseiling- and assisting the king in all bis tyrannies, overturn
ing a'ld plotting against the~ true religion ; for his gaming on the
Lord's day, and for his usual and ordinary cursing.'
In the same manner he pronounced sentence against the
Diike of Rothes, Sir George Mackenzie the king's advocate,
and Thomas Dalziel of Binns.
After he had pronounced sentence as above, he went on as
follows ; ' I think none that acknowledge the word of God, the
power deputed to the church,- and the reason and -nature of that
power, can judge this sentence to be unjust. The pretence of
its being unformal, without warnings, admonitions, &c. Is fully
answered, in that those men have placed themselves' above the
.ndmonitions of ministers, have repelled all due warnings, and
wickedly put to cruel deaths the. servants and ministers of
Christ, who hdve, wfth freedom and boldness, adventured, to
giv^e them warnings and admonitions, and shut up all access
from us that remain to do the like ; and as for proof of the fact
I have here charged upon them, it needeth none, the deeds be-.
ing notour and known, and the most of them such as them
selves do avovv, and to their shame, boast of. And, as the cans.
es are just, and such as for Which the ministers of Christ have
, in all -jges proceeded to the like sentence, so, it being now
done by a minister of the gospel, and in such a manner as the
present circumstances of tlie fhurch of Christ, with respect to
the present cruel persecution^ wilL admit, the &2ntence likewise
is undoubtedly just, also; and ther^ are no powers on earth,
either of kings, princes, magistrates, or ministers of the gospel,
can, without the repentance of the person's openly and legally
appearing,- reverse these sentences upon any such account. And ,
-.u God, who is the author of that power, is the more engaged
to-the ratifying of these sentences ; so aU that acknowledge the - .
word of God, and believe themselves subject to his.govemment,
ought also to acknowledge them.' '.
' If any shall object, as we hear they do, that these pro
ceedings, though not unjust, are fooUsh and rigorous ; we an
swer with that word of scripture, which we have much more
reason to nse than those of whom it is recorded, Genxxxiv. 31.
Should he de- 1 with our sister as with an harlot? Should they'
deal v/ith our God as with an idol ? Should^' they deal with his
people as with murderers and malefactors ? And sfi-dl we not
ilraw out Gbd's sword against God's encn^i^j.' ' -

CH.\P. IT. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 61
It is'not my province either to condemn or vindicate this ac
tion, which not only exposed the sufferers to the greater fury of
their persecutors, but also to the censures of their friends, nay,
and exposed the. whole body of the presbyterians to the r.Jdicule
and scorn of their enemies ; though nothing is more certain,
than that they were neither consulted in it, nor approved of it.
However, the following queries are submitted to the reader.
Had not the persons against whom the senteiice was pronounced
been guilty of all that vvas laid to their charge ? "VVas not Mr
CargiU an ''approved minister of the gospel? Can it, be said
that kings and princes are not subject to the censures of the
ehurch? It rs.plain the cliurcl\of England approves of the excom
munication of royal persons if they deserve it, as may be seen
from thoirhomllies, which are recommended by the 35th anicies.
Thus, in, tliat homUy of the right use of the church, part 2d, it
is said, « And, according to this example of our Saviour Christ,
In the, primitive -ehtircb, which was most holy and godly, and in
the which due-discipline, with severity, was used againit tiie
wic.ked,op(;n offenders were not suffered once to enter into the
house of the Lord, nor admitted to common prayer and the usp
of the holy sacraments, with other true Christians, until they
haxl done open penaqce before the whole church. And this was
practised not only upon mean persons, but also upon the rich,
-«oble and mighty persons, yea, upon Theodosius that puissanr
and mighty emperor, whom, for committing a grievous and wil
ful murder, St Ambrose bishop of Milan reproved sharply, and
did also excommunicate the said emperor, and brought him to
open penance. And they that were so justly exempted and
banished (as it were) from the house of the Lord, -were takea
(as they be indeed) for men divided and separated from Christ's
church, and in most dangerous estate. "Yea, as St Paul saith.
Even gi'iien u?ito Satan, the A?y'd,fora time; and their company
was shunned and avoided by all godly men arid women, until
sueh time as they, by;repentance and, public penance, were re
conciled.' Here then is the excommunication of a puissant and
mighty emperor, and his being brought to open penance, ap- -
proved of by the church of England. • ,
From this the reader must judge for himself, how ill, it be
comes the-high flyers to make the Torwood excommunlcatioij
a matter bf reproach to aU presbyterians, even upon the suppo
sition that they had approved of it, and -whtetlier that r.ctiqra
Was so unprecedented as some would represent it. As for th<?
formality and seasonableness of it, at th,it linie, I must re fer
him to what Mr Cargill says himself, and to his own reflection..
Next' Loid'.s day Mr Cargill preached at llie Fallowhill in, thf-
parish of Livingstone, and, in the preface said, ' i know I ajjj
and will be cor.demned by many fpr -^vh;U I hiwe done,, iu ci-

6'2 - THfi HISTORY oi" THH! CHAP. IY,
communicating those wicked men ; but condemn me who will,
I know I am approven of God, and am persuaded diat what I
haye done on earth is ratified In heaven ; for .if ever I knew the
3iiind ofjGod, and was clear in my call to any piece of my gene.
ration-work, it is In that; and I shall give you two sigiis
whereby you may know I am in no delusion. 1. If some of
these men do not find that sentence binding upon them ere" they
go off the stage, and be not obliged to confess it from their ter
ror, and to the affijightment of others. 2. If these men die the
eVdinary death of men, then God hath not spoken by me. The
first of these was verified in the Duke-of Rothes ; and the se
cond in the remarkable exit of the.most of those who were ex-
"Communica'fed. In the month of September, Mr Archibald Riddel, brother
-to the laird of Riddel, together with Turnbull of Know and the
laird of Down, were apprehended by the laird of Graden, and
sent in prisoners to the jail bf Jedburgh. Thp council ordered
'Meldrum to britig them In to Edinburgh, and recommended
Graden to the lords, of the treasury for thc' reward offered by
the council's proclamation fbr taking Mr Riddel.
On the 1st bf October he was examined before a committee
of the council, and owned, that, though hs had not preached in
the fields since the indemnity, yet hchad preached in private'
houses, where there were people without doors, which, by the'
laws then In being," was constructed to be a field-conventicle.
He declined giving his oath upon this, since oaths were tender
things ; neither would he engage not to preach in the fields for
the future, though he had refrained from that practice for some
time past; for, said he, • I have not since the indemnity, judged
'myself under a necessity to preach out of a house ; but I know
.not but he that has called me to preach this while bygone in
houses, may, before I go out of the world, call me to preach
¦upon the tops of mountains, yea, upon the seas; and I dare not
¦come under any engagements to disobey any of his calls.' And
when further urged upon this point, he said, « Both conformed
flnd indulged preached in the fields without offence, as, when
their churches have been ruinous, or otherwise, they could not
conveniently ^preach in the church, they have done it In the
•c'hurcli-yard.' To this the advocate said, * in such cases as
these it is not constructed to be against law,' Mr Riddel re
plied, « but then, my lord, what shall I do with my engagement
never to preach In the fields, to know whether it shall be con
structed against law or not ? Your lordship will not allow me
to explain or put a construction upon my engagement myself.'
Not being able to answer this, the advocate said, That, If he
¦was of Mr Riddel's principles, he would judge it his duty rather

CHAP. IV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND* 63
to, go out of the nation, than disturb the peace of the land by
acting contrary to its laws.
I shall not trouble the reader any farther on this, than to ob
serve, that Mr Riddel was none of the followers of Mr Cargill;
nay, he expressly owned the king's authority, and disapproved
of those who were otherwise minded ; he had never been In
what they called ribellion ; so that all they could lay to his
charge was his preaching, in houses when people were without
doors, and his refusing to engage not to preach in the fields for
the future; and yet, after this exam.ination, he was sent back Ut
prison. We shall meet with him afterwards.
Meanwhile, on the Sth of October, Mr J. Veitch, minister at
Westruther, was summoned to appear for preaching without a
licence, and, not appearing, was ordered to be denounced, and
put to the horn. The same day Francis Grier, who had been
five months in prison, for lodging two of his friends who had
been at BothweU for one night, was ordered to. be released upon
signing the bond. One William Punton, who had been in pri
son for harbouring Mr Cargill, was released upon giving a bond
of 1000/. to answer when called.
The time of the English parliament's sitting now drew, near,
when another attempt was to be made against the Duke of
York. In order to prepare the way for-this, the Earl of Shafts
bury, attended by twelve lords and gentlemen of note, went
publicly tb Westminster-haU, and, at the King's Bench bar, by
a bill in form, represented the Duke of York as a popish recu
sant; This action so surprised the three principal ministers,
that, to ingratiate the king with the ' parliament, they -advised
him to send his Royal Highness into Scotland, believing it would
not be in his power to support him If he continued in England
during the session. The king approving of their reasons,
obliged the duke to return to Scotland, after repeated assurances
that he would never forsake him.
The king, however, says my author, gave another turn to this
In his letter to the councU at Edinburgh, dated October 23,
acquainting, them, that he was to send down his brother for the
better dispatch of affairs among them ; and the chanceUor let
ting them know that he was to land at Kirkcaldy, and be at-the
house of Lesly till the Abbey should be fitted up for his recep
tion, they ordered all the counsellors on the south of Aberdeen
to wait on his highness at his arrival, that there- may be all
manner of demonstrations of joy.
Accordingly, on the 2Sth of October, the duke and dutchess
arrived In Kirkcaldy road, and repaired to Lesly^house, where
they continued tUl the 29th, when they came to the Abbey of
Holyrood-house. Oli Saturday, the bishop of Edinburgh, with
the clergy in town, waited upon him, and expressed the gen,erai
1

64 tHE HISTORT OF THE CIIAF. IT.
satisfaction of the orthodox clergy at his arrival. But where the
orthodoxy was, in cai-essing a popish prince retiring" from the
resentments ofan English- protestant parliament, must be "left
withthe pfotestant reader. But it is well known that the pre-
latltal clergy in Scptland, for all their orthodoxy, were not only
at this time, but have ever since been the abettors of popery.
Who complimented this popish prince upon thebirth" of his
spurious impostor the pretender ? The orthodox clergy. Who
were the great enemies af the Revolution in Scotland.? The or
thodox clergy. Who were the great oppOsers of the protestant
succession? The orthodox clergy. Who were the great encouragers
of rebellions since the protestant line happUy took place ? The
irregular successors of the same orthodox clergy, who, almost
to a man, are attached to a popish pretender to this very day.
It is not worth while to take notice of the couneil-s fulsome let
ter to the king on thi^ occasion, dated November the 2d, and
signed by twenty-seven cousellors, and three or four protestant
bishops. Only the receiving and caressing the Duke of York
in Scotland, when a set of brave patriots in England were exert
ing themselves to the utmost to get him excluded from succeed
ing to the/ English throne, was justly condemned by the poor
persecuted sufferers, who bore testimony against it, as we shall
have frequent opportunity to relate.
On this 2d of November, the Earl of Moray's commission to
be sple secretary of state was read in council, Lauderdale hav-
ing resigned that office into his majesty's hands, after he had
possessed it twenty years. Bishop Burnet, In describing his
character, says, ' That his great experience in affairs, his ready
compliance ^ith every thing that be thought would'please the
king,, and his bold offering at the most desperate counsels,-
gained him , such Interest in the king, that no attempt against
him, nor. complaint of him, could ever shake it, till a deCay
of strength and understanding forced him to let go his hold-'
From si.process between Meldrum and Philiphatigh, it ap
peared that many oppressions and wrong imprisonments had
been committed by the former, insomuch that, by a mo
derate computation, he had levied frpm the shire pf revlotdale
'100,0001. On the llth of November the councU proceeded against the
encouragers of prohibited books, such as Naphtali, Jus regni
apud Scotos in English, Jus Populi Vindicatum, Reformed.
Bishop, Calderwood's History. John Calderwood, stationer,
was Imprisoned for having some of these books in his shop.
All stationers and booksellers were ordered to produce the lists
of what books they imported from abroad, in order to have the
approbation of one of the officers of state, or of the bishop of
Edinburgh. , 3

<HAP. IV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 65
. About this time, Mr James Skene, brother to the laird of
Skenej in Aberdeenshire, ^was apprehended as a hearer of Mr
CargUl. This gentleman had not been concerned either at
BothweU, Airsmoss, or the Torwood excommunication, and
nothing but his'hearing Mr Cargill could be laid to his charge.
The cbuncU met on the I Sth of November, upon receiving not-
tlce tliEt the general had sent in some prisoners. ' Mr bkene,
Archibald Stuart and John Spreul, apothecary in Glasgow, were
ejcamine'd before them. , ^.
Mr Spreul's trouble began soon after Pentland. In the year
1667, he was seized by a party at Paisley, because he would
nbtdlscover wherehisfather was ; but, after many terrible threat
enings of being slipt to death, roasted at a fire, and some shore
confinement, he was dismissed at that time. In the year 1677,
' he, and otfiers, were summoned before a court at Glasgow, and,
because he absconded, was intercommuned. Then he wenp
abroad, and was in Ireland, 1679, from 'whence he came to
¦ Scotland, after the skirmish' at Drumclog ; and though he had
occasion to be in company with some of the west-country army,
yet he did not join them. After Bothwell, his wife and family
were turned put of their house and shop, while he, after con-
cealing himself for some time, went over to Holland. He came
back this year, with a design to carry his famUy to Rotterdam ;
but, on the 12th of November, was taken out of his oed, at
Edinburgh, by Major Johnston, and was carried to the guard
at the Abbey, where Mr Skene and Arch. Stuart were prisoriers.
Next day he was examined before the council concerning his
opinion of the death of the archbishop, and his accession to
Drumclog and BothweU. As to the former, he said', he was in
Ireland at that time, and knew nothing of it but by hearsay ;
and could not ju,dge of other men's actions upon hearsay ; that,
for himself, he would not have done it, and did not approve of
it, and desired to be excused from going any farther; because
he scrupled to. condemn what he could uot approve, since there
might be a righteous judgment of God where^ there was a sin
ful hand of man, and he might admire and adore; the one, while
he trembled at the other. As to, Drumclog, he declared he v/as
then in Ireland, where he first received the, account of it ; but
did not think it rebellion, since he owned the freedom of preach
ing the gospel, and, heard that what they did was only inisclf^-.
defence. He farther owned, that upon his return from Ireland,
he had occasion to go through p^it.of the west-country army,
but did not join them; snd said, that be would -not call that
rising rebellion, since he thought it was, a providential necessity'
put upon them for their own safety after Drumclog. He r;,-
Jused to subscribe-his confession.
VOL. II. ' E

66 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. W.
The council pretending that there was a plot carrying on by
Mr CargUl, Mr Macward, and pthers, for murdering the king,-
subverting the government, and that Mr Spreul and Robert
Hamilton were accessary to It, made an act on the I3th of No
vember, ordering them to be examined, by torture, as to these
things, and impowered the Earls bf Argyle, Linlithgow, &c. as
a committee to examine them. But the reader may be assured
that there was nothing in this plot unless in their own imagina
tions : however, it was proper that they should have somethii^ to
say. The Duke of York was-pleased to gratify his eyes with this
delightful scene, and so he honoured Mr Spreul with his royal
presence. The poor gentleman told them he could say no more
than he had said before the council, &c. but there was no help
for him. The hangman put his foot Into the instrument called thf
boot, and, at every question, gave about five strokes on thevved.
ges. The queries were. Whether he knew any thing of a plot
to blow up the Abbey and the Duke of York ? Who was In the
plot ? Where was Mr CargUl ? To all which he declared his
absolute ignorance. When nothing could be discovered, they
ordered the old boot to be brought, and made him undergo the
torture a second time. He stUl adhered to what he formerly
said. Dalziel complained that the hangman did not strike hard
enough, and was therefore offered the mall by the executioner to
do it himself. 'When the torture was over, he was carried to
prison on a soldier's back ; but was refused the benefit of a sur
geon, and the pleasure of seeing his wife. However, he recover-
ed;f and I shall have occasion to speak more of him afterwards.
What passed at the examination of Mr Skene is related in a
letter from hiinself to his brother, recorded in the Cloud of Wit
nesses. He declared he was not at Bothwell ; but that he own
ed the Sanquhar declaration, and the testimony of Rutherglen,
and disowned the king's authority, so far as it was against the
covenants and Interest of Christ. Archibald Stuart, John
Spruel, of whom I have now spoke, and Marion Harvey, a ser
vant maid in Borrowstounness, were likewise before them.
On the 15th the commissioners reported that they had exa-
mined Archibald Stuart by torture. They were ordered to be
further examined, and advocates were, on the 1 Sth, appointed
to plead for Mr Skene, who was brought before the. justiciary
on the 22d, and' coildemned to be hanged on the 24th, and his
head to be afterwards severed from his^body ; but the last part
of his sentence was dispensed with, and he was reprieved till
the first of December.
MeanwhUe John Potter, farmer in UphaU in West Lothian,
and Archibald Stuart in. Borrowstounness (the latter was at
Airsmoss, but the former bad not been In arms) were both be-

CHAP. rv. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 67
fore the justiciary, and condemned to be hanged on the first oi
December, along with Mr Skene. Their testimonies are all in
the Cloud of Witnesses.
Mr, Skene, in his last testimony, after having laid his blood
on his persecutors, declared against receiving the Duke of York,
and against. every thing that had been done against the cove
nants aild the work of reformation ; and concluded his testimo
ny much'In the- same strain with Mr Hugh Mackail. -
Archibald Stuart was reported to have said, that he would kill
the king or any of his council ; btit, in his last testimony, he
says,-. « However I and that suffering remnant be mistaken. In
that they give out in their declai-atipn, that I said I, would kill the
king, or any of his council, it is an untrouth, and forged calumny,
to reproach the ways, of God, more like themselves, and" their
own principles, who have killed so many of the people of God,
both in the fields, and upon scaffolds, and us among the rest, to
please that bloody tyrant, Charles Stuart's brother, — and to make
men believe that we have been contriving a plot' to murder thfem,'
&c. On the scaffold he sungFsalm 11. ahd read Mal. lii. but,
when in prayer, he began to say, ' O Lord, what wilt thou do
with this generation ? what wilt thou do with bloody Charles
Stuart ?' immediately the drums were beat.
John Potter's testimony is large - arid particular ; but, when
Speaking of the enemies of God, and the persecutors of his peo
ple, he said, among other things, « I pray that the Lord would
open your eyes, that you may see your sins, turn from them,
and live. I fbrgive all men the wrongs they have done or can do
. to me. But for the wrongs done to Christ, in robbing him of
his right over his church and pepple, I know vengeance belongs
tb God, and he will repay them ; therefore I leave them under
process aye and while they repfent. And now I begin tb enjoy
him -ivho is invisible, &c.
While these acts of severity were carryltig on In Scotland,
the parliament of England met on the 2 Ist of October, and on
the 26th Lord Russel moved, that they might, in the first place,
take into consideration how to suppress popery and prevent a
popish successor. He was seconded by Sir Henry Capel, bro
ther to the Earl of Essex. And after several warm ' debates, it
was resolved that a bill be brought in to disable the Duke of
York to inherit the imperial crown of this realm, and after a
great deal of reasoning /)M9 and ««, the exclusion bill passed
the house by a great majority. WiUiam Lord Russel attended
by the Lord Cavendish, Sir Henry Capel, and almost the whole
house of commons, carried the, bill to th^ house of lords, where
it miscarried by a superiority of sixty-three against thirty. Bi
shop' Burnet says, all' the bishops voted against It. Rapin says,

68

THE Hi STORY OF THE CHAP. IV.

That eleven of thepi voted against it, and three for it, who, ac
cording to my author, were the bishops of Chester, Exeter,-and
London. When the news of the rejecting bf this blU came to
Edinburgh, the chancellor proposed to make -public rejoicings
there, but the Duke of York declined this for the present. Thus
-a brave attempt for supporting the protestant interest was at
this time frustrated ; but pro-w-idence had another method for ac-
compFishiiig this great design.
'On the 2Qth, the Rev. Mr John Carstairs, William Johnstone
and Joseph Brody, merchants in Edinburgh, were brought before
the co'mnnittce on account of some papers found with Mr; Skene.
Mr Carstairs, owned the king's authority, and disclaimed the
principles of Mr Cargill ; but, at the same rime, protested against
Paterson bishop of Edinburgh sitting in civil judicatories, refuse^
hiiT! his titles, and called, him -only Mr Paterson, which the hi-
shop resented, and promised to make a return if ever it lay in
his power. ^
On the 22d a very long and severeproclsHnatipn was publish
ed against Mr Cargill and his followers, wherein the king's
great care for preserving the protestant religion was riiightUy
crjed up, [witness his supporting.his brother's succession, &c.]
the followers of Mr CargiU were accused of the heinous crimes
of rebellion, treason, murder, assassination, and carrying on a
plot for kUling the king, the 'D^\lkc cf York, the, cou-nsellorsy bi
shops, &c. and the tesrimonies emitted by the sufferers, tqge-
ther with the Torwood excommunication, were ail aggravated
to ,the last degree ; and therefore all the subjects were required
tq treat the plotters, &c. as rebels, &c. to apprehend them, &c.
and for their encouragement a reward of 5000 merks was pro
mised for appfeliending Mr CargiU, 3000 merks for Mr Dou
glas, and 1000 merks for each of the rest of the conspirators,
&c. The councU sent up a copy of this proclamation to court,
and gave his majesty an account of these things. That some
had renounced -their allegiance to King Charles is certain ; but
that any of their declarations encourage or assert the lawfuhiess
of, murders, assassinations, and the like. Is false; and it was
equally false that any plot was cariied on among them for kiUing
the king, his brother, &c. When Mr Skene was examined be-
fbre a, committee of the council, and was asked if he thought it
duty to kill the king, he answered, That he- had stated himself
-.m enemy to God's interest,. and there was war declared against
him. This no doubt would be improved by the managers.
We shall find that Mr Skene -vvas not alone in this matter.
How far, all things considered, he is to be vindicated, I must
leave wirh the reader. But though, in some things, these mar
tyrs for Christ may not have expressed themselves in such hap
py expressions as could be v/ished, yet the injustice, cruelly and

tSAP. IV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. , C9
tyranny of their persecutors cannot fall to leave a blot on their
niemory while the world lasts. Besides, it is certain, that all
they intended byJtS being lawful to kill the king, &c. was in
their own defence.
On the 8th of December, Mr Riddel was examined a second
time before the committee, and acknowledged-the king's autho
rity, and condemned those who did not,, but refused to engage
not to preach In the fields, as before. And when the justice-
clerk said, Will you say that you resolve not to preach in the
fields as long as matters continue as they are ? His.answcr was,
Really, my lord, I am afraid to say or do any thing that has the
appearance of a strajter hedge about the exercise of my mini-
stry than Jesus Christ has drawn before me. And when 'asked
hisopinion about the bishop's death, he said. If private persons
were alloMfed-tb go out of th^ir station,, to kill.meh at their '
pleasure, no man could be sure of his life. He was again sent tb
prison.' Next day the advocate was brdered to ptosecute George
Johnston, James Stuart, George White, and William' I3ick pri
soners,- for being at the Torwood meeting '; but, because Chris
tian Spence, Sarah Spence and Janet Smith were only poor
and ignorant, they were set at liberty, and threatened with be
ing scourged if ever they were found at conventicles. Ab,but
this time George Piper of Aberdeen, having been a prisoner for
supposed correspondence with Mr Skene and MV Cargill,' was
set at liberty, since no such thing could be made appear. '
On the 16ib, garrisons were appointed to be- kept in tl^e
houses of Kenmuir and Freugh, and in the castle of. Dumfries ;
and on the>23d the councU wrote to the Secretary' Murray' tt)
pro6ure a pardon for William Gordon of'^ulveiitian -who had'
heen in the rebellion.
On the 25th of December some of the students in the Col
leger of Edinburgh brought to the head of the Cowgate the
effigy of the pope in his robes, with his k'eys, mitre, and triple
crown ; and, when they had excommunicated him, they carried
him about in a chair, like that wherein he is elected at Rome,
to the foot of the Blackfriars' Wynd. The students, knowing
the thing had taken air, gave out that they were to carry his
hoUness in procession to the Grassmarket, the place of the exe
cution of criminals ; v>-hereupon the guards marched thither.
Meanwhile the boys marched in procession by the 'Black-frjars'
Wynd to, the High-street, three of them going ^before with
-lighted torches. Being come 'thither they condemned his holi-'
ness to be burnt : accordingly the torchmen blew up the effigy
with gun-powder, notwithstanding their being r.tLackcd by son--e
soldiers commanded by Linlithgow and l.i.=; son -. w'hom they

70 ¦ THE HISTORY OF.THE . CHAP. If.
warned to beware whom he struck, since he had relations among
them. Mr George Ridpath, having been very active In projecting
this affair, was taken up the day before it was to be put inexe-
cution, and great search wa^ made for the efiigy, but in vain.
Next day seiveral gentlemen's sons were called before the coun.
eil, and particularly examined ^whether any presbyterian gentle.
men or ministers did contrive, assist, or direct them ; who ^all
declared there was none. The chancellor treated them cIvUly ;
but the bishops endeavoured to ensnare them with questions
about their conformity. However, being unable to obtain any
advantage, they were dismissed fpr that day. OaJy Mr Ridpath,
th^n entering on the study of philosophy, was very ill used by
Sir WUliapi Paterson and the council's servants, some of whom
beat him and tore his hair. And for this, and no other' reason,
}ie was banished his. nati-ve country.
About this time the same spirit was working at Glasgow,
though In a different manner ; for the students the^ wore co
loured ribbons to distinguish themselves, from papists, for which
several of their leaders, and particularly the Marquisof Annan
dale, then a student, were ealled before the masters and the
archbishop.. Annandale defended himself and his fellow students
with spirit and resolution ; and calling the archbishop only Sir,
Mr Nicholsoni his regent reproved him, saying, WiUiam, you do
liot understand whom you speak to, he Is a greater person than
yourself. Annandale replied, I know the kinghas been pleased
to make him a spiritual lord, but I know likewise that the piper
of Arbroth's son and my fadier's son are not to be compared.
This spirit that shewed itself in thr students could not but
chagrin his royal -highness; a:nd what the consequences of i^
was shall be related In ¦

CHAP. V
Qfthe executions of Isobel Alison, Marion Harvey, 3Ir^ Cargill, and
others'; ^ the followers of John db ; the sufferings of heritors,
&c. and other things to the session of parliament.
n'^HE Duke of York's being now in :Scotland sharpened the
-* edge of the persecution ; so that no less than twenty, were
executed in the course of this year 1681. -The sufferers had,
it Is true, declared against the king's authority, for which many
of them were hanged,, and otherwise: persecuted by their eije-
mies, and censured by their friends. They branded them as
madmen," enemies 'to government and civH society ; but it is

CHAP. V. CHURCH 01 SCOTLAKXl. 7l
very plain that they never opposed government or monarchy as
such, but only wicked, perjured, and persecuting governors.
These they did oppose, and that for the very same reasons that
brought about the Revolution and the protestant succession. I
cannot express this better than in the words of the author of
the Memoirs of the Church of Scotland, when speaking of the
Torwood excommunication. Says he, * I desire, the impartial
reader to compare it with the memorials above-mentioned, [to
nvit, the' memorial to the Prince of Orange from the people of
Great Britain, to invite him to come to their assistance] and see
if it be poslble for any British protestant, who.owns the justice
of the Revolution, to reflect upon the zeal of these people,
without blushin-g for himself and the whole nation, that they
did not see and abhor the tyranny, of those reigns sooner ; then
they had joined with thos^e people Instead of censuring their
zeal ; the Revolution had then been brought about without so
vereign help at all ; the Prince of Orange, had then been called
over, as peaceably as King George, to take possession of the
crown ; and the blood of near 20,000 people, who were one
way or other murdered and destroyed by that n w abdicated
.race of tyrants, had been saved. 'What a shame is it, says he,
to us, and how much to the honour of these persecuted people,
jihat they could thus see the treachery and tyranny of those
reigns, when we saw it not ; or rather, that they had so much
honesty of principle,.. and obeyed so strictly the dictates of con
science, as to bear their testimony early, nobly, and gloriously
to the truth ^f God and the rights of their country, both civil
and religious ; while we all, though seeing the same things, yet
betrayed the cause of liberty and religion, by a sinful sUence
and a dreadful cowardice.'
But suppose, through the treatment, the unacountable treat
ment they met with, they had gone a little beyond due bounds^
and though sometimes their expressions were not so well chosen,
can that either condemn the principles of religion and liberty
upon which they acted ; nay, pr their actual disowning those
tyrants, who, for nothing but the matters of their God and Sa-
vipur, had declared them outlaws, rebels and traitors ? Besides,
the blood pf many was shed, against whom they could prove
nothing, but what they , extorted from them by their ensnaring
questipns. Nay, even spine of the weaker sex were hanged or
drowned on this score. Bu^t shall relate the matters of fact
as they happened In the order of time.
Jt was a dreadful affront to the Duke of York to find his
iholiness treated in such a manner, on that grand festival the
25th bf December ; and therefore the sycpphant managers must
not overlook such an indignity. Accordingly, pn the 4th of
January, the masters pf the college declared their abhorrence of

(2 TH£ HftTORT OF TH£ CHAP. V.
what their scholars had done ; and on the 6th, the council com-'
manded the magistrates tobrder the coUoge gates to be shut,
arid the classes to be dissolved. About this time several of the
students were imprisoned, besides Mr Ridpath, which so exas
perated the rest, that it is said, they threatened to burn the pro-
vest's house , at Priestfield, because the magistrates; who were
patrons of the college, instead bf protecting them, 'haid acted
violently against them ; and in -a few days the house of Priest.;
field was burnt. Whereupon the council, on the I7th, issued*
a proclamation, offering 2000 merks and a remission, to any
who should discover the actbrs ; but it does not appear that
any discovery was made; tiay, my author says, that some want
ed not their jealousies that this house was burnt by others, witK
a view to bring -an odium on people who were nOWise concern-"
ed. The author of a pamphlet now before me, intitled, A brief
and true account of the sufferings of the Church of Scotland, is'c.
printed at London 1690, says,' ' That they, viz. the managers;
first, alleged that the students threatened to burn the provost's
house, because he like a blockhead, had suffered the king's sol
diers to enter the city, contrary p his own path, and the town's
privUeges, to prevent the buirning of the pope ; and, when they
had buzzed about this supposed threatening,' they burnt It them
selves, and, charged the students with it tp- make 'them odious,
and find bccasipn of dissolving the university, which they did
for some time ; and though the said students offered to com^to ¦
any legal trial fOr their -vindicatibn, it waS never accepted be
cause the councU krieW it could be proved that some of the
duke's livery wore seen come from the house' just as it took fire,
•and 'that a banel of powder, having the castle mark iipon it,
which it was not possible for any to come at' but from the
king's arhmunitlon, was fOurid in the park neair the said house.
Neither does if appear that ever any was brought to a trial for
this. . " ¦ ¦
' The order of tirije leads me to the case bf ISobel Alison and
Mariori .Harvey, two young women, who fete executed this
month, to the perpetual disgrace of the blbbdy managers, who
could haye' no acts of what they called rebellion, in the least, to
lay to their charge. When they were taken, I'knbw not. Iso.
bfl Alison was apprehended at Perth, where she lived, only for
speaking againstthe severity used to sundry good people there ;
for they could accuse her of nothing else, Marion Harvey was
'sei2,erl. whUe gojng one day frbm Edinburgh to heat sei;nion in
the fields, and was last year before the councU. But though
they had nothing against these' two yoiing Women, they were
resolved to shed their blood': arid therefore uport what they
owned ai: their examination they founded their indictment, and
took avyav their lives. That the' reader may have, a specimen of

CHAP. IV. , CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 73' •
the injustice bf this period, that afterwards became common, I
shall here Insert the substance of their examination fir^t before
the council, and next before the lords of justiciary;
-When Isobel Alison was before the council, she was interro
gated as follows : — Question, Vv^here did you live ? At St John
stoun ; Answer, Yes. Q. What was your occupayon i No an
swer. (J. by the bishop of Edinburgh. Have you conversed-
with Mr Donald Cargill ? A. Sir, you seem to be a n)an whom
I have no clearness to speak to. She said to another, who asked
the same question, I have seen him, and wish I had seen him
sooner. Q. Do you owu what he has done against the civil
magistrate ? A. I do own it. Q. Can you read the Bible .'' Ai
Yes. Q. Do you know the duty we owe to the civil magi
strate ? A. When the magistrate carrieth the sword for God,
according to what the scripture calls for, we owe him all due
reverence ; but when they overturn the work of Godj and set
ihemselies in opposition co him, it is the duty of his tervants.
to execute his laws and ordinances on them. Qj. Do you own
the Sanquhar declaration ? A.l do bwri it. Q. Do you own
the papers ta,ken at the Queensferry on Henry Hall ? A. You
need riot 'question that. Q. Have you converged with rebels ?
A. I neyer conversed with rebels. 'Q Did you know/ Mr
Skene ? A: I never saw him. Q, Did you converse -vi-ith Da
vid Hackstoun .? A. I did converse with him, and I bless tho
Lord that ever I saw him ; for I never saw ought in him but a
goldly pious youth. O. Was the kiUing of.the bishop cf St
Andrews a pious act .'' A. I never heard him say that he killed
him ; but, if God moved any to execute his righteous judg
ments upon him, 1 have nothing to say to that. , After some
other questions, they asked, Did you know the two Hendersons
that m-ardered the lord St Andrews 'i ¦ A. I never kiiew any
Lord St Andrews Q. Mr James Sharp, if you call him
so"? A. I never thought it murder ; but, if God moved
and stirred them up-to execute his righteous judga-.ent upon
him, I have' nothing tj say to that, g.. Will you own- all
you have-"sald ; for you will be put to own it in the Grass-mar
ket.? We bemoan you in putting your life ia hazard in such a
quarrel. A. I think my life little enough in the quarral of own
ing my Lord and Master's sweet truths ; fbr he hath freed me
from everlasting wrath; and redeemed my soul; andas.for my
body, it is at his disposal. There v/ere 'some other questions,
but, as tbey were much to t'he same purpose as those above, I
omit them. ' ',
Marion Harvey's examination before the council was upon
the same points -with that cf her fellow-sufferer, and therefore
I, must refer the j-eaSer for the particulars to the Cloud of Wit
nesses. Only, .among other things, they said, V/iil you. cast
a-vvay yaurself so i To v.hicli she replied, I love my life aswell

/* THE HISTORY OB THE CHAPviV.
as any of you,^ but would nbt redeem it upon sinful
terms. They said, the rock, the cod and bbbbins, were as fit
for her to meddle with as these things. They offered her the
assistance bf ministers, but she would have none of their. pro.
¦ifidlrig. On the I7th of January they were brought before the' Lords
of Justiciary ; for it was the constant practice at this tlme,-the
one day to bring such as feU into their hands befpre the coun
cil, and .there by ensnaring questions, to bring them- into a con-
fession of 'such things as they accounted treason, and next day
to prosecute them before the criminal court. These two women
were accused for hearing at' field»cpnventicles, harbouring
Messrs Cargill, Cameron, &c. owning the Rutherglen and
l^nquhar declaratibns, &c.
When Isobel Alison was before them, she was examined as
follows : Q. Do you abide by what you said the last day ? A.
ll am not to deny any thing of it. She owned sbe had conyer-
scd with DaVid Hackstoun, and disowried thelr^ authority. Q.
Do you disown us and the king's authority in us i A.l disown
you all because you carry the Sword against God, and npt for
liim, and have, these nineteen or twenty years, made it your
work to dethrone him, by swearing, year after year, against him
and his work, and assuming tfia^ power to a human creature
which is due to him alone, and, have orent the members from
their Head, Christ. — Q. When saw ye the two Hendersons and
John Balfour ? Seeing you love ingenuity, will you be Inge
nuous and tell us, did you see, them since the death of the Bi
shop ? ^. They appeared publicly within the land since. Q.
Did you converse with them within these twelve months ? She
was silent ; but upon being urged to say either yes or no, she
answered. Yes. Then they said. Your blood be on your own
he^d, we. shall be free of it. She answered, Sp said Pilate, but
it is a question if it was so ; and ye have nothing to say against
me, but for owning of Christ's truths andhis persecuted menj-
bers. They made no reply, . but-desired her to subscribe what
she had owned, and, upon her refusing, did it for her.
Marion Harvey, before the justiciary,; owned the Sanquhar
declaration, &c. and then protested, that they had nothing to
say against her as to matter of fact ; but only that she, owned'
Christ andhis truth,iis persecuted gospel andmembers; of
which she said. Ye have hanged some, bthe.rs you have behead.
ed and quartered quick. To this they said nothing,; but call
ed those .who were to sit on the jury,, who appeared With reluc- ,,
tance. One of them said. He did not desire to be engaged in'
this matter; but he was obliged -: then he desired that the con
fessions of the two prisoners might be read, because he knew
not what they had to say against them. When he was ordered

CHAP. IV. CHURCH "OF SCOTLAND. 75
to hold up his hand and swear, he fell a-trembling. The jury
being fixed, the confessions were read, and the advocate in a
speech, aggravated every particular, in order to prove them
guilty of treason. Some of the jury urged that there was no
fact proved against them. The advocate said, But treason is
fact ; and taking himself again, he said. It is true, it is only
treason in their judgment, but go on according to our law ;
and if you will not do it, I will proceed. The jury brought
them in guilty- on their own confession ; however, the passing
of the sentence was deferred till the 21st, when they were both
condemned to be hanged at the Grassmarket on the 26th.
..Meanwhile, on the 20th, the council enlarged the powers of
the laird of Meldrum for apprehending those who were in the
rebellion. The many searches, which were made in conse-
quence of this, were most oppreslve. The same day the magi-i
strates of Edinburgh were ordered to call all the masters of cof
fee-houses before them, and obliged them to come under a bond
of 5000 merks, to suffer no news-paper to be read in their houses,
but such as are approved of by the officers of state,
- Next day all the students in the college of Edinburgh were
ordered to retire fifteen mUes from that place, within twenty
four hours, and not to come within these bounds without leave
from the Council, under the pain of being treated as seditipus
persons. A fine protestant government, to make such a splut-
t^er about burning the pope ! But it Was decent to compliment
his Royal Highness the Duke \
. On the 26th, Isobel Alison and Marion Harvey were exe
cuted according to their sentence. The readej- wUl find what
passed between them and Mr Riddel in the Cloud of Witnesses,
together with their respective testimonies. When they were
brought from the prison to the council-house, in order to be
carried frbm thence to the place of ¦ execution, Marion Harvey
said, with a surprising chearfulness and heavenly transport, Be-
hM, I hear my beloved saying unto me. Arise, my love, 'my fair one,
and come aivay.Jy^hen'm the co\inc\\-ho\ise, Paterson bishop
of Edinburgh (such was the spirit of the man!) said, 'Marion, you
said you never would hear a curate, now you shaU be forced to
hear one ; and immediately ordered one of his Suffragans; whom
he had prepared for the purpose, to pray. 'When he began, she
said to her fellow-prisoner, Come, Isobel, let us sing, the 28d'
Psalm'; which they did, and thereby- drowned the curate's voice,'
arid confounded' their persecutors.
Their behaviour on the scaffold is not to be omitted. Isobel
having' sung the Ixxxiv Psalm, and read Mark xvi. cried over
the scaffold, and said. Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous ; and again,
I say, rejoice. She was not suffered to pray till she came to the
fcot of the ladder. As she went up, she cried out, ' O be

76 THE History or THE chap i v.
zealous, sirs, be zealous, be zealous ! O love the Lord, all ye
his servants ! O love him ; for in his favour is life!' And add.
ed, ' O ye his enemies,- what will ye do ? Whither will ye
fly In that day ? for now there Is a dreadful day coming on all
the enemies of Jesus Christ. Com'e out from among them,- all
ye that are the Lprd's people.' Then she concluded, ' Farewell
all created comforts ; farewell sweet Bible in which I delighted
mosty and which has been sweet to me since I came to prison ;
farewell Christian acquaintances. Now into thy hands I commit
my spirit. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.' Then the executioner
threw her over. ¦ ¦«'
Marion Harvey likewise sung Psal. Ixxxiv. and havlngvread
Mal. ill. she said, ' I am come here to-day for avowing GhriStSlo
be Head of his church and JCingin Zion. O seek him, sirs, seek
him and ye shall find him : I sought him and I found him; I held
him, and would not let him go.' Then she rehearsed briefly the
heads of her written testimony. Going up the ladder she said,
¦ O my fair one, niy lovely one, come away. And, sitting down on
the ladder, she said,, ' I am not come here for murder; forthey
have no matter of fact to charge me with ; but only by judg.
ment. I am about twenty-years of age : at fourteen or fifteen
I was a hearer of the curates and indulged ; and while I was a
hearer of these I was a blasphemer and Sabbath-breaker; and
a chapter of the Bible was a burden to me ; but since I he-ard
this persecuted gospel, I durst not blaspheme ¦ nor break the
Sabbath, aad the Bible became my delight.' Upon, thisithe.
commanding officer caUe.d to the executioner to throw her over, '
.which he did accordingly. • , . '
On the 3 1st of January, Thpmas Turnbull of Standhill, and
Walter Turnbull of Bewly, were forfeited in absence by the
justice-court, for being in arms at Bothwell. Next day the
council made an act ordering all the students to take the oath,
of aUegiance, and prohibiting the masters to receive any except
on these terms. But the Duke of York having moved in coui>-
cil, a few days thereafter, that, considering the youth of many
of'the students, the tendering of the oath might: be delayed till,
they came to the fourth class ; this was complied with. His
Royal Highness, to render himself the more popular, made a
progress, this month, to Linlithgow and Stirling.
, On the 1 6th, the process of forfeiture against Alexander Ha
milton of -Kinkell was dropt, for his estate was so reduced that
it was not worth seeking after. ' - ..,-,,
On the 2d of March John Spreul apothecary In Glasgow. vvas
indicted before the justiciary for treason and rebellion ; but the
matter was , put off tUl June. The same day John Murray in
Borrowstounness, and Christopher MiUer, weaver in Gargunnock,
w.cre' indicted in cpmnion form. Their gorifcssions, which they.

CHAP. V. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 77
made at their examination, were much the same with those of
others. Both were brought in guilty, and ordered' to be hang
ed in the Grassmarket on the 1 1th Instant. On the 8th of March,
William Gowgar in Borrowstounness, and Robert Sangster a
Stirlingshire-man, received the same sentence u'pon the like con
fession, John Murray was, by the councU; recommended to the
king's clemency, as being rather misled than malicious. The
other three were executed time and place foresaid. Their joint
testimony, which is inthe Cloud of Witnesses, is directed, by way
of. address, to the shire of Stirling. The compilers of that col-
. lection haye omitted their particular testimonies, because they
supposed them vitiated by Jjahn Gib, or some who .were tainted
with his errors, of which we shall 'give some account. Nay,
Jthey tell' us, that Christopheir Millar -and Robert Sangster, were
suspected to be In some danger from these errors. It is remark^
able, that WUliam, Gowgar having had a little pape'r in his Bible
which he designed to throw over the scaffold ; but, when taken
to the council- house with his fellow-sufferers, - it some way or
another fell into the hands of the persecutors, who having read it,
commanded the executioner to tlehim harder than Ordinary, so that
he could scarce go up the ladder,; and afterwards they wcaUd not
permit him to pray. When he began to speak on the. ladder ;
and say, I am come here for owning Christ to be -Head and
King in Zion, the drums were immediately beat. Then they "
pretended that they would offer him his life on Condition he-
would own the king ; but he replied, I wUl own none but Christ
tp be King in Zion. Then they said, WUl you not retract any
thing. Sir ? He answered, no, no ; I own aU, I adhere tb all.
Upon which they' immediately caUed to the executioner to throw
him over, which he presently did, not suffering him to recom
mend his spirit to God. > . , •
On the 19th of March, Thomas Kennpway, an officer in the.
guards, came with a party to the parish of Livingstone in West-
Lothian, with pretended orders to apprehend all who had been
at Bothwell. ' After he had got all the Informations he could,
he sent two parties, with lists bf thpse whom they were to ap
prehend, late on Saturday night. He spent the Lord's day in
drinking and; carousing, and threatened to oblige the prisoners,
he had taken to, d,efray the .charges. On Monday -he held a
court, and forced the country people to come and s-wear as to
their receiving or conversing with those whpm they called rebels ;.
which shews the hardships the country people' were made ta
suffer.' . , ' , , ,
-The southern shires were at this time dreadfully oppressed
with these military courts. Soldiers v/ere sent" thr0|Ugh parishes
to aet as they pleased, and'their officers appolntedcpurt.s In sucli
places as they hqd a mind. Thus- Cornet Graham held a court

78 the history of the - cnAt. vii
in Dairy, about tl^e beginning of this year, to which all men and
women above siiteen years of age were summoned, to declare
Upon oath, and sometimes under -very .odd and strange impreia-
tions, whether they bad ever been ^t field-meetings, or counte
nanced any who frequented them, &c. They obligedthem like
wise to swear, with the same dreadful imprecations, what they
knew of their neighbours or others in the parish, . Courts of the
same nature were held by that wretch Grlerson of Lagg„>at!
Dumfries and Kirkcudbright. It is easy for the reader to make
proper observations on these proceedings so inconsistent with
legal government.
Many heritors as this time suffered m.uch.; For, on the IStli-
and 21st of March, great nunibers were before -the- justiciary;
particularly John WiUiamson son to Joseph WiUiamson in Hoil;
J. Spreul, younger; writer in Glasgow, James Walker younger of
Hacketburn, William Tweeddale late bailie of Lanerk,and Hugh
Weir merchant there, were, in order to have the benefit of the
indemnity, obUged to resign all lands and heritages to wliiob
they had a right before the said act of grace, and then were dis
missed : bat the far greater number, who were charged as guil
ty of rebellion at Bothwell, were prosecuted In absence, forfeit-
,ed in common form, and ordered to be executed whenever, ap
prehended. Their names are these: David White, Gideon
Weir, David Gibson, John Wilson, Mr Thomas Pillans, James
Lawrie, Archibald Simpson, Thomas Lauchlan, William Fer
guson, John Semple, Thomas Inglis, Alexander Anderson, John
Pumphray, Robert Goodwine, James Cuningham, Isaac Black-
well, son to Thomas Blackwell, all in Glasgow ; John Jack-
in Neruplair, WUUam Padzeanjn Lanark, Robert Lockhart of
BirkhUl, James Weir of Johnshllp, John Steil in Over-water-
Iread, John Haddow and James White in Douglas, William-
Falconer and A. Tacket in Hamilton, Gavin Wotherspoon of
Heathrie-know, John Easton, of Quarryneen, W Uliam' Riddel
lu Rutherglen, Robert Fleming in Aunchlnfm,. John Hamilton
in Rogertoun, Thomas Craig in Jacktoun, John MlUar in Long-
calder.wood, John Wilson of Highfleet, Robert Steven of New--
land, John Steil of WindhiU, John Cochran of Craigie, James
Dykes of Halburn, John Calduff, in Jacktoun, Thomas P-atqn
at Cambusnethan, John Whytlaw arid John Paterson at Both-'
wellshiel, John White of Newkj Thomas Lin of Blairachin, John
Waddel of Chisdale, John Clyde iri Kilbride, aU in the shire of
Lanark. The most that was proved against these persons was
converse with some who had been concerned in the rising which
was not possible for them to avoid.
In this month of March, James Gray of Chrystoun was
brought, before the justiciary, _ for alleged, accession to Both-
well, and acquitted. This gentleman had sustained prodigio-as

CtjAp. v. Church of Scotland. 79
losses, and endured many hardships, during some proceeding^
years. And though he was now acquitted, yet his troubles
were not at an end ; for his known aversion to prelacy laid him
open to the insatiable resentments of the orthodox clergy, at
whose instigation his house was pillaged by the soldiers. Their
rudeness was such, that his family was forced to quit the house,
except his wife,, who staid in one of the rooms, with a young
girl that attended her. Meanwhile Captain Strachan's men
continued three months about the house, consuming his sub
stance ; and, in the beginning of next year he was seized, as
we shall relate in its proper place.
On the zd of April, a paper was affixed to the church of
Kettle, disowning the king's authority ; but, as it contained se
veral things disagreeable to the sentiments of the followers of
Mr Cargill, I shall' say no more of it. '
On the 5th there was a process against such of the heritors
of -Ayrshire, who were alleged to have been concerned at Both
weU ; and these following vvere forfeited In life and fortune, viz.
Gilbert Macllwralth of Dijmmorchle, Thomas Macjarrow of
Bar, John l^acj-arrow of Penjarrow-, Henry Macjarrow of Ari-
, thalbanie, George Maclur of B.nham, Hugh Macllwralth of
Auchinflour, John Alexander of Drummochrian,  Mac-
michan of Killentrian, Allan Bowy of Drumbog. The same
day the court dropt the process against Robert FuUerton of
Bennels, Robert Nisbet of Greenholm,-  Kennedy younger
of Glenour, and James Alrd younger- of MUtoun, who appe?u--'
ed at the bar, and offered to stand trial ; for, it is to be observ
ed, that, in both these processes, sentence was pronounced oni v
against absents ; for few of the heritors that appeared to stand
trial were found guilty ; and it was easy to find those guilty
who were not present to answer for themselves, which was ge-
nerally the case.
Mr Aird, whose sufferings before this time were not small,
notwithstanding his being set at liberty, was not exempted frori^
farther hardships ; for he was obliged to agree with the laird of
Broich, who got a gift of his moveable effects, and to give h;n»
1000 merks. Hls'charges before the justiciaiy amounted to
300 merks. A few weeks after this, parties were sent in qiu.est
of him, so that he- was obliged to lie for the space of fo''rty- two
nights in the open fields, and for several years to keep out ci
the way. Many tim.es his house was' rifled by the sqkiicrs.
However, he survived his troubles, and enjoyed his rcliTJoui,
liberty and property for many years after the Revolu.tion.
• On the 6th, the council suffered Mr Riddel to 20 and fic«
his dying mother, upon condition of returning to hi^ cop-fine-
naent by tHe 25th; but, being afterwards charged \vi'hi;r'-;-.J.;:;ig

-so the 'HISTORY OF the- CHAPj t,
his Confinement, keeping tonventicles, and b.iptizlng children,
he was ordered to the Bass, where he continued for three years.
The same day the Rev. Mr J. Blackadder was appjehfpded
by Major Johnston, and was broui-ht in prisoner before a com-
mittee of the council, consisting of the chancellor, the geneji^,
the advocate,, and bishop Paterson, where he owned he was a
presbyterian minister, and had been ordained to Traqualr, 1653.
He was examined upon several tilings, some of whieh. were these:
Chan, Did you excdmmunicate the king, or was. you at Tor-
wood ? A. I. was not at Torwood these four years. Chj. But do
you approve of what was done therei A. I am not free to de.
clare my inward sentiments and opinions of things and persons,,
and therefore I humbly beg .to be excused ;, you may form a fi.
'.bel against me, and I shal! endeavour to answer it as I cafl.
When he continued to decline giving an answer, the QhanceJijir
said. But do you approve of shedding the king's, blood, 'and
¦ damning him ii soul and body ? A. I do not, and no good man
will. Ch. Xou have done yourself a favour in saying so j, but
we hear .you keep coriventicks since the indemnity. J.Mv
lord, I a-ii a minister of the gospel, though unworthy, and un
der the strictest obligations, to exercise my ministry, as I shall
be answerable at the great day. I did, and do stUl count it my
duty tp exercise my ministry, as I am called thereunto. CA. But
you have preached in the fields, that is to say, on muirs and hill-
sides. I shall not ask if you have preached in houses, though
there is no liberty even for that. A. 1 place no case of consci
ence, nor make any difference between preaching in hous,esand
the, fields, but as it may best serve the conveniency; of the hear
ers ; nor know any restriction as to either in the word. My
commission reaches to houses and fields, withifi and without
doors. Ch. No doubt, you know and have seen the laws dis
charging, such preaching. A. My lord, I have and am sorry that
ever any laws were made against preaching the gospel. Ch. Not'
against the gospel, but sedition and rebellion. A. I preach no
sedition and rebellion. The r.dvocate came to him, and said,.
he was sorry he was on the reserve as to the excommunication.
He answered, ho was nowise straitened as to that, but he
thought he was only obliged to speak pf fagts relating, to him
self. The council sat in the afternoon, and ordered him-tobe
sent to the B.iss, where he continued tilLthe day of his death,
which was aboar five years thereafter, when he entered into the
joy of his Lord. I shall qnly observe concerning; this eminent
person, the last time he preached in public, he Jectured upon
Micah iv. from verse 9. where, among other things, he sz'iAy
' ',rhat the nearer the deliverance, our pains and showers would
' come thicker and sorer upon us; ar.d thnt we had been in die
« fields, but, ere wc were delivered, we should go down to 13a,-
1

CHAB. IV. GHU&CH OF SCOTLA;ND. '. 8^
« bylpn'5 that either popery, Would overspread this land, or
« would be at the breaking in upon, us, like an inundation of '
' waters.' On the Sth of AprU, a new and severe proclamatlpn was is-
aued. against conventicles, though the fjaithful Mr CargUl ¦^.yas
the only person who now ventureid to pi;each in the fields; atid,
in a very littie, that light viras put out, as we sh.all relate.
About this time the blasphemies of John Gib, a sailor at
Borrowstounness, made a great noise ; for what can be expected
from bearing down the gpspel,'but the breaking in of a flood of
errors ? And I cannpt but agree with my aiuthor, that it Is sur
prising more were not led aside Into gross delusions in such a
period as this ; for It is plain, that It was but a remnant that
Sitopd firm, when the most part, through -weakness, niade too
great compliances. However Gib liad but few that were drawn
aside by ham, viz. David Jamie, Walter Ker,' and John Young,
together with twenty- six women. These disowned communion
with all who were not of their way, belched, out curses and exe-
' erations upon them, and kept themselves in desert places from
all company. They were called the sweet singers, from their
being much engaged In singing the mournful Psalms, as Psal,
Ixxiv. Ixxix. Ixx3?. Ixxxiii. cxxxvii. In tfie jbeglnning of this
month they unanimously left their houses, and retired to desert
places, tp be §afe froiji the land's utter ruin and desolation. It
would he to httle purpose to give an account of all their extra
vagancies. They renounced the Psalms in metre, the transla
tion of the Old- and New Testaments^ because of Its dedication
to l^ing James. They ^eject^d all authority throughout the
world, from th? tyrant Charles Stuart, (I use theif ov,'n words)
to the smallest tyrant. Th&y condemned the names of the
months, and of the days pf the weel^. Bu,t, abbut the latter end
of AptMj th|e Gibbltes were all taken by a troop of dragoons, at
the Wolhill Crags, between Lothia;n and Tweeddale, and
brought to Edinburgh. The four nien were put into the Canon
gate prison, and the women in the correction-house ; and, it
is said some of thein were scourged. It appears, from the. pa-'^
per they g^-y? in, tp the council pn the first of May, this year,
that they bmrnt die P^^lms in metre, "&c. Before they were
imprisoned, Mt CargiU w,as at no small pains to reclaim theip,.
In short, Mr Cargiii's followers threw diepi put of their so
ciety, and none of the other presbyterians ever' pw'ned them.
However, theDukp of York, and his party, were Se5rej.l.y pleas
ed with thesse extr:«^agancies. They vyerc soon released. Somd
time after, the four men, with Isoljel Bonn, and a;o,<ither wo
man, went to a place called the Frost Moss, where they byiint
the Bible, every, one pf t.hem using expressions, at the comrpit--
'ting oi, that horrid act, which I s^all nat insert. These niai4
VOL. ir. y

sis THE HlSTO'RY OF Tlfe CHAF. t.'
delusions were prevented, from spreading and several of. them
selves were afterwards reclaimed; James Gray of Chrystoun,
James. Sloss, and James Baird, were very useful in putting a
stop to these delusions. " "-
On the ith of May, all chapmen were forbid to travel with
out a pass from the sheriff; and aU schoolmasters in the pa
rishes of indulged ministers were ordered to be removed, unless
they had a licence from the blshop^lest the minds of the youth
shojild be corrupted. The same- day, one Mr Alexander Sy-'
mers, having seen thfe errors of prelacy and forsaken it, was or-
dered to be prosecuted ; but there Is no more conceming him.^
About this time James Pettigjrew, Alexander Smith, and Ro
bert Russel, all in the parish of Cambunsethan, were seized and
tiarried Iri tb' Edinburgh. James Pettigrew continued three
months a prisoner', and paid 300 merks. He suffered consider-'
able losses during rhe follbwirig years. Alexander Smith es-
(Saped in women's clothes, but was afterwards taken and rescu
ed. He made his escape a third time from Dunnoter, but was
fetakeri lti87, and continued prisoner till the Revolution.
Though these two were alleged to be concerned In Bothwell,
yet nothmg Could be laid' to the chdrge of the third, who was
met on the road by a party of soldiers, and refusing to answer
their questions'; or pray for the king, at their desire, was firse
' threatened with irimnediate death ; but that practice not being ^
as yet common, they sfehtThim m prisoner to Edinburgh; where
he lay near two years In irons.' '
On the 2d of June, Mr J.- WardlaW was denoun(i(e3, and
Lauderdale was continued In the command of the Castle of ,
Edinburgh. On the Sth, a proclariiation was Issued for the par
liament to , sit on the 28th of next month. It was now nine
years sifl'ce there were any parliaments In Scotland ; and though
the king had no reason to be displeased with Scots parliaments,
yet, Duke Hamilton', and others, appearing in the last for thd
redress 6f grlei^nce?, it was soon dissolved. But his majesty's
belo^red brother Was in Scotland, and, being appointed commis
sioner, all things were expected to go' on smoothly.
The day after this proclamation; new'orders were gives fo*-
garrisons in Several houses In the west-country, particularly in
-the houses of Som, the castle bf Strathaven, and the house of
£)ean. Dukp Hamilton and the Earls' bf Loudon and Kilmar-
riock were ordered to get these houses ready.
On the said 10th of June^ R. Fergusbn of Letter-pin Was in^
dieted for Bothwell ; tjut it seems the matter was dropt.
The same day Mr Spreul was brought before the justiciary,
aild was indicted foif treason and rebelliisir, in cotre'spGndliig and
being present with the rebels at Bothwell, especially with IVFr
John Welsh and Mr Samuel Arnot, who are called The hloody

CHAP. V. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 8S
and sacrilegious murderers of the late Archbishsp of St Andrews,
though these two ministers had no hand In that act. Sir George
Lockhart, Mr Walter Pringle, Mr James Deas, Mr Alexander
Swinton, and Mr David Thoirs, were advocates for the prisoners.
At the beginning of the trial, the advocate declared that he
used the prisoner's confession, whfen put to torture before the
council, only as a mean of probation to adminiculj^te, the other
probation to be led^^but doth not insist upon that,iconfession at
this time, either as a crime of itself, or a sufficlan|,mean of pro
bation, without being adminiculate', as said is. Mr Pringle, for
the prisoner, aUeged, that he could, not gome under a new trial,
having been examined by the council for the same crime, and
been tortured two several times, and having still denied It ; and
consequently, by ihe law of this and all other nations, he ought
not to be arraigned and condemned for that crime upon any new
evidence. This occasioned a Ibng debate, which I shall not
trouble the reader with. He may see what was said pro and con
in my author, "Vol. II. p. 166, &c.,
After this debate was over, the lords, by their interlocutor,
, found the indictment relevant, or that the things specified in It
were treasonable, and referred the prpof to the jury ; and reject
ed the defence founded on the torture, because , the council's
commission did not warrant the prisoner to be questioned on the
crimes specified in the indlctrinent, and continued the action tb
the 13th, when Mr Pringle, for the prisoner, alledged, that, not
withstanding the iriterlocutor, the defence ought to be sustained,
and took instruments upon producing the commission'; andMf
Thoirs added, that the committee were sole judges of the per
tinency of the interrogatories, and that the prisoner, having In
torture denied the crimes laid to his charge, ought to be acquit
ted ; and the jury acquitted Mr Spreul, for they found no crime
proved against him. Nevertheless, the council remanded him to
prison, alleging they had several other things against him, fined
him in 500/. sterling for being at field-meetings, and Sent him
to the Bass,. where he continued for six years. WUliam Lin
writer in Edinburgh was fined in the like sum, and sent to the
Bass along with him. One reason of this-severity was, because,
when the Duke of York-asked at Mr Spreul in March last. Sir,
will you kill the king ? he, directed himself to tl^e chancellor,
and said. My lord, I bless God I am no papist ; I lothe and ab
hor all those Jesuitical and murdering principles; neither my
parents, nor the ministers I heaf d, ever taught me such principles.
On the 15th, Francis Borthwick, second son to James Borth-
wlck of Harelaw, was declared to be an cut-ldw and fugitive, be
cause he had apostatized from Christianity, embraced Judaism,
and had been cii-cumcised, and blasphemed the Lord .Je§us
2 .

84^ THE HISTORy OP tHE CHAP, t.
Christ. This my a"tithbf thinks- was the only instance of the
kind since the Reformation.
Next day Mr Alexander Hastie and John Row were denoun
ced for keeping conventicles. The same day a proclamation
was Issued for a fast to be observed In the south parts on the
29th, arid In the more remote parts on the 6th of July. The
causes of thi^'fast Were the blasphemous and sanguinary opinions
of many' whbhad left the communion bf the established church,
the threatened "famine, and the approaching session of parlia
ment?. I shall only here observe, that they had not acted lilce
themSel-ves, if some virulent reproaches had not been thrown
upon the suffering, people. The blobd'of many of God's people
was' upon them, atid^ had nbt their eyes been shut, that shouli ,
have been mentioned as cneof the chief grounds of humiliation ;
but they had no knowledge of this.
On the 2 1 St, the Earl of Queensberry, sheriff-principal of
DumfrieSj'pr his depUtes, were ordered to call several before
them for conventicles, which brought not a few to trouble ; and
new otders were issued agariist those who had been at Bothwell;
the sh^tiffs and other magistrates were appointed to seize and
bring them to justice, and secure their rents and lands for his
majesty's use, .and the country from'field-eonventicles.
Adam PhUip, Laurence Hay a weaver, and Aridrew PittlUocb
land-labourer in the parish of Largo in Fife, having joined in a
society for ^fayjer and conference, signed a paper last monthf
intituled, A testirHcny against the evUs of the times. That paper,
some way or other, having come intb the hands of the mana
gers, they were apprehended, and on the llth bf July brought
before the justiciary. They owned the said paper, in which
they disclailried the king's autho-fity, arid were condemned to be
hanged at the Grassmarket on the 13th, which was done ac
cordingly. 'My author says that this paper seemed, by the quo-
tatibtiS from it in their process, to be wild, and to smell of Gibb's
ddusionS. As to that I can say nothing ; bnly the testimoiiieS
of the two last, mentioned in the Cloud of Witnesses, breathe a
spirit of true piet'y ; and Laurence Hay, iri particular, leaves his
testimony to the scriptures ofthe Old and New Testament, to
the version of the Psalms in metre, and to the Work of Refot-
mation, Covenams National and Solenm League, 8fc. Andrevir
PittiUbch declared against the four men In the Canongate tol
booth, and all that joined with them, for wronglrig the scrip
ture. Adam Phillip Is omitted in the Cloiid of Witnifssest
On the 12th, WUliam Thomson servant in Frosk, who had
been seized on the last Sabbath of June, as he was comiiigfroiii
hearing Mr CargUl, was examined before the committee for pub
lic affairs. He owned his being at Bothwell, arid that he bad
not taken the bond, &c. He refused to answer whether the
rising at Bothwell was rebellion, and concerning ths king's

CHAP. y. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 85
authority, and the archbishop's death. Being asked if It was
lawful to kill the officers of the army, he agked at the committee
if it was lawful for them to kill the people of God, a4ding, Uiat
. if they .pleased, they might lay the one, to the other. .Being far
ther askedy If, to save his Ufe,'he woidd say, God save the king ?,
he answered. That he .would not buy bis life at so dear a rate
as to commit any sin, ,
At this time the plo^s, faithful, and zealous Mr Daniel com
monly caUed JDwaA/ CargiV/, was in his enemies hand. The
lasttimehe preached was in Dunsyre-common, between Clydes
dale and Lothian, when he expounded Jer. I. and preached frorii
Isa. xxvi. go, -21. Some tln^e that night , (fpr hedurst not
leave the desert place -where he .preached till. It was dark) he
went, by the .persuasion of Mr Smith and Mr Bftig, with the
lady of St John's tKirk, as far as .Covingtouij-tnill, to the house
of one Andrew Fisher a mile frpm that lady's hquse. Jame.s
Irvine of :Bonsha.w, having obtained a general commission,
marched with a party of dragoons from Kilbryde, and next
' morning, by sun-rising, came to St John's Kirk, and,, fiavipg nar
rowly searched, that house and the hojise of one James Thom
son, came next to Covingtoun-mi|l, andthere apprehended him,
together with' Mr Smith and Mr ,Boig. Bonshaw cried out, Oh
, blessed, Bonshaw, and blessed day .that ever I was born, that
have found such a prize this morning ! .for a reward , of 5000
merks was promised to the- apprehender bf Mr Cargill.
They marched hard to Lanark, and put the prisoners in jail
till the soldiers had some refreshment. When they got horses
they brought them out inhaste, and set- them on their bare backs.
Bonshaw with his own hands tied Mr Cargiii's feet below the
horses belly very hard. The gppd man looked down to him,
and said, < Why do you ^ie me so .hard ? your .wickednbss is
< great, you wUl not long escape the just judgment of God, and;
' if I be not mistaken, it will seize upon you in this place.'
And this was verified ; for, soon after he.gpt the price of his
blood, he was kUIed in a duel near Lanark. His last words
were, God damn my soul eternally, for I am gone.
Fearing a rescue, they made all the .tlispatch they could to
Glasgow. When near the city they turned him on the, horse,
«nd led him in backward, which drew tears from many to see
their old minister in such a posture, for he had been some years
minister of the Barony- church. When they came to the tol
booth, .they halted tUl the magistrates came to veceive them.
Then that wretch John Nisbet, the archbishop's factor, said, by
way of ridicule, Mr Cargill, (three limes over) will you not give
us, one word more ? allSding to an expression Mr CargiU sorpcr
times used, in hisscribus pathetic way of preaching. The good
nnn locking on him with regret and concern, said, Wicked poor

86 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP ..-7,
man, why do you mock ; ere you- die you shall desire one word)
and shall not have It,; and soon after he was struck dumb, hjs
tongue swelling in his mouth. Robert Good win and John
Hodge, two Glasgow men, who were witnesses of this-, went to
visit him. Godwin desired him to write what kept him from
speaking. He wrote. That it was a just judgment from the
Lord, and the sayings of the minister verified upon' him for his
mocking of him ; and, if be had the whole world, he would give
it for the use of his tongue again. But he died in great tormeilt
and seeming terror.
From Glasgow Mr Cargill and his fellow-prisoners were car
ried to Edinburgh, and ori the 1 5th of July he was examined
before the council. The chancellor Rothes (being one of the
seven whom he had excommunicated at Torwood) raged against
him, and threatened him with extraordinary torture and violent
death. Mr Cargill said, My Lord Rothes, forbear to threaten me,
for, die what death I wUl, your eyes shall not see it ; and it is
well known his lordship died that morning that Mr Cargill and his
fellow-martyrs suffered in the afternoon.' When he was asked if
he owned the king's authority, and the king as his lawful prince,
he answered. As the magistrate's authority is now established by
the act of parliament' anent suprerriacy, and the explanatory- act,
that he denied the same, but refused to give any answer to the
other branch of the question. He likewise declined to answer as
to the excommunication, that being an ecclesiastical matter, and
' the council being a civil judicatory. He owned the^ lawfulness
of defensive arms, ih case' of necessity, denying that those who
rose at Bothwell, &c were rebels, or that be was concerned in
drawing up the Sanquhar declararion. He declined giving his
judgment as to the'pririciples contained iri it, unless he had more
time to peruse the contents . ' He farther declared, that he could
not give his- sense of the killing of the archbishop, but that the
scripture says,'TheLord giving a,caU tb a private man to kill,
he might do It lawfully, and gave the Instances of Jael and Phi
nehas. ' These were the most material things upon which he
was examined. ¦' ¦ '• <¦ , • - ,
On the said 15th, Mr James Boig, son to James Bolg mer
chant in Edinburgh, and Mr Walter Smith, son to Walter Smith
in the'parish of St Ninians, students of divinity, were examined
before the councU. The former owned the" principles of the
sufferers ; that the rising at Bothwell, was lawful, Ibeing in de
fence of the truth. As to the kiUing of the archbishop, he declar
ed he was not obliged to answer for the actions of others. He
owned the Sanquhar declaration ; but refused to sign his con
fession, because he said that would be an owning of the king's
authority, which he disowned. The latter declared he did not
acknowledge the present authority the king is now Invested

:QHAP. V. CHURCH QF SCOTLAND 87
with, and that the grounds of the excomm,unIcation were just.^
On the 19th Mr Smith was again before the council, and the
Sanquhar declaration being read,, declared that he owned It with
this- explication, that he did riot look on those who composed
it as the formal representatives of the presbyterian church, and
that he did not lite the word denuded, in that exprespipn, the
king should have been denuded many years ago ; but, that what
the king had done justsfied the people In revblting from him. '
As to declaring war, he did not know if they were called, or
in a capacity to declare war ; and therefore he was of opinion
-that thereby they only Intended to justify the killing of any of
the king's forces in their defence, when assaulted, otherwise it
might have been esteemed murder. As tq the king's being
¦called an usurper and a tyrant, he said, Thar he i^Mf the king
was an usurper^ and wished he was not a tyrant.
One Willam Cuthil a sailor in Borrowstounness, havlng.'been
-taken by some of the Earl of Mar's men, was likewise examin
ed, when he denied the king's authprity, and declared that he
deserved to die.; and that he thought the persons v^ho killed the
'archbishop had the glory of God before .their eyes.
Mr CargUl was ag^in before the council on the 19th of July,
but refused,to answer their questsions, except as to the excom
munication, when he expressed himself a,s above. It seems,
there was, a motion made to spare his wjfe, and send him to the
Bass as a prisoner for life. -When theyote was put, the motion
was rejected, occasioned by the casting vote pf the Earl, of Ar
gyle, which afterwards lay heavy upon his lordship.
On the 26th, Mr -Cargill, -Mr Smith Mr Boig, W. Thomson,
and William CnthU, were brpught before the justiciary, and,,
being indicted in cbmmon fbrm, their confessions were pro
duced ^s evidences against them, and they were aU brought In
guilty pf high treason, and condemned to be hanged at the cross
of Edinburgh next day, 'their heads to be severed from their
bbdl.es,,and those of Messrs CargiU, Boig and Smith, to be
placed on the ^ether-bOw, and the heads bf the other two on
the West-port. When Mr CargiU's confession was read before
the justiciary, he declared 'before t^em, that the word act ex
planatory In his confession is thus to be understood, ' That the
act explaining the king's supremacy gives him a right to the au
thority of Jesus Christ, and that supremacy, given him by act
of parliament,-is against right ; and farther declared, that those
who rose in arms at Bothwell were not rebels, but r^^s'ed by
oppression.' On the 27.th Mr Cargill and the other four were
all. executed according to their sentence.
Mr Cargil'l's testimony is in the Cloud of Witnesses, and ia
: my author's appendix, of which the following is ;m abstract :
This Is the most joyful day that ever I saw, — My joy is no\y

%B TirtE Hi'StbR* OF -THE <SlAP. t,
begun, 'Which I see shall never be interrupted. I see both my
interest arid his truth, the sUreness of the one and the precioris-
iiesS of the bther. It is lie^ thirty years since he made it sure,
and since that time (thbUgh there has fallen out much sin, yet)
'I was never out of Sn assurance of mine interest, nor long out
of sight of his presence — It is long since I could ha-ve ventured
on eternity through God's mercy arid Christ's .merit-; but death
remained somewhat terrible ; but that iibW is taken away, and
now death is nb more "to me, but to cast myself into my bus-
band's arms, and to lie down with him. — I have been most in
the main things, not that I thought the things concerning pur
tlriies little, but that I thoaght hone could do any thing to pur-
po'se jn God's great and pubhc matters, till they were right in
their conditions. And O that aU had taken this method, for
then there had been fewer apostasies ! — My soul trembles to
think how little of regeneration there is among the ministers,
ajid professors of Scotland! O the ministers of Scotland, how
have they betrayed Christ's interest aiid beguiled souls ! — They
have sold thp things of Christ,- and Uberties bf his church, for
a short cursed fefulet to theinselves, -which is now near an end. —
As to our'prof^sSbrSj my c'oUnselto them is, that they Would
see Well to their own regeneration, for the niOst part bf them"
has that yet to do  As to the cause of my Suffering, the main
13 not acknowledging the present authority, as- it is established ,
in th'e suprerriacy and explanatory act. This is the magistracy*
that I have rejected, that was invested with Christ's power.
And seeing that power taken from Christ, wliich is his glory, ,
is made the esSenti-al of the crown. I thought this was as if I
had seen 'tme wearing my husband's garments after he had kill
ed him.'
After he got to the scaffold, he stood with his baek'to the
ladder; and, desired the attention of the numerous, spectators ;
and after singing P^ah -cxviii. from ver. 16. he bSgan' to speak
"to three sorts bf persons ; but, being interrupted by the d^ums,
he said, "with a smiling countenance-. Ye see we have not Uber
ty fo speak, or to speak what we Wotild, but God knoweth our
hearts. As he' proceeded he was again Interrupted as before.
Then aftfer a little silence, he began to exhof t the people, and
shew his bwn'cbmfort in laying down his life, arid in the assur-
a'rice of a blessed eternity. Thus he spoke, f Now Tam as sure
of my interest in Christ and peace With God, as all Within this
Bible and the Spirit of God can inake me, — and I am fully per
suaded that this is his way for which I suffer, and that he will
return gloriously to Scotland ; but it wiU be terrifying to many ;
therefore I intreat you be not discouraged at the way of Christ, '
and the cause for which I am to lay dbwn my life and step in
to eternity ; where hny soul shaU be, as full pf'^him as it can d«-

8HAP.,V. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 89
sire to be. And now this Is the sweetest and most glorious
day that ever my eyes did see. — Enemies are now enraged a-
gainscythe way and people of God, but ere long they shall be
feriraged one against another tp their own confusion.' At thjs
the drums beat a third time. When he set his foot on the lad
der, he said, ' The Lord knows I go up this ladder with less
fear and perturbation of mind, then ever I entered the pulpit to
preach.' And when he was up, he sat down and said, ' Now
I am near to the getting of my crownj which, shall be sure ; for
•I bless the Lord, and desire -all of you to bless him, that he
hath brought me here, arid makes ine triumph over devils, men,
and shi, they sliall wound me no more. I forgive, all men the
wrongs they have done to me, and pray the Lord may forgive
all the wrongs that any of the elect have done aghinst him. I
¦pray that the sufferers may be kept from sin, and helped to
know their duty.' Then having prayed a little within himself,
he, lifted 'up the napkin and said, ' Farewell all relations and
friends in Christ ; farewell acquaintances and all earthly en
joyments ; farewell reading and preaching, praying and belie-
virig, wanderings, reproaches' and sufferings. Welcome joy
unspeakable and full of glory. Welcome Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost. Into thy hands I commit my spirit.' Then he
prayed a little, and the executioner turned him over praying.
Thus -the reverend and faithful Mr Donald CargiU finished his
course, and the ministry he had received of the Lord ,
Mr "Walter Smith suffered with him. His testimony is alsb"
In the Cloud of Witnesses, to which I must refer the reader.
He adhered to the very same'cause with Mr CargUl, and de-
'dared against the same usurpation of Christ's crown and dig-'
nity, and died With assurance of his interest in Christ, declar
ing his abhorrence bf popery, prelacy, erastiani-m, arid all the
other steps of defection. He Went up the ladder -with aU die
signs of chearfulness ; and, when the executioner was to untie
his cravat, he would not suffer him, but unried it himself, and,
caUing fbr his brother, threw It down, saying. This is the laSt
"token you shall get from^me. After the napkin was drawri
over his face, he uncovered it again, and said, « I have one
word more to Say, and that is to all who have any love to God
and his righteous Cause, that they vi*puld set time apart, and
sing a song of praise tb the Lord for what he has done to my
soul ; and my soul says. To him be praise.' Then, the nap
kin being let dbwn, he was turned pver praying. Mr Smith
studied under the famous Leusderi, Who had a singular value-
fbr him. He drew up a paper containing twenty-two steps of,
' defe,ction; and, if these be considered, it will appear that few
or none pf the sufferers exceeded him in their testimonies a-

90 THE- HISTORT OF T«E C«AP. V,
gainst the encroachments. made, at that day, upon the royal
prerogatives of Christ as the head of his church,^
Mr Boig was next dispatched, and adhered to the same testi
mony, and died in the full assurance of faith. He concludes
, his letter to his brother with these words,- « Let this suffice,,
that I am once fairly on the way and within the view of Im- '
raanuel's land, and in hopes to be received an Inhabitant there
within the -space of twenty-six hours at most. Farewell all
earthly comforts ; farewell all worldly vanities ; farewell aU car
nal desires. Welcome cross, welcome gallows, welcome Christ,
welcome heaven, and everlasting happiness, &c. I have no
more spare time. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you.
Amen.'
I do not find any thing recorded of the other two, viz. WUr
Ham Thomson and 'WUliam Cuthil, when at the place of exe
cution ; but it appears, from their^testimonies, which are in the
Cioud of Witnesses, that they continued, to the last, zealous
against, the tyranny and defections of. the times. They had
iiot the education of their three fellow-sufferers, and therefore,
though they did not express themselves so accurately, that is
to be excused.
Executions are usually attended with a vast crowd of specta
tors. Among btlicrs whp beheld this execution was Mr James,
Renwick, who was the last that fell a sacrifice, in this period,
in Scotland, to prelacy and the bloody house of Stuart. Mr
Renwick was an early convert.; for, having finished his acade
mical studies, he was so tender in conscience, that he refused
to take the oath <^i allegiance and supremacy ; and therefore,
with two others, he took his degrees privately at Edinburgh,
where he remained, prosecuting his studies, attending on, the
then private ^d persecuted meetings, .,,_^and continuing in unity
with the ministers there, until he discovered their defections
frpm many degrees- of the covenanted reformation, in accepting
of indulgences, especially the banded indulgence , after Both-
v/ell. This brought him intp great perplexity, neither kriow-
ing how to countenance therii, or to withdraw from , them.
But ^r Cargln's execution made such an impression upon him,
that he was determined to. embark with these faithful martyrs, tp
tread in their . steps, and in his station to defend their cause.
Among other things he was grounded in this resolution, « When
he observed, says the writer of his Ufe, how the council' and
courts of inquisition, by putting the question of owning the
authority of Charles II. so generally and peremptorily to all
prisoners, werepursulng a strange and singular piece of policy,,
to Invblve all whom they were persecuting in the guilt of thek
persecution, by owning that authority which promoted It :
therefore he and others examined the point, and soon found

CHAP. V. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 91
that Charles had forfeited all anthbrity, by his presidloiis breach
of trust, and overturning all the fundamental constitution pf the
government, both in church, and state, &c. And as the, per
secuted people kept societies for, prayer and conference, Mr
Renwick joined one of these for a time, but found It necessary
to withdraw, because they complied with- the cess, and sought
for a society that was free of all these compliances. We shall
hear more of him afterwards. I go on now to
CHAP. VL
Ofthe Duke of TorFs parliament ; the Test ; the Trial, Condem
nation, andescapetftheEallofAreyle; the executions .at the'
Gallo'w.lee, and other things to the enaof the year.
rpHE execution of Mr CargiU arid his fellow-sufferer's, the
day before the sitting of the parUament, gave but a me
lancholy prospect. Neither could any good be expected, when
the Duke of York, a professed papist, was commissioner.
The parliament sat down on the 28th of July, when, after
-reading of the king's letter, the commissioner delivered a speech,
from which it appears that the chief designs of this parUament
.Were to bear down separation, i, e, those who could' not conform
to the times, and secure the succession, that is popery and ty
ranny. The first was tacitly recommended in the~klng's letter,
and the other in the commissioner's speech, though that, doubt
less, might have conae with a better grace from another.
Their first act was for securing the protestant religion.
This game of course ; for most parliaments since the Reforma
tion began with what they thought had a reference to the secu
rity of reUgion. 'Bishop Burnet says, The duke thought" it
would give a gobd' grace to" all (hat should be done afterwards,
to begin with such a general and cold confirmation of all for
mer laws. ' • '.- -
By the second act, being act asserting the right of succession
to the imperial croWn of Scotland, ' The estates of parliament,
considering that the king's of this realm derive th^ royal power
¦from God Almighty alone, do succeed lineally thereto, accord
ing to the known-degrees.^pf proximity of blood, which cannot
be interrupted, suspended, or diverted by any act or statute
whatsoever ; [this act then seeins' quite unnecessary] and that
none can attempt to alter or divert it, without Irivolving the sub
jects of this kingdom in perjury and rebellion, and Without ex
posing them to all the fatal and dreadful consequences of a civil
war, do therefore,' &c. I shaU make no remarks here, farther
than to obberve, that, in about seven years thereafter, the whole

92 THE HIS-foRT OF THE CHAP. VI.
island came to have no good-will to thislineal ,succession,i^nd
went into the measures attempted by some brave patriots In
/England, and put in practice the principles of liberty for which
the sufferers in Scotland took joyfully the spoilingof their goods,
,and laid down their very lives. ¦
Having thus settled their lirteal successor, by their -3d act diey
offered a , new supply to the king, because of the danger the
kingdom was In-by seditious and rebellious field-conventlcles,
and to support the army in bearing them down. I shall not
trouble the reader with their act for securing the peace of the
country ; for, as it was prelacy that ever disturbed the quiet of
the- kingdom, so it was impracticable to restore peace while that
¦remained. Prelacjy in Scotland, and the peace of the nation,
have been always found inconsistent. By .this .act, the fines for
field-convehticles were all doubled, and burgesses,, besides their
former fines, were to lose their burgess-ship or freedom,, and be
banished the town. But the act which made most noise was
that which imposed the oath called the test, oi which I shall
speak a little more particularly, when I have mentioned some
tMngsthat previously happened.
The day before this parliament sat down, the Duke of Rothes
died. When he felt the pangs' of death, he called for some of
his lady's ministers ; for it seems his o'wn ministers were good
tO' live with, but not to die with. Accordingly he had the as
sistance of the Rev. Mr John Carstairs and Mr George John--
stoun, who dealt with great freedom arid faithfulness, rehears/
ing many wicked acts of his life. He said to Mr Carstairs," We
all thought little of what that man did in excommunicating us,
but I find that sentence binding upon me now, and will bind
to eternity. When Mr Johnstoun was praying, several noble
men and bishops overhearing him in the next room, some of
the former said to the bishops. He is a presbytejian minister that
is praying ; the de'il ane of you can pray as they do, though
your prayers would keep a soiil out of hell. Iq short the no
blemen were much affected, and Duke HamUton said. We
banish these men from us, and yet when dying we call for them;
this is a melancholy work !
Lauderdale's being out of die secretary's office, and the Duke
of Rothes's death m-aking great changes among the managers,
th'e Duke of "fork's party eame iri, many of whom compliment
ed him with their religion, and turned papists. And no doubt
the hopes of succeeding Rothes excited several to court the
duke's favour; and by this means his Royal Highnessgot every
thing carried in the parliament to his mind.'
On the 3d pf August, a process of error was commenced \
against several of the jury who had acquitted some of the heri
tors in the shire of Lanark last March. All the jury got off

CHAP. VI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 93
except Alexander Gray and James Eiille merchants In Edin- '
burgh, and James Gray of Warrlstoun, who were sentenced to
have forfeited all their chatties and other moveables to hia,
majesty's use, and to lie in prison for a year.
While public business was going on in the parliament, one
stood up and accused Lord Halton, Duke Lauderdale?s brother,
of perj Ury, on account of Mr Mitchel's affair. Hehadinhishands
the two letters whieh that lord hadv written to the Earl of Kin-
cardin, mentioning the promise of life that wrs made him ; and,
as was told formerly. Lord Halton swore, at his trial, tliat no
such promise was made. The Lord Kincardin was dead a year
before this, but his lady had delivered ^up tlicse letters to be
made use of against Lord Halton. Upofi reading them the
matter appeared plain. The duke was not ill -pleased to have
Lauderdale and his brother thus at mercy, yet he would not
suffer the matter to be determined In a parliamentary way ; so
he moved that the whole affair might be referred to the king ;
which was itnmediately agreed to. Thus, says, the historian,
that infamous business was made public, and yet stifled at the
same time; and no censure was ever put on' that base action.
Another vile discovery was made. Lord Bargeny, nephew
to Duke Hamilton, had been imprisoned on account of the ris
ing at BothweU ; the whole aftair , was laid before the parUa
ment, and his lordship had full proof of every thing:ready to
produce ; but the duke prevailed to have this likewise referred
to the king, and it, was never more heard of- ' This,, says Bur
net, shewed what LaudeiJdale's party were capable of. It like
wise gave an Ul character pf the duke's zeal foi: justice and false
, swearing, ihoagh that had been the chief topic of discourse
with him for above three years. He was angry at a supposed
practice with witnesses when it fell oa his own party ; but
now, that there were evident pi-;oQfs of perjury and suborna
tion, he stopt proceedings under pretence of referring it to the
king, who was never made-acqu.iinted vvith it, or at least, never
inquired aifter the p.roof of these aUegations, npr ordered any
proceedings against them..
The main, business of this parliament vias the act concerning
the new test. The biU was brought in and voted in qne day,
vi:?. on the 31st of August, though-the matters contained in it
were of such'importance as required the most mature delibera
tion. It had been promised, at the beginning of the session,
that. Upon passing an act for maintaining the succession, all the
.security they could desire for the protestant religion should be
given. Accordingly, when the first act'relating to rehgion was
tead and passed, it appeared so general, that many thought it
an insufficient security, and therefore a test was proposed for
all that shptild be capable of any office in »church or sfate, or of

Si THS HISTORY PE THE . CHAP'. VI.,
electing or, being elected members of parliament, that they-
should adhere firmly to the protestant religion; but then th^
court thought proper to ' burden this with a delaration against
all resistance, a renouncing the- covenants, and an obligation to
defend the king's rights and prerogatives, arid never tb, meet or
treat of any matters civil' or ecclessiastlcal, bUt by permission
from the throne, ahd never to attempt any alteration of the go
vernment either in church or state.' This became matter of
great debate, and with difficulty a clause was got in ratifying
the Confession of Faith established by the first parliament of
James VI. 1567. But then the king's lawful sorts and brothers
were fexpresSly excepted' from this test; In shortthe act passed
by a majority I only bf seven votes. ' •
The Earl of Argyle, iri reasoning upon the oath enjoined by
the act, said, ' He was of Opinion, that as few public oaths
« should be required as might be, and these as short and clear
« as possible ; he thought a very small addition to the oaths in
^ force these twenty years might suffice, since it i^ evident the
* oath of aUegiance and declaration had effectually debarred all
' fanatics from places -of trust all this time. It is true some pa-
* pists have swallowed them, but a word or two of addition might
' Ukewise .hold out.' He likewise opposed the concluding
clause excepting the lawful sons and brothers, and said, 'Itis
« our happlriess that the kirig and people were of one religion
-' by law ; he hoped the parliament would do nothing 'to loose^
« what was fast,- or open a gap for the royal family to differ In
' rehgion ; and therefore wished,^ if any exception was made,
, * it might be made particular for his royal highness.' But the
commissioner rising up, opposed this Openly ; -whereupon the
earl concliided With his tears, « That, if this exception did pass,
f It would do more prejudice to the protestant religion than all
« the rest of the act, yea, many acts would do good.'
I cannot here omit one thing taken notice, of by bishop Bur
net, who says, that some proposed that there should be two tests;
one for papists with higher incapacltes, and another for presby
terians with milder censures. But that was rejected with much
scorn, some making their court, by saying they were more in
danger ,from the presbyterians than from the papists ; and.It was
reported that Paterson, then bishop of Edinburgh, said to the
duke, that he thought the two religions, popish and protestant,
were so equally stated in his mind, that a few grains of loyalty
in which tfie protestants had the better of the papists, turned the
balance with him. Well, the act passed, by which all in places
of trust in church and state (the king's lawful brothet and sons
only excepted) were obliged to take the following oath by the
first of January next, viz,
? I N. N, Solemnly swear In presence of the eternal God,

CAAP. VI.' , CHURCH 6F SCOTLAND. - ' ^5
whom I Invocate- as judge and witness of my sincere ir^tention
iri this my sincere oath, that I own and sincerely profess the
true protestant religion contained I9 the Confession of Faith re
corded in the first parliarrient of King James 'VI. and that I
believe the same to be funded on, and agre&blfe to tlie written
word of God : and I promise and swear, that I shall adhere
¦thereunt& during all the days- of my Hfetlme, _and shall endea
vour to educate my chUdren therein, arid shall never consent
to any change or alteration contrary thereunto ; and that!
disown and renounce all such principles, doctrines, or practi
ces, whether popjsh or fanatical, which are contrary unto and
Inconsistent with the said protestant religion and Confessiorr
of Faith. And, for testification of niy obedience to my most
.gracious sovereign Charles II. I do affirrii -and swear, by this-
my solemn oath, that the king's 'majesty is ,the only suprenie
governcrof this realm, over all ^persons, and Iri- all causes, as
well ecclesiastical as civil ; and that no foreign prince, persbti,
pope, prelate,"state, or potentate, hath or ought to have, any
jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-emlnency or authority, ec
clesiastical or civil, within this realm ; and therefore I do ut
terly renounce and forsake all foreign jurisdictions, power,
superiorities, and authorities; and do promise,that'from hence
forth I shall bear faith and true allegiance to the king's majesty,'
his heirs and lawful successors ; and to my power, shall assist
and defend all rights-, jurisdictions, prerogatives, privileges,
pre-eminencles and authorities belpnging to the king's majesty,
his heirs arid lawf-ul successors And I farther affirm and
swear, by this rriy solemn oath, that I judge it unlawful for
subjects, upon pretence of reformation, or any pretence what-
somever, to enter into covenants or leagues, or to convocate,
convene, or assemble in any councils, conventions or assem
blies, to treat, consult or determine in any matter of state,
civil pr ecclesiastic, without his majesty's special commandor
express licence had thereunto, or to takd up arms against the
king, or those commisslonate by him ; and that I ^hall 'never
so rise in arms, or'enter into such covenants or assemblies :
and that there lies no obligation upon mq, from the National
Covenant, or the solemn League arid Covenant, (so commonly
called) or any other manner of. way whatsomever, to endca-
vour^^any change or alteration in the government, either in
church or state, as it is now established by the laws of 'this
kingdom. And I promise and swear, that I shall, with my
Utmost power, defend, assist and maintain his majesty's juris
diction foresaid against^all deadly ; and I shall never decline
his majesty's power and jurisdiction, as I shall answer to God.
And, finally, I affirm and swear, that this my solemn oath 'i-x
given in tlie plain gen-LHtjc sense and mcar.iug of the words,

96 THE BisToRV Ot tna, CHAP yi.
« with.Qu.t any" equivocation, mental reservation, or any manner
« of evasion whatsomev>er ; and that I shall npt accept or use
< any dispensatioA from any creature whatsp^ver. So help me
' God: If nothin,g conld»have been said against this abominable oath,
but that the one part of It contradicted, the other, that was suf
ficient to have deterred all frpm taking it.- Thus the Confession
of Faith, which Is here sworn to, asserts Christ to be the headi
of the church ; and says, « In which honours and offices, if men
* orangds presume to intrude themselves we utterly detfst and ,
« abhpr them ;' and yet it is sworn, that the king is the orily su
preme in all causes, as well ecclesiastical as civil. In the' said
Confession if Is reckoned among good works, ' to honour princes
' and rulers, to obey- their charges, nbt repugnant to the com-
* mandment of God, to save the lives of innocents, to repress
* tyranny, to defend the oppressed, &c.' But here they not
only swear to unlimited subjection, but declare It unla-wful to
take up arms against the king, or those ha\'lng his commission,
upon any pretence whatsoever. Mr Wodrow justly observes,
that this oath is a medley of- popery, prelacy, erastia.nism, ajid
self.rContradictlon ; the National Covenant, the great bulwark
' against popery,' is thereby, renounced, and prelacy, and the, ut
most extent of the supremacy sworn to. Nay, they swear to
maintain the protestant religion, and yet to bring in a^ popish
suceessor. Though this oath was at first only designed for those
in-,places of trust, yet it afterwards becapie an universal, test to
loyalty, and the foundation of great persecu,tlon, as shall be re-
lated. And thpugh it may be thought surprising that so many
fell In with this self-contradictory and wicked imposition^ yet the
multitude of wicked oaths, bonds, and obligations Imposed since
' the unhappy Restoration, took off the impression on men's minds
as to the solemnity of an oath ; and since tlie wicked generation
hath trampled upon the sacred covenants ofthe nation, it is not
at all surprislng.though God gave them up to strong delusions,'
and the'belief of lies.
It wUl not he improper to insert. here what bishop Burnet
says on this subject^ when rehtlng the sense pf the best of the
episcopal clergy ; ' They were, says he, highly offended at the
great extent of the prerogative in the point of supremacy, by
which. the king turned out bishops at pleasur-e by a letter- It
was hard enough to bear this ; b^t it seemed Intolerable to o-
bllge menby oath to m.aintain it. The king might by a procla
mation put down even episcopacy itself, as the law then stood,
and by this oath they would be bound to rnaintain even that.
All meetings in. synods, or for ordinations, were hereafter to be
held only by permission, so that all thei visible ways of perserv-
ing religion depended now wholly oa the king's good pleasure ;

CHAP. vr. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB. 9^
and they saw that this would be a very feeble tenure under a
popish king. The being tied to all this by oath seemed very hard ;
and, when a church was yet in so Imperfect, a state, without
liturgy or discipline, [the fbfmer argued no great Imperfection,
though the latter did] it was a strange imposition to make peo
ple swear never to endeavour any alteration either In church or
state.' When the test was thus Imposed, and all were to swear it by
the first of January, under the penalties of being for ever de
clared incapable of any public trust, and of the loss of their
moveable and liferent escheats, there were not many in public
offices made any scruple, except the Earl of Argyle, of whom
we shall hear in its proper place. The Eajl of Queensberry, be
ing a friend, was permitted to take the test With an explication .
The laird of Hopeton, scrupling the oath, was divested of his
office of sheriff of Linlithgow. The duchess of Rothes was
urged to take it, but she refused. The duke of Monmouth also
refused it. The duke of Hamilton had his scruples concerning
It, ami was wiUing. the council should name deput'ies in any
j-urisdictions belonging to him. There were likewise a few
others whom I shall not here merition. The privy-counsellors
took it^on the 22d of September, repeating the' words of the
oath on their knees.
But the opposition made by some of the conformable clergy
made great noise. Bishop Burnet says, ' Some', or all of these
exceptions, mentioned by him above, did run so generally
through the whole body of the clergy, that they were all shaken
in their resolutions. To prevent this an explanation was. drawn
by bishop paterson, (one, says my author, of the most violent
defenders of It) and passed In council. Ijt was by It declared,
that It was not meant that those who took the: test should be
bound to every article in the Confession of Faith, but only in
so far as it contained the doctrine upon which, the protestant .
churches had settled the reformation ; and that the test did not
cut off those rights Which were acknowledged to have been in
the primitive church for the-first three hundred years after
Christ ; and an assurance was given that the king never intended
to change the government of the church. By this It was pre
tended that the! greiatest difficulties were . now removed. But
to this it was answered, that they were to swear they took the
"oath. in the literal sense ofthe words ; so that, if this explanation
was not conform to the literal sense, they would be perjured
who took it upon this explanation. The'iihpoSers of an oatIv
could only declare tlie sense of it ; but that could not be done
by any other, much less by a lower authority, such as the privy-
council was confessed to be : yet, when men are to be undone,
if they do not submit to a hard law, they willingly catch at any
VOL. II. G

98 ^ THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VI.'
thing that Seems to resolve their doubts. About eighty, con
tinues the bishop, of the most learned and pious of the clergy
left all, rather than comply with the terms of this law; and these
were noted to be the best preachers, and the most zealous ene
mies to popery, that belonged to that church. The bishops,
who thought their refusing the test was a reproach to those
who took it, treated them with much contempt, and put them
to many hardships.'
It is certain, though the bulk of the prelatlcal clergy, swal
lowed this oath, which, shews what sbrt .^f men they were, yet
several made the best stand they ever madebefore ; particularly,
the m'misters of Aberdeen drew up some queries against the
test, as, 1. How can I swear that the Confession of Faith isl:he
-true standard of the protestant religion, &c. which forbids the
resisting ofthe magistrate only conditionally, whUe they pass not
over the bounds of their office, and says it is a good work to
bear down tyranny ? 2. How can I swear, that the king is the
only supreme governor over all persons, and in all causes, when
the said Confession obliges me to believe Jesus Christ to be the
only Head of the church ? &c. 3. K I' believe thepresent esta
blished church to be of divine and apostolic authority, how can
I swear that it is in the king's power to alter or change the -
same ? and. If It be in Its own nature indifferent, how can I
swear to that whjch the king can alter at his pleasure ? 4. How
can I swear to defend the king's privileges and prerogatives, till
I know and consider whetherthey be consistent with the prin
ciples of religion ? &c. , 5. How can I swear that I judge It un
lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to enter into leagues and
covenants without the king's consent, when it was lawful inthe
first days of Christianity, to enter into a covenant with Christ,
and a league with one another, though not to cast off the yoke of
Judaism , Paganism, and idolatry, even contrary to the express com
mand of earthly sovereigns? And, should popery prevaU, would It
be unlawful for subjects to enter into covenant for shaking off the
Roman yoke ? Does not that clause in the test condemn our
Reformation In Scotland ? 6. Can I swear sincerely that I judge
it unlawful fbr subjects to meet in order to consult or deter
mine in anv matter of state, civil or ecclesiastical, when I have
no security from the test or laws of the land, but that clause
may comprehend the assemblies and meetings for the worship
of God, and the ordinary exercise of discipline, especially when
all the ecclesiastical meetings are put in the king's hand by the
act November 16, 1669 ? &c. And, 'should our meetings for
worship and discipline be, in process of time, forbid, would it
be unlawful to mset with one another for these purposes ? 7.
Can I swear, that I am under no obligations to endeavour any

GHxVP. VI. - CHURCH 01? SCOTLAND. 99
alteration of the government in church or stato, as now esta
blished ?rlt must be a perfect constitution that needs no change
, , in any circumstances, and yet an alteration In circumstances is
a change ; yea, the Confession prescribed in the test says, that
no policy or order of ceremonies in the church can be appointed
for all ages, places and times, because what is row cqnvenien,c
may prove burdensomeatanother time, or in odier circumstances.
May I not pray to God Almighty to put it into the hearts of
men to preform what is amiss ? and yet to pray to some sore of
endeavour. What if the king's power in national synods, by
act of parliament, be destrucdve of the trUe church power ?
What if there be something in the act of restitution of bishops
to be amended ? 8. Is there no more in this test than in rhe acts
of parliament, or former oaths upon which itis founded? In
the acts agalpst assembling the king's lieges this clause is added,
(eXtept in ordinary judgments) but there is no such clause lii
the test, by which I swear, that I judge it unlawful tp convener
ot assemble upon any pretence whatsoeyer, even though to wor.-
shlp God with others. In the declaration it is said, there lieth
no obUgation upon rrie from the Covenants to endeavour re
formation; but the test adds, or upon any other manner, of way.
May I not be under some obligations, thpugh from neither. of
the Covenants'? And, though I be under .no obligation for tlic
present, may I not be under some afterwards ? if there be "no
more in this test than in former oaths, why Is it imposed on those
whb took the declaration ? 'Stc. To all this migb.t be added ..the
evil of imposing and multiplying oath.s.
There were several other things published at this tirr.e, by
some of the conform clergy, against the test.. The bishop and
synod of Aberdeen, the bishop of Dunkcld and synod cf, Perth,
published their respective explications of this oath, declaring thc
sense in which they took it. This unexpected stir among the
clergy made the managers look about them, so that, as we have
heard, bishop Paterson snd the council made a sort of expHca-
riori of it, which was approved of by the king : however, the
generality went into it ; so that those who refuse'd it v/cte ex^
posed to persecution, and sever.-.l quitted their charges ; forthe
council made an act requiring the patrons to provide fit and
qualified persons in the room of those who should undutifuHy
refuse to take the test betwixt and the first of January, certify
ing, that, if the patrons did not comply with thi^s, they should
be eate^med persons disaffected to his majesty's person and go--
vcrnmenti 1 shall only remark, that, if some ot.thc. cciilormj-
ble clergy, who for once became recusants, began to feel .i little?
of the wholesome severities of the managers, the reader r r.;'.u©S
be surprised at the sufi'er'.ngs of the presbvter:-;:iii.

100 THE HISTORY OK THE ' HAP. vi.
During these proceedings about the test several occurrences
happened, which it wUI not be improper to relate. According
ly, on the first of October, Mr Gabriel Semple, who had been
prisoner for some time, was. In consequence oi a petition he
presented, ordered to be released upon bond to appear when call
ed under the penalty of 10,000 merks. This worthy minister
was son of Sir Bryce Semple of Cathcart, and was ordained mi-
nister of Klrkpatriek-Durham, from which he was ejected by
the Glasgow act. He then _i:epalred to the- house of Corsack,
where he preached to all that came to hear, him ; but the num-'
bers were so great,' that he was obliged. to take to the fields and
preach there ; and these were the first field-meetings In Scot
land'. , When he found himself obliged to leave that house, Mr
John Welsh continued and kept up those meetings In the^ope;v
fields from mere necessity. Soon after 'Mr Semple returned to
Galloway, jpiried JMi; Welsh, and continued preaching along
with him till Pentland. About a year after that, being inter- "
communed, he went to Ireland, and from thence to the borders
of England. After absconding some time he preached at Ha-
selridge apid dispensed the Lord's supper, , having Dr Rule and
another minister from Berwick assisting him. As the incum
bent of Foord was a popr melancholy person, Mr Semple,
through the good nature of several gentlemen in the neighbour
hood, had possession of that Church for some years, and dispens
ed the word and sacraments with great success among the rude
borderers. He continued there till the death of his consort, the
daughter of Sir Walter Riddel of Riddel ; so that a little be
fore Bothwell he returned to Scotland, but the divisions ih the
west-Cbuntry army preve'nted his joining in that enterprise. He
Was apprehended by a party of the guards, being then ill of an
ague. ' Nevertheless he was carried to the Canoiigate prison,
Where he Continued till the parliament this year was Up. Soon
after he was released he waS/ ealled before a committee of the
council, on pretence that his petition was forged. The clerk,
In,reading it, added some Voids' of his own. Mr Semple, be
ing asked If he owned that pedtion, deSlred to see it ; and, ob
serving that It was the same he had given in, but that the clerk
had read it otherwise than it was, declared that that was the
paper he had given in, thanked them for his liberty, and prayed
fo;: the spirit of grace and government to his majesty ; then he
was dismissed, without being obliged to renew his bond for his
appearance. But how unjustly people were ensnared at this
time must be left with the reader. In a few weeks he was
-again summoned before therii 5 but by the advice of his friends,
he went to England, and continued there till the king's' death.
After the Revolution he was settled at Jedburgh, where he
finished his coursew'ith joy 17GG. , But to return, ^ ,

CHAP. VI, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND," lOl
On.the 7th of October Robert Garnock hammerman in
Stirling, Patrick Forman in the parish of Alloa, David Falrie,
James Stuart, George Lapsley, and Alexander Russel were be
fore the justiciary. They had all disclaimed the king's autho
rity,- and now adhered to their confessions, and were sentenced
to be hanged at the Gallow-lee, between Leith and Edinburgh
on the tenth, Geo. Lapsley got off, by means of some, who,
being Imprisoned for debt, and could not endure the godly ex
ercises of the sufferers, broke prison for them, whereby severals
made their; escape. Robert Garnock had been two years In
prison. James, Stiiart was but a youth ; he happened to come
from the west to see a relation who was in prison at Edinburgh :
his friend got out, and he, being found in the room, was brought
before a committee of the 'council, and soon ensnared by their
questions. When he was silent as to some things, Sir George
Mackenzie threatened tb pull his tongue out with a pair of pin
chers. How hard it was to take up persons against whom
no matter of fact could be proved, and to condemn them to
death upon the answers they gave to their ensnaring questions,
must be left with the reader. Before the jury withdrew, the
¦prisoners gave them a signed protestation, ' advising them to
consider what they were doing, and declaring that they were no
rebels, nor disowned any authority which v/as according to the
, word of God, and Covenants which the land .was bound byr
They charged them lo consider < how deep a guilt flovenant-
breaking was, and put them in mind that they were to answer
Jjefore the great Judge of all for what they did in this matter.
And, after mentioning several acts of their injustice and cruel
ty, they assured them th^t their blood would "o.n day lie heavy
upon them-' Hbwever, the jury brought them in guUty, and,
except George jLapsley, they v/ere all executed at the GaUow-
lee, according to their sentence- Their testimonies are in the
Cloud of Witnesses. The reason why the place of execution
was changed, was because the multitude of executions at the
Cross and Grassmarkpt drew such a numbe^r of spectators, who ,
weVe so much moved at the conduct of the sufferers, that it was
thought expedient to put them to death where the most notorious
malefactors used to be executed. , Their bodies were buried
under the gallows, and their heads and hands set up on the Plea;;.
sants-port. Mr James Renwick was a spectator of this execution, . and,
being now much esteemed by the suffering wanderers, to whoni
fie had joined himiSelf, he assembled some friends, and removed
the bodies of these five martyrs, in the night time, and Interred
them In theAVest church-yard of Edinburgh. They likewise took.
down their heads and hands, but, not, being able to bury them
with their bodies, they Interred them in the garden of one A.

,!-©2 THE HISTORT OP TPIE CtlAP. VI,
Tweedic, who Was with them, where they lay till the 7th of
October 1 726, when they were taken up and buried ' on the
19tli. P. Walker, who was present, gives a particular account
of this interment, which I do not think material to insert here.
On the Sth of October, the council being informed, tlwt
many heritors, who had been forfeited in abseiipe for Bothwell,
resided at or near their own dweiliag-houses, issued a proclama.
tion for apprehending and bringing to justice all- mentioned, p.
98, 99. together with -Gilbert Macllwralth of Dumchory,
'Ihomas Macjairrow of Bar, John Macjarrow of Penjarrow,*
Henry Macjarrow of Athalbany, George Macchir of Benham,
Henry Macilwralth of Auchinflour, John Alexander of Duma.>
chry, Macunken in KilkertoUn,, Allan Bowy of Drumley, James
Wood in Ayr,- Patrick Macdougal of Freugh, Messrs WiUiam
and Alex.inder Gordons of Earlstoun, Mr William Ferguson of
Kaitloch, Dambar younger of MachrLemoir, John BeU of
Whiteside, John Gibson of- Auchinehero, Gibson younger of'
Inglistouii, 'Gcrdoq of Dundeuch, Grier of Dalgonar, Smith of
Kilroch, M.icclelland of Balmagachan, Gordon of Craigie, Lenox
of Irclantoun, Gordon of Barharran, John Fowbertoun of
Auchinrie, Uavid Maccul'oc, son to Ardwell, WiUiam White
head cf I^.lilnhouse, John Welsh cf Cornley, Neilson of Cor
sack, Robert Macclelland of Barscob, his brother Samuel, Ful-
Ibrtou^i of NethermlU, George Maccartney bf Blaiket, Gordon
of Garrery, Gordon pf Kiiockgr'ay, Herron of Littlepark, Gor
don of Holm, Gordon of Overbar, John MacNaught of Cul-
g^iad, Tt^ufdoch, alias Laird Murdoch, Andrew Sword in Gal
loway, and John Malcom in Da,lry in Galloway.
On the 1 1 th of October, John Drysdale, James PoUock, James
Wharrey, and Jofin A^nderson, were banished for conventicles.
Nothing could be prov'sd against them, only they would not
swear "against thefhsel-vesv ''
The encouragement given tp informers procured great trou
ble to the npn-cbnformlsts. There was panicularly an idle
'wicked fellow, one Greenshiel's,' a Weaver, who offered his
, service tb. some bf the counsellors; accordingly orders were
given to the commanding officers at Glasgow, to furnish thiS
new tool with what, men. Jie pleased. Having got a party of
abbUt twenty soldiers, he came about niidnight to the house of
Doucha), iri the parish of Kilmacolm. The gentleman asking
the reason of their di.'-turbirig-him at that time of night, Green-
shiels told him he had orders to search his house for field-
preachers, &ci , The doors were opened, but none could be
found ;' however, the gentleman was obliged to suffer them to
quarter upon him for several days, till they had consumed most
of the family provisions. At la'st they rifled the house, took
'avva'y-tl;e'' silver spoons and knive."!, and then retired. It is true,
, , ¦ I ' ¦ , "¦ }'

*

CHAP. VI. CHURCH OF.SCOTLAND. IDS
Greenshiels was taken, and, the spoons being found about him,
was ordered to be whipt. This was one piece of justice. The
reader may judge what the encouragers and employers of sUch a
villain must deserve.
Some time in this month of October, the Duke of York
made another progress to the west, arid declared himself much
pleased with the respect that was paid him, and the eritertairi-
ment he met with ; but it seems he soon forgot all this, when
he afterwards declared, that It would never be well till all the
south side of Forth were made a hunting-field. His mirth was
interrupted by a protest that was put into his hand by one of
the societies, as he was going along the street in Glasgow. In
this paper, ' They protested against the king In all his tyranny,
« heading, hanging, &c. the people of God ; against the test,
' and welcoming a papist to Scotland with a draught bf the
' blood of the s^nts at two different times, &c. Whereas, say
' they, he ought to be punished with such loading punishments
• as the word of God allows to be inflicted on professed idolaters,'
&c. The Duke, upon reading the paper, did not think It pro-.
per to take much notice of It for the present. However, it
made him sullen and pensive ; so that he hasted fi'om Glas-.
gow as soon as he could ; and it is remarkable, that none con
cerned in it were ever discovered.
On the Sd of November, Sir Patrick Hepburn of Blackcastle
was fined in 2G0/. sterling, for harbouring and conversing with
Mr Semple. The same day Mr John Hutchison, indulged at
Dundonald, Mr James 'Veitch at Mauchlin, and Mr Robert
MiUer at Ochiltree, were charged for breaking their instruc
tions, and excommunicating, or debarring from the Lord's ta
ble, those, who had taken the declaration and bond of peacey and
renounced the Covenants, and not appearing, were ordered to
be denounced and put to the horn. On the 24th, Mr 'Veitch
- appeared before the council, and petitioned against the said sen
tence ; but the advocate brbught a new charge against him, for
taking parents engaged, when he baptized their children, to
bring them up according to the covenants, and for breaking his
confinemeijt., Mr Veitch pleaded not guilty; and, no proof
being ready, was acquitted. Mr Hytchisongpt not so well off;
for, when he appeared, some months after, and refusing to an
swer upon oath to his charge, was deprived of his indulgence.
The same day Thomas Crawford Was released" from, a, long im
prisonment ; but Mr Thomas Archer was still kept in hold un
til they should get witnesses against him; We shall hear more
of him afterwards.
¦ blatters were now come to a very low, "pass; for, on the
one hand, the generality of the presbyteriari'- ministers had so,
ar com plied with the iriciijlgencc, tha-t they wlio ,s{rictly adher-

IO*' THE HISTORY OF TH^ , CHAP, VI.
ed to thfe principles maintaliied by !Mr Cameron and Mr Cargill
had no freedom to subuilt'to them ; and having none now to
officiate among the;m, as ministers, since the martyrdom of Mr
CargiU, they judged it expedient, iri their present distressed cir
cumstances, to form themselves intp spcletles ; and the better
to maintain the common cause of religion and liberty, they uni
ted in a general correspondence, to be kept up through the
shires severally,' arid all the shires conjunctly, where such as
owned their testimony against popery, prelacy, erastianism and
tyranny, resided. By this means, though they were still the
more open to the resentment of their persecutors, yet they at
tained to a better understanding of one another, and were in a
capacity to contribute more to their mutual advantage. They
had their first general meeting, on the 1 5th of -December this
year, at the Logan-hpuse in the parish of Lesmahago, in the
shire of Lanark, where they agreed upon their testimony against
the last parllanient, the Duke of York, a papist, as being com-i
missioner, and appointed, it to be published at the market-cross
of Lanark, on the 12th of January next year. They held their
g,eneral, meetings once a quarter, pr oftener, as they could mpst
conveniently. ' .
But the Hjost remarkable thing about this time was the pro
secution of Archibald earl of Argyle for his explication pf the
test, which he had before opposed in parliament. This noble
peer was the representative of one of the most ancient and
powerful families in S,cotland ': and, by reason of the offices he
held, was comprehended -under the test-act. When the earl
was at Edinburgh, he was ordered by one of the clerks of the
council tb attend next cpuncll-day, being the ' 3d of November,
and take the test. The earl upon this^ went to fhe Duke of
Yorki and complained of this treatment, since the time appoint
ed by the parliament was not yet expired ; but aU was to no
purposed The duke wanted to get rid of this noble peer who
Stood in the way of, his designs. However, matters were so
managed, that thie earl, -vyith the Approbation both of the duka
and council, w^artsrmitted tatake the oath with an explanation,
which indeed was no more than the council themselves had
dorie, as had been related, which makes their treatment of him
the more base and unaccountable. Accordingly, on the third
of November, his lordship came to the council, and with' a
loud voice, made the following explanatory declaration, " • I
* have considered the test, and am desirpus to give obedience as,
* far as lean.- I am confident the parUament never intended
« to Impose -,Coatradictory oaths, therefore I think no man ca
* explain if^butifor himself. Accotdihgly I take it in as far as
* it is consistent with itself and the protestant religion % and I
f do declare I mean not to, bind up thyself, in my station, and
''...... . , ¦ , .

CHAP. VI, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. , 105.
• in a lawful way, to wish and endeavour any alteratipn | think
<¦ to the advantage of the church or state, not repugnant to the
< protestant religion and my loyalty ; and this I understand as,
' ^ part of my oath.' Then the oath was administered to him,
and immediately he took his place as a priyy-counsellor. Nejct
day he waited on his Royal Highness, by whom he was told
that his explication did not please him ; that fie thought it waa
to be a short one, like Queensberry's, and added. Well, it pas
sed with you, but it shall pass so with no other. The earl un
derstood this as an acceptance, and diat, if he had committed
any fault, the duke had passed it over, and would push thc
matter no farther. But his lordship was mistaken j for a de
sign-was fprmed to persecute him for high treason on account
of his explanation ; and the same day Argyle was caUed before
the councU, as a commissioner of the treasury, again to take the
teat. Whether this was not requiring a vain repetition of the
oath must be left to the reader. The earl offered to take the
test as before ; whereupon a-member-of the council desired the
words might be repeated. His Iprdship, observing a design
upqn him, declined repeating, , till being urged by the duke,
he told that he had qommltted to writing what he had delivered,
to prevent mistakes. Which were produced and read. Argyle
would have signed it, but, perceiving their intentions, he waved
that : upon which he was removed ; and, after they had con
certed their measures among them.selves, was caUed in again,
and told, that he had not given the satisfaction required by the
act of parliament, and so could not sit In cpuncll, nor act as a
commissioner of the. treasury. His Lordship made a proper
reply, and removed. Next morning he waited on the duke,
and expressed his surprise; that what he had said, in his expli
cation should be thought -4 crime. The duke said, that the
words were unnecessary and groundless, and that he was not
tied up by the path as he imagined ; and, after a pause, added,
As I have already told you, you have cheated yourself, you have
taiken the test. Then the earl answered. That he hoped his
highness was satisfied. The duke then complained that the
earl had not voted the council's expUcation. Ai'gyle answered,
That he was not present at the debates. The duke Insisted,
that he could not but understa-ad the affair, and added, vvith a
frown. You, with some others, have designed to bring trouble
upon a handful of poor catholics, that would live peaceably
however they were used ; but it should light upon others.
This was plain dealing, ^nd shewed -what was to be expected
when he should have the wlible nianagement in his own hands.
They parted, after the duke had laid Ms commands on him not
to go out of town till he saw him again, which his lordship
complied with.

10^ ' THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF. tl,
The design against the earl beirig now formed, he was ordered
that same night to continue at Edinburgh tUl next council-day,
which was November Sth; when the council sent one of their
'clerks to command him to enter himself prisoner in the castle
of Edinburgh before twelve o'clock next day, which he also com
plied with, and ordered the advocate to pursue him for trea
son, or such other crimes as shall be thought convenient, as the
act of council more fully bears ; and at the same time they
wrote an account of their prbceedlngs to the kl.ig ; but it Is re
markable, that they ordered this noble peer to be prosecuted as
above, before they had any permission from the king. On the
22d-of November the king's letter, dated November 15th, was
read in council, in which he slghlfied his approbation of their
proceedings against the earl ; only required them to acquaint
him before they came to any sentence. But, before the coun
cil had this return; Argyle was summoned to answer a charge of
leasing-making, and depraving- the king's laws. And- such was
the baseness of his lordship's persecutors, that they pretended,
nay, one of them told him, that nothing was intended agSinSt
him but to take his heritable offices from him. And when the
Duke of York was told that it was hard measure, upon such
grounds, to threaten such a person with the forfeiture pf life
arid -fortune, he answered. Life and fortune! God forbid; and,
if he was privy to the designs then -formed, he acted qilly suit-
able to his reUgion. When the kiflg-'s letter was recelvjd, the
advocate was appointed to forman indictment for treason and
perjury, as leasing making and depraving the king's law, to
which he was to. answer,, before the Lords of justiciary, on the
12th of December next.
On the 1 2th of December his lordship was brought before
the justiciary, consisting of the Earl of Queensberry justice-ge
neral, Lords Nairn, Coilingtoun, Forret, Newtoun' and Kiik-
house. The indictment was read, in which he was charged
with dejplaring against and defaming the act enjoining the test,
by Insinuating that the parUament had imposed a contradictory
oath, and that the said oath was inconsistent with itself, and
with the protestant religion, and consequently that the king and
parliament had acted inconsistent with the protestant religion ;
and for treasonably invading tho royal legislative power. Sac. as
the indictment itself more fully bears. An unbiassed reader,
by comparing this nobleman's explication with his indictment,
will see that the crimes charged upon him were without any
solid foundation. Sir George Lochart and Sir John Dalrymple
pleaded with great accuracy and judgment for the earl, so that
the debates "continued tUl nine o'clock at night. There vvere
but four of the lords withthe justice-general at the debates..
-The Lord Nairn, who w-as theri old and infirm, could not con-

(JfiAP. VI. CHtJRC^I 01 SCOTLAND. 107
tinue -all the time of the trial, and so went home to bed. The
Lords Coilingtoun and Kirkhouse Insisted that the earl was not
guilty of leasing-making and treason, and the other two, viz.
Newtoun and Forret, insisted that he was. Queensberry not
chusing to give the ^casting vote against the earl, Nairri was
brought from his bed to the court, that numbers might supply
the want of law and reason, and gave his vote against the earl.
It was two In the rnarning before these things were over, and
then they adjourned till next day, when the lords pronounced'
dieir Interlocutor, wherein they declared the earl's defences with
respect to perjury, to be sufficient, but not with respect to trea
son and leasing-making.
The paper delivered by the earl, containing his explication of
the test, was then produced as evidence against him ; whereupon
the jury withdrew, and in a little brought m their verdict that
the earl was guilty of treason, leasing-making and leasing-tell-
ing, but not guilty of perjury. The council, upon this, met,
and wrote an account of what had passed to the king ; from all
which it is evident that a design was formed against the earl's
life. Bishop Burnet says, ' No sentence, in our age, was more
universally cried out on than this. All people spoke of it, and
of the duke who drove It on, with horror. All that was said
to lessen tliat was, that Duke Lauderdale had restored-the fa
mUy with such an extended jurisdiction, that he was really
the master of all the Highlands ; so that it was fit to attaint
him, that by a new restoringthem, these grants might be better
limited.' ¦• .'
However, all his friends were of ^opinion that he ought to
provide for his safety. A gentleman -was dispatched to court
by the earl, vt'ho, as soon as the king's mind. In answei to the
councU's letter, waa known, came off, and outrode the bearer
of it. By him Argyle found that the sentence of death Was to
be passed upon him, and that the king would be prevailed wirh
to yield to the execution ; nay, before the gentleman's arrival,
his lordship had notice, that on the 2 1st he was to be sent tb
the common jail, to which peers used to be removed a few"_days
before their execution : and therefore, on Tuesday the 20th,
about eight in the evening, he came out in disguise, and very
narrowly escaped. •
When the earl got out, ho rode, without stoppings to a coun
try alc-hou3e near the house of Mr George Pringle of Torwood-
lee, who, by concert, was to meet him there, and conduct him
to Mr William Veitch's house in Northumberland. The earl
went by the name of Mr Hope.
Mr Hope and Mr Pringle came safe to Mr Veitch's, while
ha was at Berwick visiting his friends, and coiitinued there till
Saturday se'cnnight, when Mr Vejtch came home. The be-

108 THE HISTORY Op THE CHSlP. VI.
ginning of the following week Mr Hope, Mr Veitch and two
servants set out for London ; but they were obUged to part
with the two servants on the road, to prevent suspicion, for the
alarm of the earl's escape v/as now general, and a reward of
5001. was offered to any who should apprehend- him. How
ever, he and Mr Veitch got safe to Battersea near London,
where they were conducted to the house of one Mr Smith a
sugar-baker, whose lady was a gentlewoman of great piety, pru
dence, and generosity. He continijed concealed in and about
London till he got over to Holland. Bishop Burnet says, ' One
that saw him knew him, and went and told the king of it; but
he would have no search made for him, and retained still very
good thoughts of him.' But to return to Edinburgh.
The day after Argyle's escape the council Issued a proclama
tion for apprehending him ; a copy of which thfey sent to the
king, and next day had a return to their former letter, wherein
his majesty, gs an evldenpe ofthe good thoughts fie had of the
earl, allowed sentence of d.eath to be passed upon him. Ac
cordingly, on the 23d> the lords of justiciary, by virtue of an
order pf council, -whose .tools they were, passed sentence accpr
dlngly, ordering the earl to be executed, when apprehended, in,
what manner the king shpjild appoint. "The parliament, after
the Revolution, was so sensible of the injustice of this sentence,
that they not only repealed his attainder, bnt also allowed hi?
son td bring action pf damages for a considerable sum a-
gainst the heirs of those judges who cpndepined 'his father. I
shall only add here, that it -was upon this sentence tjiat Argyle
was executed 1685, as'shaU be related in its proper place.
When the njanagers were disappointed by the earl's, escape,
they went on to. persecute the presbyterians, esp.^clally their
ministers, many of whom had, poj accepted the indulgence ; and
iliough they did not chuse to preach in the fields, because oi the
.severity of the times, yet they' preaclied as frequently in house^
as they could with conveniency. The Ddke of'- Yorjc mightily
caressed the bishops, and supported them In all their measures
against their non-conform brethreiv; for it is 'the pleasure of
papists, to see protestants devouring one another, so that ther^
was scarcely a presbyterian came before the council that mef;
.with any,.favour. T^s appeared very evident" In the case of th^
Rev. Mr Fraser of Brae. ¦ -
"Ihis minister had been informed against for a field-conventi
cle, whereupon he and'Jiis bail were summoned before tlie coun
cU InNovernber last; but, soriie of the membeirs being assured
jthat It was only a house conventicle, the citation was dropt.
Meanwhile, when Mr Fraser went north, he "was seized with an
ague. , His bail Sir Hugh Campbell of Calder, purposed writ
ing to the advocate- pr bishop Paterson. Mr Fraser was agains|

CHAP. Vi. CHURCH OF SCO'TLANfJ. 109
this, because, as he told Sir Hugh, did the prelates hear of his
iiidisposirioii,' they would pUsh his citation the harder, that,
in case bf non-appearance, his bond of 5000 merk^ might be
forfeited, &c. Nevertheless the gentlemen -wrote to the bishop,
acquainring him that Mr Fraser had not preached in the fields,
. and was now dangerously ill.
The bishop, upon receiving this letter, ordered matters so,
that next day Mr Fraser was summoned to appear before the
council on the 22d of December. Sir Hugh was a gentleman
of a good estate, and had been ball for presbyterian m.ini'sters
for upwards of 17001. sterling; and therefore they expected
that Mr Eraser would not be able to attend, and Sir Hugh's bond
for 5000 merks would be forfeited, but Mr Eraser, Jather than, his
bail should suffer on his accoun.t, notwithstanding his own indis
position, the inclemency ofthe 'season, and the danger his life was
in, considering what stretches had been made in the case of A.r-
gyle, undertook the journey and came to Edinburgh the day be
fore the time appointed for his appearance.
The bishops and council were not a little surprised to see
him at the bar. After some silence his indictment Was read,
wherein he was charged with preaching in the fields and with
out authority, and venting pernicious and i;ebellipus principles,
etc. and for proof, the matter was put to his oath. He desired
a delay for a few days, but that was refused.^ However, he ob
tained liberty to Speak, and in his speech told them that he had
not preached In the fields since he came from the Bass, nor yet
without authority ; that he had ndver preached seditious princi
ples, nor doctrines inconsistent with the Scripture and theCon-
fessionof Faith composed in James VI's. rime, which he conceiv
ed the last parliament had ratified ; that he' acknowledged magis
tracy as an ordinance of God, and owned the king's authority,
even in ecclesiastical matters, as the nursing father of the church ;
but that it remained undeniable that this power of the magis
trate was not privative of an Intrinsic power in the church, grant*
ed her by Christ,Tor preserving and edifying herself ; that he
could not comply with the government of the church by arch
bishops and bishops, &c. and that, as to his practice, he endea
voured to keep a good conscience both before God and man, &c.
Some of the counsellors were for releasing him ; but the
bishops were against it, and represented him as a dangerous
man, that ought to be made an example of for ihe terror of
others. They were intrusted with the drawing up of his sen
tence, by which he was 'ordered to pay 5<)00 merks for conven
ticles, and to be sent to Blackness tUl he paid it. While he was
imprisoned at Edinburgh he preached to the pirlsoners on the
Lord's day. All his petitions for liberty were for some time
rejected; so that, after he had been six w^eks in prison at

'110 , THE qiSTORY OF THE CHAP, VII.:
Edinburgh, he, was sent to Blackness castle, where he continued
about seven weeks more. When th^ Duke of Yprk. returned
to England his friends embraced that opportunity to intercede
for his release, upon giving bond that he should leave the king
dom. Accordingly he was released and went to London, where
we shall meet with him again.
• CHAP. VII.
Of- the declaration at Lanark ; some farther proceedings about the
test >• the actings of the council against conventicles ; the public
executions ; and other branches of persecution dpring the year ] 682.
I Y the act of payliament last year persons in public offices
had till the first of January this year to take the test ; and
-though some few papists refuSed it, yet care was taken of them
by the Duke of "Tork and his creatures, so that they were no
^reat losers, which was not the case with protestant recusants.
On the Sth of January the laird of Meldrum, being appoint
ed sheriff-depute of East-Lothian, was empowered to use all
jnethods possible for suppressing conventicles there. On the '
7th the council sent a list to the king of those offices and juris/-
'dictions which were become vacant by the refusal of the test, '
and of 'those whom they thought were fit to succeed In theni, ,'
-^wliich his majesty approved of. On the *9th the sentence of for
feiture waspronoanced by the justiciary .jigainst George Arthur
of BannahlU; James TJre of Shargartoun, Donald Connel in
Buchlyvie, heritors in Stirling-shire, Thomas Russel of Middle-
ridge, Edward Marshal of Kaemulr, John Taylor elder in Hole-
"house, John Shaw son to John Shaw of Easter Greenhill, George
Mochrjie feuar of Stonerig, and Thomas Ferguson of Flnnarts,
in the shire of Ayr. Theae gentlemen were singled out among
many others,, who. In November last, were appointed to be pro- .
secuted before, the justices forheing accessary to BothweU.
The last of those gentlemen was not accessary to Bothwell ;
he had an estate, and was a presbyterian. The only proof of
any such thing was, that two men swore, that, a Uttle before ,
Bothwell, a boy came from a house in Ballantrae, where Mr-Fer-
guson was, and warned all in the neighbourhood, who had a mind
to join the said party in arms, to repair to the house to receive
money and arms : but, had this been true, the reader is to judge,
for himself, whether it was a sufficient ground fp^ a forfeiture
of Ufe and fortune. Many werp the hardships he and his f-amily
were put to after this- s * -'
The sufferings of the family of James Ure of Shargartoun
wesre likewise very, considerable during this period. His house
was frequently piUaged by parties cf soldiers. When tic wa^.

CHAP. VII. CHUR.CH OF SCOTLAND. 1 1 1
forfeited after bothwell, where he behaved with courage, hia
rents arid moveables were all seized, and many times parties
were in search for him, but he happily escaped. His mother,
a gentlewoman about seventy years of age, was put In prison at
Glasgow, where she died, notwithstanding all the'interest that
was made for her. Meanwhile 1001. Scots was offered to any
who should apprehend Shargartoun dead or alive ; but he es
caped to Ireland, where he continued half a year.' Then he
ventured home, but he wa? obliged to conceal himself in tha
fields ; so that during the winter 1 684, he lay in the wootl of
Balquhan for several weeks. His lady was apprehended for
conversing with her own husband, and carried prisoner to Stir
ling, with a sucking child on her breast, and from thence to
Edinburgh, and put into the Canongate jail. At Ijst the mana
gers, being ashamed of this piece of conduct, thought fit to re
lease her. Shargartoun survived his troubles, and Uved tUl af
ter the unnatural rebellion 1715, when he saw vengeance over
take some of his persecutors.
On the 12th the council ordered letters to be wrote to tlie
patrons of twenty-one parishes, now vacant by the ministers re
fusing the test, to plant them with proper persons with all con
venient speed ; so that here were twenty-one of the prelatlcal
clergy who scrupled the test. However, some of them got their
scruples removed, particularly Mr Alexander Wood minister of
Cockpen, who upon taking this oath, was ordered to get a new
presentation to. his parish. The same orders had been given to
the magistrates of Aberdeen with respect to the mmisters there.
On the 12th of lamuary the declaration appointed by the society
of general correspondence was published at Lanark according
to their order ; of which the following is a short abstract.
' Although we ought to take in good part whatever God iri his
' infinite wisdom hath carved out unto us, — and acknowledge
* government and governors as ordained by him, in so far as
' they rule arid govern according to the rules set down by him
* In his word, and constitutive laws of the nation ;~yet when
* "all these laws — are cassed' and annuUed by pretended laws,
' and the highest usurpation, and an explicable prerogative in
• matters ecclesiastic, and arbitrary government in matters clvU,
' is arrogate, when a banner of impiety, &c. is displayed, — when
« the. parliaments — are so prelimlted by law, as that no tfue son
« of the state or church hath liberty to sit and vote there —
' What shall the people do in such extremity ? Should they give
• their reason as men, theU consciences as Christians, and resign
^ their liberties, fortunes, religion, and their aU, to the inexorable
' obstinacy, incurable wilfulness and malice of those who, in
* spite of God arid man, — are resolved to make their own wlil
' the absolute and sovereign rule of their actions ? shall the eild
1 f

112 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. Mi.
* of government bejost through the weakness, wickedness and
tyranny of governors ? — Have not the people, in such an ex
tremity, good ground to make use of that natural and radical
power they have to shake off that yoke ? — Which accordingly
the Lord honoured us (in a general and unprellmited meeting
of the estates and shires in Scotland) to do ; a convention of
unprellmited members, a convention of men who had only
the glory of God and the good of the, common-wealth
before their eyes. At which contention he was most le
gaUy, and by general consent, cast off by - the declaration
at Sanquhar. But that we may not seem to have done that,
or yet to do the like, upon no grounds,-^we shaU hint at some
of thp many thousands of misdemeanors of the new cast-off
tyrant. — And, 1. At his very entry, at one blow, in his first
parliament, he cut off the neck of . that noble constitution of
church and state v/hlch our noble and worthy ancestors had
made. 2. Did he not take to himself a licentious privilege, '
the exalting himself into a sphere exceeding all measures di
vine and human, both in matters civil and ecclesiastic, making
us a laughing-stocic to the nations, — who say, we have only
the law of letters instead of the letter of the law ? 3, Hath
he not adjourned and dissolved parliaments at his pleasure ?
4. Hath h: not seated himself,, as supreme, head over all per-
sons civil ami ecclesiastic, — arid oppressed the godly for con
science sake ? — 5. Time will fail us to narrate what exorbi
tant taxes, cessirigfe, &c. dilapidating the rights and revenues
of the cro-*'n, for no other end but to employ them for keep^
ing up a brothel rather than a court-:— 6. He hath in a late
parliament, secured the succession to such a one, if not worse
than himself, formed the test, &c.' In the conclusion, they
offer to prove that they have done nothing contrary to the an
cient laws of the kingdom ; but only endeavoured to extricate
themselves from a yoke of tyranny, and ^ to reduce church and
state to what they were in 1648, 1649. '.
In the informatory Vindication some expressions are acknow-
'^Jfedged to be very exceptionable, such as the attributlag to the
publishers of the Sanquhar declaration the title of a convention
of estates; and, in other Expressions, seeming to appropriate
authority to its own author : and, as to the 'matter of the de
claration relating to their renouncing the authority that then
was, enough has been said already. There were several pre
sent at the pubhcation of this in arms, when a copy, of it was
fixed to the market cross. Mr James Renwick waS employed
in proclaiming this, but had no hand in drawing it up ; other
wise, says the Rev. Mr Shields, in some things it had been more
considerately worded ;¦ for though he approved of the matter of
it, and the reasons given for disowning the authority of the ty
rant, yet he always confessed there were some expressions m it

CHAP. Vll. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 113
very unadvised. It was her^ tliey burnt the test and the act of
succession. When the news of this came to Edinburgh, the, council, on
the 14th of January, wyote tp the king an account of the de
claration that Jiad been published, and made an act for burning
the Solemn League and Covenant, the declarations published at
Rutherglen and Sanquhar, and this at Lanark. This was done
with great pomp. A large theatre was erected at the Cross,
and some of the magistrates attended In their robes until these
papers were burnt by the hangman ; . but it was taken particu
lar notice of, that the Bailie of Edinburgh, who attended on this
service, and who gave the Covenant Into the hands of the exe
cutioner, had all his houses in the Parliament Close, which were
reckoned the most stately in Europe, soon,afte:r reduced to ashes.
^ough all pains was taken to suppress the flames, yet they
baffled every attempt, until those houses were laid in ruins.
The townf^of Lanark was fined in 6000 merks for not hinder
ing the declaration to be published there, though ft was not in
their power to prpvent it, and the shire suffered exceedingly on
this account ; for Major White was ordered to march thither
with some forces, and, by the instructions he received, was
impowered to get a list of all forfeited persons, to inform hirii-
self ,of the haunts and lurking places of the rebels, as they
were called, of all that received or harboured them, and particu-
la^^ly of those concerned in the above declaration ; to seize, and
apprehend them, to dissipate convenflcles,^ Sec. Many other
commissions of this kind were afterwards given.
On the 27th, Claverhouse was sent into GaUoway td execute
military orders there ; and, on the SOtli, received a commission,
as sheriff of Wigtoun, to punish all disbrders, disturbance of
the peace, and church Irregularities in Kirkcudbright, Annan
dale, WigtoUn and Dumfries. There was likewise a proclama
tion issued, for furnishing the soldiers with corn, hay arid straw
for ready moriey ; but, as this was neither observed, nor the de
linquents caUed , to an account, the country was exposed to no
small oppression. The same powers' were in a fevv-days grat
ed to Major White apd Meldrum In the shire of Lanark, to
gether with a justiciary power against all below heritors, whp had
been in what they called the rebellion,] However, Duke Hamilton
had so much interest as to get these a little softened. On the
Slst, the council wrote to the king, and moved that the juris
dictions pf the late Earl"bf Argyle might be for ever annexed to
the crown. . ,
The parliament, which was to sit In Ma^ch, was adjourned
to the 17th of April, and from that to November ; and thpugJi
in one pf these proclamations the king was made to say. That
he wUl nqt soon part with so loyal and dutiful a parliament,
VOL', ir. H

114, ' THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VII.
yet no parliament sat any more during this reign. The mini
stry could carry on their designs without them.
In this month, James Gray of Chrystoun, venturing home to
see his famUyJ was, on a Sabbath evening, seized by a party of
dragoons, and' carried In prisoner to Glasgow, ar.d, after three
br four weeks, to Edinburgh, where he lay a long time in jail,
without being called before ariy court. After a year's imprison
ment he was brought before the council, who attacked him
with their ensnaring questions ; but, because he owned that the
matter of the Covenant was lawful, and Its obligations binding,
and adhered to the principle of self-defence upon just ground,
and refused to subject himself to the present church ' establish
ment, he was sent back to prison, where he lay more than tw^
years. In the year 16i84, a sentence of banishment was pro
nounced against him ; and in August 1685, he was, without
the least previous notice, hurried from prison, with about one
hundred ant^ forty more, and put aboard Captain Love's ship,
arid was transported j:o Jamaica.^, They endured great hard
ships in their passage, by being crowded under the hatches,
without having provisions sufficient for their support, rior any
refreshment during the sickness wherev/ith not a few of them
were seized. Many died of thirst. Some offered a crown for
a draught of water, of which there was plenty, but were refus
ed. After a three month's .passage they were sold at Jamaica.
Mr Gray was old,' being then near sixty years ; and they who
had the disposal of him refusing to part with him but for a large
sum, he was imprisoned and fell- sick. Being 'then apprehen
sive of his death, rather than lose all, they thought proper to
release him, upon his paying i.51. sterling. He survived his
troubles, and died in his native country.
On the 20th, William Harvey, weaver in Lanark, was before
the justiciary, and indicted for bemg at the late rebellion, and'
at the publishing of the declaration. He was brought in guilty,
and ordered to be hanged at Lanark on the Sd of-next m.onth.
On the 22d, the Rey. Mr Patrick Warner (after the Revolu
tion minister of Irwin) was apprehended in Edinburgh, at the
house of his mother-in-law Mrs Guthrie, by a party of the
guards commanded by captain Maitland, joined wkh some of
the town-company commanded by major Johnstoun. They
violently broke open the doojrs, ransacked the house, pulled
him out of his bed, and took with them upwards of twen
ty copies of Calderwood's history, lately printed, and most
ly at his'own charges, with some hundreds of the second book
of- discipline, and several other valuable books and manu
scripts; nay,-they searched his pockets, and took what mo
ney they could find, together with his watch ; but captain
i.laitland was so kind as to oblige them to restore the watch te

CHAP. VII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 115
Mrs Warner. Johnstoun and his men carried off her we -.ring
apparel and linen. The books and manuscripts were taken to
.the council-house, but were never returned. He was immedi
ately carried to the Abbey-guard, where he continued till next
morning. The same night Mr WiUiam Livingston, son to the Rev. Mr
John Livingston at Ancrum, was apprehended with al,l his pa
pers ; but, after a month's Imprisonment, was released, upon
finding bail to appear when called. But, ,
Mr Warner met with severer treatment. He had been li
censed 1 669, and was ordained at London, with a view to be
settled in the East-Indies. Accordingly he arrived there, and
was about tKree years minister at Fort- St George, upon the
, coast of Corom.'.ndel. He returned to Scotland about the year
1677, ancl preached in houses and in the fields, as he had op
portunity, till Bothwell. Then he retired ro HoUand, where he
continued till last year, when he came and married a daughter
ofthe Rev. Mr WUliam Guthrie. The day after he was ap
prehended, he was carried up the street to-the Parliament-close,
under a guard of a whole company of musqueteers, as if he had
been some notable malefactor, and brought before a committee
of the council, where he was examined as to his preaching in
the fields, the primate's death, the papers found about him, the
second book of discipline. . They had nothing to lay to his charge
but n'bn-conforniity. He was se.veral times before them, and
though they were at great pains to find a sufficient acpusatiori,
they laboured in vain. He continued in prison, without re
ceiving any indictment, not for -want iriclination, but matter.
During his Imprisonment he lectured 'and preached twic'e
every Lord's day to the prisoners, and some others, who, by the
interest of friends or money, could be admitted. After Sundry
applications of his friends, it was proposed that he should give
'bond not to preach any more unless he conformed, or remain
perpetually in prison, or leave the kingdom, and give ball not-
to return without permission, under the, penalty of SOOOmerkS.
He chose the last, and the council, on the 7th of June i682,
¦ brdered him to be released and depart the kingdom in fifteen
days. When that time was expired, he went to Berwick, 'and
continued for a little on the English side nf the Tweed, till he
could get his family removed ; then he hired a small house near
the vUlage called Spittle, where he preached some times in his
own, and some times in a neighbouring house. , But his enemies
•in Scotland being vexed that he vvent no fartiier, procured an or
der from the king and English council for apprehending him,
so that, here began a new period of his sufferings. Mr 'Wairner
being apprehensive of danger, found it necessary to retire farthpr
2

116 THE HISTORY or, THE CHAP.VlI.
~mto England, and at last took a house in Newcastle, whither
he brought his family. *'
> By tlys time Colonel Struthers had repeated orders to seize
him ; and accordingly he was apprehended at a friend's house,
and carried that night to a private house, , five or six miles
distant, and kept prisoner there. Meanwhile some of them,
pretending to inform his* Wife, and bring him linen, &c. went
and rifled his house, and took with them what papers they could'
find. Next day hfe and his papers were brought to colonel
Struthers, who was a justice of peace. Mr Warner shewed
him the act by which he was released and banished from Scot
land, and c'lviily asked him what he had to lay to his charge since
he came to England, and at the same time assured him he had
, never returned into Scotland since that time.
, , The Colonel being surprised, called for him next day, and
asked him if he was willing to take the oath of allegiance ? Mr
Warner desireid time; to consider of it.i Upon this he was com
mitted to Newcastle jail, his mittimus only bearing that he had
refused to take the oath bf aUegiance. He continued here seven
or eight weeks, till the sitting of the assizes. Being informed
that the said oath Would be put to him, he resolved to take it ii
he found that there, was nothingiof the supremacy in it.
When called before the court he humbly desired to be jsatls-
fied in a few things, which the judge permitting, he asked, 1,
?Whether this oath did bind him to aUegiance to the "^king's
* successors de facts, as well as de jure P' The judge answered.
It did nbt. - 2. Whereas the oath binds him to be obedient to
the king and laws, he desired to be satisfied, ' whether, in case
* any bf the laws should be such as he, could not in conscience
' give active obedience to, he was bound, by this oath, any far-
« ther than either to obey or suffer according to law?' The
judge declared he was bound no farther.' S. Since he was a
stranger in England, and perhaps might in a little time rem.ove
elsewhere, he desired to know, * whether he was, by the oath
' offered just now, bound tb give the obedience formerly men-
« tioned any longer than he was in England, seeing, when he
' comes to live In another nation or kingdom, it rriay be sup-
* posed he must be obedient to the laws thefebf, and yet those,
f in several, things, may be different from those in England ?',
The judge told him his obedience was no longer due than while
h'e continued in England. He took the oath upon these terms,
.and was released.
The reader cannot but observe, that though matters were
very bad in England, at this time, yet tyranny and oppression
were not arrived at that height as they were by our prelatlcal
managers In Scodand; for here Mr Warner was allowed to pro
pose his scruples In open court concerning thp oath of aUegi-

CHAP.VlI. CHURCH PF SCOTLAND 117
ance ; but in Scptland a noble peer was condemned to die only
for offering an explanation of the self-contradictory test. Mr '
Warner's charges, by his jail- fees, the loss of his books and pa
pers, &c. were upwards of 100/. sterling. He retired soon after
to Rotterdam, where he continued till 1687, when he returned
to his native country, and was v§ry useful in the church of Scot
land for many years after the Revolution.
From what -Mr Warner suffered, one may form a judgment
of the sufferings of many others in this period, of whom my
author co^ld give no account, such as professor George Camp
bell of Edinburgh,. Mr Thomas Hog at Kiitearn in the shire of
Ross, Mr James Veitch at Mauchlin, Mr Alex. Pltcairn at
Dron, Mr James Kirktoun, after the Revolution minister at
Edinburgh, Mr A. Hasty at Glasgow, Mr Rob. Langlands, first
at the Barony-church in Glasgow, and then at Elgin in Moray,
Mr Will. Archibald, Mr Jo. Harroway, Mr Pat. Coupar, and
others, who were refugees in Holland. This was also the case
of several noblemen and gentlemen^ as the Earl of Loudon,
Lord Strathnaver, afterwards Earl of Sutherland, and Lord,
Stair. .On the 23d of February, the council considering that several
of the clergy in the diocese of Aberdeen had takcii the test,
passed an act allowing them to return to their charges, and en
joy the profits and emoluments of the same, as Mr John Men
zies professor of divinity in the Marishal college, Mr Pat. Simp
son and Mr Will. Blair, ministers of the said burgh, Mr Ja.
Garden professor of divinity in Old Aberdeen, Mr Geo. An
derson in Mortlich, Mr Jo. Barclay at Cruden, Mr Jo. Cork-
brlen at Old-Deer, and Mr Pat. Innes at Banff, Mr Rob. Irvine
at Towle, and several others of the recusant clergy, getting the
better of their scruples, were adriiltted to take the test.
On the 3d of March William garvey was executed at La
nark. He had liberty to deliver his last words, though the drums
were ready to beat. He declared , himself a presbyterian, and
that, Iif his judgment, people should obey the kinu In his lawful
authority. ~ He likewise declared that be believed the Scripture,
the Confession of Faith and Catechisms, adhered to the Cove
nants and all the faithful testimonies since 1660, and that he
was for kingly gbvernment according to pod's word. He died
with much' composure. And though he was made, a sacrifice
to the Lanark declaration, yet it does' not appear that he had
any concen in that, but only in proclaiming the vvest country
declaration before Bothwell.
A few days after this the council, being informed bf some
conventicles, gave prbper orders for' punishing the person gulfty
with the utmost severity of the law,

118 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VII.
Meariwhile the Duke of York, having signified his intention
of going to England to meet the king. at Nevi'marketj required
Queensberry to' follow -him, in order to laybefore his majesty
the state of the treasury; and says Bishop Burnet, ' at parting
* he recommended to the council to preserve the public peace,
' to sUppbrt the church, and oblige all men to live regularly in
• obedience tb the laws.' ' ,
The bishops made their court to him with so much zeal, that
they wrote a^letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to be com
municated to the rest of the English bishops, setting forth, in
a very high strain, his affection to the church and his care of it;
and^least this piece of merit had been stifled by Sancroft, they
sent a copy of it to the press, vdiich was a greater reproach to
tfie'mthan a service to the duke, who could not but despise such
abject arid Indecent flattery. My author' says, bishop Paterson
went up with the duke, and probably carried the letter, which
was as follows. , -
May it please your Grace, March 9, 1682.
"IITIS Royal Highness having passed from hence on Monday
-"--^ last, being called by the king to attend his majesty at
Newmarket, we should' proye very defective in dhty and gra
titude, if, upon this occasion, we should forget to acknowledge
td your grace, how much this poor church and our order do
owe to his prificely care and .goodness, that his majesty and
the worthy bishops of England may from, you receive the
just accoiint thereof. Since his Royal Highness's coming to
this kingdom, we find our case much changed to the better,
and our church arid order, which through the cunning and
power of their adversaries, we're exposed to extreme hazard
and contfempt, serisibly relieved and rescued ; which next to
the watchful providence of God, that mercifully superintends
his chUrch, we can ascribe to nothing so mjjch as to his Royal
Highness's gracious owning and vigilant protection of us.
Upon all occasions he gives fresh instances of his eminent zeal
against tfic most unreasonable schism, which, by rentinT,
threatens the subversion of our church and religion, and con
cerns himself, as a patron to us, in all bur public and even'
personal interests ; so that aU men take notice of his signal
kindness tb us, and observe, that he looks on the enemies of
the church, as adversaries to the monarchy Itself; nor did
we ever propose or offer to his Royal Highness any rarional
expedient, which might conduce for relief or security of the
church, which he did not readily embrace and effectuate.
The peace and tn\nqn'llity of this kingdom is the effect of his
prudent and steady conduct of affairs, and thc humours of

CHAP. , VII. CHURCH OF SC0TLA>JD. 119
' our wicked fanatics are much restrained from dangerous erup-
« tions, upon their apprehensions of his vigUance and justice ;
' for they dread nothing so much as to see him upon the head
' of his majesty's councils and forces' against them. We hope-
' your grace wUl make our dutiful acknowledgments to his
< Royal High'ness, for all his princely favburs to us, and give hira
' the most fervent assurance of our sincere endeavours to serve
« him, and of our most ferventprayers for his temporal and eter-
• nal happiness, as the bound duty of us. May it please youi
* grace, your grace's most humble, &c.' This famous letter
was subscribed by the Atchblshops of St Andrews and Glas
gow, the Bishops of Edinburgh, Dunkeld, Galloway, Brechin
and Dumblain, and was published at London on the 28th of
April. Whenthe duke was gone, the counsellors were ordered
to stay at Edinburgh till his return. On th^ 21st Lord Living
stone and the Marquis of Athol were empowered to act against
conventicles, and had soldiers to assist them, as, was likewise
the Earl cf Linlithgow on the 30th. On the 27th, Christian
Fife, a poor lUlterate woman, was prosecuted before the justi
ciary for high-treason, for beating one Mr Ramsay in the Old-
kirk of Edinburgh, and declaring that she thought the king no
lawful king, &c. She was sentenced tb be hanged on the 7th
of April, which was done accordingly, , ^
On the 4tli of ,April, Thomas Greg merchant in Carrick,
travelling with his pack, was seized by Claverhouse, and after
his money and goods were taken from him, was carried first to
Newtoun in Galloway, -and next _to Dumfries, where he was
Imprisoned, and,had been starve^^o death had it not been ,for
the t;haritable supplies of gpfifri 'people. After eleven days im
prisonment, without any trial or sentence, he and sundry others
were put aboard ship, at Leith bound for Holland, and gifted as
recruits there.
Qn thfr7th, Robert Fl^rnlng of Auchinfin, Hugh Macllwralth
of Auchinfloor, Major Joseph Learmont and Robert Macclel
land of Barscob, who, with several others, had been forfeited
in life and fortune, having been apprehended, were broqght be.r
fore the justiciary, and without any farther trial, ordered to be
executed at the Grassmarket of Edinburgh on Wednesday the
12th ;_ but it seems all of them got off through Interest. Bar
scob made some compliances, and was of use to the managers
afterwards. On tlfe 23d, the Rev. Mr Henry Erskine was apprehended,
when at family-worship, by Meldrum with a party of soldiers, and
sent prisoner to Melross. Next day his nfephew James Erskine
of ^SheUfield became bail for his appearartce, when called, .in th?
sum of 5000 me'rks. He was ordained minister at CornbULiij

120 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VII.
tlie north of England about 1649, and was ejected by the act
of uniformity. He afterwards returned to Scotland, where he
preached, sometimes In the fields, ahd. frequently in his own
house, till September last year, when he was rendered incapa
ble of preaching or praying by a violent Indisposition of body.
Meldrum, on the 8th of May, called for him and his bail, and
having given up the bond, carried him prisoner to Jedburgh,
where he was a second time released, upon bail to appear at
Edinburgh bn the 1 2th, '
Meanwhile the Duke of York arrived on the Sth, and imme
diately told the council. That it was his majesty's pleasure the
Lord' President, afterwards Earl of Aberdeen, be ChanceUor,
Queensberry treasurer, and the Earl of 'Perth Justice-general.
This last, who soon after turned papist, being how at the- head
of the criminal cpurt, the sufferers could expect no favour, and
their reasons fpr continuing to disown the then authority could
not but be strengthened.
The duke was shipwrecked on his return. He and several
more were saved in the boat ; but the Earl of Roxburgh, the
laird of Hopeton, Sir Joseph DoUglass, the Lord Obriari, with
the duke's brother-in-law Mr Hyde, and several others, were
lost. Bishop Burnet tells us, ' That as he was going back to
bring the duchess, the Glocester frigate, that carried him struck
on a bank of sand. The duke got into a boat, and took care
of his dogs, and some unknown persons, who were supposedji
from that earnest care of his, to be priests. The long,.boat
went off with very few in her, though she might have carried
considerably more than she did. 1 50 persons perished, so'me
of them men of great quality. But the duke took no notice of
this cruel neglect, which was laid chiefly to Leg's charge.
On the 1 2th Mr Henry Erskirie, notwithstanding of his be
ing seized with an ague, came to Edinburgh, and was brought
before a committee of the coijncU, where, after some pre
vious examination, the advocate asked him If he would bind
himself to preach no more at conventicles. « He answered,
« My lord, I have my commission from Christ, and, though I '
' were within an hour of my death, I durst not lay it down, at
' any mortal man's foot.' His affair was delayed tiU the' sixth
of June. \
Meanwhile on the 15th of May, the duke dnd duchess of
York set out for England, whither he could ' now repair with
ease, when the patrons of liberty, were suppressed, and the vil
est men wete exalted. ' ;
Onthe r7th one Robert Gray an Eriglishman, and conse
quently rione of their subjects, having been apprehended about
ten months before, upon what pretence is not known, was be
fore the justiciary. They had nothing to lay to his charge when

CHAP.VlI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 121
he was seized. But some time last month he wrote a letter
from prison, in answer to one he had received from John An
derson, wherein he approved of what had been dorie in castirig
off the tyrant ; and called the oath,, appointed by the , last par
liament; the black test. He owned the letter, and the expres
sion in it to be his opiriion, and for this was condemned to be
hanged in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh on the 1 9th, which
was executed accordingly. His testimony is in the Cloud of
Witnesses, wherein he justly observes, that they were unjustly
taking away his Ufe merely for adhering to his principles, and
had no matter of fact to prove against him, &c.
When he was brought to the council-house, and desired to
purge the city of blood, he told them that judgment would over
take the city for the innocent blood that had been shed there.
At the place of execution he sung Psal. Ixxxiv. "and read John
XV. and, after he had prayed, went up the ladder, and looking
about to the multitude, said, ' Sirs, you are feeding your eyes
' Upon me, but what See ye upon me ? Surely you see not the
* wrath of God upon me : but, if you would look up to the
« heavens, you might see the w^rath of an angry God against
' yourselves. — I am brought out of another nation to own that
' covenant which ye have broken. — Glory, glory, glory be to his
' name, that ever he gave me at life to lay down for him, in
• wittjessing against his enemies, and the wrongs done to my
• Lord and Master Jesus Christ — As for you who are the rem-
* nant pf the Lord's people,— keep your ground, and beware of
< turning aside to one hand or another ; and I will assure you
' the Lord wUl prepare a Zoar for you. Cleave to truth and
? to one another, and, as sure as God lives, ye shall see yet
' glprious days in Scotland ; for I die in the faith of it, that he
• is bn his way returning to the land ; but wo ! wo 1 wo ! will
* be to those who are enemies and strangers to him.' After he
had prayed a little within himself, he was turned over.
The day after this executlori the council, in consequence of
what the duke of York recommended to them at hl^ departure,
gave instructions to general Dalziel to march With some soldiers
to the Shires of Lanark and Ayr, and to send the laird of Mel
drum, and what officers he should judge proper, to the shires
of Roxburgh, Selkirk and Berwick. . '
The general's instructions -were very extensive. He was,
among other things, to hear and consider what proposals Duke
Hamilton and the other commissioners of the shire would make
fbr securing tlie peace of it for the future,— ^to call for a list of
such rebels as had not yet submitted, to hear what submission
any of them, would make, to think upon proper methods for
^ppretiending- any of them, or of any vagrant preachers, and for-

122 • THE HISTOIIY OF THE CHAP. VII,
making persons, both innocent and guilty, keep their parish
churches, &c. The general and those commissioned by him
obeyed these instructions.
Oil the 29th, the council having Information ofa riot in the
parish df Dron upon Mr Drummond, ordered a company of foot
under Captain Maitland to quarter on the parish, and to receive
orders frpm the Marquis of Athol, and apprehend those con
cerned in it, especially, Mr Alexander Pltcairn and his beadle,
who were reputed to have promoted it. Some prisoners vvere
upon this afterwards sent in to Edinburgh, and the Marquis of
Athol had thanks for his diligence.
On the 6th of June Mr Henry Erskine was indicted before
the council for preaching at conveKticles, disorderly marriages '
and baptisms. He denied t'ne whole, -and pleaded his indispo-
sitio^n since 1681. But, because he would not swear against
himself, he was sentenced to pay 5000 merks fine, to go that
night to the prison at Edinburgh, and next day to the Bass till
the fine was paid. Mr John Linlithgow of Redpath was prose
cuted with him, and received the same sentence.. But what
"was the consequence with respect to him my author does not
'know. Mr Erskine, through the interest of some , fiiends, es
caped going to the Bass, and was allowed to depart out of the,.
kingdom. ~ He retired to the north of England,' where he lived
somewhat at ease for two years and a half. Then he was ap
prehended, and was for some time a prispneir. After he was re--
leased he continued preaching every Lord's day at Monnilaus tUl
1687, when he returned, co Scotland, and kept a meeting-house
till t'ne Revolution, when he was called to be minister at Churn-
side, where lie died 1696. ''
On the Sth of June the council gave a commission to Andrew
Atchison writer in Tdinburgh, under the direction of the Lord
Montgomery, Sir Archibald Stuart of Blackball, &c. to proceed
against persons -guilty of church disorders in the. shire of Ren^*
frew, and for apprehending rebels, vagrant preachers, or the
harbourers of them, &c. The officers of the army were com
manded to. assist In prosecuting the ends of this commission. '
Next day the following ministers were outlawed, viz. Messrs
James Rytrier, Robert Gillespie, Thomas Arnot, John Har-
foway, John Ferguson, John Gillespie and John Moncrief.
The same day Mr Thomas Arcler, who had since July last '
year been in prison for non-coiifprmity, was released. While
in the Canpngate jail he is said to have made himself master of
the Hebrew, Chaldalc, Syriac, and some other oriental lan
guages. He went over to Holland, and improved himself in all
the valuable branches of literature, and was there ordained by
IVIr Fleming and other Scots presbyterian ministers then at Rot-

GHAP.' VII. .CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 123
terdam. We shall hear more of him afterwards, when he came
over with Argyle. <
The council, on this 9th of June, authorised Duke ' Hamil-
lo.i, and others, to grant safe conduct to Such of the reputed
rebels as petitioned for it, under a becoming sense of their rebel
lion, and upon signifying their resolution to Uve regularly for
the future. This commission was to continue only to the 3d of
August. Ir was afterwards lengthened out to the 15th, and then
to the 6th of September. Some petitions were presented, and
the petitioners allowed to come in before the council. , But few
who are concerned iii BothweU took the benefit of this, because
the test was imposed on all who Ciime before the council.
On the 1 5tli the societies united for correspondence had their
general quarterly meeting at Tala-liii in the parish of Tweeds-
muir in the shire of Peebles, and used their utmost endeavours
against the errors of James Russel and Others, who had run in
to the extravagancies of John Gib. The curate of the parish
acquainted the councU with this meeting, which gave rise to a
most virulent proclamation. Some of them it seems were ia
^rrns, but their number was small, not near to what they were
represented in the proclamation, I shall j ust no w give an abstract of.
Meanwhile, on the 7th of July, one Robert -Nairn, in the
parish of BonlilU, was brought under a lerles of troubles. The
fine which was laid upon him some time lak year was now ex
acted. He was forced to quit his employment, leave his house
and famUy, and dismiss his servants. His house was frequent
ly rifled. '
About this time John Bredln in the same parish, John Flock-
hart in the Hole of Klppen, and Thomas Thomson in Easter-
Couchland, were, for mere non-comformlty, harrassed by the
oppressions of fines, quarterings, and the like.
The' council, on the Sth of July, published a most severe pro-,
clamation in the king's name, setting forth. That, of late some
traitors, runnagadpes and fugitives had assembled, about the
number pf eighty, with forbidden Weapons, and in an unla-wful
Inanner, near to 'rala-Un in the shire of Peebles ; and that the
people of that country had been so deficient in their duty as"hot
to give timely notice of such meetings either to the council or
sherifi"of the shire ; and therefpre they commanded all the sub
jects in town and country throughout the klngdbn), upon know
ledge or information that any number of men meet unlawfully
in arms,, or appear m company in any place, or where any oiie.
cr two bf such as are declared traitors or fugitives 'Sliall repair,
that they presently give Ijitimatlon of it to the chanceUor, or
^uch of the couricil as shall.be at Edinburgh for the time, or to
^ny commander of the forces that shaU be nearest,- and to the
sheriff of the -shire,, ste ward of the stewartry, &c. where the

134 THE HIS-BORT OF THE CHAl*. VII.
said meeting or persons appear, or are informed to be, and that
within the space of one hour at mpst for every three miles dis
tance they are at the time from Edinburgh, or from the nearest
commarider of the forced, sheriff or other magistrates. Upon
this information all slrerlffs, magistrates, &c, were required to
assemble a stifficient number of the subjects, with whom they
were to search for and apprehend such persons, and pursue them
till they are apprehended or expelled out of their jurisdlciiions,
and, upon their fiight, to acquaint the magistrates of the next
shire, who are required to do the same, and so from shire to
shire, tUl they are expelled the kingdom, -And whoever were
refractory, when required were to be treated as being art and part
with them.
The proclamatlpn, of which this Is but a short abstract,, speaks
for itself, and sufficiently shews the spirit of the managers. The
society meetings were held with the utmost secrecy. The oc
casion and design of them wc have already shewn ; but now the
proclamation for theJItts dnd Cry, ¦as it was called, was publish
ed -which could not but expose the poor w^anderers to the great-
' est oppressions and calamities. Wnen the administration was
- in such hands we need not wonder though things stUl grew
-worse and worse; forthey ne:ct granted not only a council-power
but also a justiciary xpower, to some officers of the army, and
others of desperate fortunes and ill morals, i
Accordingly, on the 3th of August, the councU, consideriijg
how remiss magistrates were in punishing those that kej)t con-
venciclcs, withdrew from ordinances, &c, and in suffering those
in the late rebellion to live in quiet, &c. ordered a comnyssion
to be given to majpr White, and the laird of Meldrum, to meet
and confer with sheriffs, bailies of regalities, and other
magistrates, and call before them, when arid where they shall'
think proper, all persons, .whether in town br country, whether •
heritors, tenahts, or others, guUty or suspected to be guilty of
withdrawing from ordinances, &;c. since the indemnity 1679,
to hold courts, to pronounce sentence, and order the same to be
executed upon, the guilty. And,, if the magistrstes should re
fuse to concur, the said commissioners had power to act by
themselves, and to call the magistrates in the shires under their
jurlsdictioris to account fbr their diligence against the persons
guilty of the said disorders. The commissioners were also im
powered to inform themselves of those who were in the late
rebellion, and yet lived in their bonds, and enjoyed their rents
and moveables, that they might take a:i Inventory of them, to
sequester them for his majesty's use, and pursue and apprehend
the rebels themselves, and the harbourers pf them, in order to
their being brought to justice. They likewise ordered a justi-
ciary-'power to the said nrajor White and the laird of Meldrum,

CHAP.VlI. CHURCH OF, SCOTLAND. 12,'J
with authority to call befor* them any of the late - rebels, not
being heritors, to bring them to a trial, and pass sentence upou
them, as they shall be brought in innocent or guilty.
By this act It is very pl.dn, that the executive power was ta
ken out of the hands of inferior magistrates, and put into those
of their own creatures ; and the officers of the army had novv
the power of life and death. In consequence of this act divers
kinds of commissions were granted, which I shall not here in
sert. White and Meldrum received their commissions in ths;
terms of the act. Commissions of the same nature were, about
the end of the year granted to Crawford of Ardmillan, the Eari
of Linlithgow, John Skene of Hallyards and Kenneth Macken
zie of Suddie, which last was for the northern shires of Ross
and Cromarty.
The same day Thomas Lauchlan, who was one of those for
feited, -and ordered for execution when apprehended, was be
fore the jusriciary ; and on the tSth, was ordered tp be hanged
at the Grassmarket of .Edinburgh on the 16th.
On the 29th of September the advocate was ordered to pro
secute one Mr Robert Kennedy for being inthe rebellion 1'679,
and for field-conventicles since the indemnity ; but the issue is
not known. «
On the 10th of October the Ear! of Middleton was made con
junct secretary, with the Earl of Moray ; so that by the altera
tions which were made, many of the Duke of York's creature.?
h,ad the management of affairs put into their hands.
Some time this month James Robertson in Stonehouse in tlie
shire of Lanark, who usually travelled with a pack coming to
Kilmarnock, went to see an acquaintance who was in prisoa
there. While with him, without the least offence or provoca
tion, bis pack and goods were taken from him, and himself car.
ried to the guard-house, where he was kept close prisoner iot
ten or twelve days. During which time he was brought befoi;;8
Major White, and, refusing to giye his oath super inquircndis,
was m/Dst barbarously treated. The major pulled him by tlii;
nose, and wrung it till the blOod gushed out. A fit person this
to be vested with justiciary power ! Then he was sent to prison |
and, when he and his fellow prisoner offered, to worship Gpd,
the captain of the guard came with fury, puUed the Bible out of
his hand, and swore he wowld burn it if they offered to be thu«
engaged. After a few weeks he was' carried to Edinburgju
At Linlithgow he was pressed to drink the king's healthy and,
upon refusing, the soldiers treated him with the utmost rude
ness, by tying his head and feet together, 'and Jeaving him .a!|.
night in that posture.^ N-ext day he was carried to, Edinbuvj;Jj
with his feet tied under the horse's belly, and in Dece.mber nexj
was put to a violent death, as shall be related in its proner place..

126 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VIT,
On the 15th of November Alexander, Hume portioner of
Hume was indicted before theloids of justiciary forrislng in re.
beUion against the king, ma-rching up and down in arms, ren
dezvousing with the rebels in Bewlyedge, &c. But as there
was no proof against him, the lords dropt the process. " Neverthe
less, because' he could not take the test, he was kept in prison tiU
the 20th of December, when he was again Indicted by the ad
vocate. MeanwhUe, on the 16th, Dame Katharine Rig Lady Cavers
appeared before the council for being present at conventicles
since 1679, and for having heard Messrs Cargill, Arnot and
Semple, declared fraitors, and Thomas. Douglass, Archibald
?>iddel and James Osburn. They had no proof; but, because
she would not swear against herself, they fined her in 500/.
sterling, and sent her to prison till she paid it, and found bail
to be present at no conventicles. She continued a prisoner in
ijtirling-cibtle till the end of the year 168 !..
On the 1 1th of December James Robertson before mentioii-
ed with William Cochran in Carnduff, and John Finlay in the
parish of Kilmarnock were indicted before the justiciary for high
treason. Their indictment was founded on the answers they
gave at their previous examin^loii, for no matters of facts were
laid to their charge.
The cxamlnatiori of James Robertson before a committee- of
the council was as follows : Q. Is the king your lawful prince,
yea, or nor? A. Since ye make your questions matters of life
and death, ye ought to give time to deliberate upon them; but,
seeing I am put to it, I answer, As he is a terr-or to evil doers,
and a praise to them that do well, he is, or he is not, Q/ Were-
Pent-land and Bothwell acts of ttaitory ? A. They being in their
own defence and the defence of the gospel, they were not acts
of traitory and rebellion, self-defence being always lawful,
which I prove from the Confession of Faith, whereon you
ground yoursi?lves in that article, which is, that subjects may
resist unjust violence and tyranny. Q. Wherein lies his tyran
ny ? A if robbing the privileges of the church be riot an act of
tyranny, I refer to be judged. Q. Is the king a tyrant ? A.l
refer to his obligation in the coronation- oath, and his present
actings and practices, in robbing the privileges of the gospel,
with the usurpation of the church's liberties, and tlie prero
gatives royal of Jesus Christ the anointed of the Father, in mak
ing himself-' supreme; and I refetlt to persons at home, aud na
tions -abroad. Q. Was you at BothweU-brldge ? A. Ye count
it an act of, traitory and also rebellion ; bear witness of it, and
.so make it evident. Q. Purge yourself by oath, so we offer to
set you at liberty, A. I wiU say no more of it ; for when I
told the truth to some of you, it was not believed. Oneof
th- m said, O. Now- I wiU try if you are a m^\ of parts : there-.

CHAP. VII. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB. 127
was an act of parliament, when the. Confession of Faith was
made,' declaring that the king was supreme, and it was owried
by the presbyterians at that time, A How could that be own
ed, seeing the confession -itself was owned ? Shew me the act.
But it was not produced. Q. Was the bishop's death murder ?
A. When I am a judge, set on the bench, I shall'pass sentence
thereupon. Q. Own you the Lanark and Sanquhar declara-
tions ? A. I cannot own any thing till I see and consider it.
Q, Do you keep your parish-kirk ? A. If the minister has
.ought to challenge me with, let him do it. Q. Now, as a test
of your loyalty, will your say, God save the king. A. Prayer
ought to be gone about with, composure and deliberation, and
J am not in a composure for it, ^. Would you not seek a-
blessing if at meat ? A. If you were present, you would see.
Then one of them said, these principles will condemn you. He
answered, if I be absolved of God, it is the less matter thbugh
men condemn me. The examination of William Cochrah and
John Finlay, and their ans-wers, were much to the same purpose.
All the three owned their answers before the criminal court: and,
though no other proof was against them, they were condemned to
be hanged at the Grassmarket on Friday the 15th of December.
When James Robertson offered to speak on the scafibld, he
was interrupted by the drums ; and complaining of this, John
ston, the towri-major, beat him with his carie. This unprece
dented cruelty to a dying man, together with the, patierice and
chearfulness of the martyr, convinced some of thejSpectators of
the vileness of prelacy and persecution. And several told my
author, that they dated their first serious impressions at the exe
cution of these martyrs of Jesus. In kls last testimony he"
speaks thus concerning his declining to say, God save the king.
' The refusing to say, God save the king, which, we find was
' the order that was used in and among the children of Israel
' at tiie king's anointing to that office, and used in'our ownna-
' tion at the coronation. Now, this being only due to a lawful
' king, aught not to he given but to a lawful king, arid so not
' to him being a degenerate tyrant ; for, if I should, I thereby
' had said amen to all that he hath done against the church and ¦
• liberties thereof, and to all his oppression, by unlawful exac-
' tions and raising of armies for no other effect but to deprive
? us bf hearing the gospel, and troubling and molesting the sub-
• jects both in their consciences and external liberties, and also
• to the bloodshed and murders upon the people of God, and
' free subjects of the kingdom, and to bid him, God speed, con-
• trary to the 2d epistle of- John, ver. 10. And, seeing it can-
• not be given to any that have thus used their power to a wrong
' end, and so much less when they have set him up as an idol
• in the room of God incarnate. And shall I pray to bless that

128 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VIU
• man. In his person and .government, which God hath cursed ;
< fbr it cannot be expected but that he shall be cursed that thus
« ventureth on, the bosses of the buckler of God Almighty.'
WUliam CochiaHj in his last testimony upon the same point,
hath these words : • Now, the main article of my indictment,
« upon which I have received my sentence of death from men,
' was, that I would not say, God save the king, which (as they
' have now stated him an idol in the Mediator's room) I could
' not do, without being, guilty of saying amen to all that he
' hath done against the church and people of God, and true
« subjects of the kingdom, and the ancient and fundamental
< laws thereof ; and Have done contrary to 2d epist, John, ver,
< 10  And also ye knew, thatjhe taking the name of God In
' our mouths is a part of worship, and so a worshipping of their
< idol ; for, before our faces, they say, that he was king over all
< persons, and bver all causes, which is a putting hiip In God'?
' room,' Npw, the prelatlcal pamphleteers mightily extol the, clemency
of this period, in being willing to pardon criminals. If they
would only say God save the king, and exclaim against the ob
stinacy of those wlio would not comply with such easy terms,;
but I have laid before the reader their own reasons, in their own
words, and he Is to judge, whether It was not conscience, rather
than obstinacy, that kept them from yielding to this. If they
complied, they must either be serious in speaking the words, or
not. If they werenot, they knew. It was a taking God's name
in vain ; and if they were serious, then they judged that there
by they approved of all that was done. But, not to detain the
reader farther on this point, these three godly men were exe
cuted according to their seritence.
Ori the IJth bf December,  Hay of Arrioland, Al.
Hunter of Colquhassen, And. Marun pf Little Ellies, James
Welsh of Little Cloudon, Macculloch of Barholm, Gordon se-
Coiid son of the deceased laird of Holm, Messrs Samuel Arnot
and Thomas Warner ministers, Holiday of Mayfield, Will.
Thomson younger, of Moncralg, Kennedy younger of Knock-
nallonie, Alexander Macnaughi younger of Overtoun, Thomas
Crichton of Hole of Balwhassle, John Brown smith and heri
tor of Newton, were, in absence, declared rebels,' and outlawed,
and their goods and chatties forfeited. Eut this sentence was
thought too mild, for the managers wanted to finger their estates;
and thefefore, on the 18th, all the above mentioned gentlemen,
except Monpralg and Knocknallonle, together with William
Grierson of Kolchquher were ordered, upon their being appre
hended, to be executed as traitors, when and where the lords
should appoint. However, it does not appear that any of them
were executed. Alexander Mackie of Drumbuy and Ant. Mac-
3

CHAP. VII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 129
kie of Glencard being then prisoners,, were sentenced to be exe
cuted at the Cross of Edinburgh, the fir-st Wednesday of July
next, but it seems Provldvnce interposed in their hehalf.
Meantime Alexander Hume of Hume became a sacrifice to
prelatlcal rage ; for though nothing worthy of death or bond
was found against him, yet he was a second time indicted before
the lords of justiciary on the 20th of December ; but, though
the witnesses did not agree, and the whole of the evidence was
lame, yet he was brought in guilty of high treason^ and condemn
ed to be hanged at the Cross of Edinburgh, on' Friday the 29th.
The day was hastened to prevent any application to be made to
the king In his behalf. And though his friends, fearing what
would come, made interest, so that a pardon- came down some
days before the execution, yet the Earl of Perth kept it up.
Mrs Hume begged the Lady Perth, the morning of her husband's
execution, to intercede for his Ufe on account of her five small
children ; but her ladyship, throwing off all the tenderness of
her sex, answered her in language which my author did not
chuse to insert. I shall only observe, that the reader may here
see, that not only those who renounced the king's authority, but
even those that had not as yet clearness to take that step, be
came a prey to the persecutors, -when they had a mind to vent
their rage. Mr Hume's last words on the scaffold expressed
the spirit of Christianity as much as any of the martyrs ; and, a-
mong other things, he said,  ' I am coii^e here to lay down
< my life, and fdless the Lord I am not to lay it down as an
« evildoer, for though 1 be a,sinful man, as others are by natUre,
« yet through his grace I hope I am planted in Christ Jesus —
' The world represents me as seditious and~ disloyal, but God
' is my witness, and my own conscience, of my innocency in
* this matter. I am loyal, and did ever judge obedience unto
' lawi'ul authority my duty, and the duty of all Christians —
' But all a Christian doth must be with faith ; fpr what clasheth
* wkh the command of God cannot be our duty ; and I pray
¦ the Lord may help the king to do his duty to the people, and
' people to do their duty to the king.' He declared his adher
ence to the covenants and works of reformation, his fears of
judgments coming on the land, his own assurance of his future
happiness, forgave all his enemies and all who had a hah^^ his
death, took his farewell of all creature-enjoyments, comriiitting
his wife and children to the care and protection of Heaven, and
his own spirit into the hands of Jesus ; and, just before he was
tumed off, concluded his life by singing Psal. xvn. last verse.
His wife and children endured many hardships after this, but
God supported them under, and brought them out of their trou
bles at the Revolution. : - ¦
VOL. n.\. • I •

130 ~ rVdS, HISTORY OF THE CHAP, VII,
The various commissions, .of which we have spoken, and
other things, together with the malicious activity of the curates,
were the occasion of the most unaccountalde oppressions In al
most all parts of the country ; Insomuch that, were all the par
ticular instances to be mentioned, they would fill a volume by
themselves. Soldiers were sent to the different shires where
the commissioners were to act, and committed unheard of cruel
ties with impunity. Several had commissions, as the hird of
Lagg, and others, besides those mentioned ,abo've, and all were
executed with rigour. I cannot, hov/ever, but give the reader
3 few Instances.
In the parish of Twinam several country women, with suck
ing children at their breasts, were imprisoned by David Graham,
because they vvould not oblige themselves to keep their parish
church and hear the Incumbent. In the parish of Tunnergarth,
husbands were forced, either to oblige themselves to bring their
wives tb'churchj^or not to harbour them ; and such was the
piety of the curate of that parish, that, if any presumed to meet
together for prayer, he threatened to inform against/them as a
conventicle ; and haying' notice of some of the persons concern
ed in this dreadful irregularity, he sent soldiers to their houses.
In the parish cf Sn Mungo In Annandale, because a boy of
sixteen years of age did not appear at one of these military
courts. Cornet Graham ^ent a party of soldiers to quarter pn his
father, who kept the church regularly ; for the curate said, in
that infamous court, thsLt it was but fit the father should be
punished for the child, whom he ought to have made regular
by a bridle. And many parents were thus served, while the
papists were v/holly overlooked, though mass was openly said :
but these were the gobd friends of the royal brother and his
creatures \ ,
The same course was taken in GaUoway, where multitudes
of non-conformists were attacked by Claverhouse, though none
of them were ever concerned in any rising. In the parish of
New-Glenluce he seized John Archibald, Ant-, Macbridge, John
MacclePnoehan and Jbhn Wallace, fornot hearing the incumbent.
They were not only kept above twelve weeks in prison, but also
soldiers were sent to their houses to quarter in their families and,
eat up all their living. Then Claveihouse ordered them to be'
, tied two atiid two, and set on bare-backed horses, and be carried
tb Edlnbnrgh ; but, when they were gone a day's journey, he
sent a servant after them, and obliged them to purchase their
Uberty, by giving each a bond for 1000 merks. This same year
James Harris of Ardmenoch and his son John were imprisoned
at Dumfries by Captain Strachan, fbr not hearing the Incum
bent, and kept there tUl tliey paid 186/. Scots, besides 30j-. ster
ling to the jaUors,

CHAP.VlI. CHURCH OF SC0TI,AN». 1^1
Major White and Ardmillan dreadfully harrassed the shire of
Ayr. John Boyd schoolmaster in Cowend, for not hearing tlje
incumbent, was forced to pay 40/, Scots tp Ardmillan, had hjs,
house pUlaged, and himself sent to prison at Edinburgh. The
piajor went through almost all tlie parishes in this shire,' held
courts, fined the nonrconformists, and imprisoned not a . few.
The iricumberits were the principal informers. He generaUy
forced ali, wlierever he came, to oblige themselves, wives chil
dren, and servants, to keep the church, to abandon conventiiEles,
&c. under the penalty of 100 mprks ; so that great sums of
money were, by this means, extorted from the poor country.
In the parish of DalmelllngtoUn the following persons were fin
ed at one of his courts, Roger Dun 100 merks, and 30/. to
Drumsuy, because the fine wa? so sn>all. John Edgar 5Q
merks, Robert Dyn 100 merks, and to Drumsuy as above, Pet.
Macwhitter 100 merks, and afterwards 100/. for h'S wife's irre
gularity, David MacgllJ and John Wright SO riierks each, John
Pun lOO merks, Ronald Rob and John Blzzaid 25 merks each,
and four days imprisonment ; John Cunningham not appear
ing his family was dispersed, Ant. Bizzard IQQl. Arid, if so
much was exacted in such a small parish, fpr hearing one ser
mon out of it, what njust have been levied in other places ? Jii
, the parishes pf Auchlnleck and Cummock the Earl of Dumfries
charged all persons to appea;: before him, and fined all in 50/.
Scots who had not their chiidrea baptized by the incunibent.
One Andrew Pathen was forced to pay the fine, because he kept
his' chUd six weeks, though .afterwards he carried jt tp the in
cumbent ; but I omit other instances of this kind.
In Renfrewshire riiatters was conducted muph after the same
manner, for besides the hoatUitles. committed by I^ord Rosse,
.and others, the estate of .Caldwell being now given to Clayer.-
hoyse, he kept a number of hi^blpody hounds there, who harr
rassed the whole country roUind, One James Steven^op i.n
Braickoch, though he was neither at Pentland nor Botfiwell,
yet because he was a tenant of Caldwell's, and would not coun
tenance the episcopal Incumbent, ^nd had his children baptized
,by the wandering ministers, was spulled of his ajl ; the d^agooni
horses were let loose upon his victual, his family forced tp
skulk from place to place, and an old ruinous castle in the
.neighbourhood, and other desert places, was hi? resort ; but that
was the fate of many.
The oppressions of .tfie shire of Lanark, were Inferipr to none.
The Provost of Rutherglen was exceeding sev.ere. For instance,
he sent his officers to a widow's In order to apprehend her son
fpr not hearing the curate. The youth got out of their hands,
and his, lister was fined in 30/, on pretence of beirig accessary to
his escajje, and imprisoned. The mother fell sick, but wag not
'' 2

]3g THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VTT.
permitted to have her-^daughter to wait on her, though bad was
offered. After a few days the provost- came In the night-time,
searched her house for her son, and, not finding him,, obliged
the" ptfor woman to pay him twenty merks. I have often ob
served, that the clergy were the great Instigators of these and such
like cruelties. In their visiting families they generally took a
note of those who kept not the church, and from the roUs of
the incumbents were formed the rolls of delinquents at these
courts. My author gives a well attested account of Mr Blair
the profligate Incumbent at Rutherglen. This wretch, visiting
his iamUier, challenged a poor woman for not keeping the
church. She began to give her reasons ; and among others,
mentioned the obllgatloir of the covenants. Upon which the
ghostly father decently called her a covenanted whore; though at
that time he was himself Uving in whoredom- with one ef his
own servants, as was afterwards discovered. In the parish of
Kilbrldfr Captain Inglis harrassed many families, and particularly
seized Andrew Mack, John Carnduff, and lliomas Miller, and,
upon refusing to give their oath super inquirendis, ordered fiery
matches to be 'put between their fingers, which put them to ex
quisite torment. The power of torture was now assumed by
the commander of a party ! That same captain went to a wi
dow's, house to apprehend her son, and not finding him, he call
ed the neighbours, and niade them all swear with the family in
this form : * By the Eternal God, and as I am content to lose
my part in heaven, I know not where John Mack is.' Thus
the soldiers took upon them the power of imposing oaths, as
well as Inflicting torture ! John Skene laird of Hallyards made
terrible havoc in the parish of East Monfcland, to the utter ruin
bf many families-, for mere non-conformity. Meldrum suc
ceeded him, and Inglis came after Meldrum ; arid in one house
his party found a boy notdifteen years bf age," and because he
would not swear where his master was, they vrounded him
with their swords, dragged him by the hair to the fire, held his
face before it till his eyes were ready to start out of his head ;
arid, when they thought they had left him for dead, they went
off. However, he recovered, though he was distracted iot spme
time, ' - -
It would be endless to accbunt for all the particulars. John
Archer in Strathmiglo in Fife, having been forced to leave his
bouse, two of his chUdren were seized with a fever, butwere o-
bliged to be removed to a retired house, where the other three fell
sick, and where this worthy person endured farther persecution,
as shall he observed in the next chapter,' In the town of In- -
vorkeithing,, Andrew Adamson surgeon, endured peculiar hard
ships through the instigatio'n of Mr Irwine the incumbent, as
did likewise Tholnas Thomson a ship-master, and his son, Wil
liam Brown baker, Robe'rt Stewart ship-naaster, who -A-aslong in

CHAP, vn, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 138
Jail at Edinburgh with Mr Forrest of Threeacres near Stirling.
These, with many others, were obliged to remove, with their
families, because of their non-conformity,'
Though there were but few presbyterians In the north, yet
these did not escape. Mr Pltcairn minister at Dron, was for
ced to leave his charge, and retire to HoUand ; and one Lau
rence Gibson, In the nelghbotiring parish of Arngask, was put
in prison at Perth, and from thence carried to Edlnbiurgh, and
then sent as a recruit to one of the Scots regiments in the ser
vice of the States, where he continued till his father-in-law
bought his discharge, David Peter, James Proctor, and Tho
mas Clephan, were apprehended by- the sheriff of Forfar, fined
and imprisoned for tiieir non-conformity ; as was Mrs Minnl-
man a presbyterian minister's widow, by the magistrates of
Perth, while her only son was dangerously iU. The child died
crying after his mother, and the mother died of grief for her
chUd. Thus the reader may judge 'what a case the poor coun
try was in, and how pleased the papists must have been to be
hold protestants in this manner persecuting their brethren, I
shall conclude this chapter by observing.
That sbme time last summer Duke Lauderdale died. Bishop
Burnet says, • His heart seemed quite spent. There was riot
left the bigness of <z walnut of firm substa,nce. The rest was
spungy, liker the lungs than the heart.' And else.where he tells
us, ' That he was very leamed, not only in Latin, in which he
was a master, but in Greek and Hebrew. He had read a great
deal of divinity, and almost all the historians, aqcient and mo
dern ,; he had an extraordinary memory, a copious but unpoUsh-
•ed expression :' but I shall leave the reader to form the rest of
his character from the fprmer part of this history, and go on to
CHAP. VIIL
Of the Commissions ; the prosecutions before the Justiciary ; the
Rye -house plot; the Circuit-courts ; the public Executions, and
'oilier branches of the persecutipn during the year 1683,
THIS, and the two following years, open a more dismal
scene than any that has gone before ; for as the .great de
sign of the church of Rome has always been to root out the
northern heresy, so our prelatlcal managers exerted themselves
to the utmost to root out the presbyterians.
The commissions granted last year were now enlarged ; for,
on the. 4th of January, John Skene of Hallyards was appointed
to- receive the rents Df the forfeited heritors in the shires of
Lanark, Stirling, and Linlithgbw, and empowered to call be
fore himyand examine upon oath, whom he thought cpuld In-

134 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VIII.
form him of those In or accessary to the rebeUion 1 S79, and,'
ujion finding any sufficient evidence, to secure their goods arid
chatties tiU a merchant could be found to purchase them ; and
if any whom he called before h'rm did refuse to swear, he was
to confine theup in the next jSrison. Whp could be safe when
such powers as these were given to wicked men, whp would
stick at nothing ?
"The same day the Rev. Mr M. Potter was before the coun.
eil, and upon his owning to haye keft house-conventiclei^ and
refusing to ehgage not to preach the gospel, was committed to
the Bass, where he continued two years. Then he was per
mitted to l^ave the country, HoweVer, Argyle landing about
that time, he kept himself concealed till 1687, ' Mr Potter was
privately licensed and ordained 1673. ¦ After which, by the in
stigation of the Bishop of Dumblain, he was hunted as a par
tridge on the mountains, preaching where he could till 1677,
when he went to Holland for some months. Upon his retum
he was forced to keep out of the way, but was apprehended
about the end of the last year, and now was sent to the Bass.
The same day John Row, chamberlain to Sir William Prim
rose of Carring, being informed against for conventicles, was
outlawed, and: the General was ordered to send parties in quest
of him, and if they could not find hiin, to secure his goods.for
the kingfs uSe. ¦ ' ,
The pros'ecutibns before the justiciary were now yery nume
rous ; and, the better to answer the designs of the persecutors^
a letter was procured from the king, and read before the lords
on the Sth of January, ordering them to examine witriesses upon
oath previous to the trial. But how well it became judges! to
take the oaths of witnesses before trial I must leave to be de
termined by others. As it requires one skilled in the laws of
Scotland to make proper remarks -on this, I shall therefore
leave it.
The same day Thomas Cuningham pf Mpntgrenan was
indicted before them for treason and rebellion. His confession,-
^that he and others joined the rebels at Bothwell, was the proof.
However, he begged the lords might intercede for his pardon,
and declared that he was willing to take the test. He Was
brbught in guilty, but the sentence was not pronouriced tUI the
iSth, when he was sentenced to be hanged at the Cross of Edin-
bargh on the first Wednesday of April ; but it seems he was
pardoned. On the said Sth of January WUUam Martin of Dullurg jun.
was Indicted for treason and rebellion, but upon renouncing his
beritage, the process was dropt, and he was made to oblige
himself to appear when sumrinon^d. W. Macclelland of Au-
ehlngUil, H. Maxwell of Call, and W. Macculloch of GUchred,

CHAP, VIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 135
came off the same way. The last took ^he bond of peace and
the test, and was released. ,
.There was scarce any thing, under this administration, more
unaccountable, though it was very common, than to prosecute
husbands for the non-conformity of their wives, and fathers for
conversing with their own children. The magistrates of Edin
burgh, having this case frequently before them, proposed some
queries concerning jt to the council, A committee was ap,
pointed on the 1 1 th of January, who gave it as their opinion,
1, That wives ought to be fined in the half of their husband's
fines, and. that the husbands were to have defalcations off the
wife's jointure, 2. That regular husbands, on producing theic
wives to the magistrates, were np farther answejrable. 3. That
, widows were to be fined in the half of their late husband's fines,
4. That unmarried w«men were to be fined according to tha
condition of their deceased pateflts, and their own condition as
to their fortunes. , 5,, That parents were answerable for their
children's keeping ihe chjirch when they were seven years of
age, and fit to be catechised. In short, all that regular hus.
- bands had to do, was to produce their irregular wives to the
judge ordinary, who, if they should prpve Contumacious, was tp
lay the matter before the council.
The san^e day the case of Andrew Herron of Kerochtree was
before the council, for conversing with his own son and Idsson-InT
law, who had been at Bothwell, and) beirig ashamed to take his
life, they procured a letter from the king to impower them to
^fine him as they saw proper. Accordingly, though he was par
doned as to his Ufe and estate, yet he was afterwards fined in
5000 merks, which he actually paid.
On the 27th, Sir John Harper, ^herlff-depute of Lanark,
was imprisoned in the castle of Edinburgh on suspicion pf trea
son, that is, corre5,ponding with some of the persecuted party;
This gentleman was abundantly regular, as they called it ; but
he wa^ not so violent in prosecuting, the sufferers as some would
have had him ; he l^y some months in prison, and at last was
released upon giving a bond pf 10,000}. sterling to, appear wfiei^
called. On the 31st,' the sureties of Sijr T. Stuart of Ciiltness, Har
mUton of Monkland, bf. both afterwards, Mr J. Osburn and Mr
Hugh Crawford, were summoned to pies.ent their persons ac
cording to their bond. Mr Osburn, a few days after this, ap
peared before the courjcil; and, owning he preached In houses,
had it in his choice, either to depart the kingdom, or oblige
himself not to keep conventicles, und,er the pain of 5000 merks.
lie chose the last, . *
About tills time the Rev, Mr John Macgilligen appeared be
fore the council, and being chargedi wi'li conventicles, irregur

136 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF. VUI.
lar marriages and baptisms, and refusing to swear against him
self, was fined in 5000 merks, and sent to the Bass till he should
pay, it, or obUge himself to depart the kirt'gdora, never to return
¦without his majesty's Ucence. However severe this sentence
was, yet some who were absent at that time thought it top
.mild, and attempted to have a sentence of another nature pass
ed against him ; but all their attempts proved fruitless. He
conriuued in tbe Bass tUl the year 1686, and, as appears, from
his diary, had much of the divine presence with him,, and a
believing prospect of the nation's deliverance from the hand of
-its present oppressors. Though to scoffers it may appear ri
diculous, yet to the pious reader, What he says on the 23d of
September lg84<, wlU, lam persuaded, be agreeable. ' This-
* day I got my heart poured out before the Lord, for the dis-
* tress,' destruction, and desolation of the'iland, and the ruin and
* overthrow of his interest. The Lord wlU have mercy and
' heal, recover his own glory, reform his church, jrestore his or-
* dinances, purge his servants, and ca.use sacrifices to be offered
< in righteousness to himself — He will strike with his rig^t-
* hand, and with it bring back the ark and the glory, and cause
• jhe days of joy and gladness to be according to the days, of
* sorrow and sadness we have seen.'
By the way I cannot but observe, that we, in this generation,
may look upon all the privileges, both reUgious and civil,, that
have flowed from the" Revolution, to be, in a great measure,
owing. Under God, to the prayers of the distressed sufferers in
this dismal period, 'Happy had it been for the nation had they
been better improved, and happy would it be did we but mourn
over our great defections, and labour after that Reforma ion
which our worthies contended for, and sealed with their blood!
'While Mr MacgUUgen was thus employed, summons of ad-
judication was raised; against the small estate Jie. had in. the shire
bf Ross. But the lord?, by the interest of thclaird of- Tarbet,
afterwards Earl of Cromarty, put a stop to the fine. At last
he was released, and ventured home, to the inexpressible- joy
bf his old hearers,' At the Revolution, he, with the conserit of
his people, went to Inverness, where, after preaching a short
while, he died in the Lord, June 8,' 1689. My author -says, he
was the only niinister In the province of Ross who at the first
assault opposed prelacy. He -was of great service to many mi
nisters, as Mr Hog of Kiltern, Mr Ross of Kincairdin, and Mr
Anderson at Cromarty, It was at his house that the wortliy
Mr Angus Macbean, forpierly episcopal minister at Inverness,
preached his recarttatipri -sermon, from Job xxxiv. 31, 32. A
relation of his case and sufferings had been well worth the
inserting^, but I have aipt the particulars'i^ He died in pri-

CHAP. VIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 137
son abodt the time King William landed In England. But to
return. On the said Slst of January a process was corrimenced before
the j usticiary against Mr WiUiam Lawrie of Blackwood. This
gentlcmari was apprehended last year, and indicted for treason ;
because, as they alleged, he had allowed several of his tenants,
who had been at BothweU, to return to their farms, and receiv-,
ed rent from them ; and therefore, say they, he hath incurred
the pain of treason, at least was art and part with them in the
said crimes. He was farther Indicted for commisslonating, giv
ing order to, or conniving at James Cleland and James Wilson,
known rebels, to come, in the month of May or June 1679, to
the house of Douglas, and take away, two cannons and several
horses belonging to the Marquis of Douglas. It was pleaded
in his behalf, that the persons named In the indictment were
tenants included In the indemnity, and that therefore the lieges
might ¦ receive them as tenants, though they had not taken the
bond of peace, since they were not intercommuned. His law-
- yers urged farther, that he could riot be prosecuted for converse
with rebels, unless the persons he is said to have conversed with
had been legally convicted of rebellion. . It was likewise argued,
that he was no ways accessary to the taking the cannons front
Douglas-castle, nor conversed with the said Clel-and and Wil
son till the October following, wlien they were openly at his
father's funeral ; that Wilson was a common and known drover,
and therefore he dealt with him as all the country did. How
ever, on the 7th of February the lords, notwithstanding all that
could be s, in his defence, and though nothing could be prov
ed against him, condemned him to lose his head at the Market-,
cross of Edinburgh on the last of February,
Bishop Burnet, who through mistake calls this gentleman by
the name of Weir of BLackwood, after giving some general ac
count of this affair, says, ' This was such a constructive treason,
that went upon so many unreasonable suppositions, that it shew*
ed the shamelessness of a sort of men who had been for forty
years declaiming against a parliamentary attainder for a con
structive treason, in the case of the Earl of Strafford, and did
now, iri a common court of justice, condemn a rnan upon a
train of so many inferences, that It was not possible to make it
look even like a constructive treason.' He adds, that, though
the Marquis of Douglas wrote earnestly to the duke for his par
don, that w-ds denied, ,, However, he was reprieved fronvtime to
time, and so was not executed. This, continues the historian,
put all the gentry in a great fright. Many knew they were a&
obnp.xious as Blackwood, and none could have the cpmfort tP
knb,w tl^t he, was safe.

138 THE HISTORY OF THE CBAP. VIIBj^
There wei'e several otheir gentlemen prosecuted before, the
justiciary, as John Menzies in Dalquharan, John Gibson of
Auchinchain, Robert Ferguson of Letterpin, WUliam Maccul
loch In Cleichred, and James Lawrie writer in Lanark, but
none of them were executed. ' .
While the justiciary were thus engaged, the council was not
idle ; fpr on the 8th of February, they fined John Hamilton of
Gllekresclengh in 2000 merksy because his lady had been at
house-cbnventicles, and on the 12th deprived Sir John Dal
rymple of Stair of his bailiary in Glenluce, fined him in 5001,
sterling, and ordered him to the. castle of Edinburgh tlU he made
payment. , The reasons of this are not to be found.
The sufFeririgs of John Archer in Strathmiglo were renewed
this month. Before his children recovered, he was, seized with
a violent fit of the gravel. While in this case a party of Bal-
carras's troop came, apprehended and carried him, his wife and
five small children, to Kirkcaldy prison. Next day the provost
released the mother and children, on finding bail to present hetr
self to the sheriff when called. After John had continued in
jail three weeks, he was carried to Edinburgh, and was first be^,
fore a committee, and then before the council. Arid though
nothing but non-conformity could be laid to his charge, he was
sent to the iron-house in the prison of Edinburgh, where he
continued In Irons seventeen days. It was thought this severe
treatment was inuch owing to his not giving Bishop Burnet of
St Andrews his tifles. He* remained in jail above five months, ,
when he was released^by the interest of a south-country gentler
man, who had a singular regard for his brother Mf 'fhojhas.
After some respite he was again persecuted ; so that, for a whole
winter, he could not lie two nights in his own house, but was
obliged to niake the best shift he could. Sometimes in the
night-time he would come home and work a little at his trade,
being a candle-maker, and retire out of the way In the day-time.
On the 1st of March Major White's commission was extend-
jBd to the parishes of EgUsham,- Mearns, Carmunnock, and Kil
bride,^! being alleged that disorderly persons not only lived, but
were likewise sheltered in these places ; but, as the bounds of
his commission were now very large, he was impowered to send
a depute to the remote places where hs could not conveniently
attend. The major was abundantly severe, but his deputies ex
ceeded him ; and by this means the oppression became very ge
nera), there being but few parishes that had not either the ma
jor or his deputies.
' At the same time Claverhouse, Meldrum, and Major- White,
had instructions, to discover all in the late rebellion, who were
pot in the porteous or fugitive rolls, and send therii jSrisoners
to Ediabifrgh, in case they should have two witnesses to swea^:

CHAP, VIII. CHURCH OF SC0T;LAND. 139
against them ; to send the names of those heritors who had haf- ,
boured or conversed with rebels, that the council might take a
proper course with them ; to fine to the utmost petty heritors,
who were likewise tenants ; to send an account to the chanceUor
of those indulged ministers who had transgressed their rules j
tb grant safe conduct for fourteen days to those in the late re-
\bellion, who should throw themselves on the king's mercy ; tb
send the names of unlicensed chaplains, and of those who en
tertained them, to^^the chancellor, the Archbishop of St Andrews,
or pishop of Edinburgh, that the fines Imposed by law might he
exacted ; and, lastly, to call for the books and records of sheriffs,
baUieS of regalities within their bounds, and examine what
fines had been imposed In case of church-disorders, that they
might regulate them as they should see cause. The like instruc
tions were given to others ; but the particular effects of them are
not known.
On the Sth and 9th of March Major \'^hite held courts In
the church of Carmunnock, where many were called before
him. The country people were kept from one court-day to
another, to their great detriment in t;hls time of labour. Sol
diers were sent to the houses of those who did not appear.
They who appeared and would not swear they were at church,
at least every third Sabbath, were fined as the major thought
proper. By the instigation of Mr Boyd the curate, his prede
cessor, the Rev. Mr Andrew Mortoun, was summoned for al*
leged baptizing and preaching in that parish, but not appearing,
was fined la 30,000 merks ; so Aat he was obliged to conceal
himself till the liberty 1687. From eight or riine poor country
people In the parish, White exacted 2771, for absence froin the
church, or rather because they would, not swear that they kept
it in terms of law. At another court-day twenty-five were
fined for not hearing the curate, some in 50l. and some in 251,
and twelve women in 6 dollars each.
White likewise executed his commission in other parts of his
bounds, and particularly held courts at KUmarnock, and exer
cised niore severities than are necessary to be related, Jasper
Touch, a young surgeon in that place, was fined in- 191. ster
ling, because he would not swear he had been at church every
third Sabbath ; and refusing to sign the bond of regularity, he ¦
and several others were sent to prison : at, last he was released,
upon paying 27 rix-dollars ; but frequently after this he was
harrassed fbr his con-conformity, beirig forced to abscond, and
Iqave his shop and business to the care of an apprentice. In
his absence he was severely fined by Col. Buchan, who held one
pf these Courts at KUmarnock, had his servant Imprisoned, and
an inventory taken of all his household furniture. The colonej
being called to Glasgow, Mr ToUch returned ; but, when the

140 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. vhl.
colonel came back, he. was imprisoned, and with great difficulty
was released, .upon giving security, under the penalty of 1 000
merks, to appear before him or the councU on six days notice;
"Meldrum was likewise very diligent in the execution of his com
mission. But 'enough has been said upon this.
On the 12th of March a letter from the king came to the juS.'_
ticiary, and much about the same time another to the council, re
quiring them tp send extracts from the registers -of the indict
ments, trials, proclamations,- &c. together, with coplesof theseve-'
ral treasonable declarations, proclamations, bonds of combination
^ in Sanquhar, Lanark, Rutherglen, &c. in order to their being di-
.gested and methodized by C. Hanses of Grey's-irin, Esq. Lwij
don, ^nd published for the satisfaction of the king's good subjects.
But It does not appear that this was complied with, i'.iy author
justly obseirves, tliat had such a thing been done with ahy sin. .
cerity, it would have saved him a great deal of trouble, but that
was not to, be expected, ^
On the 1 5th Mr John Philip, late episcopal minister of
¦Queensferry, having been turned put for refusing the test, was
before thp council, and charged with saying, in the parliament-
house, that the Duke bf Albany and York was a bloody man,
a tyrant, and distasteful to the subjects ; that the king's advo
cate and bishop of Edinburgh were bloody and cruel men ; that
the Earl of Argyle was unjustly forfeited, &c. After witnesses
were brought to prove these things, the councU fined him in
20001. sterling, and ordered him to be kept prisoner in the
Bass during life : signifying, at the same time, that, If he did
not pay' his fine within fifteen days, they would order the ad
vocate to pursue him for his life befbre the justiciary. Tbe
cashkeeper was commanded next council-day to seize alL his
books and papers. -
On the 22d, the council beiijg informed that the Lady" Cald- .
well and her daughter were Imprisoned for conventicles, order
ed them to be sent to the castle at Blackness. 'Riis excellent
widow lady -was Barbara, daughter to Sir WUliam Cuningham
of Cuninghimhead. She had a dowry out of the lands of
*Caldweil suitable to her rank ; but, neglecting to take infeft-
ment before her husband's forfeiture, she and her four chUdren
vvere crueUy turned out of her right, and obliged to support
herself by her own and the industry of her virtuous chUdren.
About the beginning of this year, while she lived peaceably
in her apartment in Glasgow, one who lived over against her
went to Provost Barns, a violent persecutor, arid told him, thr^
through the glass of her window he saw a minister preaching*
Upon this false information she was imprisoned, and without
any other proof, was sent to Blackness castle, where she and
her eldest daughter remained closely confined for almost a
year. When, by this close confinement, Mrs Jean's health was

CHAP. YIII. ' . CHURCH OF SCPTLAND. * 141
impaired, she was with difficulty released, and, as a mighty fa
vour, her mother was allowed now and tlien\the-benefit of the
air. But they would not allow her to see her second daughter
Mrs Ann," though shew as seized with a fever, which proved her
death. She continued prisoner several years unconvicted
of any crime, and never accused but by one witness. And
though It had been true that a minister preached at that time '
In her apartment, yet the laws tlien in being required proof
that there were more than fiye present besides the family.
The law had not prohibited famUy-wprship ; and though the
lawyers openly connived at popish masses in families, yet pre-
laric fury Vented itself, forthe most part, only against presbyte
rians. This lady was not released tlU king James's Uberty of
conscience. i
At this time the Lady Kaitloch suffered considerably : for a
garrjfion, that -was sent to take possession of her house, most
ciuelly turned her and hersmaU family to the fields.; and it was ,
esteemed a favour that they allowed^ her to lodge for some rime
in a cold barn. At last she and her children were forced to
leave the kingdom, and died abroad.
Some of the soldiers of this garrison, found . a poor man at
prayer in the fields, and brought him to the garrison, \yho kept
him three days in the guard house, where his pious soul was
vexed at the dreadful profanation of God's name. At last, be
cause l^e refused the test, he was turned out of his house, and
forced to wander up and down for several years.
On the 22d of March, Jphn Nisbet younger, (so called to
distinguish him fropi John Nisbet of Hardhil-I) who lived in the
parish of Loudon, was tried by Major White, assisted by Wi
Crichton, sheriff-depute of Ayr, who, with others, was vested
with the justiciary power. When, upon "his examination, he
refused to Inform against John Nisbet of Hardhill, - the major
impiously threatened to make him sit three hours in heU. It is not
worth while to insert their jeering questions. As to the arch
bishop's death, he said he was not a judge ; that Botfiwell was
self-defence ; that he acknowledged none to be^he head of the
church but Christ, Being asked If the king was king, or not ?
. he told them he was once a covenanted king : and, as to his being
king now, he referred it to his obligations in the coronation oath
to be considered. Being th^ asked if he was his king, he re
fused to answer. This was all they had to lay to his charge ;
and fbi: this he was condemned to.be hanged -at Kilm'arnock on
tl\e 14th of April, which was dorie accordingly. He had a L,rave
courage and sl^ayedness when he came to the place of execution.
After he had prayed, he sung Psalm xvi. from ver. S. to the end,
read Rom. viii. and prayed again. He was allowed to speak a
considerable tirne tp_the spectators, wherein he recommended,

142 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF. Vlll.
religion, and pressed diem to godliness from his own experience,
jie told them that this was the first execution in that place, and
was likely not to be the last ; that death was before them ail,
— ^buf, as for himself the sting of It was taken away, and he
reckoned every step of that ladder to be a step nearer heaven.
He was interrupted when beginning to give an account of , the
cause ,of his sufferings, upon which he drew the napkin over his
face, and was turned over, committing his soul into his Father's
hands. His last sp3ech and testimony the reader may find in ,
the Cloud of Witnesses ; in which he says, among other things.
As for my not praying for the king in his person and authprity,
this I durst not do, it being a perfect owning of him In all he
hath done, &c.
On the second of April a process of forfeiture was raised a/
gainst John Balfour of Kinloch, John Russel pPrtioner of Ket
tle, for kiUing the archbishop ; Robert Hamilton, brother to Sir
William HariiUton of Prestoun, for commanding the west coun
try army at Bothwell ; Mr John Hog minister at Rotterdam,
Mr Robert Fleming there, —  Smith, Mr Robert Langlands,
Andrew and John Russels factors, and James Stuart, son to Sir
'James Stuart, provost of Edinburgh, for supplying the rebels
with moriey and necessaries ever since, &c. Robert Hamilton
and Jqhn Balfour were sentenced to be executed when appre
hended. John Russel, Messrs Hog, Langlands, Smith and Stuart
were outlawed and forfeited. The diet was deserted as to Mr
Fleming and Andrew Russel, the council having suflicient tes
timonials of their loyalty.
The same day Sir WUliam, Denholm of Westshields, Mr G,
Cuningham, indulged minister at Dunlbp, for corresponding
with Mr John Cuningham of Bedlane, Were outlawed, as was
likewise Archibald Menzies, younger of Culdairs, for saying one
day in prison, that, fools made the test, and knaves take it.
Though the commissions given to Major White, Claverhouse,
and others, and the extensive powers vested in the commission
ers, might have been thought sufficient for suppressing all whom
th'ey czWed fanatics, yet there must be more circuit-GOurts cloth
ed with all the, power of the council and justiciary. Accord
ingly, on the 13th of AprU, a proclamation was published, in
consequence of a royal letter which they received on the 10th,
setting forth, among other things, that though his majesty h^d
been too often induced to grant indemnities, indulgences, and
other favours, to that fanatic arid disaffected party,' which only
emboldens them to abuse his royal goodness , yet it was, and is
now more than ever, his firm resolution to root out these sedi
tious and rebeUious principles, and to maintain the church, go-
vern.Tient as it is established by law ; therefore he required the
council, and all judges and magistrates, to execute tlie'laws with

CHAP.- VIII. CHURCH ,0F SCOTLAND. 14,3
rigour, against all who, since the late Indemnity, had been or
afterwards should be found guilty of fanatical disorders, and to
prosecute, before the justices; all who are, or shall be found
guilty of receiving, h-arbouring, or conversing with persons for
feited, traitors, -&c, but, lest any have iiladvertently fallen Into,
that mistake, he recommends to the council to command thfe ad-
'vocate to order such as they suspect to be summoned before
them, and to judge' them. Upon eviderice or the oath of parties,
as they shall see fit ; or, in case they shall refuse to swear, or
:^pear, to repute them as guUty,- and to restilct the ordinary
pains of treason to banishment, finlrig, or other arbitrary pu
nishment, but to be indemnified if they appear and satis
fy the councU, He likewise gave the council authority to com-
missionate whom they thought! fit, in the respective shires, for
judging those whom they had not time or conveniency to call
before themselves, and that in the same way, and with the same
powers that themselves were possessed of. And since several
of the common people, who were in the late rebellion, have lost
the benefit of the indemnity, by not taking the bond 1" due time,
his majesty declares, that, upon their taking the test, they shall
be completely indemnified ; and, for punishing those that re
fuse to be reclaimed, he ordered circuit-courts to be holden in
the western-and southern shires, and other places needful, in
the months of May, June, July, arid August' next, after exact
porteous rolls of delinquents are taken and published. The cir
cuit-court was to sit at iStirling on the Sth of June, at Glasgow
the 12th, at Ayr the 15th, at Dumfries the 26th, &c. Then thfe
common people. In taking the test Were to do it on their knees^
and to sign it, by themselves or a notary, In presence of the per
sons mentioned in the proclamation. '
This is the substance of zr long proclamation, in which the
king was made to signify his repentance for his former lenity,
the contrary of which 'Vve have had all along incontested proofs
of, through the former part of this history, and to declare his
resplution to extirpate all fanatic principles. It would have
been very acceptable to his beloved brother, had he undertook to
extirpate the northern heresy ; however, this was a good pre
parative. The test was to be Imposed upon all suspected per
sons, though by act of parliament, none but those iri offices of
pbwer and trust were required to take it ; but the Duke of
York had foretold that the test should fall upon others than
catholics. . To pave the way for these circuit-courts, the council, on the
18th of April, made an act, ordering the, clerks of the criminal-
court not to Insert in the ordinary porteous roUs, any noblemen,
or sheriff-prlricipals, or provosts of burghs where the circuit was
to sit, &c. but that the clerk and his depute sball take all iri-
2

] 44 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP? VIH.
formation they can have against all persons whatsoever^ and,
in case any nobleman, &c. be informed against, that they
keep a particular arid private, roll for such persons, which the
clerks must keep secret at their peril, and send iri these, private
rolls to the councU, Here seems to be deeds of darkness.
Next day they agreed upon instructions- to the commissoners of
justiciary at, the circuit-courts, and their clerks, in taking up of
dittays, or in procuring informations against persons to be fined
at the said courts, which need, not be Inserted, But, that the
reader may have some view of the sjiare the prelatlcal clergy
had in the informations given in at this time, a paper was dis-
persed among them, whether by the order "of the bishops or
the council is not known. ' , - -
The title of it was, Z-m^ of things to be done by the ministSp in
each parish, 1683. ' They were to be given in, upon oath, a
« list of their sessioners, their clerks, and bellmen, of with-
' drawers from the church arid non-communicants — to give an
' account of all disorders and rebellions, and who were guilty
' — and a complete- roll of all within tbe parish, and parricular
' list of all the heritbrs. That all women, who were delin-
' quents,' be given up as well as men. That they give an ac- .
« count of all persons who have gone out of their parishes, and
' the reasons' of it, — of fugitives, their wives, or widows, 
• and all resetters of themj and of chapmen and travellers,
* That they declare who are the people in their parishes who
* can give the best account of all these particulars, that such
« may be brought In and examined.'
This was fine employment for ministers of the gospel ! But
it is too well cpnfirraed that such work as this was more agree
able to these orthodox clergy, than what really belonged to their
ofiice. The reader'- will easily observe, , that the sessioners, as
they are called, were made use of only as iijformers against in-
_ nocent people. A vile prostitution of the oSlce of ruling
elder ! But the clergy were at the bottom of all the persecution
ofthis period.
During the months of March and April Claverhouse exer
cised his powers to the utriiost in the south ; and that country
was grievously harrassed by' searching for Mr Cameron's fpl- '
lowers, for all- who had been at Bothwell, all in the fugitive
roll, and who had not appeared at courts ;, for multitudes were
forced to wander In mountains and, caves, and many, through
other parts of the kingdom, had retir&d for shelter to the moun
tainous places ia '_ Galloway and Nithsdale. There were like
wise spies and informers who were bribed by the soldiers ;
neither were the papists unactlve in informing against these
wanderers ; for these, being of the duke's reUgion, were not
only overlooked, but also met with encouragement, while
6

CHAP, Vtll. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 145
many innocent people were exposed to the greatest hard
ships. At this time Meldrum had sent in Walter Thomson, Walter
Smith, and  Turnbull, prisoners to Edinburgh, because
they would not pay the same fines over again to film that they
had paid to the sheriff of Roxburgh, The three prisoners re
presented- this to the council, and were released; but no notice-
was taken of Meldrum.
On the 4th of May, David MacmlUan, James Brown, John
Paterson, William Miller, Jauies Gemble, George Lapsley and
¦ Robert Lawson, were before the Lords of just'iciary at Edin
burgh. The first was executed, the four next took the test
and were released. The two last refused the test; and were
continued to the 10th of June ; but their indictment was found
relevant. ,1 . David Macmillan, before a committee of the councll,,acknow-i
' ledged that he was apprehended in a church for being at Both-
Well ; but then he said, that Bothwell was not rebeUion, being
in defence of the truth ; that he acknowledged the present au
thority, as far as the king had kept his engagements a-jcordlng
to the word of God, When this confession was read before
the justiciary, he' said that something was inserted which he had
npt spoken, particularly concerning the bishop's death. Upon
which the president said. Well, what say you to that now ? He
answered, that he had no judgment to judge such heads. He
refused the test, which was offered him as the condition of sav
ing his life, and was therefore sentenced to be hanged at the
Grassmarket on the 16th of May. He suffered with John
Wilson, of whom I am no-w to speak, and, died with a great
deal of peace and coniposure. In the paper he left behind hira,
he blessed God who had inclined him to 'join witli the perse-
• cuted party at Bothwell, — and earnestly wished that love
* might continue among the godly, notwithstanding the differen-
* ces in religion ; and pressed all to mourn for broken vows
* and promises, slighted offers and opportunities, and a broken co-
< venant ; and declared that he died in the faith of it; that God
* would return to Scotland ; that he adhered to the Confession
* of Faith, Catechisms and Covenants ; and left- his testimony
« against hearing of the curates, paying of cess, and the indul-
* gence. — My soul, concludes he, shall bless him through all
' the ages of eternity,'
. The same 4th of. May, John Wilson Writer in Lanark was
tjrought before the justiciary, -and, having been formerly con
demned to die, was now ordered;for execurion on the 9th, He
had been at BothweU, and owned that he had acted as captaiii
theici When apprehended he resolved to use the utriiost free
dom, and at the same time, as much caution ¦ and prudence as
was consistent with truth,
volI li, K

146 "THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VHI.
On the 17th of April he was examined before a committee of
the council, and among other things, was asked what he thought
of Bothwell. Was it not unfevrful to rise iirarms'?- He said
he durst not say it was unlawful ; for the confession contained
in the test says, that it is a gbod work to defend the life of the
harmless ; and that however- God had disposed of these people,
ye* he supposed the Lord would own those, who hearing their
neighbour's had- been -worshipping God^ and (for defending';
themselves against those that sbught tieir life) were in jeopar
dy of their lives, thought it their duty to rise for their Relief;
Then they asked if Pendand was rebellion. He answered, that
the oppression of that poor people was so great, that the then
rulers condemned Sir James Timer for his cruelty. One ol
them saidy that he knew Sir James went not the lengtfcof his
commission. Then they asked if the bishop's death was mur
der ? He desired to be excused ; for he would not answer that
question ; and, being pressed again and again, he told them, it
being nothing that concerned his salvation, he did not {My into
it. Then they said, how did Bothwell concern yottr salvatioff ?
He said, there was none who engaged themselves in service to
God, but they behoved to be at His call ; and it being for sav
ing the life of the harmless, he durst not sit God's bidding. He
was also examined concerning authority, but got not time to
answer ; and, in the remarks he made on this exmlnation, he
regretted that he did not improve this opportunity In testifying
against the ecclesiastical headship. ' He was also examined the
same day before the council, where he o-wned his being at Both-
well, and declared, that he did not think it rebelUon, vindicated
the lawfulness of self-defence. And, when they asked if he
owned authority, he said, ' Government might be taken several
' ways. 1. For the- simple command of the prince. 2. For-
' the more public command of the prince and people. 3. For
< the power a prince may be clothed with by a people. 4. For
« a prince's i;ight to govern a people. As many of the prince's
« edicts and acts of parliament were against presbyterians and
« presbyterian government, he "could not own it in the two first
' senses, unless he denied himself to be a presbyterian. He
' added, he could not own it Inthe third sense, since the people
' had clothed the king with the headship of th& church. As
' to the last sense, his right to govern, he had not seen through
< the denial of it.' He also makes remarks on this examina
tion, which the reader will find in the Cloud of Witnesses. In
his papers .he ga-ve an account of what had passed between the
advocate and him; The advocate told him there was room for
mercy, if he did not obstinately persist In his opinion. Hean^
swered, that he had delivered no opinion but -what he had- jus
tified from the Confession of Faith, which he had lately sworn.

CHAP. VIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. ^ 147
&c. He was asked If he would bond (take the test,) before
sentence, there being no room for mercy afterwards. He an
swered he woUTO not, and, at another day all sentences would
be canvassed before the great Judge of heaven and earth. His
friends adv'ised him to supplicate for a reprieve, till he should
be better advised as to his answers to the council, or because of
his confusions since he came to prison, or that he mighthave a
longer time to prepare for eternity ; but he refused to petition
on any of these grounds. He said, had his petition gone on the
first ground, it would be a declaring to the world that he call
ed his principles in question. The second would be a slander
ing Christ's cross, wherein every step had been to him mercy
and truth. And, as to the third, he could not do it in faith.
However, on the 7th of May, he gave in a petition for a re
prieve, on account of his wife's case, who was then big with
child ; and he afterwards declared, that he had solid peace in so
doing. During these things he had a conference with Sir Wil
liam Paterson, Bishop Paterson's brother, concerning the grounds
Upon which he stated his .sufferings, in which he vindicated the
lawfulness of defensive arms ; but the conference had no influ.
ence to alter any of the sides. Mr Wilson was reprieved till the
16th, when he suffered with David Macmillan according to his
sentence. His last testimony Is In the Cloud of Witnesses, in
which, among other things, he says, ' I am really of that opl-
* nion, that God shall root this race of kings, root and branch
• away, and make them like Zebaand Zalmunna, for taking God's
« house in possession, and resolving to root out the seed of the
' godly under the name oi fanatics? He most chearfully left
his wife, children, sisters, upon God, and died in the Lord.
There were, at this time, but few in the northern parts of the
kingdom that were firm to the principles qf the reformation.
However there were some, as we have formerly observed, and
among others the family of Fowlis. My author observes, that
on the Sth of May, Sir Jbhn Munro of Fowlis elder wrs by the
council confined to his own house in the shire of' Rbss, and a
mile round it, for his alleged withdrawing from his parish
church. This gentleman on account of his corpulent structure,
was nicknamed the mortar-piece of presbytery. His eminent
piety and zeal exposed him to no small sufferings at times ; for,
besides a long confinement, his estate, which before was con
siderable, was harrassed by several fines and confiscations, from
which it has not been fully recovered to this day. I am sorry
I cannot give a more particular account of the sufferings of thitf
gentleman, whose family greatly supported the Interest of fhd
reformation in the north of Scotland, and who had three grand
sons who last their lives in the last unnatural rebellion, standing
lip in defence ofthe religion and liberties of their country, in
2

148 THE HISTORY Of THE CHAI», VIII*
opposition to a pretended branch of a family that has been the
constant plagues pf Great Britian, viz. Sir R|bert MunrO of
Fowlis, Captain George Munro of Culcairn, md Dr Duncan
Munro ; but, as the Rev. Dr Doddridge of Northampton, has
favoured the world with some account of this family; in his ap
pendix to his remarkable passages in the life of Colonel Galrd-
ner, who was killed in the battle of Prjeston 1745, thither I re
fer the reader.
On the 10th of May Mr James Renwick was ordained at
Groningen. Tbe societies for general correspondence, consi^
dering the dismal situation things were in at this time, and that
they had no ministers they could join with, agreed to send Mr
Renwick to the university of Groningen, in the United Pro
vinces, to prosecute his studies ; which he did with much ap
probation for the space of six months, and was ordained inde
finitely, to the work of the ministry, by the imposition of hands.
The Rev, Mr Shields says, « Such was the case of that poor
' people that made appllc-dtlon, that they could neither get
* faithful ministers free of defection^ whom witfi freedom of
< conscience, they might call^ — nor would they answer their
? reitefated requests whom they did call ; neither would any
< ministers, at that time, opposite to their testimony, ordain any
' of their way ; hbr could they seek It without condemning
< their testimony, &Cj therefore they sent Mr Renwick~to the
< United Provinces.' In the Informatory Vindication It is said,
« Though the classls of Groningen, by whom he was ord-alned-^
' differ from the reformation of Scotland, in her best times, in
< some things, yet, considering, 1. That in these differences
< they were never reformed, and so cannot be charged, therein
< with defection. 2. That they .agree with the true presbyterial
? Church of Scotland in all principles against popery, prelacy,
' erastianism, and all heretical and sectarian errors. ^ 3. That
* they did then object nothing against our" present testimony.
< 4. That they came under a general ahd far other considera-
« tion, being of a foreign church, than ministers of the same ori-
* ginal church, and Under the same bond of covenant with our-
' selves — 5. That m the act of ordination they did obtrude
« none of these differences, but took him engaged to teach ac-
* cording to the word of God, the Confession oi. Faith of the
« Church of Scotland, and the discipline thereof ; upon all which
' considerations it was thought lawful to accept of ordination
< from the said classls.'  Accordingly Mr Renwick, instead '
of the Belgic forms, was allowed to sign the Westminster Con
fession and Catechisms.
On the last of May, or first of June, M* Alexander Gordon,
Inlrdof Earlston, was taken at Newcastle, going to Holland.
This worthy gcutlemar, having "been much abroad since Both-

eSAP. VIII, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 149
well, retuj'ned and joined the socieries. He was pitched upon,
at one of their general meetings, and, says Mr Wodrow, join
ed in a commission with his brother-in-law, Robert Hamilton,
to repair to Holland, to. represent the circumstances and. prin
ciples of those people to the, reformed churches there : but it
would seem my author is mistaken in the circumstances of
Earlstoun's commission from the socieries; for Mr Shields says, '
that, after the publishing of the Lanark declaration, the next
general meeting,. finding themselves muth condemned, reproach
ed^ and informed against in foreign churches, as if they had
fallen from the principles of the Church of Scptland, into wild
errors, thought it expedient to send the laird of Earlstoun tb^
the United Provinces, to vindicate themselves from these re
proaches. This was in the year 1682. , And I find that Earl- ""
stoun's commission was dated at Edinburgh, 2d April 1682,
and subscribed by John Renwick, and sent to him at Newcastle ;
but the above Rpbert Hamilton is not so much as mentioned in
it. Whether he got another commission la^t spring is more
than I know. However, when Earlstoun and hlfe servant, Ed
'ward Atkins, wej-e apprehended, he was aboard a ship bound
¦from Newcastle to Holland ; and, lest his papers should fall
into the hands of his enemies, he threw them into the sea, but
they wejre observed, and taken up, and both of them were sent
to Newgate,This affair made the more riolse at this time, as it happened
when a pre'tended plot was said to be discovered against the
king's life ; and the council and bishops -were big with expecta
tions of mighty discoveries from Earlstoun's papers ; but, upon
the strictest .exapinajlon of th.em, nothing was found but a let
ter signed /. ^. commissions and instructions from the societies,
wiith letters tp spme Dutch njlnisters and Scotsmen in Holland,
and papers on civil business-. . -,
The .conspiracy pretended now to be car.rled on was that
commonly .calle.d The Ry^rhouse plot, because,-as was alleged, the
conspirators had formed a design to assassinate the king- and
duke at the house of the Rye, within two mlle^ of Hodsdoii in
Hertfordshire, which was, then inhabited.by Richard Rumbbld.
An ingenious writer, speaking of tlils arid other sham plots,
says, ' Thg shattered remains of English liberty were then at-
' tacked .on every side ; and some of the noblest blood of the
• nation was offgred, up a sacrifice to the manes pf popish mar-
* tyrs, and made to atone for the bifi, of exclusion. Swearing
* cariie once more, into fashion, for which a new evldence-oi-
' fice was erected at Whitehall- But whereas the witnesses of
' the popish-plot were'brow-beaten and discouraged ; those" of
f the protestanc-plot were highly encournged ; and, instead o^'

ISO THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP. VIU.
f judges and juries that might perhaps boggle at half-evidence,
* as it fell out in. prosecution' of the former, care was taken in
* this to pick out such as would stick at nothing that would
f serve a turn. It was by such judges and juries that the Lord
f Russel and Mr Sidney fell ; and the cutting of those two
• noble lives may be reckoned among the first triumphs of the
f duke's party in England.'
This matter might have been entirely omitted, but that se
veral valuable persons -si^ere prosecuted and«uffered in Scotland
for his pretended conspiracy. ¦ It Is certain that several patribts
for religion and liberty In both nations had frequent meetings
among themselves, in order to consult upon proper measures
for securing these invaluable privileges which were than, at the
stake. But that ever Lord Russel, Colonel Algernon Sidney,
the Earl of Argyle, the laird of Jerviswood, the Rev, Mr Wil
liam Carstairs, and others suspected, were concerned in any as
sassinating design, was never prqved against them, nor could
be. They were persons of quite different principles, as will af
terwards appear. Whm this conspiracy was pretended to be
discovered, a letter came from the king, requiring that none
might be suffered to depart the kingdon-i without leave ; and
the council soon after Issued a proclamation In the terms of the
king's letter, and another against the Duke of Buccleuch and
Monmouth. In th^ English declaration for a thanksgiving it is
said thal^ a general insurrection' wasintended, and that a corres
pondence was established in Scotland ; and that the Eari of
Argyle, Lord Melvil, Sir John Cochran, Mr William Cartairs
and others, were concerned in it. It is nbt worth v/hile to men-
tion the Scots proclamation for a thanksgiving, only that it Is in-
,tituled. Proclamation indicting a thanksgiving for the deliverance
from the fanatical conspiracy ; ^nd that fanatical, the term of re
proach given to presbyterians, is in the body of the proclama
tion, joined with atheistical and republican principles, and named
first, as if, in the sense of the compilers, it was the worst ofthe
three, ' The executions in England on this account, as that of
Lord Russel, Colonel Algernon Sidney, &c. are out of ray
way. Only I cannot but' observe, that all the violent measures
then pursued were the effects- of the malicious jealousy of the
Duke of York, against his rival the Duke of Monmouth and
his friends, so that for some time the latter was forced to keep
out of the vvay. But, passing these things, I return to what
more immediately concerns this hlstorv.
On the 4th of June the council issued a proclamation forbid
ding all to e-terclse the ofiicesof teachers, pedagogues, or chap
lains, unless they take the test. If noblemen did encourage
them, they were to he fined In 3000 merks, gentlemen in 1200
merks, burgesses and others in 600 merks. The same day they

-CHA,P. VIU. - CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 151
appointed the laird of Claverhouse, Meldrum, &c. to attend the
justices at the circuits, to answer what' questions shall be asked,
and give aU the informations they can against the rebels, &c.
Next day the circuit sat down at Stirling, when, among
others, one WUUam Johnstoun, a Stirlingshire man, appear
ed before them. The wounds he received at Bothwell had
for a long time deprived him of his reason, so that he had been
overlooked till now. He and the rest swore the test pii their
knees, but he knew not what h'e did; for When he was told
, that he had renounced what he had owned at Bothwell^ he re
lapsed into his former distemper, and died In a few days.
About the beginning of this month, as a party of soldiers was
carrying one Alexander Smith to Edinburgl^ they were attacked
by some of his friends near Inchbelly-brldge, The soldiers
were beat, one of them was killed, and the prisoner released.
The country- men retired in good order with their friend; but
within a little the soldiers, rallied, and searching the adjacent
place, happened to seize John Wharry or Macwharry, and
James Smith, whUe sitting together in a wood near the place,
-without any arms but their staves. The poor men were imme
diately carried fo Glasgow, Some say two of the soldijers were
sifborned to swear that they saw them kiU, the'sipldier; but it
appears that no witnesses were examined, the court sustaining
It as relevant that they were taken near the place; whereas, had
they been '^ny ways concerned, they doubtless would have re
tired with the rest. They were condemned to have their right
hands cut off, then to be hanged, and their bodies to hang in
chains at Inchbelly-bridge, And accordingly, onthe 18th of
June, they were .both executed at Glasgow, The Cloud ojF
Witnesses says they suffered on the 1 1th, They were most
pious and religious persons ; and the letters they wrote to their
friends on this occasion breafhe an uncommon spirit of piety.
They rejoiced In their bonds, and joyed in their tribulations.
"When John Wharry's hand was cut off,, instead of shrinking,
he held up the stump and said. This, and other blood shed
through Scotland, will yet raise the burnt covenants.
"The day they were ex^uted the circuit sat down at Glas
gow, aqd there appeared at the bar John R jissi^poritioner in
jiastfield, Gavin Paterson feuar in BothwelishleISj^Ob?'ft Rus
sel In Wlndyeidge, Mr Thomas Hamilton of Rai'tMfetl James
HamUton of Parkfiead. The most that was proved a^j^t them
was, that they were seen in company with the rebels; -bvit there
were not two witnesses that agreed in the same thing;, except
as to Raldi and Parkhead, and both swore that they werewith-^
put arms ; and yet they were all condemned to be executed
when the councU and justiciary should think fit. We sh'al}
Hieet with several of them next year. ¦ •

153 THE HlSTOftV OP THE CHAP. Vlll.
On the 15th, the circuit proceeded against James Maxwell
of WlUiamwood, and John Maxwell younger of Bbgtoun, both
in the parish of Cathcart in the shire of Renfrew.' They were
in absence both forfeited in life and fortune, though there was.
no proof of their being at Bothwell,
Mr ftjaxwell of William wood was an uncommon sufferer by
J:he Highland host 1678, And inthe following summer, a
party, commanded by one Scot of Bonnitoun, came and with
out producing any order carried off 50'boUspf meal, four^t
horses, with the whole household furniture left by the High
landers, cut the beds with their swords, and damaged what, they
could nbt carry off. All this was occasioned by an information
given by Mr Finnick the curate of Cathcart. However, Wil-
liamwood, conscious of his integrity, and loyalty, furnished his
house anew, and dwelt in k, tiU in May or June 1680, a false
information was given against him as having been at BothwelL
Whereupon he was seized^ and carried first to Glasgow^' and
then to Edinburgh, where he was several times before the coun
cil ; and no proof appearing of his being at Bothwell, he was
released upon bond to appear on die first of September, In
short, he got up his bond, and obtained his liberty ; but, not
withstanding this, about the end of 1681, he was again attack
ed, and had his house pillaged by soldiers ; so that, finding,
there was no safety for him from the malice of the said Finnick,
he let out his land to .tenants, and lived privately for some time,
and at jast retired to Ireland. While there, a summons was
left at his house in. Scotland, to^ appear before, the justiciary.
Montgomery the sheriff-depute, dealt with several persons who
were in the porteous-roll to swear that they saw 'WlUiamwood
at Bothwell, promising that he Would get them acquitted, and
their names scratched out of the roll ; but they would not pur
chase their liberty at such a price. However, one Hart a pro
fligate wretch, and another Uke him, were prevailed with ; and
sp WlUiamwood was sentenced, as above, before ever he knew
there was an indictment against him, and his estate given to
provost Johnston of Glasgow, and his wife and six small children
put to shift for bread tUt the happy Revolution. In the year
1684, his wife was harrassed from place to place, till, thrpugh
toil and grief, she died in November. These well attested facts
wiU doubtless furnish the reader wkh proper reflections.
Many otjier gentlemen received indictments before this court
at Glasgow, particulaiiy'Jariies Mulrhead, of Bradisholm. He
was a great favourertj^-the' presbyterians ; but though his house
was within two^tjaifescof -Bpthwell, yet during that rising, he
retired from hsitte Several weeks. .Inthe year 16S1, he was
prosecuted before the circuits; but, no proof appearing, all pro
secution- was discharged. When he was, as he thought, secure^

-CHAP. VIU. CHt/RCH OF SCOTLAND, 153 v
he was again put into the porteous-roll, and received a new in
dictment before this circuit-court at Glasgow ; but nothing ap
pearing against him, he was referred to the justiciary at Edin
burgh, and by their order was released- Notwithstanding this,
he was, the very next year, put into the pbrteous-roll, and in
dicted before the, circuit for the same pretended accession to
Bothwell ; and because he would not clear himself by taking
the test, he was charged before the council for reset and con
verse, keeping conventicles, and was fined in 4000 merks, and
kept fourteen months In prison at Edinburgh,
In short, the country was put to great trouble and vast ex
pences at these circuits. It cost John Ayton, Thomas Lelper,
_ James Martinholm, Alexander Small, John Steel, in Braken-
ridge; John Mack in Caldergreen,Qwith several more who at
tended this court, above 200 merks each before they got home.
Great sums were likewise extorted from honest people to get
free from sitting on the juries, John Luke of Claythorn paid,
at different times, near 501. sterling. This was likewise the
case of Andrew Gibson, George Bogle and others. Many con
siderable merchants in Glasgow lost a great d^l of money to
be freed from sitting in these juries.
The circuit-court sat down at Ayr on the.22d of June. The
curates in that shire, especially Mr Abercrombie in Carrick,.
and Mr Joseph Clelland in Dalserf, signalized themselves in
procuring Informations. .'Vast numbers were summoned out of
every parish In the shire to give informations. The persons in
formed against were charged to clear themselves by taking the
test. The recusants "were imprisoned, and they who did not
appear were declared rebels, &c. The same day Mr Matthe-w
Campbell of Watershaugh, Robert Lockhart of Bankhead, James
Brown son to James Brown in Newmills, John Paterson In
DandlUan, Adam Reid in Mauchlin, John Wilson in Lindsay-'
hill, John Crawford of Torshaw, Andrew Brown of Duncan-
zeamer, Mr John Halbert, Coj. John Burns, and Janies Mac-
nellly of Auchnairn, were indicted for being in arms at Both-
well. They were all absent except Bankhead and Andrew
Brown, who confessed their guilt, offered to take the test, and
threw themselves on the king's mercy. Sentence was not pro
nounced against these two tUl the 2d of August, when they
were condemned to be beheaded at the Cross. of Edinburgh on
the 9th ; bur it seems before that they were pardoned. All
the rest were, in absence, sentenced, to be executed as traitoia
when apprehended.
John, Cochran of Waterside was in absence, forfeited fo^^
.conversing with rebels. There were strong suspicions mat the
two witnesses who deposed against them were suborned-

^15'1 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VUI.
William BosweU, a yoUng gentleraaii' in the parish of Au-.
chinleck, was obliged to take the test, and pay 1000 merks fine
to preserve his estate from forfeiture. All his crime was, that
when he happened to fall in with a company of men going to
join the west country army, he stopped h^s horse to see them
'draw up. , ' ~
William Torbran, late provost of, Stranrawer, was summoned
before this circuit. This gentleman endured great hardships In
the year 1 679, so that he was obliged to retire to Ireland, wher* ;
he was when summoned to. appear. His lawyers, with difli-
culty, got sixty days allowed to cite him as one out o,f the king
dom. When, these were expired sentence of death, was past
upon him, though no crime was proved against him but his ab
sence and non-appearance i^ so that he was obliged to stay
abroad tiU 1687, when he found his losses exceeding great.
The circuit next sat down at Dumfries. In this district very
few but papists, persecutors, and their friends, escaped. They
who had formerly signed the bond were here piade use of as
witnesses, and were grievously harrassed if they did not turn
informers tpo. The taking of the test, which was pressed- with
rigour, saved the fives of many. They who did not appear
were declared traitors, and all who after that conversed with
them, whether father, mother, brother, sister, husband or wife,
became In law as guilty as they ; and thus the very ties of na
ture were broken.
In consequence of what passed at the circuit at Jedburgh
many were made prisoners. All who refused the test were
bound over to appear at Edinburgh the 2d of August. Mr
Gladstanes, one of thie prisoners, says, in a letter to the laird
of Cavers, « That Stevenson, Ormiston, Maudsley, Pollock,
« Maxwell, Greenock and Blackcasrie, were sent to the castle
f of Edinburgh, Sir John Riddel and another to the prison of
* Haddington and Bonjedburgh, Well, WiUiam Ker uncle to
< Greenhead, Gideon Scot^ and himself, to that of Edinburgh,
* where, with about sixty other gentlemen, they remained
« about ten days, till the prison— became dangerous for their
« health.'. Some of these prisoners were released upon bail to
appear when caUed, others continued in prison for a consider
able time. Thus much for the circuits this year. After they
were over, droves of prisoners were carried from prison to pri
son ; and, if I may use the expression, the jail at Edinburgh
.was the common reservoir. The papists, all this while, were
pot only overlooked, but encouraged.
It has been related^ that others were empowered to hold
courts and tender the test, and they generally exceeded their
instrucrions. Hallyards, sand one Duncan Grant, a soldier, with
powers from him, held courts in the parish of KUbride, and

CHAP, vm. CHURCH OP SCOTLAND 155
neighbouring parishes, in the shire of Lanark, Grant was a
terror to that part of the country, All suspected persons wtere
fined as he thought fit, John Wilson in Highflet had his house
rlflpd, and lost 6731, 6s. 8d. Grant sent his soldiers upon free
quarters in the parish, sometimes to one house, and sometimes;
to another. It was dreadful for the country to be oppressed,
^ot only by the commissioners, but also by their wretched de-
putes, who acted without controul. "The fines imposed by
Hallyards in the parish of Kilbride came to a great sum, not to
speak of the damages done by the soldiers. John Watt In that
parish lost above 500 merks, and John Granger 1 100, Crich
ton and others of the orthodox clergy constantly attended at
these courts. In the parish of Evandale, the . laird of Nether-
field, Alexander Muir In plbughland, Alexander 'Hamilton in
Halls, and three or four more, were imprisoned for alleged re
set and converse, and fined in 9531. 13s. 4d, The sherlfFs and
their deputies took care to have their share of the fines.
Cornet Graham held hi^ courts in Balmaghie, and the iaird
of Lagg acted with the utmost virulence, as likewise did Tho
mas Lidderdale of St Mary Isle. The like courts were held at'
Kirlfcudbright and Dumfries, where all whom they were pleas
ed to suspept were required to take the test, and the recusants
sent to jail. It would be eridless to mention particulars. Hovvi
ever, I cannot omit one singular outrage committed at Moffaf,
which was within the commission of the laird of Westeraw,'
This wretch ordered intimation to be made in the church, ori
the Lord's day, that the test was to be offered to-morrow inthe
parish, and summoned all the heads of the famUies, to appear. Af
ter this he openly. said. The devil damn his soul in hell, but be
fore to-morrow's night they should beall damned as weU as he.
I might here likewise mention, that another branch of oppres
sion, at this time, was owing to those who had gifts of the
fines made to them S for m.ariy were forced to leave their houses,
and were reduced to great straits, by the merciless^ exaction of
these fines ; but I pass all thpse over, apd go on tp other things
in the orderbf time.
' On the 1 2th pf July, Andrew Guillan, a weaver near Magus-
muir (but after. Sharp's death was obliged to abscond, arid serve
at some distance from where he lived formerly) was before the
lords of justiciary for thedeathbf the Archbishop of St Andrews;
and he was the only person that may be said to have suffered
precisely on that score. On the 1 Itii of June last the curate of
the parish came by, while he was at work with a countryman,
and asked him whether he kept the church. Andrew told him
he did nbt own him, nor would give him any account ; where
upon thecurate called the neighbours and sei'-ted him. Then
he was carried to Cockpen, and pressed to drink thc king's

156 . XHE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. VIII,
health; and, upon refusing, was committed tojirlsonat Dal»
keith, and from thence to Edinburgh, where he was put in the
iron-house. At one of hi* examinations, (for there was no proof
of his being any ways concerned in the affair of Sharp) while the
advocate was expatiating on the aggravating circumstances of
that affair, and among other things. Was representing, that when
the bishop was upon hisi knees praying, they kUled him ; An
drew being touched at this, lifted up his hands, and^ cried out,
O ! dreadful ! he would not pray one word, for all that could
be said to him. This was enough. His own confession wa?
hrought as proof of his being concerned in the bishop's death,
and accordingly he was sentenced tp be taken to the Cross of
Edinburgh on Friday, July the 20th, to haye both his hands cut
off at the foot of the gallows, and then to be hanged, his head
to be cut off, and fixed at Cpupar, and his body to be hung iii
chains at Magus-muir. He endured, his sufferings with great
courage. The fiafigman, being drun|c, or affecting to be so,
gave_hitn nine strokes in the cutting off his hands, wfiich he en
dured with invincible patience. "When his right hand was cut
off, he held up the stump before the spectators, and said. My
blessed Lord sealed my salvation wjth his blood, and I am ho
noured this day, to seal his truths with my blood. After hl^
body had hung for some time in chains, some people came and
took it down, which exposed that part of the country to nq
small trouble. In his last testimony, where are many excellent
advices, among other things, he, says, < I declare I die not as
' a murderer, or as an evilrdeer, although this coyenant-breaklng,
« perjured, murdering generation lay it to my charge, as though'
• 1 was a murderer, on account of the justice that was execut-;
* ed on that-Judas, who sold the kirk of Scotland for 50,000
* merks a year.'—
Edward Atkin was condemned and executed at the same time
with Andrew Guillan. His crime was conversing with the
Jaird of ^arlstpun, which he acknowfedged, and blessed Gpd
for the converse he had with him. Hard measures wit|i a wit
ness ! "
On the 18ch of July, Sir Thomas Hope pf Cralghall, Skyne
of Hallyards elder, Holburn of Menstrie, and other gentlemen,
were indicted before the justiciary for reset and converse, but
were dismissed upon taking the test.
On the 23d the Rev. Mr WiUiam Carstairs was apprehended
in England, at Kenterden in Kent on suspicion that he was Mr
Ferguson, one of the supposed conspirators. He was admitted
to bail for some days, a,fter which he was committed to the com
mon jaU of the place. AU he Was accused of was his refusing the
oaths, one of which had been expired by law, viz, the Oxford-
path. After he had been thejre a fortnight, he was sent tp

6HAP. Viu. ' CHtJRCH OF SCOTLAND, ,157
London and Committed for two days Intb a messenger's hands.
During which time Sir Andrew Forester came to him, in the
kirig's name, and offered him a pardon, and all kindness, if he
Would discover what he knew of that mattet, which, says Mr
Carstairs, shews the falsehood of what was po'sitively assejted,
in an account given in the name of the kirig and Duke of York,
that never any hopes of favour were oftered to .any to induce
them to confess. He was afterwards called before a commlttee-
of the council, and not giving them that satisfaction they desir
ed was committed to the Gate-hoUse. He had for his fel
low-prisoner Major Holmes, who had been a friend and corres
pondent of the Earl of Argyll, and to whom he was desired to
give a cypher of names to correspond with, and to which he
added several with his own hand, which was well known to the
Earl of Melford. Thi? proved afterwards prejudicial to him,
for it was found among his papers when he was seized. Besides,
the major told the lords of council that there had been some
consulations about lending moriey to Argyll. He continued in
the Gate-house eleven weeks close prisoner ; and thinking him-*
self secure against being sent to Scotland under the protection
of the habeas corpus; act, in the first of Mlehaelmas-ter'm he pe-'
titioned, the court of King's-beneh for either being brought to'
his trial or admitted to bail ; but, the day after that, he 'was or
dered to prepare for Scotland, in twenty-four hours, to be, tried
there^ for crimes committed in that kingdom, though for several
years he had not been in that eoUntry but en passant. Accord-^
ingly he was sent to Scotland in the king's kitchen- yacht, with
several other Scots gentlemen, and was with them, committed
to the jaU of Edinburgh, where he was close prisoner for seve
ral months, and where I must leave him in order to icelate what
happened in the mean time.
On the 24th Robert Hamilton laird of Monkland vvas prose
cuted before the justielary, and indicted. « for being with four
« servants at Schaw-mUir in June 1679, keeping a council pf
* war with the murderers of the archbishop of St Andrews, cort-
• versing -with them, entertaining them ;it his house, and that he
• entertained and received rent from tenants after they had beeii
' at Bothwell.' This gentlemen was what was then called regul-^
ar, and had never given the least evidence of what was account
ed disloyalty. While the west-country army was near hishouse^
and he was told that oneof his children had strayed towards them,
he went put to bring back his child, which he thought was no
crime ; but, though nothing else appeared against him, he was
sentenced to be beheaded at the Cross of Edinburgh on the 10th
of August next. Arid though the sentence was not executed.

158 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, VIII.
yet the cruel treatment he met with bore so hard on his spirits/
that he fell sick and died, and his son, at the Revolution, was
bbUged to sell the half of his estate, , ' ¦ '
On the 24th, 25tb, and 30th of this month, the following
persons were irilprlsoned for alleged rebellion, reset of rebels,
and other treasonable -crimes, viz. John Porterfield of Douchal,
James Hamilton of Aikenhead*, Mr Andrew Hay of Craigne-
thari, 'WiUiam Bredln of WhelpshUl, John Gilkers heritor In
Biggar, James Paterson in Shields*, J.Dunlop of Houshlll, G.
Mulrhead of Stevenson, Mr "J Bannantyne bf Corehouse, after
the Revolution minister at Lanark, G. Houstoun of Johnstoun f,
J. Plrle in Nuik, G, Hamilton of Westburn *, AUan Watt in
Kirktoun, A. Mack and D. Richmond in Harestocks, J. Bruce
in Nethertoun of Hamilton, Thomas Alstoun of Mynes, Jariies
Strang, Arch. Ro^cbufgh, John Muir, Jp. Roberston, Rbb^
Wilson, And, Ross, John Allan, Will. Paterson, John Alexan
der, Thomas Bowls, Thomas Dinning, William Smelly, James
Brown, all in Hamilton ; James Mulrhead of Bradisholm,- Jam.
and John Murrays in Auchinreath, Pat. Park writer in Glas
gow, Mark Marshall merchant there, Mr Andrew Kennedy,
alias Weir of Clowburn,
July 25, Jphn Young in Linbank, Ellezer Allan and his son
John, Thomas Allan younger pf Coldstream, James Young
chaniberlain of Evandale, James Stuart of, Hartwood*,, John
Fisher in Covingtoun-mill, James Crichton in Biggar, Jas. GU-
kerson in Side, Matthew Hamilton son to Gavin in Haws,
Alexr, Cuningham of Cralgends, Will, Muir of Glanderstoun*,
John Anderston of Dove- hill, Alex. Muir in Pentland, Thomas
Young in Cothill, Jo^ Meikle in Nulkfoot, Ga. Semple In Over
toun, John Steil elder in Brakenrldge, John Cochran in Cairn-
duff, Will. Thomson in Waterhead, Alex. Hamilton In Haws,
Sir John MaxweU of Nether pollock*. Sir John Schaw of
Greenock, John Chiesly of CarsweU*, Gavin Mulrhead of Lac-
hop *, Sir Al. Hamilton of Hagg*, James Chancellor of Shell-
hill, Mr John Hamilton of Halcfaig, Will. Forrest of Maschoch-
mill, Matthew Thomson in Bothwell, J. Nasmith in AUartoun,
Rob. Hamilton of Burnbrae, J. Loudon In Hamilton, John
Mulrhead, And. Little, John Wright, Rob. Alstoun, James
Mack, W. Matthie there ; Will. Cook, John Loudon in Carw
phin-bridgend, Mr W. Russel chamberiain to Sir Daniel Car-
michael. Sir Rob. Sinclair of Stevenson*, Will. Bally of Lam^
mingtoun*, A. Durham of Dunverrie, Mr WiUiam Douglas of
Bads, David Oswald of Eastburn, Sir Patrick Hepburn of
Blackcastle, Ad. Cockburn of Ormlstoun*, Mr James MitcheU
son to Owletson, John FUr.t in Brelch-mill, John Wallace in
Cleughhead,' Andrew Rob in Walsley, Mr Patrick Inglis por-'
tiaricr In EastbarnSf

CHAP. VIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 159
July SO, John Peltln in WhitehiU bf Lesmahago, Archibald
Crawford of Auchinmains, John Cannon of Ileadmark, James
Galloway of Shields, Mr William Rankin late schoolmaster at
Ayr, Tho. Mackneilly in Ochiltree, Jo. Speir there, :ohn For
rest In Langhousc in Carlouk, And. Prentice, David Dykes, An
drew Hutchison of Som, Dunlop of that ilk, Fergus Macrubben'
of Knockdallen, FuUertoun of that Uk, David BosweU of Auch
lnleck, Greo. FuUarton of Dreghom, And. Ramsay baker in Ayt»
David Blair of Adamtoun*, Jo. Smith of Rodaindykes, Jo.
Ramsay, Sir David Carmichael of Mauldsley*, and Walter
Lockhart of Kirktoun*.
These Mrith'[*] at their names, and a good many others, were
. released before the 22d of August', against whom nothing could
be proved. Others gave bond to appear when called. 'Vast
numbers escaped imprisonment by taking the test ; but then
there were not a few that were declared fugitives and outlaws
by the justiciary on the said 25th of July, as W , Thomson pro
curator in Lanark, Gideon Crawford merchant in Biggar, Jamea
Mulrhead younger In Lanark, Jo. Clelland portloner of Stane,
Ja. Thomson of Harestocks, .Tohn Browning there, David Gil-
kerson. Hum. Stevenson, James Forrest, Alexr. Smith, John
Scot, John Nasmith in Cledans, John Nasmith in Hamilton,
William Bell, Jo. Simpson, Arch. Scot, Jo, Marshall of Chapel,
Rob, Murray, Tho. Allan, and Jo, Marshall In Kilsyth, How
happy were the days when such numbers tasted die sweets of
imprisonment, and the pleasures of outlawry !
The circuit-courts being over for this time, so m.any things
were reserved to the council that they gave a new commission,
on the 28th of July, to John Boyle of Kelburn, Ardmillan, Col
onel Buchan, &c, to hold courts for inquiring after those who
were suspected as guilty of rebellion, or reset of rebels, or who
maliciously slandered such as testified their loyalty by tiaking
the test.
The same day Messrs MacgUUgen, Philip and Spreul were or
dered to be sent from the prison of Edinburgh to the Bass ; and
the governor of the Bass was enjoined to suffer no man-ser
vants to wait on the prisoners, to inspect aU letters and papers
sent to or from the prisoners, to suffer only two at a time to
have the benefit of walking above the prison walls, between
the rising and setting of the sun, and only t%vo to come at a
time from the shore to the prisoners, and always some to be
present to hear their discourse.
The Rev. Mr James Fraser of Brae was seized at London,
in this month of July, upon the breaking out of the plot, and
soon after was brought before the king and die Duke of York.
After he had satisfied them as to his knowing nothing of the
plot, the king asked him what he thought of Uie Archbishop of
1

160 THE HISTORT OF THE CH.-VF. VHI-.
¦St Andrew's murder. He answered he had no hand in It, flbr
was accessary to it, yea, he was grieved when he heard of it;
and, as he would not justify or have had a hand In it for the
¦vsforld,.so for him to condemn it, or declare it murder, was what
he could not do ; that he was a deer of the law, and not a judge :
and as to his inward sentiments, he desired to be excused, not
being free to give an account of his thoughts before any human
judicatory, who were only judges of men's words- and act^fts.
The king next asked him "concerning the obligation of the cove
nants,' to which Mr Fraser replied. That though he had never
taken the covenants, yet he looked upon himself as bound toaU
in them ofa moral import. Though the king ^seemed to be
satisfied with his having no concern in the plot, yet he was re
mitted to the Lord Mayor, who asked him if he would take the
oaths. "He declared he was wUling to take the oath, of allegl-*
ance, but demurred' on that of supremacy, and absolutely refu
sed the. Oxford oath ; whereupon he was sent to Newgate,
where he continued six months, and had such good entertain
ment, company, and conversation, that he says he could scarce
, call it suffering. And indeed there Was a great difference be
tween the -sufferers in England and those in Scotland, where
the managers were acted from, a real spirit of cruelty, .
¦ On the 2d of August, Messrs Anthony Schaw, John "Veitch,
R.obert Millar, John CampbeU, Robert Boyd, 'WUliam 'BaUy,
and James Veitch, indulged ministers, were charged with trea
sonable crimes. The two first were ordered to be Imprisoned at
Edinburgh. The process^ against the rest was delayed.- We
shall meet with most of them next year. On the Sth, William
Muiir laird of Glanderstoun, who had been with others impri
soned on the 25th of July last, was released by an act of the
.justiciary. His case was singular. When he was in a fever
he was blboded by Mr Spruel, an apothecary, who was a non
conformist. This was constructed converse with rebels ; and
for this Glanderstoun was imprisoned. He was obliged first to
petition the councU, for the justiciary, at this time, was entire
ly under their direction. On the 16th the council ordered the
' king's advocate to raise a process of treason against the Earl of
Xowdoun, Lord MelvU, Sir John Cochrane of Ochiltree and
his son John, Sir Hugh Campbell of Cesnbckj elder,  Camp
bell of Cesnock younger, the lairds, of Rowalian elder and
younger, ¦ Montgomery of Lingshaw,  Fairly of Bruns-
field,  Baily of Jerviswood,  Crawford yoimger of
Crawfordland,  Stuart of Cultness, and  Denholm of
iWest-shiels. . This process was raised on account of the plot ;
but it was some time before it was brought to any thing. And
bn the same 16th of Au-gust, the council had a letter from bis
majesty, thanking rhem for their care of the orthodox clergy,

CHAP. vm. CHURCH OB SCOTIAND. 161
and declaring that it was his pleasure they should pursue the
same wholesome methods. This was no doubt acceptable ;
for on the 2 1 st they wrote to the king, desiring that tliey might
be empowered to no.-ninate the justices of peace, in any of die
shires, as tbey shall see needful, and that, as several had lost
the opportunity of taking the test before the first of August,
they might have a farther opportunity, and tbat the king would
approve of what they had done, in empowering proper persons
to examine witnesses in the country, in regard to persons sus
pected of the rebeUion, or guilty of reset and converse with re
bels. In short, the king granted all their desires, and they is
sued a proclamation, ordering the common people to take the
test by the first of March hext, in order to indemnify them for
ever, as to their receiving, or conversing with such as were in
the rebellioil 1679, except those who have receiv^, or conver
sed with the murderers of the late archbishop, or seditious field-
preachers, or who were any way accessary to the late conspi
racy. This they reckoned a great instance of clemency. But
when perjury was the condition of their clemency, one would
be ready to apply to them that saying, The tender mercies (f the
wicked are cruel. Besides, the taking of the test, according to
the proclamation, secured the lives, but not the estates of such
gentlemen as they could have an accusation against.
By this time Mr Alexander Gordon of Earlstoun was come
to Scotland, aad had been several rimes examined by the coun
cil, and by committees of their number. His answers were
open and sincere ; but after all their endeavours, they could find
nothing relative to the plot. But, having been formerly for
feited in life and fortune, the justiciary, on the 21st «f August,
condemned him to be beheaded at the cross of Edinburgh on
the 28th of next month. But, still hoping to make great disco
veries, they were resolved to examine him by torture ; but here
lay their difficulty ; they wanted some point of law for tortur
ing one under sentence of death. Accordingly the same day
they wrote to the secretary to advise with the king's advocate,
then at London, ' whether, by the laws of the kingdom, and the
' circumstances he Is in, being under sentence of death, he may
* be put to' the question by torture, upon sueh pertinent ques-
* tions as your lordship and he shall think fit to dravr up,' &c
Meanwhile, this same day, the lady Moristoun, a pibus gentle
woman, was ordered to leave the kingdom, without having any
thing to lay to her charge.
On the 29th of August, Mr J. Dick son to D. Dick -writer
in Edinburgh, having been apprehended upon the infmrmation
of a poor woman whom they had bribed, was examined by the
committee for public affairs, and in his answers exceeded the
bishop in point of argument. On the last of August ha was
vo^.. II. L

162 The HlSTORV OF THE CHAP. Till.
brought befbre the council, and subscribed what he had con
fessed upon his examination, viz. « That he owned the work of
? Reformation, «s — contained In the Confession of Faith and
' Catechisms, conform to the Covenant against popery, pre-
' lacy, erastianism, &c. — As to episcopacy, he cannot under-
« stand it to be lawful, — that espiscopacy and erastianism, esta-
, ' blished in that and subsequent parliaments, were contrary to
• the word of God, and that the supremacy therein estabUshed
? was most horrid blaspheniy.' Then, directing himself to die
chancellor, he said, he hoped his lord^ip would not take that
ill, seeing he had swom the same in the test, and desired that
this might be added to his confession, but that was refused,
* He did not own the Sanquhar declaration, but owned th?
* Hamilton, the lawfulness of self-defence, field-'meetings, and
' that the invasion made against them at Pendand and Both-
* Well, they being in the exercise of religion, was service done
« to the devil, and that the resistance tbey made in their own de-
« fence was to God. — He confessed his being at BothweU, but
' not at Drumclog, that the king was lawful born king,, and
' came lawfully to the crown, and owned his authority conform
' to the word of God,— that the covenants were binding on the
* nations, and should be so to the end of lime, and that that
* oath, called the test, was a most horrid and unlawful oath,
• and-that he was not obliged to take the same. As to the
' killing of the archbishop, that he Could not give his judgment
< about it, it not being an act of his own ; but that some of
• those who were called the actors, whom he knew, were holy
' and just men,' The council, when he signed the confession
failed not to improve It ; and accordingly ordered -George Ban-
nerman advocate to prosecute him and George Lapsley before
the -lords of justiciary.
Thus on the 4th of September they were brought before the
criminal-court, and indicted for treason. Mr Dick's confes
sion was produced as evidence against him ; he owned it in the
face of the court ;- and, being asked if he had any thing to add
to it, he answered, « he had only one clause, viz. that, he was
« of opinion, that all the blood of the presbyterians shed those
* years bygone, merely for their principles, was murder.'
The lords would not hear what he had to say in bis own de
fence } the jury brought him in guUty ; and hfr was sentenced
to be hanged at the Grassmarket on September 28th, "When
the sentence was pronounced, he told them, « That to pass such
« a sentence upon him, without hearing him in his own de-
« fence, was a practice never paralleled among the heathens.'
And, gb'mg on, he was Interrupted, and carried off. But an
inculerit happened, .which prevented his execution at this time,
which I shall presently relate.

CHAP. VIII, CHURCH OB SCOTLAND. 165
George Lapsley was for some time a miUer at Llnllthgow-
mill, and was one of those multitudes who was converted by
the gospel preached in the fields. At BothweU he was wound
ed in the leg, and made prisoner. When before a committee
of the council, he discovered, by his answers, that he was a,
man of undaunted courage and resolution. As lie was called
before them, he was reading his Bible, and carried it with him
under his arm. Bishop Paterson was the first that attacked him,
and asked if he thought Bathwell-bridge rebellion ; he answer
ed; Sir, you are a perjured prelate, I will answer you no ques
tions. The, other lords examined him in the manner foUowing :
Question. Wherefore are you in prison ? Answer. < For hear-
' »"g the gospel. Q: Do you go to church ? A. No. Q.
* Wherefore ? A. Because they are not the sent ministers bf
* Christ, and because of their perjury. Q. Will you own the
« king's authority ,' A. According to the word of God and
* covenants, and no othervrise, which you have broken and
' burnt, and for which the Lord will be avenged. Q. Did ypu
* write to Mr Dick? A. Yes, Q. Who wrote the letter?
^ A.l will give no account. Q. Was the bishop's death mur-
• der ? ,,^. I am not concerned with his life or death either.
* Q. Was Hackstoun's death a murder ? A. Yes, and all those
*« whose lives you have taken these two-and-twenty years.
* Q,- Was you at Bothwell-bridge? A. I wiU not accuse my-
« self. Q. What thought you of It ? A. I thought It duty, and
• not rebellion, and all that were on the contrary party were in
* rebellion against God, and that you will find. Q- Did you
* converse with Mr Welsh ? A. 'Yes, an'd I bless God for it.
* Q- What book is that under your arm ? A. It is the acts of
* th(e parliament of Heaven, and I charge you, as ye shaU an-
« swer at thegreat day, when ye and I shall stand on equ^I
* terms, that ye judge according to what is contained in it.
< Q. Is it lawful to resist the king's forces -at the field,meet-
^ ings ? A. Yes, the law of nature allows self-defence, and
' the word of God and our covenants to stand to the defence
* of one another,'
Notwithstanding these bold answers,, they were restrained
from passing sentence of death, and he escaped before they had
another opportunity, and lived a merchant in Edinburgh for
- many years after the Revolution.
On the .12th of September garrisons were appointed In Dum«
fries, Kaitloch, Earlstoun, 8cc, which effectually carried on the
persecution against all non-conformists.
Four days after this, Mr John Dick, George Lapsley, and
twenty-four more, made their escape out of the prison'at Edin
burgh i for which th& magistrates were called to > an account,
3

164 THE HISTORY OS THE CHAF. VIH.
reprimande'd, and enjoined to be morey^areful for tlie future-
Mr Dick was afterwards taken and executed.
On the 19th, the council had a lettef from the king, order
ing the fugitive-rolls to be printed ; and next day a letter came
from Middleton the secretary ; to the chancellor, relaring to the
torture t)f the laird of. Earlstotm, in which it was declared, that
though a man cannot be tortured on questions relating to the
crimes fbr which he is condemned, yet he may be tortured for
what relates to plots, conspiracies, and combinations that have
h^pened afterwards ; and since Mr Gordon had a commission
from the rebels, and it doth appear from a letter to him, from
L N, dated at London, March the 20th last, that he was privy
to the late conspiracy, &c, therefore his majesty resolved that
he be put to die torture, and Interrogated concerning those
from whom he had the said commission, and concerning the
s;2id conspiracy. In consequence ofthis the .council, the same
day, appointed a committee to meet next Tuesday, and exa
mine Earlstoun by torture.
Accordingly, on the 2Sth of September, Earlstoun was befbre
them ; but though the instrument of torture was standing by,
yet it was not used, because he declared he would be as inge
nuous, and more full than he could be In torture. There were
two things, upon which he was chiefly examined, viz. the com-
mission from the societies, called in the interrogatories the/«-
tended convention, and the letter signed I. N, As to the first, he
declared, ' That the first time he met with that pretended coii-
vention was near the Inner-klrk of Kyle in the fields, about
two years ago, and that ther* were about eighty persons, or
thereby ; and that he was brought there, from his own house,
by one John Nisbet, whom the declarant knows no farther,
than that he is a west- country-man about Glasgow, and that
John Nisbet is another John Nisbet that wrote a letter to him
to Holland, under the notion of trade, relating to the rising
and rebellion in England, And farther, that, about a year
and half ago, he met With another convention, consisting of
foifrscore persons, or thereby in the fields, within five miles of
the former plaoe, near Inner-klrk, and that very few of them
had swoids ;' to -which mfeeting he was advertised ta come by
a letter sent to his house, subscribed by Mr James Renwicl^
who is clerk to the convention, and heard of no ministers bcr
ing among theni at either of these times ; and says there were
speopk there from all the districts in tbe several shires of the
kingdom ; which district&he was informed were fourscore, and
that Iri tbem all, there would have been 6 or 7000 riaen ; and he
knew none of the persons in ©itherbf their meetings, except
Mr James Renwick the clerk, the said John Nisbet, who came
irom a district beside GaUbmray, and WUliam and James

CHAP, Tin. CftURCH OF SCOTLAND. 165
Stuarts, who came out of Galloway, Robert S^Ier, who came
from the Lothians, and one Forrest, who came from the up
per-ward of Clyde, and that, at these general meetings, they
produced their commissions from the several districts to the
clerk, that it mtgnt appear that they were commisslonate to
get relief for the distress- In their bounds ; that the business
pf the convention was to provide for those among them that
were in want, and for their own security against the dangers
they were In, being denounced fugitives from the laws, and
in?ha«ard to be catched by the governors ; and that he heard
nothing treated of, t>r spoke amongst therii', as to rising in
arms, nor knows of any correspondence these of the conven
tion had with any iri Ireland ; arid as to England, he supposes
there was a correspondence there, but knows not those that
managed it, except the said John Nisbet, he having shewn the
declarant a letter he had from Michael, Shiells, one of the,
clerks of the convention, which he saw in the end of March,
or beginning of April last, — that he accepted the commission^
to see if there could be a way found for the distressed brethren
to go abroad, or ts have some thing from abroad to maintain
theqi there,! — that the commission was sent him to Newcas
tle, by a common receiver, whom he knows not^ directed to
hira at his lodging, at the sign of the Vine, In the Gateside
in Newcastle, hjs landlbrd's name being George Marshall, a,
public innkeeper, and addressed to him under the name of la
Graveit,' &c. As to the letter fropi /. 'N. he explained all
the parts of It they required, as the reader may see In the copies
of informations by Sprat ; and nd farther could appear from his
declaration, than that there had been conferences among those
who wished well to their country, about die most proper mey
thod§ for rescuing it ftom approaching slavery, and consulta
tions aboiit rising in arms ; but nothing of assassipating either
the king or the duke; To use the words pf a m.odern historian,
* There was nothing more In it, than t'he rash and Imprudent.
discp.urse of some warm Whigs, which, Itl sp critical and dan
gerous a conjuncture, was very hazardous; but no scheme of
3 plot was agreed upon, no preparations were made, no arms
nor horses bought, nor persons appointee! tp execpte any fiesign
against the king or government.'
Notwithstanding Earlstpun had heen mpst open and full in
\n% declarations, yet, in less than two months after this, be was,
in cpnseqiuence of a new letter from thp king, ordered to be
put to the torture ; but, as I am assured by hjs son, whpn they
were going to put him iq the boots, he turned furious, and
frighted the whole court ; and that this, ^nd the interest pf the
Duke of Qordon, who was his firm friend,, were the' occasions
of bis life being preserved, "The physicians advised that hp

166 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP, Vlll*
might be sent to the castle for the benefit of the air. He per- '
fectly recovered in eight or ten days. In short, this worthy
gentleman was reprieved from time to time, and was at last
sent to the Bass, where he had sometimes more and sometimes
less liberty, with his exceUent lady, till he was released by the
Revolurion, -
Some time in September, Mr James Renwick returned to
Scotland, After his ordination he went with all expedition to
Rotterdam to take the first opportunity of a ship. It was some
rime before he found a conveniency ; at last he got aboard a ves
sel bound for Irdand, While at sea they were overtaken with a
storm, and forced to put in at Rye-harbour In England, which
happened during the noise of the plot ; but getting off, he ar
rived at Dublin, and from thence sailed to Scotland, where he
joined the societies,, who chose him for their minister. His
first public meeting was in a moss at Daritoead, ¦ where, for his
own vindication, and the satisfaction of the people, he declared
all his sentiments about the then puzzllrig questions, particu
larly concerning the defections of ministers, and shewed what
ministers he. would and what he could not join with ; and, as
he named the latter, he gave his reasons why he could not join
with them. Some present were offended at his naming some mi
nisters, which when he came to understand, he wished that he had
not been so particular in mentibning names, since It had given of
fence ; but he declared his end was harmless, and that It flowed
from no prejudice at their, persons, nor disrespect to their names.
After this he was exposed to many slanders and reproaches, too
¦jiumerous here to mention. And many sought to defame his
principles, as not only unsound, but also pernicious ;, and I am
sorry to have it tb say, that none reproached him mere than the
indulged of his own cpmmunlpn.
In tbe mean time, by the noise that went of him through the
country, the coiiQcil soon got intelligence, and were galled at
the thoughts of his preaching in the fields ; which practice had
been laid aside since Mr CargiU's execution ; but was now re- '
vived by Mr Renwick notwithstanding tlie inevitable danger to
-which it exposed both him and his followers. But, con
sidering the necessities of the people, who had been long with
out ordinances, and could not submit to the indulged, he en
gaged in the difficult work, and»was heartUy received by the
poor persecuted people, who, for the sake of the gosptl, were
determined to venture their lives. " The council soon began to
shew their resentmeht ;. for, on tjie 8th of October, they fined
the laird of Dundas and the trades of Glasgbw' in 50/, sterling
each, because bf a field meetiflg which Mr Renwick had preach
ed to, and baptized several children at Brownridge belonging to

CHAP. vm. , , CHURCH, or SCOTLAND. 167
Dundas's estate, and in the parish of New-Monkland belong
ing to the trades of Glasgow.
The same day Mr Tho, Hog and Mr Tho. Wilkie Were . fin
ed for conventicles,'the first in 5000, and the second in 10,000
merks. The former soon after went to Holland, and the lat
ter seems to have beeii minister of the Canongate after the Re-
v61ution. •
Some time inthis same month, James Forrest in the parish
of Cambusnethan, his son and his nephew Robert Gourlay, were
bankhed to West- Flanders, But returning," he, his son, and
daughter Margaret Forrest, were seized and banished, she to
Jersey, and they to Jamaica, aftey a Ipng Imprisonment, The
prisons, especiaUy at Edinburgh, were crowded, and m^ny of
the prisoners were transported to the plantations for their non
conformity, and aUeged reset and converse. One William In
glis a mason was taken out of his bed, upon a bare Information
of h*6 being a non-conformist, and, after a long imprisonment,
was sent to Carolina, where he died. '
But the treatment of George Jackson, in the parish of East
wood, shews the Inhuman and blobdy spirit of the prelates as
much as any. While at Glasgow he was overheard at prayer,
and immediately suspected for a presbyterian, and so was seized
sbme time in'^this month pf Octpber, There was nothing they
could lay to his charge. He was soon brpught before the bi
shop of Glasgow, who examined him as follows. • Question.
' What naw, Mr Jackson ? Answer. I was never a scholar.
' Q. Can you read the Bible ? A. Yes.. , Q. Was you at Both-
f WeU-brldge ? A. Yes, (2- What arms had ye ? A. An hal-
f bert-staff. Q, Was ye an officer? A. No, I was but sixteen
f , years of age. Q. Who was your captain ? A. A young man.
« Q. How called they lilrii ? A, I ^m not bound to give an acy
* co.unt to you. Q. Was you at BothweU rebellion ? A. lal-
* low myself in no ¦'rebeUion against God. Q. Was it rebellion
* against the king, or not ? A. I have answ«(red th^t questlpn
« already. Q. Would you gO-to it again? A. The question is
f like yourself, I knbw not. Q. WUl you say, God save the
* king ? A. It is not in my power to save or condemn. Q.
'. "Will y* pray for him ? A.l wUl pray for all within the elec-
f-- tion of free grace. Q. Whether is the king within th^ elec-
* tion, or not ? A. J.i ybu were the man you profess to be, you
f would notask sjich a question } it belongs only tp God.;, Q.:
f Do, you own the authority as it is* now established? ./f. No,
f but I own gll authority so far 'as it is accordlng.to the, written
i word of God. Q. Dp you own the king, and inferior ma-
f glftrates I A. In so far as they ^e. a terror to evil-doers, and a
f praise to them that, do well. Q^ Are they npt tjjat ? A. When
f the Lord Jesus Christ shall sit judge, they and ye, and the

163 *rH£ HISTORY OF THE CHAF. VIH,
« like of yoiui wiU couat for it, whether they be so or not. Q.
« Is the bishop's death murder, or not ? A. Ji your questions
• be upon these matters I am not concerned with, I will keep
• isllence.' He was then examined concerning some papers
found about him, but decUning to answer, the right reverend
prelate mildly said. Sir, the bpots shall make you free. He re
fused to subscribe what he had said, because he looked upon
that as an acknowledgment of their unjust laws._ In short,- he
was kefft in irons aU winter till the month of May, when we
shall meet with him again.
In the begjranii^ of November a party aj^rehended about
twelve persotns in the parish of New-Mdnkland, and carried
thera to Hamlltonj where they were increased to thirty, and
from thence carried them to Lanark in the night-time, and cast
them into a dungeon, where they were forcfed to stand the rest
of die night, without meat, drink, fire or candle. Next day
they were tied to one another, two and two, Set on bare horses,
with their legs tied under the horse's belly, to the effusion of ¦
their Mood. In that posture they vere obliged to ride at the
gallop for sundry mUes, without being allowed a refreshment,
diough Bonshaw and his soldiers stopt at most of the public
houses on the road. One of the poor prisoners begged leave
to light and ease nature, but the cruel- commander would not ,
sa&r It. ' When they got to, Ediahurgh, they were for some
days neither able to walk, sit, nor stand.
Unring these proceedlrigs things were preparing for the trial
of several in Scotland who were said to be concerned in the
plot. Accordingly, on the 22d of October, the Scots council
at London ordered tJie laird of Cesnock and his son, Rpwallan
elder and younger, Crawfordland, Bruntsfield, AlexandeV Monro
of Beaucrofts, Jerviswood, Mr WUliam Carstairs, Hepburn
son to Major Hepburn, Spence servant to the Earl of Argyle,
prisoners at London, to be sent to take their trial in Scotland j
and, by a letter from the king, the advocate was ordered to
prosecute them for treason. They were sent down accordingly.
Meanwhile cruelty and injustice were riding in triumpfi in
Soodand : For, on the ISth of November, Sir William Scot of
Harden, a gendeman near 70 years of age, was fined in 1500/.
sterling for his lady's withdrawing from the church. And, be
cause his confinement in prison at Edinburgh, for near six
months, was like to destroy his health, the council, out of their
great clemency, ordered him to the castle. ' He was afterwards
sent to the jaU of Jedburgh^ and from thence to that of Edln-
bargh. He was released it seems in August next year, upon
Sir Patrick Scot of Ancrum's bail for 150©/. sterUng to present
him the Tuesdsy foUowing ; and none of them appeariBg tbat
day, tbe bond was declared forfeited.

CHAP. VIII. CHURCH OTF SCOTLAND. 1G9
On the 2Sth John "Whitelaw In New Monkland in the shire
of Lanark, Arthur Bruce in Dalserf and John Cochran shoe
maker in Lesmahago, were indicted before the lords of justici
ary at Edinbu!^ for treason. They had nothing to lay to their
charge, but the answers they gave to their ensriaring questions,
as in many former^cases,'and yet they were condemned to be
executed on the 30th, They were persons from whom the gO'*
vernment had nothing to fear ; and nothing can be said but that
the managers thirsted after blood. The last mentioned had a
wife and six small children, whom he left to the protection of
the Almighty, as he declared in his last testimony. They all
died with a holy chearfulness, adhering tp their covenarited
principles, and bearing witness against popery, prelacy, and thei
test, and every thing else contrary to the written word of God,
The same day these three were condemned, the general meeting
of the united societies drew up a protestation against the Scots'
congregation, ministers and church- se^ion at Rotterdam, and
stent it to Mr Hamilton their agent, 'fhis action was very much
condemned, and in their Informatory Vindication, they do not
justify some expressions in it, though they own they 'had mat
ter for a protestation. Thus they conclude, « Considering that
« the causes inserted, materiaUy considered and rightly appUed,
< are both true and sufaclent for a protestarion, we desire that
' ' it may be- looked upon as a standing testimony, (together with
* what contendings have formerly be^n by some faithful Scottish
< sufferers in that land) for tbe vindication of truth, and against
• the sad' wrongs and abuses in that congregation, by and while
« the causes inserted are maintained, and the ofience and scandal
* given not removed; Yea, in very deed, a deep sense, in the
« mean time, of the sins witnessed against by the foresaid pro-
' testation, would make all theieln involved more favoiirably and
' charitably to construct of the action,'
On the 29th commissions were given to sundry gentlemen,
in several shires in the south and east, to attack heritors who
had not given satisfaction with respect to their cpnverse with
rebels. During the months of October and November searches were
common and severe, especially in Glasgow, All strangers who
did not answer their ensnaring questions were carried either to
the guard or prison. Multitudes were thus ap^irehended, and sent
to Edinburgh., One night they catched John Richmond as he
was walking in the streets, John Dick and John WiUiamson. The
first was carried to the guard, where he was most crueUy' tied
neck and heel, and left in that posture bleeding of the wounds
which ke had received in making some resistance when taken.
He was executed, as we shall relate. The second was banish
ed to Carolina, and the third made some compliances, of which

170 THE HISTOKY OF THE CMAP. VIU,
he afterwards repented. One John Main was -also seized at
this time in arms, and was likewise executed.
On the 6th of December one Margaret Garnock, after about
a year's imprisonment for pretended converse with rebels, was
released. - '
Next day Lord Livingston was, by the council, appointed
provost of Linlithgow, in regard the former magistrates did not
exercise their, authprity against church disorders; so that this
town was deprived of its privileges, and were obliged, not only
' now, but also In the following Infamous reign, to submit to the
nomination of magistrates made, by the council.
As the process against several gentlemen and othe.rs, at this
time, before the justiciary came to nothing, I purposely wave
them. About twenty were summoned to appear on the 10th,
and not appearing were declared fugitives, and pUt to the horn.
On the 19th a number of gentlemeii were imprisoned for the,
same cause ^with those in July ; some of thein it seems were
papists, who were so honest as p refuse the test : but, as I
cannot distinguish the one from the other, I omit their names.
However, the papists had little to fear under the present admi
nistration, since the reins of government were in the hands of
their friend the Duke of York. These were ordered to the pri
son of Edinburgh, with Sir John Riddel, John Maxwell of
Grlbtoun, Jibb. CarUsle, James Lindsay, James Hume brother
to Bassindeh, Hugh Dunbar of Knockshinnoch, and Rob. Nis--
bet of GreenhoUn ,
The same day about thirty persons, mostly tradesmen and
country people, were declared fugitives, and several others de
nounced i and the magistrates of Edinburgh, to shew their zeal
for prelacy, made an act against conventicles, by whieh they of
fered 601. Scots to the discoverer of any conventicle, unlawful
baptism or marriage, or the entertainer of any intercommuned
or vagrant person, and 12L Scots to such as should.dlscoyer any
person that kept not the church.
Some time this month another general search was made at
Glasgow, when John Buchanan, a young student, was taken,
and, after sometime's imprisonment, was transported to Carolina,
James Dun in Beauwhat, In the parish of Dalmellington, a
pious man, suffered much In his family at this time. He had four
sons ; one was killed, another was banished^ and his youngest,
son QuIntIn,.not quite fourteen years of age, was apprehended
and imprisoned at Ayr, Nothing jcpald be laid to his charge.
His father was forced to pay 2*Q^. Scots before he could get
him released. This was more than they could have got for hin|
had they sold himfor a slave, as they afterwards, did. ¦ '

CHAP. IX. ^ CHURCH Of SCOTLAND 171

CHAP. IX.
' Ofthe persecution th\s year in general ; tht proaedings of the coun'
¦ eil and justiciary ; the sufferings of particular noblemen, gentle
men, and others ; together with' the public executions till the et\d of
August 1684,
npHE longer persecution lasts the wprse It grows,.one kind
-*- pf oppression making way fpr another, as appears from
the preceding part of this work ; but, this year and the follow
ing-open a more bloody scene than any before, being what the
oppsessed people justly called. Killing time.
The courts held" by commission in the former years Increased
their illegal severities in this ; for, when they had nothing tp
af cuse persons of since Bothwell, they went as far back as Pent
land. Tbe fines were exorbitant, and the curates egged on the
oppressors. At one of these courts, held at Kirkcudbright, Mr
Colin Dalgleish the curate caused almost the whole parish tp
be summoned, and excused or accused whom he pleased. Par
ticularly, through his instigation, James Martin of Dulrag was
fined in 1000/. Scots for his wife's not keeping the church, and
cast into prison till he paid it; but, through bad usage and want
of accommodation, he was seized with a cholic of which he died
in prison. Ihe test was imposed with rigour at these courts upon- all
whom they suspected, and the recusants imprisoned. This.
made several take it contrary to their consciences, which after
wards filled them with dreadful remorse. One William Spal-
dle, a tailor in Glasgow, died in despair on this very account ;
for, when they spoke to him of the extensiveness of the divine
mercy, his anwer was, Speak not of mercy to me, I have appeal
ed unto God, and attested him to judge me, and he wUl do it.
I have sealed and signed my condemnation with my own hand.
But I purposely omit pther Instances, which the reader will find
in my authpr.
The quartering of soldiers for not paying the cess was anp-
ther occasion of great oppression. The "reasons why many re
fused to pay this have been mentioned in the 1st Vol. Soldiers
"were sent to the recusants, and quartered among them tUl ten
times the value of the cess was destroyed; and, after all, a com
position was forced to be made with the collectors. Seven
cows were taken from one Gavin Maclaymont in the parish of
Carsphairn, upon his refusal, after the loss he sustained by-
quartering, though he was not charged above the value of 15
shilUngs sterling. i

172 THE HISTORY Of THE CHAP, It.^
Multitudes were banished, many of whom never returned.
I shall have occasion to mftitioft several of these 'afterwards in
their proper place. Only here I would observe, that orie John
Gate was committed to prison at Glasgow, fbr modestly de
clining to drink tlis king's health; his wife, was Imprisoned in
a different room in the same jail, where she fell sick; and, though
she was with child, could npt get out tUl a surgeon gave a cer
tificate that her life was in danger ; but, when she was released/
she was not suffered to gp with her eight children to her ovvh
house J and the people being terrified at the dreadful persecu
tions for reset and converse, would not take her in ; so that she
was obliged tb lie iri the street's, till the Lady Ardry, notwith
standing the hazard she ran, gave her the conveniency of her
teew-hpUse, where three of her children died. Her husband
continued several months in irons; and was at last transported to
Aijicrica, wl^ere he died. She survived her troubles, and was
alive when my author wrote his history. George Rassel, in
the parish of Cambusnenthan, was first imprisoned, and then sent
abroad to the army, where he died, for the great crime of hav
ing a child baptized at a conventicle some years before,
This year the most inhuman practice of killing Innocent peo
ple in cold blood, in the fields, began to be used, and- public aUf
thority was given for It, as we shall relate In its proper place ;
but before that could be pretended it was put in practice. Ac
cordingly, as one John Smith was returning from some meetr
iftg, he was taken iU, and sat down In'the fidjds. A party of
soldiers coming that way, without any process or ceremony,
shot him where they found hirii.
The prisons were crowded, and many died there, particularly
George Shiells, Thomas Scott in Bounchester, John Falla In
Kelso, and Thomas Turnbull In Ancrum. But I shall now re
late the most remarkable transactions of this year, as near as I
ean, in the order of time.
As fines were one of the sore oppressions the country groan
ed under, so the most of these were squandered by the exactors,
and a small part of them was- accounted for. But, on the sd
of January, a letter from the king was read in the council, and
recorded, Wherein his majesty required them to call judges and
magistrates to An account for what fines , they received, arid to
pursue those heritors who were fined/and had not yet paid them,
as they should see proper, A committee was appointed to take
this matter under consideration, and agreed, that the heritors
who had not paid their fines, should be charged to do it in fif
teen days y and that^ such of them as applied for mitigation
should be heard before the council. Whether the councU exa
mined the magistrates, &c, as to the vi^ay the fines were dispo
sed of, is not on record, farther than that it appeared, that the

CHAP, IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 17S
magistrates of Edinburgh had received 8340/. 12s. Scots, and
were allowed 200/. sterling for their charges, which was a to
lerable good allowance, and would be very encouraging to other
magistrates in their severe exactions.
I'he same day Mr John Campbell, indulged minister at Som,
and Mr James Veitch at Mauchlin, were deprived of their li
cence, and ordered to find surety to leave the kingdom by the
first of March, or to exercise no part of their ministry, because
they had preached in private families, and had not read the pro
clamation .for die thanksgiving. Mr Veitch went to HoUand,
where he continued tiU the toleration. The same day one John
Millar of Watershaugh was released, upon giving bond, under
the penally of 5000/. sterlmg, tp appear when called. He had
been nine months in prison, upon mere suspicion of correspon
dence with rebels, as they were called. And,
At the same time, a newcommisslon was granted to the provost
of Glasgow, and others, for the shires of Lanark, and Dumbar
ton, and to the sheriff-depute of Dumfries, and others, for Dum
fries, Kirkcudbright, Wigtoun and Annandale, for judging those
who were or should be apprehended for being in the late rebel
lion, or for justifying the same, or disowning the king's audiori-
ty. The like commission wtis afterwards granted for Renfrew
and Ayrshire. If prisoners were silent, as to the questions pro
posed to them, the commissioners were directed to delay pro
ceeding against them, to administer the test to such of them as
desired it, and to acquaint the councU with their case, but to
execute justice upon the guilty. The same orders were repeat
ed to the justices of Dumfries, with diis alteration, that when
such prisoners, against whom there is no proof, refused to an
swer, they were to be sent to Edinburgh. In short, these com
missioners were afterwards empowered to act against those who
were without the bounds of their commission. I shall only add
here, tha,t the bird of Meldrum got Ukewise a commission for
trying rebels in Lanarkshire. "We shall hear of several con-
demned at Glasgow In consequence of these commissions.
MeanwhUe on the 7th of January, Mr Anthony Schaw, In
dulged minister at Newmills, was indicted before the justiciary
at Edinburgh, for preaching at a field-convenricle. 'ffie case
was this ; when assisting the indulged minister at Colmonel, at
the Lord's supper, the number of people was greater than, the
church could contain, so that Mr Sch.^w preached in a tent in
the church-yard, a thing very common In Scotland ; for which
crime this good man was tried for his life. However, the pro
cess was dropt, on condition of his appearing before the coun
cil on the tenth. He appeared, his indulgence was taken from
him, and his church declared vacant, and he was not released
till baU wae found that he should no more exercise any part of

174 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAR IX
his riiinistry. And indeed such attacks as these were made on
all the indulged. What then must have been the case of othet* ?
I have had occasion to relate the case of husbands being fined
for their wives' non conformity, and of the'eicorbitant fine-im-
posed on Sir William Scott of Harden, who, on the 22d, pre-
. sented a petition to the councU, desiring some enlargement m
prison, where he was confined for the extravagant sum imposed
tipori him. The council on the 23d, wrote to the king for his
approbation of what they had done, in fining husbarids for their
¦wives,' and desiring his majesty would Impower them to dispeilse
with theJines of loyal hUsbands, who were no ways to be siis-
pected of connivance with their obstinate wives, but were con
tent tb deliver them up to be punished. The king granted their
'request, and approved of what they had done.
There had, for some time, been a breach between the Eark
¦of Aberdeen and Queensberry, who were of different sentiments
with respect to fining "the husbands for their wives not going to
church. « Lord Aberdeen (says Bishop Burnet) stood upon this,
that the act did not mention wives. It did indeed make the hus
bands liable to a fine-, if their wives went to conventicles, for
they had it in their power to restrain them : and, since the law
provided in the one case, that the husband should suffer for his
wife's fault, but had made no provision in the other case, as
to their going to church, he thbught, the fining them on that
ticcbunt CoUld not be legally done. Lord Queensberry was for
«Very thing that would bring money Into the treasury : so, since
in those parts the ladles had for many years withdravsm from the
churches he reckoned the setting fines on their husbands, to the
rigour, would make all the estates of the country be at mercy,
 The Earl of Perth struck in with this, and set it up for a
maxim, that the presbyterians could not be governed but with
the extremity of rigour, and that they were irreconcilable ene
mies to the king and duke, and therefore ought to be extirpated.
The ministry being thus divided, they referred the decision to
the king. And Lord Perth went up to have his resolution.
The king determiried agalpst the ladies, which was thought very
indecent ; fbr. In dubious cases, the nobleness of a prince's tem
per should always turn him to the merciful side. This was the
less expected from him, who had all his life time expressed as
great a neglect of w;0men's consciences, as esteem for their per
sons,' But he was determined to It by the Duke, who, since the
breaking out of ^the plot, had got the whole management of af
fairs into his hands. Scotland was so entirely in fils depen
dence, that the king Would seldom ask what the papers impbrt-
ed which the Duke brought to be signed by him, — ^The breach
grew so wide between Aberdeen and Queensberry, that both

CHAF, IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB., 175
were called up to give an account of it. It ended in dismissing
Lord Aberdeen, and making Lord Perth chancellor ; to which,
- says Burnet, he had been long aspiring in a most Indecent man
ner. He saw the Duke's temper, that his spirit was turned to
an unrelenting severity, as he shewed very . indecently in Scot
land, For, « when any are to be struck in the boots. It is dorie
In the presence of the council; and upon that occasion almost
aU offer to run away. The sight is so dreadful, that, without
an order restraining such a numbjer to stay, the board vyould be
forsaken. But, when' the Duke was in Scotland, he was so far
from withdrawing, that he looked on all the while with an un
moved indifference, and with an attention, as If, he had been to
look on some curlo^is experiment, , This gave a terrible idea of
him to all that observed it, as of a man that had no bowels nor
humanity in him. Lord Perth, observing this, resolved to let
him see how well qualified he was to be an inquisitor- general ;
for as. In the court of inquisition, they do, upon suspicion, or,
if a man refuses to answer' upon oath, give him the torture, and
repeat it and vary it as often as they think fit, and doi not give
over till they get out of their mangled prisoners what they have
a-mind to know, so Lord Perth resolved tp make this his pat
tern,' While Lord Perth was at London, Bishop Leighton died at
the Bell-Inn in Warwick-lane, after he had hvpd. ten years in
Sussex In great privacy, dividing his time wholly between study
arid retirement. He was certainly the best of all the Scots bi
shops, and no person can have a better character thail what Bi
shop Burnet gives him, who, among other things, says, that he
was, in his last years, turned to a greater severity against popery
than he imagined a man of his temper, and of his largeness In '
point of opinion,, was capable bf. While I am speaking of
Leighton's death, I shall add, that Burnet archbishop of St An
drews died sometime this year, of whom see Vol, 1, and was
succeded by Mr Arthur Ross archbishop of Glasgow, The Bi-
-shop of Sarum says, that he was a poor. Ignorant, worthless
man, but in whom obedience and fury were so eminent, that these
supplied all other defects. But to return.
On thej 30th of January, Mr William Eccles, indulged mini
ster at Paisley, and Mr Robert Elliot at Lintoun, were deprived
of their licences, and ordered to find bail, either not to preach,
or leave the kingdom. They had broke their confinement, i. e.
preached in pther places besides their own parishes, and had not
preached every 29th of May. Mr Thomas Black, indulged mi
nister at Newt,yle, being summoned, and not appearing, was de
clared rebel.
On the 12th of February Mr Ezekiel Montgomery, sheriff-de
pute of Renfrew, was ordered to be imprisoned for some pieces
2

176 TIIE HISTORY OF. THE GSHAP. IX.
'of misconduct in'his office. The same day the coancil ordered
«he advocate to prosecute Sir Hugh CampbeU of Cesnock for
treason; and least Sir Hugh should have the benefit of Sir
George Lockhart, they appointed tbat able lawyer to assist the
¦ kirig's advocate in the prosecution. However, Sir Hugh was
permitted to have wKat other lavvyers he pleaised.
On the 18th, George Martin, some time notary and reader In
Dallay in the shire ©f Ayr, John Eer in Hownum, and James
Muir at Cessford-boat, were indicted before the jasticiary at Edin
burgh for treason, and their confession, or answers to the usual
•qtiestioris, were produced as evidence against tbem. They con
fessed they did not' own the king's authority as then established,
nor accbunt Bothwell rebellion, nor Sharp's death murder, &c.
They were condemned to be h.inged at the Grassmarket of
Edinburgh on the 5f2d. The Cloud erf Witnesses speaks only of
George Martin, and of one John Gilry in tbe parish of Hownah-
in Tiviotdale, who, my author thinks, was the same with John
Ker mentioned in the registers, and says, he had two letters,
signed John Gilry, from the Iron-house, the 27th of December,
1683, which breathe a spirit of humUity, self difiidence and
' meekness. They all died with much composure- and joy in the
Lord. And it cann'ot but be a constant reproach on the mana
gers at this lime, that so many pious persons, whom God own
ed so signaUy at their death, were butchered and led to the
slaughter for their principles, and because they could npt, over
the belly of conscience, express their loyalty and approbation of
wjeked rulers who had overturned the foundation of all legal
governmeatj and deprived the Subjects of their religion and li
berty. George Martin had endured a long train of sufferings' with
great patience. He was apprehended about the end of the
year 1679, so that he had been confined for near four years and
four months, and for a considerable part of that tiipe been in
irons night and day, without fire and other necessaries. In his
last testimony he gives the reasons of his conduct ; and con-
'eerning praying God save the king, says, among other things,
« Another reason why I cannot pray after such a manner is, I
' find, when prayers are rightly discharged, and seriously gope
' 3bo,ut,^n the manner, time and place as is warranted by. the
* word of God, God is thereby wprshiped and honoured'; but
' if Irreverently gone about he is dishonoured, and his name
* profaned and taken in vain, which Is an at>bmlnatibn to
* him, and Which he says his enemies do, and for which he
« will not hold the'ra guiltless. — I dare not pray it, because all
' the profane and profligate persons have it always in their
• mouth, especially when they are drunk,' He concludes his
2

GHAP. IX,' CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 1*77
testimony "^Ith many serious and pertinent ,a4vlces, which- 1 can-
not here irisert.
' On the 21st the council wrote to the secretary in favour of
Mr Thomas Hamilton of Ralth, who had in June last been for
feited in life and fortuna for alleged accession to Bothwell- 'IH'
, their letter, though tfiey owned his loyalty, -and that there were
many favourable circumstances in his case, yet they asked for a
pardon only witli respect to his life, which was granted ; but
his estate, goods and chatties continued under forfeiture, tfiough
they cpuld have nothing against him as acting contrary fo, their
laws, , I shall leave the reader to ^ake his own reflections.
On the 4!th of March James. Forre^st younger, John Cplin,
Joseph Gpurly, Dennis Gilcreof, Thomas and George Jack-
sons, were banished by the committee for public affairs, to
West Flanders, never to return on pain of ' death. In their
testimony they vindicated themselves from the imputation of
disloyalty and rebellion^ and left 'their testimony for the Scrip,
tures. Confession and Covenants, against popery, prelacy, &c-
And particularly John Colin gives the reason why he could not
say God save the king, because, when he desired the commit
tee to explain the meaning of the words, he was told that ''they
imported an owning of his person and government, and the laWs
and present acting, which, said he, satisfied me rriuch, and I
think no serious Christian would approve those.
About the beginning of March Mr Johri Dick was again ap
prehended, and brought before the council, and, upon his re
fusing to give an account of the manner bf his escape, was re
ferred to the justiciary, wiio, on the 4th, ordered him to be exe
cuted , next day, which was done accordingly. "
He wrote several pious letters to his friends before hjs, exe
cution. In that to his father he gives a most pointed account
of the Lord''s'first effectual dealing with his soul, and concludes
with these words, ' I hope ere long the ^copstojle shall be put
« on, the result of which shaU be praises and shouting to Him
* tha,t sits upon the thrbne, and to the Lamb, throughout all
' the ages of eternity, of long lasting eternity,' Thjs, with, my
' earnest prayers while in the body, that the X>ord would help
' you to mind his glory, and your own soul's eternal welfare, is
' all the legacy you 'can expect from him. who Is' both your affec-
• tionate' son and Christ's prisoner.,
• P, S, I hope, ere I get' home, to get another^ sight pf you.
' Let none see this till I be In my grave. , Tftie 'Lord; gave
, * me to you freely, so I entreat you be franl^tjri J^ivjng me
' to him again ; and the m.ore free this be,.,the-|&ss cause
' you shall have to reperit,' *•
, His last words on the scaffold were these, • I am come" here
« this day, and would not change my lot with'the greatest in
voLih ' M . ' ' '

ly'S \ 'I'HE HISTOTIT OT TH£ * CH'A-P! iX..
• the world, I lay down my life wiUingly and chearfuUy for
« Christ and his cause, and I heartily forgive all mine enemies;
'J forgive all them who gave me my senten'cei, and theni who.
•' were the chief cause of my taking ; and 1 forgive hirn who is
* behind riie, I advise you who are the Lord's people to b,e
• sincere In the way bf godliness, and you who know little or
' nothing- of, the ppWer thereof, to come to him',' and trust God,,
'he will nbt disappoint you; I say trust in the Lbrd, and be
* will sUpport arid strengthen, whatever trouble or afiliction you
* may meet with. I remember, when Abraham was about to
* sacrifice his son-, Isaac said. Here is the wood and the fre, but
' where is the sacrifice ? Now, blessed be the Lord, here is_the
' Siacrlfice and free- Will-offering. Adieu, fa'rewell all friends.'
On the" same 5th of March Henry HaU of Haughhead de
ceased, Mr John Menzies bf WIntercleugh or Hangingshaw, '
—  of Calderhead,'  —^younger of Windyedge, Henry
BosweU portiorier of Dunsystoun, Robert Steil portiboer of
'¦' Stain, a»d Ibhn Mack portloner of Hlnselwood, were indicted
before the justiciary in absence, and found guilty and forfeited,
and were aU, e:icept Henry Hall, ordered fo be executed when
apprehended. Perhaps it was peculiar to this period to try
persons -who had been dead fpr several years.
On the 13'th the case of several gentlemen In Renfrew-shire,'
who had been fined most unjustly by the sheriff-depute for
church irregularities,; canie to be considered. This was the
case bf James Pollock of Balgray,' James Hamilton of Lang^i ~
touri, Matthew Stewart portiorier^ of Newtoun, and John Pol
lock of Fawside, ' The council reduced the fines of the two
first, and acknowledged the injustice done to the two last, I
must refer the reader for the particulars to rriy author.
On the l@th five excellent and serious Christians were exe
cuted at the Cross of Glasgow, viz. John Richmond in the pa
rish of Galston, James Winning Tailor in Glasgow, Archibald
Stuart in Lesmahago, James Johnstoun. in the parish of Calder,
and John Main in that of Old Monkland. John Richmond was
apprehended last year. "James Winning, being informed against
last February, Was called out of bed to appear before one of
the magistrates of Glasgow, and, not giving satisfying answers
concerning Bothwell and the bishop's death, was committed to
prison and prosecuted with the rest.
; These five persons were tried at Glasgow, on the 17th, be
fore the military justiciary, as I may caU them. Their judges
were lieutenant-colonel "Windram, Sir W. Fleming, Sir J^ Tur-
n<fr, UeUtenant-colonel Buchan, J. Sommerwell pf Spittle, she-
* riff-depute of Lanark, W. Stirling and John Jones. The prison
ers were indicted for being at BothweU, reset and converse^
Mafty .witnesses appeared, but hone swore any -thing that could

CH.IP. IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 179
tduch^ tlieir life, even according to the laws then In force. One
witness swore that he saw Jbhn Richmond in arms at Airsmoss.
The preses asked him how far distant he was from the prison
er ; he answered, about half a mile : and yet this was sustained
as good evidence I In short, though there was no proof against
any of them, they were all condemned to be executed on the
19th, The main thing for which this unjust sentence was past,
was because they were silent as to the king'§ authority. King
Charles I.'s death, and that of the archbishop. They all died
with the utmost -chearfulness and comfort, adhering to the co
venants and work of reformation, and testifying against all en
croachments' ms^de upori the crown and dignity of the Lord Jesus.
The last testimonies of John Main, and John, Richmond are
in the Cloud of Witnesses. The former says, that none of the
articles of his indictment cbuld be made criminal, such as hjs
escaping out of prison, his being at Bothwell only as a specta
tor, his conversing with Gavin \^6therspoori, his refuslrig to
call Bothwell rebdllon, his owning the covenants, his not an
swering the questions about the king's authority, his not assert
ing that the death of the late king, or of the archbishop, was
murder;, and therefore he concludes that he and his feUow-suf-
ferers were murdered, only for the satisfaction of men who were
worse thari heathens.
¦ Among other moving expresslbns Archibald Stewart had at
his execution, said, ' I die not by constraint ; I am more
* wUling to die, for my lovely Lord Jesus Christ and hi? truths,
< than ever I was tb live ; and my soul blesseth the Lord that
*- ever he did accept of a testimony from the like of me. Scar
« not at the way of Christ because of sufferings. If ye knew
• what of bis love I have got since I was honoured with imprl-
* sonment for hlni, and what sweet Ingredients, he hath put
* into my cup, ye woUld not be afraid of suffering. He hath
« paved the cross all oyer with love, &c.' The letter that Ar-,
chibald Stuart wrote to an acquaintance shews the disposition
of his mind. In which he says, 'Now, my'lbving friend, lamgblng
« to my father's house, to reap the fruits of all these waking
« nights that you and I had together, when; none knew of iv
* but ourselves and bur heavenly Father ; and I die in the"hope
* of "it, we shall come to your Father and ray Father, to your
< God and my God, to your Redeemer and my Redeemer,- —
* Now all is sure and weU with n\e ; I am brought near unto
« God through the blood of his Son Jesus Christ ; arid I have
' no more to do, but to lay ddwii this life'pf mine that he hath
« given me, 'and take up hpuse and habitation with my lovely
« Lord and Master Jesus Christ,' &c. He concludes with
many excellent advices -which I have not room to insert;' He
was but a youth of nineteen yiears of age, Janies "Winning and
v).

ISO TjiE HISTOIIY OF THE CHAP, IX.
Japies Johnstoun. spoke much to the same purpose. The pious
reader wpl iottn adjudgment, from these short hints of thp spi
rit and temper of these suffering martyrs, who all died with ,S(
most forgiving spirit, prying for forgiveness to their perse-
cutbrs ; though, at the same time, assuring therii, that if they
did not repent, their blood would be required at their hand, Ac
the, execurion of these men Gavin Black of Monkland was
seized by the soldiers and imprisoned, because he discovered
some tokens of grief ; and not satisfying their inquiries, was
with Pthers banished to Carolina : and at their burial a relation
of theirs, James Nisbet, was apprehended, and afterwards exe
cuted, as we shall relate in its proper place.
On the 24th of March, the trial of Sir Hugh CampbeU of
Cesnock came on before the justiciary at Edinburgh. His in
dictment was read, setting forth,' < That Sir Hugh having, Irr
• June 1679, met with Daniel Crawford in Galstoun, Thomas
' Ingram In Borelaqds, John Ferguson In Catharingill, and se-
* veral other of the rebels, at or near the Bridge-end of Gal-
' stoun, asked them where they had been; and, when they told
« him they ihad been with the Westland army, he said, that he
• had seen more going to them than comjng from them ; and
'having asked them if they were to return, they told him they
' knew not. Whereupon he treasonably said, that he liked not
* runaways, and they should get help If they would bide by it; and
' bade them take courage, or some sueh like words to that pur-
' pose J where through the said Sir Hugh CampbeU is guilty of.
' intercomriiuning with notour rebels, and of giving a counsel
• and advice to go back and return to the rebellious army, and
« thereby was guilty of the said rebellion ; which being found
' by an assize, he ought to be punished,' &c. As -this was the
only part of the indictment the advocate insisted upon, there
is no occasion to Insert the rest. He v/as not tried on the plot.
The debates upon the relevancy of this Indictment, to ipfer
the pains of treason, took up till the 26th. Cesnock's advocates
offered to prove, that on the day these persons past the bridge
of Galstoun, he was at his own house at Cesnock ; that the in
dictment bears that the defendant only met with them by the
Way, and that the simple meeting of persons on the high-way,
which was only accidental, and the asking from whence they
came, and whither they were going, -cannot infer intercom-
muning. They farther Insisted, that the words alleged to be
spoken do hot import counsel and advice to go back to the re
bels, and that words and expressions can never infer a crime,
far less the crime of treason, unless they clearly, directly, and
positively inferred the crime ; especially certain sentences and
speeches Which have been gathered up five years after the same
were pretended' to have been spbken ina transient way In

CllAP. IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 181
short, though the expressions should be constructed aS treaspn-
able, yet, as they were prior to the king's act of indemnity, the
defendant cannot be now called Iri question for them. These,
and many other things, were pleaded in behalf ot the prisoner ;
and yet, on the 26th, the lords by a plurality of voices, found
the Indictment relevant.
On the 27th, the jury was called and sworn, and the adyo-
tate produced Thomas Ingram and David Crawford as evi
dences for the crown. Several things were objectedi against
these witnesses, which occasioned a long debate. Among others,
that they bore malice to tl^e prisoner, and so could not be ad
mitted, particularly Ingram, against whom they undertook to
prove, that he said several times, that if there was a way out of'
hell, how to be averiged of this prisoner, for delating him as a
murderer, he would be revenged ; that he was forced to be an
pvidence in this cause, and had received money, particularly
from Hugh Wallace factor to the deceased Lord Cragie, And
witnesses were produced, who deposed. That Thonjas Ingram
had sworn in their hearirig arid preserice, a great oath, that he
would be avenged upon Cesnock if there was a way out of hell
fo do it, Ingram's father and mother sWore, that they saw the
^bove mentioned Wallace give him seyeral pieces of mbney,
though they could not tell how much ; nay, Ingram himself
acknowledged that Wallace'gave him h^lf-a-crown at one time,
and ten shilUngs at anpther, though he knevir not upon what
design. But riptwithstandlrig all this, the^ lords ordered the
witnesses to be received.
When Ingram was brought in, and holding up his hand to,
Swear, Sir Hugh directed hlriiself to him, and said, ' Take heed
? now what yOu are about to do.^nd damn not your own soul by
• perjury; fpr, as I shall answer to, God, and upon the peril of
« my own soul, I am here ready to declare I ne-v-er saw you in
' the, face before this process, nor spake to you,' Then he was
solemnly sworn, and deposed, that, being in the house of 
Crawford, Cesnock came to the door, and, having called upoqj
the said Crawford, he asked what njen those were who were in
his hous? ? Crawford answered, they were pien lately come from
the Westjand army, * Then ^esnoclc asked who commande,d
there f Crawford answered, one' Robert Hamilton, As Ingram
was going on, onq of Cesnock's lawyers asked hinji whether he
had communicated this to any other, and tpld him that his soul
was ,^t stake, iis he was under ..a deep oath, Ingram answered,
I believe I have spoke of it to several.' The justice-gerieral ask
ed, if Cesnock spoke any other words to- Crawford, Ingram
answered. My lord, lam now upon my great path, and-I declare ,
I do not remember he spoke any more at all. Upon this there
was a great shout and clapping of hands in court, Which so ir-

182 rut HISTORY OF THfi CHAP, li.
ritated the -advocate, that he said, that he believed Cesnock had
hired his' friends to make this acclamation, in order to confound
the king's evidence ; and that he never heard of such a protes
tant roar, except in the trial of Shaftsbury ; that he had always
a kindness for their persuasion till now ; that he was convinced
iri his conscience it hugs the most damnable trinkets in nature.
After silence the justice-general Interrogated Ingram again,
who declared he had said as much as he could say upon oath ;
and offering a third time to question him, Alex. Nisbet of Craig-
entinny, one of the jury, Interpoated, declaring, that they vwiuld
only take notice of Ingram's first deposition, though he should
be examined twenty times. The justice general answered him
with warmth, 'Sir, you are not judges in this case.' The laird
of Drum, another of the jury, presently replied. Yes, my, lord,
we are the only competent judges as to the probadpn, though
not of its relevancy. Whereupon the whole jury roses, and ad
hered to what these had said. Silence being commanded, Craw
ford, the other witness, vras caUed, and swore that he did not see
Cesnock for a considerable time either before or after Bothwell-
bridge ; and thjit he does not remember that he spoke any thing
to him, either about the Wesdand army, or who commanded
them. Upon this there was another shout and clapping of hands,
which put the justice-general and the advocate in a terrible rage.
The jury brbught In their verdict .Ni?? Guilty. Nevertheless
Cesnock was remanded to prison, and, after some months, was
sent along with Mr John Rae to the Bass. He was afterwards
forfeited, and his estate given to Melford, Ingram and Crawford
were a long time detained prisoners, and were ordered to be ex
amined by the committee for public affairs. Several who were
concerned in the noise, during Cesnock's trial, were obliged to
beg pardon,
- We have related how the advocate was ordered to prosecute
the earl of Loudon, &c. Accordingly the earl on the first, and
the Lord Melvil on the eighth of April, petitioned the council
fot'the competent time to appear before the justiciary. The
lords postponed the process against them tUl November, when
they were called, and declared rebels and fugitives, on account
of their not appearing. They were charged with contriving the
deadi of the king and the duke, in order to subvert the govern
ment; but there' was no proof of these things. The process a-
galnst Sir John Cochrane of Ochiltree was delayed till July ; but
the issue of It I know not.
On the Sth of April, Mr William Erskine, having been a
close prisoner for seven years in Blackness Castle and other
places, was by the council's order allowed to walk round the cas-
-tle, and take the mt in the company of a keeper. He had been

CHAP. IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 183
ordered to be set at liberty 1679, but why he was not Is more
than I can tell.
On the 9th John Cochran, of Waterside, spn to Sir John
Cochran of Ochiltree, was in absence tried before-the justiciary ;
and, because two witnesses swore that they thqught they saw
hlih with the rebels, the jury brought him in guilty, and the
lords condemned him to be ejcecuted when apprehended.
Next day James Howlson, maltman In Lanark, was indicted
for being at BothweU. The witnesses declared that he was In
company with some of the Westland army, but without arnis. -'
He could not avoid this, for he lived on the place ; he was
brought in gulltyj and .sentenced to be hanged at the Grassmar
ket on the 12th of November ^ext. Whether the sentence was
executed I cannqt te^l.
On the llth, the council, considering that the prisons were
full, wfote to the king for authprity toi-send such 'of the prlson-
¦ers to the plantations who appeared penitent, though they toojc
flot the test. This was complied with.
The same day they agreed to a proposal of the bishop pf
•Edinburgh for two fasts to be observed, the one in the spring,
and the other In the harvest, tlad never wor^e things come
"through the prelates hands thaffthis, there had not been so m\lch
(jause pf (^omplalrit.
We"h^y,e had some Instances of the council'^ infringing op
the freedom ;of electing magistrates jn burgfis ; accqrdingly," on
this llth of April, they, finding that some of the magistrates of
Ayr had encouraged the presbyterian party, and other irregu
larities, and that there had been differences between provost
.Brisbane and Robert Hunter and others, in order to stop all
heats in that town, did declare, that, at, Michaelmas next, they
would make choice of magistrates and counsellors for the ensu
ing year, and discharged the present magistrates frpm making
any election at that time-'
On the 16th, Jbhn Paton of Meadcw-head, In the parish of
Fenwick, commonly called Captain P.atop,-w?iS Indicted for be
ing with the rebels at tentlarid _ arid Bothwell. He confessed
the fact ; and being asked If he ovirned authority, answered, that
he owned all autl^ority allowed by the word of God. He was
condemned to be hanged at the Grassmarket on Wednesday the
23d of April, but, (leing prevailed with to petition the coun
cil, he was respited to the ,SOth, and frorn that tb Friday .the
9th of May, when he suffered according to his sentence. ..Se
veral were inclined to favour him ; but he remarks in hi5,''last
speech, which is in the Cloud of WitnesseSj, that the prelates
-put an effectual stop to that. . He says, ' I desire to mourn for
,my giving ear to the counsel of flesh and blood,  ,though it
lays my blood the closer to their dopr, and I think the blppd of

l84 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. IX.
my wife and bairns. I think their supreme magistrate Is not
ignprant of many of their actings ; but these prelates Will not
be free when our God makes an Inquisition for blood.' He la
mented the differences among God's people, and forgave all his
enemifes, in these words, '.Now, as to , my persecutors, I for
give all of them ; instigators, reproachers, soldiers, privy-cbun-.
cU, justiciaries, apprehenders, in what they, have done to me i
but what they have done in despite against the image of God's
name in me, who am a poor thing, without that, it is not mine
to forgive them ; but I wish they may ^eek forglveriess of Him
who hztth it to'give, and would do no more wickedness.' Then
he left his wife' and six small children on God, and took his
farewell of all created enjoyments. *
On the 1 7th, the council took under their consideration the
case of some of the gentlemen ordered to be prosecuted in Au-
. gust last, against whom they could find no suflicient evidence ;
arid accordingly Rowalian elder and younger were released up- -
qn a bond of 2000/. sterling to appear when called/ Cesnock
elder and younger, Burns'field and Crawfordland, had the bene
fit of free prison ; but Mr Carstairs, Mr Spence, and Jervis- "
wood, met with peculiar hardships, as shall be related In its pro
per place-
Thus, on the 22d, Mr William Spence, who had been se
cretary to the Earl of Argyle, was aUowed to be taken-out of the
irons, but kept close prisoner. It would seem he had been ifi
irons since' he was sent down from England ; and no doubt he
fared the worse fbr, the sake of his master. >
The same day the ministers of the then estaWishmerit were em-
jpowered by proclamation to chuse whom they pleased to serve
as elders, and assist them in disciplirie, and to give in a list bf
diem to their ordinary "for his approbation ; and whoever shall
refuse tq serve were to be put to the hbrn. How far this was
agreeable to scriptuire directory, that none 'should serve by con
straint, but wiUingly, was not thought of. It was sufficient that
it flowed from the supremacy of a gracious king, • whose pre-
' decessors and he had always been' cjareful that the discipline
« of the church be observed."
On the ,5th bf May, Mr' WiUiam Wlshart student in divlrilty,
afterwards principal of the college of Edinburgh, presented a
petition to the council, bearing, ,« That, having left his studies
• at U^trecht, to come home and visit his aged and dying pa-
« rents, upon some mistake be was put in prison, as being one
« of those who deny his majesty's authority ; whereas he dls-
' owns thesfe principles, and, as nothing is laid to Ids charge,
' craving that he may be liberate.' The couricil ordered him
to be released, when orice the advocate was satisfied as to his
principles, upon bail to appear when called ; but the advocate.

CHAP, IX, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 183
for' some time, neglected to make report, and therefore he con
tinued a considerable time in the iron-house In no small trouble, •
The same day the council ordered the fugitive rolls to be
printed, in order to prevent any from harbouring those who
'were declared fugitives for being in the rebellion, or for reset
and converse ; but very few of them could be charged with the
first. My author has printed the lists of these fugitives In his
appendix, "Nb. 94. It contains no less than 1 863, among whom
are these foUbvving preachers, viz. IV^esgrs William GUclirist,
James WelshJ John Hepburn, Janies. Guthrie, John Forrester,
 ^Lenox, Thomas Will^ie, ThomaS Vernor, George Bar
clay, John <Rae, Thomas Douglas,  •; — Forrester, ^^. — r— '
Lamb, David Hume, and John Rae, and a considerabje number
of women. It is easy to observe wliat a state the counfry w^n
in when so many were by name marked put for destruction.
The 'same day, on pretence that the Earl of Argyle was con
certing measures for raising an insurrectioni a proclamation was
published, ordering the heads of the clans to have their quotas
of men in readiness to attend the new- lieutenants which Were
set' over Argyleshire and Tarbet, whenever.they should caU fqr
their assistance. This was the project of the Duke of Yorka
in brder to weaken the interest of the family of Argyle, which
was still great in these shires, and to encourage those clans,
who were generally popish, and so the more fit for accoriiplish- '
ing the deep Intentions of his royal highness,
George Jackson having been kept In irons all last winter, was
brought to Edinburgh on the 13th of May. Being called be
fore a committee of'the council, he happened to come with his
Bible in his hand ; upon which the' advocate scoffingly said,^
There's him and his Bible, Come away, let us see where the
text is, -George replied, 1 was never a seeker out of teits, that
is the work of a minister. Then said the advocate. Put up your
Bible; for we are not for preaching now. He answered, I am
not come to preach ; but. Sir, that is the word pf God-i— and I
charge you, and not only you, but all of you, that, as you shall
answer one day before jOur Lord Jesus Christ, when he shall
judge between the just and the unjust, that you judge me by
whaft is written in this Holy Bible, otherwise, remember ye and
the rest of you shall account for it in that day, when our' Lord
shall sit as judge, and ye stand naked and bare before him ; and
if yedo it not I shall be a witness .agalrist you. They told him
he was come to be judged, and not to judge. After some si
lence he was examined upon the ordinary questions, forthey had
nothing else. to lay to his charge but what they got from his
own answers. He was returned, to prison, and kept in irons
till December, when he was executed-

1S6 THE HISTORY OF THE > CHAP. IX.
Meanwhile the council, on the 17th, having considered the
report of their committee conceming the prisoners referred to
them, the said George Jackson and George Hutchison of Har-
law were remitted to the justiciary, and they delayed the case
of Mr WUliam Wishart and others, to farther consideration ;
and ordered eight or ten poor -country people to be released^ up
on promising to keep their parish church. The same day they,
ordered for transportation to America, William Laing in _ Ha
wick, James White in Douglas, John Harper in Fenwick,. Ga
vin Mulrhead in Camnethan, John Gardiner in Monkland, Da
vid Jamieson a sweet-singer, and James Balfour in Fife. Their
pretended crimes were rebellion and harbouring ofj^ebels. Af
ter the managers had agreed with Walter Gibson merchant in
Glasgow, for the transportation of these and other prisoners,
there was a strange act of grace made on the 27th, by which
such of the rebels as were penitent were ordered to he trans- ¦
ported. The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel !
While these severities were used to the prisoners, the coun
try was oppressed by the soldiers. As two of them were levy
ing the cess In the parish of DalineUingtoun, and were endea
vouring to apprehend two of the wanderers, they were slightly
w-ounded. Whereupon Dundas with his men came upon that
village, and particularly seized on the goods of one Andrew
Mitchell who was nowise concerned in the scuflie. The Lieu
tenant caUed before him a great many, who he pretended, had
, cgnversed with the outlawed wanderers ; fifteen of whom were
sent prisoners to 'Edinburgh, because they refused to swear they
had .not- conversed with these people, and after seventeen days
confinement, were fined in 15,00p-merks, besides SOO to the,
wounded soldiers. James Gibson of Errls was forced to pay
the whole sum.
On the Sth of June, James Nisbet was executed at the Hbw-
gate head near Glasgow. He, having been Intimate with John
Richmond and some of his fellow- sufferers, came to Glas
gow to pay his last respects at their burial, and, being known,
was apprehended by his owii qousin Lieutenant Nisbet, [a per;
secutlng spirit dissolves all the bonds of natural affection] and
carried directly to the guard, where he was soon ensnared by^
their persecuting catechism, if I may use the expression, tt
would seem he was tried by the military commissioners for jus
ticiary there. He was so closely watched, that he could scarce
ly get any thing wrote.
His last testimony is in the Cloud of Witnesses; and begins
with these words, « Now I am brought hither this day today
* down my life for the testimony of Jesus Christyand forassert-
* ing him to be Head and King in his own house, and, for no
* raa.tter of fact they have against me  Ahhough the most

CHAP. IX. CHURCH-OF SCOTLAND. 1"87
* part of the men of this generation is counting It death to call
« him .so, yet I,, as a dying man, live and di^ln the faith of it,
* that h'e shall appear to their confusion, and for his own glory
' now trampled upon and lying so low.'  — — It is easy to see
in what spirit and with what frantic he and others changed
worlds, which will be an indelible reproach on the cruel perse
cutors of that time.
The managers were after this informed of a field-meeting at
Blackloch, where 100 were assembled in arms, and had been
pursued without effect, by Colonel Windram and his party \
and therefore the committee, on the 12th of June,- ordered Ge
neral Dalziel to examine Gavin Lowrie in Redmire, James
Stuart of Hartwood, and James Walker of Rosehall, for not
pursuing and giving timely notice of these men. On the 13th
the advocate was enjoined to prosecute the- heritors upon whose
lands the rebels were seen. Sir William Paterson was likewise
sent to assist at these examinations, and to acquaint the com-
missioners at Glasgow, that their remissness In proce'eding
against the rebels, and other disorderly pfiraons there, gave of
fence, and to enjoin them to be more diligent, and forthwith to
punish those according to law, against whom the' proof was
clear, or who confessed their being in the rebeUion, and conti
nued obstinate in their rebeUious principles ; and to transport
to the plantations those agalnsr whom there was not sufficlenli
evidence, and who would not confess their being accessary to
the rebellion, unless they formally renounced the covenant, and
took the oath of aUegiance, &c.
Sir WUliam returned ; and, on the 19th, the councU finding,
from his report, that most of the heritors in the parishes of
Shotts, Camnethan, and Monkland, had been guUty in hot in
forming against those who were seen in arms, ordered them to
be summoned to appear before them on the first of July next,
together with the sheriffs of Stirling, Linlithgow, and iLanark,
William Stuart of AUantoun, James Stuart of Hartwood, WU
liam Cochran of OchUtree younger. Walker of Halketb-arn, and
Mr Violant, indulged minister at Camnethan, because these re
bels had passed by his house in arrasj and he did not Inform any^
magistrate or officer of it.
This looked as if all the country had been up, though It Is
well known that those people were drove tb the necessity of
meeting in arms, if they met at all. In order to defend themselves
against their prosecutors ; otherwise they never Injured -any,
but met peaceably for the worship of God, and dismissed to
theirlurklng places to conceal themselves thebest way they could:
but why so many gentlemen should be brought to all this trou
ble, for what -was riot in their power to help, must be left with
the reader. '

18S THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP, II.
But, to leave this for- a little, I firid, on the 13th of this
month, James Hastie of Harlaw, in the parish of Carstairs, was
obliged to give Meldrum a bond of 200 merks, for the great
crime of non-conformity. Many were the looses this person
sustained, by the quartering of soldiers, fines,, imprisonments,
&c. which I have not room here' to mention.
On the 19th, Sir William Paterson reported, that twenty-two
were ordered for transportation from Glasgow, and to be sent
along with Gibson ; and the same day the councU passed'gen-
tence of transportation against James Macgachin in Dairy, John
Crichton in Kirl^patrlck, John Mathlson in Closburn, and John
Macchisholm in Spittle ; and, in August, fifteen more were or
dered the same way. All this was for reset and converse. One
John Dick was, in this month of Jy.ne, banished to Carolina.
At his examination he owned the lawfulness of denfensive arms
when people are oppressed fpr adhering to their principles ; and,
being closely Interrogated as to praying- for the king, he said,
' I can, as he hath a soul, and hath not sinned the unpardonable
• sin ; but to pray i(9( him as he is king, and for the- prosperity*
« pf his courses, I cannot do it.'
There was a joint testimony against popery, pp-elacy, &c. and
for the covenants and Works of reformation, signed by the fol
lowing persons befpre they were shipped off, viz. Jaiiies Mac-
lintosh, John Buchanan, William Inglis, Gabriel Black, Adam
Allan, John Gait, Thomas Marshal, "VViUIam Smith, Robert
'Lfrie, Thomas Brice, John Syme, Hugh Syme, WUliam Syme,
John Alexander, John Marshal, Matthew Machan, John Paton,
John Gibson, John Young, Arthur Cuningham, George Smith,
and John Duart. ,
About thirty-two of these transports were put aboard Gib
son's ship about the beguming of July, and suffered great hard
ships during their passage, through the cruelty of the captain
and sailors. What money was given them by their friends was
taken from them. They were disturbed when at worship un
der deck ; and, whenever they began to sing psalms, they were
threatened, and the hatches closed upon them. They had their
bread by weight, and their water by measure; and no difference
was made between the sick and the healthy.
When they Janded at Carolina, they were put into houses
under a guard. What thing their friends gave them to be sold
to the best advantage, to be distributed among them, were other
wise disposed of. John Dick, formerly mentioned, though he
paid all his freight, except thirty shUlrngs, for which he offered
security, was, contrary to agreeriient, forced up the country aa
the captain's servant, where he died. John Smith and John
Paton, being discovered attempting to escape, were beat eight
times every day, and condemned to perpetual slavery. •

GHAP, ix. CHURCH OF SCOtLANB, 189 •
When they were lying ready to sail from Clyde, Eliizabeth
Lmning came to visit some of them who were her acquaintance,
and was, by the captain's order carried along wkh them, thpugh
nothing could be laid to her charge. When they got to Caro
lina, perceiving the captain intended to sell her for a slave, she
took a proper opportunity, and escajJedy and made her case
known to the governor,- who treated her civiUy, and brdered the.
Captain to be summoned before him the n?xt cour,t-day, when
the captain's. villany was discovered, and the innocent girl re
leased, and declaied a free woman. Scarce six of those prison
ers ever returned to Scotland, the most of them dying In Caro
lina, But to return to the transaictioris at home.
On the first of July, the council fined Hackwoodburn, AUan
toun and Hartwood, according to the proclamation, and next
day ordered the two last to be released, upon engaging to satis
fy the cash-keeper as to'their fines. What Hack-woodburn's
fine was I know not ; but Stuart of AUantoun was fined In
SOOO merks, and StiL^rt of Hartwood in 1500. Nothing could
be laid to their charge, but because Some came from the aboVe
meeting in arms, through the parish where they Uved, In their
way home. AUantoun was looking out at the window by acci
dent, and saw them ; and Hartwood met them as he was com-;
ing frorn church at Camnethan. It was not so much' as pre
tended that they conversed with any of them, or gave them ariy
supply ; but because they did not raise the couritry to seize
theni on the Lord's day, this, was the way they were served.
On tlie ] 5th of July the Earl of Perth was made chancellor
in the room of Lord Aberdeen, and LinlithgoW made justice-
general ; and 'the better to suppress non-conformity, a new com
mission came down from the king to the council. None of, the
forrner members were left but, only some new ones were put in.
His majesty expressed his hopess that they would go on firmly
and'faithfuUy in his service, by doing justice to his people, by
putting the laws vigorously in execution against the fanatics,
those enemies not only of his person and government, but like
wise of all religion and society. There is no occasion to make
any remarks upoi.- this, nor to insert the council's fulsome letter.
It is easy to guess at the strain of it.
The council, in order to prosecute the king's designs, appoint
ed the same day a new comijiittee for .public affairs, consisting
of the archbishops of St Andrews and Glasgow, the Earls of
Linlithgow, BalCarras and Tweeddale, the Lords Drumlanerk
and Livingstone, thc lairds of Drumelzier and Claverhouse, or
any three of them. This new appointed councU went on in
persecuting heritors, and others, for not raising the hue and cry,
and in thirsting after the blood of thpse whp cpuld npt prosti-

190 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. IX.
tute their consciences to a compliance with their Wicked im po
sitions, ,
On the 16th this new committee wrote to Sir. William Mur
ray of Stanhope, and others, on account of some conventicles
they were informed of, complaining that the gentlemen had not
given notice of them according to the proclamation, which they
now ordered to be reprinted ; and thes-efore enjoiried thein to
search for and apprehend the preachers and hearers. And next
day the council impowered the sheriff-depute of Ayr, and cap
tain Inglis, to call before them, and examine upon oath,, those
who could give him the best Information of the heritors through
whbse lands they who came to or went from these conventicles
were seen, and send an account to the council. The persons thus
the butt of their malice weie the followers of Mr Renwick, of
whom we have beatd.
¦ On the same 17th of July, the council had before them the
laird of Dundas, because the people, as they came from the
meeting at Blackloch, had gone through ths^ounds of his estate,
and he had not raised the hue and cry. Dundas urged he was
not at home for several days after, that, and knew nothing bf
the matter for some time. But this defence was over-ruled/
though die very same day, the Earl of Tweeddale was accused
of the same crime, and riiade the same defence, which they sus
tained as good ; fpr, says my author, it was now, ' Shew me the
man, and I will shew you the law.'
The same day Mr Violant, indulged minister at Camnethan,
because he did not raise the hue and cry, on the Lord's day,
when the people passed his house from the said meeting at
Blackloch, had his indulgence^ taken from him, and was order
ed to find bad to depart the kingdom, or, in case he did not
chuse that, to give security not to exercise any part of his mi
nistry under the penalty of 5000 merks. Some days after this,
when he appeared before them, he told them, that he did not
think a minister was obliged to be an Informer, and" owned that
he had preached without his parish-church, and baptized chil
dren belonging to other parishes, and was obliged to answer to
his master Christ, from who he had his instructions. He was
ordered to prison tUl he should find bail, as above related.
On the 22d, according to my author, one Patrick Walker, a
boy about eighteen years of age, was before the council, and
confessed that he was present at the murder of Francis Garden,
one of the Earl of Airly's troop and refused to discover his ac
complices, and was ordered to be examined by torture next day,
when he was appointed to be banished. But Patrick Walker's
own account, which he has published at the end of some re
markable. passages of Messrs Semple, Welwood, and Cameron,
observes, that it was seldom ihe clerks- wrote as the prisoners

CHAP, IX, ~ atURGH OF SCOTLAND, ¦ ISt
spoke. . And, as Mr Wodrow takes his authority from the coun
cil-records, 1 shall therefore giye the substance of Mr Walker's
own relation.
He was taken out of bis bed, with other four, on the 29th pf
June, and brpught out of Linlithgow thieves-hole on the first pf
July, next day examined before the councU ; and that night, he,
James Edward, and John Qardner received their indictment for
owning the covenants, defensive arms, &c. On the third they
received sentence of transportation, which was pronounced by
the Archbishop of St Andrews president, who, says he, within,
a month after, got his sentence elsewhere. He was again exa
mined on the.22d ; and on the 23d there was a strong debate
among the counsellors, vifhether they should prosecute hlni for
his life, or examine him by torture ; but none of them took place ;
for some urged, that since nothing new was either confessed
or proved, and as he was under sentence, they could proceed no
farther. However, they renewed their foresaid sentence. He
lay in irons from th,at to the first of August, when he was put
aboard a vessel ; but with thirteen other prisoriers he was
brought back on the 6tli with, a design on his life ; which was
jirevented. However, he continued in prison tiU the 18th of
May 1685, when, with many otheirs, he was sent to Dunnoter,
and brought, back to Leith on the 1 Sth of August, and mad©
Ills escape out of prispnr He says, that during the fourteen
months he was among their hands, he was eighteen times exa
mined', and only thrice about that man's deith, which happened
as follows : '
•¦ In March 1682, Francis Gordon (for so he calls him) hap
pened to pursue and overtake James Wilson, Thomas Young,
and Patrick 'Walker, about four miles from Lanark. Thohias
Young asked him why he pursued them, Gordon replied, he
was come'to send them' to heU. James Wilson told him they
would defend themselves. Upon which Gordon run his sword
through Wilson's coat, who imniediately fired upon him,' but
missed hiih ; then another of them shothim with a pocket-pis
tol. By this time WUlinm Caigow and Robert Muir, two of
the wanderers, came Up with them. They searched him for
papers, and found a scroU of names, which were designed either
to' be kUled or taken. P. Walker tore it in pieces. Every
thing else about him they put into his pockets and left him ; so
that what they acted was in their o-wn defence, and none of
th^m was ever questioned for this but Patrick Walker, Thom
as Young afterwards suffered at Mauchlin, but was never chal
lenged for this: Robert Muir was banished, James -Wilson
survived the persecution. William Caigow died in the Canon
gate prison in the beginning of 1685, so that, says P. Walker,
:5

19^ YHE HISTORY OB TIfE J CHAP. IX,
yir Wodrpw was misinforriied in saying that he suffered unto
death, On the said 22d of July the couricU emitted another procla
mation for apprehending the rebels, signifying, that whoever
did not exert themselves, to the utmost, in apprehending them.
Other effectual courses would be taken for preventing rebellions,
and securing the public peace. 1 hough one might think that
many methods had' already been used to prevent the poor viran-
derers from- meeting for the exercise, of divine worship, yet we
shall find that other Inventions of cruejty wcire stUl designed,
and very soon put In execution.
Accordingly, the very next, day, the following act" of council
was made : ' Whereas the boots were the ordinary way to ex-
< piscatc matters relating to the government, and that there is
* now a new^ invention and engiiie, called The Thumbkins, which
« will be very effectual to the purpose and intent fores'aid, the
•lords "of his majesty's privy council do therefore ordain, that
• when any person shall by their order, be put to the torture,
''the said boots and thumbkins both be applied to them, as it
«, shall be found fit and convenient.' Thus they fell soon upon
.another method; but before the end of this year we shall find
something still more dreadful.
The same day they fined John Brisbane of Ereeland In the
sum of 5001. SterUng for_convenricles and non-conformity, and
ordered him to lie in prison till he paid the two thirds of it,
and out of their great goodness superseded the other third tUl
they should see his- future conduct. '
On the 24th the act about: thumbkins was first executed on
Arthur Tacket a tailor in Hamilton, Who had been apprehended
as he came from hearing Mr Renwick, in order to force him to
teli who preached. The advocate told him, that if he would be
ingenuous and free In answering the Questions, nothing he said
should militate against him or any other. He answered. That
/he could not believe them, since they had broken their oaths,
' subscriptions and promises to God and man, and that he could
not think they would pi-ess him so much to declare who preach
ed. If they did not intend, to make use of what he said. The
boots were designed for him, but a surgeon telling thein, that
his leg being small, they would crush It to pieces, he was there
fore tortured by the thuipbkins. Ashe had been ordered, for
execution the 2 1 St of March 1681, so the lords of justiciary
condemned him to be hanged at the Grassmarket on the 30th
of this July, which was done accordingly. In the Cloud bf
Witnesses he Is said to have suffered on the first of August.
He died with great chearfulness, forgiving his persecutors, and
adhering to the covenants and work of reformation, and owning
all magistrates, superior and Inferior, as they , are agreeable to
2

CtIAP..'IX, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 193
the word of God, and the cbvenants, and as they are a terror
to evildoers, and a praise to them that do well. My aiitbor
justly questions whether ever such numbers were executed for
such a rising as Bothwell, especially so many years afterwards.
,Ori the' said 24th of July, Mr WUliam Spence was according
to an apt of bouncil, put to the torture of the boots, which he
endured with a great deal of patience, discovering nothing which
could give satisfaction to his inquisitors. But, though it be, al
lowed that tprture is the last trial that ought to be made in the
mc^t extraordinary cases, and so ought not to be repeated,- far
less succeeded by any thing more' inhuman and barbarous,, yet
such was the Injustice and cruelty of the counseUors, that, on
the 26th, they made on act, ordering General Daliiel to re
ceive Mr William Spence from the magistrates of hdinburgh,
and to appoint a sufficient nuniber of oflScers and soldiers to
watch him by turns, and not suffer him to sleep night nor day,
but use every method necessary for keeping him awake, and in
the mean time, to take down-in writing every thing he shall say
in relation to the plot. Bishop Burnet says he was liept from-
sleep eight or nine nights. This was a method of cruelty, that,
I believe, was never invented before. To keep a man from sleep,
night and day, was enough to deprive him of his senses. But
I leave the reader to make his own reflections.
Some time in July, as Lewis Lauder, a subaltern officer be
longing to the garrlsion of Sorn, was with a party searching the
country for the wanderers, they met with 'WilHam Shirinlaw,
a youth of about eighteen years' of age, at the Woodhead of
Tarbblton in the shire of Ayr, and, after^a few ordinary ques
tions, Lauder coriimanded him to be shot directly. Then the
party went to the Stairhead, a place where William had been
servant,- and seized Paul Lawmont, Matthew Bell, and 
Boswel, carried them to the adjacent fields, and ordered them to
kneel and cover their faces,, in order to be shot likewise ; but
providence interposed, Lauder's men positively refusing to obey
the orders, saying. One in a day was sufficient,
¦ Abour this time, as a guard of twenty-eight soldiers were
carrying nine prisoners towards Edinburgh, some of their wan
dering friends took Up a resolution to rescue them, and for this
end posted themselves in the narrow path of Enterkln, between
Dumfries and Edinburgh. When the prisoners came up two
and two tied together on horseback, the countrymen derinanded
them to be released, but were answered by a volley of shot, which
they returned, put the guard to -flight, killed one, wounded
several more, released seven of the prisoners, and took them a-
long with them. Though the kkd of Lochcar, a gentleman of
a small estate, who had been both at Pentland and BothweU, was
among those who were released, yet some way or another, h^
VOL. IJ. JvT

19* THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. IX.
fell in among the soldiers, and was greatly wounded, and cruelly
used ; but the rescuers coming up, the soldiers retired, and hi
was sent to a country-house in the neighbourhood, wh^re friends
took care of him as privately as possibles
The soldiers carried John Mackechney, a pious good man, one
of the prisoners, with them to Edinburgh, where he died, after
enduring thirteen weeks great pain from a wound he received
in his arm. When they gbt there, and gave an account of what
happened, a strict search was ordered to be made through Niths
dale ftw the rescuers. All persons above fifteen years of age,,
in ten or twelve parishes round Enterkln, were ordered to be ex
amined upon oath. This was intimated from the pulpits about
the space of six weeks rui^ning. Many were imprisoned, and
more Were oppressed, who knew nothing of the matter. The
laird bf Lochear was again apprehended, and, notwithstanding
his wounds, was sent prisoner, first to Dumfries, and then to
Edinburgh, where he lay till his patience tired out his persecu
tors ; so that-he was released without any sinful compliances.
Courts were also held by some of the fore- mentioned commis
sioners. The laird of Lagg was singularly diligent, and held a
court in the church of Catsphaim, assisted by Mr Peter Pearson
thecurate. The soldiers grew still more and more insolent.
Though one George Lorimer, a youth, was sent a prisoner to
Dumfries; because he would not drink the king's health, yet he
happily made his escape. But I mUst pass these things.
About the end of this month, and beginning of August, at
several meetings of the justiciary, near two hundred, mosdy
country people, had their processes dropt.
Oa the first of August, Lord Nell Campbell was ordered to
be confined to, the town of Edinburgh, and six miles round it,
und^ this penalty of 50001. steiling, and to appear before the
councU in the space of six hours after summons. Nothing
worthy of death, or of bonds, could be aUeged against him,
unless it was a crime to be the brother of earl of Argyle.
According to what was threatened in the proclamation, other
methods of oppregsbi?. were appointed ; for, on this day, the
council, « consideriBg that several desperate rebels do daily break
• out in arms, in multitude®, at thek seditious field-Coaventicles,
« and lay ambuscades for his, majesty's forces, and klU some
' of them,' [this refers to the rescue at Enterkin-path] ordered
the forces tp be so disposed of as to be the better able to appre
hend them ; and accordingly moreof them were cantoned throughi
the shiie of Ayr than. In aU the country besides. TheylikewiSe
impofflfared Claverhouse, and Colonel Buchan, or any deputed
by them,,* to- call for, and examine upon oath, all suqh persona
' as can give any information in the premises ;' so that .the of-
fixrers. in the army, or their very substitutes, were put In the

CHAP. IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 195
place of the magistrates, and h'ad poWer to examine the country
at their pleasure.
The same day they made a most barbarous act, ordering th6
prisons of Edinburgh and the Canongate to be visited, and re
commending to the jiustlpes to prosecute and pronounce seutencfe
of death on thosfc Who shall be found to have been in the late
rebeUion, or were guiltyof reset of rebels, and to order th6
sentence to be executed in six hours after passing of it ; and thfe
commissioners at Glasgow and Dumfries to act In the same
manner with the gaUty prisoners there, only they were to execute
the-sentence in three- hours after it was pronounced. Thus they
fell upon methods wjth a witness ! I question whether such an
act Is to be met with any where but from the council of Scot
land at this time, by which people were in a manner hurried In
to eternity.
On the fifth of August several who were unjustly imprison
ed were released. Had they set all at liberty who were t^uly
so, the blood of mauy innocents would not have been in their
skirts. While Claverhouse, with a party, was searching the parishes
after the affair of Eiiterkin, they surprised Thomas Harkness in
Lockerbane, Andrew Clerk in Leadhills in Crawford, Samuel
M'Ewen in Glencairn, and Thomas Wood in KIrkmlchael;
whUe asleep in the fields, in the parish of Closeburri or Dalger-
no. When the men were awake, and saw them, they endea
voured to make their escape ; but the soldiers pursued, fired',;
and wounded them. All the houses about the place where they
were taken were plundered ; and Such was the cruelty used-
to the prisoners, that they would not suffer their wounds to be
dressed, but carried a poor woman prisoner alorig with them
some part of the way for offering her assistance.. When they
came to a narrow pass, Claverhouse ordered his men to kill the
prisoners, If sirty should attempt to rescue them, though ihey
had nothing to lay to their charge. When they were brought
before the council three of the soldiers falsely swore thiat these
men were at Enterkin-path, and were wounded there, which'
they absolutely refused. Thomas Wood was reserved till after-
Wards ; but the other three were referred to the justiciary on
this fifth bf - August, condemned and executed the same day.
They drew up a short joint testimony, which is in the Cloud of
Witnesses, and Is inserted In my author ; in which they say,'
among other things, ' We were questioned for not owning the
* king's authority. We answered. That we owned all authori-i
' ty that is aUowed by the written word of God, and sealed b^
' Christ's blood. — ^We bless the Lord we are not a whit discou-t
* raged, -but content to lay down our lives With chearfulness,'
^ and boldness, and courage,; and,-, if we had an hundred lives^f

186 THE HISTORT OE THE ' . CHAP, IX,
' we would willingly quit with them all for the truth' of Christ.
* Gobd news I Christ is no worse than he promised. — Him
' that overcometh will he make a pillar in^is temple. Our time Is
' short, and we have little to spare, having got our sentence at
' one o'clock in the afternoon, and are to die at five this day.
' And so we will say no more, but. Farewell ^11 friends and re-
? lations, and welcome heaven, and Christ, and the cross for
« Christ's sake.' Samuel M'Ewen wrote a short letter to a
friend on this occasion, shewing with what gladness he laid
down his life, and the assurance he had of a glorious eternity.
- — -^These were the persons marked out for destruction by the
bloody judges of this period, who not only thirsted for bipod,
but made, haste to shed it. .
, James Nicol merchant in Peebles, being present at this exe
cution, was constrained, in the bitterness of his spirit, to say,
in the hearing of many, Fbese klne of Bashan have pushed these
three good men to death at one push, contrary tp their own
base laws, -in a mpst inhuman manner. Whereupon he was im
mediately selztd, and carried to prison, to fill up the next scene
of blood.
Meanwhile, on the sixth of August, Robert Godwin maltster
¦in Glasgow was sentenced to be banished, because he would not
own the king's supremacy, nor promise to attend on ordinances
under the bishops, &c. The reader may think he was well off,
as things went. However, he was with others sent to Dunno
ter, and afterwards made his escape.
The fines imposed at this time were most exorbitant : for it
appears, from an extract dated the llth of August, that the
fines imposed on the heritors of the shire-of Roxburgh, for not
keeping the chiirch, amounted to no less than 274-,73'7/. Scots,
or 2?,894'/, IBs. sterling. I shall not pretend to. give particular
accounts of the prodigious fines in other places. From this one
instance we may form a judgment of the great oppression of
thexountry from this branch of persecution.
On the I7th, tbey made a third act for the torture of Mr
William Spence, in order to force him to petition to be allowed
to make a free and open confession, which he did. Bishop
Burnet seems to Intimate that he was tortured with the thumb
kins, and that, in that extremity, he capitulated that no new
questions should be put to hirii but those already agreed on ;
and that he should not be obliged to be a witness against any
person ; and that he himself should be pardoned. And ac
cordingly, two days after, he declared upon oath, ' That. he be-
« lieved an insurrection was intended with these two years ; as
* to what is to come, hte cannot tell what the people abroad may
' be a-doing'; that he often heard'of designs and associations ;
' but, that, they were directiy intended to hinder the duke's sue-

CBAP, IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 197
' Cession to the crown, he cannot say ; for all that he under-
' stood was pretended for the ground' of any designs pf arms,
• was the defence of the protestant religion, and the liberties of
« the kingdom ; and, If against the duke's succession, it was on-
« ly in so far as that might be prejudicial to these ; and that he
« thinks, upon the king's death, troubles may arise.* ,. The coun
cil, two days after this, declared that what he had said should
not be prejudicial to any. Mr Spence was likewise prevailed on
to decypher the Earl of Argyle's letter, in which Mr Carstair's
name was expressed ; but, says Bishop Burnet, none of these
letteris spoke any thing of any agreement' then made. How
ever, this turned out to the prejvrilce of Mr Carstairs,
On the 18th, Mr Robert Bailie of Jerviswopd, who had been
long in prison, and being now in a decUning state of health, his
lady was- permitted to visit him with the physi'ciiins ; but she
was to speak nothing to him but what they heard.
- The same day James Nicol, according to the Cloud of Wit
nesses, was examined by the council, and was bold and coura
geous in his aiiswers. Concerning praying for the kirig, he
said, « If he belongs to the electlon'of grace, he ha§ a part of
my prayers; and also, if he were a king that bad-kept cove
nant with God, I would give him a double share, ' and make
mention of his' name; but he is an apostate.' When they
asked hira how he proved' from scripture what he said against
the prelates, he told them, By many scriptures. « The kings of
the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exercise au
thority upon them are called benefactors ,- but it shall not be so
among yott, but he that is greatest arnong you shall be servantof all ;
not like your glutton, epicurean, belly-god prelates, who were
riding In coaches in great pomp.' Upon tfils he was inter-
Upted, He says, that concerning the tyrant, fpr I use his own
words, he added,* ' That he was brbught home by Mr Living
stone, (Vol. I. p. 85.) and put m a nobler state than any king
in the whole wprld, crowned a covenanted king with th^ eter
nal God, to be for him, to carry on his wprk and cause, he
and all the people ; which, if he had continued in, he wptild
ff have been the greatest king in all lands, and nations In the
world, and would have been a terror to all the kings in Eu
rope i but now he hath made himself base, and ^ reproach to'
all the nations. And another reason why I dare not own
him, nor you either, is, because he and you have robbed Christ
of - his crown, although it be not in your power', to do it.^
Then he was sent to the Iron house and loaded with irons.
Next day he was brought again before them, and re-examined
upon the same points, which 1 shaU therefore omit. We' shaU^
find him in a few days before the justiciary.

1^8 I^HE HISTORf OF THE GHAP. !«,
MeanijihUe, on the 18th of August, the counclj made an act
impowerlng the advocat;e to prosecute criminaUy thosiS whq
o.wiied thp king's authority according to the covenants. By this
the council did mpre than ever the parliament had yet ventured
to do ; a,nd tiuis tl^e owning of the covenants, the glory of the
nation, was made treasonable ;^ but it was not improper, when
a papist yas near ascending the throne, that the chief bulwarks
of the reformaiion should he removed.
We have frequently rej.^ted what ex;or,bitant fines were im-.
ppsed for non-f onformity. John Forbe? of Lesly, in Absrdeen,
shire, had been fined in 23^0/. Scots by the laird of Kinmun-
'die for not keeping the cfiurch ; and on this 19th of August, he
gave ip, a petjtio^ to thp council, setting. forth, that his not at
tend j.ng the cliurcb was only because the incumbent, Mr Mowat^
was piaped without his approbation, he Veing patron, and that
fie attended ordinances elsewhere ; and indeed Mr Forbes was
no whig ; and therefore the council suspended the letters. But
though ^le^i Nairn of Saj;itford in Fife, and the lady Abden,
had been mpre exorbitantly fined, yet thpy had np redress.
The cpuntil s^eldpiri met' after this, but they had complaints pf
exorbitant fines by sheriffs and such as had councU-power. It
would be endless to give particulars. - ' ^
The same day, in consequence of a report from a committee
appointed to examine the state ofthe prisoners in the prisons of
Edinburgh ?nd the Canongate, which were crowded, twenty of
them, who were mean country people, were ordered to be re
leased, upon obUging themselves to keep ,the church and live
regularly : bjit Rpbert Tam and Gabriel Thpmson in Carmun
nock, "VVIUIaria Campbell at Muirklrk, John Ure maltster in
Glasgow, John Maclpyy shoemaker in Kilmarnock, and WUliam
'Young taylor In Evandale, were appointed to be prosecuted
before the justiciary according to laW; as likewise J. Nicol,.
formerly mentioned, for dl^ownlrig the king; and John Csmp4
bell tenarit in Muirkirk, and John Campbell son^ to William
CampbieU of Overwelwood, to be pursued befbre the council In
qrdet to banishment.
' The gentleman last mentipned, being scarce eighteen years
of age, and his eldest brother "William about twenty, had an
uncommon share of siifferings at this time "When they were
living peaceably at the house of their excellent father, about the.
beginnirig pf this month, they were seized by a jfiarty command
ed by Boqshaw, when Walking in the fields on 'Welwood-hiU,
and carried to the house of, 'J^elwpod, where they were kept
till their father's ho,use was rifled, and three pf his riding horses
t^alcen aw?y. Bonshaw swore at the soldi^r^, because they did
not shoot at them directly ; for he was In a rage that two Bir

CHAP. IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 199
bles should be found about them, which was looked upon aS a
certain mark of disloyalty.
After some removes, they were carried ori the Sabbath follow
ing to the prison at Glasgow, and laid In irons till next day,
when thtey were examined on the ordinary questipns, first by
Lord Ross, and then by Lieutenant-Colonel Windram, who,
aimong other things, asked John Campbell if he would- pray for
the king. He answered. That he both did and would, that the
Lord would give him a godly life here, and a life of glory here
after, Windram said, "That is not enough ; you must pray for
King Charles II, as he is supreme oVer all persons and causes,
OTclesiastIc as weU as cIvU, Thts other said. In his opinion that
was praying for him as head of the church, which belonged on
ly to Christ ; and he reckoned it arrogance in any creature
whatsoever to Claim it,
"They were kept in irons eight days, and were then carrled-
to Edinburgh, with their legs tied under their horse's belly, and
put in the Canongate prison, from whence they were brought
several times before the committees of the council arid exariii-
ned. Once John was asked If he had been at Both.well, He
atnswered. No 5 for he wasonly put to the grammar school the
Martinmas after it. The clerk wrote^ « As to Bothwell, the
' prisoner answers, I was but young then ; but, had I been old
• enough;. I would haye been there.' When this was read to
him, in order to subscribe It, he told them that the clerk wa«
unjust, and wrote a lie, and appealed to the lords present ; but,
the matter was hushed. They used all arts to get him to com
ply, and, among other things, told him that his brother had
complied, and satisfied the council. This was worse than' the
clerk's conduct ; for it wa? alle- spbken in judgment. Mr
John stood his ground nothwithstanding ; but was so' grieved at
his brother's supposed coriduct, who had been carried to the
,prison of Edinburgh, that he wrote an unsubscribed letter,., which'
he sent by one Margaret Aird, who was seized at the door of
the prison, and carried alorig with Mr WUliam Campbell before
the council, and strictly examined concerning, the writer of the'
letter. She was tortured by the thumbkins, - and threaten
ed with the boots ; but nothing could prevail. Next they or
dered a committee to examine the prisoners in the Canongate
prison on this point, particularly John CampbeU of OyerWel-
woodj and his cousin of the same name,, who were removed
from the room they were In tp the irori-house. They were
not long there, fpr on the 21st of, August, they found means;
with eleven others-, to break prison and make their escape.
One William Young' was re-t'aken, and suffered; and another
was wounded.

200 ' THE HISTORY OF THE cBAP.11X,
The two cousins met, the night after their escape, bn the hill
of Tintock, and from thence went to Ayr-shlre", where they were
joined by John Campbell's father,- and WiUiarn CampbeU of
Middlewood, and spent that winter, and part of the following
year, in the fields, as privately as they could. It is easy to con
ceive the hardships ihey Underwent, in being exposed' to all
Qnanner of weathers : but this was the case of many, hundreds
besides, who were forced to wander about in dens and caves of
the ^arth William Campbell died of a Consumption, contract--
ed by the severities he met With in the prison of Edinburgh;
His father and brother survived -the. persecution, and the latter
was made a captain of horse by king William, to whom he did
singular service in many parts of the kingdom. But 1 must re
turn to the history.
The day after the prisoners escape, the magistrates of Edin
burgh were enjoined to take mbre care of the prisoners for the
future, else they alone should be accountable for any that should
afterward-i escape- This day James Nicol got his indictment,
and was told that he was to be condemned and executed on the
27th. On the 25th, Dr James Welwood, famous for his curiou-S
Memoirs and other writitigs, was- ordered tp be sent to Cowpar,
to satisfy the sheriff for his non-conformity.
Next day the council had a petition presented by ong Robert
Aitkin, and -about twenty-two men and women whb were most
unjustly fined by Kennoway, and ordered" a stop to be put to
the execution of the letters raised against them on that- account.
Matters must have been wrong when the council interposed.'
The same day they ordered a party to bring in Patrick liing
maltster in Greenock, James Holm, WUliam Baird, WiUiam
Andrew, James Warden, WUliam Scot, Marion Muir,  ¦
Linning, George Muir, and other prisoners, to Edinburgh, for
being ac a field-meeting held by Mr James Renwick,. where a
child Was baptized.
^On the 27th, James Nicol and William Young were brought
before the justiciary, condemned in tlie forenoon, and executed
in the afternoon ¦ There was no other proof against any of
them hut their confession, which was extorted by the ordinary
questions which tl.iey answered.
Jamei Nicol died in much peace and comfort, protesting,
that he expected salvation, not by any merit, but of free gracej
saying, ' I have been beginning to pray and praise these tbirty-
• six years, weakly as I could, but yet I am just to begin this night
'both to praise and pray ; for Ilay nomore stress upon aU
f that I have Sa,d arid done, believed and suffen.^d, nor on a
« Straw-,' God is my witness; so that I must have salvaticm

CHAP. IX. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 20t
« upon Wednesday at three or four o'clock, as free as the thief
« on the cross. And what can poor sUly James Nicol say more?*
WilHam Young had, for some years before he was appre
hended, been outof his right mind. He was oneof those who
escaped out of prison, and wOuld not have been known had ho
not himself told the soldiers that he had broke the tolbooth.
He was most barbarously used when recommitted, but he bore
aU his suffering with patience, saying, that extreme pain wbuld-
be intolerable if eternal, but he was nbw pear the crown, and
rejoiced w the full assurance of it.
On the 30th Mr Bailie of Jeryiswpod was ordered to be pro^
secuted for entertaining and corresponding with rebels; and, on
the fourth of September, because he refused to answer upoi^
oath the questions put tp him, was fined in tJie sum of 6000/.
sterling; Bishop Burnet tells us, that « the miriisters of state
were most earnestly set on Bailie's destruction, though fie vvas
now in, solanguishing a state — ^^that if his death woul^ h,^ve sa-
, tlsfied the maUce pf the court, that seemed to be very near,—
An accusation was sent him, not in the fprm of an iiidictriient,
nor grpunded on any law, but on a letter of the king's, in which
he charged him, not only for a conspiracy to raise a rebeUion,
but for being engaged in the Rye-plot; of aU which he was
now required to purge himself by bath, otherwise the council
would find him guihy of it, and proceed accordingly. He was
riot, as they said, nbw in a criminal court, but before the coun
cil, who did only fine and Imprison, It was to no purpose for '
him to say, that by ne law, unless it was in a court of inquisi
tion, a mari could be required to swear against himself, the
temptation of perjury being so strong when self-preservation
was in the case : — but, to answer all this, it was pretended he
was net now on his life, and that whatsoever he confessed was
not to be made use of against his life, as. if the ruin of his fa
mily, which consisted of nine chUdren, and perpetual imprison
ment, were not more terrible, especially to one so, near his end
as he was, than death Itself ; but he had to do with inexorable
men ; so he was required tb take this oath within two days.
And by that time,- he not being able to appear before the coun
cil, a committee was sent to tender him the oath, and take his
examination, tie told them he was not able to speak by reason
of the low state of his health, and, in general, protested his inno
cence, and his abhorrence of all designs against the king or the
duke's life. He desired they would leave the other interroga
tories ~ with him. They persisted to' require him to take his
oath ; but he as firmly refused it. So, upon their report, the
councU construe^-thls refusal to be a confession, and lined him
as above, and ordered him to lie in prison tUl it was paid,'

202 THE HISTOKT OF THB CHAP. IX.
A few days after this, they ordered his lady, and his sister
the Lady Graden, to be removed from his room in the prison,
because, they were informed his bodUy indisposition was abated,
ihough his recovery was but slender, and he soon after relapsed j
wherefore his sister was permitted to be close prisoner with
them, .She had been fined for non-conformity by the sheriff
of Tiviotdale in 26000, and odd pounds The Lady, Green
head and John Watson of Dunikier had likewise been exorbi-
tptly fined. But I go on to
CHAP. X.-
Of the torture of the Rev. Mr Carstairs : the proceedings of the
council, and circuit-courts, together with ihe societies apologeticgl
declaration.
THE first thing that occurs, in the order of time, is the case
of thp Rev. Mr WiUiam Carstairs, who, immediately afteir
the decyphering of Argyle's letter, was ordered to be put m
irons, in which he continued, for some weeks ; during which
time, the Earl of Melford earnestiy dealt witli him to confess
¦what he knew as to the plot, and offered him cpndltlons that
many In his circumstances would have thought very encpura-
^rig ; particulariy, that nothing he said should be brought In
prejudice to any man, directly or indirectly, upon trial. Mel
ford had the council's authority to offer this. However, Mt
Carstairs did not think proper to comply, thpugh Lord Perth
had told him, since he had refused so many singular favours
Ijeyond any prisoner, that before God he should., be tortured,
and never a, joint of him left whole.
The councU, on the Sth of September, ordered that he should
be questioned in torture that afternoon, arid agreed upon twenty
questions to be proposed to him, all relating to the persons sus
pected, to be engaged In the foresaid conspiracy, which the read
er niay, see at large in my author, Vol II. p. 391. In the after
noon, h,e was brought before them, and the declarations of ma
jpr Holmes and Mr Shepherd were read. He told them he had
never been confronted with the.Ti, which was an evidence that
they had said things they vi/ould not have had the, confidence tp
have asserted in his presence. Then he was urged to answer,
upon Oath, the questions to be proposed, and was told that
nothing he said should over militate against him, neither should
they inquire whether his answers were true or false ; but he re-^
fused to coml)ly, being unwilling to begin so bad a precedent.
They asked him next, what reasons he had why he should not
be tortured. He replied, that he humbly conceived he could

CHAP, X. CHIJRCH 01 SCOTLAND, 20$
not be tried there, because the order by whjch he was sent to
Scotland was eitpress, that he should be tried for crimes con;»-
tnitted agaiust the government in that kingdom, and desired to
know if the lord advocate had any thing to lay to his charge of
t^at nature. His lordship declared he had not ; but that, being
i;ipw in §,cptland, if he had been guilty of contriving against his
m^ijesty's gpvemmenc at Constaritinople, he might be tried fpr
it. Mr Carstairs told them, though ' that was true, yet the
"Crlines hje was accused pf were sajd to be committed In England,
where his majesty's laws were in force for the security of hia
kingdom, as well as In Scotland) which at Constantinople they
werenot^ but this was over-ruled, though, it was a natorlpua
breach of t^e habeas carpfts act, • Aft?r ?bnie farther communing,
the king's spith was called In with the thumbkins ; and accord
ingly his thumbs were put in the screws, -which were drawn sa
hard, that, says bishop Burnet, as they put him to extreme tor-i
tu^e, sb they coiild not unscrew theiji, till the smith by whom
they were made was obliged .to use his tools to take them off.
Under this torture he continued an hour and an half. Mean-.
while the torturing by the bppt was tried ; but the former exe-.
cutioqer beipg.in prison for some crirpe, and he that then offi
ciated being Ignorant how to use it, it was put off till next day,
and, in the interim, the lord treasurer^jdepute was appointed to.
confer with hini, in prder tp bring biin to an ingenuous confeS-,
'¦sion, -,1
On the 6th, the councU, being informed that Mr Carstairs
was content to swear upon the interrogatories, made an act erp-
powerlng the lord treasurer- depute to give his word pf honour,
that, upon his answering, upon oath, what questions should be
put to him by the first of October next, he should have his ma
jesty's full pardon, never be brought as witness against any per.ii
son or judicatory, directiy or indirectly, for any thing contained
in his answers, nor ever be questioned as to any thing prior to
this day, after the said first of October.
His examination came on upon the 8th, His candour- was sin
gular in the answers he ga^ve to their questions:. The reader may
see his depositions in the S,tate-trlals, and in Sprat's copies of
informations ; and that they all amounted to no more than some
loose discourses ahout what was prqper to be dpne at such a
crisis, for preserving their religion and liberties : but the; coun
cU recorded nothing in their registers- of what passed at his exa
mination, only they ordered, his, depositions to be printed a few ¦
hours after they were made,, and that in so larae-and sp unfair a
manner, that probably they were ashamed to irisert them in theip-
re'gisters ; a^mj^ which was worse, contrary to the conditions
given, they produced and read them at the trial of Jerviswood,
and Qthers, to support their evidence, as we shaU relate ; it wa?.

204 fHE HISTORY bF tHB CHAP, X.
but equivocating to say that Mr Carstairs was not personally
adduced as a wdtness ; for, if his declarations were produced,
he reckoned he was made an evidence. This reverend person
vindicated himself and his brethren in England from all assassi
nating designs, which, he says, they abhorred, and, in a letter
to my author, expresses himself In these terms ; * Now, as to
the whole of tjiis unpleasing subject, I do declare, that this
affair is, so far as I was concerned in it, as to any consulta
tions, no farther than discourse as to what might be proper t»'
be don-" for securing our religion and liberty from dangers
they were then in, without , any design agairist the- royal per
sons of the king an.d his brother, — I should be guilty of the
most horrid injustice, if I should accuse any pf the wbrthy
gentlemen of my country' that were riiy fellow-prisoners, or
any of the English dissenting ministers', of having' the^ least
knowledge or concern in the abominable assassination of the
king or his brother ; for I did then, as I do now, abhbr such
practices ; nor can I, to this hour, tell really what .Was in that
matter that makes sUcli a noise ; for nothing in my maimed
depositions that are printed hath any regard to an^ thing of
that nature, except as to what Mr Fetguson and 'Mr Shep
herd did say, for which they alone are to be answerable; and
J must also say, that Mr Shepherd did own his abhorrence of
such practices. — I cartnot but also acquaint ybu,. that! think
It was a hardship put upon me to print my depositions, as they
stood, because they were very lame ; since simple answers to
questions were set down, and neither the questions that gave
rise to such answers, nor the just extenuations, as to persons
and things, which! give In my answers; which had they been
published, it would have been found, from what I said, that
there could be no reason given why that affair should have
been prosecuted with so much cruelty and violence.'
Bishop Burnet says, ' that Mr Carstairs had at this time some
secrets of great consequence trusted to him by Fagel, of which
they [the managers in Scotland] had no suspicion ; and so
they asked him no question's about them. Fagel tbid the doc
tor, that he saw by that how faithful Carstairs was, since he
could have saved himself frbm torture, and merited highly if
he had discovered them, And this was the foundation of his
favour with the Prince of Orange, and of the great confidence
he put in him to his death,' 1 shall have occasion to mention
this great man again at the trial of Mr Bailey of Jerviswood ;
and now I proceed to other things, as they occur in the order
of time, " r
Circuit- courts having been again resolved upon at London,
upon application from the bishops and managers in Scotland,
the king's letter, ordering the council to give a ccmmission fer

»HAP. X. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB. 205
theni, was read on the 6th, of September. Accordingly com
missioners-were appointed for the several shires, and their com
mission was to continue in force till the first of December, or
loriger, if the couricil should think fit. They, or any two of
them, were to act within the bburids prescribed as commission-
fTs of jnsticiary, in all matters of life and death; and by their
instructions which consisted of twenty-eight articles, they were'
tp disarm all heritors and commons, except the militia,, who
have not taken the test, and fine the recusants ; ,to seize all
preachers, chaplains, not authorised by the bishop, and send
them in to the. council ; to examine the indulged ministers on
their instructions ; remove such as have transgressed, and im
prison them till they find security not to preach, or exercise
any part of their ministerial work, or else to remove from the
three kingdoms ; they were fai ther, by Ihelr instructions, im
powered to turn out all the wives and children, of forfeited per
sons and fugitves from their habitations, if ic shall appear that
they h-ive conversed with their parents or husbands, or if they
shall refuse to vindicate themselves by ,oath. In a word, they
had, in a manner, an unlimited power, and might do what they
pleased ; their instructions carried them even to fire and sword ;
so that reflections upon tlii^- are altogether unnecessary. But,
as it was October before these terrible circuits sat down. It wUl
be proper to relate some Intervening occurrences.
On the Sth, Mr John Sinclair minister -at Ormistouri, having
thought proper to retire to HoUand, was indicted . before the
justiciary, in absence, for preaching treasonable doctrine, press
ing the renewing of the covenants, defensive aims, declaiihing
against the King, calling the duke a rebellious enemy tb God,
and the counsellors rogues, and praying that God would open
the king's eyes to see the evil of his, ways, and turn him froni
it, (a very good prayer) or else take him away from being a
scpurge and a curse to God's people. But though there was no
shadbw of proof for these alleged expressions, yet he was for
feited, and declared a fugitive and outlaw.
, Ori the ISth, in order to prevent the sufferers from flying
from the persecution then carried on, a proclamation was pub
lished, requiring all masters of ships,^ going from or returning Jto
the kingdom, to present all their passengers, upon oath, to the
several persons tb be named by the Customers in the precinct
meHtioned in the proclamation, under the penalty of imprisionr
ment, confiscation of their goods, and being rendered incapable
of being master of a ship, bark, or any other vessel for the time
to come. And,
On the 16th, another proclamation was pubUshed, discharg
ing all persons to travel, from one shire to another, without a ^
pass frpm some person in the government, under the pain of be-

206 The HISTORY OF THE CHAP, t.
ing punished aS disaffected persons : so that, as the former pro
clamation could not but be prejudicial to trade and commerce,
so this was subversive of the liberties of the subject, It is
strange the orthodox clergy were not empowered to give passes !
But this was a time when littie regard was paid to the liber
ties of the subject : for the same day the council nominated a
provost, bailies, and town-cOUflcil for the town bf Ayr ; nay;
this month and the following, as my author found from the re
gisters, they engrossed the whole power bf nominating the ma
gistrates in most of the , royal burghs. They even ordered 4
committee- to be present and oversee the election of the migu
strates of Edinburgh.
The design was noW fbrmed to turn out' all the indulged mi
nisters, and either to make them promise npt to preach, or en
gage to remove from, the kingdom, as appears from the Instruc
tions given to the circuits. -They had nothing to object against
their loyalty ; for they rather exceeded on that point, and laid
themselves too" much open tb the censures of- many of their suf
fering brethren : but this brings to my mind what the noble
pTbto-martyr said to some ministers who were permitted to at
tend him (Vol. I. p. S9.) 'Though you go along with thesfe
< men in part, if you do It not In all things, you ate but -where
' you were, and so must suffer ; and if you go not at all With
* them, you shall but suffer.' Accordingly,
On the said 16th of September, Mr John Knox, indulged at
West Calder, son of Mr Knox minister at Bowden In Tiviot
dale, appeared before the council, arid was imprisoned, where
he continued till the king's death. It was in Vain for this wor
thy person to plead his former services to the king during his
exile, for this was not a time when regard was paid to former
favours. He was chaplain to Sir John BroWri's regiment of
horse at the battle of Inverkeithing. His elder brother Mr
Henry was frequently emiployed ^by the ktflg In negotiating
his affairs in Scotland. Many of the king's letters tb his friends
were directed to Mr John : nay, the king wrote a letter to him^
Self, dated at St Germains, August the sd, 1652, Wherein he ex
presses a great value for his interest and negotiations^ .and con
cludes it thus : ' I could heartily wish therefore, that, by your
* interest and negotiation with those you dare trust, and who
' you know -wish me well, sonle way may be thought bf tb assist
' me with money, which would be a Very seasonable obligation,
« and could never be forgotten by me. I need say no ' more,
* but that I shall be glad to receive ainy advice or advertisement:
« from you that you think necessary for me, and shall always!
' remain your very loving friend, &c,' Mr Knox was ordain
ed minister of North-Leith, from which he was ejected at the
restoration, bf his very loving frlendj because he could not in

CHAP. X. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 207
conscience submit to prelacy ; and, though he was afterwards
indulged at West Calder, yet now he waa imprisoned, because,
¦when the managers insisted upon his giving bond never to exer
cise his ministry in Scotland, he told them that he looked on
himself as a minister of Christ, and would never tie up himself
from preaching Kls gospel.
The same day the council ordered Hay of Park, Alexander
Munro, and Campbell of Ardklnglas to be sent to Blackness-cas
tle, Mr Hay continued in prison till August next year; and
Mr Carppbell, about the end of next AprU, was brought to Edin-*
burgh under a strong guard, in order to appear before the par
liament. But nothing of moment was evidently proved against
him. What was the issue is not known.
The same day they made an act ordering those who would
not declare Bothwell to be rebellion, the primate's death to be
murder, or who owned the covenants, or only hesitated on these
things, to be prosecuted criminally, or tried for their life.
This was the pattern of the questions proposed by the soldiers
to those whom they afterwards met with and murdered in the
fields. During all these unprecedented methods of oppression, Mr
James Renwick continued to exercise his ministry, and preach
in the fields,. notwithstanding the many hazards he and his fol*
lowers run, and the inexpressible hardships they endured, whieh
were still more and more Increasing; for, on the 16th, he was or
dered to be intercommuned ; and, on the 1 9th, was indicted, in
absence, before the justiciary, for being at BothweU, (which was
false, for he was then a boy at tlie college) for preaching at field-
conventicles, in arms, &c. Next day, letters of Intercomrpunlng
were Issued out against h>-,n, prohibiting all the subjects from
receiving, supplying or rurnishipghim wltfi meat, drink, h6use,
harbour, &;c. or conversing with him, either by ytotd or writ
ing, under the highest pains 
On the 25th, John Brown, journeyman taylor in Edinburgh,
having been taken in Libberton's Wynd, was ordered to lie in
in irons till farther orders, for not owning the king's authority
without his own limitations ; refusing to pray for him at their
desire, since that ought to be gone about in a devout manner
and place, for prayer ; owning the lawfulness of rising in arms
for the covenant, &c. It is surprising, he was not sent directly
to the justiciary and execution; but, possibly, says my author,,
there was not a quorum of the justices in town.
Some time this month, Major Balfour seized one Colin Ali
son a weaver in Glasgow In his own house, and committed him,
to prison,, where he lay till the Revolution. Non-conforriiity
was his only crime, 3

208 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, X.
I am now, according to the order of time, to relate some bf
the proceedings of the circuit-courts. The design of judicatures
is to punish the guilty and protect the ihnocent ; but these
courts, without paying any regard to justice, equity, or the 11.
bertv bf the subject, most barbarously harrassed ail ranks of
people, under the pretence of their receiving and conversing
with , rebels ; but, to the honour of this mild administration be
it spoken, their oppressive powers were very large, and by vir
tue ofa ropl letter, dated the 27 th of September, the councU
and their commissioners were impowered, when there was no
legal proof, to refer the matters of accusation to the oath of
the, defendant, and to punish him as guUty upon his refusing to
swear. ,
The circuit satdown at Dumfries on the 2d..Qf October.
The judges were Queensberry, ids son, and Claverhouse,- Their
district was Dumfries, Galloway and Nithsdale ; in which dis
trict the judges continued about a month. All the heritors were
called, and required to take the test,' which was offered as a_fa-
vour to those who were charged wijh what they called irregu
larities ; and the recusants were imprisoned and fined. Most
-of them complied. Mr Hugh Maxwell of Dalswinton, one of
those who stood out, was exorbitantly fined, and endured a
long Imprisonment, When they had done with the heritors,
they fell to work with the common people. All who would
not swear they did not hear presbyterian ministers, or had not
conversed with those whom they called rebels, &c. the men were
obliged to take the test, and give their oath never to harbour, or
sh6w any kindness, &c. to any of the intercommuned wander
ers, and to raise the hue and. cry upon their hearing of them, or
discovering them ; tbe women were to swear not to cohabitjor
shew the least kindness to their husbands or children. The re
cusants, men and women, were sent directly to prison, by whidi
means the prisons were crowded. ,
From Dumfries these judges went to- Kirkcudbright, and
frbm that to Wigtoun, and acted in the, same manner; and,,^ in
the mean time, particular -gentlemen and officers of the army
were commissioned to hold courts in those parishes where the
principal judges could not reach. At these sub-courts, several
were obliged to swear over again, though they had already sa
tisfied the principal judges. , Many who did not take the test
were unjustly fined and imprisoned'. About twenty-eight pri.
soners were brought to Dumfries to wait the return of the
judges, and were most cruelly treated by the way, not being al
lowed the' very necessaries of life.
While the judges were thus at work, the heritors, &c, of the
stewartry of Kirkcudbright were brought to present an address,
dated the 9di of October, wherein they offered to his- majesty.

CHAP. X, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 209
five months cess yearly, for the space of four years, for main
taining the standing army, and the better securing the peace
and quiet of the kingdoni ; and bound themselves for their ten
ants and cottars, for the future, to live regularly, or be removed
from jtheir lands. I shall relate how the heritors of the shire of
Ayr were brought to comply with this ; and it it not unlikely
the same methods were used by these commissioned judges
wherever they went.
Mr William MacmUlan of Caldow, the Rev, Mr William
Macgcorge minister at Heriot, Charles Maxwell, and others,
had an uncommon shaje bf sufferings at this circuit at Dumfrles.-
Mr MacmUlan had his health greatly impaired by his former
sufferings, (see vol. I.) He was declared rebel and fugitive
after Bothwell, and all his goods confiscated, which obliged him
to conceal himself for several, months in the fields. These hard
ships threw him into a violent fever. He was no sooner reco
vered, but the soldiers dragged him before this court at Dum--
fries. Because he declined to answer their ensnaring questions,
and refused the test, he was ordered to Wigtoun to take his trial
there. As he walked a-foot he fainted and fell down,- where
upon the soldiers put him upon a bare colt, to the great hazard of
his life. He was confined to the guard-house at Wigtoun for'
eight days, without a bed. to lie on, though he, was afflicted with
a dysentery and flux, neither would the lords, when they came
there, allow him the benefit of the common prison or to give
bond to appear at Edinburgh.-^ He was carried ir6m- place to,
place ;.and, on the 22d of November, he and upwards of eighty
men, women, and some chUdeen, were confined all night to the
church of Moffat, notwithstanding the rigour of the season ; and
next day, being the Sabbath, they were removed from thence
to Edinburgh, where they were distributed through the several
prisons of the city and Canongate, and, at last, many of them
sent to Dunnoter, of which I ^hall give an account next year.
Tliese prisoners, in the way to Edinburgh, endured the rude
ness of the soldiers, and the scoffings of the profaine. One James
Mulrhead, late bailie of Dumfries, was taken IU on the road, and^
not being aUowed the benefit of a physician, died in prison at
Leith. Mr Macgeorge and James Mulrhead above-mentioned, to
gether with John Irvine, John Scot, John Gibson, Homer GIl-
lison, James Muir, Andrew Macclelland^ and others, were all
carried to the prison at Leith. Mr Macgeorge was confined there
till the middle of April next year, when he was released upon
giving bond to appear when called,
Charles Maxwell In the parish of Keir was before this infa
mous court, for doing some acts of kindness to his sister-in-law,
who had been several months In prison for her non-conformity,
VOL. ir, O

210 THE HISTORY 01 THE CHAP, X,
and, because he refused the test, was put Into the thieves-hole,
and laid in irons. By the intreaty of his friends, and not hav
ing the same courage with others under his sufferings, he at last
complied, and was released upon paying, the fees.
Some women narrowly escaped prison by some of these cir-
cults, because they assisted a wpman In labour, whose^ husband
.was pretended to be one concerned In the Enterkin-path rescue.
This was construed reset and converse.
Many were exorbitantly fined ; particularly WiUiam Martin,
son to J: Martin of Dullarg, was fined in the sum of 7001. Scots,
Some time before this, when he was at Edinburgh, Queensberry
sent for him, and offered fo purchase the fortune he had a right
to by his marriage with the heiress of Carse ; but, because Mr
Martin would not part with it for what he offered, Queensberry
told him he would make him repent it, and threatened to pur
sue him for his life. Whereupon Mr Martin sold his right
much urider the value. In the beginnirig of this year his wife,
v^as forced to give bond for lOOl. Scots, for having a child bap
tized by a presbyterian minister. I have nbt room to mention
what he suffered, by the quartering of soldiers, &c. and there
fore I proceed.
The circuit at Ayr sat down In the beginning of October.
The judges were the Earl of Mar, Lord Livingstone, and
Lieutenant-general Drummond, afterwards Viscount of Strath-
sllan. After the rolls were called in the presence of the heritors,
each of the lords made a speech, recommending to these gen
tlemen to concert proper measures for wiping off the odium of
disloyalty the shire of 'Ayr in general lay under. The design
of this was to get them to raise money, and bring them to com
ply with the test, and the other measures of the court. The
thing took ; and Drummond, whb possessed the forfeited estate
of Kersland, was desired to assist them with his advice. The
lieutenant general, pretending a great regard for their welfare
and the happiness of the country, gave it as his opihion, that
the best way for shewing the loyalty, and procuring an indern-
ttity for past crimes, was to riiiake a voluntary offer to take the
test He told them, that though the law confined It to those
who had places of trust, yet their loyalty would appear, by pe-
tloning the lords commissioners to administer it unto them.
When dils proposal was made, several withdrew, and they who
staid complied with it : upon which a form of a petition was
drawn up ; three copies were writ for the three disticts.of the
shire. Upon this the lords separated, one to the body of the
church, another to the Isle, and a third to^another place. Then
the heritors, according to the respective districts, were called.
The question, put to each was, WUl you sign the petition, or

CHAP, X. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 211
not ? I'hey who signed It were dismissed, and the recusants
were ordered to continue where they were, without being al
lowed either meat^or drink ; for, says my author, it would seem
they intended, to starve them intp.lpyalty : but the Iprds, being
ashamed pf this Indiscreet treatm'fent of so many innocent per
sons of rank, allowed them to come out of the church, and con
fined them to the town. Next the commissioners proceeded
to administer the test to those that had signed the petition ; but
finding that some of them, upon second thoughts, had chariged
their mind, and refused, they were so enraged, that they sent
them to prison, and some of them to that nasty place called the "
thieves-hole ; as Montgomery of Bordland, and others, who had
neither room to sit nor stand upright. The equity of this pro
ceeding, after they were told that the law obliged none to take
the test but those in places of trust under the government, must
be left withAe reader. After this the recusants had indict
ments giventn^, consisting of many crimes, of which many
of them were Incapable. For some young men, who had no
, famUies, but lived with their parents, were charged with reset
and converse : and others unmarried, who had no children, were
accused of Irregular niarriages and baptisms. These indicted
gentlemen were ranged into several divisions ; arid such as they
saw proper were brdered 'to be examined by the officers and
subalterns of Mar's regiment then lying in Ayr. Some of these
officers, as Lieutenant-colonel Buchan, aftervyards turned pa
pists. From the report of these deputies. It appeared that se
veral were able to purge thepiselves by oath of the crimes laid
to their charge, though others could not: yet' all of them were
treated as guilty, arid were all called again before the lords, and
a new offer of the test, as the only way to clear their Innocence.
Several complied through the importunity of their friends. They
who still kept their ground were brought, one after another,
before the"commissioners,'and ^ere still urged to take the test,
and, upon their refusal, though they had nothing else they could
prove agairist therii, were committed prisoners to that room in
the tolbooth or prison of Ayr, called the Council-house, where
they remained, crowded together, withbut fire, or proper ac-
commpdatioris, till at last the lords were pleased to dismiss them^
iipon exorbitant bail, above the value hi their estates, fo appear
at Edinburgh when called.
All the indulged presbyterian ministers in this shire wsrb
called before thij infamous circuit, and, upon their refusing the
test; were ordered to oblige themselves not to exercise any part
of their ministry until theyhad allowance from the'king and
'council. Orie or two complied ; but the rest, who absol-utel-i/-
refused, were sent to the Bass and. other prisotis, v.'her-; ilic/

212 . THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF, X.
endured many hardships: and by this means the orthodox
clergv got free of most of ^he presbyterian ministers in the
west. In order to frighten the country pepple, and some young
gentIemen,,Into the test, a gibbet was erected at the cross. The
lords used to say. Yonder tree will make you take the test. One
da'y the Earl of Mar said to a young gendeman recusant, point
ing to the gibbet, WUl not that shake your resolution ? No, my
lord, answered the other ; if I am to be hanged, I expect so
much advantage, by my birth and quality, as tp hang at the'
cross of Edinburgh, and betwixt this and Edinburgh I may
think what to do. In short, all recusants were disarmed; none
were allowed to go out of their parishes without a certi6cate
from the prelatlcal incumbent ; all were discharged from being
at field-conventicles upon pairi of death. All who were blamed
with reset and converse behoved either to take the test, or go
to prison.
Before I lea\^e ¦ the circuit at Ayr, I must mention two in
stances of particular severities. A poor country-man was
charged with being at Bothwell, and sentence was going to be-
passed ; but Lord Livingstone, president at that time, told him.
That if he would but answer one question, the sentence should
not be pronounced. The question was. Do you own the king's
authority, , or not? The man answered distinctly. My lord, I
do own the king's authority, so far as he acts by, and it ia
grounded on the word of God, The president said again, I
ask thee, man, do you own the authority of king Charles II.
yea, or no ? To which he replied, I do own the authority of
king Charles II. as he acts conform to the word of God, and
grounds his power thereupon. The question was several times
repeated, and the honest man not giving any other answer, was
ordered to -be hanged at the cross of Ayr in a few hour^ ; but,
by the Intercession of some ladles, he was reprieved, and car
ried in to Edinburgh. Here was a sentence of death passed
upon a poor man, because he could npt see that the king had
authority without any foundation on a divine law I
The other instance Is of Ouintin Dick, a feuar of Dalmel
lington, (see Vol. I.) Who being required to swear upon the
common ensnaring questions, answered. That rising in arms in
self-defence, and entering into leagues and covenants without
the consent of the magistrate, were controverted points, and he
could not give his oath upon them. Then they urged him to
take the oath of aUegiance. Upon which he declared, that he
owned the king's authority in things civil, and was ready to
-swear it; but supremacy in things ecclesiastical was such an
usurpation upon Christ's kingdom, that he was a'better friend
to the king than to wish him it. ' Whereupon he was fined in

CHAP,-X, - CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 113
1000/. Sterling, and ordered to be banished to the plantations.
His goods were Immediately seized, his house converted to a
guard-house, and himself cast into one of the worst places of
the prispfi, among thieves and murderers. When he was car- ,
ried tb Edinburgh,|he disowned the societies' declaration of war
before the .council ; for he thought these zealous people car
ried matters too far ; however, he remained in prison tUl he
was sent, with others, to Dunnoter. The reflections he made
'on -his sufferings the reader will find in Wodrow's history.
The last circuit-court I am to speak of is that of Glasgow,
which sat down on the 14th October. Alexander Ross, D. D,
professor of divinity there, preached a sermon before them^
which breathed forth nothing but slaughter and persecution.
His text was. Acts xxvi. 28. Almost thou persuadest ms to be a
Christian. In discoursing upon it he proposed, 1. To shew the
parties of our di^^lded Zion ; 2. The malignancy of the national
sin of schisrii ; 3. The necessity of episcopacy for supporting the
main concerns of Christianity ; arid, lastly. The application.
How far a discourse of this nature was founded on ;his text,
or agreeable to the spirit of the gospel, Is easy for any to de
termine. The loyal heritors of Stirlingshire, which was within the
bounds of this circuit, presented an humble address to the judges,
viz. the Duke of HamUton, Lord Lundin and Lord Coiling
toun ; in which they declared their readiness to contribute In
the supply of three months cess yearly, for two years ensuing,
to be paid at Martinmas and Whitsunday next, by equal por
tions, besides the supply granted by the current parUament,
'Fhey likewise delivered a bond of regularity, under their
hands, in which they obliged themselves, families, tenants, and
subtenants, &e. todive regularly and orderly according to act
of parliament ; tb suppress all disorders, by taking and deliver
ing the offenders to justice. If In their- power ; to give timely
notice to the next ma'gistrate-or officer of the armv, and concur
with them In apprehending any fugitives, vagrant preachers, &c,
to frequent their own parish churches, unless lawfully hindered,
and partake of the Loird's supper, unless they satisfy their mi
nister of their present unfitness; to deUver up to the magistrates
S)ich of their tenants or cottars, &c, as shall refuse to 'partake
of that sacrament, unless they satisfy the minister for their ne
glect ; to baptize and marry with none but their own parish-mi
nisters, without their consent, to pay the cess above-mentioned,
&c. &c, , This was a most extensive bond, , The reader wUf
make his own reflections upon it.
But the heritors of Renfrew and Lanark were not so pliable;
for they geiierally refused the test, declined the bond of regu
larity, and so were obliged. to endure the Jiardships pf a prispn.

214 THE HISTOR-y OF THE , CHAP- I,
not a few of them for the space of sixteen pionths. William
Dalziel of Redmire died in prison, andiwith difiiculty, was suf
fered to be buried,, with his ancestors, in the church-yard of
Camnethan. . , , ..
The treatment pf spme heritors In the parish bf Lbchwinnoehi
was 'peculiar. About two Sabtaths before the lords came (o
Glasgow, the' sheriff-officer stood at the church-door, and order
ed aU the heritors of the parish tb appear before the lords. Ro
bert Orr of Millibank, James AUan portioner of-Kers, Johh
Orr of Jamphrestock, James Ramsay portloner of Auchinhow,
James Orr of Hills, Robert Semple of Balgreen, WiUiam Orr
portioner of Keam, and William Blackburn of Laurlstoun, were,
for their npt complying, pbliged to walk on foot, through frbst
and snow, with about forty other prisoners, to Stirling ; where,
notvylthstanding their fatigue and want joi refreshment, , they
were forced into three low vaults under ground without fire or
light, or any thing to lie on, or conveniency for easing nature ;
and, had not some good people taken compassion on them, by
sending them straw, coals and victuals, their case had been still
more wretched. Being told that they were to- be sent to,A-
merlca, their' friends gave them money ; but the soldiers took
it all from them. They continued at Stirling till May next
year^ when they were taken out, tied two and, two, and sent
into the prison of the Canongate, from whence some of them
were ordered to Dunnoter, where they endured unaccountable
hardships. Thus, much for these arbitrary circuits, from which ¦
the reader will easily form a judgment of the state of the coun
try. These were the. -goldpn days of the mUd administration of
Charles III ' ' - "'
Bishop Burnet gives but a very general account of these in-:
famous courts, which he concludes, by telling us, 'That the
' severity which the presbyterians formerly had used, forcing all
' people to take their covenant, was now returned back on them
• in this test, that they were thus forced to take,' But that
the presbyterians forced aU pebple to take the covenant, is not
matter of fact ; for iri the covenantirig period, there were raari,y
debarred from the cbvenant and communion, and npne who
were thus debarred were admitted, but only those whb, after
exact trial, were found to have given sufficient evidence- bf the
sincerity of their repentancei I find a modern author challen
ging his antagonist to give an instance-bf any that suffered, either
Confiscation of goods, banishment, or death, for their- refusing
the covenant ; so that no comparison can be made here,
I find by the Cloud bf Witnesses, that James Lawson and
Alexander Wood suffered at Glasgow on the 24'th of October ,
this yeati Whether it was in consequence of a sentence of the
circuit- court there, I know not. Their joint testimony is in the
above coUection, to which I must refer the reader.

CHAP, X, CrtURCH 01 SCOTLAND. 215
The council at Edinburgh was not idle during these things.
On the 9th of October, W. NIven and John Hodge were or
dered for transportation, because they would not take the oath
of allegiance and supremacy, submit to prelacy, and own Both
well-bridge to be rebellion. They allowed physicians to visit-
James Hamilton of Aikenhead, though one might have expected
since non-conformity was the only crime for which he was con
fined, they might have suffered him to go out upon bail.
The state of the west and south of Scotland was now dismal,
and the old followers of Mr Cargill, who had united in societies
for general correspondence, and made choice of Mr Renwick
for their minister, were in an especial manner exposed to the
vengeance of the government. The sea-pqrts were shut up that
they could not get out ofthe kingdom; they were pursued by
the bloody and merciless soldiers ; the whole country was sworn
,to discover them, and bound up from giving them meat, drink,
or lodging : secret Intelligencers were hired to find out their
lurking places, and ariy who were inclined to do them the least
kindness. They were put from under the prptection of the
laws of their country ; no terms were allowed them but a re
nouncing of their principles, and, swallowihg those oaths by
which thousands were involved in the horrid guilt of perjury.
Under these dreadful circumstarices, on the loth October,
they met among themselves, along with Mr James Renwick
their minister, and proposed to emit a declaration against the
wickedness of thc severities used by their persecutors. Mr
Renwick was at first averse to the proposal, fearing the sad .ef
fects It might produce '; but considering that the necessity of
the case admitted no delay, he was prevailed with to consent,
concur, and assist in the publication of it. The paper was
drawn up by him and agreed to on the 28th, and the following
is a short abstract of It.
The apologetic declaration and admonitory vindication of the true
presbyterians of the church of Scotland, especially, anent iiitelhgen-
cers and informers, . ' '
* A LBEIT we know that the people of God, in all ages, have
« ¦^'' been crueUy persecuted,  yet such hard usage
« -—.  hath not, at least ought not, to have abated the zealof
' ' tender hearted Christians, in the prosecution of holy and com-
« martded duties; therefore as hitherto, we have not been driv-
' en to lay aside necessary obliging duties, because of the vi-
' perous threatenings pf men,  so we declare our firm re-
• solution of constant adherence to our covenants and engage-
' ments,  and  to our faithful declarations, wherein
' we have disowned the authority pf Charles Stuart (npt autho-

-¦^16 \ ' THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. X,
' rity of God Institution, either among heathens or Christians)
' and all authority depending upon him,  and wherein al-
' SO we haA'e declared war against him, and his accomplices j,
' therefore,  ,— we do hereby testify and declare*
* That, as we utterly detest and abhor that heUish principle of
* kUling all who differ in judgment and persuasion from us >
*  so we look upon it as a duty,  topublish  —
, • untb the world, that, for as much as we are firmly and really
* purposed not to injure or offend any whomsoever, but to pur-
* sue the end of our covenants. In standing to the defence of
' our glorious Work of Reformation, and of our own lives;
* yet, (we say) we' do hereby declare unto all, that whosoever
« stretcheth forth their hands against us,  ^-by shedding bur
-' blood actuaUy, -either by authoratative commanding, such as
' bloody coun'sellbis,  especially that called justiciary, gen-
• eral of forces, adjutarits, captains, lieutenants, and aU in civU and.
*- military power, whb make it their work to embrue their
,' hands in our blopd ; or by obeying such commands, such as
* .bloody mllitia-m'en, malicious troopers, &c: likewise such gen-
' tlemen and commons, wl.o  ride and run with the fore-
* said persons, to lay search for us, or who deliver any of us In-
• to their hands, to the spoiling of bUr'blood ; by intlcing mo-
• rally, or stirring up enemies to the taking away of our lives ;
« - — =  ,by informing against us wickedly, wlttirigly, and wil-
' lingly, such as viperous and malicious bishops and curates, and
' all such sort of InteUlgencers, who  raise the hue and cry ,
' after us ;—— — rwe,say all, and every one of such, shall be re-
' puted byus as ^emies',to God and the covenanted Work of
• .Refo,rmatibn,'ahd punished as such according to our power and
' the d'egree of. their offence,H-hlefly, if they shall continue, af-
« ter the publication of this our declaration", obstinetely and lia-
' bitaally, with maUce, to proceed against us by any of the foresaid
< ways. — Finally, -we do hereby declare, that we abhor, condemn
' and discharge any^persbnal attempts, upon any pretext what-
* somever, without previous deUberation-, common or competent
,* consent, without -certain probation by sufficent witnesses, the
'. guilty persons 'Corifesslon, or the notoriousness of ' the deeds
' themselves. Inhibiting also and discharging any of our emls-
' sarics vifhatsomever, to stretch forth their 'hands beyond the
« certainly known degrees of any of the foresaid persons their
« pffences- — '-  Therefore let all these foresaid persons be ad-
• monished of their hazard. And particularly aU ye inteUigen-
*^ cers,' who, by your voluntary Informations, endeavour to render
f us up tp the enemies' hands,' that our blood may be shed,
'  '^ — -we desire you to take warning;  for the sinless ne-
• cessity of self-preservnvion, accompanied with holy zeal for
« Christes reigning in our land, and suppressing of profanity, wUl

CHAP. X. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 217
< move us not to let you pass unpunished ;  not because
. » we are acted by a sinful spirit of revenge for private and per-
< sonal Injuries, -but mainly because, by our fall, reformation suf-
' fers damage,  And as — — — we have here declared our
' purposes anent maUcious Injurers of us, so-.-^ — we heartily
' beseech and obtest all you, who M-It-h well to Zion, to shew
« your good will towards us, hy acting with us, for this
? great work of holding -up the standard of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Think not that, in any ways, you are called to lip by neutral
' and indifferent, especially in such a day ; for we are a people
' by holy covenants dedicated unto the Lord  ¦ — An3, more-
« over, wc are fully persuaded, that the Lord, who now hldeth
¦' himself from the house of Jacob, will suddenly appear, bring
' light out of darkness, perfect strength out of weakness, and
« cause judgment return again to rjghtebusness  — Givenat
' upon the 28th of October,.1684,
* Let King Jesus reign and all his enemies be scattered.'
They ordered copies of this declaration to be affixed to a Suf
ficient number of market-crosses and chilirch doors on the 8th
of next month, which was done accordingly. '•
In the Informatory Vindication they distinguish between a
declaration bf a hostile war and martial insurrection, and declar
ing a war of cbntradictlon and opposition by testimonies. As
for the former, to use their own words, * they looked upon that
only to be declared against the tyrant, and such as should rise
with him in arms, mustering themselves under his banner, display
ed against the cause and pejople of God, for destroying the cove
nanted Work of Reformation, snd extirpating all the owneis of
. it ; but as for the latter,- it was declared against all such as any
way strengthen, side with, or acknpwledge the said tyrant, or any
other m'the like tyranny and usurpation, civil or ecclesiastic;
not that tliey would martially oppose and rise up against all such,
but that, by their profession, practice and testimony, they would
contradict and oppose them and their profession and practice asto-
that thing,' And it appears, from the declaration itself, that it
was a war In their own defence, .igainst those who maUcjously
and wickedly thirsted for their blood. They declared their ab
horrence of all private revenge and assassination. It is also plain
that though they disclaimed the tyrannical government of that
time, they still owned magistracy and aU lawful authority. How
far it was prudent.ln them to publish this threatening declaration
in that conjuncture, is not for rne to determine. However, this
is certain, thatvthough it exasperated the managers to more vl-
"gorous measures, yet it wanted riot its effect ', for it struck a ter
ror among malign-ant informers and intelligencers, and thc most
virulent and persecuting curates of Nithsdale and Galloway

218 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. X<
thought proper to retire to other places for a time : and indeed
their view in this paper was not so mUch action, as the threa
tening of some people theyhad to do with ; and if any look up-,
on it as an unjustifiable piece of extremity, they ought toconsider
their circumstances, and the illegal and barbarous oppressions
they were under, in being in- a mzivaer -killed all the day long, and
counted as sheep for the slaughter. I shall relate the consequences
of thi-s in their proper order.
Meanwhile, on the f 6th of October, William Hanna, In the
pariah of ' Tunnergath in '>.nnandale,' having been apprehended
in England by Colonel Dacres, was received by one Sprlnkel
and his troop. He lay in irons at Dumfries, and at last was.
Confined in a dark pit under the Canongate prison. The sol
dier who brought him his small pittance of meat and drink said,
Seek mercy from Heaven, for We have none to give youi with
other expressions of blasphemy. He continued in this place
nine days, and then was brought up to the prison, where he
remained till he was sent with others to Dunnoter. ' His only
crime was non -conformity, for which he had in the preceding
years suffered gteatly. His son William, not sixteen years of
age, Was, in 1682, taken by a party of soldiers, though he was
afiUtted with the ague, arid forced to walk a-foot for some days
along with tfiem. Coming to the grave of one who had been
shot, and buried in the fields, they set him down on the grave,
and, covering his face, threatened hirn with immediate death if
he would not promise regularity, &c. The boy told them, God
sent him to the world, andhad appointed his time to go out of
it, only he was determined to swear nothing he reckoned sinful.
He was now in their power, and they might do as they would.
In the year 1683, he was taken to Edinburgh, and, after several
examinations, was tortured with the thumbkins, and then load
ed with irons, which were so strait that- his flesh swelled out
above them ; and, after a year and a half's imprisonment, he was
transported and sold In Barbadoes, It is said he returned after
the Revolution, and was a minister In Scarborough. ,
The orthodox clergy were amongst the most diligent inform
ers, and their informations were sometimes foIlo-wed with pe
cuUar cruelties, of which the treatment df one Robert Watson,
" in the parish of Badernock, near Glasgow, is .a glaring Instance.
While this good man was confined to bis bed by a paralytic
disorder, Mr StirUng the curate informed against him as a dis
affected person ; whereupon, about eight at night, a party eame
to his house, put one of his horses to a sledge, took him and the
touch whereon he lay, ?(nd laid him across the sledge, with his
liead and feet lying over it, and in that posture carried him to
Glasgow that same night, tiiough the rain was exceeding greats
But when Robert was examined, he was dismissed, and the sol-

tlAP, II. CHURCH ot SCOTLAND. 2l9
diets cursed the curate for putting them to so much trouble.
About the same time Mr James -Gilchrist, chaplain to the laird
pf Glorat, was made prisoner. But, passing these things, I shaU
now relate other unprecedented branches of tyranny and op
pression in ^
CHAP, XL
Ofthe proceedings of tie council and justiciary ; the murders in the
fields ; , the trial and execution of Mr Robert Baillie of Jervis-
¦wood, ar.d others ; with several other branches of persecution, te
¦ the death of Kirig Charles II,
F I iHE persecution of this period Is, still on the'growirig hand,
^ as will appear from a relation of matters of fact in the or^
der of time when they happened. Many worthy and excellent
gentlemen suffered exceedingly, by exorbitant fines and long im
prisonment, during the months of November and December.
The most of them. If not all, had been before the circuits upon
sham indictments, among others, these following suffered ex
ceedingly, viz- Sir J, Maxwell of Nether- pollock, the lairds of
Cralgends elder and younger, the laird of Douchal, the laird of
Fulwood, Z. Maxwell pf BlawarthUl, brother to Nether-Pollock,
M, J, Pollock of Balgray, and J. CaldweU, laird of Caidwell
from the shire of Renfrew. The lairds of AUantoUn and Hal-
cralg, Mr Andrew, afterwards Sir Andrew Kennedy of Clow
burn, the lairds of Overtoun, Hartwood, Browncastle, and
Bradisholm, James Young chamberlain of Evandale, Mr John
Bannantyne of Corehouse, after the Revolution minister at La
nark, and Bannantyne of Craigmuir, from the shire of Lanark,
Sir James Montgomery of Skermorly, Sir Adam Whiteford, '
Cunningham bf Ashenyards, and others from the shire of Ayr.
Mr Hugh Maxwell of Dalswintoun, and the laird of Balmage-
chan, from Dumfries and Galloway. There were other gentle
men exorbitantly fined for the same cause .with these now men
tioned, as the lairds of Riddel, Greenhead, Wall, and Chatto,
Lord Cranstoun, Sir WiUiarn Scot of Harden, senior and Ju
nior ; but whether at this precise time I cannpt say. The
managers wanted to finger their estates; and, as they had no
thing to lay to their charge but non- conformity, false, indict
ments were trumpt up against them, and, the test, contrary to
law, was pressed upon them, which they knew they would not
take; and therefore they were thus illegally fined, and several
of them suffered a tedious imprisonment.
On the 8th of November, the apologetical declaration was
fixed on several church-doors in Nithsdale, GaUoway,- Ayr, and
Lanarkshire, , >-

2Z0 THE illsToKV OF Thte cHap. Xi,
On the llth, J. Hutchison, portloner in Newbottle, wasj- in
absence, condemned to be executed, when apprehended, forbe-
ing at Pentland and Bothwell, the time and place to be appoint
ed by the couneU. The same day copies of the above declara
tion were brought tp the council, by which they were exasper
ated to the last degree ; so that, instead of acting like grave and
solid counsellors, they discovered themselves to be under the in
fluence of a spirit of rage and crUelty ; for not only they who
were taken up on suspicion, but evien they who were alreadyin
prispn, were barbarously used on this very account, '
The same day, about six in the evening, W. Niven, smith in
the parish of Eastwood, and several others, were brought from
the iron-house before the council or their committee : and be
ing interrogated by the chancellor whether they knew any thing
of the treasonable papers that had been^ afhxed to the church-
doors, declared they did not. Then they were asked if they
owned the matter of them ; and answered. They knew nothing
about them, and so could neither own nor disown them. The
clerk, upon this, read the declaration as fast he could. Upon
•which they declared they could make no judgment of it upon
hearing it In such a manner. They were again required to dis
own it upon the highest pains. They answered they had no
share in it, and could not take upon them to judge of what no
ways concerned them. After they were removed a little they
w-ere called In, and told they were sentenced to die that night
at 10 o'clock : but something came in the way that prevented
the-execution of this unaccountable sentence.
On the 13th, John Semple of Craigthorn,* in the parish of
Glassford, was taken and brought before the council, on suspi
cion of being accessary to the above apologetic declaration, and
was ordered immediately to be examined by the thumb-screw
and the boots, or both, which he endured, and the tbrture was '
' repeated' next day. And the same day Robert Goodwin and
other prisoners were brought before them on suspicion. They,
declared they knew nothing of it. When It was read to them
in a hurry, they were ordered solemnly to swear that they
neither adhered to it, nor knew the authors of it. Robert de
clared, in the name of the rest, that they never heard It till now,
and knew nothing about the forming of It ; but, because they
would not swear, they were immediately sent to the iron-house.
On the Hth, John Semple, John Watt, and Gabriel Thom
son, were condemned, and executed at the Gallowdee, because
they owned, or refused to disown, the above mentioned paper.
This was quick work, there, b^ing but a fcw hours between
their sentence and their death. The poor men were scarce
suffered to pray. The spectators were surrounded by the sol
diers ; and, refusing to answer upon oath the questions put, to

CHAP, XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 221
them, ten or twelve were carried from the scaffold to prison:
nay, because three coffins were seen carrying down the street to
receive their bodies, the council ordered Sir William Paterson
to make inquiry by whom they were made.
Next day Thomas Abercromby, In the parish of Bar, was ap
prehended at tziidnight in his own house, and carried away pri
soner without any cause assigned. His house was rifled by the
soldiers ; and it cost him a great deal of money before he got
off. His losses before this, and sufferings afterwards, were not
small, Ot> the 2Gth, the advocate was ordered to prosecute John
Porterfield of Douchal for high-treason, though they had no
more to lay to his charge than to that of some of the rest ; but
this was done to bring them into their measures.
The same day Thomas Kennoway and one Duncan Stuart
were both killed by persons unknown, at Swinc-abbey in
the parish of Livingstone, I cannot relate the circumstances,
as none were present but the actbrs, who were never appre-
heinded. The societies were so far from approving, this, that
they refused to admit some persons among them whom they
suspected to be concerned in it, all such assassinations being
contrary to their apologetical declaration. It is indeed certain
that Kennoway was one of the greatest oppressors, and a terror
to the country. I shall not trouble the reader with particulars.
The widows of these two were by the council recommended to
the treasury for charity.
. A strict search was ordered tp be made through the city of
Edinburgh for those concerned iri the murder, and the above
mentioned declaration. The council then made their bloody
act, impowerlng the soldiers to kill in the fields all who would
not answer their queries. This was such an unprecedented step,
that none could believe It, was it not recorded in their own
registers, to their everlasting disgrac^. Thus the matter stands,
' • • '¦
Apud Edinburgh, November 23, 1 684,
Sederupt Chancellor, Register, Advocate, iffc.
« ra"'xHE query under-written, proposed by ti-^e lordls of his
« •''- majesty's privy council to the lord^ pf his majesty's '
' council and session,, with their answer, is ordered to be re-
« corded,' Query. ' Whether any of his majesty's subjects, being ques-
* tioned by his majesty's judges, or commissioners, if they own
' a late proclamation, in so far as it declares war against his
' sacred majesty, and asserts that it is. lawful tb kill all those
' who are employed by his majesty, refusing to answer upon

222 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP. XI.
i
* oath, are thereby guilty of high-treason, and art and part in
' the; said declaration?'
Answer, * It is the unanimous opinion of the lords of coun-
« eil and 'session, that a libel, in the terms of the said query, is
« revelant to infer the crime of treason, as art and part of the
' siiid treasonable declaration, against the refusers.' Sub
scribed by Perth chancellor, David Falconer, George Macken
zie, &c,
« It beirig put to the vote in council, whether or not any
* person who owns,- or does not disown the late traiterous de-
* claratlon upon oath, whether they have arms or not, should
• be immediately killed before two witnesses, and the person
• or persons who are to have instructions from the council for
* that effect ?' Carried in the affirmative,
' The lords of his majesty's privy-council do hereby ordain
« any person who owns, or will not disown the late treasonable
' declaration upon oath, whether they have arms or not, to be
' immediately put to death; this being always done in presence
« of two witnesses, and the person or persons having com.mis-
* sion for that effect.'
By the ariswer to the query the refusers were to' be indict
ed ; bur, by this act of council, they are to be immediately put
to death without any indictment. How far then the act is
founded on the answer must be referred to those learned in the
law ; and how Sir George Mackenzie had the confidence to
vindicate this is very surprising. As for the commissioners
spoke of, this is cert-alri, that majors, captains, and even sol
diers, pretended to act by virtue of it, and certainly they were
much encouraged by it.
The day after this bloody act the council gave a commission
to Lord Livingstone, Lord Ross, Lord Torphichen, &c. or any
five of them, to try, judge and 'execute In the parish where
Kennoway and Stuart were murdered ; and, together with the
commission, instructions were 'given to the forces sent to the pa
rishes of Livingstone, Bathgate, Torphichen and Calders, pf
which I give the following abbreviate. ' You shall convocate
' all the Inhabitants  above fourteen years of age, in the, pa-
' rish of Livingstone, &c. and examine every person ; and, after
1 the oath of abjuration, £of which in its pl^ce,] such at take
' the oath you shall dismiss, unless you susjpect their guilt.
• And, if any own the late traiterous declaration or assassina-
' tion, you shall execute them by mUitary execution on the
' place. - And such as refuse to .answer or depone, or will not
' disown the said, &c. you shall give them a libel instantly,
• call fifteen men as a jury, and let th^m judge them, and in-
« stantly execute the sentence of death on such as do refuse to
* disown, or to answer the questions befbre the said jury.- 

CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTI,AND, 223
* And as to the families of such as you thus condemn and exe-
' cute, you shaU make prisoners of all persons in their families,
' above, the age of twelve years, in order to transportation. —
* For all which this shall be warrant to you, and all officers
,' and soldiers employed b) you,' Subscribed by Perth chan
ceUor, Douglass, Balcarras, Geo. Mackenzie, &c.  There
were several other instructions, I have only singled out these,
that the reader may see, that the murders in the fields, whicSi
were committed after this, had now the sanction bf -authority;
neither shall I detain him by any reflections of mine, but leave
him to his own.
The above mentioned judges sat first at Livingstone, where
many questions w:ere~-< put to several people, concerning the
king's authority, their keeping the church, and other things
quite foreign to the designed inquiry. The soldiers sat on
horseback, with their swords drawn, and, surrounded the coun
try-people in the fields. The old and infirm, whb had not been
from their houses for many years, were forced to attend. And
they who could npt v/alk were brought out on horseback ; nay,
they who could not sit, says my author, were tied to one ano
ther on horseback, and none were permitted, to go home till
they were examined by the judges, or rather inquisitors. But
I pass these things.
On the 25th, the council approved of the following draught
of the oath of abjuration, to be offered to whorn they or their
coninjlssioners should think fit. * I A. B. do hereby abhor,
« ' renounce End disown. In the presence of the Almighty God,
* the pretended declaration of war lately affixed at several pa-
' rish-churches. In so far as It declares a war agamst his sacred
« majesty, and asserts that It Is lawful to kUl such as serve his
* majesty, in church, state, army, or country, or such as act
• against the authors of the pretended declaration now shewn
' to me. And I do hereby utterly renounce and disown the
? vJUalnous authors thereof, who did, as they call it, statute
« and ordain the same, and what is therein mentioned. And
' I swear I shall never assist the authors of the said pretended
? declaratibn, or their emissaries or adherents, in any point o
' punishing, kUUng, or making of war any manner bf way, as
• I-shall ariswer, to God.' This was the first, form of the abju
ration. We shall find, it much curtaij^kafterwards, and -there
fore I shall make no remarks on it heriC.,
Next day the council made an act ordering new electi-ons to
be made for next session of' parliament, wliicii was to meet in
March next, iu the room of those who '.vere disqualified by au
act of the last session (my author thinks -it was ths test-act) and
by their bei,ng under process for treiocn. As the parliament

r

^24 THE HISTORY OF TIIE CHAP, XI,
-was to sit, it was but proper that the members should be such as
-would pursue the measures of the ministry.
At last the design against all the indulged ministers Was ac
complished ; for, on the 27tli of November, the council ordered
them all to be rejected because they had not kept their instruc
tions, and some bf them h-ad not observed the fast appointed in
-September last ; and by the instructions given to the commis
sioners in diiferent shires, they were obligAl, December the 2d,
to give bond not to e.Kercise any part of their ministry in Scot
land. Some of them had before 'this been imprisoned because
they would not comply with this, as Mr Anthony Murray, and
Mr J. Curry. The Rev. Mr John Carstairs, perceiving thjs
-storm a- coming, wrote to the chanceUor for his Ibrdshlp's pass
to leave Scotland: He died soon after, and so got oUt of the
Teach of his enemies. Not a few were imprisoned after this, as
Mr Ralph Roger, Mr William TullldafF, Mr Robert Boyd, Mr
Robert Duncanson, Mr Duncan Campbell, Mr John Greig,Mr
Jamps Hutchison, Mr Andrew Millar, Mr Peter Kid, Mr John
JCnox, Mr Walter Mowat, &c. There Were but few that com
plied.' Thus the prelates got rid of those who were great eye
sores to them.
, On- the 28th the gentlemen froni Renfrew^ were, except the
laird of Douchal, summoned to dppear before the council on
the 2d of December next.
Next day J. Porterfield of Douchal was indicted before the
justiciary for high-treason, because he- did not reveal Sir John
Cochran's proposal for charity to Argyle, and had conversed
with his own "brother who had been forfeited for the affair of'
Pentland, and had harboured one George Holmes who had been
at Bothwell, He owned that Sir John Cochran had asked £0/,
by way of charity to the" Earl of Argyle 3 but 'that the proposal
was made with so much indifference, that he did not think it
worth his while to reveal it. As for conversing w^lth his bro
ther, jie thought there was no harm in it, because some years
after Pentland he had lived peaceably in the shire of Renfrew,
and had conversed with his majesty's subjects of all ranks, such
as privy- counsellors, the sheriff of the shire, and officers of the
army ; from whence it was generally concluded that he was In
demnified, &c. As to George Holmes, he declared, ¦ that,
whenever he understo»*that his name was in the porteoas-
roU cf the court of Glasgow 1G79, though he was no tenant of
his, he obliged his father to put him off his ground ; that the
said Holmes had afterwards made up his matters, and listed
himself a soldier in the king's army.' But though this was the
plain state of die case, yet he was brought In guilty of treason,
and condemned to be executed when and where the king should
appoint. 2

CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTtAND. 225-
Thls sentence drew compassion and tears from many of the
, spectators, to behold such a good old man meet with so much
injustice 5 and It is said, that even Sir George Mackenzie threw.
the blame of this from himself, and called this gentleman, Lord
Melfdrds martyr. The truth is Melford had a previous pro
mise of his estate, Siuch instances as this, says my author, veri
fied the black character which a person of merit and honour
gave him of this period. ' This was a time when stretches bf
* obsolete laws, knights of the post, half or no probation, ma-
• liclous informers, scandalous rogues and miscreants, were the
'- government's tools to ruin men of estates, honour and princl-
' pie.' " I wpuld farther observe, that, the day before his trial, the
lords of council and session gave their judgment of this gentle
man's case, viz. That the concealing and not revealing, in the
case foresaid. Is treason; so that, how far the .-iame persons
could in equity give their judgment over again in the same
cause, I must leave to-those learned, in the law. This gentle
man was not executed ; however, he was obliged to give security
to. the Earl of Melford for 50,000 merks, ?nd a gratuity of 100
guineas to his Jady. The half .of the sum was paid to him,
though Douchal was his cousin. Fhe Revolutipn pirevefited
the payment of the other half. The principal informer against
him was John MaxweU of Overmains, a neighbour and reiatlon,
who had nojother way of atoning for the^crlmes of adultery, &c.
but by turning informer. I shall only add, that this Maxwell came
to ruin, while the family of , Douchal wag not oni jm^ restored to
jLts own paternal inheritance, but also purchased the estate of the
wicked informer.
Onthe 2d of December the gentlemen of Renfrew were
fined in the following sums,'vlz.
Sir John Maxwell of Nether-PoUock,
Alexander and William Cunlnghams of Cralg
ends, elder and younger,
John Caldwell, laird of CaldweU,
Zacharlas Maxwell, portioner of BlawarthUl, 1111
Alexander Porterfield of Fulwood,
Mr James Pollock of Balgray,
These sums, being English money, make 1
In all, 5 19777 15 64.
The laird of Caldwell and Zacharlas MaxWell were ordered
to be prisoners for life, besides the payment of their fine. They
were pleased to make some abatement of the fines of the rest.
Thus Sir John MaxweU was to pay SOOOl. the lairds of Craig-
vpL. II. P

i, ,

J-,

d.

8000

0

0

g- 6000

0

0

500

0

0

111, 1111

2

24,

,^333

6

8.

833

6

8

?SI^

THE HISTO-RY OS Tf^E

CHAP, XI,

ends 4000L the lakd of Fulwood 16661, 13s. 4d. and the laird
of Balgray of SOOl. sterling. The greatest crimes for whicb
these gentlemen were fined in this exorbitant manner, were
theif not attending ordinances- in their own parish church, their
hearing presbyterian ministers, and, pretended converse With re
bels. It viras falsely aileged that they had contributed money to
the murdfeisrs of the primate. For the like crimes the following
gentlemen were fined, viz.
Fined by the Council.

X,

s.

d.

Stuart of Ailantoim,

666

IS

4

W. Hamiltoun of Overtoun,

500

0

0

J, Young chamberiain of Evandale,

505

11

H

J, Mulrhead of Bradishohn,

222

4

5f

Mr J, HamUton of Halcraig,

666

13

4

Mr A. Kennedy of Clowburn,

6fi^

13

4 .

Mr J. Stuart of Hartwood, ',. .

333

6

8

J, Bannantyne of Craigmuir,

111

2

24.

G, Hamilton of BrowncaBtie,

Ul

2

2|.

'¦ . -,.

3783

6

8

Fined by the Sher ffs.

L.
s.
d.
Laird of Riddel, - -
*333
6
8
 of .^eenhe'ad.
2000
0
0
 of Chatto,
1666
13
4
Lord Cranstoun, ^ - , -
1500
0
0
Sir W, Scot -of Harden,
294.4
8
10»,
Sir W. Scot of Harden, jun.
8500
0
0
Laird of Wall,
1111
2
H
¦*
17055
11
n
TOiese, sheriff-fines, were all cbnfirmed by the council, and
some of the counsellors shared largely in the spoils of these con
structed criminals. Sir George Mackenzie the advocate got
15001. of Sir WiUiam Scot of Harden's fine. The Duke of Gor
don and the Marquis of Athol shared Sir WUliam Scot of Har- -
den junior's fine between them. I shall leave the reader to make
his own reflections on these proceedings; when I have only ob
served, that none of these gentlemen had ever declare d.agaiiist
the government that then was, though perhaps few had cause to
stand up for It, unless it were the plunderers of those who were
more righteous than themselves. ,.
On the said 2d of December, the council sent. a letter to the
comriii'SsioiiSrs of fee Several districts in the south and west
CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 227
shires signifying, that, as the king had granted an Indemnity on
the 26th of February last, they thought proper to send instruc
tions relating to it. But why no mention was made of this indem
nity till now, is not to be accounted for. But the instructions
concerning it rendered it altogether useless, since none were to
have the benefit of it but those that would swear the oath of
abjuration, and that they would never take arms against the
king, or any Gommissioned by him, upon any pretence what
soever. Besides, it was only tb be of use to those under the
degree of heritors, liferenters, &c.and vagrant preachers,by which
indulged ministers and preachers not licensed according to law,
-were to be understood ; so that tlie instructions rendered the
indemnity of no use.
On the Sd the couricil recommended to the advocate tore-
turn their thanks to Judge Jeffreys for his kind concurrence
with them, against those pernicious rogues and villains who
disturbed tfie public peace, and to desire him to order hiding
and fugitive Scotsmen to be apprehended and delivered up, on
the Scots border, to such as should be appointed to receive
them. It cannot surprise the reader to see a correspondence
between bloody Jeffreys and these bloody Scots inquisitors ; for
birds of a feather fiock together.
The same day they ordered the advocate to raise a process of
forfeiture before the ensuing parliament, upon a charge of sixty
days, against the foUbwing persons, viz- Denhblm of West-
shlels, Stuart of Cultness, Sir Jphn Cochran of Ochiltrqe, James
Stuart Son to Sir James Stuart of Goodtrees, the Lord MelvU, Sir
Patrick Hume bf Pol Wart, peorgePringleof TorwPodlie, Andrew
Fletcher of Saltoun, Hume of Bassertden, the heirs of Mr Martin,
late clerk of the justice-court, the heirs of the late Earl of Loudon,
Thomas Hay bf Park, Sir JamesDalrymple of Stair, Walter Lock-r
hart of Kirktoun, Montgomery bf Langshaw, John Weir of New
toun, -Mr Gilbert Elliot writer in Edinburgh, Camf^bell of Ard-
kinglass, Cesnock elder and younger, and Jerviswood. We
shall meet with them again in their proper place,' and find that
the last mentioned gentleman was hurried off the stage before
that time ; for the insatiable thirst of the managers forhis blood
must be satisfied,
"On the 4th, not thinking the many commissions formerly
given, suSiclent for suppressing the poor sufferers, whom they
branded with the odious names pf rogues and vUlains, the coun
cil constituted lientenant-general Druitmiond a justice of peace,
and impowered him , to repair to th# south and west shires, and
hold courts of justiciary, and to take along with him a sufficient
number of the forces, in order to pursue and apprehend the re
bels and their abettors, that they m-ay be brought to trial, and
to pass sentence upon them as he should see cause. Theyilike-
wlse' ordered him to quarter Che soldiers, and settle garrison
2 ¦ ¦ .

22^8 THE HISTORT OF Tl^i CHAP. XI.
¦where he shbuld find it expedient, especially in Lanarkshire,
At the sarne time they wrote to the Duke of Hamilton, acquaint
ing him with all this, and desired his grace to assemble the
commissioners whb were proper to provide the garrisons with all
necessaries- ^
Besides these powers to the lleutenant-g'eneral, other coriimis-.
sions were given to such private persons as would undertake
thein ; particularly, William Hamilton, land of Orbistoun, had
a commission, ori the 8th of December, ' to levy 200 Highland-
« men of the shire of Dumbarton, and with them, or any part
' of them, as oft as our service shall require, tb march intb any
' pain of these shires [Dumbarton and Renfrew] and pursue,
' take and apprehend the said rebels, and fugitives, &c. and
' their resetters, and commit them to some firmance, or ward;
' till they be legally tried. And, in case any of the said per-
« sons be in arms, resisting and refusing to be taken, we do
« hereby impower the said Orbistoun, &c. to kill wound, and
' destroy them ; and deliver such of these as shall be taken
* alive to their next commissioned officer, to be brought in pri-
' soners to. -^Edinburgh. -^.And  we authorise the said
* laird of Orbistoun, to employ spies and- intelligencers to go In
• company with the said rebels and fugitives, as if they were in
' their party, the better to discover where, they haunt and are
' reset.-^As also with full power tb the said Orbistoun, to take
< and apprehend the persons of all outed ministers, who shall
< be found withinfor resort to the said shires, and send them in
• prisoners to Ediriiburgh,' &c.
The reader may make his own refiections here, and judge
what state the shires must be in, when they were to be exposed
to the discipline of Highland reformers. Orbistoun was en-
joined indeed to see that his men should commit no disorders j
but how these could be prevented, when such extensive powers
were given' is hard to conceive.
On the said 8th of December, George Jackson, Thomas
Wood, Alexander Heriot, James Graham, and Thomas Robert
son, together with Patrick Cuningham, John Watt, James Kirk
wood, Alexander Valange, and James Glover, were indicted for,
the apologetio declaration, because they owned, or refused tp
disown, the said paper upon oath. The? last five, together with
Alexander Heriot, solemnly renounced the ^aid declaration at
the har, iand die process against therii was dropt ; btft thfe rest
were next day found guiky, and ordered to be taken that very
day to the Gallow-lee, bet^^n two and 'five in the afternoon,
and there to be hanged.
Ceorge Jackson had been a considerable time in prison ; and,
upon being asked if he owned the declamtioti; said, that he own-

CHAP., XI, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 22d
ed it as far as It was agreeable to the word of God,' but aUowed
of no murder. ' -
Thomas Wood was taken at the rescue of £Qterkin-path ;
and being asked if he adhered to the declaration, aiiswered,
That he did not understand it, the clerk read it so fast j but,
said they, the covenants are in it, do you adhere to these,? He
apswered, I do,
James Graham, taylor in Co'smidiael jn GaUoway* was ap
prehended by Claverhouse aad a party in the highway ; they had
nmhtrig to lay to his charge, but, finding a Bible in his pocket,
they looked upbrt that as a sure evidence of disloyalty. They
hurried him from place .to place. He was put In the irons at
Dumfries, hecause he VKPuld not answer their questions. He
was next brought to Edinburgh, where, upon -refusing to de-
-elare his opinion concerning the declaration, he was condemned
and executed with the rest, fiip testim^y is in the Cloud of
'fitnesses. ;
Thomas RobertSMi was imprisoned at Newjcagtle for refusing
thi English oaths. He made his escape, and got to Edinburgh^
where he was apprehended last month, and bro.ught before t-he
council, where he was soon ensnared by theur questions. From
has last testimony, which is in the Cloud of Witnesses, it ap
pears, that he had formerly b^en a hearer of the curates ; but,
upon being brought to hear one of 4ie presbyterian ministers,
-such impressions were made upon -him that he pever foUowed
them any more. He declared his adhesrence $o the .covenant of
redemption, the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, the
work of reformation, once gloriops in the land, &c. and his
aversion to all the defections, that had heen carried on for seve
ral years, and died with great peacg and joy j for though he
was, for some time, m^der fearful apprehensions of death, yet
he got over all these. I neqd only ohsjgxvje, ihat not one of
these persons could haye been concerned in the applggetical de
claration ; and yet, uppn .that yery jscojre of refwsing tp .disown
it, they were put to de^th.
Two days after this execution, the Duke ,of Qordon's patent
for being chaQceUpr was read and recorded. \Vhether he was
then a profest papist, I ktiow not, but soop after he certainly.
was^and that set were now gettiirig in as fast as conveniently
coiild be done. ,, "
: On the 16th the advocate was ordered to prosecute Walter
Earl of Tarras for high treason^ Sometime after he had been
brought jn prisoner, he confessed, ' that, about the time Sir
John Cochran and commissary Munro got their commission for
the Carolina business, MrBaUie of Jerviswood told him he was
going to London, however on his own charges; but that the
Carolina affair was only ^ pretence, the t-riie .design being tp,

233 THE HisToav of the chap. XI.
press the peSpIe of England, who could do nothing but talkj' to
go mbre effectually about the business, and do something.' He
likewise confessed, ' that Jerviswbod settled a correspondence
with him, for giving an accbunt of what should pass between
the country party in England and the Scotsmen there ; and that
Jerviswood tbid him, tbat the only way for securing the protess;
tant religion, Was for the king to suffer the parliament to sit,
and the bill of exclusion to pass ; which the king might be in
duced to if the parliament took sharp and brisk measures.' He
farther confessed, « that Mr R. Martin came to Torwoodlee's
house in May 1683, and brought an unsubscribed letter to the
lady Tarras, Which he knew to be written by Jerviswood then
at London ; and that Mr Martin told him that things in Eng
land Were in. great disorder, and were like to come to a helghtj
arid that the country party were considering on methods for seettr-
irig the protestant religion ; and that the late Earl of Argyle was
to get 1 0,000/. sterling, whereas our Scots people sought S0,000/i
whic^ was to be sent over to Holland to provide arms ; and the
said Earl was to land with those arms in the West Highlands of
Scotland ; and that Jerviswood v/as to be sent over with the
money.^ The rest of his confession related to some discourses
concerning the methods most proper to be taken for the support
of .the protestant religion ; but noriilrig concerning, any- design
upon the person of either the kirig or his brother. The Earl's
trial was put off till January next, that he might not be under
sentence when brought as- a witness against Jerviswood,' whose
trial was nbw drawing near. - -
, ¦ On the 18th of Deeember, Claverhouse came with a party to-
thie-water of Dee in GaUoway, arid surprised six of the lurking
people at Auchincloy, and ordered Robert Ferguson and James
Macniichan from Nithsdale, arid Robert Stuart and John Grier
from GaUoway, to be shot Instantlyi After they were buried,
their graves arid CtifBris were uncovered by a party sent by
Claverhouse, and continued so for four days. James Macmi-
chan's body was taken up, and hung upon a free. Claverhouse
carried the other two, vizi Robert Smith in the parish of Glen
cairn, and Robert Hunter, to Kirkcudbright, summoned a sort
bf jury, and hanged them there. There were other two in com
pany with these six ; but they happily escaped. However, the
soldiers being Informed of a house they had gone into, marched
thither, took ail they found in it prisoners, and burnt the house
to the ground, - — ' it,'
i am now come to the infamous trial arid- execution of Mr
BaUie of Jerviswood. It might have been thought, that, when
be was fined in the sum bf 6000/, sterlings he had received his
final sentence ; but he was still kept shut up, and denied all at
tendance or assistance^ « He Seemed aU the while {say& Bishop

€HAP, Xh CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 231
\ . ,' ,
' Burnet) sb composed, arid even so chf^arful, that his beha-
« vlour looked like the reviving of the spirit of the noblest of
« the old Greeks or Romans ; or rather, of the primitive Chris-
• tlans and first matfyrs In those best days of the church ; but
' the duke was not satisfied with all this ; s6 the ministry ap-
' plied their aits to Tarras and the other prisoners, threatening
• them with all the extremities of misery if they would jiot wit-
' ness treasonable matters against Bailie, They also practised -
• on their wives; and, frightening them, set them on their
« husbands,' :Thfe reader has seen the confession of Tarras, as
far as it relates to this wbrthy gentleman,
Jerviswood received his Indictment on the 22d of December,
and next day petitioned for more time ; but no regard was 'paid
to it. He was then in a dying condition^ and could not have
lived m'ariy days. However, he was carried to the bar pf jus-
tjeiary in Ms night-gown, attended by his sister, who several
times gave him cordials, and, not being able to stand, was ob
liged to sit on a stool. His indictment bore, iri general, his
carrying on a correspondence to debar his royal highness, the
king's only brother, frbm the right of succession. Though bis
advocates pled that he ought not to pass to the knowledge of an
assize, because he had not got a summons in fifteen days, and
sp had not tirire tb offer an exculpation or vindication, and that
he had already, been judged for what was contained in the in
dictment; yet' ^11 pleas were rejected, and he was brought to
his trial. I'he Earl of Tarras was admitted an evidence,
though he was himself under process of high treason. His de
position was much the same with his confession. The depo
sitions of Alexgnder MUnrp of Bearcrofts, James Murray of
PhUiphaugh, Hugh Scot of Gallowshiels, are at large in the
State-trials. They amounted to this, that Jerviswood being in
hazard, as all the nation was, bf oppression, after the unac
countable decision in Blaqkv/ood's case, went up to London, and
conversed with several concerning what was proper for iridu-
girigthe-klng to exclude a popish successor, and about sending
mbney to Argyle, &e. but no design against the king's life waS
kno'wn to any of them. Bishop Burnet Says, < they sweUed up
the -matter beyond the truth, yet all did not amount to a full
proof. So the 'ministry, beirig afraid that a jury might not be
so easy as they expected, brdered Carstairs's cbnfessjon to be
readdn court, riot as an evidence (for that had beeri promised
him not to be done) but as that vvhich would fuUy satisfy the
jury, and dispose them- to believe the witnesses :' But, as he had a
promise that nothing he Said should be brought in prejudice tp
any, directly or indirectly, Pri his trial, it must be left with thfe
reader, whether the reading his confession, to support the evi
dence against Jerviswood, was not a breach of the conditions

232 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XI.
given to Mr Carstairs. Besides, the title given to Mt Car-
stairs's confession, viz. The deposition of Mr William Car^
stairs, when he was examined before the lords of the secret
committee, given in by him, and renewed upon oath, upon the
22d of December, 16S4, in presence of the lords of his ma
jesty's privy-council, seems to intimate that he had voluntarUy
renewed his deposition on the 22d.of December, with an eye
to Jerviswood's trial; than which nothing is more injurious to
this worthy minister. The case was this, Mr Carstairs, be
ing their prisoner,, was brought to Edinburgh a few days before
Jerviswood's trial, and was importuned to be a witness against
his friend, which he rejected with abhorrence ; and, at the same
time, put them in mind of the conditions formerly granted him,
and of the breach of faith in this proposal. He was next urged
only to appear before the justiciary at a time when Jerviswood
was not present, and judicially own that he had emitted the de
positions signed by his own hand- This he also refused ; but
he was never before the council, only, when the chanceUor
(Queensberry, and some others, produced the original papers
which he had formerly signed, he owned them, and, at the
same time, reminded them of the former conditions. How-
then It came, thar, in the foresaid title, it 'Should be said, that.
he renewed his depositions in presence of the lords of his ma
jesty's privy-council, on the 22d of December, must be left
,with the leader.
The advocate, after the witnesses were examined, and Mr Car-
jStairS's confession was read, together with the examinations of
Mr Shepherd andMr^achary Bourn, made a most virulent sppech
to the jury (which the reader wlU find in the state-trials) where
in he aggravated every thing to the highest degree. Jerviswood,
looking him broad In the face, appeared exceedingly troubled.
When Sir George had done, he had Uherty tp speak, and, a-
mong other things, said, ' There is one thing which vexes me
* extremely; and wherein I am injured to the utmost degree; and
* that is, for a plot to cut off the king and his rppl highness, and
* that I sat up nights to form a declaration to palliate or justify
* such a villainy, I am, in probability, to appear in some hours
< befpre the tribunal of the great Judge ; arid, in presence of
< your lordships, and all here, J solemnly declare, that never was
« ,1 prompted or privy to any such thing ; and that I abhor and
« detest all thoughts and principles for touching the life and
« blood of his sacred majesty or his royal, brother. I was ever
« for monarchical government.' Then looking directiy on tbe
advocate, he said, ' My lord, I think it -very strange you charge
< me with such abominable things ; you may remember, that,
« when you came to me in prison, you told me such things Were
< laid to my charge, but you did not believe them How then,
, my lord, come you to lay such a stain upon me with so much

CHAP, X^. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 233
« violence ? Are you now cbnvlnced in your conscience that I
< am more guilty than before ? You may remember what pass-
' ed betwixt us in the prison.' The whole audience fixed their
eyes upon the advocate, who was in no small confusion, and
said, * Jerviswood, I own what you say ; my thoughts_^were then
' as a private man ; but what I say here Is by special direction
' of the privy council,' And, pointing to Sir WiUiam Paterson
the clerk, added, ' he knbws my orders.' Jerviswood replied,
' WeU, if your lordship has one conscience for yourself, and ati-
« other for the council, I pray God forgive you ; I do,' Then
turning to the justice-general, said, ' My lord, I trouble your
? lordship no farther.'
Next morning, the 24th of December, the jury brought him
in guilty ; the lords condem.ned him to be hanged at the mar-i
ket-cross of Edinburgh, between two and four that afternoon,
his head to he cut off, and fixed on the Nether-bow-port, and
his body to be quartered ; one of his quarters to be put on the
tolbooth of Jedburgh, another on that of Lanark, and a third
on that of Ayr, and the fourth on that of Glasgow, &Ci When
the sentence was passed, he said, My lords, the time is short,
and the sentence is sharps but I thank my God who hath made
me as fit to die as ye are to Uve.
He was then sent back to his apartment in the. prison, and
leaning on his bed, he fell into a rapture of joy at the assured
prospect of a blessed eternity. And being asked, after a short
silence, how he did, he answered, Never better ; and, in a few
hours I shall be well beyond all conception. They are going
to send me, in pieces and quarters, thrpugh the country. They
may hag and hew my body as they please, but I know assured
ly nothing shall be lost; but all these my members shall be
wonderfully gathered, and made like Christ's glorious body.
He was not able to go up the ladder without support. When
on it he began to say. My faint zeal for the protestant religion
hath brought me to this ; but the drums interrupted him. My
author was told, that his quarters lay three weeks in the
thieves-hole before they were disposed of according to the sen
tence, ,
He prepared a speech to be delivered at the scaffold, but was
hindered ; how/ever, he left copies of It with his friends. My
author has inserted it. He solemnly declared, that he was
never conscious to any conspiracy against the life of the king or
the duke, or to any plot for subverting the government ; and
that he never had any other intention, in all his public appearances,
but the preservation of the protestant religion, the safety of the
king's person, the continuation of the ancient gpvernment, the
redressing of grievances, the relieving the oppressed,, and put
ting a stop to the shedding of blood. In sbort, it breathes a

234 THE HISTORY OF THE CXAP, XI.
spirit of true piety ; he declared he died a member of tbe church
of Scotland, in its best and purest times under presbytery, and
a hater of popish idolatry and superstition. He expressed his
fears, that popery would be just ready to break in upon us. ' « It
seems, says he, the generation is fitted for it, and all the ehgkies
of^hell have been made use of to debauch the consciences of
people.— i-Men are compeUed to take contradictory oaths,
that they may believe things that have a contradiction in
them.' And after bewailing the sad case of the church
of Scotland at that time, he concluded with these words, ' I go
with joy to him who is the joy and bridegroom of my soul,
to him who is the Saviour and Redeemer of my soul. Igo with
rejoicing to the God of my life, to my portion and Inheritance,
to the husband of my soul. . Come, Lord.' ''
Thus, says tbe historian of his own times, ' a learned and
worthy gentleman, after twenty months bard usage, was
brought to such a death, in a way sb full, in alt the steps of
it, of the spirit and practice of the courts of inquisition, that
one is tempted to think that the methods taken in it were
suggested by one well studied, if not practised in them. The
only excuse that ever was pretended for this infamous prose
cution, was, that they were sure he was guilty, and that the
whole secret of the negoclatipiJ between the tv/p kingdoms
was trusted to him ; and, since he wpuld not discover it, ail
methods might be taken to destroy him, considering what
a precedent they made on this occasion.' But I must now
go on to other things.
The same day that Jerviswood was executed, the lady Cavers
was ordered to be released upon paying her fine. This excel
lent lady had now been in prison above two years for non-con
formity ; and, had it not been for her son Who came home this
vear, slie had still contiriued in confinemerit. The treatment
her tenants met with, during her Imprisonment, rendered them
incapable of paying her -any rent ; so that she was deprived of
the use of any means for her livelihood or subsistence, though
sbe had a small numerous family. She had represented her
case in a humble and moving petition to the council ; but they
|>aid no regard to it, till her son, Sir Winiara Douglas of Ca
vers, presented another petition, praying that she might be Suf
fered to cbme to her friends and relations ; and that they would
receive him as bail fc-r her living irregularly, or, v/ithin three
months after the date of her liberation; depart the kingdom, and
not return without special allowance. They gave orders for her
being set at liberty, but would not part with her extravagant
fine, I need make no reflections on this.
The same day Mr George Scot of Pitlochie was let out of
thc Bass, upon promise to go to the plantations. The occasion

CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 235
of his being imprisoned there I know not. We shall meet with
hiiii again next year. Lady ColvU was the same day allowed a
better room in the prison, to which she had been confined for
refusing to pay an extravagant fine.
At last, on the 30th of December, the council pubUshed a
proclamation against the apologetical declaration. The tenor
of which is as follows, viz,
' CHARLES, i^c. .
"I^ORASMUCH as several insolent and desperate rebels,
-*• having frequently refused the reiterated offers of our cle
mency, have of late associated themselves, under a pretended
form of government, in societies, fellowships, &c. and have,
in their meetings, at last pulled off the mask under which they
formerly endeavoured to disguise their bloody and execrable
principles, and — - — declared, iri a late treasonable paper,;
intitled. The Apologetical, &c, that they have disowned us and
our authority, and have declared war against us, and from that
do infer that it is^  a duty to kill arid murder all who do any
manner of way serve us, or bear charge under us, &c. There
fore we, with the advice. Sec. do hereby ordain, that whoso
ever shall own the said most execrable  declaration, or assas
sinations therelnmentioned,andtheprinciplestherein specified,
or whosoever shall refuse to dlsowri the same, in so far as it de
clares a war against his saeredmajesty, and asserts thatitislawful
tc kill such as serve in church, state, army and country, shall
be tried and executed to the death. And farther,  we
command all our good subjects  beso|ith the river Tay,
chat they be ready to concur with our magistrates, 6tc. in
seeking, searching. Sec. and- do their utmost endeavour to
seek  and apprehend any that shall own the said apologeti
cal declaration,  or refuse to disown the same  And
since these rebels, after declaring their hellish intentions, for
the better performance of their mischievous design?, lurk in
secret, and are never discerned but in the acts of their horrid as
sassinations, and, passing up and down among our loyal subjects,
take an opportunity to murder and assassinate  Therefore,
as a remedy for these inconveniencies, we declare it, to be our
royal will and pleasure,-  and we hereby command all heri
tors, &G. and, in their absence, thejr factors and chamberlains,'
to convocate all the inhabitants on their lands, and to bring
them before any of our privy-counsellors, or our commission-,
ers appointed by our council, &c. and the master, and all the,
inhabitants Shall, in solemn manner, in presence of the said
commissioners, take the following path, viz, I A.. B. do
hereby abhor, renounce, and disown in the presence of the
Almighty God, the pretended declaration of warlately aflSxed
at several parish^churches, in so far as it declares a war against

235 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF. XI.
• his sacred majesty, and asserts that it is lawful to kill such
* as serve his majesty, in church, state, anny, or country. And
• such as can subscribe are to subscribe the samt ; and, on
* performance thereof, the said commissioners are hereby or-
* dained to deliver to every such person a testificate ;  which
< testificate is to serve for a free pass to all who have the
« same,  and shall preserve them from all molestation; 
< certifying hereby all such as shall adventure to travel without
« a testificate,  -that they shall be holden and used as com-
' muners with the- said execrable rebels, &c, ——And if any
' heritor, &c. shall fail in doing as aforesaid, they shall be hold-
• en as guUty ofthe foresaid crimes, and pursued a' d punished
* accordingly. Arid we do hereby strictly prohibit and dis-
* charge all our lieges, whether in burgh or land, as weU all
* other house-keepers as hostler houses, inn-keepers, and other
' houses of common reset, to harbour, lodge, or entertain any
« person whatsoever unless they have such certificates,  un-
* der the paui of being punished as resetters of, and intercom-
* muners with rebels. And, for farther security, and preven-
' tion of fraiid, it Is hereby required that the users and havers
* of the foresaid testificates shall be holden and obliged to swear
* that these testificat-es are true and unforged testificates, and
* that they are the persons mentioned and expressed in them,
* if the same shall be required of them. And, finally, for the
* encouragement- of such as shall discover any of the said trai-
* tors and assassins, or any who have been any ways in acces-
' sion to the said traitorous and damnable paper, or to the pub-
* llshlrig or spreadiijg of the same, as said is, or to have beeika
' member of the said pretended societies or fellowships, &c we
' hereby declare and insure to them, or any of them - a re-
< ward of the sum of five hundred merks Scots for each of them
* who shall be discovered, so as to be apprethended and found
' guilty.' The narrative of this monstrous proclamation is full of abor
minable lies and horrid misrepresentations; for here, with the
utmost virulence, they charge these people with maintaining the
principles of assassination ; whereas, in the very declaration it
self, they declare their abhorrence and detestation of such things.
They represent them as having associated themselves under a
pretended form of govemment, which was absolutely false :
iind my author says, that he was apt to believe that some of
the managers knew other things, though they spoke thus. They
represent them as having refused reiterated offers of clemency ;
-whereas it is well known that they never had any oft'ers of cle-
ineney made them, but upon the condition of wUful perjury. As
for their declaring against the king, was there not a cause, as
has been already observed ? The war mentioned was, as them
selves explain it, not a declared insurrection with hostile fpjce

CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 237
to break the peace of the nation, (that had been done by tho
introduction of abjured prelacy, and the persecution that ne
cessarily followed upon it; but an avowed and constant opposi
tion to the murdering violence, Injustice and oppression of the
faction then In power. Let any of us imagine ourselves in
their circumstances, hunted as partridges on the mountains,
killed all the day long, and suppose, in such a situation, we
should emit a declaration, warning our bloody persecutors eitheir
to desist from their persecution, or to expect that, as far as we
^re able, we will prevent the shedding of our own blood, by
bringing them to punishment, let the reader judge whether
that could be condenaned ; and this was the case which these,
people, and the state of all the war they declared. And, when
¦we farther consider that none could disown the declaration.
wiihout approving the cruelties exercised^on the declarers, it is
not to be wondered that many stood out. Besides, they look
ed upon the oath of abjuration, imposed by this wicked procla
mation, in every respect unlawful, because the declaration re
quired to be abjured asserts no sUch thing as is represented j
and therefore, to swear to abhor, renounce, and disown it, ih ,
so far as it declares It lawful to kill all who serve the king in
church, state, army pr country, when no such thingis asserted,
must needs be to swear a falsehood. They who took this oath
thereby incorporated themselves with the bloody imposers of it,
condemned the sufferers,- and justified the cruel persecution
fhat was carried on agairist them, as if they were m.urderers ani
assassins ; whereas, in their declaration, they were so far from
owning it lawful to kUI aU employed ,ln the king's service, in
church, state, army, or country; that they testified to the world
that thfey m-Oposed not to injure or offend any whatsoever, but
such as wffe directly accessary to the- murder pf their brethren 5
nay, they expressly distinguished from others the notorioija
villains among them, men of death and blood, who had actqajly
shed their blood, and gloried in it ; and these they farther di
vided into several classes, according to the respective aggravations
of' their wickedness. In the first they placed the cruel and
bloody of those that murdered by command. In the second
they threatened such as were actually in arms against thgm, and
not all of these either, but such as cruelly perfprmed that ser
vice to the effusion of their blood. Neither did they threaten
all equaUy, npr any pf thein peremptorily, but pnly if they per
sisted maliciovisly, to proceed against tho.Ti after the publishing
of their declaration. In a word, they expressly declared their
abhorrence of all personal attempts whatsoever, and prohibited
the execution of any part of what they threatened, witiiout pre
vious deliberation, common or competent, consent, &c, - A4
which, being considered, the question will be, how f^tr they 3S<r

238 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XI.
serted it lawful to kill all Wlio served the king In church, &c.
If no -such thing is asserted, why such a'clause in the oath ? I
shall only add, that, if these people were such assassins, why
would you make their design bf assassination public ? for, if I
mistake- not, assagslns do not give warning of their intentions,
but keep their designs secret till they find an opportunity to
put them in execution. I shall say no more upon this point,
but refer the reader to the Hind let Loose, from p, ."537, to p.
557.; Though these people, in their declaration, abhorred -as
sassination, as aU good men should ahd certainly will, yet this
proclamatiori made way for many assassinations and^murders, as
shall be related '; for here aUmust not only take the oath of ab
juration, but have a certificate of thelr^ having done so; nay,
¦thoy must swear that their certificate is genuine whenever caU
ed to it, though by anhostier or stabler. But to proceed:
The same day the above proclamation was published, the
council gave a commission to several noblemen, gentlemen, and
others, for holding courts in the southern and western shires ;
and these may justly be called courts of inquisition, as is evident
froni the Instructions given tb the commissioners, who were
thereby Impowered and required to examine all in every parish,
UpbH path, with respect to the' questions cbntained in their com-i
mission, and secure those who refused to' answer, and to give
passes or certificates to such as disowned the horrid principles,
thpse, viz. contained ' in the declaratibn. But if any owned
fehese principles, or refused to disown them, they were imme*
diately to -be judged, and beirig found gUilty, to be presently
hanged on the place: ' But, say the instructions, at this time yoU
« are not tb examine any woman .but such as have been active
* In the said courses in a signal manner, and those are to be
? drowned.' I shall not troublethe reader with the rest of the
instructions: from these he may cisily forma judgment con
cerning them. XJpon the whole, itis evident there was now
no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, with
out conforming to the times, of which the fbllbwing is'a suf
ficient instance.
On the last of December, a poor man, in the parish of St
Mungo, was taken out of his bed by Captain Dalziel, for not
hearing the curate ; arid, upon his refusing the test, was im
prisoned at Dumfries, and thr«;atened with death. He broke
prison and fled to England. His wife and seven small children
begged their way after him, but, the persecution' being hot
there, she was forced to return. WhUe sitting peaceably in an
ale-house, Westeraw and other persecutors came In and re-
quii^d her to take the test, and, upori her refusing, committed
her to prison at Dumfries, and though she only begged they
would allow her to take her sucking child along with her, (an

CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 239
infant of a quarter old) yet that was rejected ; nay, they desired
her to prepare fpr death, unless she complied by next day,
when they threatened to drown her. Next morning being ask
ed jf she would swear, she said she would not. Being farther
asked if she approved of murder, she answered. She did not;
it was not their sort who were murderers. However, they
were restrained from putting her to death ; but she continued.
five weeks in prison at Dumfries. Providence took care both
of the sucking infant and of the six other children, though they
were banished the town. In short, the mother was at last sent
prisoner to Edinburgh, whither her children followed her ; and
the council, for once, put on ^o much good nature as to release
her. I shall conclude this year with some particulars of which
I have not the dates. ,
This year Mr Adam Blackadder, son to Mr John Blackadder^
and his wife, a young gentlewoman whom he had married in
Swedeuy were brpught to trouble. Before this, when he was
about 17 years of age, he endured a five weeks imprisonment
at Stirling, because his master was alleged to have -been at con
venticles. He was afterwards imprisoned at Blackness for
waiting on his. father,
John Linning dyer in Glasgow, though blind, was this year
imprisoned fourteen we?ks, as he had frequently been before,
for nothing but non-conformity. When a child of his came to
be on her death-bed, and passionately cried out for her father,
such was the unrelenting cruelty of the magistrates, they would
nejdier sufier him to see her when dying,' nor attend her fu
neral when dead. ' • i
John Carsan of Balmangan was imprisoned for refusing the
bond of regularity, for nine months, during part ofthe last year
and this, and fined in 6000 merks. His lady was Imprisotied
by Colonel Douglas, and, for refusing the abjurationy received
an indictment, and it was given out that they intended to sen
tence her to be drowned within the sea-mark at the ferry at
Kirkcudbright ; but the king's death put' a stop to this and
some pther processes of the same nature. '
Several other instances of'the severity' of this year might be
mentioned, as the scourging of a poor old woman of 73 years
of age, the great hardships of Lady GiUesple, by the depreda-
tbns of soldiers, and being fprced tp Itove her country and flee
to Ireland, &c. and the hardships endured by Charles Stuart of
Knock ; but these I pass over.
The scene of cruelty, oppression and blood continued
through the whole of the year 1685. The powers granted to
the soldiers; and the abjuration-courts produced dreadful effects.
Multitudes were cut off every month without the tedious for-
mal-ty of aprpcess. Hanging, heading, drowning, torturing, and
9

240 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP. Xl.
many other methods of cruelty were used. Before I come to
relate things in the order of time, I shall give some instances of
severity in pressing the abjuration oath.
. In the parish of Nithsdale, James Corsble, for refusing the
abjuration, had his ears cropt, and was sold for a slave to Ja
maica. The cropping of ears is a new punishment. We shall
have more instances of this by and by. The abjuration was
violently pressed upon "all ranks, sexes ahd ages, by the com
missioned courts of Dairy and other parts of GaUoway, and
¦through the large shire of Ayr.
One WiUiam Johnston, of the parish of Auchlnleck, was
summoned toone of these courts, and not appearing, a party of
soldiers was sent to his house, who plundered it ; and as he and
his wife had retired, took away with them the maid who was
left to take care of the chUdren, leaving the destitute infants by
themselves, and because she refused the oath, which she had
told them she did not understand, they put fiery matches be-.
tween Jier fingers, and burnt the flesh to the bone. Her pa
tience and composure so astonished her tormentors, that they
thought proper to dismiss her.
The shire of Lanark was grievously harrassed by the soldiers
and these abjuration -courts. Women were carried from pri
son* to prison, famUies were dispersed, several were banished, as
J. Harvey, Walter Ker and Andrew MackUlan in the parish of
Dalserf. One John Stuart, in the same parish, had his wife
carried prisoner to Hamilton, with a child not a month old,
where she fell so ill with travelling so far in her condition, that
she was left for dead, because she did not appear, and refused
the oath. Some were killed on the spot, as a poor man in the
parish of Twinham, ^ho was shpt by order of Captain Douglas,
because he would not answer their questions, SQme were sent
to the plantations, otheis to Dunnotter, and not a few conti
nued In prison tUl the toleration granted two years, after this.
The parish of Tongland was greatly oppressed by Lieutenant
Livingstone; for, after the courts had been held, there for
pressing the oath, searches were made for the recusants, and
one John Hallome, a youth of eighteen years of age, was selz-
ed on the road, carried from place to place, and at last to Kirk
cudbright, where, upon refusing the abjuration, a jury of sol
diers was called, and the young man presently executed.
Every person who endeavoured to shun these parties was look
ed upon as guilty, and immediately dispatched. WUliam Au-
chinleck iri the parish of Buttl^ happened to fall in with a
company of Douglas's foot, who ordered him to stand,. The
man complied with every thing ; but not Caring to lose his
horse, which he suspected the soldiers had a mind foi*, he rode
its fast as be coi^ld from them, and, fetching a compass, gqt to
5 - . .

- CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLANiD. 241
a public-house called Carlinwork, where hg, took a refreshment
on horseback, thinking he was outof their reach. Meanwhile
some of them came up and shot him. '¦ , ..
-The conformable clergywere not wanting atthis time to pro
mote these cruelties. Thus one Finnic, curate of Cathcart, in
formed against John Watson, a beggar in that parish, as a dan
gerous person, because he would not hear him, nor take the
abjuration-oath, and got him apprehended by a party of Lord
Ross's troop. When they found him in his cottage, and saw
he was neither able to flee from them, nor travel with them,
being a poor cripple, ,.they cursed Flnnie, who had hounded
them out after such a prCT, They urged him hard to take the
abjuration, John told' tl>em that It was now long since he
swore the Covenant, and v^as resolved' to swear no more oaths.
In short, Lprd Ross getting notice of this affair, blushed for
the curate, sent the pobr mari half a crown, and ordered him to
be dismissed, , '
While the soldiers were almost every week murdering inthe
fields, the commissioners aboVe mentipned, or any twot)f them,
had the''power of life and death in their hands, and even ex
ceeded their instructions : and it is remarkable, that all- these
methods of barbarity were so far from lessening the number of
the sufferers, that the more they were persecuted, the" more
they increased ; -but I shall now relate things more distinctly in
the order of time when they happened.
On ^e second pf January, Andrew MacgUl, son to John
Macgill In the parish of Ballentrae in Ayr-shire, having been
apprehended' on the last of December, was executed at Ayr,
and soon after his father's house was plundered by Colonel
Douglas. I shall only observe that the bid man and his other
son suffered greatly
On the. .5th, the process against the-Earlof Tarras came On
before the justiciary. It v/as delayed till now, that he might
be an evidence -^gainst Jerviswood.! He was this day indicted
upon the grounds mentioned iri his confession. Next day -the
¦jury brought him in guUty of treason, arid the lords condemhed
him to be executed as a- traitor ; however he afterwards -got his
life, and was allowed by the council, to'go tb the country for his
healch, upon a bbrtd to a'pjpear when called;
On the 7th, a letter 'came from the kirig, -ordering those gen-
tlem.en, mentloned'p. 267, except Jerviswood, who was execut
ed, to be prosecuted before the ensuing parliament, which Was
appointed to sit dbwn bn the 10th of March next.
Next day the council wrote' to the Bishop of Moray, signify
ing that they had granted a Commission to the- Earls of ErroL
ahd Kintore, and Sir George Munro of Culrain, to prosecutp^
aU persons guilty of church-disorderS between Spey and Ness,
VOL, II. Q

242 THE HHSTOtRT PF, TH5 CHAP. XI.
including Strathspey and Inveriiethy, and recommending to hiiin
to enjoin all the ministers in these bounds to attend the said
commissioners on the 22d of January next, along with their ej-
ders, -arid lists of persoils guilty of these disorders, or suspected
of being disaffected to the present established government in
church and state. Lord Duffus, with the militia troops,
was ordered to attend them ; for nothing could be done With
out miUtary aposties. On the 3th of January their, commission
was extended to Inverness, Rogs, Cromarty, and Sutherland;
fpr the banished ministers, and others, after the first introduc
tion of prdacy, and those of late who were banished by the
high commission, together with the labours of Messrs Mftf-
giligea, Hog, and others, were so successful, that npt a few in
these northern parts were enemies to prelacy ; but these must
now be persecuted. We shall relate some of the consequences
of this commission when they give in their report to the council.
On the same 9th of January, the magistrates qf Edinburgh,
in prosecution of an act of councU, issued a proclamation, requir
ing all heritors, liferenters, factors, &c. to give In, upon oath, exact-
hsts pf all the inhabitants of the city; and particularly masters and
mfetresses of famiUes were hereby enjoined to give in lists of
all their children above sixteen years of agf , and pf all who had
lodged withthem since the beginfiing'of last November. This was
hard upon the keepers of puhfic houses, whp might perhaps
have different bdgers every night ; but the design of this was
fo prevent the sufferers from having any shelter ; and cit is not
unlikely that the same metlMid was used in other considerable
towns : how far this was an encroachment on the liberty of the
subject must be left with the reader. But what by the garrison,?,
and what by the strict searches which Were made, it is but tpo
evident that the managers relied Uttle upon that. ,
It was at orie of these searches that Thomas Jackson, In the
pari-sh of Eastwood, who had returned from banishpent, was
taken in Glasgow by M^or-' Balfour and Colonel Buchan,
Making some resistance, he was dreadfully wounded in the
headV a^d immediately carried to the Green, and ordered to \^
shot ; but that new^ monfipg him, and the persecutors chap-
glng t^eijs resolufion, be was sent to prison, and from that to xke
thieves-hole at Bjiiaburgh, where he was ¦ thirty-two weeks
loaded with tmm. He was at last banished to New- Jerseyj but
died in the passes.
On the 1 1th, Mr Alexander Shields wasi^prehended m Lon
don, with several others, at a private meeting in; Gutter-lane, by
the city marshal, who came upon them unawares, and command
ed them to surrender in the king's name. Mr Shields, behjg the
first in his way, replied, What king do you mean? By wh©»e

CHA?, XI, CHURCH OF SCPTLAND. 243
authbrity do you disturb the peaceable ordinances of Christ ?
Sir, you dishonour your king iri makirig him an eriemy to the
worship of God, At which the marshal said he had other
business than to stand pratting with him. Mr Shields niade
an attempt to escape, but was not able to do it; so that he and his
companions were brought before the Lord Mayor, who threaten
ed to send him to Bridewell for not giving him a distinct ac
count who he was. However, bail was offered and admitted
for him to answer at Guildhall on the 14th. It was with dif
ficulty he was prevailed with to give in bail.
On the 14th, he attended with a firm resolution to- answer,
but while he went out for a refreshment, he was called, and
none answering for him, his bail bond Was forfeited, Thisi
gave him no small uneasiness. However, to prevent his bail
coming to any harm, he appeared at Guildhall on the 20th,
when he was arraigned in common form, and then examined
whether he was at Bothwell, or approved of Sharp's death, or
thought it was murder. To which he replied, That he was not
obliged to give an account of his tho'ughts ; and that he cama
there to answer to. his indictment, and not to such questiorts as
these. Upon which he was taken to Newgate; without any
mittimus, or any express orders from the court what prison he
should be committed to. He tried in vain to make his escape.
It was some days before his mittimus came, by which he was
ordered to be kept in custody till, the next quarter sessions,
which was to be at Guildhall on the 23d of February next.,
But to return to Scotland.
On the I7th of January, the council ordered the advocate to
pursue the parishioners of Anworth for affronts done to their
minister, and the parish of Carsphairn for the murder of their
minister by some skulking, rebels,
Mr. Peter Peirson curate of Carsphairn was a violent instiga
tor of the persecution, and an open favourer of popery. About
die end of the last year some of the wanderers entered into a-
combination to concert measures to force him to give a'declara-
tlon, under his hand, obliging himself to desist from his violent
courses, and from exciting their enemies against rhem, but
without any design to Injure his person. Accordingly Jamies'
Macmichael, fowler to the laird of Maxweltoun, Roger Padsen,
Robert Mitchel, William Henon, and according to otheir ac-
counts, one Watson, and some more, having notice that Peir-^
son was at home, came to the mansion-house, and sent those
above-mentioned to desire him to speak with some who were
to do him no harm. Two of them, it se^ms, got In and deli
vered the message, which so enraged him, that hS dfew a
broad-sword, cocked a gun or pistol, and gpt between them and

244 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, Xf*
the door: upon which they called out, and Macmichael and
Padzen came and knocked at the door. Peirson opened it,
and, gbmg to attack them with arms, Macmichael shot him
dead on the spot. The rest, at some distance, bearing a noise,
ran up and cried. Take no lives ; but it was too late. There
fore, from a detestation of this fact, they separated themselves
from, these mentioned. And so far were the publishers of the
apologetical declaration from countenancing any thing, that had
the appearance of assassination^ that tiiey , discharged all the
above-mentioned persons from their societies, apd would never
be seen iri their company ; and it was likewise the abhorrence of
aU the rest, of the presbyterians, Mitchel, Heron, and Mac
michael were all df them killed one way or another this year.
Watson was one of the government's spies, and Padzen was
admitted after this to serve the king in Strachan's- troop of dra
goons ; so that some wete of opiriion that the hand of Joab was
in this matter ; but this I must leave with the reader.
On the 19th, Robert Millar masonin Rutherglen, and Ro
bert Pollock, called in the registers ^hoe-maker in Glasgow,
but by other accounts, in the parish of Kilbryde, were sentenced
by the justiciary, merely for not disowning the declaration, to
be hanged on the 23d, They both suffered accordingly at the
Gallow-lee, between' eight and nine this morning. Their last
testimonies are in the Cloud of Witnesses; from which it ap.
pears, that theyhad sublime thoughts of Christ, counting all
things but loss arid dung/in comparison of him ; that they were ,
no, ways afraid of dying for his sake, and that they were full of
that comfort arid joy! which no stranger can intermeddle with.
The same day they were executed, James Dun, Robert Dun, '
Alexander Macaulay, Thomas Stevenson, John Macclude, and
John Stevenson, being at prayer in the Caldunes, in the parish
pf Monigaff in GaUoway, were surprised by Colonel James
Douglas, Lieutenant . Livingstone, and Cornet Douglas, with a
party pf horse, and without 'any process, were shpt to death.
On the 26th, Sir Patrick Hume of Polwart", George Pringle
of Torwoodlee, and Mr Fletcher of Saltoun, were prosecuted
before the justiciary, and, not appe-aring, were forfeited ; and,
on the 2Sth, i;he council gave' orders to secure their larids and
effects for the king's use. The appearances:'of these gentlemen
against a popish successor was all their crime. Polwart sur
vived this black period, and was made Earl of Marchmont after
the Revolution, and had the honour of being an active instru
ment in securing the protestant religion from the designs of the
adherents to a popish pretender. Mr Fletcher of Saltoun, was
likewise justly esteemed a brave patriot for the religion and U-
bertles pf his country, and a genticman of polite taste and great
learning.

CHAP. %l. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 245
Mr Pringle of Tor^voodlee, notwithstanding all his service
to ths king against CromweU, underwent a venous of troubles
in this periodj especially after the escape of Arg3'le, when he
was obliged to keep himself as retired as possiblp. Last sum
mer he was fined in 20001. sterling. When the pretended
plot was trumped up, Mr Pringle was sought for as concerned
in it ; but, by means of information from Meldrum, he escap
ed Eight days after his escape a party came to his house,
and .seized his son, a youth about sixteen years of age, and
carried him to prison at Edinburgh, where he was confined
for above tficeo months, ' though no crime was laid to his'
charge. At length, the prison being crowded, he was admit
ted to bail fiir SOOOl. sterling, though still confined to the
liberties of Edinburgh-. Two months after this he was orcjer-
bd tq attend the secret committee, where the duke of Queens
berry, the lord high ti'easurer, threatened him with having
every bone of his body broken, every joint disjointed, his flesh
ripped up, and boiUng oil and lead poured into him, if he
did not acquaint them who informed his father of the party's
coming, aud the executioner was accordingly brought : but,
upon second thoughts, his punishment was turned to a three
or four weeks closej,imprisonment in the Castle of Edinburgh,'
When that was expired he was again admitted to ball as above.
Meanwhile his father was forfeited, and his mother denied -the
liferent that was due to her by her contract of marriage. Af
ter the miscarriage of Argyle S attempt, Torwoodlee escaped
again to prplland ; and his son, notwithstanding his bail, was
scarchccl for a second time; but he surrendered himself, and
was confined to the ca$tle of Blackness, for other three months,
and ,was barbarously ysed by Livingstone of Badlorniie the
governor. In short, the whole of this family was now invol
ved in trouble by thosp cruel oppr^sso?;* ; but his lady's cou
rage and piety, her serenity and evenness of temper, under
ali these hardsiiips, were very remarkable. This worthy gen
tleman died in July IftSi*, and his lad}' survived him a year
and some months.' He served his country in the convention
oT estates called by the great Prince of Orange, and, with his
colleague Sir William Scot bf Harden younger, voted the of
fer of the crown to his highness arid hiis excellent princess,
Put to return.
On the 30th John Dalziel of Kirkmlchael, and lieutenant
Straiton, with a party of fifty soldiers, surprised some of the
Inding people a- sleep in the parish of Mortoun in Nithsdale.
They aU escaped pxcept David Macmichael; Who, being un
der bodily indispositi'Dn, was unable to flee. The soldiers
wounded, him, and carried him that night to the parish of
Durisdcer, Aifter many questions, which he declined to an-

2*6 THE aiSTORV OP TRR CH.4.P, «!•
s-wer, he was told, that unless he ovmed the government in
church and state, and swore the path they were to tenc^ to
him,:the law made him liable to death. Daniel said to the
« captain, ' Sir, that is what of all things I cannot do; but
' very chearfully I submit to the Lprd's disposal as tp my life.'
The commander said, ' Do you not know your life Is in my
'hand?' Daniel replied, « No, Sir, I know my life is in the
* Lord's hand, and, If he see good, he can majke you the in-
' strument to take it away.' Then he was ordered to prepaiig
for death next day ; to which he answered, ' If my fife must
f go for, his cause, I am willing; my God wil prepare me.*
His joy and cpnsoSation were such that night, that impres->
sions were ntade on some ofthe soldiers, who desired to die
his death." Next day he was brought to the fields at Dalveen, ,
in ^be parish of Durisdeer. He had Uberty to pray, a favour
refused to many sufferers in this period. He prayed to the
^dmiratibn of aU that heard him, sung part of Psalm xiii.. read
John, xvi, and spoke with much gravity and solidity to cap
tain Dal?iel, "Whep the napkin was put over his face,he said,
* Lord, thou brought David through many straits, and has
• brought nift,thy servant hither to witness for thee Uiy cause ;
* mto thy hands I commit my spirit, and hope to praise thee
* through all eternity.' Then upon his giving them a signal,
he was shpt by four who were appointed for the purpose. His
carriage struck a terror on the soldiers who obeyed thi? Uoody
orders : but a little money, and some more ravages, stifled
th^ convictions, Heliesbiiried in the ch urch-yard of Durisdeer.
Soime time in January Captain Bruce came with a party to
the house of Thomas. Machassie, in the parIsh|of Straiton in
Gairrick ; and though the good man was ill of a fever, yet,
because he declined their questions, and refiised the abjuration,
they took him out and shot him dlreptly.
The ijrionth bf February, I am now entering uppn, was very
bloody. ' We have but few instances of the, proceedings ofthe
commissioned courts for pressing the abjuratitm. On the first
of thIs-,moiith John Park and James Algie in Eastwood were
apprehended, and bn the third brought before the Lord
Ross, the laird of Orbistoun, and others, the commissioners
for the shire of Renfrew, by whom they were condemned, and
ordered for execution that same day. And though they werp
prevailed with to consent to take the oath of abjuration, yet
Orblrftoun told J;hem, The abjuration-oath shall not save ypu ;
unless yon take the test you shall hang presently. To whsch
the, two young men answered; If, to save our lives, we must
take the test, and the al^uration will not save us, we will take
no oath at all. Upon this they were sentenced to die pre
sently, aad were accordingly executed at Paisley, wliere tbey

CHAP. XI. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 247
He buried. The said Oi-bistoun, afl;er sentence was passed,
gloried ih his wickedness, &nd said to some' of his attendants.
They thought to have cheated the judges, but, by  , I
have tricked them. And such was the madness of the soldiers,
that they endeavourd to force those who were at their burial
to declare tliat they died justly, and threatened them with
present imprisonment if they did not. A piece of barbarity
peculiar to this period 1 .
While these two youths were hanging, Robert King, miliar at
Pollock-shaws, in the same parish of Eastwood, was 'before this
commission-court. He declined answering their question$<
At last the test was put to him, which he refused. Upon whifch
they bid him look upon these two who were hanging before
the window, and assured him, that, If he took not the test, he
should be immediately tied up with them. To terrify Hm in
to a compliance, he Was shut up in a corner of the prison, and
assured that he had but an hour to live ; that they would give
him three warnings by sound of trumpet, and if he Sat ;th'e
third there was no mercy for him. Robert sat the two first
sounds, but his courage failing him he took the test ; however,
says my author, it pleased God to give him repentance not to
be repented of, and he lived till a good old age. His wi^e
Janet Scoular bore all the losses her husban^ sustained, in this
period, with uncommon firmness and patience,
Onthe 5tli of February the council released some prisoners
•who had taken the test, and others, not under sentence of ba
nishment, who would take the oath of alleg^iaftce. They re
ferred the case df Mr John Mosman of Caldermulr to the jus
ticiary, because of a seditious letter found with him, and of hi?
not abjuring the late declaration. They likewise ordered Quin-
tin Dick, Robert Sloss, Duncan Ferguson, Mr William Wishart*
Mr George Room, and several others, 'to be sent to theplan-*
tations ; but the king's death, happening at this time, altered
their. measures with respect to sundry of these persons.
For, on the 6th of February, King Cfiirles IL died. There
were, says Bishop Burnet, very many appareat suspicions of
his being poisoned, and several looked upon , his brother as
privy to it. But not to enter upon that point, I shall only ob
serve, that before he died, care was taken to administer to him
the three popish sacraments of penance, extreme unction, and
the eucharlst ; which he received by the hand of fafher Huddle-
ston, a Benedictine monk. As forthe character ofthis prince,
of which a great deal is said by the historians of his reign, I
shall only say, that, if he was possessed of any good qualities,
his dissimulation and hypocrisy, his horrid perjury, his wicked
ness and profaneness, threw a gloomy and black vail over them.
Some have cried him up for a prince of a merciful disposition 3

24S • THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF. Xlli
but, if any regard is to be paid to the Bishop of Salisbury's
judgment, w* must have other thoughts of him, ' His- words
are -these, 'He had 'an appearance of gentleness in his outward -
' deportment ; but he seemed to have hcbowels- nor tenderness
' in his nature ; and iri, the end' of his life he became cruel,' In
short, the best way to judge of, his .character, is to consider the
.hisbory of liis reign, :. ' ^ ' ' ',
''.'¦. CHAP, xn. ,
Ofthe accession of King James "VII, the. proceedings, of the cdun-
; dl and justiciary ; ¦ the murders in the fields ; the unsuccessful
attempt ofthe Earl of Argyle ; the sufferings of the prisoners
sent to -Dunnotter ; the actings of the parliament ; the drowning
, 'of two women, and other branches of oppression to' the end of
the' session. ' • ' ' ' • "
r^'^HE Duke ef York, a few hours after his brother's death,
¦ was proclaimed king in London,' by thc name of Jam.es
II, Bishop Burnet says, it was"a,'hea-vy\ solemnity; few
tears were shed for the former, nor were there any shouts of joy
for the present king, A dead silence, though without any dis
order, followed it through the streets; , '
When the counsellors returned, the nev/ king, in his speech,
promised to follow his brother's example, especially in t,hat of
his great clemency and tenderness to his people, and to preserve
the government, both in church and state, as -by law establish
ed-; and, as he would never depart from the just rights and
prerogatives ofthe crbwn^ so he- would never invade any man's
property. These were fine promises ; but it is well ; known
thpy were only made to be birbkefr,; though he renewed them
to the parliament. As to his going publicly to mass, his con
tinuing the duties and customs before they were granted by
parliament, his publishing that the late king died a papist, &c.
i must refer to the. English historians.
Though James was a professed papist, yet care was taken in
England that he should take the English coronation oath,- bnt
¦wdth what alterations I cannot determine, 'Unfair dealing was
suspected ; ' and my author tells us, that the Lord-chief-baron
Atkins, upon rio less occasion, than bis administering the oaths
to Sir William Ashurst, Ibid-mayor of London,'l693, publicly
asserted, * That,' as alterations were made by bishop Laud, in
' striking out tliose -words, which were a part of the, old
' English coronation oath, that the king should ponsent to such
' laws as the: people should chuse; when he crowned. King
^ Ghales I. so at the coronation ofthe late King James II, there
? was ir^uch mbre struck out pf the coronation ostb, which might

CHAP., xn. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 249
' be well worthy inquiring how it came abpiit.' Echard says,
this was an aspersion cast upon Sancroft by the Lord-chief-
barpn ; but the reader Is tp judge, whether it is probable the
chief barpn would have expressed himself in such a manner,
upon so public an occasion, if he hadnot had sufficient grounds'
for wliat he said, ; - , , ' ,
But the king never took the Scots~coronation-oath, This,
abstracting frpm his reKgion, made many call his right to go- ,
vem in question, and msde his forfeiture quite easy to the con
vention of states in Sgotlapd, April llth 1689, so that they
very justly declared as fo|lows ; ' Whereas King' Ja.mes 'VII,
y being a professed papist did assume the regal power,, and acted
^ asking, without ever taking the oath required by law, where-
' by. every king, at his access 'to the government, is obliged to
' swear to maintain the protestant religion, and to rule the
<i people according to the laudable laws, &c, that by all this he
' had forfeited the right to the crown,' &c, Here then King
James is declared, by the kingdom of Scotland, tp have been
an usurper from , the beginning ; and if he had no right to the
crown of that kingdom, whence his pr^t^nd^d abjured race de
rive theirs, must be left -wdth the reader,- ,Frcm this I judge rt
vety plain, that, upon the demise of the late king, the crown,
by the laws ofthe land, de-Volved on the next protestant, heir,
and consequently tfie happy Revolution restored the kingdom
of Scotland to its own constitution, and blessed it Avith its own
rightful governors : so tbat nothing but infatuation can make
any person, much more any protestant, to be fond of the pre
tender. But to proceed to the history of this detestable, reign,
as far as it concerns my design.
On the 1 0th of February the king was proclaimed at Edin
burgh, The proclamation was sent down from London ; aild,
as it is somewhat singular, I shall here insert the substance pf
, it, as follows. ' Forasmuch as it hath pleased the Almighty-
' God tp call Charles II. our late sovereign lord, of glorious
5 and ever blessed memory, from a temporary crown tpipherit
' an eternal in the heavens, whereby the undoubted right of
- - « succession to him, in the imperial crown of his realm, was
' immediately devolved on, the sacred person of his royal and
'. dearestbrother, ourpresent sacred sovereign, (whom God long
« preserve.) Therefore we, the lords 'of , his majesty's privy
* council  do, with the concurrence of several others, lords
' spiritual and temporal, barons, and burgesses.of this realm,
' hereby declai-iS and proclaim to all the world,- that our sove-
' reign Lord James VII. is, by la,wfuland undoubted succession
': , and descent, king bf Scotland, England, France, &c, defend-
5ier of the faith, &c. — and whom we shall humbly ohey, duti-
' fully and fakhlally serve, maintain, and defend, with : our

259 THiS^ HiStORY OF THE CttAP, Xii.
'lives and fortunes, against all deadly, as our only righteous
' king and sovereign, over all persons, and in all causes, as
* holding his imperial crown from God alone. And for testi-
* fication whereof, we here, ih presence of tbe Almighty Q-od^
' and a great number of his majesty's faithful peoiile,— declare
' and publish, that, our saJd sovereign lord, by the goodiiess
' and providence bi Almighty God, is of Scotland, England,
^ France, &c. the most potent, mighty, and undoubted king.
* And hereby give oiir oaths, with upfifted hands; that we
« shall bear true and faithful allegiance unto our said sacred
' soveielgn JAMES VII. king of Great Britain, France, and
* Ireland, defender ofthe faith, &c. and to his lawful heirs and
' successors ; and shall perform all duties, service, and obedi-
' ence to him, as becomes his faithful, loyal, and dutiful sub-
' jects. So help us GOD.'
This seems to look more like the form of an oath than a
proclamation. Here absolute supremacy, indefeasible and
hereditary right are asserted in strong terms ; but I leaVe the
reader to make his own observations on this. It is not worth
while to talse notice of the fulsome addresses on this occasion,
these being-things of course. The new king continued all the
civil and militaiy officers for .some time, and consequently the
^atc of the sufferers was still the same.
The council proceeded as usual. Many gentlemen, ministers,
and others, were before them ; some obtained their liberty who
had been iraprisbned, and fined to the value of their estates,
for refusing the test. Others were released on condition of
returning to their confinement after a limited time, and others
upon condition of appearing when called, I shall only men
tion iheiT names, as James Hamilton of Aikenhead, Mr An
drew Kennedy of Clowburn, Andrew Hay of Criignethati,
ISIapier laird of ICilinahew, WiUiam Fairly of Brunsfield, Sir
John Maxwell ©f Nether- Pollock, John Porterfield of Dou-
, ehal,,gmd Alexander his son, Bannantyne of Craigmuir, G.
Hamilton of Browncastle, laird of Fairly, J, Crawford of
OrawfijrdJaod, W; Cuningham of Ashenyards, 5, Whiteford
of Balquhan, J. Hamilton younger of Halcraig, the laird of
Cralgends younger, J Caldwell of Caldwell, J "Stuart of Hart-
w<j0d, William.Hamiltoii of Overtoun, Mulrhead of Bradi
sholm, Mr John Bannantyne of Corehouse, Mr William Wish-
•irt, Mr John Knox, Robert Hamilt<)n of Monkland, John
Macghie of Balgoon, Mr William Macjore, Mr Michael Por-
tor, Mr J, Macgiligen, Hugh Kennedy df Daljarroch, Alex
ander Hm^iie of Newton, Hugh , Montgomery of' Boreland,
Johii^ Mitchel son to Tu-nnerhill, Alexander Durham of Dun-
trifcve, Mr George Meldrum of Crombie, Patrick Hay gf
Nanghton, Robert Boyd of Trochridge, C, Alexander in Pais-

CHAP. XI, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 251
ley ; George Douglas of Bonjedburgh, Patrick son to Sir Pa
trick Huhio of Polwart, Mr James Futhy, and J, Martin of
Litde-Halrshaw, likewise Jamfcs Armour merchant in Glds*
gpw; William Muir and Halbert Wales,' &c, I might also
here mention the case of several exceUent gentlewomen, as the
dady Colvil, the lady St Ford, the lady Tlien, and her son
about eleven years of age, who had been Imprisoned with her
for conventicles, lady Skermorly, lady Abdean, who after a great
deal of trouble, were set at liberty ; lady Mary Hope was out
lawed, or put to the horn, for not appearing. But I chuse to
omit particulars concerning these persons, and to go on' to re
late things as they happened in.the order of time
On thei 1th of February the council recommended to a com
mittee to enquire Into and make a report of the case of those
in the prisons of Edinburgh and Canongate. Tliey made
their report on the 16th, by which it appeared, that several-
who complied to take the test, or the oath of allegiance, were
set at liberty, John Smith and James Russel were remitted
to the justice, and fourteen ordered for the plantations.
On the 19th the cmnmlsslon-court for Dumbarton fined
John Napier of Kilmahew in 20001, sterling, for not appearing,
John Zuil of Darleith lOOOl. steiding, for refusing the test,
John Campbell of Carrick 1 5001, sterling, for himself and lady,
for hearing ejected ministers, and , Isabel Buchanan in ) OOl,
sterling, and ordered them to be imprisoned tiU they paid
their fines, or gave satisfaction to tjie Duke of Queensberry,
the lordrtreasurer.
Mr Zuil of Darleith was put into the castle of Dumbarton,
In March his lady died of a fever, , Darleith was not suffered
to see her when dying, oply, as a mighty favour, he was per
mitted to go out till lout days after her funeral, when his son
¦and son-in-law gave a bond for lOOOl, sterling, that he should
return to prison when that time was expired He returned,
and continued in hold the space of eighteen or twenty inonths ;
but, by his want of accommodation, he contracted a .consump
tion, of which he died in January 1688. -
The murdering work went on in the fields. Accordingly,
on the said 19tli of February, Captain Bruce and a party sur
prised six of the wanderers in Lochinkit-inuir, in tbe- parish
of Kirkpatrick in G.alloway, viz. WiUiam Herron, John Gor
don, William Stuart, and John Wallace, whom he ordered
to be shot Without any process. He carried A. Maoroblne or
Macubine, and Edward Gordon, the pther two to the bridges
of Orr, where Lagg was pressing the abjuration. The cap
tain would have these two tried by a jury ; but Lagg swore-
they should not, and, in a bravado, said before the country
people, th,at aU. who had taken the, oath had swore, these men's

252 - THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP. XU.
doom, Accordiiigly, next day, they were carried to the pa
rish of Irongray, and were hanged upon an oak-tree, by Lagg's
ordeis. When they were come to the tree, an acquaintance
asked Alexander if ho had any word to send to his wife ; he-
ansv.ercd, I leave her and the two babes on the Lord, and to
his promise ; a father to the fa'therless; and a husband tb the
widow is the Lord, in his holy habitation. When the person
employed as executioner asked him forgivenness, he said, Poor
man, 1 fbrgive thee and all men ;'thou hast a miserable calling
upon earth. They both died in much composure and chear-
fulnesSr. O-n the ii I st^. Bruce, and some accounts say Colonel
Douglas with him, killed other five men at Kirkconnel, but
their names are not known. . ' , ' '
On the 2S'th, abpiit eleven at night, lieutenant or cornet
Douglas surrounded the house of Dalwln in the parish of Bar,
with a party, and apprehended one David Martin, brother to
John Martin of Jialquhairn. There was pne Edward Kyan^
whe had concealed hiiiMelf between the end of one house and-
the side -wall of aqothcr. Perceiving him, "they dragged him
put, and, 'without. asking any other que-stions, but where he
lived; the lieutenant shot liim through the bead, first with one
pistol, and then with another; and one of the soldiers, pretend
ing ii> observe some motion, shot Win a third time. He was but
S youth, and could not have been concerned in any ofthe ris-
itigs.' David Martin was next brought forth, and when they
Ijad stript him of his Coat, ,was set on his knees beside the man
gled body. One of the soldiers begged the lieutenant to spare
hira till nest day, aUeging they might get some discoveries
from him, and then slept. in between him and six soldiers who'
were presenting their pieces. , But though this prevented ills
death at this time, yet, through the fright ani terror he was
put into, he was in a great measure deprived of his reason,"
was seized with a palsy, of which he died after he had kept
bis bed-tour years, r. Abercromby's father and son, toge
ther with some women in- the neighbourhood, Were barbarous
ly beat and wounded. One of the Abercronibiqs and David
Martin were carried with- them prisoners to Colmonel next
morning, being the Lord's, day.
Several others were murdered in cold blood this month of
February. 'Jiuis William Adam in Middlewelwood, attempt
ing to escape a party commanded by Sir Jphn Dalziel, on ac-,
count of their ensnaring questions, was discovered, and in^
stantly dispatched. WaUace, Edgar, and a third were shot in
theparish of Kirkpatrick by Captain Bruce. Colonel Buchan
and his rnen shot one John Smith in the parish of Lesmaha-
gow. In the Cloud of Witnesses, we find that the said cornet
Douglas apprehended Edward Mackeen ; and, because he had

C«AP, XII, CHURCH or SCOTLAND, 253
a flint-stone about him, ordered him to be shot, without any
fa^-ther trial.
, Some time this month Sir Robert Grierson of Lagg, having
the command of a part of Claverhouse's troop and Strachan's
dragoons, surprised Mr John Bell of Whiteside, David Halli
day portioner of Mayfield,' Andrew Macrobert, James Cle
ment, and Robert Lennox oTIrlintoun, and most barbarously
killed them on the spot, after quarters.given, vvithout so much
as allowing them to pray before their death ; or to be buried
after it, Mr BeU was the only son ofa gentlewoman,, heiress
bf Whiteside, who, after his father's death, was married to the
viscount of Kenmure. He. was a gentleman of good sense and
unaffected piety, and had been grievously harrassed sinee Both-
well. He was very well acquainted with Lagg, and only- de
sired a quarter of an hour to prepare for death. Lagg refus
ed it, cursing and swearing, Wliat the d  ; have you not
had time enough to prepare since Bothwell ?'A Uttle after this
the viscount of Kenmure, Claverhouse and Lagg hap-peiicd
to be in company at Kirkcudbright, Kenmure challenged Lagg
for his cruelty to Mr Bell, a gentleman, and his relatipn, es'-
peclaUy in not permitting him to be buried; Lagg told him,
wilh an oath, * f akehim if you will, and salt him in your
beef barrel.' . Upon this Kenmure drew, and would haVe run
him through, had it not been for Claverhouse, The wicked
ness of the soldiers at this time was dreadful, and none worse
than this Lagg ; They used in their cabals to take to them-
, selves the names of devils, and .of persons they supposed; to be
in hell, and, with whips to lash one another, as a jesl;,on that
place of torment. But my author justly draws a vail over
many of their horrid acts of impiety.
The troubles of Robert Nairn of Bohhill were renewed this
month. The bailie-depute of the regality of Dumbarton carae
at midnight with two officers to his house. His wife was for
ced to take to the fields with a sucking^ child, leaving three other
chiltlreH with a servant maid. W^hen they had searched the
house they took the eldest boy, not fift'een years of age, and,
drawing their swords, threatened to kill him if he did not tell
where his father was. They took the inventory ofthe house
hold-furniture, and arrested all in the hands of the landlord,
whom they obliged to be accountable for every thing except
the cradle. They turned^ the two infants (the eldest not be-^
ingfive years of age) out of their beds, and carried away the
bed-clothes, and obliged the maid to find bail to appear when
called. Next April they .again searched his house, and carried -
his wife to prison, where she lay tiU she found bail to keep the
church- Robert ventured home next winter ; but,, being in
formed against, he was pursued by two men,, who both tired

254 THE HISTOKV OF THE GHAP. XII.
at hira, so tha6 he- narrowly escaped, and got into a wood near
his own house, where he contracted such a cold and ilkiesS
that he was obliged to return home. This being known, two
officers were sent to carry him prisoner to Dumbarton, which
they would have done, had he not been carried to a friend'9
house, about a mile from his: own, where he got to his cver-
'Jastlng re§t. It was with difficulty he was permitted to be
buried in the chuFch-yard of Bonhill, through the' malice of
the curate. His widow and eldest son were upon this brought
to farther trouble, which I must pass over.
On the 'zA of March tbe council received the report ofthe
commissioners fbr the shire of Moray, From whence it ap
pears that not a few had been brought under great hardshipsf
in these nbrthern parts. When the commissioners first ar
rived there theyprdered all disorderly persons they could be
Informed of, in the shires of Banff, Ross, and Sutherland, to*
be summoned before them at a certain day, and complete lists-
pf heritbrs, wadsetters, Stc. to be drawn up, who voluntarily','
as they said, offered thi-ee months supply to his majesty, took
the test, and other oaths and bonds. They examined all mi
nisters and elders in these bounds, and others, concerning the
state ofthe country, and disorderly persons in it, MbeUed all
persons informed against, fined some, and banished others.
Particularly,, they ordered th'e laird of Fowlis elder to be im-
prisOnea at 'Tain, and the laird of Fowlis yoimger at Inver
ness, in case he refused the bond of peace. They cleared the
country of all whom they called outed ministers and vagrant
preachersy and banished the ReV, Messrs Janies Urqunart,
John Stuart, Alexander Dunbar, and George Meldrum, to
gether with Alexander and Mark Mavers porfioners of Ur-
qubart, Donald and Andrew Monros of Elgin, Alexander
Monro soraetimd of Main, and Jean Taylor, , a servant and
married woman. They fiined the laird of Grant in 42,5001.
the laird of Brody 24,OO0l, Alexander Brody of Lethin'
¦40,0001 Francis Brody of Miltoun I0;000l. Francis Brotly of
WindyhUls 33331. 6s. 8d. Mr James Brody of Kinlee.3331..
6s ^8d. Mark Maver banished^ in 3001. Mr George Mel
drum banished, in 66661. 13s. 4d, They likewise ordered
Thomas Dunbar of Grange, the laird of Innes younger,
WiUiam Brody of Coltfield, WilUam Brody of Whitewray,
and Mr Robert Donaldson in Ayr, to appear when called.
They whom they banished were to be sent prisoners to Edin
burgh, and orders were given t(> apprehend the few delin
quents that were absent, and corfunit them to prison till they
diould sign the bond of peace an^ regularity, and engage to
keep the kirk for the time to cpme.

«HAP. XII. - CHC,RCH OF SCOTLAND. 24a
This is but a short abbreviate of the report made by the
lords commissioners : but it is easy to fprm a judgment of
the oppression of the country, for they had nothing to lay to
the charge of any of these persons but their non-cpnfprmity.
This court consisted of the Earls of Errol and Kintpre,
with Sir George Munro, comtnorHy caWcdmajor-general. When
they came to Elgin they oirdered a new gallows to be erected iu
teKrorum. Absence from the. kirk, and being at conventicles,
were the dreadful crimes, for none in this part of the country
had been at Bothwell.
The laird of Brody bad what they called a conventicle in
his house. He went to London, to get- if possible, sonierea-
soiiable composition made for his fine, and, after much pains
and expence, was foijced t^ give bond fbr 'JO, 000 merks, to
Colonel MasfWell a papist, to whom, that sum was paid, and
the colonel's acknowletlgment of it is, fpr ought I know, still
among the papers of the family.
The lajrd of Grant gave in a petition after this to the coun
cil, F.etting forth that he had been ,fined because his lady had.
confessed two years and a half's withdi-awing from the ordi
nances, the keeping ofan unlicensed chaplain, and the dike ;
and declared that he thought it hard that a husband should,
be liable for his wife's withdrawing from ordinances, espo
cially as the parish church was vacant for a year and rf half of
the time specifi.ed, and the next parish church was six or seven
miles distant, and that his lady, for the most pavtj was in a
bad state of health, and given over by the physiciaiis, and that
she had never withdrawn from any principle of disloyalty. In
short, he cleared himself from every thing laid to his charge,
as the petition more fully bears : but the council found that
Ibeir commissioners had proceeded legally, and ordered hini
to be pursued for the fine-
y\- great many others were called before this cojirt, and im
prisoned at Elgin, as John Montsod chamberlain to Park,
Jean Brody relict of Alexander Thomson merchant in EigJs'j
Christian Lesley daughter, and Beatrix Brody relict of Lesly
pf Aikenwall, &c. -'When the king died the court rose,' and
these were released. '
On the said 2d, of March the new king's indemnity was
published, out of which the chief movers and instruments of
the present commotions, together with aU heritoi"s, life- renters,
wadsetters, burgesses, and vagrant preach-ers, and the mur
derers of Archbishop Sharp, and ofthe minister of Carsphairn-,
were excepted. In short, none could have the benefit <u' 1$
without complying with the oaths- at that time imposed. All
others were to partake of this demonstration of the king's in
nate clemency, which, he says, hath shined in the whole Una
of bis royal race. The affaiit ofthe Paktinate, tbe Irish inas-

256 THE HISTORY OF TH£ CHAP. XII.
sacre, and the' proceedings of -the late reign, are no great
jii-oofs of thls.\
The same day Cornet Bailie met with a young man, WiUiam
Smith, in the fields, and carried him to the garrison, because he
refused to answer their questions ; arid, next day, J. La-wries of
Maxweltoii, pretended to be a commissioner, passed sentence 'oi
death upon him, notwithstanding -the intercession of his father
and the remonstrance of the Cornet, He was immediately shot
at the Racemuir, and died with great composure, and iri full as
surance of faith, declaring that he died for no rebellion, nor any
crime, but for converse with the persecuted people, and refusing
to discover them'. Some time this month Lieutenant Murray
met, with one John Brown in the fields, and, without aiiyprocess
or sentence, ordered him to be shpt near the Blackwood in that
parish, though he had promised him quarters.
On the 6th of March, Major Balfour seized Robert Logan,'
George Muir, and John Giltillan, in the house of pne Sarah Kirk
land at Glasgow ; and without any order from the council, sent
two of them to the plantations, and the other was sent to .Dun
notter, whither th'e woman was likewise ordered, but she made
her escape by the way, Mr WiUiam Boyd, who, at the Re-s^o-
lution, was admitted minister at Dairy, was seized about this
time, but soon got free.
On the loth the committee made another report to the coun
cil concerning the prisoners, upon which some were released,
aid Others continued, and letters were dispatched to-the commis
sioners for Stirling, Glasgow anc. Ayr, to offer the indemnity to
all the prisoners there, arid that they who should be" released
might have a pass subscribed either by a counsellor or orie of
the commissioners.
The same day the council gave a warrant to the laird of Pit
lochie, to go to the prisons of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling,
and transport a hundred of the prisoners who were willing to go
to the plantations, excluding ad heritors who had above lOOl,
rent. By this time the rumours of Argyle's design upon Scotland,
and of Monmouth's upon England, began to spread, which tend
ed to increase the violences and ravages of the army, especiaUy
tnose under the command of Claverhouse in Clydesdale, Annan
dale and Nithsdale. Accordingly, on this 10th of March, all
the freeholders, heritors, and gentlemen. In the two last of these
siires, Xvere summoned to attend the-klng's standard. He par-
cslled out the shire into so -many divisions, Lakiiig in six or eight
- miles square^at a time. In every division, having drove all the
inhabitants, without distinction, into one place, and asked them
severally, whether they owned the Duke of York, that was, for
their king, he made tliem all swear to continue in their allegi-
2

CHAP. XII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAKD. 2S*Z
ance, and never do any thing against him. Next he demanded,
whether they had taken the abjuration, or had ever repented
their having done so; and when they declared they had not, he
then made them promise, upon their renouncing their part in
hea-ven, th^t they vvould never repent of what they had -done.
'When he dismissed any that complied with aU this, he told him
-Argyle shall have a perjured dog of you. If a man refused to
swear, he was carried some few paces from the rest, a napkin
was tied over his face, and the soldiers ordered to fire, either'blaak
powder, or over his head. Ha-ving thus brought him under the
terror of death he Was once more offered his life, upon swearing
and promising to inform against all disloyal persons ; by which
nieans not a few were brought to compliance. Besides these
methods of cruelty, all the children in the division, above sixj
and under ten years of age, were assembled by themsel-ves, and
a party of soldiers dra-wn out before them. Then they were bid
pray, for they were going to be shot. Some of them would an
swer. Sir, we cannot pray. Then they were required to tell
when they saw men and guns in their houses, br if any men, with
guns and swords, got meat or drink in their houses : but it woidd
be endless to mention aU the unaccountable proceeding^' of Cla
verhouse and his men ; neither is there any. occasion for making
remarks on these things.
On the 12th of March the Marquis of Athol received orders
to raise 500 Highlanders for securing the peace of the shire of
Argyle ; firom which it would seem the ininistry had early in
formation of Argyle's intended invasion.
The same day thc councU ordered the magistrates of Edin
burgh to release Mr Andrew Millar indulged minister at Niel-
stoim, Mr James Curry at Shotts, Mr A. Murray of Woodend,
and Mr Robert Mowa,t at Heriot, who had for some time been
Imprisoned for not observing their instructions ; and, on the
14th, Mr Campbell and Mr Duncanson were ordered to be
released. Some time after this Mr Andrew Maclean, Mr P.
Campbell, Mr David Simpson, indulged ministers in Argyle
shire, Mr John Oliphant, ahd other Indulged ministers,- were,
about this time, set at liberty, and returned to their ovm houses,
where they sometimes preached, but no more^ in the churches ;
and in this situation matters continued till the liberty 1687.
The acts by which they were released, obliged them to en
gage not to "exercise any part ofthelr ministry vdthin the king
dom ; but it does not appear they complied vrath this.
On the 24th, some of the hearers of Mr R^nwiok were ob
served going and coming from his sermons in aims, and there
fore the council impowered Colonel Douglass, and tbe com
manders of the garrisons, to punish the common people -who did
not Inform against them, and to oblige thehesiters, 0% whose
VOL. II. R

a58 THE HISTORY OF THE" CHAP. XII.
grounds tbey were seen, to appear before the council in April
next. But we have had so many cotnmissic«is- of this nature
formerly, that there is no occasion, either tq insert this, or make
any remarks upon it. Only, firom the council-registers, it ap
pears, that James Napier, .AUan Atkin, and John Peirson, were
condemned to die for concealing the rebels who went throUgb
the shire of Ayr ; but were afterwards pardoned.
We left Mr Alexander Shields in Newgate, from thence he
and other seven, who were apprehended vdth him, being Scots
men, were, on the 4th of March, put on board the Kitchen-
yacht for Scotland. They landed at Leith on the 13th, and
next day Mr Shields was examined before a committee of the
council^ -where, being on the reserve, he was remanded to
prison tin the 23d, when he was brought before tbe justiciaiyv
and interrogated. Whether he would abjure the apologpHc de-
claraUcm, and own the authority of King James -VIL and; being
still on the reserve, he was sent back till the 25th, and from
thence continued to the day foUo-wing, - when he was again
brought before the justiciary, and examined to the effect fore-,
said, with renewed threatenings of the most severe usage if he
did not satisfy them ; whereupon he gave in the following mi
nute in writing, viz. ' Upon as serious and mature deliberation
* as my disordered mind could be capable of in this hurry and
* surprise, consulting both the declaration itself, that I am com-
* manded to give my insignificant sentiments of, and consulting-
* his majesty's proclamation, to find out that which is offensive
• to your lordships in it, advising also with the opinions of the
* Irards of council and session, upon refiisirig to answer when
* questioned about it, the result of my thoughts is, in the sin-
* cerity of a.n unfeigned conscience, and in the "fear of God,
* that I db abhor, renounce and disown that and all other de->
* clarations, in so far as that or they do declare war against the;
* king expressly, proposcdly or designedly, and asserts that it is
* lawfid .to kill all that are employed by his majesty, or any be-
* cause so employed, in church, state, army or country.' 'When
the court read this, they said it was satisfactory, and required
him to hold up his hand. This he refiised, tilj, being aUowed
to dictate unto the clerk in what words he would swear, he
said, * I do abhor, renounce and disown. In the presence of
* God, that pretended declaration, in so far as it declares war
* against the king, and asserts that It is lawful to kill all em-
* ployed by him, in church, state, army or country.' Then,
protesting it inight not be constructed in any-pther sense than
the genuine meaning of t^e words he had delivered in the mi
nute before insert, he did subscribe and swear it. That which,
he says, did induce him to it, was, that they gave it in his ovm
meaaing ; and so far was his mind deceived, that, by a quibbln

CHAP. XII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 259
and nice distinction, he thought the v/ords might bear, that this
Was not a disowiiing of that, nor no declaration which ever he
saw, (save one of their pretending) nor that neither, but pnly
in so far as, or if so be, which two different expressions he was
taught to confound by scholastic notions Instilled into him by
the court, and by' some of the indulged ministers who were in
prison with him, Ha-ving so done, the justiciary dismissed
him ; but, on pretence of his being the council's prisoner, he
was sent back to his now, more than ever, weary lodging ; for
he had no sooner made the abo-ve^ foolish, unfaithful and dis
honourable step of compliance, as he justly caUs it,' than his
conscience smote him, and, continuing to do so, he aggravates
his fall in siioh sort as I have scarce heard of a parallel, and
laments over it as what he could not lind words to express, nor
groans to bemoan it enough. In which condition he continried
for some considerable time : and sd we leave him till we bring
forward concurring transactions.
On the 30th of JMarch, Thomas Kennedy of Grange, John
Kennedy of Glenure, and Gilbert Macmichan of Kil-saint-NI-
nlans, were prosecuted before the justiciary, for accession to
Bothwell, Next day Kennedy of Grange was condemned to
be executed when apprehended, KiCnnedy of Glenure was ac
quitted ; but what the Issue was with respect to Gilbert Mac
michan is not known.
As I am now come to relate what happened in the mOnth
of April, I might observe, in general, that the soldiers conti
nued to harrassthe country^ that they instructed some to be spies
upon the wanderers, by feigning themselves pf their principles,
and, when they found out their lurking places, b^ informing
against them. A body of Highlanders was brought down to
assist the regular troops ; but I omit all this, as having had fre
quent opportunities to lay before the reader many unprece
dented Instances of oppression committed by the soldiers and
officers, , ' .
On the 9th of April, the Duke of Queensberry's commission
to be the king's commissioner in the ensuing session of parlia
ment was read in council. ? Upon king Charles's death the
Marquis of Queensberry, soon after made a Duke, and the Earl
of Perth, came to court. The Duke of Queensberry told the
king, that, if he had any thoughts of changing the established
religion, he could not make any one step with him in that mat
ter. The king seemed to receive this very kindly, and assured
him he had no such intention, but that he wOuld have a pair-
IJament called, to which he should go his commissioner,, and
give all possible.' assurances inthe niatter of religion, and get the
revenue to be setded, and such other laws to be passed as might'
be necessary for the common safety. The Duke of -Queens,
-2

260 TU&. HISTORT OF THE CHAP. Xll.
berry pressed the Earl of Perth tg speak in the same strain to
the king ; but, though be pretended to be still a protestant, yet
he could not prevail on hini to speak In so positive a style. The
duke frequently, since that time, told Bishop Burnet, that the
king made these promises to him in so frank and hearty a man
ner, that he concluded it was impossible for him to be acting a
part ; therefore he always believed that the priests gave him
leave to promise every thing, and that he, did It very sincerely j
but that afterwards they pretended they had a power to dissolve
the obligation of all oaths and promises,' The order of time
leads me now to^ speak of Argyle,
The deliberations In Holland, says the historian of his own
time, among the English and Scots that fled thither, came to
ripen faster than was expected. Lord Argyle had been quiet
ever since 1683, and had Uved mostiy in Friesland, though he
came frequently to , Amsterdam, and met with several of his
countrymen who lay concealed there, the chief of whom were
the Lord Melvil, Sir Patrick Hume, and Sir John Cochran.
With these his lordship communicated all the advices he re
ceived. In short, upon the death of the late king, he judged he
had a favourable opportunity to attempt the rescue of his coun
try, from that popery and slavery -wherewith It was threatened
by the accession of the Duke of York, and therefore resolved
td make a descent upon Scotland, where he hoped to be joined.
by^ a number sufficient for answering his design ; and at the
Same time prevailed with the Duke of Monmouth to make a
descent upon England; but Argyle wanted money, which could
npt but be a great .baulk to this undertaking: however, that
want was supplied by means pf a rich widow in Amsterdam,
whp furnished him with 10,000/. sterling. With this he
bought a stock of arms and ammunition, which was very dex
terously managed by one who traded to 'Venice, as if intended
fpr the service pf that republic, '.
On the 7th of April, there was a meeting at Amsterdam, at
which were present the Earl of Argyle, Mr Charles Campbell
his son. Sir John Cochran of Ochiltree, Sir Pat. Hume of Pol
wart, Geo'rgePrlngle of Torwoodlee, WUl. Denholm of West-
shields, George Hume of Bassindpn, Jphn Cochran of Water
side, Mr George Wlshart, WiU. Clelland, James Stuart advo
cate, and Mr Gilbert EUiot. Sir John Cochran was choseff
preses for that time. At this meeting it was unanimously Re
solved,. * That the above named persons, and other gentlemen of the
( kingdom of Scotland joining with them, in a great under-
« taking Intended by them In the defence and for the recovery
< of the religion, rights, and liberties of the kingdom of Scot-
' land, shall assume and take upon them the quality and cha-

CHAP. XII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 261
racter of a council, for consulting and determining whatsoever
relates to that great undertaking, and management thereof ;
and that, so soon as they cdme to Scotland, such of the
pation as shall join themselves to them, In the prosecution of
the said undertaking, shall likewise have access unco, and be
joined in the foresaid council.
* The persons foresaid. In the character and quality above
expressed, do resolve to make war — against James Duke of
Albany and York, and such as shall adhere tp him ; and for
the command and conduct of ,the army they shall be able to
gather together, they unanimously appoint Archibald Earl of
Argyle to the office of captain general, — Mr 'W illiam Spence
their clerk ; and recommend tp the said James Stuart to per
fect the declaration of war they design to pnbUsh, and that
against Monday next. It Is farther Rfsolvedi
« That Mr WiUiam Veitch, Mr George Barclay, and Wil
liam Clelland be dispatched to Scotland, and instructed fpr
that effect j and that the Earl of Argyle, Sir John Cpchrari,
Sir Patrick Hume,**Gebrge Prihgle, and William Denholm,
meet to-morrow at the earl's chamber, at eight o'clock in die
nrorning, to expede their instructions; and adjourn their meet-
Instill Monday at eight o'clock at night to Sir John Cochr
ran's chamber.'
No doubt they met at the time and place appointed, and pror
bably agreed to the draught of their declaration ; and thus far
they were harmonious ; but after, this, according to Bishop Bur
net, < they had sharp debates about the course they were to
* hold. Argyle was for saUing rojumd Scptland to his own coun-
,* try, Hjime was for , the shorter passage, the pther being a
'long navigation, and subject to great accidents, Argyle Said
« the fastnesses of his own country made that to be the safer
• place to gather men together. He presumed so far on his
,* pwn power, and on his -management hitherto, that he cook
* much upon him ; so that the rest were often bn the point of
* breaking with him. The Duke of Monmouth came secretly
« to them, and made up all their quarrels, and Would willingly
«~ have gone with them himself ; but Argyle did not offer him
' the command : on the contrary, he pressed him to make an
• impression on EnE;land ;' and by that means they were both
hurried to a precipitate undertaking, before matters v/ere ripe
for it. But, tp return to Scotland,
Onthe 51st of AprU, the Duke of Hainilton, the Earl bf
Dumfries, and Colonel Douglass, were added to the council ;
and, on the 25th, Lieutenant-general pri^mmond was sent west
to harrass the country for he old pretended reset and converse.
We have had several commissions of this nature before now,
so that tjiere is n9 occasion toinsert any thing farther as to tliis.

262 THE HISTORr OF THE GHAP. XII.
On the 28th, the parliament sat down, which was just a few
days 'oefdre Argyle set s-aU for Holland, and not after the de-.
feat of that expedition, as bishop Burnet, through mistake, tells
us. , The last parliament, 1681, was under the conduct of a'
popish commissioner; and this entirely subverted the designs
of a popish king. Here the finishing stroke was given to the
nation's liberties, and ,the king's- dispensing power established
by law. Bloody and destestable statutes vvere here enacted, that
are, to be the indelible infamy of the projectors, a scandal to
the protestant name, a terror to that age, and a warning it is
hoped, to all posterity, ofthe native tendency of absolute power
and indefeasible right.
The first thing the parliament was entertained with, was
the king's letter, of which I cannot but give the following ab
breviate.
JAMES R.
My Lords and Gentlemen,
rWMiE many experiences we have had of the loyalty and
- exemplary forwardness of that our ancient kingdom, 'by
their representatives in parliament assembled, In the reign of
our dearest  brother,—  made us desirous to call you,
in the beginning of our reign, to give you an oppornmity.

not only of shewing your duty to us in the same manner, but
likewise in being exemplary to others, in your  compli
ance with our desires, as you have most eminently been in
times past, to a degree never to be forgotten by us.  Tbat,
which' we are at this time to propose, is what is as necessary
for your safety as our service, and -what has a tendency more
to secure you): own privileges and properties, than th^ ag
grandizing our power and authority (though in it consists the
greatest security of your rights and interests, these never hav
ing been in danger, except when the royal power was broiight
too low to protect them) - which nbw we resolve to maintaiii
In Its greatest liistre, to the end we may be the more enablod
to defend and prmect your religion, as established by law, and
your rights and properties— ^—against fa'riatical contrivances,
murderers and assassins, who having no feir of God, more
than honour for us, have brought you into ' such difficulties,
as only the blessing of God upon the steady resolutions and
actings of our said dearest royal brother, and those employed
by him (in prosecution of the good" arid wholesome laws by
you heretofore offered) could have saved you from the most
horrid confusions and Inevitable ruin. Nothing has been
left unattempted, by thpse wild and inhuman traitors, for
endeavouring to overturn your peace', and therefore we 
hope that nothing will be wanting in you to secure yourselves
and us, from their outrages and violence, in time coming, and

SHIP. XIU CHURCH Ol SCOTLAND. 263
« to take care that such conspirators meet with their just de-
« servings, so as others may thereby be deterred from courses
< so litde agreeable to religion, or dieir duty and allegiance to
* us * , The rest of the letter is made up of encomiums upon
tbe Duke of Queensberry the commissioner, and expresses his
nujesty's hopes that this parliament would readily concur -with
whatever should be proposed to them.
There is scarce occasion for any remarks on this letter.
King James assures them he will defend and protect their re
ligion, though at the same time, he will take care that his au-
thority shall shine In the greatest lustre ; and therefore recom
mends to them to bring those, whom he brands widi the odious
names of murderers and assassins, to condign punishment ^ but
it is well known that the sufierers detested all principles of as
sassination, while the soldiers murdered by authority- I shall
not trouble the reader with the speeches pf the commissioner
and chancellor, which foUowed the reading of the royal letter,
nor with the parliament's answer to it, which was the echo of
it, farther than to observe, that they promised to leave nothing
undone to extirpate ,all fanaticism, especially fanatical murder
ers and assassins.
The first thing they did was a short and general act for the
security of the protestant religion, which passed without a com
plaint of any defect, since those patriots who opposed the test
were out of the way; butthere was little ground, notwithstanding
all laws, nay, and royal assurance, to expect the security of the
protestant religion under a popish prince, whom, co their shame
they owned as absolute, as appears from their offer of duty and
declaration i in which, among other things, tl\ey say, f That
they abhpr and detest not bnly the authors ^and actors of all
preceding rebellions against the sovereign, but likewise -all
principles and positions which are contrary or derogatory to
the king's sacred, supreme, sovereign, absolute power and au
thority, which none, whether persons, or collective bodies,
can piurticipate of any manner :of way^ or u^on any pretext,
but independence on him, and by commission from him. And
as tbeir duty fitwiraerly did bind them to own and assert the
,'just and le^ succession of the sacred line, as unalterable by
any human jurisdiction, sp now, on this occasion, they, for
themselves, and the whole nation represented by them, in
most humble and dutiful manner, do renew the hearty and
sincere offer of their .lives and fortunes, to assert, support, de
fend and maintain King James VII. their present glorious
monarch, wd his heirs and lawful successors, in the posses^
sions of trieir crowns, sotereignty, prerogatives, &c, against
alifeiortals.'

264 THE HISTORY OT THS CaAT. XI.
The Same day the council, in respect of the forewarned in*
vasion, published a proclamation for putting the kingdom in- a
posture of defence. It is not worth while to take notice of the
flattering title given to the late king, our dearest brother of re
nowned and eternal memory. By this proclamation the mili
tia in the eastern shires, and„ all able to bear arms in the nor
thern shires, were commanded to be in readiness with fourteen
days provisions ; and particular care was taken of the sea-coast
towns. All this preparation was no more than might have been
expected. Next day, AprU 29th, the Marquis of Athol was made Lord
.Lieutenant of the shires of Argyle and Tarbet, and ordered to
inarch thither with some forces ; and, wherever he marched|
the people were obliged to fumish them with baggage-horses.
The same day a most bloody murder was committed upon
five persons near Inglistoun in the parish of Glencairn. One
Andrew Watson, perhaps the same concerned In the murder
of the curate of Carsphairn, was an artful spy among the hiding
people, who; after that affair, deserted them. He got himself
apprehended, and a sham sentence of death passed upon him.
He escaped, and tried to join the wanderers once more ; but
they would have nothing to do with him, whereupon he threw
off the mask, and listed himself for a soldier. Being tolerably
well acquainted with their hiding places^ he discovered a cave,
near Inglistoun, which had been a place of secrecy among them
for some years. Colonel James Douglas and Lieutenant Living
stone came suddenly to this cave, where they surprised John,
brother to James Gibson, the heritor of the place, James Ken-
noch in Glencairn parish, .Robert Edgar,' Robert Mitchel and
Robert Grierson., The soldiers fired into the cave, by which
One of them was wounded. Then they rushed in, and, without
asking any questions, or making any offers, Douglass condemned
thpm to be shot directly. John Gibson was first permitted to
pray, which he djd to the admiration of the soldiers. He sung
part pf Psalm xvii. read John xvi. and, after he prayed, was
shot. He had a short interview with his sister, and. told her,
that this was the most joyful day he ever had. His mother
also got access to him, and he requested her not to grieve, but
to bless the Lord, on his account, who had made him both
wiUing and ready to suffer for hl§~ cause and interest. The
rest were dispatched all at once, without being allowed to pray
separately. One of them was not kUled out-right, which one
FerguSpn; an appstate, observing, he thrust him through the
body widi his sword. The last words that poowman spoke,
were, Though every hair in my head were a man/I am willing
to die all those deaths for Christ and his cause. They li#^bu-
ried in the church-yard of Glencairn.

CHAP. XI. CHURCH Of SCOTLAND. 265
About this time the heritor of Inglistoun had his lands 'given
to the laird of Stonehouse, who not only possessed the estate,
but likewise seized on 2048/. of Lady Inglistonn's portion, and
reduced her and her children to the greatest straits, merely for
pretended converse with her sons and friends, who could not
conform to the iniquity of the times.
Some time this month Dundas, (he commander of Blaquhan
garrison, being Informed of one John Se'.nple In the parish of
Dally In the shire of Ayr, detached a party along with Fergu
son the informer, who about mid-night surrounded the house,
John hearing a confused noise pf feet, and judging what It was,
tried to escape out at a back window ; but five or six of the
party observing him, discharged their pieces, and killed him on
the spot. It was in this month of April that one Peter IngUs
shot John Burrle In the parish of Evandale, though he had his
pass in his hand.
The month of May continues the bloody scene. The morn
ing of the .first day of this month was ushered in with the har-
barous murder of John Brown in Priestfield In the parish of
Muirkirk, a pious solid Christian, and of great iise to young
people. He was a carrier to his employment, and Was usually
nicknamed the Christian carrier. This morning between five
and six o'clock, having performed family-worship, he went out
to his work, and was surrounded by Claverhouse, with three
troops of horse, and brought back to his own house. After he
had distinctly answered some questions, Claverhouse Said to
him,_* Go to your prayers, for you shall immediately die ;' and,
when praying, he interrupted him three times. After he had
done, he said to his wife, who was present with her child in
her arms, and another child of his first wife's, • Now, Isabel,
• the day Is come of which I told you when I first proposed
« marriage to you. To which sbe replied, « Indeed, John, I
' can willingly part with you.' This, ' said he, is all I desire ; I
• have no more to do but die ; I have beenincase to meet death
" for many years ;' and then he kissed, his wife and children,
and blessed them, wishing all purchased and pr()mised blessings
to be multiplied upon them. Then Claverhouse ordered six sol
diers to shoot him ; which being done the wretch said to the
widow, ' What thinkest thou of thy husband now, woman?'
She said, « I ever thought much good of him, and as much now
« as ever.' He said, « It were but justice to hay thee beside
' him.' She replied, « If you were permitted, I doubt not but
« your cruelty woul^ go that length : but how will you
• answer for this morning's, work J' He answered, «To man
' I can be answerable, and as for God, I'll take him in min^
« own hand.'

266 THE HISTORY OP THE CHAP. Xtl.
He then marched off, audi left. her with tlie corpse, She set
the child on the ground, gathered his scattered brains, tied up
his head, covered his bpdy with her plaid, and sat down and
Wept over him. He was buried at the end of his own house.
¦ Claverhouse is said to have frequently acknowledged, that John
Brown's prayer made such impressions on his spirit, that he
could nevM- get them altogether worn off when he gave himself
liberty to think. . ,
On this first of INfay, the parliament made two acts for fa
cilitating processes for treason now depending before the j.usti>
clary.. By. the one they ratified the custom formerly used, in
proceeding against prisoners In twenty four hours : but, for the
future, allowed them to be cited in fortyrcight hours; so that
by^this a parliamentary pardon and protection was given for for
mer violations of' the rights and liberties of mankind ; and two
days were only granted for men to make their defences upon
life and death, ,The other act ordains, that If those who were
summoned as witnesses, in case of treason, house or,field con-
venticles, or church Irregularities, refuse to swear, they shall be
liable to be punished as guilty of those crimes in which they
refuse to.be witnesses. The iniquity of this act cannot but be
obvious. By this time the Earl of Argyle, being ready for his expedi
tion, and the Duke of Monmouth having engaged that he would
not stay in Holland ten days after him, embarked on the 1st of
May, with three ships, and a Considerable number of arms and
in three days reached Orkney, They had not above three hun
dred men in all. Mr Blackadde.r, son to Mr John Blackadder,
was sent ashore to get inteUigence Mr W, Spence went with
him to visit an uncie^of his at Kirkwall the chief town; but
both being discovered, were apprehended by the old bishop
there. Mr Blackadder was afterwards pardoned. This alarm- .
ed the country, Argyle was for sending a party of fusileers
to recover the two gentlemen ; but he was dissuaded from the
attempt, and only a few prisoners were taken. From Orkney
they steered their course by the inside of the Western Islands ;
and, had they got in time to Islay, would have surprised Bale-
chan with a party of four or five hundred men ; but they came
just an hour too late. They next dropt anchor near Tober-
more in Mull, where tb^y were detained three days, which was
vety much to their disadvantage. From MuU they sailed to
Kintyre ; and here they were diisappoint^d of many whom they
expected would join them. " however, bis lordship, and those
with him, pubUshed their declaration, which, as we hate relat
ed, was drawn up by Mr James Stuart advocate. A short ab
breviate of it cannet but be acceptable to the reader, and il as
follow?, '

CHAP, XI, CHURCH OF SCOTLANB. 267
npHEY must be altogether strangers  in the , Christian
-*- wotld, who  are not fully convinced — -that the whole
reign of Charles II.  was a constant and uniform course of
perjury, apostacy, and violence, begun with open rebiBllion
against God ; the rescinding not only of particular laws, but
 of whole unexceptionable parliaments for the space of
twenty-seven years preceding,-  and the cruel shedding of
the best protestant blood. In the most unjust execution of the
Marquis of Argyle, and many other worthies, contrary to all
law and reason, carried on by the smiting and casting out of
more faithful and pious pastors, and scattering-.-'— more true
flocks and followers of Christ, than was done in most of the ten
primitive persecutions, and deluging of thefee lands with all vil
lainous debaucheries and abominable licentiousness,  and
thenceforward accompanied by a most unrelenting persecution
and oppression of the generaUty of God's people in their con
sciences, persons and estates,  in the following particulars
 all too evidently seen and heavily felt to need any explicit
proof or demonstration. As, \mo. Not, only in the above-men
tioned open and avowed revolting from God,
But next, and more particularly, in the conniving at pa
pists, their meetings andidolatrous masses, while, in the mean
time, all protestant, non-conformists are persecuted with end
less severities ; the raising, keeping up, and incriitising stand
ing forces,  the exalting the king's supremacy  about
the external government and policy of the church ;— ^the strange
perversion of the high trust of the'miUtia committed to his
Majesty, for the protection of good subjects, only to the in
vading and oppressing, by lawless hosts, both of Highlanders
and Lowlanders, the best parts -of the kingdom ;  the for
cing of poor people, by  exorbitant finings, imprisonments
 ^for tbe simple cause of non-conformity, to take arms in
their own defence, as at Pendand, 'BothweU bridge, and then
demeaning and executing them, what in fields, and what on
scaffolds,' as the" mpst desperate traitors; and, at the same
time, Involving whole countries, upon the most slender and
absurd pretexts, of Inevitable intercommunings and reset, both
in their crime and punishment ; the setting up the most vio
lent  men^to be ministers ofthe law, and packing juries to
the worst ends ;- — the transporting of freemen as slaves ;  ¦
the torturing of several,  even five times more conscien
tious non-conformists, within these twenty years, than of all
sorts of felons and malefactors In Scotland- thege hundred years
bypast ;-- — the cruel executing to the death of several hun
dreds,  some of them fbr their bare opinion about the king's
breach of trust, never before by them vented, but simply de-

268 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XII'
dared upon examination, and most part of them dispatched
with that barbarous Inhumariity, as that  they were, by
beating of drums, hindered to speak to the pebple their last
and dying words ; and some of them — ^ — tried, sentenced, and
put to deatii in one day, yea, the time and hour of their death
industriously concealed from them, that they might be cut off
by a more inprtal surprise ;  the imposing and ' pressing of
oaths without law ;  ;the eating up of men by fyee quarters,
 the harrassing the best parts ofthe country by four extra
ordinary olrcuits, upon one and tbe same subject of Bothwell-
bridge, on purpose, as it Were, to justify his highness's judge
ment to his late majesty, that it would not be well with Scot
land  till the south of Forth was turned to a hunting field ;
 the industrious stifljng-^ — r-the detection of aU popish
plots ;  ^the shamming of mock-plots upon good protestants,
 and generally in tbe studied and constant ensnaring — «
all esteenjed either fixed to the protestant interest, or well af
fected to their country's liberty-
This wicked 'mystery, we say, and conspiracy of popery
and tyranny,  Shaving made so great a progress, by the
steps above mentioned, is .now at length evidently disclosed
— '¦ — by the^ost suspicious  cuting off of the late king :— — i, .
the ascending of Janies duke of York to the throne,  not
withstanding his being twice excluded by the commons of
England ; and that he neither hath given, nor can give, with?
out an hypocritical and "damning cheat, repugnant to his pro
fession, and contemptible tq all ingenuous men, the oath and
security indispensibly required of him before and at his entry
to the government, &c. &c.
Which things, being all of them either palpable pefvei^ions,
or utterly inconsistent with tbe tf ue and great ends of governT
ment, rendering our common-wealth our common calamity,
and him, who pretends tp be Its protector, its most hostUe encr
my,  we have been, and are obliged ai?d constrained, by ex
treme necessity, and for cornmon safety, (the supreme laws),
to take up just and necessary arms, in the name and fear of
the great God, and the confidence of his mercy anji assistance,
for our own and pur country's relief from the foresaid most
grievous and intolerable tyrannies and oppressions, the defence
sind re-establishment of the true and pure Christian religion,
commonly called Protestant, in opposition to that Antichristian
Rpnian religion, commonly called; Papistical, and the recp-
very and re establishment of aU our just rights, liberties, and
privileges, according as we stand indispensibly engaged there
to, both before God and man ; and that against the said Jaines
"Duke of York, and other his accomplices, our most natural

CHAP. XIU CHURCH O'F SCOTLAND. 269
and wicked enemies and oppressors ; desiring, in the first
place, to be deeply humbled, each of us, before God, for our
manifold sins and provocations, especially bur false hearted-*
ness in, and unstedfastness in, and revolting from our great
and manifold engagements to him that alone bath brought up
on us all these sad mischiefs ; earnestly and with our whole
hearts, supplicating that he would cease fiocu his anger, cause
his face to shine upon us, and save us for his own name's sake^
And, in the neXt place, declaring,-- — that our ends and
designs, in this our undertaking, are 1st, The restoring and
settling the aforesaid true reformed protestant, religion 
2dbf, The suppression and perpetual exclusion of aiitichristiaix
popery, with all Its idolatrous superstitions and falsehood ;
and also its most bitter root and offspring prelacy, with its
new and wicked head the supremacy, and all their abuses 
And, Sdly, The restoring of all men to their just rights and
liberties, especially the recbmpensing of aU sdfierers, whether
nnto blood, the loss of liberty and goods, &c,- — which
things, as we  ^-hope to accomplish, only through the pre
sence bf our God with us,  -so we are most wUliiig and re
solved that they be aU settled and perfected by a ftee, full,
just, and sovereign representative of all the present undertak
ers, and such as shaU hereafter siticerely concur and take part
with us ; and that in such forms and ways as God, by his;
good providence, can only most happily direct and conduct us
unto ; declaring and protesting farther, that, since such have
been  the treachery, perfidy, &c. of our adversaries,—^ —
we will never enter into any terms of capitulation— ..^with
them  , . '
After signifying their resolution to 'prosecute these things,
they conclude with a most pathetic invitation to all the lovers
of truth to concur and join with them ; but this declaration
had not that Influence on the minds of people that might have
been expected. The societies thought that it opened a door
for a too promiscuous admission.
When tbey were at Mull, the earl sent letters to, his friends
by his son Mr Charles, who went ashore at the castle of Dun-
staffnage, and used all his interest in that country, \i*hich had
little success, only a few joined him there ; for they whom he
took for his friends basely discovered aU, and others were very
backward to join him : and aU that Mr Charles got done, was
placing a garrison in the castle of Carnasory, tlie dwelling of
Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchlnbreck,
The earl continued a considerable time in Kintyre, in ex
pectation of having his numbers greatly increased ; but he
had only one addition of about three hundred foot ancj one

270 THE HISTORT OP THE CH.iF. XU.
hundred horse. However, he. received .news that Auchiii-
breck's men were ready, whom the earl brdered- him to march
with to. the Tarbert, and afterwards joined them there, with
his three (companies from Islay, and three from Kintyre, com
manded by CoJ Aylief, Rob, Elphinstoun of Lapness, and-
major John CampbeU, afterward eXjEcuted at.lnverary, and a
troop of, horse commanded by Col. Rumbold. At the Tar
bert, on the 27th of May, Argyle printed and dlspersied: his
declaration to his vassals ; which the reader will find in ,my
authors appendix, Np. 113, Here about one thousand men
joined his lordship, who new modelled his Uttle army ; but i
must leave him for a while, tiU I relate some interveening par
ticulars. '
On the 6th oi.Maf, ' John Macghie of Larg in Qalloway
' deceased, J- Russel of Catercraig, and John Russel of Arnes
* in Dumbartonshire, were forfeited, and their blood tainted ;
* and the two last ordered to be executed when apprehended,
' for accession to BothweU.'
.The same day Peter GiUies in Muirendside, John BricC in
"Vj^estcalder, William Finneson or Fiddlsoh, and Thomas
Young, both of the parish of Carluke, and John Binning,
were banged upon one gibbet, without being suffered so much
as to pray at their death, Peter GiUIes suffered considerably
for his non-confbrialty, during some ofthe preceding years ;
but the d:iy before the -Highlanders^ came to Falkirk, Mr
Andrew Ure, the curate of Muirendside, got a party sent to
his house next day. Accordingly he and John Brice vvere
both apprehended,- and Peter was threatened with immediate
death, in presence of his wife, who was brought to bed but- a
few days before, and was hurried away, without being suffered
either to speak to her, or change hisclothes- About an hour
after a party came back, and told her that he signified that
she knew where his arras were, and that if she discovered them.
he should Hot be shot She calmly told them, ' he had no
< arms that she knew of; and if they got power to take his life,
* she would endeavour to say. Good is the will of the Lord,
* and he, who did aU things wejl, could not wrong her nor
hers,' .This put,them into such a passion, that they threat-
¦ ened to burn her where she lay, &c. They rifled the house,
and toot whatever they could carry with tbem, except some
Bibles, which they threw away. The two men were ,tied to
gether, and driven before them. When they were got about
a few miles, they tied a napkin about Peter's face, set him on
his knees, with a file of musqueteers before him, and kept him
half an hour in this posture, and then carried -him to the. west
country. ' As th^ marched ihrough the parish of Carluke,
they apprehended William Finneson and Thomas Youiig, and
carried these four prisoners to Mauchlin, and seized one John

CHAP. XII. CHtJRCH OF SCrOTtAJTI). 271
Binning keeping some cattle, and took their Bibles from them.'
The day they were carried to Mnuchlin, Peter Gillies wrote a
most affectionate pious letler to his wife ; and, when there,'
they were examined hy Keutenant-general Drummond, indict
ed on tive Sth of May, and a jury of fifteen soldiers was im-
pannelled, who, on the 6th, condemned them to be hanged at""
the town's end ; which being done, the soldiers and two coun
trymen made a hole in the earth, and threw theni all in to
gether. -
On the same 6th of May the parliament passed. three acts.
The first was against the covenants, by which it was declared,
« That the giving or taking the national covenant, as explain-
• ed 1638, or of the league and covenant, (so commonly call-
' ed, } or writing in defence thereof, or owning them as lawful,
* or obligatory upon themselves, or others, shall infer the
« crime and pains of treason This was a home-thrust ; but
very agreeable to the first parliament of a popish king, and
highly proper for the introduction of popery, the national co
venant having, ever since the Reformation,, been accounted
the barrier against the Roman antichrist. Great contempt
had been cast on those sacred engagements, by -the first parlia
ment after the restoration ; but now the giving or taking -of
them, nay, the writing in defence of them, or the bare owning of
tbem as lawful and obligatory, are declared treasonable This
was certainly Iniquity established by a law ; and whatever
slights are, or have been cast on these covenants, yet they were
the glory ofthe nation ; and it has been unanswerably proved,
that nothing is contained in those solemn transactions, but
what, as my author justly observes, prior to the superadded
religion and tie of these oaths, was morally obliging on the
consciences of all by the divine law- In short, this was an act
that could never have been made but by apostate protestants
under a popish prince.
By their next act the conduct of the councU and their com
missioners, in having fined husbands -for their wives withdraw
ing from' ordinances, was approved of and declared legal ; and
the same conduct was ordained to be observed in all time coming.
It is sufficient here to observe, that this parliainent declared a
practice legal for which there never was any law.
The 3d act confirmed the sentence of forfeiture, and all the
proceedmgs against J Potterfield of Douchal, declaring the
same to be agreeable tp the laws of the jfingdom ; and enact
ed, that the concealing, and not revealing of supplies given to,
or demanded for traitors, is treason, and to be judged accord
ingly. "
¦ On the Sth, the parliament passed other three acts, By the
first it; was ordained, that all who shall afterwards preach at
3

272 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP.XII,
house or field-conventlcles, or be present as 'hearers,, at field,
conventicles, shall be punished vrith death and confiscation of
goods. This act discovers the true spirit of antichrist, and
nothing can be offered as an excuse for it, but that those at the
helm were either papists, or acted from the' principles of sla
very and oppression. It was reckoned a house conventicle, if
five more than the family were present ; so that whoever were
guilty of preaching, (not against the government j for, had that
limitation been made, there might have been some colourable
pretence for this severity) in such cases, were to be punished
'with death. , If there was sermon in any house where any were
hearing without doors, that was a field-conventicle ; and now
not the preacher only, but the hearers of it, were by this act
condemned to die. If the reader consider yol. J, that there
are some limitations there, but here are none, he cannot but
be furnished with materials for proper refiections.
I pass over the act for judicial confessions, and only observe,
that the last act passed this day, declared ali subjects, who re
fused to accept the offices of magistrates, justices of the peace,
constables, officers of the hiilitia, or any other employment laid
upon them by his majesty, or his counsel, to be fineable for
their contempt ; so that It must be a happiness to be out of
Scotland at this time.
On the llth of May, the council Issued a proclamation, or
dering all capable of bearing arms to be ready. This was no
more than might have been expected, considering the news
they must have received concerning Argyle; but the blood shed .
this day may justly fill all, who have any bowels of compassion, ¦
with indignation and horror.
It was this 1 1th of May, that Margaret Madauchlan and
Margaret- Wilson, were cruelly executed at Wigtoun. The
reverend Mr Rowan, minister at Periningham, where Margaret
WUson lived, was at pains to have the circumsta'nces of this af
fair well vouched by credible witnesses, from whose attestations
my author gives this narrative. ¦
Gilbert -WUson, Margaret's father, was episcopalian, and
nothing was objected against the regularity of her mother ;> but
their children would by no means conform, and were therefore
obliged to flee to the hills, bogs, and caves, to avoid the fury ofthe
persecutors, though they were scarcely of age to be obnoxious
to the laws then In force. Meanwhile their parents were
charged at their highest peril, not to harboiir or supply them,
not to speak to them, or so much as see them, without inform
ing against them ; &tid their father was fined for their alleged irre
gularities, and otherwise harrassed by the quartering of soldiew,
and, by the oppressions he endured, was reduced from a consi-
2

eHAP, XII, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 273
derable affluence, being once worth 5000 merks, to extreme
poverty. His son -Thomas, a youth of sixteen years of age, was forced
to the mountains last February, and continued a wanderer till
the Revolution ; after which he served in Flanders under King
WUliam, ahd, by ,hls Industry, procured as much as enabled
him to live In the same place where his father had done before
him. His two sisters, Margaret and Agnes, were obliged, in the
begi®ning of this year, to wander through Carrick, Galloway,
and ^^Ithsdale ; but when there was some abatement of the
severities, upon the late king's death, they iventured to Wigtoun
to see some of their suffering acquaintances, particularly Mar
garet Maclachlan, and were betrayed by one P-attick Stuart,
who, under colour of friendship, invited them ,to drink with
him ; and, upon their jtiodestly refusing to drink the king's
health, went and informed against them, and brought a party
and apprehended them. As if they had been the greatest ma
lefactors, they were put into the thieves-hole, and, after some
time, were removed to the same prison, where the Said Marga-
ret Maclachlan was confined, '
Margaret Maclauchldn was a widow, and about sixty-three
years of age, a woman of more than ordinary piety, prudence,
- and discretion, and nothing could ever be laid to her charge
but non-conformity, and refusing the wicked oaths tben^ Im
posed, She was - apprehended onthe Lord's day when i per
forming family-worship, and clapped up in prison, where she
met with crUel treatment. At ,last she, together with Marga
ret arid Agnes Wilsohs, were about the end of April, brought
to their trial before the laird of Lagg, Col, David Graham sheriff.
Major Windram, Capt. Strachan, and Provost Cultrairi, and
were indicted for rebellion, BothweU-bridge, Ayrsmoss, and be
ing present at twenty field-conventicles, though it was impossi
ble any of them could have been accessary to these rising's; but
the true cause was their refusing the abjuratioru'oath : arid it
was very odd that it should be offered to Agnes Wilson, who
was then scarce thirteen years of age ; but pcisecutovs stick at
,nothing. They were brought in guilty, and cofidemiied," by
liiofie monstrous judges, to be tied to two stakes within the
flood-markbf the water of Blednoch near Wigtoun, and there to
be drowned. Theyreceived theirsentence with miich coniposure,
and surprising chearfulness in their countenances; accountiii"-
it their honour to suffer for Christ and his truths. Agnes
the young girl got off^ upon her father's giving a bond of 1( 01.
SterUng, but the other two suffered according to their sentence.
Onthe last of April, the- coun-cil had this affair undeV their
considerationj and susriended the execution to an uncertr.in time,
-VOL, II. * S

274- THE HISTORt OF THB CHAP, XH,
and recommended to>the secretaries to procure -their remission.
The day to which th^y were reprieved is blank in the registers;
but we may very safely suppose it would be for a longer' day
than the llth of May, thete being scarce time, between the
SOth of AprU and that day, to get a return from the secreta
ries ; but, notwithstanding this, the barbarous sentence was-
executed. Windram guarded them to the place of execution,
attended by a vast number of spectators to behold such an un
usual sight. The old woman's stake was fiaed a good way be
yond the other, and so she was first dispatched, the more to
terrify the other into a compliance with such Oaths and condi
tions as they required- ; but in vain ; for she adhered to hef
principles with unshaken stedfastness. When the water was
overflowing her fellow-martyr, the persecutors asked her what
she thbught of that sight. She answered, * What do I see but
* Christ and his members wrestling there. Think you that we
* are the sufferers? No, it is Christ in us ; for he -sends none a
^.warfare on their own charges.* When Margar€«t Wilson Was
at the stake, she sung Psal. xxv. from ver. 7. read- the 8th chap
ter of the Romans, and then prayed. While at prayer the
water covered her ; but before she was quite dead they pulled
her- out ; and, when able to speak, she was asked, by Win-
dram's orders, if she would pray for the king. She answered,
she wished the salvation of all men, and the damnatioH-of none.
One deeply affected said, « Dear Margaret, say, God save the
king, say,. God save the king,' She answered, with the great-,
est steadiness and composure, ? God save him if he wUl; for
< it is his salvation I desire.' U-Jjon whieh, some accounts say,
that Lagg cried, « D — d b  ch, we do not want such
* prayers ; tender the oaths to her.' It is certain what- she
said did not satisfy ; for Windram charged her Instantly to take
the abjuration, otherwise to return to the- water. She most de
liberately refused^ aud said, • I -will not ; I am one of Christ's
* children, let me go;' and- immediately was thrust into the wai
ter, where' she finished her course with joy, and died a virgin-
martyr, aged eighteen years. Upon the whole, the reader must
see, thgt these two suffered entirely on account of their refusing
the ab}uration. Refl'ections are needless.
On the 1 1th of May, a young man, Andrew Hislop, in the
parish of Hutton, was barbarously murdered. One of the wan
derers happened to die at his mother's house, and was buried
in the night-time in the adjacent fields ; but, the grave being
discovered. Sir James .Johnstoun of Wester-raw came with a
party, and baibarously dug up the body ; and, finding that the
corpse came outof widow Hislop's house, they pillaged and
pulled the house do-wn, and drove her and her children to the
fields. Claverhouse seized this Afidiew on the 10th of May,

CHAP, XII. CHURCH OV SCOTLAND. 275
and brpught him to Westet-raw, who» to signalize hU loyalty,
would have him dispatched in the fields, ahd accordingly passed
sentence of death- upon him. Claverhouse was backward at
this time, and urged fOr a delay ; perhaps th'e impressions of J,
Brown's murder were not yet worn off, but WeSter-raw press
ed it, till Claverhouse at last yielded. Saying, « The blood of
• this poor man be upon yoi^ Wfestef-raw ; I an^ free of it.'
Then he commanded a Highland captain, who was there, to
order the execution ; but he, drawing his Highlanders to a
convenient distance, sware, that her ftain sell would fight Cla
verhouse and all his dragoons first. Whereupon he ordered
three of his own men to do it. When they were ready to fire,
they bid Andrew draw h^S Cap or bonnet over his face, Beirig
of an undaunted courage, he refused, arid told them he could
look his death-bringers in the face without fear ; for he had
done nothing of Which he Was tiShamed ; and, holding up his
Bible, charged theto to answer for What they had done, and
were 'to do, at the great day, when they were to be judged by
that book,. He was buried where he Was shot in Ctaighaugh,
iri Eskdale-muir. This Wester-raw was once a covenanter,
and an opposer of the test, which he at last embraced, and be
came a bloody persecutor, and died, about the Revpiotidn, In
great torture of body, and horror of conscience.
On the said 1 1th of May, Major J. Balfour, Capt. J. Mait
land, — — Menzies,  Mackenzie, apprehended three coun
trymen, T. Cook, J. Urie, and R. Tam, at Polmadie, neat
Glasgow, and then asked the prisoners, if they Would pray for
king James 'VII. They Said they would pray for all within the
election of grace, Ralfdur said. Do you question the king's
election ? They answered, that sometimes they questioned
their own. In a word, they wete all three shot within an hour
after they were takeri. When dead they drew off some of
their clothes, saying, they might do good to a soldier; but per
ceiving their dogs licking their blood, they threw them on the
corpses again.
One murder more was committed on this bloOdy day.
Lieutenant-colonel Douglass found a ' pious man, one Andrew
Macquhan, lying sick Of a fever, and, because he Was ejther
unable, or unwilling to ansv/er his questions, ordered him to
be taken out of his bed on the 1 0th of May, and carried with
him to the NeW town of GaUoway, and nest day td be shot
without any trial.
On the 13th of May, James Kirko, in the parish of Keir,
was betrayed by a pretended friend, and seized by Captain
Bruce and a party of dragoons. When Apprehended, the cap-'
tain offered him the abjuration, arid upon his modest refusal,
ordered him to prepare for present death. Then he sung part

276 • THE HISTORY OB THE GHAP. Xlt.
of the 116th psalm, read a portion of scripture, and prayed.
He was next offered his life, on condition he would discover
the haunts of the wanderers. He excused himself, and sajd
he durst not redeem his life' at so dear a rate. Whereupon
they carried him to Dumfries water sands, and, upon his de
clining to answer some more of their questions, ordered him
immediately to ; be shot. He B^ged to be spared till next
day, « No, no,' said the captain, « no more time ;' t^ie devil
• a peace you now gfet made up/ James said, ' Sir, you mis-
' take it ; you eanftot marr my peace with God,' At this the
captain- raged, and, speaking to the soldiers said, 'Dogs, make
•ready ; for the devil a peace shall he get more.' Thus he was
shot directly, withoiit being allowed tp pray.
About this time one Matthew Donald, who bad for some
time been in prison at Glasgow for non-conformity, fell sick i
and, though' he was in a dying condition, was ordered; to be
carried to Edinburgh. When they came to Calder, he could
¦walk no farther ; but the soldiers meeting a sledge on the road,
most Inhumanly tied him to it, and dragged him away, so that
he died among their hands. But-^ to leave this melancholy-sub
ject for a while, - ,
On the 13th of May, the parliament passed the act for sup
ply, and ratified the forfeitures against Robert Hamilton of
Monkland, Mr R. Bally of Jerviswood, and the Earl of .Argyle ;
so that the greatest acts of injustice and cruelty were now rati
fied. The same day they passed their act for taking the lest,
by which all Potestarit heritors, liferenters, &c. were to swear
this oath- by a certain time fixed in the act, except women.
The only remark that needs be made here is, that the test seems
now to be limited , to Protestants. The reader may easUy guess
the reason of this, when he remembers what the king, wheri
Duke of York had threatened. In the afternoon they
ma.de an act concerning justices of peace, who, by this. Were to
be nominated by the councU, to have power of proceeding
against church-Irrgularities, and a right to the fines of all de
linquents except heritprs. This was brave encouragement to
go On in the work of persecution,
- On the 15th, the process against the noblemen, and gentle
men formeriy mentioned, came on before the parliament. The
late alleged- conspiracy was the pretence ; but their opposition
to prelacy was the real cause. There were present Sir Wil
liam Scot, Cesnock elder arid younger, Hay of Park, John- Weir
pf,_Newtoun The rest named in- the citation were absent.
The- king's letter, the advocate's order" to prosecute, the general
indictment were all read, together with a libel or indictment
against- Harden younger, and two additional libels against Hay

CHAP, XII, CHURCH OF SGOTLAN-D. 277
of Park and Ardkinglass; iaut these things, with' oth,er preHmi-
naries, I omit. '
On the 17th, the council wrote to the Drike of Gordon, and
others in the northern shifes, ordering them to caU forth the
heritors, since Argyle was now appearing about the western
islands. The same day they commanded Mr Blackadder and
Mr WiUiam Spence to be brought to Edinburgh ; and, on the
19th, air the heritors on the South sid^ of Tay were enjoined.
to attend the king's host, and Lord NeU Campbell, William
Cochran younger of Ochiltree; the Master of Melvil, and
Pringle younger of Torwoodlee, were ordered to enter into the
castle of Edinburgh.
It Is not to be Imagined what ravages the soldiers made upon
the news of Argyle's landing. Parties contiriually marched
through the south and west, and all -con- conformists were sure
to feel the -effects of their fury.
" One James Forsyth; in the' parish of LoChmaben was seized
and sent prisoner to Wester- raw, who offered to let him go. If,
with uplifted hands, he would swear and say, « God bless' Kirig
James VIL' Forsyth asked him what he meant by blessing
the king? For -his part; he wished him well, and that aU spiritual
blessings might -he upon him- The other replied, fee should
own him as his lawful king, and that he should pray. Long may
be live, and well may he prosper in all his actings and pro
ceedings, James told him he 'could not do that, because he
was a papist and a persecutor. He was next examined by Cla
verhouse; but they were restrained from touching his life;
however, they sent him prisoner to Edinburgh, and from thence
to BurBtislaiid. His wife, 'having come to ' see him, was sent
prisoner with him, though she was -big with child, and they
had nothing to lay to her charge. They were both sent tb
Dunnotter, where 'she was delivered, and died. And this brings
me to give a brief 'account of the peculiar hardships the pri
soners met with who were sentihiiber. My author had this
tragical account from the papers of the reverend Mr John Fra
ser, and the distinct narratives of the fore ineutioried Qulntin
Dick and Mr WUliam Macmillan, who were among these .un
happy prisoners. ''¦•--
Mr Fraser had' gq^e to Lpndon, for his safety and improve
ment, about the ehd of 1678, or beginning of 1.679, and cori-
-tinued'there till the end of 1684, when'he was, with several
other Scotsmen, seized at a dissenting meeting In'Gutter-larie
Hear GuildhaU,' as Mr A. Shields was preachiiri'g.
The accounts of Argyle's invasion alarmed the Scots ministry
so, that, in conse'qiience of a hasty resolution, Mr John Fr.i6er,
Mr WiUiam MacmlMah, -Qulntin Dick, WiUiam NiVjCri, Wil-
,Jiam Campbell of Middle welwood, his brother John, and many

278 TIJ5 HISTOUT OF TH? CHAP. XII.
others in the prisons of Edinburgh and the Canongate, wer?,
on the 18th of May, to their great suprise, taken out pf their
respective prisons, without knowing what was to be done with
them, and carried out of town, under a strong gwaxi, and deli-,
vered, at the Netherbow, tp Douglas's regiment, by whom they
•were conducted to Leith. From thence, being in all above ^OQ,
they were put into open boats, and hurried off the shore, with^
out being permitted to receive any necessaries from their friends
or relations, who never expected to see them more. Next morn
ing, about break, of day, they landed at Burntisland,
About 240 were there crowded into two rooms in the prisodt
where they continued for two days and two nights, were denied
liberty separately to ease nature, had nothing allowed for their
subsistence, and many of them were not permitted to have
bread and water for their money. When thus pent up, the
laird of Gosford came from the council with : orders to bring
l^ack to Edinburgh as many as w^uld imnnediatel.y swear the
oath pf allegiance and supremacy. About forty complied ; the
rest, owning their allegiance, but refusing the supremacy. Were
reserved for farther miseries.
It, would be tedious to mentipn all their particular hardships
on the road. After two days dismal confinement at Burntisland,
men and women togethfer, they were committed to the militia
of Fife- Most of them ^ad their hands tied behind them-
They who were so humane as to bring any necessaries for their
support, were beat off by the guard. Lieutenant Beton of Kd-
zinnie Wa-s so cruel as tb beat some of the old women among
them, and ptberwise abuse them, because they could not walk
so fast as they would have them, Jn their journey, when
thrust into houses and prisons, they were so crowded that they
were almost suffocated, and several of the women fainted.
Among other miserable sufferers, was one Eupham Threp-
I^nd, thf wife of George Macbirpie merchant in Dumfries, who,
from her husband's death, 1681, underwent a scene of trouble.
Whpn the rest of the prisoners, just now mentioned, were de-
^iv^red to the guard, a corporal came and told her, that she
must likewisie go with them. Remonstrances were in vain i
for though she was unable to travel, that was not admitted as
?ny excuse ; they placed her behind' one of the dragoons, and
hiirried her after themi without sufFsring her to take any ren
fresbment ; and thus she joined the rest of her fellow sufferer^
at Burntisland, :•
At last, on Lord's day, 24th of May, they were all, except a
few that made their 'escape on the road, brought to Dunnotter
cj,stl€!, and r^c^iyed \^y Qeorge Keith of Whiteridge, sheriff-
depute pf Merns. fhis large company was thrust into a dark
vault, under ground, which had bnt one small window towards

CHAP, X«. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB. 279
the sea.. It was full df mire ancle deep. In this dreadful
place about 100 of them were pent up almost the whole of this
summer,'without air, without ease, without room either to lie
or walk, and without any comfort except w-hat they had from
Heaven. They were obliged to purchase the worst of provi
sions at an extravagant rate. They were so suffocated with
the smell of the place, and of their own excrements, that, as
several of them died, so it was a wonder of mercy any survived
such an unparalleled calamity. When they had all contiriued
together In the great vault, the governor was pleased to remove
idiout forty of the men to another small vault, without any light
hue what came in through a small device. The governor's
Lady came to see the prisoners, and prevailed with her husband
to remove twelve of the -men from the forty, and the women,
from the large vault, Into two rooms, which was a great relief.
The intolerable hardships these poor people endured, put
some of them to attempt their escape ; accordingly about twen
ty- five of them got out one night by the window towards the
sea, and crept along a dangerous rock, to the utmost hazard of
their lives ; but the alarih being soon given, fifteen of them were
re-taken, and most inhumanly beat and bruised ; and, when
brought back to prison, were put into the guard-house, bound
and laid on their backs on the floor, and most droadfijlly tor
mented. WiUiam Niveri, Peter Russel, and Alexander Dal-
gliesh in Kilbride were laid on their backs on a form, their
hands were tied to the foot of It, and a fiery match put between
every finger of both hands, and six soldiers waited by turns to
blow the match, and keep It equal with their fingers. This
was continued for three hours, without intermission, by tlie go
vernor's order, W, Niven lost one of the fingers of his left
hand, Alexander DalgUesh, and one more, died of the torture ;
and several others had their fingers burnt, and the very bone
turned to ashes.
Such were their hardships, that Grlzel Cairns and Alison
Johnstoun, in behalf of Mr William Macmillan, and Robert
Young Wright in Edinburgh, their husbands, and the rest of
their fellow-prisoners, presented a petltioh to the council, re
presenting their intolerable grievances, and praying for redress.
The couricil, on the Sth of June, 'took their petition under cori-
sideration, and ordered the deputy- goyerrior to suff'er meat,
drink, and other necessaries, to be brought to the prisoners, by
their friends or servants, at the ordinary easy rates, anti to allow'
Mr Macmillan and Robert Young a distant room from the rest,
and all the prisoners to have better a9Conim6dation. This so
nettled the governor, that he drew up a declaration in, his own
favour, obliging the subscribers to testify that they had good
usage, and wanted not conveniencies sbjce they came to Dvin-

280 THE HISTORY OF THE CIIAF. Hit.
nptter ; but there were very few that signed this, the rest abso
lutely refusing to attest a falsehood. After this In July, the
Earls of Errol and Kiritore Were appointed to examine the Dun-
- notter prisoners, whether they ovi'ned the king, and would sub
mit to his authority ; whether they would pray for him, and re
nounce the apologetical declaration. At last the prisoners were
brought south ; the consequences of which shall be related in
its proper place. William Campbell of Middle-Wellwood,
with difficulty, escaped banishment, and came home ; but next
year was apprehended, and put in prison in the Canongate, from
whence he wasi after a long imprisonment released upon pay
ing 1200 merks fine, ...
¦ On the 22d. of May, the indictment was read In parliament.
.against Sir John Cochran, Polwart, Torwoodlee, and, the Iieirs
of Mr Martin, Sir Jolni's trial came on in the forenoon. AU
that appeared against him was, that he had conversed with others ',
about proper methods for preventing the ruin of the natioti.
Mr Carstalrs's printed declaration, contrary to former promises,,
was read. In short, he was brought In guUty, and condemned,
as in the sentence against Jerviswood.. And in the afternoon
the same sentence was- pronounced ag-ainst the rest,
T-'he same day the parliament passed the act for taking- the
oath of allegiance, whereby they ratified all that the council, the
justiciary, and their conamissioners had done. In banishing, im
prisoning, and fining the refusers of the said oath,. &c. The
readcj- has seen how much innocent -blood was shed on this
score, and must judge whether, by this act, the parliament did
jiot bring th? guUt of it .upon thems,eWes.
Mr Renwick, who still preached in the fields, having, on the
said 22d of May, preached to a considerable number of his fol
lowers, and received several Into the societies who professed
their repentance fpr taking the abjuraflon and the test, &c, the
council, on the 25th, ordered Lord Carmichael to call all sus
pected persons to an ,aCcount, and to take care of the country
of Carrick, by securing the arms and horses of all suspected
persons, the better to prevent the designs of Argyl,e. ^
On the 27th, the indictment was read against Sir Thomas
,3tuart of Cultness, for sending meat and drink to the; people at
V-Othwell, his receiving rnen that came from thence ; and, be-i
ing found guilty, was sentenced to die. His case was much the
same with Bladtwood's.,, '
Though the followers of Mr Renji^ick were not free to join
the Earl of Argyle, on account, as they said^ of the too prpniis-
cuous admission of persons to trust In that party ; and because
they could not espouse his declaration, as the state ; of their
quarrel being, as they apprehended, not concerted according to
the constant plea of the Scots covenanters, yet against die usur-

CHAP. XII. . CHURCH OF SCOTLANB, 281
patlon of a bloody papist, they published another declaration at
Sanquhar; on- the 28th of May, of which I cannot but give the
foUowing abstract.
"I T hath pleased the holy and wis^e God to exercise the church
¦"- of Scotland, now of a long time, with wrestling and war-
faring under the yoke of cruel oppressions. All this . - we
have met with as just uppn thfe Lord's part, though unjust up
on man's, for our manifold sins and iniquities ; and in a special
manner, for our not purging our judicatories and armies when
the power was in our hands, pf ipen disaffected tp the cause and
interest of Christ, — —-and for inordinate affectjop to, and lust
ing after the deceased tyrant Charles II, and advancing him to
the regal throne, even while kno-wn, by many palpable disco
veries,  to retain his heart-enmity at the covenanted work of
reformation,  And howbeit, — when we were brought to a
very small remnant, we did, by open declarations, disclaim his
pretended authority ;  all which we do hereby ratify and ap
prove. So now the Lord  having removed the foresaid Charles by
death, and a few wicked and unprincipled men having  pro
claimed James Duke of York, though a professed papist, ' and
excommunicate person— — to be king of Scotland, &c, we the
contending and suffering remnant of the true presbyterians of
the church of Scdjtiand— r-^-do here deliberately, jointly, and
unanimously, protest against the foresaid proclamation,  in-
regard- that it is the chusing a murderer to be a governor, who
hath shed the blood of the saints ;  the height of confederacy
with an" Idolater, which is forbidden by the law of Gpd, 
contrary to the declaration of the assembly, 27th July, 164-9,
and to many wholesoriie and laudable acts of parliament,  .
and inconsistent with the safety, faith, conscience, and Chris
tian liberty of a. Christian people? to chuse a subject of Anti
christ to-be their  supreme magistrate ;^-for Itcould not but
be both'highly sinful and irrational for us to Intrust an enemy to
the work and people of God wlth-the interests of both.
Also conceiving that' this pretended parliament is not a lawful
parliament, in regard that the election of commissioners is li
mited, — -,-that the members are convicted of avowed perjury,
— ; — are riien of blood, the chief being convict of avowed murdei'.
— We do, in like manner,_upon these and many other im-
,portant grounds and reasons, protest against the validity and
constrtution of this present parliament  and their proceed
ing to any approbation or ratification of the foresaid proclama
tion  — —
And father, seeing bloody papists, the subjects of Atichrist,
are become so hopeful, bold, and confident, under the perfidy

282 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP. XII.
of the said James Duke of York, and popery itself  like
to be intruded again  upon these covenanted lands, and an
open door being made thereunto by its accursed and abjured
harbinger prelacy, which these three kingdoms are tqually
sworn against; We do, in like manner, protest against all kind
of popery, in general and particular heads,  abjured most ex
plicitly by our national covenant, abrogated, annulled, and re
scinded by our acts of parUament, and against its entering again
into this land, and against every thing that doth or may, direct
ly or indirectly, make way for the same, disclaiming likewise
all sectarianism, maUgnancy, and any confederacy therewith.
Moreover, taking to, our serious consideration the low .
state of the churches of England and Ireland,^  --all bound in
one covenant and solemn league together, we (in the bowels of
Christ) do, in like manner, admonish you our brethren, 
that ye remember how far youhave sadly failed in pursuing the
ends of our covenants, &c.
Finally, we. being misrepresented to many, — :  as persons
of murdering and assassinating- principles, all which principles
and practices we do hereby declare, before God, angels and
men, that we abhor, renounce, and detest ; as also all manner
of robbing of any, whether open enemies, or others  an4
 all unwarrantable practices committed by any few per
sons reputed to be of us,  as the unwarrantable manner
of kiUing tne curate of Carsphairn-—— ,
This then Is the substance of their declaration against popery,
when open attempts were made for its introduction ; and
though it was not so much condemned, as any of their former
- declarations, yet they had not the concurrence of any ministers
and professors ; and, which is surprising, it was never a ground
of persecution from the managers, particularly and expressly de
clared, though, as Mr Shieldrobserves, * for its matter, it was
( conspicuously consonant, not only to the old principles, but
• even to the common grounds of Argyle's declaration of war
• against this usurper, then generally espoused by presbyterians,'
But to proceed.
On the 2d of June, the parliament approved and confirmed
the opinion of the lords of council and session, November 16.-^4,
making those guilty of high treason who should own, or refuse
to disown, the societies apologetical declaration, in so far as it
declares, &c. and all the processes that had been, or should be
on that score. It wpuld seem one chief part of the business of
this parliament was to ratify the former proceedings of the
ministry ; but it does not appear that they approved of the or
ders given for killing in the fields, that being too large a pill to
be swallowed, even by such a parliament as this,.

CHAP, XU. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 283
Another act passed this day was that for regularity; by
which it was ordained, that all masters, whether heritors, life-
renters, See. should insert, in all tacks to their tenants, an ex
press clause, whereby the tenant shall oblige himself, that he,
his family, cottagers and servants, shall live peaceably and re-
gularly, free of all fanatical disorders, under the penalty of los
ing thc half of their moveables, each for their own fault ; so
that, by this act, all presbyterians were excluded from having
any leases.
Their next act this day ratified the act and proclamation of
council for raising the hue and cry ; by another act passed this
day (for I omit that aboiit adjudication fpr fines, because I do
npt Understand it) was fpr securing the kingdom, by which
^very master of a ship was obliged to bring all his passengers,
at their arrival, before the next magistrate, to give an account
of themselves ; and the same must be done when persons go
out of the kingdom, under the pena,lty of such fines and cor
poral punishment, on the master of the ship, as the council
shall think fit. There were some other acts passed this day
which I omit.
On the 4th of June, they made a very strange act for secur
ing the present councU, the secret committee, the judges and '
officers of the army, and all other commissioners, as follows*:
*Our sovereign lord, considering the great and acceptable ser-
' vices done to his majesty, by these just now mentioned, and
* being desirous to secure them for their actings and omissions
? -, — !— doth, with advice and consent of his estates of parliament,
• indemnify and secure all and every one of them  ^-against
« all pursuits or complaints that can be raised against them ariy
* manlier 6f way, for their actings in his majesty's service,' as
'likewise for ther omissions;  and that as fully as if every
« particular crime or misdemeanour were particularly specified
' in a remission under his majesty's great seal,' &c, t
How powerful are the stings of an evil conscience ! Had not
the managers been conseious of unprecedented proceedings, it
is hardly to be imagined they would have procured such an act
as this, which is a standing blot on their memories in the.re-
Gords of the nation. Had they acted agreeable to the laws of
Qod and man, or had their consciousness of guilt excited them
to seek pardon from the Almighty, for the innocent blood in
their skirts, why a parliamentary indemnity ? But It is to be
feared, the pardorigranted by a wicked parliament will stand
them m smaU stead, when they shall appear before that Judge
from whose sentence there can be no appeal.
The same day Mr Robert Ferguson was tried in absence,
found guilty, and condemned; upon the declaration of West and
Burn, My author observe?, that, if there was any formed de-

284 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP, Xltv
sign against the king and the duke, he was privy to it; but
none of the rest were any ways accessary.
On the 6th Claverhouse, with a party, apprehended' muU
iitudes, and forced many of them to swear never to take arms
against king James VII. on pretence bf religion, and carried
such as refused abput witli them prisoners, binding^ them by
fwo's and three's. , , '
On the loth lord Annandale and bis party seized David
Halliday in Glencyre, and George Short, and gave them quar
ters tOl next day ; but when Lagg came up, be insisted" npon
having them presently dispatched ; neither the intreaties of the
poor men, nor the declaration of Lord Annandale that he had
promised thera life till next day, could preva^ ; for they were
shot, by Lagg's orders, just as they lay fettered on the ground,
and their bodies continued in their gore till next day.
The same month Gilbert Macadam, son-in-law of James
Dun, having been banished for bis non-confoi-mity, and pur-
cliased, his Ireedom, returned home ; but meeting with some
friends for prayer at a house near Kirkmichael, a company of
militia, under the command of Colzean, sii-rrounded the house.
Gilbert, being most obnoxious, tried to escape ; but the sol
diers perceiving him, discharged their pieces, and kiUed him
on ths spot.
About tbe middle pf this month, as James Brown in the
parish of Coulter was fishing, Clayerhonse apprehended him,'
and, had it not been for the laird of Coulterallers, would have
shothim presently ; but he was carried to the English border,
and from thence to the prison at Selkirk, out of which he hap-;
pily made his escape,
', 'there were several other murders In the fields, of which I
have not their dates, as that of William Johnston gardener to
the laird of FintlUoch, George Walker servant in Kirkauly, and
John Milroy chapman-, who were apprehended by major Win
dram, who, after asking some questions, ordered them all to be
hanged at Wigtpun the day after they were seized. A party of
soldiers overtook Jloseph Wilson, John and Alexander Jamieson,
and^ John, Humphry at Knockdon-hill, as they were coming from
hearing Mr Renwick, and shot them all, except Alexander
lamieson. The same day a party of dragoons took Simon Pa
terson and David Dun, and widiout any trial,' hanged thera at
Cumnock. Peter Inglis "cornet, son to Peter Inglis,, with some
soldiers, decoyed Thomas Richard of Muir-kirk, an old man of
eighty years of /age, into a confession ¦ that he had entertained
some of the wanderers, and then-delivered the good old man to
^olonel Dougla-s, who without, any/ jury or trial, ordered him to
be executed at Cumnock next day, notwithstanding the inter
cession of some ladies'pf the Episcopal persuasipn. One Wilj

CHAP, XII, CHUKCH OF SCOTLAND. 2»5
am Paterson, son to Robert Paterson in the parish of Gambus-
nethen, was shbt without any trial, by prder of captain- Bell.
This good man had endured a great deal of trouble during the
former years ; but now his troubles were brought to a period.
The reader cannot but make proper reflections on so rnany mur
ders, and judge who they wfere that truly deserved td be called
murderers and , assassins,
Onthe tlthoflune the parUament passed an act, which
they called. An address against the arch-,traitor .Archibald Camp
bell sometime Earl of Argyle,. wherein they beg that the Earl's
family, the heritors, ring-leader.s, and preachers that joined him,
should be for ever declared' iftcapable of mercy, and of bearing
any honours or estate in the kingdom, and th-4t all subjects be
discharged from Interc.edjng for them any manner of way. I
shall not trouble the reader, with remarks on this, it being so
very, agreeable to the principle of rooting out of heretics ; pnly
I must observe, that the clause relating to the intercession of the
subjects was reversed in the next session.
Next day Jamss Napier, Allan Atkin; and John Peirson, who
had been condemned by Colonel Dpuglas at Cumriock, for noi
discovering the rebels, were pardoned.
On the 13th Lord Melvill, Montgomery pf Langshaw, and
the two Cesnocks, were separately tried, and all found guUty of
accession to the plot. Mr Carstairs's depositions, contrary to
the public faith, were read- against them. Senterice was passed
against the first two, as in the other cases ; but the time and
place of tbe execution' of Cpsnock elder and younger were- re
ferred to the king. Though the Cesnocks Were afterwards par
doned and released, yet, by peremptory orders from the king,
an express was dispatched by Ueutenant-colonel Murray for ap
prehending them, and conducting them to -the Bass. The old
gentleman died soon after, and probably his death was hastened
by the hardships he underwent.
The same day they passed an act for the clergy, by which ail
the acts, especially those made in the former reign, in their fa-
vdui, were ratified, and all murderers and assassins of bishops
.andministers were ordered to be punished, which, was reasonable,
and the parishioners, where any attempt should, be made, were
to pay such sums to their widows as the council should see pro
per; but this , was a punishirig the innocent with theguilty. In
a word, this act made an attempt to break or rob the houses pf
the clergy to be death to the invader. My author justly observes,
that a becoming ministerial carriage is a better hedge thaa
twenty such severe laws, and that, before the restoration, and
since the Revolution, presbyterian ministers required no such
acts in their fayo-jr. He fartljer observes, that this aet, was na

286 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XII.
bar in the way of the projected design of introducing popery,
to which, in Scotiand, prelacy still led the way.
By the 40th act of this parUament, the lands of Sir ,Tohn
Cochran of Ochiltree, Sir Patrick Hume of Polwart, Thomas
Stuart of Cultness, Pringle of Torwoodlee, George late lord
Melvill, David Montgomery of Langshaw, Cesnock elder and
younger, Mr Robert Martin, Earl of Tarras, Mr Robert Baily
of Jerviswood, Thomas Kennedy of Grsnge, John Poterfield ef
Douchal, Mr WiUiam and Alexander Gordons of EarlstoUh,
James Gordon younger of Graighen, were for ever annexed t{»
the crown ; but this, with other unjust and oppressive acts, was
reversed after the Revolution,
On the "Same, I Sth of June two -regiments of soldiers came
into New-Galloway, arid, separating into two different places,
^uite ravaged the country ; riay, about this time the whole army
came to the west-country, ahd committed innumerable abuses
every where ; so that the losses sustained by many, especially
about the small viUage of Dalmellingtoun, are not to be calcu
lated. The lands of Lord Stair and Cesnock were entirely
plundered. But I must pass these things.
,On the 16th the parliament referred the rest of the prisoners,
that were to have been tried by- them, to the justiciary, with
power to the lords to proceed against them as if they had beeri
summoned before them ; accordingly their process came on
-tiext month. The same day the parUament annexed the offices
belonging to the earl of Argyle to the crown, and was adjourned
to the last Tuesday of October, and afterwards to April next
yfear.' Mr Rapin justly observes, when mentioning some of the
acts of this session, that, if what passed in Scotland in the reign
of King Charles I. and during the interregnum, be remember-^
ed, this was not the sense of the Scots, but only the opinion of
a parliament devoted to the kirtg^ and which -viably abused
their authority, to establish a form of government directly con
trary to the old constitution ; but I shall .lea-ve the reader to
make his own reflections on this session of parliatnenf , and con-
elude this chapter^with the farther proceedings of the earl of
Argyle, till he fell Into the hands of his enemies.
We left his lord^p at Tarbet, where he pilblished his de
claration to his clan. There he was joined with 1000 men, un
der Sir Duncan Campbell ; and,' having modelled his little army'
into three regiments, each consisting of not' much above 500
,pien, he determined to have attacked Ballechan, who had not
above 600 men vrith him : but Sir John Cochran^ and others
With him, would not go in vrith this proposal. A council of
war was caUed, where it was resolved, contrary to the earl's
sentiments^ to invade the Lowlands.

CH.4K. XtU CliUBCH OF SCOTLANI^. 287
In consequence of this the farces were transported, the best
way they could, to Cowal in Argyleshire ; and Sir John Coch
ran, colonel Elphingstoun and major FuUerton were sent from
thence to the Liwlands : but by this time the coasts were
guarded, and some English frigates -were come up ; so that Sir
John, not being able to land In the Largs in Ayrshire^ was
forced to put in about Greenock, in carder to have intelligenee
and subsistence for their men. Upon their lauding they put to
fiight some of the militia ; then Sir John entered the to-wn of-
Greenock, and endeavoured to prevail with the inhabitants to
join in defence of religion and liberty. He seized only about
forty boUs of meal, , instead of two hundred, which Argyle had
ordered him to bring for the use of the army, and then upOn a
false alarm, retired in the night, and sailed back tP Cowal, and
there, when it was too late, declared that it was folly to attempt
the Lowlands as yet, since they were every where well guarded
by soldiers and the m.iUtia, ,
Upon this Argyle renewed- his design upon Inverary ; and
for this end di-vided his small army, and gave the one half of it
to Colonel Rumbold, whom he sent to guard a pass against the
Marquis of Athole, and raise the country as much as he eould-
He took the other half with himself to Inverary, but the wind
being contrary for several days, and the English frigates come
up, he was obliged to shelter his vessels under the castle of
AUangreg, which having fortified as well as he could, and left
two coiapanies- to guard it,, he, then marched by land to Invera-j
ry, resolving to attack the Marquis of Athole. Colonel Rum
bold,. in the mean time marched with about 50&men, and seized
the castle of A«rdkinglass, The Marquis of Athole sent off' a
large fishing-boat, full of men, to know the Colonel's strength:
but captain Duncanson, manning a fishing-vessel, chased the
other within pistol-shot of the town. However, some regiments
were brdered from Inverary to re-take the castle of Ardkin-
glass : but Argyle -by this time was got up with Rumbold,
The enemy made a halt ; upon which the Earl, 'with five com
panies of foot, and two troops of .horse, went to attack them,
and, *fter putting, the first body of them to flight, returned to
the castle of Axd-kinglass, resolving, next day, to attack Im's-
rary, notwithstanding the Marquis of Athole was four timef!
his number : but some of the gentlemen -who were with his
Lordship, and had aU along differed from him, threatened to
quit all, and go to the Lowlands ;, so that h'e was obliged tjp
leave the castle of Allangreg, with three companies of foot^cora-
manded by the laird of Lapness, and to order the rest, under
Rumbold and Sir Duncan Campbell, to meet him at the church
vi Glenderule, which they did, 3

2SS THE HISTORY OF THE GHAP, kll.
Two days after this, the garrison left in AUangreg, beings as
they said, destitute of provisions, abandoned that castle, ' Thc
prisoners • taken at Orkney, -beirig left behind," acquainted the
captains of the English frigates whenever they cim'e ashore, so
that all fell into their hands. This disaster obliged Argyle to
march into the Lowlands, under' a thousand disadvantages ; for,
when hecrosssd the water of Lcven, a little above Dumbarton,
he found all the king's army and militia ready to oppose him,,
commanded by the Earl of Dumbarton.
Thfe Earl arid Ayloffe were for engaging, knowing thaf,
though they were thrice their number, yet they had many
friends among them : but his Lordship was again over-ruled,
and a retreat was "resolved on. Accordingly, at night, they
marched off, leaving great fires in their former camp ; but their
leaders, mistaking their way, led them inta a moss, which,qulte
disordered- them ; so that, though they were a good army at
night, there were not five hundred of them together in the
morniug, Rumbold and many brave men lost their way. They
who kept together carae to Kilpatrick, and^ put a company of
militia to flight. Sir Joliri Cochran, Sir Patrick Hume, and
others, crossed the Clyde, At length a skirmish happened at
Muirdyke ui_ Lochwiiinocli, in vvhich Captain Clelland; knd
soma others, were killed, and several wounded. On Sir John-'s
side, a gentleman of the name of Campbell was kiUed, Major'
Henderson and Mr Archer were wounded. - 'The last of these
was carried into a shepherd's house, where the enemy fomid-
him, and brought him to Edinburgh, After this they dis
persed, and shifted fpr themselves the best way -tshey 'could. -
The Earl, in the mean time, according to his own account,
finding it impracticable either to rally his friends, or return to
Argyleshire^ attempted to disguise himself nnder the appearance
of a countryman : but he-fell from one difficulty to another, till
He was attaeked at the water of Inchanan, on the nth of June,
by two of the mUitia, v,'ho laid hpld of him, one on each side,
all on horse-back. He grapjded with both, and one of them
with the Earl went to the ground. His Lordship got up, and
ridihimself ;of them both, hy presenting his pocket-pistols, and
would have made his escape, had not five more come and knock
ed him dp-wn with their swords. When they knew who he
-was, they seemed to be much concerned, but durst not let him
go. He was then brought, in prisoner to the -Earl of Dumbar
ton, at Glasgov7 : and thus this noble peer was once more In the
hands of his enemies. Upon the whole, we. may see the mis
chief of divisions : fbr, had not his Lordship, and those gentle
men embarked in the same cause, differed in their sentiments,
it is probable they would" have been more successful. Bishop
Burnet lays tho chief blame on Argyle, and others on Sir John
- ' 3'

CHAP. XIII, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 28&
Cochran, and those that adhered to him : but' it Is not unlikely
there -were faults on all sides. There were several takeri as
well as Argyle, the chief of whom were Sir John Cqchran,
Rumbold, Ayloffe, and Jhe above-mentioned Thomas Archer,
Gavin Russel, and David Law; all these, except Sir John
Cochran and Ayloffe, were executed at Edinburgh. Above
twenty, who were taken in the Highlands, were hapged at In
verary ; and great iiumbers were banished to America. But
I must now proceed to

CHAP. XHI.
Of the execution ofthe Earl of Argyle, Rumbold, Mr Thomas
Archer, and others ; the proceedings qf the council cindjusti-.
ciary ; the siifferings qfthe banished, and other branches' of op-i
pression to the end of the year.
-XK/'HEN the Earl of Argyle was apprehended, he was first
^^ brought to the town of Renfrew, and while refreshing
himself there, he said to Thomas Crawford of Crawfordsburn,;
to whom he. had given a sUver snuff-box, in token of his re
spect : ' Thomas, it hath pleased Providence to frown on my
' attempt ; but, remember, I tell you, ere long, ONE shall take
' up this quarrel, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry, who
' wUl not miscarry in his undertaking.' From Renfrew his
Lordship was taken to Glasgow, and from thence to EdInT
burgl), under a strong guard ; andli , according to the order of
council, dated June 20th, was carried up the street, with his
hands ,ti'ed behind his back, bare-headed, in the midst of Cap
tain Graham's guards; the hangman went before him, the
horsg-guards -before and behind; ,and thus his Lordship was con-
dueted, in dismal procession, to the castle, and there laid in,
irons. There was a great debate at Edinburgh, whether to bring
him to trial for his present attempt, or to execute him on the'
sentence pronounced against him 1681 ; but such -was the zeal
of, the present managers, that they would not seem to call, the
justice of their forrner sentence in question, though, by the way,
all the world must look upon it as the most unrighteous sentence.
that could be passed ; and tlierefore they looked Upon him as
already condcinned. They were at great pains to bring him to
such a -confession, as might involve others, frequently visited
him, brought him several times before their committees,
threatened him with torture, and put many questipns t,6 liim :
•thus matters stood 'with him, till an -express came from court
for his execution.
VOL. II. T'

ogo THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XHI,
Meanwhile Colonel Rumbold was taken, and, on the.22d of
June, was ordered, by the councU, to be conducted to the castle
in a cart, with a rope abbut his neck, fettered and bare-headed.
The hangman's man led 'the cart^ Colonel Graham attended
with die guaid; with drums beating, and colours flying, and
next d:vy the advocate was ordered to prosecute him before the
jasticiary,
, , Oa the 2-4th the coutcil issued, a proclamation for apprehend
ing those concerned with the Earl of Argyle, which I shall not
he. e insert. It is easy for the reaJder to conceive the strain of ,
it. Only I cannot but observe,, that it^vvas something strange
to publish to the world, in this proclamation, that Colonel_Ay-
loffi endeavoured to kill himself ; for what was that to the
case in hand? My author saj-s, that the fact was very much
questioned by persons of good sense who lived at that time :
but, if it was true, it had no relation to Argyle's attempt ; only
the managers were willing to. improve every circumstance.
Bishop Burnet tells us, ' That great discoveries being expected
from him, he was brought to -London, where the king examin
ed him in person ; but could drav/nothing fromhim.but one
severe repartee. Being - sullen, and refusing to discover, any
thing, the king said tp him, Mr Ayloffe, you know it is in my
power to pardon you, therefore say that which may deserve it.
Ayloffe,' it is said, replied, That though it be. in your power,
yet it i>-not in yotir nature to pardon, Mr Ayloffe was nearly 5
related to the king's children, being nephew to the old Earl- of
Clarendon by marriage ; for Ayloffe's aunt was his first wife ; .
so that, had the consideration of this moved the king to pardp&'
him, that, says the historian, would have been aa effectual con- ,
futation of his bold repartee :' but he suffered as well as others.' '
- On the 25th, the council ordered Colonel Rumbold to be ex
ecuted in the following mariner ; that, cn the morr»vv, on his
being found guilty by the lords of justiciary, heJ>e taken frpm
their bar to the low council-house, and firom thence to be led
down by the hangman, with his hat on, to tbe scaffold, and
there to be drawn up the gibbet with a rope about his neck,
and immediately to be let down. Ids heart to be £ut out by the
hangman, and shewn' to the people on the point of a bayonet or
dagger, saying, ' Here is the heart of a bloody traitor and mur
derer,' and then to be thrown into a -fire prepared on purpose on
the scaffold; after that Jiis head to be cut off, and shewn to the .
people in the same manner ; and then his -body to be quartered,
o.ie part of it. to be affixed at the port or tolbooth of Glasgow,
another at Jedbjirgh, a third at Dumfries, the fourth at the
New town of GaUpway, and his head on a high pole at the
West-port of Edinburgh. He bore the base insults of the
council with ipuch composure, owned thc crime he appeared

CHAP. XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 291
for, and expressed his joy In his sufferings ; whereupon one of
them called him a confounded vUlain. Re repUed," with the
utmost sedateness, ' I am at peace with God through Jesus
'Christ ; to men I have done ho wrong ; what tlien can con-
' found me ¦"
On the 26th, he was arraigned before the jusUplary, brought
in guilty, condemned and executed. He v.-as so weak, when
brought to the scaffold, that, not being able to walk alone, he
was supported by tv/o ofiicers. When, in his last speech, he
blessediGod that it was for no ill account, but for owning and
adhering to his distressed work and interest, that such a iot was
carved out for him, the drums beat ; at which he shook his
head,- and said, ' Will they not suffer a dying man to speak his
' last words to the people ?' And then went on, ' declaring- his
confidence of the righteousness of the cause he was engaged in,
arid, among other things, said, 'I confess enemies think they
have got their fpot oa the neck pf the protestant interest now ;
but I am persuaded it is as true as I am this day entering into
eternity, that Christ shaU be glorious in these lands, and even in
poor Scotland, and that shortly : and it is like many who see
me die this day may be witnesses thereof; yea, he shall govern
these nations with a red of iron, and that to th . terror of his
enemies.' After this he prayed, and, when praying for the ex
tirpation of popery, prelacy, and other superstitions, the dr,ums
beat again. He forgave the'^ executioner and aU men ; and,
when he had again prayed within himself, he gave the signal,
and was executed according to the sentence.
Thus fell Richard Rumbold, ' This was the person who
dwelt in Rye-houst, where it -was pretended the plot was laid
for murdering the late and present king. He denied the truth
of that conspiracy. He owned he thought the prince was as
much tied to the people, as the people were to the prince ; and
that, when the king departedfrom the legal measures of govern
ment, the people had a right to assert their liberties, and to-re-
straln him. He did not deny but tha|, he- had heard many pro
positions at West's chanjjjeSlte, about killing the • two brother ;
and upon that he had said-^ it could have been easily executed
near his house ; upon which some discourse had followed ho-w
it might have been managed ; but he said, it was bnly talk,
and that nothing was either laid, or so much as resolved on,'
-He farther said, J He did riot believe that' God had made the
greater part of mankind -with saddles on their'baeks, and bridles
in their mouths, and some few booted and spurred to ride the
rest.' But to return to Argyle.
His Lordship's carriage, before his execution, v.-as both pions
and edlfyliig. While'he was abroad, after his escape, -he shevif-
ed himself to bs a nobleman of singular piety, his, afflictions
2

2P2 ' THE TnSTORY OF THE GHAP, Xllfs
being of great service to him. He spent the 28th of June,
%vhich was -the Sabbath before his death, in a most becoming
way. The- meaner in which he took his leave of his sister, the
Lady Lolhian, was very rao-ving. While in the castle he had
these remarkable expressions in conversation with a dear friend :
'- My gross compliances are now sad and grievous to me ; for
_ these the Lord would not honour me to -be instrumental in his
work ; but I desire to die in the faith of a deliverance to his
church and people ; and though I wiU not take upon me to be
a prophet ; yet, ha-ving strong impressions thereof upon my
spirit, I doubt not but deli-Verance will come very suddenly, and
I hope, I shaU be well. It is true, my- family is low, and I
have nothing to leave them ; but, if they seek God, they wUl
be wonderfuUy seen to, and provided for ; and, if they db not,
I care not what come of them. I fear some have eyed me too
much as an instruinent. Lean not to the arm of flesh.''
On the 29th a letter firom thi? king was read in council, order
ing them to bring the earl to condign punishment within the
space of three days after the receipt of it; and, in the^mean
time, to bring him to a confession of. his associates and cor
respondents, &c* In consequence of this his Lordship, was
ordered to, be 'i-;headed next day, and his head to be aflixedon
the tolbooth of Edinburgh, on aa high pin of iron. Accord
ingly, on Tuesday, June the 30th, Argyle was executed. This
day he wrote, and ordered others to write,, se-veral letters to his
friends, particularly to Madam Smith, to his exceUent lady, and
others, which the reader may see in my author. He declared,
in the morning, to a friend, that he had more joy and comfort
this day,' than the day after he escaped out of the castle.
His Lordship dined with a- grave and becoming cheerfulness
in the castle. ' Mr Charteris (says Bishop Burnet)- happened
to come in, as he was ending dinner, to whom he said pleasaridy,
Sero venientibus ossa.' And being used to sleep a little after
meal , he retired to the closet, and laid himself do-wn on a bed,
and, for about a quarter of an hour, slept as sweetly and plea
santly as ever. MeanwhUe an pffi^r,|tf state came in, and In
quired for him. His fi-iends told him, that his Lordship, as
ifsual, was taking a nap after dinner, and desired that he tnight
not be disturbed. When he saw the earl in that posture, he
was so impressed, that he hasted firom the castle to a relation's
'in the Castlehill, and throwing lumsclf on a bed, discovered
great distress of mind ; and, vrhen asked the cause of his trou
ble, said, I have been in at Argyle, and saw him sleeping as
pleasandy as ever a man did within, an hour of eternity ; but as
for me, &c. The time being come when Argyle must fpr ever
leave the castle, he was, by the council's permissioii, allowed
two episcopal ministers to attend him, viz, Mr Annand, Dean

CHAP, XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 29S
of, Edinburgh, arid Mr, Laurence Charteris, for they would per
mit no presbyterian ministers to wait on him. Their discourse
-with him, and prayers on this tragical occasion, were very per
tinent and becoming ; and his Lordship delivered a very judici
ous and pious discourse to the spectators, in which, among other
things, he said, ' Job teUs us, Mati that is bqrn of a woman isqf
few day s, and fidl of trouble ;^ And I am a clear instance of it,
I shall not now say any thing of my sentence or escape,  nor
of the ground of my return ;  that which I intend mainly to
say now, is, to express my Ifumble, and, I thank God, cheerful
submission to his divine will,; and my willingness to forgive all
men, even my enemies  ^I know aifiictions spring- not out of
the dust,-  iare not only foretold, but promised to Christians,
and are not only tolerable, but desirable ;  for God chastises
his own, to refine, and not ruin thera, whatever the world thinks,
— Iknow many, Uke Hazael, 2 Kirigs viii. 13, -go to excesses
they never thought they were capable of. Let riders and others
seriously read and weigh Prov, i, 20, Sec, 2 Chron, xxv.
6 — 16. Prov. XXIV. 10, 11, 12., and xxviii. 10. and Isa. Iix.
especially verse 15, and avoid what is bad, and foUow what is
good. 'For riie, I hope, by God's strength, to join with Job
xiii, 15, and the Psalmist, Psal; xxiii. 4, and to trust, as Psal,
cxlviii, 11. and shall pray, as Psal, Ixxiv. 19. &c. cxxiii, h,
&c, and Luke i, 74, T5, and shall hope, as Psal, xciv, 15, I
do hereby forgive aU that directly or ihdirectly have been . thc
cause of my being brought to this place,.;  and pray God may
forgive them;' &.C, When he had ended, he turned to the
south-side of the scaffold, and said, ' Gentlemen, I pray you do
' not misconstruct my behaviour this day, I freely forgive all
' men their wrongs and injuries done against rne, as I desire to
? be forgiven of God,' Mr Annand repeated the words louder
to the people, as he did when his Lordship spoke to the same
furposefrom the north-side, and said, ' This nobleman dies a
' Pi-otestant,' The earl stept-forivard again, and said, '• I die
' not only a protestant, but -w^Ith a heart-hatred of popery, pre-
' lacy, and all superstiUpn whatsoever,' Ha-ving taken his leave
of liis friends, he at last kneeled down, and -embracing the
maiden, said, ', This is the sweetest maiden I ever kissed, it
' being the mean to finish my sin and misery, and va.y inlet to
' glory, for which I long,' Then he prayed a - little within
himself, thrice uttering these, words, 'Lord Jesus, receive me
' into thyglory ;' and lifting up his- hand, which was th3;sigJial,
the executioner did his work.
Thus died the noble Earl of Argyle, a martyr not only t(j
the protestant religion, but also bearing his last testimony against
prelacy as well as popery. His too great compliances with the
managers, prerious to the affair of the, test, lay heavy upon him

2S)4 ' THE HISTORY 6f THJE cMaP, X:ir,
to the last : but nothing grieved him so much as the unhappy
Vote he gave against -Mr Cargil. Passing tliese things, as he
-was executed^ riot on accouat of his late attempt, but in pursu
ance of a sentence passed three years before^ for his explication
of the self-contradictory test, his death was looked upon as no
better than murder.
The circumstances of Monmouth's invasion on England I,
must leave, to the English historians., On the -6th of July his
.army was defeated near Bridgewater, and himself ^soon after
taken and beheaded. The cruelties committed by Kirk and
bloody Jeffries In the west are well known. Kirk ordered se
veral of the prisoners to be hanged np -without so mjich as the
form of law, he and his company looking- on from an entertaiti-
ment they were at. At every new health a new prisoner was
hung dp- And they were so brutal, that, observing the shak
ing ofthe legs 6f those whom they hanged, it was said among
them, they were dancing, and upon that music was called fbr.
It is said, ' That Jeffries condemned -above 500 persans in a
few towns of the west, whereof 229 were executed ; some -found
the benefit, I cannot say of the king's mercy, but of the judge's
,avarice, who was ready enough to grant a pardon to such as
.could pay well 'for it ; arid it seems pardons were sold by him
at all sorts' of prices, froth ibl. to 14,000 guineas ; which last
,sum this judge of iniquity did not scruple, to take from Mr
Sp — — s, and with which he bought an estate, that may justly
'be called the field qf bhod.' But to return to Scotland.'
/ls soon a^ the Marquis of" Athole and Breadalbin heard of'
Argyle's being taken, tliey exercised great severity upoii the
earl's friends and tenants; ' Four or five gentlemen of the name
of 'Ga"mpbell, after having received quarter and protection when
they surrendered, were sent to Athole by one of Argyle's neat
r-elations. The marqtiis ordered them and eighteen more-'to be
put to death. He would have proceeded iri -that Work, had not ^
even the council discharged more lives td be taken. Parties
were afterwards sent to pull down houses; break taill-stones,
and burn wpod?; and the whole shire of Argyle was dreadfully
depopulated, harrassed and plundered for thirty miles round -In
verary, The earl's estate Wais given to stranger^, his children
brought to extreme necessity, h\s creditors ^defrauded, his bror
ther Lord Neil Campbell was forced to go at the peril of his
life to America, &.nd leave his lady knd family behind. In a
word, the Ijeritors ind geiitlemfen of the name of Campbell,
being generally averse tp popery and prelacy, were universally
Oppressed through the kingdom.
Oli the 9lh of Jttly, fifteen prisoners of the meaner sort, taken
with Argyle, were banished to New England,
' On the i3th Mr Thomas Archer' was before thc council, and

CILVIf, XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. f 95
by them referred_to the justiciary ; but, as his trial did riot'
come on before the 1 2th of next month, I must relate the in
tervening transactions, v
On the 14th the magistrates of Glasgow presented a pedtion
to the council, signifying that their prison was pestered with
many sUly old women, who were a great charge to the town ;
whereupon the councU ordered them to be_^ whipt and burnt ou
the cheek severally, who v/ere, guilty of reset and converge';
a'.id that such of -them who were guilty of ill principles should
be whipt, and ail dismissed.
On the 16th Sir William Denholm of Westshiels:, Mr James
Stuart, son to Sir James Stuart provost of Edinburgh, and Mr
Gilbert Elliot, who, vv^ith several others, were by the parlia
ment referred to the justiciary, were tried and found guilty of
being concerned -with the late Earl of Argyle, and cMidemned
to be executed when apprehended. My author tells us, that
there is no more in the registers concerning the rest, whom the
parliament referred to the criminal court, such as the deceased
Earl of Lowdon,! Sir James Dalrymple of Stair, CoUn Camp^
bell of Ardklnglass, John Weir of Newton, John Hay of Park,
Sir -William Scott younger of Harden, Andrew fletcher of
Saltoun, Hume of Bassenden, aiid Walter Lockhart of Kirk
toun, who were all forfeited.
The same day Da-vid (afterwards Sit- David) Stuart of Cult
ness, and Mr WUUam Spence servant to the late Earl of Ar-
g-yle, were before the justiciary, and found guilty of being with
the said earl, and condemned to be hanged at the cross of Edin
burgh on the 2 2d; but Providence interposed In their behalf,
so that the sentence was not executed.
On the 24th the council ordered betvreen seventy and eighty
of the prisoners in Edinburgh, Canongate, &c, to be banished
to the plantations for refusing the oath of allegiance, and or
dained Thomas Stpdhart, James Wilkie, and Matthew Brice,
prisoners In the tolbooth of Edinburgh, and Archibald Carpp
bell prisoner in Paul^ Work, who, as the sentence ef the coun
cU bears, did misbehave when before them., to be laid in itons, '
and prosecuted before the justiciary.
The same day l^ey empowered the Earls of Marshal, Enrol,
K,intore,-Panmure, and the lord president of thc session, to exa,
mine the prisoners in Dunotter-castle, and banish all of them,
whether men or women, not already baiiilshed, who ihould re
fuse the oaths of allegiance and abjuration, j^ ^ew were set at
liberty upon taking ,the oath of allegiance
On the 28th the council had a,bove thirty mpre of the prisonT
ers at Edinburgh before them. Twenty-nine were ordered to
be banished, of -Whom there were four who had been with Ar
gyle, six v.'omen a-id nineteen men ; thc'-niep^ except thpsg -^vho.

2iSr6 THE HISTORY OP THE CHAP. XIII,
had been with Argyle, were sentenced to have one of their ears
ctit off by the hand of the hangman, and the women to be burnt
in the che^ek, before they were sent abroad.
According to the order of time I must now speak of the fol
lowers of Mr Renwick, My author says, that >some essays
were now made to bring Mr Renwick, and those who adhered
to him,: from their' heights, in order to bring about an union'
between them, and some of the presbyterian ministers who were
wandering up and down the -country ; and that, fbr this end, on
the29th of July, these tv/o exceUent persons, Mr Robert L^ig—
lands, and Mr George Barclay, being informed of one of their
meetings, desired to come to it ; accordingly they attended one
pf the general meetings at Kypes, in the shire of Ayr, to see
what might be done to bring these people to hear and join with
other suffering ministers ; that a good many of the meeting
-were for thi^, and so the conference began. These two ministers
Wfere on the one side, and Mr Renwick, George HiU and others
en the other. The -ministers proposed the laying aside all de
bates abont former differences and practices, an union in those
things wherein -they were agreed; and moved that what they
could not agree in should be referred to a competent judicatory.
This was refused by the other side, -whp insisted, that an ehu-
meration of public defections should be drawn up, which the
ministers did not come into, as what would rather widen than
-heal their present breaches. Thus the conference ended, after
they had been together some days. However, it produced this
.effect, that many discovered their inclinations to join with other
suffering ministers.
But it seems necessary to give the reader the account cf this
conference as published in the Informatory Vindication, in then-
own 'Words. ^ After the defeat of Argyle's expedition, at the
' desire of some ministers  >we had «. conference with them
^ July 22^ 16S5, in which, instead of allaying differences, the
' proposals — -r made for union did heighten our breaches, both
.' with them and among ourselves ;  for though they offered
' an accommodation, yet, in conference— — ^they ma|intained,'
> and did not disown that which bred alienation, ' to -wit, a pre-
* -vious information they had sent to strangers, - accusing us of
' heavy things ; that we had not only cast off all magistrates,
^ but had constitute among ourselves all kinds of magistrates,
* and were for cutting oft' all, as open enemies, who did not ac-
' knowledge our imaginary govemment ; that our societies were
f only an erroneous faction, and hfedno power of caUIng pastors,*
' '8cc. Which information thoiigh they did extenuate, alleging
* that the copy produced was forged, yet they confessed some
f such ihformaition was wnritten, and went on 'to prosecute, in
* effsGt, the same crimination^ and said they excerpted aU out

CllAP. Xlll. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 297
* of our public papers ; and farther challenged us for falsely ac-
* cusing them in our protestation against the Scottish congrega-
* tion' at Rotterdam, where ,they, with others, were promiscu-
' ously. charged with sundry things in the gross, which they
' were not g-tulty of. We confessed it was an oversight, cori-
' junctly to acfcumulate these charges without distinction ; but
' taking them separately, we offered to make out every thing
^ there charged upon, the names inserted,
' Furthermoi;e, in inveighing against Mr Renwick's ordina-
' tion, they accused the church-of Holland of erastianism, and
' of three sprinklings in baptism, Stc, to which he replied,
' That he had received his ordination from the presbytery of
'Groningen; and, they being foreigners, and not . chargeable
' either with our defectlotis, or any declining from the testimony
',.pf their own church, but  groaning under some corruptions,
' -from, which they were never, reformed, would come under
' another consideration than the ministers' of our own church,
' defending a course of defection.' 
' The accommodation they offered was upon terms which
'we thought destructive to our testimony, to lay aside aU de-
' bate, and let bygones pass, and go bn in the pjibllc work,
' which we did not think -was the way to heal our sore ; bu^
' we offered, if differences and exceptions could be removed, in
' a right, and honest way, -we would be most willing to join
' with them, which exceptions v/ere given in in these following
'particulars, viz. 'Their leaving the country, and deserting
' the public work, -when it -was so necessary to concur inthe
'testimony, in a time of so great a famine of- the gospel;
' and not only concurring in the testimony, but condemning
' it. in Sanquhar and Lanark declarations, even as to the matter
' of them,- and not condemning the paying of the Iccafi-ty im-
* posed for maintaining soldiers against the work and people of
' God; their countenancing the compliars vrith the time, and,
' when abroad, joining with¬the Scots congregation at Rotttr-.
' dam, and bearing the indulged preach there ; their inform-
' ing against us,, and aspersing us with slanders, such as
' these in the forementioned information ; and their concurring
' in the-Earlof .Argyle's association,, against which we had so
' many things to object, as above hinted.' ' 'Which exceptions
'  we thought sufficieri:t to demur upon, when after rnany
' fruitless janglings,, we could receive no satisfacdon about them,
' nor a public testimony satisfyingly staled, wherein we might
' both agree" and concur, albeit we made an overture in.the
' end, that they and we should endeavour it in this sort, ' that
' they severally by themselves should draw np all the sins of tlic
, ' time, and we by ourselves, that so, -when ccnipared together,
4 it might be seen where we differed, and how far v;e .could

298 , THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. mtt.
' unite ; but though they seemed to be as much for it as we
' at first, yet in the end, when it was offered, -they rejected it.
' So -the conference broke up, and thereafter we were more un-
' tenderly dealt with by them, and also deserted by several
' joined with us in fellowship, whp, from' that time, began to
' leave off coming to bur general meetings, and to keep separate
' Ways, without respect to our former consented to agreement ;
» arid also did hear, receive 'and spread false, reports given forth
' against us, without premonisliing us about the same,' and
' drew many off from our societies by such means.' ,
The reader cannot but remember, that, ever- since the un
happy indulgence, divisions increased among the presbyterians,
and no doubt both sides were guilty of exesses towards one an
other. But though some may think that Mr Renwick and
his foUowers were too pressing to have the others 'made a pub
lic acknowledgment of their defections, yet they cannot be jus
tified- in slandering Mr Renwick and his adherants, who were
now divided among themselves, so that several withdrew from
them : but I chooscto leave these things with the reader, and
to proceed to other matters.
On the 30th df July the councU ordered about fifty-three
more prisoners to be banished to the plantations, of which forty-
seven had been with Argylfe; five refused the oath of allegiance
and supremacy, aad were to hav-e one of their ears cut off, and
one woman, Grizel Alstoun, to be burnt in the cheek. Some,
who declared their willingness to comply and take the oaths,'
were set at liberty.
The same day the advocate W-as ordered to prosecute, before
the justiciary, Thomas Stodhart, James Wilkinson, and Mat
thew Brice, &c, for treason, rebellion, and not owning the
king's authority. This d^ the council had a letter from the
king, ordering them to banish' such a number of the meaner
prisoners as they should think proper.
On the Slst a new committee for public affairs -was appoint
ed to sit dm-ing the intervals of council, and about fifty-six,
who had been with Argyle, were ordered to be ¦banished,to-
gether -with twelve others who ^were to have one of their ears
- cut off, and four women, for the alleged murder of their bas
tard children, and one woman, for refusiug the oaths, to be
burnt in the cheek. Several who complied were released, and
three were remitted to the lords, of justiciary, i j
The same day orders were given to the magistrates of Edin*
burgh to commtind their common hangman to cut off the lei't
ear of these following, men, viz. WiUiam Maccall, John Finiu-
son, John Kennedy, James Corsble, WilUam Marshall, An
drew Jardin Alexander Jamieson, Alexander Reid, John Hay,
William M'lhoy, Quintin Duj;, » William Drcnnan, John

CHAP. XIII, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 299
Macilvie, John Cuningham, Thomas Richard, Archibald,
Campbell, Alexander Mason, Matthew 'Hamilton, Walter
Hownam,"James Murray, Malcolm ,Brycc, James Wilkinson,
John Simpson, James Gavin, John Mundel, Andrew Maclean,
John ElUot, Robert Edward, John Mitchel, Roger Macmi
chan, John Weir, Robert Muir, John Downie,  Lawson,
Elisabeth Kirkwal, which was executed on Wednesday the
4th of August foUowing. 
Among others who were banished by the forementioned sen
tences, were Gilbert and WiUiam Milroys, in the parish ol"
Pciinlngham, whose sufferings, being, somewhat peculiar, may
be proper to be briefly related altogether in this place, as my
author had them attested by the reverend Mr Robert Rywan,
minister there. When the test was violently pressed last year,
William took it, and Gljbert compounded with the sheriff-de
pute to get his name out of the roll : but this year, not being
able to take thc abjuration, they absconded with their young
er brother Patrick. In the month of June or July the Earl of
Hume sent his Merse miUtia to their houses, who plundered
them, and drove away their cattle. Two days after,, seventy
horsemen came in the night-time, and carried off what the
foot had left, and tortured Gilbert's wife with lighted matches
between her fingers. Next morning Gilbert MUroy and his
brother William were taken, with a servant about sixteteri years
of age, and carried pi;jsoners to Monigaff, where they were
brought before the Earl cf Hume, and examined as to their
keeping the church, converse with the whigs, &c. and declin
ing to answer, were put to the torture of Ughted matches be
tween their fingers : ,but, omitlng what they lost as to their
substance, and several other circumstances *)f cruelty, they
were at last, Imprisoned at Holy-rood-house, all the other
jaUs being Crowded. Mr James Colquhoun, the episcopal
minister at Pcnningham, had no small share in promoting;
-their sufferings. At last, upon their refusing tbe oaths, they
were sentenced to, have their ears cut off', and banished' for ten
years. When this sentence was passed, they were confined
to the iroM-house.- The ears of all the prisoners from Moni
gaff were cut off, except Gilbert Milroy, who was so fatigued
and weak, that he appeared to bein a dying condition. A lit ie
after this Gilbert and the other prisoners in the iron house
-were taken out, and, they who could not walk were carried ia
carts toNewhaven, and put aboard a'ship lying there, thrust
under deck, two and two fettered together, to ,ihe number cf
190. Through hunger, thirst, and odier bardshijis, during
their long passage of three months and t'br-ee days, thirty-two
of them died. Mr Evans the master of lhe~ ship was very -
cruel to them. 'When they landed at Port Pi-oyal iii Jamaica,

308 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XHI.
they were put in an open prison, and received no smaU fiiend-
ship from several in the island. After ten days they were
sold for slaves, and the money given to Sir Philip Howard,
who had a gift of them from the king, but he never had the
satisiaction of enjoying the price of their liberty, for, he was
drowned in the Thanies, as he was taking leave of his friends
to go for Jamaica. Many of these captjves died in their bon
dage ; but (jilbert Milroy survived bis sufferings, returned to
his wife arid other relations, and was alive in 1710. He kept
an exact account of the providences he met with. The read
er may see his remarks in my author.
WilUam Marshal!, smith in Glasgow, was apprehended for
wanting a pass, and was likewise banished for no other crime
but non- conformity.
On the 1st of August, Mr Archibald Campbell, son to Lord
Neil CampbeU; was condemned to die by the justices ; but ap.;
pearing before the council, and declaring his willingness to re
nounce all rebellious principles, he was reprieved tUl December,
We are .now come to tho Sth of August, when according
to the" justiciary records, ' Mr Alexander Shields, having sign
ed the abjuration, owned the king's authority, hut not upon
oath, is remitted back to the council.' He was in imminent
danger at tiie beginning of the parliament; for having, in a
letter to John Balfour, to be by him transmitted to some of his
friends in Holland, declared his sorrow for his former com
pliance, and his mind concerning authority, and made some
reflections on the justiciary, the same fell into the hands of the
persecutors, whereupon he was of new brought before the
council, the lords of the articles, and the justiciary. And
though much altercation, and many threatenings ensued, he
openly owned the letter, and declared that he had great sor
row and grief ibr what he had done : That he found that he
had disowned things in the complex in that declaration, which,
when it came to particulars, he durst not do : That he did not
think that hei'editary succession vi^as enough to make n king,
and that he owned the lawfulness of defensive arms : however,
he was overlooked tUl now, when the ajipearance of some of
his feilow-suff'erers brought bis name and case again to re-
membranfc, whereupon order was given to indict hiin for
maintaining ' that it was lawful fbr subjects, upon pretence of
reformation, or any pretence whatsoever, to enter into leagues
and covenants, or to take up arms against the king, or those
commissioned by him, or to put limitations upon their due
obedience and aUegiance, &g. and for disowning the king's
authority, «nd for owning, pr refusing to disown the late de-
_claration affi.^ed upon several parish churches, in so far as it

d^AP. XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB, 30l
declares war against thfe king, aiid asserts it lawM to kill such
as serve him)' &c. '
, Mr Shields on this occasion wrote two letters,' the one to
the advocate, and the other to Sir William P.aterson his okl
master, which he believed somewhat mitigated the rage of his
persecutors, and drew up the foUowing declaration of his sen
timents. 1, S do disown and abhor all whr of subjects professedly de-
-* clared against a lavfid, king as such ; all war against
laiioful authority ; aU war without authority or indeciinatle ne
cessity ; all war founded or designed for maintaining principles
inconsistent with policy or piety ; all war tlcclai-ed in that sense
related in the pro'clamatibn abbut the declaration, or which
may bear these inferences therein specified. 2. 1 do disown
not only all such assertions, but all such thoughts, as that it
is lawful to kill all such as serve the king, or any man, be
cause they serve him, or because th^ differ from us in judg
ment or profession, or because they fiaye injQred us any man
ner of way- I abhor aU assertions of the lawfulness of assassi
nations, murdei's, or'any'^private killing or slaj'ing, under co
lour of law, or without it, upon any pretence, or for any cause
whatsoever of usurped power, revenge, rage, or enthusiastical
impulse, as being against Christianity and btmianity. 3-1 do
disown my having any hand, pr being art and -psirt in that
pretended declaration, directly or iridirectiy, by my coiicur-
rerice, counsel, knowledge, or contrivance, or any mannpr of
way ; and I disown all Intentions, for my own part, to prose
cute or persecute, or endeavour to punisli any that have serv
ed the king in any capacity, because they have injured me,
even though my gi'eatest enemies ;' bnt do' think myself obli
ged, in Christian duty, to pray for all my enemies, and bless
them, and do all' ofiices of kindness to them. 4, But yet i
humbly and conscientiously demur to take that oath for pri
vate reasons, ' (1.) Because I look upon it as an oath imposed
with. a severe penalty, which, whatever be the matter of the
oath, is a thing I^ have no clearness about for the present,
(2.) Because I humbly conceive it m.isrepresents the declara
tion itself, wherein I am not clear that such things are assert
ed. (3.) Because, whatever be my own thonghtsof the thing,
I dare not pass a judgment on the deed of others so solemnly,
or take upon me to censure or condemn them, or justify any
severity exercised upon some presbyterians, who cannot or
dare not disown it,
A great many things passed between thc lords and him?
but, when Ire delivered the above paper, it'was'hdnded about

302 TKK IIISTORV OF THE CHAP. XIII,
among them-; and it was declared, that they were good things
in -general, and that he maintained goodenoligh general prin
ciples, but that lie drew b&d cortclusions from the premises.-'
Then they went through the particulars formeriy mentioned, ,
.ind at last insisted that he should take tiie oath of abjin-ation;
but this he refused- At the conclusion bf, three confercncea
they had svith him at this time, he agreed to sign it if it wa's
worded thus, If so be such things are there asserted, which, he
tdld them He was sure was not the case. This, with difficulty,
;(vas granted to hhn. As he subscribed this, he protested be
fore them, that none were to think, that, by this, he justified
the act of succession, or the abrogation of ancient laws about^
or the want of security for religion and liberty, or that he ac
knowledged the divine approbation of it. When all this 'was
over, he was toldthat he was delayed till to- morrow. '-
But to-morrow he was, sent to thc Bass. And I am weU
informed, by my honourable friend Sir Thomas Gordon of
Earlstoun, that he would certainly have suffered, if he had
not made his escape in women's clothes.
And, says the author ofthe preface to the relation of Mr
Shields his sufferings, ' Though he has .wanted opportunity
_,' (for what pause I cannot determine) to make the Uke reflect
* tions upon the last step of that his faUing, as he does upon
' the first, yet none has cause to question his sorrow for it :
« for after his enlargement out of prison, it is well known he
, ' never failed, on all proper occasions, with many tears," pub-
* licly to own his hearty resentment of it ; particularly, at that-
' solemn c->ccasion of renewing the covenants at Lesmahego,
' March 3, 1680, he stood up befbre the minister, and, in pre-
"' sence of that vast confluence of people, declared hisiiriteign-
• ed sorrow for that his sin, to the effecting ofthe whole mul-
' titude, and abundant satisfaction bf the consciences of the
* godly, that had been form.crly gri-eved therewith'.'
At and after the Revolution he v/as of great service to the
»rmy, and much esteemed by king WUliam, In October 1690,
he and other two ministers offered a large paper to the gene
ral asiBerably then sitting' at Edinburgh, containing proposals
for redressing several grievances ; and, had tho assembly either
thnught It prudent or convenient, at that time, to allovf the
said paper to be read, or taken the contents of it. under their
serious deliberation, it might possibly have produced many
valuabkefflicts ; but, relying upon the- report of their com
mittee of overtures, they judged It inconvenient at that time
to read and consider. However Mr Shields, notwithstanding
this, joined in communion with tbe church-of Scotland, and
was settled at St Andrews, where he continued till he vvas pre-

GilAB, XIII. CHUECH 01 SCOTLANP. SOS
Vailed with to go with his countrymen to Daricn, , He was
perfectly depressed in his spirit, on account of the fatal disap-
'polntmeqt of that undertaking, which he shews, had It been
taithfuUy and well managed,' would have been ofgreat advan
tage, not only to the nation, but also to the Christian religion.
He died in Jamaica ofa short sickness after he left Caledonia.
His Hind let Loose, and his treatise of church-communion,
(which last vi'as published after his death hy the reverend , Mr
Thomas Linjiig, (shewjiim to have been a man of great parts
and s<Slid judgment. But, to return,
- The same 6th of August, Thom.as Stodhart, James Wilkin
son, and Matthew Bryce, were condemned by the justiciary to
be hanged at the Grassmarket bn the I2tli, They all three
suffered according to their sentence. Thomas Stodhart had
been sentenced to be banished, and yet he was brought before
the justices, tad condemned to die, for no other reason, but
because he owned authority only as far as agreeable to the word .
of God, and'would not expressly disown the apologetical de
claration. The only questions proposed to the other two,
and their answers, were these : Q,- 1 • Will ye take the oath
of allegiance ; A. We wUl not take it. Q. 2, WUl ye own the
authority .'' A. We vvill own all authority according to the
word of God. Whence Matthew Bryce inferred, that they
had nothing else to charge him;with, but that he spoke of tho
word of God. The same day these three vvere executed,
WiUiam Cunningham, John Mulrhead, and William Jackson,
declaring themselves willing to be banished, the criminal pro
cess was dropt. , _
On the 7th 6f -\ugust, the laird of PiUochic petitioned the
council for some of those under sentence of transportation to
go with him, which was granted ; and the same day a con
siderable number was ordered, to be delivered to Robert Bar-
l -olay of Urie, or his order.
In an original letter, dated August 10th, John Jamieson,
.Tohn Kennedy, Robert Sharp, William Maccall, Walter
Hume, James Murray ,'William Marshall, and James Corsble,
by whom It was subscribed, and who were among the banish
ed, left their testimony against owning a popish king, &"c. and
gave a gi-eat many excellent advices to tiieir suffering friends.
On the 1 1th fbur more were ordered for transpoitrtion by
the council for refusing the oaths, and the case of other ten
-prisbners was deferred to farther consideration. On the 12th
of August, Mr Thomas Archer was at last brought before the
justiciary. A good dea! "of interest was made for him, bdt in
vain; nay, a design was secretly fornied for conveying hini
out of prison; but he would not comply with it, because he
reckoned himself a dying person ; and, as he co-aid not serve
'2

504 -THfe HISTORY OF TIIE CHA?, XIII,
his Master any other way, he did not think it his duty to de
cline a testimony for him and his truth, by a public death. He
was brought in guilty, and condemned to be hanged on a high
gibbet on the l^th ; but he was respited to the 21st, when he
suffered. -In his last words and testimony; which are in my
a.uthor, amon^ other things he said, ' It was always my judge-
« ment, and I hope to die in it, thatthcobligatlon of the cove-
' nants is national and indissoluble, arid, that even the posteri-
« ty renouncing them shall be found guUty-of horrid perjury
' and apostacy before God, since in them vve first enga^d im-
•' mediately to serve him.  1 have ever opposed contentions
« and- new differences  1 lake not upon me to justify the in-
' dulged ministers, neither wUl I rigidly condemn them; but,
« iftheir separating from the^r ministry, and pressing the mat-
••ter with sueh heat and violence, be good service done to
< Christ, I have read the scripture wrong  1 have lived,
* and desire to die, hoping tbat the Lord will yet glorify his
'grace and gospel in the land, and that he hath not brought
• us under the bond of the covenant immediately to cast us
* off (though we deserve it,) but that the children which are
' yet to be created may praise him,' He owned the kirig's au
thority, acknowledged his weakness in being a witness against
several persons, and concluded with his farewell to all created
enjoyments. When on the scaffold, after he had prayed, and
read Isa. Ixv. he spoke several things, and, among others, said.
My motives were the great apprehensions I had of popery,
and my regard to ibe kingdoni and interest of Gbrist^he.re;
arid I wish every one vvere concerned with, the evil and dan
ger of popery.' Here one of the magistrates, interrupted
im ; whereupon he added, ' I shall only refer you to Rev,
xiv, 9,, 10, ll.' and said to the magistrate, ' You cannot
deny but popery is hazardous,' who answered, ' It is true,
but there is no' fear of it here, blessed be' God.' Mr Archer
replied, « I wish to God it be so,' and then continued his
discourse. • Wliat I have farther to say is, that as Christ
hath a kingdom; wherein and over which hereignebh as king,
so he will suffer none to usurp that power, which, is his own
prerogative';'  After he was again interrupted he went
n thus, ' WeU then, I hope none of you, who are the peo
ple of God, need stumble at our, fall, as if God would let the
work rest at us ; — '¦ — for the people of God have got many
backsets, one after another ; but the Lord has waited for
their extremity, which he will make his opportunity — -
Mic^ iv, 10, / loill bring theni io Babylon, and tlierc will I de-
Uver'them. So I pray and intreat you all to be concerned
fbr your soul's Interest ; as for my own- part, I know I have
no more to do as to, that. Fear of death does not fright or
2

CHAF. XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 305
« trouble me. I bless the Lord for my lot.' Then he prayed
again, sang Psal. lxxiii. 24, to the end, and died with great
cheerfulness and joy. He was about thirty-two year> of age
at his death, and, says my author, was qualified for being a
professor of divinity in an university.
Ori the 17th of August the council ordered about seventy -two
prisoners in Leith to be banished to the plantations for refusing
the oaths, among whom were several woiyen. Many of them
seem to be the Dunotter prisoners : for, as Argyle's invasion was
now over, these prisoners were brought from thence to Leith.
Quintin Dick and another were left behind as dying men. The
council was pleased to come to Lqith and sit in the tolbooth, and
re-examine"them. The few that complied with their impositions
were dismissed ; some who were weakly, and had friends to
make Interest for them, got off upon bond to appear when call
ed ; but the generality refusing the daths, as the Reverend Mr
W, Fraser and others, were banished. The most of those who
were ordered for transportation were made a present of to the
laird of Pitlochie, \yho freighted a Newcastle ship, Richard Hut
ton, master, bound for New-Jersey, to whose care the banished
prisoners were commited.
Mr. WiUiam Hanna, one of these prisoriers, got off by gi'ving
in the penalty of 5000 merks. When he was threatened with
banishment, he told them, that he was now too old to work, or
to go to war. Old General Dalziel bitterly replied, that he was
not too old to hang : but that same day, being the 22d of August,
that general died suddenly. Mr. Hanna fell ill, and, being
thought In a dying condition, was released, and got home,^ after
ajiove three years sufferings.
, MeanwhUe, on the said 17 th of August, Sir John Cochran,
his son, and John, called Col, Ayloffe, were put a- board a yaucht
for London, Next day aroyalletter wasreadj ordering to forfeit and
banish Charles and John Campbells, sons tO^the late earl of Argyle:
accordingly they were ordered to be brotight to Edinburgh to be
tried by the justiciary. The same day Thomas Russel and Johii
Henderson were examined on account of the death of Sharp, In
which they were suspected to be concerned. They denied the
fii^ct, but refused to call it murder, and were appointed to be kept
close prisoners; On the 20th Russel was banished, and Hen
derson ordered to b'e, tried before the justiciary ; but it was well
for them both that they found an opportunity to break prison
and make their escape.
On the 2 1st Charles Campbell was condemned to die for being
with, his father in the rebellion, but the day of his execution
was left to the council's pleasure ;- and; on the 25th his brother
John received the same sentence. And thus, though the mana
gers coufd hot, for shame, embrue their hands in the blood of
VOL, II. U

306 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP, XIII.
these youths, yet they did what lay in their power to leave a
stain on the chUdren and relations ofthis noble family of Argyle.
But to return to the banished prisoriers.
, As they generaUy wrote to their friends, so, on the 28th of
August, twenty-eight of them, before they sailed, signed a con
junct testimony, bearing, • That now being to leave their own
native and covenanted land, by an unjust sentence of banish
ment, for owning tr^ith, and standing by duty, and studying to
keep their covenant engagements and baptismal vows, where
by they stand obliged to resist and testify against all that is con
trary to the word of God and their covenants ; and that their
sentence of banishment ran chiefly because they refused the
oath of allegiance, which In conscience they could not take,
because, in so doing,-.they thought they utterly declined the
Lord Jesus Christ from haying-- any power in his own house,
and practically would, by taking it, say, he was not king and
head of his church, and over their consciences ; and, on the
contrary, this was to take and put in his room a man whose
breath is in his nostrils ; yea, a man that is a sworn enemy to re
ligion, an avowed papist, whom, by our covenants, we are
bound to withstand and disown, and diat agreeably to scripture,
Deut. xvii. 14, 15.'. Then they bore their testimony against
the defections of that day, and for preaching in the fields and
hotises, and sign as follow : John Kincaid, George Muir, George
Johnston, Robert Young, Thomas Jackson, Andrew Paterson,
John Harvey, John Ford, Christppher Strang, William Spreul,
Peter Russel, Robert Macewen, John Henderson, John Seton,
John GUfiUan, Charles Honyall, James Grierson, James Forsyth,
Walter Maclgne, John Macghie, Ad Howie, James Mu rhead,
Annabel Gordon, Margaret Lesley, Agnes Steven, Margaret
Forest, Jean Moffat, Annabel Jackson. In the same ship were
Mr John Fraser, Robert Maclellan of Barmagechan, WUliam
Niven in Pollock-shaws, iiC, &c.
They sailed from the roads of Leith pn the Sth of September.
•After they turned the Lands-end a fever began io rage in the
ship, especially among those who had been in the great vault at
Dunotter, and in a month's time became malignant, so that few
in the ship escaped ; most of the crew, except the captain and
boatswain, died, together with the following prisoners : Thomas
Graham, Gilbert Monorgan, John Smith, William Cuningham,
Johti Muirhead, Thomas Jackson Kath. Kellie; Andrew Mac-
Lellan, Thomas Russel, John Hodge, riiomas Gray, Jolin Ramn,
Johri Swinton, John Kippen, WUIiam Spret, James Wardrope,
John Mackenman, Ihomas Finlater, John Hutchison of Ward-
law, WUliam Macmillan, Agnes Cohalh, John Kirkland ; but,
notwithstanding this mortality, the captain and others greatly
abused the persecuted prisoners ; for when they who" were an>

CHAF. XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 307.
der-deck attempted to worship God by themselves, the captain
would throw down great planks of wood in order to disturb them.
Their provisions were exceeding bad. At last they arrived at
New-Jersey ; but Pitlochie and his lady died on the passage.,
The prisoners met with harsh' treatment from the people when
' they first came ashore ; but, a little way up the country, there
was a town where a minister was settled. When the Inhabitants
were informed of the circumstances of the banished, they invit
ed all who were able to travel to come and live among them, sent
horses for those who were not, and entertained them that win
ter freely, and with great kindness. Next spring Mr Johnston
claimed the prisoners as his property, upon the death of Pitlochie
his father-in-law, and got them all summoned before the court
of the province. After hearing both sides, the governor called
a,jury, who acquitted the prisoners ; whereupon most of them
retired to New-England, where they were very kindly entertain
ed, and employed according to their different stations and capa
cities. Many of them <Jied Iri the plantations, and the rest re
turned to their native country at the happy Revolution, as Mr
Riddel, William Niven, and Robert Maclellan qf Barmagechan.
This last mentioned gentleman underwent a series -of suffer
ings during this infamous period. In February 1666, a party
from Sir James Turner came and lived upon him at discretion,
tUl he should pay those exorbltam sums imposed upon him for
his non-conformity. When Mr Maclellari prayed Sir James
that the soldiers m.Ight be removed, he was confined in his court
of guard till he should pay his fines, and the cess for maintain
ing the army. At last his fine was fixed to 600 merks and a
party of horse was sent to quarter upon him, to each of whom
he was obliged to give two shillings sterling a-day till he paid
his fine. This heavy oppression constrained him to join those
who rose at Pentland. When that party was dispersed, he fled
to England, where he lived privately four years. He returned
again to Scotland, and joined the party at Bothwell. Upon
which he was again forfeited, his family dispersed, and forced
to retire to England, where, about the end of 1684, he and se
veral other Scotsmen were apprehended by Squire Dacres, and
sent prisoners to Dumfries. He lay in irons for several days
In the castle there,' and was, with -several others sefit to Dunot
ter, where he did partake of the sufferings of that dismal place,
, and had his lot with the rest of the banished. It pleased God
to preserve him and his three children, during the voyage,
while his wife and other three were left in Scotland, to the care
of Providence, He was so weakcnsd by sickness,, that he was
obliged tb be carried ashore. However, he soon recovered, and
set up a plantation at Woodbridge in New- Jersey, which he
purchased, and wherc-he had the advantage of hearing the goSpcI

508 THE HISTORr OF THE CHIP. Xlfl.
preached by the reverend Mr Archibald RIddell. This gentle
man continued here from December this year, till June r689,
when he resolved lo return to Britain upon his hearing the
good news of the Revolution." Accordingly 'Barmagechan, Mr
RiddeU, and others, sailed for England, and brt the 2d of Au
gust _ reached the EngUsh coast ; but they were taken by a
French man of war, and carried prisoners to Nantz, from thence
to a common jail at Rochfort, where were near 200 Englisb-
and Dutch prisoners, the most of whom were sent to Toulon,
They were chained two and two by the arm, arid at first, each
ten pair were tied with a rope, but, that retarding the journey,
after the second day the ropes were no more used, Mr RId
dell was chained to his son, a boy of ten years of age, for whom
they were at pains to make three different chains before they
could get one small enough for his wrists. Many died in this
journey. When Mr Maclellan, thrcugh age and weakness,
was unable to travel, he applied to the captain for the benefit of
one of their carts, but was answered by many lashes of his
whip on the'face, by which he lost the sight of one of his eyes.
After a six weeks march, they at laSt got to Toulon, where they
were put into a large old ship, where he , continued nineteen
months, though all the rest, after a month's tiipe, returned the
same way they came to Rochfort, and froni thence to Denain
near St Malta, where Mr RiddeU continued more than a year,
in a vault of an old castle, with some hundreds of other prison
ers. They lay on straw, and never changed but once a
month, and so were over-run with nastlness and vermin. Af
ter twenty- two months, Mr RiddeU andhis son were exchanged
for two popish priests, which the council of Scotland gave for
them. When the prisoners at Toulon were released, by -ano
ther exchange, the French king would not suffer them to re
turn through France ; but gave them a pass, and put them on
board a ship bound for Genoa, where Barmagechan got a Ham
burgh vessel bound for Cadiz in Spain, from whence he came
in a fleet bound for Amsterdam ; but by a storm they were
drove on the back of Ireland, and the ship he was in was forced
into Bantry-bay there. The Irish seized the company, strip
ped Mr Maclellan of his clothes, and kept him among them ele
ven days, so that through the hardships he met with, he fell ill ;
but at last he was released, and got safe home to his own house
at Barmagechan, Slst October, 1691, From the whole it ap
pears, that all the sufferings of this gentleman were owing to
the persecution in Scotland. But to return.
On the 1 1th of September, the council ordered the advocate
to prosecute more that were concerned in the attempt pf the
Earl bf Argyle j but as I know not the issue of it, I pass it pver.

, CHAP,' XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. S0&
On the 16th, they issued a proclamation for keeping the
king's birth-day, October 14th, as a solemn anniversary thanks
giving, ' and therein to commemorate his most conspicuous en
try to his royal government, and miraculous deliverances ;' and-,
that the reader may see what solid ground there was for this,
On the 19th a letter from the king was read in councU, re
quiring them to call for the magistrates of Edinburgh, andpror
hibit them from proceeding to any election bf magistrates or
town-council, for the ensuing year, till his majesty declare his
pleasure to the contrary. If this .was not a direct infringement
of the privileges of the royal burghsj let, the reader judge. Ac
cordingly the magistrates were callfd, and had the king's plea-,
sure signified torthem. These infringements were as apreface to
what followed in England as to corporations much of the same
nature. - From some letters that passed at this time, between the king
and couricU, it appears that the ministers of state in. Scotland
were not h-armonious among themselves. Informations were
taken from Mr John Veitch, and accounts were said to be given
by Sir John Cochran, with relation to a correspondence car
ried on between the lord register, secretary Murray, and lord
Melvil, and some pieces of mismanagement of the advocate.
Bishop Burnet tells us, that 'Cochran had a rich father, the
Earl of Dundonald ; and he offered the priests 5000/. to save
his son. They 'wanted a stock of money for managing their
designs, so they Interposed so effectually, that the bargain was
made ; but, to cover it, Cochran petitioned the council, that he
might be sent to the king, for he had secrets pf great importance
¦vs'hich were not fit to be communicated to any but to the king
himself. He was upon that brought up to London ; and, after
he had been for some time In private with the king, the matters
he had, discovered were saitf to be of such Importance, that, in
consideration of that, the king pardoned him. It was said, that
he discovered all tlieir negociations with the elector of Branden
burgh .iud the prince of Orange : but this was a pretence only
given out to conceal the bargain, for the prince told the doctor
he had never seen Cochran ; but the secret came to be known
soon after.' Passing therefore -these things,
Executions being now very much over, the old trade of fines
for conventicles was revived. For one gendeman was fined
this month In no less sum than 60,000/. Scots, pr 5OQ0/. ster?
ling, for his own and his lady's non-conformity.
On the 5th of October, the above-mentioned Mr John 'Veltdj,
minister at Westruther, was made close prisoner at Edinburgh,
and his keeper solemnly sworn never to suffer any word to come
In to him, or go out from him, without the knowledge of the
council or their committee. Two soldiers were ordered con-

310 The History ot the chap. xiii.
stantly to guard the door, pen and Ink were taken from him,
and 'thus he continued for twenty weeks;
The same day they made an act prohibiting the printing of
any books of divinity till they were revised and licensed by the
ordinary of the place, and discharging all stationers and book
sellers from selling any such books, under the penalty of con
fiscation, ^ >
The same day another letter from the king was read, wherein
his majesty recommended Bailie Kennedy, as his particular
choice, to be elected provost of Edinburgh, leaving' the naagis- <
trates to the usual method of electing the rest of the town-coun
cil ; but one might readUy think that the king might ha:ve nam
ed all as well as the chief magistrate, and taken upon himself
tb nominate majgistrates in aU thc royal burghs through.- the
kingdon;, ,
The council having, on the 29th, received information of two
field-conventicles in -the parish of Camnethan, where several
were present in arms, and Mr Renwick preached'. Major Wed
derburn of Gosford was ordered to inquire concerning 'those
who were present, and the heritors through -whose lands they
passed,' Onthe 12th of November, a very extraordinary letter was
read from the king, dispensing with an act of his very first par
liament. As it is but short, the tenor of It follows :
JAMES R.
RIGHT trusty* &c. we greet you well. 'Whereas, In the
12th act of our current parliament, intitled Act. of supply,
there is a clause otdaining all the conimlssioners therein named
to take the oaths and test appointed by law ; which clause we
judge fit, for our service, to require you to put vigorously in
execution, excepting these in the list here inclosed, whom we
have dispensed with from taking the same, and such as we
shall hereafter dispense with under our royal hand. For doing
whereof this shall be your warrant : and so we bid you heartily
farewell. Given at our court at Whitehall, the 7th day of No
vember, 1 685, and of our reign the first year, ¦
By his majsety's command,
¦' ¦ ' ' " ¦ MELFORD,
The list of those dispensed with from taking the test contains
the Duke of Gordon, the Earls of Seaforth-and Traquair, Lord
Oliphant, Richard 'Cockburn of -Clerkingtouri, Alexander Ir
vine of Drilm, John Gordon of Rothemayj Patrick Lesly of,
Balquhain, Sir George Gordon of Gight, ¦'WUliam Menzies of
Pitfodels, lame's Innes of Drumgask, Adam Gbrdon of Auch-
inacoy, Francis Gordon younger of Craig, Mr Alexander Irvine

CHAP, ZIII, CHURCH OF SCOTLAKD. 3ll
of Leirny, Mr Richard Irvine of Kirktoun, the laird of Fetter-
neir, the laird of Wartle-Lesly, Alexander Frazer of Klnnariess,
Macdonald of Binbeculo, Macdonald of Largy, M-acdonald of
Cassiltoun, Patrick Gordon of vdastyrum, Johri Grarit of Bal-
lindallach, James Gordon of Camdel, John Gordon of Baldor-
ny, Alexander Gordon of Auchintoul,
It is easy to observe here, that acts of parliament are no secu
rity under a popish jirlnce, when he takes upon him tp dis*
pense with them in this manner ; for the king not only dispen
sed with the act, as to the persoris above-mentioned, but reser
ved a power to him.self to dispense with it as to others whom
he should afterwards name. ..
Jphn Nisbet of Hardhill, in the parish of Loudoun, -was ap
prehended about this time. This gentleman had been always
active for religion, and an encourager of the gospel as at that
time preached in the fields. In 1664, having a child baptized
by an ejected presbyterian, minister, the curate declared from
the pulpit, that he intended to excommunicate him next Lord's
day, bnt was prevented by sudden death. He was both • at
Pentland and Bothwell. ' In the former he was so grievously
wounded, that the enemy left him for dead, so that he escaped.
At the la'itter he behaved with great bravery and courage, and
escaped at. that time likewise ; but, being known, was pro
scribed by proclamation, and a large reward offered for appre-
hendirig him. His estate and goods were seized, and his wife
and four children stript of all,' and turnpd out of doors. '
He suffered all kinds of distress from 1679, till i\ovember,
-this year, when he, with three of his fellow-sufferers, were sur
prised in a house in the parish of Finwick, by Lievitenant Nis
bet, a cousin of his own. They defended themselves tUl the
pther three men were killed on the sppt, and Hanlhill sore
wounded and taken. The lieutenant having ordered him to be
-bound, asked him what he thought of himself now- lie an-
'.vSWered,- ' I think as much of Christ and his cause, for which I
« suffer, as ever ; but I judge myself at a loss, being in time,
• and my dear brethren, whom you have murdered, being in
,« eternity.* The lieutenant swore he had reserved him for a
farther judgment. John replied, < li the Lord stand by me,
« arid help me to be faithful to the death, I ca're not what
-* piece of suffering I be put to endure.'
- He was carried that night to Kilriiarnock, ' and next morning
to Ayr, where, by intercession of friends, a surgeon was per
mitted to dress his -wounds ; ahd here he was examined, and
from thence sent to Edinburgh, The Cloud of Witnesses says,
that he was brought back to Kilmarnock, and from thence trans-
ported to Edinburgh; buf that circumstance is not material. It
seems, says an eye-witness, aU this was done that the lieutenant

Slg JHE- BISTOUT OF THK CHAP. XIU.
might have the . reward published for apprehending him. My
author has given his examination before the council, which, it
seems, was on the 26th of November, from a letter imder his
own hand^ wherein he says, < When he was brought beforethe
council, he knew Perth, Linlithgow, and Bishop» Paterson,
&c. The counsellors told hrm that they believed he was ac
quainted with every thing among the rebels, and would take
li as a favour if be would ingeniously tell what he knew. — —
He told them, when they came to particulars, he should -
speak nothing but the truth ; for he could say he was more
afraid to lie than to die; but he hoped they would be so much
Christians as to press him to answer nothing that wpuld bur
den his conscience.
* "They asked him what they d^d in their societies and meet-
ngs ? He answered, they sung part of the psalms, read some
of the scripture, and prayed time about. * Q. Why are they
called societies ? A. I atn surprised at such a question, since
the thing is plain, and is the name such meetings had in the
best times of this church. Q. Where are they kept ? A. In
the wildest muirs and most retired places , Q.'Vf hzt do ye at
your general meetings ?' (While stopping a little to consider
-what to say to this, one of them answered, and gave a more par
ticular and distinct account of every part of their way than he
could do.) < Will you owu the king's authority? A. I will not.
Q. Why ? Do you not own the Scriptures and Confession of
Faith ? (naming several places, and chap, xxiii. of the Con
fession.) A I own both with all my heart ; but the king is
a Roman Ca-thollc, and I have not only been educated a prbs-
byterian, but solemnly sworn against popery, Q. 'What Is
that to you ? His being po'pish does not bind you to be so too,
nor hinder you to live in your own» religion. A. The con
trary appears ; for no liberty is given to hear the. gospel, and
we are put to the hardest sufierings for hearing it. Qf I'is
not so ; you may have the gospel to hear when you please^
but your wild principles will not suffer you to hear It. A.
Ths contrary is well known : you have taken away presby
terian ministers, and left none in the nation within our reach,
and put such in their places as are profligate wretches ; so
that poor 'people' rieither care nor dare join with them. Q.
Were you and such as you clear to join with Argyle ?" A. No
more than with you. ^.> Would you have joined with Mon
mouth ? A. No. Another said In banter, it seems tliey wIH
have no king but Mr Renwick ; and asked him if he con
versed -with any other ministers than Mr Renwick. He an
swered he did not,  -As to praying for their king, one of
them said he knew I was that much a Christian that I would
pray for all men. I told them that I reckoned myself bound
to pray for all ; but prayer being institute by an holy God,

CHAP,- XIII, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 318
« v('ho ^ was the hearer of prayer, no Christian was obliged to
« pray when every profligate commanded him ; and that it was
* no advantage to their cause when they suffered such a thing.'
He proceeded thus : , .
« How it may be with me afterwards, I cannot positively
* say,  but this I can say, the Lord hath not quarreUed with
* me for any thing since I was a prisoner ; but hath always
« waited to supply with all' comfort, consolation, and strength,
< as my necessity required. And now, when I cannot lay down
« my head, nor lift it up without help, and the irons are upori
« my legs, yet of all the cases I ever was in, I had never more
« contentment, I can now give the cross of Christ a more
', noble commendation than ever,  Under all my wander-
? ings, in all my toiUngs, a prison was stUl terrifying to me; but
' immediately at my taking he so shined to me, and ever since,
« that he and his cross is to me far beyond whatever he was
' before f Therefore let none scare, or stand at a distance from
* their duty, for fear of the cross ; for now I can say from ex-
? perience, that it isas easy, yea, and more sweet, to lie. In.
< prison and irons, than it is to lie at liberry. But I must
* break off at present,' - ^
The council, this 26th of November, ordered him to be pro
secuted before the justiciary. Two prisoners were ordered to
be released, and five to be banished for conventicles, and refu
sing the oaths.
Onthe 30th; John Nisbet of HardhUl was arraigned before
the justiciary. His own confession was the proof against him;
In which among other things, they said, that he declared, that
the reason why he and thpse who were in his company refused
^ to join with Argyle, was because one CleUand told them, that
the said Arg;yle ,arid his party were against all kingly gevem-
irieiit. My author Is of opinion, that he declared no such thing,
it being very compion for the clerks, in writing down the an
swers ofthe sufferess to misrepresent them. And it Is certain, that
the only reason given by the societies for not joinlng'with Argyle^
was, because they could not espouse lys declarations as the state of
their quairrel, they not being concerted according to the ancient
plea of the Scottish covenants, and because it opened a door for
a sinful confederacy. We have had instances of unfair dealing
this way before 'now, Hardhill was brought in guilty, and
condemned to be hanged at the Grassmarket of Edinburgh on '
ths 4th of December next.
The same 30th pf November, .John Welsh of Cornley, and
Edward Marshall of Kaemuir, who had been formerly forfeited,
-and having been -apprehended, were ordered to be executed on
the 4th of December, The former gpt off by taking thc test
but the latter' suffered with John Nisbet of Hardhill., ,

314 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAF. XllI.
Meanwhile Charles Maxwell was this month summoned be
fore some court at Glencaim-chutch, for coUecting charity to
the prisoners at Dunotter. He appeared, and their being no
proof against him, was dismissed ; but that same night a party
was ordered to his house to take ten pounds, or goods to the
value, for his wife's absence 'from the court, though he knew
nothing of her ha-ving been summoned, and to carry him pri.
soaer to Dumfries, It was vrith dilficulty he prevailed with
them to take his bond, and his master surety, to appear at
Dumfries when called, under the penalty of iGOOl, Scots,
On the 4th of December, John Nisbet of HardhiU, and
Edward Marshall, suffered at the Grass-market of Edinburgh,
according to their sentence. Their last testimonies are in the
:Cloud of Witnesses, edit. 4th.
Edward Marshall left his testimony against all who had
gone contrary to the covenanted work of reformation ; owned
that he was at- BothweU; but would not acknowledge' it to
be rebelUon., They asked him if he would owti James VII. as
king of Britain ; he told them, that he ,owned him as far as he
owned God, his cause, -'and people. On which', some of them
said, thai; was not all. Then they asked him If he would pray
for the king of ~ Britain, He replied. That this was not a
place fbr prayer. Upon which they laughed, and ordered him
to remove. After this account, he exhorts his friends not to
be discouraged with these threatenings of men for the cause of
Christ ; and concludes , -with recommending his wife and chU
dren to God, and taking a cpinfortable fareweU of aU worldly
enjoyments, Jbhn Nisbet, in his last testimony, virhich is in the Cloud of
Witnesses, among other^things, says, ' t have always, since the
~* public resolutioners were for bringing in the malignants and
' their interest, thought it my duty' to- join with the Lord's peo-
-* pie in witnessing against those sinful courses ; and now we see
' clearly that it has ended in nothing less than  open ddors,
* that are made wide, to bring in popery, and set up idolatry in
* the Lord?s covenanted land. 'Wherefore it is the  indis-
' pensible duty bf all who have any love to God, to his Son the
' Lord Jesus Christ,  ^to witness faithfully, constantly, and
' conscientiously against aU that the enemies have done, or are
' doing, to the overthrow of the glorious work of reformation,
'¦. — And however it be, that many, both ministers and profess-
' ors, are turning their backs upon Christ and his cross, re-
* proaching — jou and testimony of the day, yet, let not this
' weaken your hands ;  for I assure you it will not be long
* to the fourth watch ; and then he wUl come In garments dyed
* in blood, to raise up saviours upon mount Zion to judge the
' mount of Esauj and then the house of Jacob and Joseph shsdl

eilAP. XlII, ent'RCH 01' SCOtLANp. 315
' be for fire, and the malignants, prelates, and papists shall be
' fpr stubble, the flame whereof shall be great. But my ge-
' neration- work being, done with my time, I go to him who .
, ' loved me, and washed me from aU my sins,' Then he goes
on, declaring thalt he died adhering to the scriptures, and aU the
pieces of reformation attained to in Scotland from 1038 to
1649, and protesting agains^popery, prelacy, the indulgence and
the acceptors of it, and exhorting the people of God to forbear
contentions and censuring one another, to keep up their fel
lowships and general meetings : and concludes, bidding farewell
to all his dear fellow-sufferers, to his children and christian
friends, and with commiting his spirit into the hands of Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost.
And now I have the pleasure to acquaint the reader, that
there is but one execution more of this kind at Edinburgh
during this infamous period: so that from this, to the beginning
of 1688, we shall find things taking another turn. JSJeasures
were concerting for repealing the penal statutes, and it was
proper that the persecution of the presbyterians should abate
for a while, that the papists might get footing, and so com
plete the ruin of the reformation. But L shall relate things as
much in the order of time as possible.
On the 9th of December, the council banished seventeen
more prisoners, and next day M'- John Mitchel of Balbardie
was ordered to be discharged fVom paying any more fines for
his wife's irregularities, because pf the king's letter in favour
of regular husbands.
On the 21st, a process was commenced by the advocate
against the deceased Duke of Buccleuch and Monmouth,
Fletcher of Saltoun, and the Lbrd Stair. A very long in
dictment was given in against them and read, but the trial
was put off fill January ¦ next. I shall now conclude this
bloody year with some things of which I know not the dates.
-Thonias Richards in the parish of Ballantrae was at last,
surprised by a party of Balquhan's soldiers while asleep, who
carried him with them to Strarirawer, and brought him back
to BaUantrae. His friends not beiiig able to prevaU with
him to 'Comply, the commander ordered four of his men to
shoot him in the fields ; but things were so concerted that
bis friends again surrounded him, and.prayed him to comply ;
but he told them he was not unwiUing to die even a vioie'nt
deftthi rather than make any sinful compliances. Upon this
his heroic and Christian resolution, the captain thought pro
per to proceed no farther, Thomas was taken to Glasgow,
where after a month's imprisonment, his ears were cropt, and
he was sent with others tp Jamaica, where he was sold fbr

316 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XIII,
seven years. He died just as his time of sei-vitude was ex
pired. By order ofthe sheriff of Wigtoun, a party came to Barn-
kirk in the parish of Penningham, and apprehended Sarah
Stuart, the wife of WUliam Kennedy, after having damaged
the house and spoiled the furniture, and forced her to go
with them a-foot, with a child in her arms not quite nine
months old, to Wigtoun, and leave the other three children
behind her, without any td look after them, though the oldest
was not eight years of age. She was kept eleven weeks pri
soner at Wigtoun ; for though she was a conformist herself,
yet, because she would not engage never to converse with her
husband, nor to discover him, or inform against him, she
was brought to all this trouble ; for the religion and govern
ment of this period were calculated to root out the principles
of nature, "rhis was very much parallel with tbe practice of
the most wicked of the papists, who obliged some children to
kindle thc faggots wherewith their parents were burnt.
A party of Balquhan's men seized John WaUace of Knocky-
bae in the parish of New-Glenluce, spoiled his house, and
took away every thing they could, because he refused the ab
juration ; nay, they ¦ brought in numbers of sheep to the
church, where they kiUed and roasted them with a fire made
of their pews. My author has this odd circumstance well
attested under the hand ofthe minister of that parish.
Many this year died in prisons, and in the way tO thera,
and in their banishments ; and these may all be reckoned to
have suffered unto death, as James Glover of the parish of
Tinwal, Andrew Fergusson In tbe parish of Glencairn, John
Munil, James -Muncie burgess In Dumfries, John Miurhead
bailie in Dumfries, James Carran burgess in Dumfries, An
drew Hunter and John Stock burgesses in the same town^
Elisabeth Glendowning the wife of John Panter of the parish
of Durisdeer ; John RenWick burgess in Dumfries, Andrew
Macleffan a freeman in the same town, and James Sitting-
toun in the parish of Dunscore, were banished and died
abnoad. As all these were only fi-om the shire of Nithsdale,
what m.ultitudes might be mentioned from other places is not
hard to imagine.
Many honest people were scourged for their non-confor
mity, and then sent to the plantations. Thus two women
were scourged at Dumfries by the hangman, because they
' would swear no oaths, and the youngest was sent to Jersey
with Pitlochie. About the sai;ne time a poor woman, with a
man whom they had prevaUed with to take the test, were
bound together and scourged through the said town, liecause
he would not swear what wandering persons he had enter-

OHAP." XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 817
tained, Jean Dalziel; a tenant bf Queensberry's, was ba-
nsshed because she would not swear never to converse with
her husband, who was declared a fugitive; as was Agnes
Harestanes, another of Queensberry's tenants, because she
would not promise to hear the curates, and discover the fu
gitives. It is farther remarked at this time, that, when people were
prevailed with to take the oaths, the managers likewise obU
ged them to promise to stand at the singing of the doxology,
give aU encouragement to the established clergy, apprehend
al! fugitives and wanderers, ahd when they could not appre
hend them, that they would raise the hue and cry after them
for three miles.
The rage against presbyterians was not confined at this
time to Scotland,' but reached even to those ministers
who had retired to Holland for shelter, as Messrs James
Veitch, Alexander Pitcairn, George Campbell, Patrick War
ner, and others. These ministers, and other persecuted
Scotsmen, had a weekly meeting for prayer. One, who call
ed himself Robert Smith, attempt£;d to be admitted among
ihem. Mr Warner, not relishing his forwardness, and sus
pecting him for a spy, put- a stop to It. This fellow, who
pretended to have been at Bothwell-bridge, partly out of spite,
and partly to get his hire, went to London, and, on the 24th
of February this year, gave in an information at Whitehall,
which is published by Sprat In his copies of irformations, p,
173, &c. This paper contains a heap of lies and falsehoods.
He pretends to have seen Mr Warner at the -council of war
at Bothwell-bridge, whereas, from Drumclog to that defeat^
he was never within forty miles of Bothwell. He also men
tions Gordon of Earsltouri elder, as being at that council of
war, whereas the action was over, and he was killed as he
was riding to join them. I have not room to consider the
said .information in all its parts, neither is It material. How
ever, it seems, this occasioned orders to be given to the En
glish resident in Holland to insist with the States General,
(gither to apprehend or to remove those banished ministers
from Rdtterdam, and their dominions Something was done
to pacify the resident ; but care was taken to give these mi
nisters notice of their dangers, so that, for a little time, they
stept out of the way.
Thus I have, at last, got to the end of this bloody year,
which has presented us with a scene of persecution that had
not, at that time ^t least, its parallel, except in France,, where
Lewis XI"V. revoked the edict of Nantz. The French king'i
edict bf revocation, and other things relating to it, the reader
may see at more length in my author, Vol, II. p, 580, Sic

318 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XUI.
•Bishop Biirriet observes, that * this year, 1685, must ever
be remembered as the most fatal to the protestant religion.
In February, the king of England declared himself a Papist.
In June, Charles the Elector Palatine, dying wiihout issue,
the electoraldignity went to the house of Newburgh; a most
bigotted popish family. In October, the king of France re-
cdied and vacated the edict of Nantz ; and, in December,
the Duke of Savoy being brought to it, not only by tbe per
suasions, but even by the threatenings of the court of France,
recalled the edict that his father had granted to the Vaudois,'
But I must leave these things.
Tbe council-registers end the .^Ist of December, from which
time to the Revolution, none of the warrants were booked.
Why their actings were not recorded after- this, my author
does npt know the reason ; but we shall now soon get to the
end of this history.
CHAP. XIV.
Of the proceedings of the Justiciary and Parliament ; the
king's remarkable letter in favonr ofthe Papists ,^ the death
and character of Mr Alexander Pedeti ; the state of Mr
Renwick and his followers ; the various Ranches of persecu
tion and acts of iudtdgence, inith otlier things to the end of
theyear 1687.
THE persecution, in some of its branches, was not so vio
lent, during the three following years, as before. Most
of the presbyterian ministers were banished. The gentlemen
and heritors who favoured presbytery were either dead, for
feited, or banished. Many of the common people were cut
off, transported to the plantations, shut up in prisons, or
made compliances ; so that the government had but few to
persecute, except Mr Renwick and his adherents. But tbe
chief motive of abating the former severities was this : rlie
king, aud those about him, had formed the design of repeal
ing the penal statutes against the Roman catholics, it would
therefore have been very Indecent to continue the persecution
against dissenting protestants, when such favours were to be
given to papists ; but then, though the acts of persecution in
some measure peased, yet the spirit still remained, and some
remarkable instances pf cruelty are recorded by my author.
Many were the fines and exorbitaiit exactions made upon
poor people, of which the following is Well vouched from the
parish of Calder. James Donaldson portioner of Rabrey-
•ton, for a meeting for prayer at his house on a Lord's day,
was fined, and, paid 2001. Jphn Baxter for ditto, 40l. Walter
Donaldson for his wife's being present, 361, Several other

CH.\P. XIV, CHUKCH OP SCOTLAND. SlS
people were fined, making in all, 8161, 16s, Scots, William
Stirling, the baiUe-depute of the regaUty of Glasgow, who
imposed those fines, got them for his pains, which doubtless
animated his zeal, for he had a gift of aU the fines for church-
irregularities in that parish below heritors. He used to
threaten the poor people wtth present imprisonment, unless
they engaged to bring a certain sum by such a day,
Plunderings and oppressions still continued. In the parish
of Da}ry, three men having retired to a wood 'for social prayer,
and, being overheard, ;< party came and fired upon them but they
happily escaped ; which so enrjged the soldiers, that they plun
dered the neighbourhood, and brought the heritors there to much
trou. le.
In the beginning of this year, a party come to the parish of
Stonehouse, in Lanarkshire, aud carried off eight men,' and two
women who had sucking infants at their breasts, for alleged
hearing an ejected minister. The poor mothers, were forced to
leave their tender Infants to the care of providence. Another
party commanded by Hallyards, dreadfully oppressed the neigh
bouring parish of Glassford, plundered the' house, and spoiled
the, goods of one Janet Scot a widow, because it was alleged
her son had- been at Bothwell M-iny gentlemen who had been
-with Argy|e, or favoured his cause, were forced to conceal them
selves in dens and caves of the earth ; and others were forced
to pay prodigious compositions for their fines.
Besides Mr Renwick, there were -some presbyterian mini
sters, both last year and this, who preached with the utmost
secrecy, as Mess, George Barclay, Robert Langlands, George
Guthrie, John Black, and Duncan Campbell,
The lords of justiciary went on In their forfeitures ; and, on
the 4th of January, about 80, mostly of the name of Campbell,
were Indicted, and sentenced to be executed when apprehended.
Among others were Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchlnbreck,
CampbeU of Barbreck, &c. &c.
The same day the process against the deceased J)uke of Buc
cleuch and Monmouth was put of till February, when he was
forfeited, and Mr Fletcher of Saltoun was prosecuted for being
with Monmouth, brought in guUty, and sentenced to be exe
cuted when apprehended. Lord Stair's process was put off from
time to time, tlU at last a pardon was procured for hitn- His
crimes were receiving rents from rebels and traitors, harbouring
Mr Alexander Lennox, Mr 'Alexander Ross, Mr Alexander Pe-
den, and I^r Alexander HamiltoH, who were aU called vagrant
preachers, suffering them to preach and baptize children in his
house, and drawing a petition for, and giving his advice to some
of the rebels, Onthe 18th Duncan CampbeU of AUangreg
junior, Cor his accession to the late Eari of Argyle, was oldei-ed

S20 THE HISTORY OF THE , CHAP. liV.
to be executed, along with his father, o^ tlie 9th of July nest,
but remissions were procured before that time.
On the 26th of January, the singularly pious Mr Alexander
Peden died in full assurance of faith, and Was privately interred
in the church of Auchlnleck. He was minister of Glenluce be
fore the Restoration. P. Walker tells us, from eye witnesses, -
that, as he came down from the pulpit upon preaching his fare
well sermon, when ejected, he knocked on the door three times
with his Bible, saying, ' I arrest thee. In my Master's name,*that
never any enter thee but such as come, in the door as I did.'
Accordingly it was remarked, that neither curate nor indulged
ever entered that pulpit till after the Revolution, when a pres-
bytesrian minister preached there. ,
During the last year he wandered from place to place through
Ayrshire and Galloway. He was Indefatigable In prayer, and
¦was one of those fearers of God's name with whom the secret
of the Lord was ; for he certainly foretold several things that
came to pass. John Ker ni Kersland, Esq. in his memoirs,
speaking'of Mr Peden, says, J Abundance of this good man's
predictions 'are well known tojse already come to pass,' — Ac
cordingly he mentions the following : « When he was sick unto
death, in the' year 1686, he told his friends, that he should die
ii'i a few days ; but haying, said he, foretold many things, which
will require some time before they be verified, I wUI give you
a sign which will confirm your expectation that they will as
surely come to pass as those you have already seen accomplish
ed before your eyes ; I shall be decently buried by you ; but if
my body be suffered to rest in the. grave where you shall ky it,
then I have been a deceiver, and the Lord hath not spoken by
rae ; whereas, if the enemy come a little afterwards to' take it
up, and carry it away to bury It In an ignominious place, then
I hope you wHl believe that God Almighty hath spoken by me,
and consequently there shall not one word fall to the ground,'
.¦Accordingly, about 40 days after his interment, a trobp.of dra
goons came, -lifted his corpse, and carried them two miles to
Cumnock, and buried .them there under the gallows,
Mr Peden, through the misrepresentations of some was much
alienated from Mr Renwick, and spok^ bitterly against him.
This exceedingly grieved Mr Renwick, stumbled many of his
foUowers, and confirmed his adversaries, who boasted that now
Mr Peden, also was turned his enemy ; but, when he was a
dying; he sent for Mr Renwick, and asked him if he was that
'Mr Renwick there was so much noise about, Mr Renwick
gave him a decent and proper answer, and such an account of
hiS" conversion and call to the, ministry, of his principles, and
the grounds of his contending against tyranny and defections,
that Mr Peden was satisfied, and expressed his sorrow foK^giv-
2

CHAP. XIII. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 321
ing credit to the reports that were spread against him. As for
those papers which were handed abput under Mr Peden's name,
they are upon good grounds looked upon as spurious.
Mr Renwick was not only exposed to the resentment of the
managers, but also suffered exceedingly frbm the tongues of
those who had been formerly persecuted for the same cause ;
particularly, one of the ministers who came over with Argyle
Recused him, and those that adhered to him, « 1. Of overturn-
* Ing presbyterian government even to the foundation, and put-
• ting in its room a popular confusion, in committing the trial,
* both of the degree of scandal and censure, to persons that are
^not church officers ; 'I. Of thrusting themselves most unhap-
* pUy into the magistrate's room, making themselves a conven-
' tion of estates, and managing both civU and church affairs, by
* the same persoris and assembly ; S. Of imposing most un-
- happy restrictions on ministers in the exercise of their minls-
« try, and, vjrhen they cannot own nor preach upon these terms,
« called them silent and unfaithful, and requiring them to be dis-
* owned, there being now not a minister in Scotland, England,
' or Ireland, save one, as he (Mr Renwick) saith, in a letter to
< a friend In-Ireland, and he no minister of that church either, and
« that by his own confession.'
His answer was in substance as follows. ' 1. That they
' never committed the trial, either of scandal or censure, in a
'judicial way, to the -people, but only — - — allowed them to
' judge how ,they themselves were to carry towards the scanda-
' lous, if the scandal might bear the weight of withdrawing from
' himi — ¦ — Simple withdrawing is not the inflicting of a censure,
' but only a testifying that it should be inflicted by such as are
•^competent, Rom. xvi. n. 2 Thess. iii, 14.-  In a broken
state of the church, when chuTch judicatories cannot be had,
' there must be some such private withdrawing-, else aU must
' go into confusion ; the faithful partake of other men's sins,
' private and popular means of reclaiming offending brethren,,
' and the testimonies of the faithfid, shall fdl to the grpund.
' This is not to overturn presbyterian government.— ——2. If
' declining magistrates, because tyrants, be thrusting ourselves
* into the magistrate's room, then every man declining a prelate,
' because not of Christ's appointment, thrusts himself into the
' prelate's room, — This is all the import^ of our declarations.
' How can it be instructed that we have acted as a convention
' of estates ? The mere disowning of the present government
' will not infer it. — As to the expression, what needs so much
' fighting about it?-  ^I wish these words had been otherwise
' expressed. Why are men made such offenders for words ?
* Will such a spirit be helpful to the healing of breaches ? 
-*-We hold none of these declarations, or any other things, tof
VOL. II. X V

t

S22 THE HISTORT OF THE ' CHAP. XIV.
' have been emitted by judicatories. . The same persons having
' ecclesiastical authority, and others ha-ving cl-vil authority, can-
* not conc-Lir in one action. We leave this to the tyrant's coun-
*¦ eil, piade up of lords spiritual and temporal, as they call them.
' 3 . We never in the least iiitended any restrictions on ministers,
' but only" desired they might declare the -whole counsel of
' God, and would have them take a liberty to preach up all
' duties, and down all sin. This is no restriction or imposition.
.' — ^I am against the people's desiring any thing of ministers ¦
* but what is divinely bound upon them by the word of God,
' and ecclesiastically by our national and solemn covenants, and
' the acts of our general assemblies. As to that, that I shoidd
' have" said In a letter, that there is not a minister in Scotland,
' &-C, faithful save one, I forgive the so saying of me, but I
' deny the charge.—- — Ifi have written of ministers' imfaith-
*• fulness in universal terms, it is a wide consequence to infer I
* asserted there was but one,  ^That, by my own confession,
.' I am not a minister of this church, I altogether deny. I said,
' I am a minister, Tvhere-ever I have a caU from the people and
' do embrace it. O that all those who shall agree together in'
* heaven were agreeing upon earth ! I think,- if my blood could
' be a mean to procure that, I could wiUingly offer it,'
There were several more letters interchanged between him
and the same minister, besides some from other hands, contain
ing many accusations, especially a large information, stuffed,
says Mr Shields, with the grossest misrepresentations, all ac-
cuniulated in one draught of a paper, divulged not only in Scot
land, but Carried over to HoUand, and very industriously spread
by one Alexander Gordon, once a member of these societies.
Mr Wodrow says, that, in the entry of this year 1686, Robert
Cathcart, a very pious and knowing Christian in Carrick, -who
had formerly jojned with the societies, but was now very much
for union, and quitting their heights, drew up an information
relating .to Mr Rcnvwick and his party, that he had no thoughts
of its going abroad ; but, when he , had communicated it to a
friend, if took air. It is in his appendix ; and there he charges
the societies with taking upon them the govemment in church
and state, and the management of both pi-vU. and ecclesiastical
affairs, assuming to themselves the name and titie of convention
of estates, imposing restrictions on tninisters, making canons,
&c. Whether such an information as this was a proper mean
for union must be left with the reader,
Qn the 28th of January a general meeting of the societies
was held at Frierminlon, tb which the above-mentioned Alex
ander Gordon, John Dick, and some others, came, who were,
says my author, for uniting with and hearing other suffering
ministers as weU as Mr Renwick. There v/as a long confer-

CHAP. XtV. CHURCH Ol SCOTLAND, 323
ence with the last mentioned persons about many things which
he does not insert,- but teUs us, that, after they had owned their
hearirig of Mr Barclay, when he had satisfied them In conver
sation, and because they^would sot absolutely disown Argyle's
declaration, and promise to do nothing for the future vrithoiit
the allowance -of the meetirig, they debarred them in time to
come from their meeting, and would have no more fellowship
with them.
When they returned to their constituents there was a large
meeting of those who were for union with the other suffering
ministers, to which an accouat was given of the conference at'
Frierminlon, and R, Cathcart's information was read, and a
copy of it sent to several presbyterian ministers for their judg
ment. My author says farth^, that this step of the getieral
meeting at Frierminion, In breaking fellowship with such as
were for hearing bther honest ministers, and endeavouring to
make up breaches among sufferers, did them much harm in the
eyes of sober onlookers.
The reverend Mr Shields teUs us, that there were with Mr
Gordon several others who followed the informing trade ; espe
cially in Carrick, one Robert Cathcart, John Dick, arid others,
who never left pff, with their clamorous ton|;ues and scribbling
pens, to spread their accusations against Mr Renwick : and that
Cathcart, in a particular manner, accused him and his adherents,
' as such whom the Lord had given up in a great measure, to
* the delusions of their own deceitful hearts, to believe lies, &c.
' and persevere In the breach of oiir known covenants in two
points, ' I. in that of error and heresy ; for, 1 . With the papists,
' they would have their church infallible ; their practice testi-
' fies this, in declining a minister, be he never so faithful, for
' the least alleged personal failing ;-^2. With the Independents,
' upon the least failing of a minister they take upon them the
' power to depose, I think, said he, they needed not to ha-ve
' troubled the church at Groningen, with the ordination of their
' rabbi Mr Renwick, they might as well have ordained him
' themselves, ordination being as much in their ponpr as depo-
' sition ; 3, In very little they differ from the separatists.
' II. In that of church-discipline and government ; — As, 1,
* Their sending over a yoUth, scarce read in the common heads
* of divinity, to Groningen, a most corrupt church, — having de-
' clined the faithful ministers of the church of Scotiand, and set
' him up in their room, as Jeroboam the son of Nebat did ^vheu
' he made idol calves, Crying, Behold thy gods, 0 Israel! —
' 2, By their meddUng with things which only belong to a
' church-judicatory, and the highest church-judi'catory ; not
' only, being laic men, they examine faults, yea, absolve .the
2

524 THE HISTORY OF THE CKAP. XIV,
' guilty, but also constitute laws, and make acts, which rione
- ' but a general assembly could do  Must the gospel live and
' die with Mr Renwick, suppose he was a minister ofthe church
' of Scotland, which he is not ?  For the church of Gronin-
' gen had no more power to ordain a minister of the church of
' Scotland, than the clergy of England had, long ago, to con-
' secrate Sharp archbishop of St Andrews,' This was a severe
accusation of being given up of God to believe Ues, &c, &c.
But I shall abridge Mr Shields's account of the answers given
to the above, and the rather that my author Mr Wodrow has
entirely concealed these.
Mr Renwick, and those with him, lamented their breach of -
covenant, and wished their brethren, with whom they contend
ed, were sensible of theirs in aU its parts and articles, for which
they were obUged to discountenance them, as in complying
with, and conniving at many, things eversive of the covenanted
reformation, viz. the supremacy in the former indulgences, &c.
their havingmany of them made their peace with papists ; all
have owned the head of papists, the great pUlar and promoter
of popery, &.c. &c,— — But then, though themselves confessed
many breaches, yet they denied these mentioned by this accuser,
who, says Mr Shields, beUeg, or ignorantly misrepresents those
with whom he would compare Mr Renwick and his foUowers.
' For, 1. The papists never pretended that every one of their
' doctors or laics were infalUble, — -ahd the men he accuses have
' been so far from pretending to infalUbUity, that they have not
* declined to pubHsh their resentments and confessions of their
' inistakes to the world ;  but that error they wUl not con-
' fess,  that ever they declined a faithful minister fdr the
' least alleged personal faiUngs.- — —2. He belies the Independ-
' ents, in alleging they take upon them to depose ministers for
' thc least faiUng ; they -will disown that, Mr Renwick did
' ever abhor that people should take upon them to depose ml-
' nisters for any faUing, the least or the greatest, nor did he ever
' aUow people so much as to withdraw from ministers upon the
' least failing, bdt upon such scandals as did bear the weight of
' withdrawing according to scripture-rules. They had reason
' and necessity to trouble the church 2Lt Groningen, not to make
* a rabbi of him, but  to ordain him a minister of the New
' Testament, seeing they conld neither ha^ e clearness in point
' of duty, nor confidence in point of success, to seek or obtain
' ordination for him from ministers at home ; — and they did
' always disclaim all power either of ordaining -or deposing of
' themselves, 3. He does not say wherein they either agree or
' differ from the separatists. There were never separatists who
' deposed ministers for the least faiUng,  4. If he had been a
' youth, scarce read in the common heads of divinitv, he dis-

CHAP, XIV., CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 325
' covers himself very ill read, when he calls this a breach of
' church-government, to send such a youth to a foreign univer-
''slty to be fitted for ordination,— and then, after .trial-r-to be
' ordained by a reformed sister-church, sound in their own, and
' not contradicting our testimony, whto ordination could not be
' had at hpme, without the- breach of several standing constitu-
* tions of the government ; yea, without yielding to several cor-
' ruptlons threatening the dissolution and perversion of the
' whole of it, yea, without bowing to some of the calves Jero-
* boam had set up ; for, without  subjecting himself, 'either
-* to the idol of prelacy or supremacy, or something equivalent
?' thereunto, he could not haye got ordination in Scotland at that
'time. 5. They, whom he accuses never examined faults, nor
* absolved the guilty, in a way belonging to any church-judica-
' ture, nor in a way npt competent to the meanest private per-
' son — in the kingdom ; — nor did they ever make any laws or
' acts, but such as any two or three in society might make, by
' common consent, to determine one another ; nor did they ever
' say, or dream, that the gospel should live and die with Mr
¦* Renwick ; but that they were content to live and die with
' him, in partaking of gospel-ordinances,-;  -whom they
* esteemed a faithful minister of the church of Scotland, and
' worthy to sit as member of any church-judicatory therein,
' The church of Groningen did not make him a minister of the
-* church of Scotiand, but ordained him a minister of Christ, a
' minister of the church-universal, (which is the primary rela-
' tion of aU ministers,) a minister in any church ; and, as a per-
' secuted people in Scotiand called him to be their minister, so
' he came to have as. good right to be a minister of the church
'? of §cotiand, as Mr Rough, Mr Knox, and severall reformers,
* who were hot ordained by the ministers of Scotland^ — and
¦* therefore the difference between the church of Groningeri's
* oirdalning Mr Renwick, &c, and the clergy of England's con-
* secrating Sharp— ris as great, as between a reformed church
'* ordaining a fairfiful officer of Christ's kingdom, and a deformed
* church consecrating a knave, no officer of Christ's, but of an-
-•tichrist's kingdom,'
Thus I have laid before the reader the substance of these
unhappy debates, in the very words ofthe contending parties,
and shall leave him to judge for himself, and proceed to other
things of a more public nature, when- 1 haye observed that
-these tilings put Mr Renwick and his followers to pub
lish their infdrBaatory .vindication, which took up several
months before it was ready for the press,
, About the end of January, or beginning of February, there
:were some tumults in Edinburgh, by .whom the Lord Perth
ihe Chancellor was much affronted. Bishop Burnetgives

326 THE HISTORY OP THE CH.IP, XIV,
the following account of it : < Afiairs in Scotland went on
much in the same way as in, Englaijid. Some few proselytes
were gained- — The Earl of Perth prevailed with his lady, as
she was dying, to change her religion, and in a very few
weeks after her deatE, married, very undecently, a sister of
the Duke of Gordon's, — The Earl set up a private chapel in
the court for mass, which was not kept so private but that
many frequented' it The town of Edinburgh was much
alarmed at this ; and the rabble broke .in'wiih such fury that
they defaced every thing in the chapel; and if the Earl of
Perth had not been conveyed away in disguise, he had very
probably fallen a sacrifice to popular rage. The guards, upon
the alarm, came and dispersed the rabble. Some were taken,
and one that was a ringleader in tbe tumult was executed for
it- When at the place of execution, he told Mr Malcohd',
one ofthe ministers ofthe town who attended hira, that be
was offered his life if he would accuse the Duke of Qiieeni-
berry of having set on the tumult,^ but be would not save bis
life by so false a calumny. The incautious minister did not
call any to'bear witness of this, but went from the execution
to the Archbishop of St .'indrews, and told him what had
past. The Archbishop acquainted the Duke with it, and he
wrote to court and complained of it. The king ordered, the
matter to be examined ; so the poor ipinister having none to'
witness what had been said to him, was declared the author
of that calumny, and turned out ; but bow severely soever
those in authority may handle a poor, incautious man, yet the
public is apt 'to judge true.' Thus far the bishop -
A letter from the king, dated the 9tli of February, came
to the mitiisteis of state, declaring his resentment of the af
front given to his chief minister, and ordering those concern-
etl to be brought to condign punishment.
Great care, was -taken atthis time to corrupt the youth.
And among other things a bond was devised, to be signed by"
the students ofthe college' of Edinburgh, decfering their ab-"
horrence of all tumults, and engjiging for the'future to, dis-'
courage and discountenance them. How far the students com
plied with this bond, my author does not know.
But it is well known that a storm df popery and slavery was
ready to destroy the three nations \ arid the poor protestants
in Ireland lay most open to thc impending deluge, from the
multitude of papists who were ready tO act 'bver again their
former bloody massacres. Some ministers thcr^, and others,
liad therefore thc justiceand courage to Warn their -fellow' pro-
tcsta'nts ofthe tiangov they were in, which was very displeas
ing to thc E:,rl <;f Tyrrbiinel the lord-deputy, who therefore
frr.itlcd a prpcTan-sat'on, on the "2' st of February; agailist-

GHAP. XIV. CHURCH OJ SCOTLAND. S27
treasonable speeches ; for, it seems, it was reckoned treason
to preach or spealc against popery, or the danger of the king's
protestant subjects were in from the designs then evidently
formed against thera : hut, as the affairs.of Ireland are out
of my way, I shaU not trouble the reader with them. About
this time the king wrote to the Archbishops of Canturbury
and York, commanding them to enjoin their clergy not to
preach upon controverted' points, i, e. against popery, ac
cording to the directions given by the late king 1662, But "
to return to the affairs of Scotland,
Onthe first of March David Robertson writer in Coupaf"
was declared fugitive. And in this month Mr Renwick, de
siring to see his old acquaintances, went with some of his fel
low- waqderers, to Carrick, where, says Mr Shields, 'they
were unexpectedly rencountered with the forementioned Ro'-
bert Cathcart, and others, who chaUenged him for coming
and offering to pi*each there ; and told him that the people
in Carrick, was neither ibr meeting nor conversjng with him.
Afier some debate about the breach of fbrnier communldri,
they conversed coiicerning Cathcarts letter and information,
which he owned he had wrote, and intended to explajn ; but
that he had wrote qf theni not as ihey were, but as they would
be ; and that he conversed with Mr Renwick as a minister of
the gospel, but not as a minister of the church of Scotland,
and defended his accusations against the church of Groningen
, as erastian, and holding three sprinklings in baptism. 'Mr
Renwick replied, that many ih that church called it a perse
cution to term them erastian, and that though they were for
three sprinklings in baptism, yet without superstition, since
they looked upon It as indifferent. -,Upon this Mr Renwick
was, exclaimed against, as' if he defended the practice of three
sprinklings in baptism.' But I sliaU"^not troublethe reader
with these debates farther than to observe, that, if Mr Ren
wick and his adherents were top stiff and rigorous in points
which some may look upon as indifferent, they who contend
ed with him do hot seem to have acted a proper part for
bringing about a reconciliation. But these things I must
leave with the deader, and go on to things of a more public
nature. '
It was known "in March that the parliament was to meet
next month, and the king's design to repeal the "penal laws
was made no secret bf, and no method was left unattempted
to bring the members to a compliance. The Earl of Moray
was sent down cpmniissioner ; but, according to the bishop
of Sarum, two accidents happened before the opeihlng of the
parliament, w,hich made great impressions on the minds of
many.

32^ THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XIV.
> * Whitford, son to.one of the bishops, before the wars, had
turned papist. He was the person who kiUed Dorislaus in
Holland, and, to get out of Cromwell's reach, had gone into
the service of the Duke of Savoy, and was there when the
last massacre was committed on the Vaudois. He had com
mitted many barbarous murders with bis own hands, and had
a small pension given him after the Restoration, He died a-
few days before the parliament met, and called for some mi
nisters, to whom he declared his renunciation and abhorrence
of popery for its cruelty, and owned his having been guilty of
some execrable, murders in Piedmont, both of women and
children, which had pursued him with an Intolerable horror
of mind ever after. He had gone to the priests of all sorts,
who had justified him in aU he had done, and given him ab
solution : but his conscience pursued him so, that he died, as
in despair, crying out against that bloody religion.
The other was more solemn. < Sir Robert Sibbald, a doc
tor of physic, and the most learned antiquary in Scotland,
-who had lived in a course of philosophical virtue, but In great
doubts as to revealed religion, was prevailed on by the Earl
of Perth to turn papist, in order to obtain that certainty
which he could not find upbn his own principles. But he
was ashamed of his conduct almost as soon as he made his
compUance, went to London, and for some months retired
from all company, and after close application to studye came
to be so convinced of the errors of popery, that he returned
tp Scotland some weeks before the pai'liament fnet, and could
not be easy in his own mind tUl he made a public recantation!
The bishop of Edinburgh was so much a courtier, that, ap
prehending many might go to hear it, and that it might be
offensive to the court, he sent^him to do it in a church in the
country ; but the recantation df so learned a man, upon so
much study, bad a great effect upon many.'
Many of the most noted of the established clergy were
brought over to the measures of the court, or at least to be
sUent at this juncture. Vast numbers of them were become
Armlnians, and several were running headlong into popish
tenets. , The bulk ofthe inferior clergy through, the country
were grossly ignorant, negUgent, and mjiny of them scanda^
lous and profane ; so that no stand against popery could be
expected from them. The bishops were a mixed company,
and some of them did appear at this time against the measures
ofthe court : but the only appearance made by the rest of the
clergy; against repealing the penal laws, was from the synod
of Aberdeen, who after some struggle with tiinp servers,
agreed ppon an address to Mr George Halliburton their bi
shop, in which tiiey most patlietically intreated him not to

CHAP, XIV, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 229
give his consent to the taking off or weakening the force of
the penal statutes, vvhich they looked upon as one of the
hedges of the protestant religion. Bishop Burnet says, ' The-
nation, which was become very corrupt, and both ignorant
and insensible in matters of religion, began now to return to
its old zeal against popery. Few proselytes were made after
this. 'Ihe episcopal clergy vvere in niflny places so sunk into
sloth and ignorance, that they were hot capable of coiuiucuiig
this zeal. , Some of them about Edinburgh, and iu other
places; began to mind those matters, and recovered sonje de- •
grees of credit by tbe opposition they made to popt-ry. But
the presbyterians, though they wene now freed from the great
severities they ,had long smarted under, yet expressed, on all
occasions, their uncontjuerable aversion to popery.'
¦The parliament sat dpwn on the 29th of April, and the
king's letter was read, wherein after thanking ihem, for the
services theyhad done to the last session, and signifying how
"much he had con,sidered their interest, and sent down' an in
demnity for all crimes comrnitted against his royal person and
authority, he adds, --' And, whilst" we shew these acts of mer-
' cy to the enemies of our person, crown, and royal dignity,
' we cannot be unmindful of others pur innocent subjects,
' those of the Roman catholic religion, who have, with the
, f hazard of their Uves and fortunes, been always assistant to
' the crown in the , worst of rebellions and usurpations,
* though they lay under discouragements hardly to be nam-
' ed : them we do heartily recommend to your care, to the
.' end, that, as they have given good experience of their true,
« loyalty and peaceable belmviour, so by your assistance, they
' may have the protection of our laws, and that security under-
' our government which others of our subjects have, notsuf-
' fering them to lie under obhgations which their religion
« cannot admit of- By doing - whereof you wiU give , a de-
' monstration of the duty and affection you have fbr ns,, arid
* do us most acceptable service. This love we expect you
f will shew, to your brethren, as you sge we are an indulgent
J father to you alL"
We need be at no loss to understanfl whpjn the king means
by his enemies. But it seems the favpurs designed for them
werp tb depend upon those he expected fbr his innocent po
pish subjects ; but how far they assisted the crown in the
worst of rebellions is not so^easy to conceive, since, generally
.speaking, they have been continually plotting against it since
the Reforniatioii, No doubt they were hearty welwishers to
, king James, and therefore we need not be surprised at his
heartily recommending them to the care of this parliament.
* This love,' says he, ' vve expect 'to your brethren, as we

SSO THE HISTORY OT THE CHAP, IlV,
« are an indulgent father to you all' Upon T^diich my author,
who has made many excellent remarks on this letter, well
worth the reader's perusal, says, They were nughtily obliged
to their father's indulgence, for bringing in his butchering
children, their bastard brethren, and making them heirs and
portioners with the bairns of the house.
-The commissioner ^conded this letter with a particular
account of the many aavantages the king intended for Scot
land with respect to trade, and endeavoured to persuade them
that his Majesty's desires were as much calculated for pro
moting theil- interest as his own satisfaction, and concluded
,with saying, ' By this you wiU shew yourselves the best and
' most affectionate subjects, to the best,^ the incomparable,
• and most heroic prince in the world.'
But, nbtwithstaudingall these fine speeches, the pariiament
was not so forward as usual, in returning an answer to the
king's letter ; neither did tbey chuse, at this time to embar.
ras themselves with their compliments to-the throne. Ac-'
cordingly it was the tjth of. May before they agreed on an
answer ; in which, as to what was desired in favour of the
papists, they expressed themselves ^ in these terms: 'As to
' that part' of your Majesty's letter, ^elating to your subjects
* of the Roman Cathohc religion, we shall; in obedience to
' your majesty's commands, and with tenderness to their per-
« sons, lake the s.ime into our serious and dutiful considera-
* tioij,. aud go as great lengths therein as our conscience will
* allow, not doubting that your Majesty wiUJje careful to se-
? cure the protestant religion established by law.' This is the
first lime, says my author, that he remembers that the parlia^
ment speaks of their conscience siiice the Restoration.
The comuiissioner was at no smaU pains, durlpg the first
month of the session, in closeting the members, after the ex
ample of his royal master In England, and In using both threat-
eijifigs and promises, in order to bring them to a compliance,
but pould not prevail with the most of the nobility and gentry,
whp continued in their opposing the desired repeal.
1^6 stone was left unturned in electing the lords of the arti
cles, that the king's favourite scheme might meet with no op
position there. It was tbe 27th of May before any draught
ofan act vvas agreed to. When it was laid before the house,
it was warmly opposed, and the courtiers were glad to have it
remitted to the lords of the articles : but, instead of bettering
it, t^ey made it more disagreeable to the court ; for, after all
their debates, they only came into the following draflght ofan
act.-T-* The estates of paidiaraent, taking to their serious con-
• sideration his majesty's desire, — for granting ease and relief
» tP \\is subjects of the popish persuasion, — and as they are ful- ,

CHAP. XlV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 33 f
ly resolved to adhere to the protestant roltgion, — which is,
and always shall be dearer to them than all their worldly con
cerns ; yet, so far as their rehgion and conscience will allow,
to yield a humble and dutiful compliance to his majesty's de-.
sires, therefore his majesty, with- advice, &c. statutes and or
dains, that those of his majesty's subjects, who are of the
Romish religioln, are and shall be under the protection of
his majesty's government and laws fbr the private and ctvil
interests ; and shaU not, for the exercise of their religion iii
their private houses, (all public worship being hereby ex ^
eluded,) incur the danger of sanguinary and other punish
ments contained in any laws or acts of parliament made
against the same-. It Is always hereby declared, that this
immunity - to papists, for the exercise of their religion in
their private houses aUenaiiy, shall not import any allowance
or approbation of their religion, or any ways evacuate, in
fringe, or prejudge the laws'^^^and acts of parliament made,
against popery, or in favour of the protestant religion,—
particularly.— the 6th act, pari 3. of king Charles II ' &c.
The chancellor, finding that this would not satisfy the king,"
and being uncertain whether it would pass in the house,
thought proper to drop it entirely, so that it was never
brought into parliament. What debates were in the house,
•were when the first draught was laid befoVe thein
Bishop Burnet tells us, ' That the Dukes of Hamilton and
Queensberry were silent in the debate, the fbrnier having pro
mised not to oppose the motion, and the king was made to be
lieve that the latter secretly managed the opposition, Rbss
and Paterson so entirely forgot what became of their characters,
that they used their utmost e/ideavours to persuade the par
liament to comply with the king's desire. The archbishop of
Glasgow opposed it but fearfully," Brue,e, bishop of, Dunkcld,
did oppose it openly and resolutely, as 'did likewise Atkin,'
bishop pf Galloway,' But the most of tliem fell In with tho
•kings design, and the chief bf them "were active for the re
peal. Bishop Burnet says farther, That ' Ross and Paterson,
the two governing bishops, resolved to let the king see how
conjphant they would be. Accordingly fhey procured an ad
dress, to be signed by several of their bench, offering tocon-
cur with the king ip all.that he desiitd with relation to those
of his own -religion, (for the courtly stile was now, nbt to name
popery any other way, thrin by calling it ihe king's religion,}
provided the laws might stiU continue in force, and be execut
ed against the presbyterians. With this Paterson went tip ;
but the Earl of Middleton, to whom he shewed it, persuaded'
him to go back without presenting it.' My aiitl ior does not
know ' "s the bishop of Aberdeeri a'cted ou this occasion.

332 THE HISTORY OF THE CVAP, XlV.
Ramsay, Bishop of Ross, used great freedom with the com
missioner, for which he was brought into trouble. ' The
Archbishop of Glasgow, and the Bishop of Dunkeld, were both
turned out by express order from the king. Paterson; bishop
of Edinburgh, was translated to Glasgow, and one Hamilton,
noted for profaneness and impiety, that sometimes broke out
into blasphemy, obtained the see of Dunkeld. . The king being
disappointed, ordered his commissioner to prorogue the parUa
ment.' I must refer my reader to my author's appendix for
what vvas said for and against the repeal of the penal laws at
this time. Only 1 cannot but observe, that great care was
taken that nothing might be pubUshed against the king's fa
vourite dpsigq, or in defence of the standing laws ; where^ pa
pers on the other side of tbe question were industriously! dis
persed, and many popish books and pamphlets were spread for
corrupting the nation.
-On the 2d of June Lord Pitmedden was turned out of the
justiciary. His steady attachment to the protestant religbs,
and his opposition to popery, procured him this. And, on
the Ifith, the council emitted a proclamation s^ainst slanderers
and leasing makers, because several ministers, and others, had,
in sermons, and other discourses, alarmed the people, &c-
On the 1 4th of July, Gavin Weir and WUliam Macmillan,
-v\ho had beeu in prison for Bothwell, vvere released ; the for
mer, because there was not evidence against him, and -the lat
ter upon making satisfying compliances. But, not to insist
now on these things.
When the king's project was defeated in this pariiament, he
-fell upon oth^T methods for bringing in papists to places of
profit and trust, and overturning the protestant religion. Ac
cordingly his majesty made use of a dispensing power, and had
a party about him that would. have us to beUeve, « That power
' in the king, to' dispense with laws, was law-' To maintain
this, there were not only merceni^y pens set a-work, but a set
Jof judges found out, that, to their eternal reproach, did aUihat
T.-as possi'ble for ihem to compliment the king with the liber
ties of their country. For these gentlemen gave it for law— ^
* 1 hat the kings of England are sovereign princes ; that
,« the laws of i^ugland are the king's laws ; that therefore it
* is an inseparable prerogative in the kings of England — tp
' dispense with penal laws in particular cases, and upon par-
* ticular necessary reasons; 'that of those reasons and those
« necessities the king himself is the sole judge ; and that this
« is not a trust invested in, or granted to the king by tliepeo-
' 'pie, but is the ancient remain of , the sovereign pOw cr and
* prerogative of the kings of England, which never yet- was
* taken trom theni, nor can be.' — In co.isequence of this a
new court of inquisition was erected, under tlie name of a corri^

CHAP, XIV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. S33
mission for ecclesiastical affairs, which was against an express
act of parliament: but, as the king was pushing his design
with great vigour in England, as the reader may see in the
English historians, so he acted in the same arbitrary manner
in Scotiand ; tor, though he could not get the consent ^f the
parliament there to the repeal of the penal statutes, he did it
without them, by his own dispensing power.
Accordingly he first turned the best protestants out of the
council, and supplied their place with papists. Thus the Earis
of Mar, Lothian, Dumfries, &c were made to give place to
the Duke of Gordon, Earls of Traquair and Seaforth, and other
papists. The councU being thus modelled to his mind, he sent
them a most rom-arkable letter, of which the following is a short
abstract, T> IGHT Trusty, &c. It was not any doubt we had of our
-^•' power, in the putting a stop to the unreasonable severities
of the acts of parliament against those of the Roman catholic
religion, that made us bring in our designs to our parliament,
but to give our loyal subjects a new opportunity of shewing
their duty to us, &c. in which we promised ourselves their
hearty and dutiful concurrence, as what was founded on that
solid justice we are resolved to distribute to all, and consequent
ly to our catholic subjects ; — for, when unnatural rebellions
have been raised against our royal father, brother, and us, by
protestant defenders of those laws, — the Roman catholics have
still adhered to the royal Interest, —supported the crown, died
for the peace of their persecutors, and thought nothing too dear
to buy the generous character of religious towards Ged, and loyal
^towards their sovereigns. When all this had appeared, — we
could do no less than secure the innocent catholics from diese
pains. —
We have also thought fit to let you know, that, as v/e have
performed our part, iri supporting those of the protestant re
ligion, so we are resolved to protect our catholic subjects against
all the Insults of their enemies, and severity of the lav/s made
, against them heretofore; notwithstanding all which, we here
by allow them the free private exercise of their religion in
houses. In which we  require you to support and maintain
them, 
And to the end the catholic worship may, with the more de
cency and security, be exercised at Edinburgh, we have thought
fit to establish our chapel within our palace of Hply-rcod-hcuse,
and to appoint a number of Chaplains, and others, whom we re
quire you to have in your special protection and care — You
are likewise, to take care that there be no preachers, nor others,
suffered to insinuate to the people any fe-ars or jealousies, as if

33* THE HISTORT OF THS CMAP. XIT.
we intended to make any violent alteration ; and if any shall be
so bold, you are to punish them according to law ;— for Itis far
from our thoughts to use .any violence In niatters of conscience,
consistent with our authority, and the peace of our ancient
kingdom  
The rest of this plain letter contains the king's resolutions to
maintain the bishops and inferior clergy, and all his subjects,
in theil rights and privUeges ; and therefore he hopes that all
compliance and concurrence wUl be given to these things; so
that upon the whole, wh&t his majesty could not get done by
the parliament, he was resolved to do by his pwn authority;
and indeed it Qiust be owned, that since the Restoration, the
parliaments of-Scotland, which should have preserved the liber
ties of the subject, complimented the king with an absolute au
thority. It is , easy here to observe with - what contempt he
speaks of the, laws for the security of the protestant religion
against the wicked designs of the papists ; how mightily he ex.
tols their loyalty tp his father, brother, and himself; how he
brands the protestants as seditious and rebellious ; and how he
had already performed his part in supporting those of the pro
testant religion ; and consequently his resolutions, , from this
time forward, to support his innocent catholic subjects, do not
seem consistent with his promises to maintain the bishops and
inferior clergy. These and other things cannot but furnish the
protestant reader with proper reflections.
In September, the council emitted a proclamation contalmng
the king's indemnity to the common people In the shire of Ar--
gyle and Tarbet; but then this Indemnity regarded only their
lives ; their goods and chattels were exposed to every one who
should be pleased to attack them.
I have given a pretty full account of the state of Mr Ren
wick and his followers, and how he was deserted and accused
by several who had formerly adhered to him. Notwithstand
ing all the discouragements he met with, he continued preach
ing, catechising, and baptizing : but, as he travelled through
Galloway, a protestation was given to him by WUUam Mac-
hutchlson, in the name of all the professors between Dee and
Cree, pf which the following is ^e substance.
« We under subscribers,  considering  the woful effects
« of division,  especially among ourselves,  proceeding
' partly from some paying cess, hearing curates, taking the ab-
' juration-oath, and par-tly from others condemning these things;
' and adhering to the declaration on the church-doors — ^-and
' to Mr j., Renwick, without the consent and approbation of'
« the remnant godly and faithful ministers  we do hereby re-
' fgr and submit ourselves, in all these, to an assembly of faith-

CHAP. XIV. CHURCH Ot SCOTLANB. 335
' ful ministers and elders,  the only competent judges of such
' debateable principles and practices,  and promising, on the
« one hand, to give satisfaction to the church,  as we shall
« be found guilty-  of any thing done by us to the scandal of
« our dear brethren ; and, on the other, to forbear to join with
' Mr J. Renwick, till — "his ordination be seen and approved
« of by a competent number of the faithful ministers of the
' church of Scotland,  and are willing, upon his submission
< tp his brethren, to receive him into our bosom :.  but if he,
' at the desire of strangers^ or any of our brethren dividing from
« us, Intrude himself on our labours  till  we have the
< mind of faithful ministers, we wiU protest agaiijst all such
« dealing, as horrid and abominable usurpation. Subscribed, in
' the name of the whole, by William Machutchison.'
As Mr Renwick told his mind to the two men that brought
this paper, which, according to Mr Wodrow, was on the 22d
of Octpber ; so, on the Thursday following, he re-ad it. over at
a public meeting in the fields, and animadverted upon it, as a
paper that overturned many pieces of the Reformation, in call
ing hearing of curates, paying the cess, and swearing the ab-
j^ratlon-oath, debateable principles; and exorted them, if there
were any there that concurred in it, to retract the same, and
those who were innocent to protest their innocence before the
Lord, as his letter to Earlstoun, 1687,
One Welsh of Cornlee gave in likewise a verbal protesta
tion against him ; but soon after this, as his work daily increas
ed, and his difficulties multiplied. Mr David Houstoun from
Ireland, and the Reverend Mr Alexander Shields, took part
with him, .and were received by him with great chearfulness ;
by which it appeared that it was an unjust reflection upon him,
that he never desired to join with another minister, , How far
Mr Shields was against some of the heights, as my author ex
presses himself, that Mr Renwick, and some of his followers,
ran into, I kno-w not ; but this is certain, that he concurred
with him In the Informatory Vindication, defended the chief
points In controversy, in,_his Hind let Loose, and vindicated the
heads of his dying testimony, in the history of his life ; but
these things I must leave, and conclude this year with some
things of which I have not the dates, when I have observed, that
on the 9th of December, a proclamation was Issued, offering a
reward of IGOI. sterling, to any who should bring in Mr Ren
wick dead or alive.
Some time this year Messrs William, Patrick, and Duncan
Cumings were forced to retire to Ireland, Mr WiUiam Cuming
after the year 1660, was unanimously chosen humanity pro
fessor in the coUege of Edinburgh, having no other recom
mendation but his bright parts, in which he outshone six other
2

336 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XIII,
¦competitors, and a few years after, was admitted, without trial,
professor of philosophy there. Sharp understanding that, be-
fore~ this, he had been licensed to preach by presbyterian mi
nisters, so harrassed him that he was obliged to deiriit his office,
notwithstanding the intercession of several noblemen and gentle
men, to whom his usual answer was, that he would pervert the
nation with whiggish and fanatic'al principles, Mr Cuming
then, went abroad tutor to Lord Lorn, afterward the first Duke
of Argyle.' When he left that nobleman he passed his time in,
Holland and France till the death of the late king, when he
went to Ireland, where he died. His brother Mr Patrick, who
was educated under his care, was fixed, while but eighteen years
of age, at the school of Irvine, where, by his pregriant genius
and close- application, he raised a school so renowned, that not
ordy the most of the noblemen and gentlemen's sons in the west
of Scotland, but some frbm England, Ireland, and France, were
educated there. After he had continued twelve years remark
ably useful, and in great esteem, notwithstanding his being fre
quently pushed at for his principles, he was discharged to teach
ariy longer ; however, at the pressing solicitations of the inhabi
tants, he continued another half year, his school being the chief
support of the place. Then, a warrant being granted for ap-,
prehending him dead or alive, he was obliged to retire to Hol
land and France ; and at last, this year, he foUowed his brother
to Ireland, where he preached the gospel, as colleague with Mr
J, Boyse, till after the Revolution, when he returned to Scot
land, and was fixed minister at Ormistoun, where he died 1732,
Mr Duncan Cuming, a younger brother, was governor to a
young gentleman who was taught at Irvine school, and was for ,
some time one of his brother's assistants. At last he was per
suaded by Mr George Hutchison, Mr Wedderburn, and other
indulged ministers, to commence a preafcher. This coming to
the government's ears he fled -with his brother to Holland, where
he studied physic. After that he followed his brothers to Ire
land, where he acted as a physician in DubUn. Such was the
reputation he gained in that country, that he was employed by
the protestant dissenters there to go to Holland with their ad
dress to the prince of Orange 1688, which his highness gra
ciously received, and, by whom he was afterwards promoted to
be one of his physicians to his army in Ireland, He Was, like
his brethren, eminent for piety, a father to the poor, and a great
promoter of the dissenting interest in that kingdom, tUl his
death in September 1727, Mr Boyse preached his funeral ser
mon and gives his character at large.
In December this year, David SteU, in the parish of Lesma
hago, -was surprised In the field's by Lieutenant Crichton, and
after he had surrendered upon quarters, was most barbarously

«HA?. XIV, CHURCH OF SCOTLAltD. 337
.shot, and lies burled in the church-yard there, I now go on
to the year 1687.
It is easy' to see, from the former proceedings, what quick
advances were making towards Rome. The king'spromlses to
the English council, to preserve the protestant reUgion, were
entirely forgot, and none was so bold as to remind him of them.
It was even dangerous to speak of these things in public con
versation, for fear of some mischievous consequences, Protes
tants were turned out, and papists succeeded them, and none but
papists, or protestants, who were not attached to their own re
ligion, could pretend to any employments ; nay, m.atters were
carried on so openly, that some of the principal catholics could
not forbear representing to the king, that his proceedings were
more dangerous than advantageous to their religion ; but James
was deaf to aU councUs which were not violent ; these only
were agreeable to his temper and zeal,
A -Jesuit of Liege, in a letter to a Jesuit of Fribourg, dated
the 2d of February, gives a clear representation of tins, saying,
among Other things, ' It is wonderfid to see king James's great
' affsction to oar society,  Upon father John Keynes's return
. 'to England, he gave him a most gracious reception, (while
' E-irls and Dukes were commanded, for some hours, to wait
' for admittance)  ;  md ordered thp.t the candidates, for or-
' ders should be aU exercised in the art of preaching ; for now,
' says he, England has need of such.  Father Clare being
' arrived at London  the king forbade him to kneel and kiss
' his hand,  saying, Reverend father, you have indeed once
* kissed my hand ; but If I had known then, as I do now, that
' you were a priest, I would rather myself, father, have kneeled
' down and kissed your hand ; and told him that he would ei-
' ther con-vert England, or die a martyr.'  Finally, he called
himself a son of the, society, ' of whose good success, he said,
' he was as glad as of his own.'  Not long since one of the
lords objected that they thought he made too much haste to
establish the faith. To whom he answered, ' lam growing
'old, and must take large steps, else, -if I should happen to die,
' I might perhaps leave you in a worse conditipn than I found
' you.' When they asked him, ' Why then was he so little
' concerned about the conversion of his daughters, vvho Were the
' heirs pf the kingdom ?' He answered, ' God wiU fake care
'of that. Leave the conversion of my daughters to me. Do
'you by your example, convert your tenants v and others to th^
' faith,' The rest of this weU-known letter she-«'s what pro
gress the king had made in favour of papists, which I need not
here repeat. Therefore I shall briefly relate the affairs of Scot
land this year, the most remarkable of which was the toleration*
VOL. II, Y

338 , THE HISTORY OF TllE CHAP, XIV.
The artillery of; the .government was chiefly directed against
Mr Renwick and ".:is followers. Accordingly, as -James Cun-
i.ngham merchant in Glasgow, and John Buchanan cooper there,
v/ere returning from hearing a sermon in the fields,- they were
sent prisoners to Edinburgh, and banished to Barbadoes. -
On the l-Bt of February Sir David Dalrymple was admitted
king's advocate in the room of Sir George Mackenzie, who was
tui-ned out; because, as my author thinks, he had not been
hearty in the repeal of the jsenal statutes.
The same day James Sloss merchant in Glasgow, and a great
many country people from the parish of Kilbride, who had bedn
confined for alleged accession to Both-well, were released ; but
Jhings of a more public nature require our consideration.
As all methods were used, that the present circumstances
could permit, for establishing popery in England, so the Uke
attempts were made for promoting the same cause in Scotiand.-
T"ne king, by his royal prerogative, had last year estabUshed a
popish chapel at" Holy -rood-house, and allowed the papists the
exercise of their religion in private houses ; and multitudes of,
seminary priests having come from abroad, and not a few of the
nobility and gentry, and the most active persecutors during the
former years, having professed popery, on the nth of Februa.ry
the council received a letter from the king, with a remarkable
proclamation inclosed. In the lettpr, he tells them, among ether
things, that, while he thinks -fit to give ease to tender con-
!jc,i ences, l.t, at the same time, expressed ' his highest indigna-
' Uon against those enemies of Christianity, as well as govem-
' ment and human society, the Seld-cpnventiclers, whom he re-
' commends to the council to root out witii aU the severity of
' the laws, and the most vigorous prosecution of the forces, it
being equally his and his people's concern to be rid o'f them.'
The kiTir, in the proclamation, among other thmgs, says,
' We have thought fit to grant, and, by our sovereign au
thority, prerogative royal and absolute power, which all our
subjects are to obey without reserve, do hereby give and grant
our royal toleration to the several profeisors ofthe Christian
religion after-named, and under the several conditions, &c,
after-mentioned. In the first place, we — tolerate the mode
rate presbyterians to meet in their private houses, and tfeere
to hear siicb ministers as either have or are willing to accept
pf our indulgence allenarly, and that there be not any thing
s^id or done contrary to the well and peace of our reign, se
ditious or treasonable, under the highest pains their crimes
will imporf; nor are they to presume tb build meeting
houses, or to use out-houses or barns — It Is our royal wiU and
pleasure, tbat field-conventicles, and such as preach at them,.
or whp shall any way assist or connive at them^ shall be pro-

4

CHAP. XIV, CHURCH OJ SCOTLAND, 339
secuted according to the utmost severity of the laws made
against them— -In like manner we tolerate quakers, &c. and
by the same absolute power, we suspend, stop, and disable all
laws, or acts of pariiament, customs or constitutions against
any of our Roman catholic subjects f— so that theyshaU in all
things be as free, in all respects, as any protestant subjects
whatsoever, not only to exercise their religion, but to enjoy
all offices, benefices, &c. which we shall ihjnk fit to bestow
upon them, in all time coming,— and — do cass, annul and
discharge all oaths whatsoever, by which any of our subjeete
are— disabled from holding places, &c- and all laws enjoining
the said oaths, — and, in place of them, the following oath on-'
ly is to be taken, ' I, A.^ do acknowledge, testify, and de-
« clare, tbat Janies VII. by the grace of God, king of Scot-
' land, England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith,
« &c, is rightful king, and supreme governor of these realms,
' and over all persons therein ; and that it is unlawful for
« subjects, on any pretence, or for any cause whatsoever, to
« rise in arms against him, ot ainy commissionated by him ;
' and that I shall never so rise in arms, nor assist any that
• shall so do ; and that I shaU never resist his power or au-
< thority, nor ever oppose his authority to his person, as I shall
• answer to God ; but shall, to the ntmost of my power, as-
" si.st, defend, and maintain him, his heirs and lawful succes-
* sors, in the exercise of their absolute power and authority
' against all deadly. So help me God,'
And by our authority aforesaid---we give our ample and
full indemnity to all the foresaid sorts of people,— and think
fit to declare, that — we will never suffer violence' to be offered
to any man's conscience, nor vvill we use force or invincible
necessity against any man on account of his persuasion, but
will protect our bishops, in tiieir fiinctions, rights, 'and pro
perties, &c. — ^and employ indifferentiy all our subjects of aU
persuasions, — so long as we find unity and charity main
tained.' This proclamation, called King James's first indulgence,
speaks for Itself. Here he not only sets himself above all
laws, by claiming an unreserved obedience to his absolute
power and authority, but requires all his subjects to swear to
.maintain him in it; but though he requires obedience with
out reserve, yet he has a very evident reserve in his promises
to use no inviricible necessity to force his subjects to change
their religion- In short, this was so glaring a subversion of
the liberties of mankind, that It was disregarded by all, except
most ofthe couBs-iUors, who, having publi-shed the proclama
tion with aU solemnity at the cross of Edinburgh on tlie 18th,
returned an answer to the king'^ letter on thg 24th, acquaint-
2

340 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP I XIV.
^ing him with their ready obedience to his- commands, and
their resolution to pursue the ends of his royal proclamation,
and signifying their approbatibn of papists being putjnto
places of trust, and thanking hini for his royal vvord for
maintaining the protestant religion, as the best security they
could havei. This obsequious letter was signed by the chan
ceUor, the two archbishops, ancl others ; but the Duke ot
HamUton, the Earls of Panmure and Dundonald, had the
honour to refuse to subscribe it. Wherefore the king, in a
letter ofthe 1st of March, ordered the two last of these noble
men to be put from tbe council-board, and declared, that,
though he vvas displeased witii the conduct of Duke Hamil
ton, yet he suspended his resentment for the present. In the
same letter he charged them to suffer no presbyterian to preach
without their allowance ; and untU they liad taken the oath
enjoined by proclamation ; so that the papists were the only
persons that had the benefit of his majesty's favour at this
time, unless it was the quakers, whose affirmation, would, I
suppose, be accepted. And thus matters stood tiU the end of
March, Meanwhile, on the 4th of March, the lords of ju-stlciary pas£<-
ed sentence of death on Campbell of Oab, Campbell of Druiw-
funish, Campbell of Dalton, and Campbell of Ulva; and order
ed them to be executed when apprehended. And on the Sth
they passed the like sentence on Lamont of Meandrynan, Camp
bell of Aitarich, Macfun of Invernydan, Maccallum- of Rean--
lochtean, Macfun of Dryp, and Campbell of Sonachan, All
these their accession to Argyle.
This month of March the informatory vindication of the so
cieties, written conjunctly, as the title bears;" by Mr Renwick
and Mr Shields was agreed to. It was printed in Holland, and
they took care to disperse as many copies of it as they could.
It has been several times reprinted since, and therefore I refer
the reader to It.
For reasons best^known to the court, the king on die Slst of
March, wrote another letter to the council, called the second in
dulgence, with an appearance of mitigating some things in the
former, in which he says, « It is now our will and pleasure
' and we do hereby authorise and require you to grant them, or
f any of them, our said indulgence, without b,eing obliged to
* take the oath, with power unto them to enjoy the benefit of
' the said Indulgence, (during our pleasure only) or so long as
¦' you shall find they behave themselves regularly, or peaceably
'without giving any cause of offence to us, or any in authority
» or trust under us, -in our government.'  None of the pres
byterian ministers accepted of this indulgence,
Mr Rapin, upon the first proclamation, says justly,, The

-CHAP. XIV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 34 1
council of Scotiand blindly obeyed the king, not only by pub
lishing his proclamation, but even by thanking him for it as a
signal favour ; and adds, this ought not to appear strange, be
cause the council wholly consisted of men entirely devoted to
Ahe king, nor was there any person in public office, who was
not, orat least pretended not to be ofthe same principles^' And
a little farther, it is not therefore to the whole Scots nation that
this blind obedience is to be imputed, but to their governors,
who were but a smaU part ofthe people ; but if Mr Rapin, who
was but a stranger, had traced this matter to its true original, he
would have landed it In prelacy ; for it is well known that the
first parliament after the Restoration vested the king with a
power tb order'all things relative to the external government
and policy of the church.
The king, finding matters go so well in Scotiand, called a *
council in England, and declared his resolution to issue out a
declaration for a general liberty of conscience to all person of
what persuasion soever ; and, among other things said, « That
' it was his opinion, as most suitable to the principles of Chris-
' tianity, that no man should be persecuted for conscierice sake ;
< fpr he thought conscience could not be forced ; and that it
? could never be the true interest of a king of England to en-
* deavour to do it.' Accordingly, on the 4th of April, he caus-
his declaration for liberty of conscience to be published ; only
he took care to soften his expressions with respect to his abso
lute power ; but this I leave to the English historians. Matters
continued much on the same footing in Scotland till July, whea
a most ample indulgence was published.
Meanwhile, in the month of AprU, sixteen men and five wo
men were banished to, America, because they would not own
the present authority lo be according to the word of God, nor
disown the Sanquhar declaration, nor engage not to hear Mr
JRenwick. Their testimony against the evUs ofthe times is sign
ed thus : James Hamilton, James Douglas, John Brown, George
White, Alexander Bailey, Gilbert M'CuUcch, Thomas Brown,
John Wight, John Russel, WiUiam Hanna, John Stuart, James
Richart, John White, John Aitkin, Robert Mitchel, WiUiam
Howie, -Isabel Cassils, Agnes Keir, Isabel Steil, Margaret Weir,
Bessie Weir.
On the 4th of May a long process against many country peo
ple, for their accession to BothweU, commenced before the lords
of justiciary, who, after all the pains that vvere taken were ob
Hged to aquit the prisoners for want of sufficient evidence. On
the 7th of M,iy others were indicted for hearing Mr Renwick,,
but the process, for ought appears, came to nothing.
In this month Mr Spruel, who^had been prisoner in the Bass,
for near six years, gave in a petition to the council, craving to
best at Uberty. -Accordingly; on the 13th of M-ay, the council

342 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAF. XIV.
made ari act empowering Charles Maitiand the goverpor of tha
Bass to release him in regard of his majesty's late-proclamatibn,
upon his finding bad to appear before them next June, Mr
Spreul signified to the governor, that he did not chaseto accept
of liberty upon any terms that signified his approbation of the
Said proclamation, and therefore was continued in prison till a
letter cam« requiring the governor to set open the doors to him,
and tell him he might go or stay as he pleased : wherefore after
so long confinement, he iame out, protesting against what he
took to be wrong in the orders and proclamation, went to Edin
burgh, waited on the counsellors, thanked them for his- liberty,
and verbally renewed his, protest, agairist the said proclamation
and orders. Thus ended the troubles of this good mari.
On Ihe 30th of June several werelndicted for accession t*
Bothwell, but the process was dropt.
Diiring these tMngs a process was carrying oa against Dr
Gilbert Burnet, afterwards bishop of Sarum. He tells ,us,
' That his continuing at the Hague made the king conclude that
he -was managing designs against him,' Some papers printed
in Holland, and dispersed througli aU parts of England, reflect
ing on the proceedings there, most of them wrote by the Doctor,
inflapied the king the more against him. But that which gave
the crisis to the king's answer -was, that he heard of his going
to be married to a considerable fortune at the Hague. So a
project was formed to break off the match, by charging' him
with high treason fbr conversing with Argyle and other out-
lav^ed'.perSons. ' Ths king therefore ordered a letter to be -wrote,
in his name, to the advocate, in Scotiand, to pipsecute him. for
some probable thing or another ; -which was intended only to
'make a noise, not doubting but that would break the intended
marriage. ' The Doctor, getting timely notice of this, petitioned
the States to be naturaUzed in order to his intended marriage ;
-which 'being complied with, he -wrote several -letters, in his own
-vindication, to tire Erfrl' of Middleton, vrhich the reader may
see iri Mr '"Wddrov/'s histcffy, "Vol, II. p. 609, 610, fill. In
thefirst of these, dated at the' Hague, May 3d, 1687, he said,
That, his being now naturalized iri Holland, his allegiance,
during his stay there, was transferred from his majesty to the
sovereign^ of these provinces, and that he would be sorry if
any judg'ment, that shbuld pass in' Scotland against him, should
, oblige hitri, iri his own defence, to appear in print, and make a
recital ofthe share he had in affairs for twenty years past, and
-therein mention many particulars that he was afraid must be
displeasing to his majesty. The doctor's first citation or In
dictment, dated AprU I9tb, had not then reached him, contain
ing his converse with Argyle, &c, as above ; but, when it did,
' >he wrote his second^ letter to the secretary, and. In a most

OHAP, XIV. CHURCH OJ" SCOTLAND. «43
distinct and particular manner, shewed the falsehood of every
thing laid to his charge ; but, his adversaries willing to make a
handle of every thing, the first citation was dropt, dnd another
indictment was drawn up against him, founded upon his saying,
that his aUegiance was tran^erred from his majesty to tiie States.
He ga-ve a most distinct answer to this in a third letter to the
secretary ; but no regard was paid to any thing he offered in his
own justification, however just and equitable : sb that, at last,
inthe beginning of July, a sentence of outiawry was -given
against him ; upon which Abbeville said, that, if the States
woald not deUver him up, he would find such instruments aa
would carry him away by force. It must be owned, that the
, doctor had she-wn no small zeal against popery : and therefore,
as things were then, the reader cannot be surprised though he
was singled out as one of the objects of the resentments of a
popish king and his complying courtiers. But, to proceed to
things of another nature.
At length, on the Sth of .July, the council received another
proclamation firom the king, for Uberty pf conscience, which
they ordered to be published with all due solemnities, and of
which the tenor foUows.

- JfViVl£.0 11. CX-C.
' "l^/'E now taking into our royal consideration the sinistrous
' ' ' interpretations which either have, or may be made of

'JAMES II. &c. istrous af
' some restrictions, (mentioned in the last,) have thought fit, by
' this, — farther to declare, that we protect our archbishops, &.c.
' in the free exercise of their protestant reUgion.— And we db
' likewise, by our sovereign authority, prerogative royal, and
' absolute power, suspend, stop, and disable all penal and san-
' guinary laws made against any for nonconformity to the reU-
' gion established by law in that om- ancient kingdom. And
' to the end that, by the liberty tiiereby granted, the peace and
' security of our government, in the practice thereof, may not
' be endangered, we  hereby strictly charge all our lo-ring
' subjects, that, as we do give them leave to meet and serve
' God after their own way, be it in private houses, chapels, or
' places purposely hired or buUt for that use, so that they take
« care that nothing be preached or taught, whieh may any ways
' tend to alienate the hearts of our people fi-om us or our gc-
'-vernment; and that their meetings be peaceably and openly
' held, and all persons freely admitted to thehi, and that they
» do signify and make known, to some one or more of the -next
' pri-vy-counseUors, sheriffs, &c. what place or places they set
' apart for these uses, with the names of the preachers,— and
' that no disturbance of any kind be made, or given tliem, under
' the pain of our royal displeasure : — ^iirovided al-ways, that thciT

344 THE HISTORY OF THE ^ - CHAF. XlVi
' meetings be in houses, or places appointed for the purpose,
'"not" in the open fields, -for which now, after this our royal
' grace and favour, (which- surpasses the hopes, and equals the
' very vyishes of the most zealously concerned,) there is not the
' least shadow of excuse left, which meetings in the field we do
' hereby prohibit,  against all which we do leave our laws
' and acts of parliament in fqU -force and vigour, notwithstand-
' ing the premises ; and do farther command all our judges -and
' magistrates, and ofiicers of our forces to prosecute such as shall
' be guilty, of field cpnventicles,-^-for we are confident none
' wiU, after this, — (presume to meet in those assemblies, except
^ such as make a pretence of religion' to cover their treasonable
' designs against our royal person, and the peace of cur goyern-
' ment-^ — — ,'
This Uberty was accepted by thfe generality of the -presby
terian ministers in the kingdom. For, though they were per
suaded that It was not granted from any regard to them, or their
adherents, but rather for introducing popery ; yet they consi
dered that th^y had a right to it, and that their right had been
U-nj-ustly invaded fbr rnany years, and that it would have been
a strange thing if they should have been backward to preach
and hear the gospel, when a door was opened for it, because
some men had a design against the gospel in tlieir opening it.
Besides, if they had pee-vishly refused this Uberty, that vvoidd
never have hindered the papists from reaping the benefit of it;
but, on the contrary, would have strengthened popery-, by put
ting themselves out of capacity to oppose it, and the papisis
would have had the fairest occasion Imaginable to mislead the
people : and therefore they looked on themselves as,, bound to
fiiake the best use of it, because it brought, for the present, a
great and singular reUef to thousands, who had for many years
beeri groaning under^heavy oppressions, and gave an opportu
nity to most of the ministers, who had either retired, or been
banished, to return to their native country, as, Mr J. 'Veitch,
Mr G. QampbeU, afterwards professor of divinity in the college
of Edinburgh, Mi: P, Warner, Mr Alexander, Piteairn, a person
of singular- abilities, Mr James Kirktoun, Mr Alexander Hastie,
Mr Thomas Hog, Mr John Harroway, Mr Andrew Cameron,
Mr WilUam Moiicrief, Mr Patrick Cowpar, and others.
The presbyterian ministers, from different parts ofthe country,
met at Edinburgh about the 20th of July, and agreed to^accept
the benefit of this toleration ; and, after some reasoning iipon
y^ddressing l^he king, which several were averse to, a considera
ble numblr of them agreed to the following address.

CHAP. XIV. CUBRCIIQE SCOTLAND. 845

May :t please your majes'.y,
''E your majesty's most loyal subjects, the ministers of the
presbyterian persuasion in your ancient kingdom of Scot
land, from Lhe deep sense we have of his majesty's gracious and
sm-prisliig favour, in not only puttirig a stop to our long sad
^sufferings for nonconformity, but granting us the liberty of the
public and peaceable exercise of bur ministerial function, with
out any hazard ; as we bless the great God who hath put this
into your royal heart, do withal find ourselves bound in duty to
offer our most humble and hearty thanks to your sacred ma-
jesty,'the favour bestowed being to us, and all the people of our
persuasion, valuable above all our earthly comforts, especially
since we have ground, from your majesty, to believe that our
loyalty is not to be questioned upon the account of our being
presbyterians, who, as we have, amidst all former temptations,
endeavoured, so are firmly resolved still to preserve an entire
loyalty in our doctrine and practice, (consonant to our known
principles, vvhich, according to the holy scriptures, are contained
in the confession of faith, generally owned by presbyterians in'
all your majesty's dominions,) and, by the help of God, so to
demean ourselves, as your majesty may find cause rather to en
large than to diminish your favours towards us, thoroughly per
suading ourselves, from your majesty's justice and goodness,
that, if we shall at any time be btherwise represented, your ma
jesty will not give credit to such information until you take
due cognition thereof; and humbly beseeching that those who
promote any disloyal principles and practices (as we disbwn
them) may be looked upon as- none of ours, whatsoever name
they may assume to themselves. May it please your most ex
cellent majesty graciously to accept this our most humble ad
dress, a:s proceeding from the plainness and sincerity of loyal
arid thankful hearts, much engaged by this ybuf royal favour to
continue our fervent prayers to the King of kings for divine 11-
luminatibn and conduct, with all other blessings, spiritual and.
temporal, ever to attend your royal person arid government ;
which is tbe greatest duty can be rendered to your majesty by
ypur majesty's most humble, most faithful,
and most obedient subjects,
Su'bscribed in our name, and in the names of the rest of the
brethren pf our. persuasion, Ut their desire.
This meeting of ministers, says my author, was but an occa
sional meeting, wherein ^very one acted as he saw good, and

StS THE HISTORT OF THE _- CHAP. XIV.
withdrew when he was not satisfied, and was not by delegation
from the rest in- Scotland, nor any judicatory ; and, if that was
the case, one would be apt to think 'they took by far tboimuch
upon them. About this time many of the presbyterians in and-
about Edinburgh drew up an address still more florid than the
above. The meeting of ministers at Edinburgh, having thus agreed
tb address the throne, laid down several rules in order to make
the best of the liberty now granted them. And looking upon
themselvres as now freed from bonds and fetters, they set up,
says my author, not only worship, but also, discipline and go-
, vernment; their judicatures met, and every thing was done as
far as circumstances would permit, ,-And, at a, synod that met
in a house at Glasgow, Mr William Violant was chosen mo
derator, and the care of students of di-vinity was committed to
the reverend Mr James Wodrow, under whom great numbers
had their educatibri, and became vei^ serviceable to the cburc.h
bf Christ In Scotland, and elsewhere. In short, the friends of
liberty, by this -toleration, had access to be together, and to
strengthen one another's hands. The Prince of Orange, on this
occasion, had these words to the reverend Mr Patrick Warner
befpre he returned to Scotiand : ' I understand you are caUed
' home upon the liberty granted there ; but I can assure you
' that liberty Is not granted from any favour or kindaess to you,
' or' your party, but from favour to papists, and to divide you
' among yourselves ; ' yet I think you may be so wise as to take
' the good of It, and prevent the evdl designed, and, instead of
' dividing, come to a better harmony among yourselves, when
'.you have liberty to see one' another, and meet freely together,'
But, Mr Renwickand his followers paid no regard to their
toleration, and were much offended with those who complied
with it, and addressed the king on account of it ; and indeed,
notwithstanding all this shew of clemency; they were as much
exposed as ever. And, as I have shewn the grounds upon which
the acceptors of the toleration went, I cannot but in justice shew
likewise the principal reasons why the others did not comply.
1 . They considered th? granter as a person with whpm they
could not communicate in any transairtion of this nature, being
bound by his principles to keep no faith with heretics, and hav
ing in his practide discovered, In' several Instances, his treachery ;
and dissimulation. 2. They considered that accepting a tolera
tion from him was a bargaining with an apostate, bigotted ex
communicated papist, and, as such, under the Mediator's male^
diction, yea, and '^^''^ ^° ^^^ own grandfather's imprecations, who
wished the curse of God to faU upon such of his posterity as
Should, at any time, turn papists ; and therefore they cWuld not
be at peace, associate, or bargain with him. 3. They considei-

CHAP, XIV, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
ed that they could not own him in the relation of a magistrate,
because they had not only renounced him, but, by the laws of
the land he was incapable of government, having nelthtr given,
nor could give the oath and security indispensibly required ;
whereas, did they accept of his toleration, they owned his maglt-
stratlcaL authority, 4, They considered this toleration as flow
ing from his absolute power, a power which all were to obey
without reserve, which cannot be limited by laws, &c, and there
fore they could not accept of it, without acknowledging a power
inconsistent with the law of God and liberties of mankind. 5.
They considered, that they could not accept of this toleration,
without giving a virtual approbation of the dispensing with the
penal laws against papists, 6. I'hey considered that the proper
tendency of it was to introduce a lawless loyalty, established the
king's tyranny, unite the hearts of protestants to papists, who are
caUed their neighbours, 7. They considered the effects already
produced by it. Papists were encouraged, their numbers in
creased, the executive power was'put into their hands, &c, 8,
They considered the nature of this pretended liberty as most
dishonourable to the cause of Christ : for, though nothingis mere
desirable than when true liberty is established by the govern.
,ment, yet nothing can be more vile than when the true religion
is tolerated under the notion of a crime, and when the exercise
of it is only allowed under such and such restrictions, 9. They
considered the extent of it, as taking in not only the archbiJ
shops, bishops, but all quakers and papists, and so opening a
door to idolatry, blasphemy and heresy, 10. They considered .
the terms as what they could not comply with, especially because
they were foibid to speak any thing contrary to the well and
peace of his reign, or which may any way tend to alienate the
hearts of the people from him and his government, which, they
looked upon as a prohibition to preach against popery or prelacy,
1 1, They considered that the acceptance of it was a scandal, and
could not but offend the generation of the righteous, 12, They
considered the addresses of thanks, made on this occasion, as a
train of fulsome and blasphemous flatteries, to the dishonour of
God, the reproach of his cause, the betraying of the church, the
detriment of the natbn, and theexposing themselves to contempt.
As to the address formerly mentioned, they say, among other
things, that tl^re never was an address of this strain from pres
byterian hands, seeing the contents of this address were so con^^
trary to their, known principles. Thus, say they, « It is contrary
' to presbyterian principles to congratulate an antichristian us-
« urper, for undermining religion and overturning laws and 11-
' bertles. It is contrary, to presbyterian principles to justify the
' abrog.ationof the riational covenants, in giving thanks for a 11-
' berty whereby aU the laws are cassed and disabled therein con-

S48 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAF, XIV,
' firmed. It is contrary to presbyterian principles to thank the
* king for opening a door to bring in popery, which they are
« engaged to extirpate by the solemn league and covenant,' &c.
The reader may see all these things enlarged at considerable
length in the treatise quoted on the margin, I shall make no
remarks, but only acquaint him, That Mr Renwick and his ad
herents were not the only persons who were against king James's
toleration ; for though many of the prote'stant dissenters in Eng^
land were pretty forward to congratulate the king for- the Eng
lish declaration, ye Mr Coke says. That it was so drawn in the
sight of every bird, that (of his knowledge) many of the sober
thinking men did both dread and detest it. And Dr Calamy
teUs us, that there was not many that could be charged, [viz,
with addressing,] and that, among the rest, Mr Baxter had no
concern in addressing, but sethimself at Rutland-house in Char
ter-house-yard, where he exercised his ministry in conjunction
with Mr Sylvester, to make a peaceable Improvement of the li
berty afforded, so as to do all the good he could. The like did
his brethren in other places. But to proceed td other things,"
' On the 25th of July, John Anderson younger of Westertoun
was Indicted before the justiciary for speaking In favour of de
fensive arms, and, being found guilty by the jury, was condemn-
to, die, only the time and place were left to the king. Though
it does not- appear that the sentence was executed, yet nothing
coiild be a clearer evidence of cruelty than a sentence like this.
On the 5th of October the council published a proclamation
against field-conventicles, ' declaring; that not orfly all such per-
« sons, whether preachers or hearers, that shall presume- to he at
« any conventicle in the open fields, but also all dissenting mini-*
« sters, who shall take upon them to preach in houses, without
» observing such directions as are prescribed by our said late
^ proclamation,  shall be prosecuted with the utmost rigous
« and severity of the lavvs,' &e. This proclamation was occa
sioned by the complaints which the archbishop of St Andrews
made ofgreat meetings of people without doors in his diocese,
and by the Bishop of Glasgow's representing Mr Renwick's fre-«
quent field- conventicles in the west country.
On the 1 4tli,^ while thq, king's b"irth-day was observed at Glas-
govv with great^demonstrations of joy, a narrow search was made
^n the tow-rij and several were' taken, and brought to no small
t.-ouble, •»
Mr Renwick stUl went on preaching, notwithstanding the
hazard he ran from the persecutors on the^one hand, and the
'reproaches wherewith he was loaded by many, even of presby-i
terians, on the other; but these I shall entirely pass over, since
the reader may have recourse to the history of his- life written
by Mr Shields, who tells us, that, in less than five months after

GHAP. XIV, CHURCH 0* SCOTLAND^ 349
the toleration, there were fifteen rnost desperate searches, par
ticularly for him, both of foot and horse ; and that all encou
ragement might be given to any who should apprehend him,
a proclamation was issued, dated October thc 18th, « authori-
« sing all officers, civil and military, to apprehend and secure,
* in firmance, bis person, with some others; and, for encourage-
* ment, ensuring the sum cf a hundred pounds sterling for
« taking him or them dead or alive.'
Some time this month of October, John and Robert Summers,
two brothers, together with William Spier, all in the parish of
Cambuslang, vvere taken out of their beds and imprisoned at
Glasgow, on suspicion of being at some field-conventicle; and,
after ten days confinement there, they suffered a month's im
prisonment at Edinburgh, and were brought to great charges,
though nothing could be proved against them.
On the 4th of November, pensionary Fagel wrote from tho
Hague to Mr Stuart, in answer to several letters vvhich that
gentleman had wrote to him, in order to know the sentiments
of the Prince and Princess of Orange concerning the taking
away the penal laws, in which he told him, ' That it was the
' opinion of the prince and princess, that no Christian ovight
* to be persecuted for his conscience, or be ill used because he
* differs from the established religion, and therefore they coulil
' consent that the papists in Engbnd, Scotland and Ireland,
* should have as much liberty as is allowed them in HoUand,
* And as to protestant dissenters, they heartily approved of their
' having an entire liberty for the full exercise of their religion,
' without any trouble or hindrance ; and that if their majesty
' desired their concurrence in repealing the penal laws, their
' highnesses were ready to give it, provided that those lavvs
* still remained in force, by which- the Roman catholics were
' excluded out of both houses of parlitim?nt, and out of ali pub-
* Uc employments, ecclesiastical, civil, and military, and like-
' wise those other laws which confirm the protestant religion,
' and secure it against all the attempts of the Roman catholics;
' but that they could not consent to the repeal of the test, and
' the other laws that tended to the security of the protestant
* religion,' &c. And thus king James and his ministers were
exceedingly disappointed by this full declaration ; for, had
they .only got the opinion of the prince and princess according
to their mind, they doubtless would have made a great handle
of ir.
On the 7th of November, James Boyle was condemned to
be executed at the Grassmarket, on the 7th of December, for
having been at Bothwell, and for hearing Mr Renwick ; but it
does not appear that the sentence was executed.

5 0 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XV.
There is nothing more material that occurs duiing this year,
only, in the beginning of it, the soldiers cbntinued their ra
vages, till some regiments were called up to England ; and,
among others that suffered by them, the family of Mayfield was
greatly oppressed-
And, as an evidence that the persecuting spirit still conti
nued, Alexander Keir, sometimes bailie of Stranrawer, was im
prisoned, some time this year for aUeged irregular baptisms, as
were WilUam Mactyre and Nathaniel Johnston for being pre
sent. But I now go on to
CHAP. XV.
Of, the proceedings of the Justiciary ; the execution of Mr James
Renwick '; the acts of proclamation of council, and other remai^-
able things to the ever memorable Revolution, ivith some account
of the proceedings of the convention of estates.
"g'T is now with pleasure I am come to the year IS'^S, which
-*- v/iU ever be famous in the annals of Great Britain, on ac
count of the glorious Rexolution, brought about by divine pro
vidence, by which these nations were rescued, not only from
oppressive tyranny, but also from a destructive storm of po
pery, devastation, and blood, that was just ready to break- In
upon them ; and Scotland, in particular, was freed from the
bloody hands of prelatists and their abettors.
The Romish priests at this time bestirred themselves to pro
pagate their faith, filled the country with their catechisms and
manuals of devotion. Popish schools were erected up ; and
down England, and, ina particular manner, at the Abbey of
Holyrood-house, which was not only contrary to law, but an
open insult on the Reformation, The better to gain their ends',
the scholars were to be taught grai'is ; and it was pretended,
that no regard was to be had- to differences in religion,! and no
less title was given to this popish seminary than that of the
Royal College.
Notwithstanding the toleration last year, all methods were
taken to hinder many from reaping the benefit of it. When
people hired barns or other houses for places of worship, they
were upon some pretence or another, greatly vexed and har
rassed ; and they who would not go to church were brbught
to po small trouble, and qur.rrels were continually picked vvith
presbyterians ; so that, had it not been for the rebeUion, even
this toleration had been rendered of no service. Mr Alexander
Auchmoutle and Mr Alexander Orrock. were discharged from
preaching any more at Dundee. The latter had . once prayed,
that the Lord would purge the king from heart idols ; which
words were misrepresented, as if Mr Orrock had said the "king

CHAP. XV. CHUnCH OF SCOTLAND. Sol
was an Idolat.°r. In a word, aU occasions were sought against
presbyterians'; but,
The grand design of the court was to establish popery on the
ruins of the protestant interest; but here was the great bar in
the way, the apparent heirs of the crow^n were protestants, and
aU attempts to induce them to change their religion, or even to
approve the taking off the penal laws, had been in vain ; and
therefore a proclamation was pubUshed on the 2d of January
1688, to notify the queen's being with child, and to order public
thanksgiving to God, on the 15th, in the cities of London
and Westminster, and on the 29th in all other places in Eng
land. '
In the form of prayer appointed for the occasion were these
expressions. « Blessed be that good Providence, w^ich has
• vouchsafed us fresh hopes of royal issue by our gracious queen
'Mary. Strengthen her, we beseech thee, and perfect what
< thou hast begun ; command thy holy angels to watch over her
•continually, and defend her from aU dangers - and evU acci-
• dents, that what she has conceived may be happily brpught
' forth, to the joy of our sovereign lord the king, the farther
« estabUshment of his crown, the happiness and v/elfare of the
' whale kingdom, and the glory of thy great name'
The privy council of Scotland appointed the 29th of January
to be observed as a thanksgiving for the diocese of Edinburgh,
and the 10th of February for the rest of the kingdom. There
were, however, very few of the tolerated presbyterians that
paid any regard to this ; and indeed there was no particular
mention of them in the act enjoining this thanksgiving.
This, says Mr Neal, struck ali the protestant part of the
nation with consternation, except a few ranting tories, whose
religion was at the service of the king whenever he should
please to call for it ; and- though the Jesuits looked upon the
conception as miraculous, and as the effect of a vow the queen
had made to the lady of Loretto, and prophesied that it would
certainly be a prince, yet the protestants sighed in secret, and
suspected a fraud ; the grounds of which are related at large by
the historians of these times.
On the 17th of January, Mr James Renwick, with the con
sent of others concurring, delivered into the hands of Mr Hugh
Kennedy, a reverend and learned minister, whom he supposed
to be the moderator of the meeting at Edinburgh, a testimony;
which he had drawn up against the toleration, and for the cor
venants, and the expediency of preaching the gospel in the fields.
The strength of ,what is therein said against that toleration
being exhausted in what is borrowed from Mr Shields, a few
pages before this, I shall not here resume what tiicy s.iy upon
that head, but shortly deduce the substance of the other two,.

^332 THE IJISTORT. OF THE . CHAP. XT.
'In the next place, considering (say. they)' how our covenants
are slighted, the obligations of them forgotten, and they like
to be buried in oblivion, we judge we are necessarily called to
speak a word of our covenarit.s ;  desiring to bless the Lord,
who put it In the he.-irt of his people,^  ^to enter into holy
covenants,  and we do testify our cordial approbation of,
and real adherence unto these mem.or-able engagements ; 
and we tire also no less-convinced in our consciences, that the '
obligation of our covenants is perpetual, and binding upon
posterity;  these eng.igements are national promises, lay
ing in pledge the public faith. Certainly that of the Jewish
nobhs, not to, exact usury of their brethren, would have
brought their posterity under the carse, if they: should have
done it, Neh; v. 12, 13. They are, national vows, whereby
they d^votedthemselves and their, posterity to be the Lord's
people;  the Rechabites were bound to observe the vows
of their forefather Jonadab. They are national oaths, and
these do oblige posterity. Joseph took an oath of the chU
dren of Israel to carry up his bon'es to Canaan, Gen. 1. 25.
which the posterity  found theiTselves straitly sworn to
observe, Exod. xxx. 19.  : — They are mitional covenants,
wherein king, parliameat, and people do covenant with each
other to perforin their several and respective duties as to re
ligion and liberry ; these oblige posterity, ns Israel's covenant
vvith the Gibsonites, Josh. ix. 15, 19, for the breach whereof,
many ages afrer,-the posterity was plagued, 2 Sam,' xxi. 1.'
several otlier thihgs are advanced tothe same purpose ; and then
hey go on, saying,?' 'V/e cannot but profess the sorrow of our.
hearts, and testify the abhorrence of our seals against all the
breaches, injuries, or affronts, th-at have been, or are offered
or done to our covenants, national and solemn league, which
now (alas) are like- to be despised and buried in forgetfulness.
Particularly, we testify against the sinful, shameful, and

scandalous defections of many ministers in this point, by their
laying by these sacred covenants, forbearing to preach plainly
the obligation of them, to discover p:irticuiarly the bre-aches of
them, and to m-?ntion them in the engagements which they
require of parents vAien they present their children to bap
tism 
' In the last phice, because field-meetings for gospel-ordi-
nanco3-T  ire now, by wicked and sanguinary laws,  in
dicted and dis'charged under p-aiii of death, therefore we must
testify our abhorrence of this cruelty, when others are silent,
and signify also our reasons of endeavouring to maintain these
interdicted meetings — 1. It is necessary, nt all times, that
ChriEtiTHsshould nie;t together for gospel ordin.mccs, whether
the magistrate will or not,  if they cannot get the gospel
9.

CHAP. XIV. CHURCH OP SCOTLAND. SSj
In houses, they must have It where-ever they cai^— — 2.
These meetings must be as pubUc as may be with conveniency
and prudence, especially  when wickedness is encouraged,
and a witness for truth suppressed ;  for then the call of
God in — :— fot public and solemn humiliation, vvhich cannot
be dorie in private ; the nature and end of meeting for gospel-
ordinances is for a public testimony for •, hrist against all sin,
and every dishonour done to the Son of God.— —The nature
and business of the gospel- ministry is such, that it obliges
them that exercise It to endeavo-jr all publicness, without
which they cannot discharge the extent of their instructions.
— — S. Keeping of field-meetings now, is not only most con
venient for testifying, but a very significant testimony, in it
self, against the popish toleration,— —against that wicked
law that discharges diem as criminal :  It is a testimony
for the headship, honour, and princely prerogative of Jesos
 since, in these meetings, there is a particular declaration
of bur holding our ministry, and the exercise thereof, from
Christ alone, without any dependence on, subordination to,
or licence from, his usurping enemies.-— It is a testimony
for bur covenants,  the owning whereof is declared cri
minal by the same law that discharges these meetings.  4.
To give over field-meetings altogether, at this time, would be
very stumbling to friends,  and to enemies prove very har
dening and encouraging in their wicked design of banishing
all meetings out of the land,'  Tbey conclude with the
epilogue of the ministers of Lancaster, used by them In their
testimony against the toleration.
Thus the reader may judge for himself, whether Mr Ren
wick and his followers, or those who accepted tbe foresaid to.
leration, acted most consistent with their principles,
I shall only add, that this worthy minister, was In a littie
time called to seal his testimony with his blood, of which I
shall give an account, when I have observed, that, on the 3d of
February, Mr David Williamson, who had a numerous congre
gation In the West-kirk parish, was, without being ever told the
cause, apprehended, and kept a fortnight in prison at Edinburgh,
and in July brought before the council, at the malicious accusa
tion of one Mushet, for not praying for the pretended prince of
Wales ; but nothing could be made appear. Sir Patridc Nisbet
of Dean, whb countenanced Mr Williamson's ministry, waa
fined in SOO/. steriing, for words Mushet declar-cd he had spoka
disrespectfully of the government.
The order of time leads me now to relate the last part of the
sufferings of Mr Renwick, who still continued preaching and
catechising. At last, after he delivered the above te-stimpny, he
went- to Fife, where he continued preaching till the hst cf Janu-
VOL II. (• Z

3S4 THE HISTOKT OI THE CHAP. XV.
ary, whfin he returned late at night to Edmburgh, and lodged
at a friend's house on the'Castie-hill, who dealt in English goods.
One Thoinas Justice, a custom -liouse-officer, getting notice of
a stranger's being there, came next morning, with sbme other
officers, Ori pretence of searching for prohibited goods. Mr Ren
wick, upon hearing the noise, came out of his room. Justice,-
standing at the door, said. My life for it, this is Mr Renwick.
Upon this Mr Renwick went tb another do'or, and, finding it
guarded, discharged a pistol, by which he got out, and, had It
not been for a blow he received in the breast, he - would have
made his escape ; but, as he was running, he fell several times,
and-at last was taken and carried directiy to the court of guard :
from thence before a committee of the councU, who ordered
him to be laid Ih Irons. Then he had an opportunity of spread
ing Ills ease before God; and of praying for grace *o enable him
to bear what he mi^t be called to suffer, and that his enemies
might be restrained from torturing bis body.
Before he received his iridletment,- he was taken to the Vis-'
count of Tarbet's chamber, and there examined conceming hi&
owning the authority of king James 'VII. the cess, and carrying
arms at field-meetings, and delivered himself with freedom and
boldness to the astonishment of, all present. He was the first
that was examined concerning the cess. A pocket-book was-
found about.him, in whichf were the notes of two sermons he
had preached on these points, which he owned. There were
also some capital letters in the same book, such as, AS. MS.
JW. AW. PR. PA, MM, at G, where a hat was left. The
committee was very urgent to know these names ; and Mr Ren-
-wlck, partly to avoid torture, and partly because he could not
make them more obnoxious than they were, ingenuously de.*
clared that they were the name? of Mess, Alexander Shields,!
Michael Shlplds, James Wilsdn, Archibald Wilson, Peter Rayn-
ing, Peter Aird, who were all out of their reach. He made
some demur as to the last, till he was assured that she should
come to ao trouble, and then he told that It was one Mrs MU
ler at Glasgow. This openness greatly softened the rage of Ids
enemies. Being asked what persuasion he was of ? He answer
ed, of the protestant presbyterian persuasion, adhering . t» the
old psesbyterian principles, which were once generally profess
ed by the church and nation from 1640 to 1660.
On the 3d of February he received his indlctmenti; in .which
it was said, " That, ha-ving shaken off the fear of God, and re-
» gard to his majesty's laws and authority, and having entered
' into the society of rebels of most damnable and pernicious
' principles and disloyal practices, he had taken upon him to bs
' a preacher to "these traitors, and had become so desperate a
' viUain, as openly to preach in the fields, declaiming against

CHAP. SV. CHOUCH OF SCOTLAND. 855
' the king's aiithorlty, asserting that he, was an iisutper, and
' that^ it was unlawful to pay cess, but lawful for subjects to
'rise in arms and make war agairist him, and those commis-
' sioned by him ; for. which crimes he had been denounced and
' intercommuned, and a reward of lOOl. sterling offered to any
' that should apprehend him ; but notwithstanding all this, he
* still persisted in his obstinacy, keeping conventicles In the
' fields, and requiring his hearers to come armed- to these ren-
' dezvouses of rebeUion. — 'And, being apprehended within the
' city of Edinburgh, he did desperately fire upon the officers
' that came to take him ; and, being brought before the lord
' chancellor, did openly deny and decline the king's authority;
' asserting him to be aa usurper, and owning that he had
' preached these things, and had traiterously declared at the
' Viscount of Tarbet's, that he could not in conscience acknow-
' ledge the' king to be his lawful sovereign, and that the lineal
' succession did not give a right to govern, and that it was un-
' lawful to pay cess, because it was imposed for msintalning of
' forces to suppress the gospel ; aftd that all who paid the cess
' were involved in that guilt, and adhered to ,his preaching-
' book, declaring the same to be his hand-vsrit,' To all which
he was to answer on the Sth of February. ~ To the indictment
was added a list of forty-five, out of which fifteen were to be
chosen to be the jury, with a list of the witnesses to be brought
against him, for which I must refer the reader to the history of
his life;
After receiving his indictment, his pious mother, EUsabeth
Carsan, was permitted nov/ and then to see liim. He frequent
ly declared his grief on account of his leaving his flock ; but on
Sabbath, February 5, .he declared that, if it was his choice,
he could not without terror think of continuing much longer
in his conflicts with a body pf sin and death ; and yet; he durst
riot vary in the lea-st from his- testimony,- In a letter,- February
6, he desired that the persons -whose ndmes he had deciphered
might be acquainted with it, and concludes^ ' I desire none
* may be troubled on my behalf, bat rather rejoice with him,
' who, vvith hope and joy, is waiting for his mairiage and co-
' rpnation-hour.' Another time his mother asked him how he
was. He answered he was well ; but that, since his last exa-
miination, h'e could hardly pray. At which, when she seemed
fo be surprised, he added, ' I can hardly pray, being so much
'taken up with praising; arid ravished with'the joy of the
' Lord,' When she farther expressed her fears, sSying, ' How"
' shall I look to that head, and these hands, set up among .the
' rest uppp the ports of the city ? I have so much of self, that
'I shall never be able to endure it,' He smiled, telling, her
-tjiat she should not ses that : for, said hp, ' I have ofTered my
2,

i65 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XV.
'life to the Lord, and have sought that he maiy bind them up,
' that tbey may do no more ; and I am persuaded that they shall
*• not be permitted to torture my body, nor touch one hair of
'¦my head farther.' He was always afraid of torture; but
nov>' his fears v.^ere all over. Some other friends were allowed
to visit him, whom he exhorted to make sure their peace with
God, and to study stedfastness in his ways : and when they
-were re=;retting their loss of him, he said, ' That they had more
' reason to biess the Lord, that he should now be taken away
' from these reproaches which had broken his heart, which
' could not otherwise be wiped off, even though , he should
' get his life without yielding in the least.' He told them also,
that, when he was first taken and brought before the councU, he
intended to wave them, and not be positive in his answers : but
that he was so fUled with darkness of spirit, that he durst not
continue in these resolutions, but found himself obliged to be
plain and free, as he had always been in his sermons, in which
he had found great peace.
On Wednesday the 8tli of February he appeared before the
justiciary, and, when his indictment was read, the justice-clerk
asked him, if he adhered to his former confession, and acknow
ledged all that was in his libel. He answered, ' All, except
' where it is said, I have cast off all fear pf God ; that I deny ;
' for it is because I fear to offend God, and violate bis lav/, that
' I aon here standing ready to be condemned.' Then he was
intej-rogated if he owned authority, and king James "VII, to be
,ais lawful sovereign. He replied, ' I own all authority that
' hath its prescriptions and limitations from the word of God*;
' but cannot own this usurper as lawful king, seeing, both by
' the word cf God, such an one is incapable to bear rule ; and
' likewise by the ancient laws of the kingdom, which- admit
' none to the crown of Scotiand until he swear to defend the
' protestant religion, vvhich a man of his profession could not
' do,' They urged, Could be deny him to be king ? Was he
not the late king's brother ? - Had the late king any chUdren
lawfully begotten ? Was he not declared to be successor by aCt
of parliament ? He answered, ' He was, no question, king de
^ facto, but not de jure ; that he was brother" to the other he
"• knew nothing to the contrary. What children the other had
' he did not knPw ; but from the word of God, that ought to
'- be the rule of all laws, or from the ancient laws of the king-
' dom, it could not be shewn that he had, or ever could have
' any right.' Then they asked, if he owned, and had taught it
>to be unlawful to pay cesses and taxes to his majesty. He
replied, ' For the present cess, exacted for the present usurper,
* I hold it unlawful to pay It, both in regard it is oppressive to
'• the subjects, for tb.c maintenance of tyranny, acnd because it is

KHAP. XV., CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 351"
' imposed for suppressing the gospel. Would it have been
' thought lawful for the Jews, in the days of Nebuchadnezzar,
' to have brought every one a coal to augment the flame of the
' furnace to devour tlie three children, if so they had been re-
' quired by that tyrant ? And how can it be la-ivful, either to
* oppress poor people \ for not bowing to the idols the king sets
' up, or for their brethren to contribute to what may help for-
' ward their oppi'ession ?' Next, they inquired if he owned
that he had taught his hearers to come armed to their meetings,
and, incase of opposition, to resist. He, answered, 'It were
' inconsistent with reason and religion both to do otherwise,
' Yourselves would do it in the. like circumsttyflces, I own that
' I taught them to carry arms to defend themselves, and to re-
': sist your unjust violence.' Farther, they asked if he owned
the note-book -ivith tiie two sermonS" in it, and that he had
preached them. He said, * If you have added nothing, I vvdll
' own it, and am iready to seal all the tfuths contained therein
' with my blood.' , All bis, confessions being read over, he -Was
required to subscribe them. He said he could not do it, since
he looked upon that as a partial- owning of their authority a
After several times refusing, he said, -with protestation, ' I will
^siibscribe the paper, as itisjny testimony; butnotinobe-
' dience to you.' ' '
Next, those of tiie jury were caUed in by fives, and sworn,
against whoni he made no objection, but protested, ' That none
' might sit on his assize that professed protestant or presbyte-
'rian principles, or an adherence to the covenanted work of re-
' formation,' He was brought in guilty, and sentence was pass
ed, that he should he executed In the Grassmarket On the Fri
day foUowing. Lord Linlithgow, justice-general, asked if he
desired longer time. He answered, that it was all one to him ;
if it was protracted, it was v/elcome ; if it was shortened, it was
welcome ; his Master's time was the best. So he was returned
to prison.
Though rione who suffered in the former part bf this dismal
period spoke -with greater freedom and openness than Mr Ren-
'wlck, yet none were treated with so much moderation. The
lenity of the justiciary was much admired beyond tiieir ordi- ,
nary : for they admitted liim to < say what he pleased, -without
thrdftenings or interruptions, even though he gave none of them
the titie of Lord but Linlithgow, who was a nobleman by birth-
Ie is farther remarkable, that, without his knowledge, ar.d
against his will, nay^ after his open refusing to the advocate to
diesire it, 'he was repriev-ed till the nth day, which gave occa
sion to several to renew their reproaches. , ' /
Though Mr Renwick's friends '( whicli was not usual after
sentence) were denied access, yet both papists,, episcopalians,

558 THE HISTORT OF THE CHAP. XV,
and others, were permitted to see him. Bishop Paterson often
-visited him ; nay, he sought another reprieve for him, which
would easily have been granted, had he only petitioned for it.
The bishop asked him, ' Think you none can be sav^d but
'those of your principles ? WUl you kiU yourself with your
^ own hands, seeing you may have your Ufe upon so easy
' terms ?' ,. He answered, ' I never said nor thought that none
^ could be saved except they were of those principles ; but these
' are truths which I suffer for, and which I have not rasldy con-
' eluded on, but deliberately, and of a long time have been con-
' firmed that they are sufficient points .to .gufferfor.' The bishop
took his leave, declaring his sorrow for his being so tenacious,
and commended him for a youth of parts. The night before he
suffered^ he signified his readiness to serve him to the utmost of
his power. Mr Renwick thanked him for his ci-vUity ; but
knew nothing he could do, or that he could desire.' Mr Mac-
naught, one of the curates, made him a visit in his canonical ,
habit, which Mr Renwick did not like. The curate, among
other things, asked his opinion concerning the toleration, and
(those that accepted it. Mr Renwick declared that he was
against the toleration : but as for the men' that embraced it,: he
judged them to be godly pien. Sir D'-U.^hrymple the advo
cate, several popish priests, and some bf the gentiemen of the
guard, together with some of the tolerated ministers, were per
mitted to, converse -with him. The priests, at leaving him, were
overheard, saying, that he was a most obstinate heretic. All
the time he was in prison after his sentence, he -w^s kept so
close, that he could get nothing -wrote. His begun testimony,
which he was writing, -was taken from him, and pen, ink, and
paper refused. However, he got a short paper -wrote the night
before he suffered, which is in the Cloud of Witnesses, .
On Tuesday the 14th he was brought before the council on
account of the ,Informatory Vindication,; but -what passed there
cannot be leamed, farther than their signifying how much kihd»
ness they had she-wn him, in that they had i;eprieved him with
out' his suppUcation, a thing never done before. He returned
with extraordinary, cheerfulness, rejoicing that he was counted
worthy to suffer sl^aijie for the name of his Master. He was
much in observing the goodness of God in restraining, the per
secutors from putting him to torture. Being asked what he
thought God would dp with the remnant left behind him ; he
answered, ' It shall be -weU with them ; for God wdl not fpr-
,> sake nor cast off his inheritance,'
On the day of his execution, the chief jailor begged, that, at
the place ef his execution, he would not tnention the ,cause of
his death, and would forbear aU. reflections.. Mr Renwick told
|iiro, that what God would give him jto speak, that he Vvould

CHAP. XV. CHURCH OF SCOTLANB, 359
'speak, and nothing else, and nothing less. The jailor tbid him,
he might still have his Ufe if he would but sign that petition
which he offered him. He aitswrered, ' That he never r,ead in
' scriptvure, or history, where martyrs petitioned for their lives
' when called to suffer for truth, though they might require
* them not to take their life, and remonstrate against the wick-
' edness of inurdering them ,; hut, in the present circumstances,
'he judged it would be found a receding from the truth, and
' declining a testimony for Christ,-'
At last his mother and sisters had liberty to see him. He
took a refreshment with them, and in retuming thanks^ said^
' O Lord, now thou hast brought me within two hours .of eter-
^ nity, and this is no matter of terror to me, more than if I were
'to lie dovra in abed of roses; nay, through grace, to thy
' praise I may say, I had never the fear of death since I came to
,.' this prison, but from the place I was taken I could have gone
' very composedly to the scaffold. O ! how can I contain the
^ thoughts of this, to be within two hours of the crown of glory.'
He exhorted them much to prepare for death, expressing his
own joyful assurance of endless glory ; and, perceiving his mo
ther weep, he exhorted her to remember, 'that they who loved
.' any thing better than Christ were not, worthy of him. If ye
' love me^ rejoice that I am going to laj Father* tp obtain the ,
* enjoyment of what eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor
? hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive.' Then he
-went to prayer, wherein he run out nuich into praises, and
pleaded, in behalf of the suffering remnant, that the Lord would
raise up witnesses that might transmit the testimony to suriceed-
ing generations, and that the Lord would not leave Scotiand ;
asserting, with great confidence of. hope, that he was strength
ened in the faith of it, that the Lord would be gracious to Scot
land, . » -
When the druip beat he fell into a transport, saying, ' Yon-
^ der the welcome warning to my marriage, the Bridegroom is
* coming, I am ready, I am ready,' Then, after Ijaying in a
moving way parted with his mother and sisters, he was taken,
as usual, to tlie low council-house, where they desired he would
speak what he had to say there. He told them. I Ji^ve nothing
to say to, you, but that which is written in J:er, xxvi. 14, 15, Af
fot me, behold I am in your hand, ^c. Hf- was told that .the
drums would beat at the Scaffold aU the time,; and thereforp
they advised him to pray there, which he refused, and declared
that he would riot be limited in whiat he would say; that he
j^iad premeditated nothing, but virould speak v^hat was given- him.
They offered him any minister to be with him ; but he chose
to be attended by one friend who was then in company.

3t60 THE HISXORY ,07 THS CHAP. XT.
He went to the place of executioh, with great cheerfulness,,
in the midst of an innumerable multitude, -which -iiras the greates,
^t executions had not dieen so frequent ,of Jate. There was
a curate near the sca&ild who tempted him, saying, Mr Ren
wick, own our king, and we shall pray for you. He replied
that he wanted none of his prayers, since be was come to hear
^s testimony against him, and such as he was. - The curate
said, own our ki^, and pcay fbr him, whatever ye say against as.
His answer was, I wUl discourse no more -with you. I am,
within a little, to appear befpre him whp Is King of kings,, and
JjctrA (£ Iprds, who will shortly pour shame, contempt, and co&- .
fusion on all the kings of the earth who have not ruled ioi him.
He sang Psal- ci'ti. read Rev. xix. and then prayed, recommend*
jng his soul to God through tbe Redeemer, and his cause to be
vindicated in his own time. H? declared that this was the most
joyful day he ever saw, a day he had gready longed for, and
blessed the Lord who had honoured bun with the crown -of
martyrdpin, an honour which the angels are not capable of. He
complained of his being disturbed in worshipping God ; hut,
said he, • I shall be above those clouds ; then shall I enjoy thee,
* arid glorify thee -vpithout interruption or intermission for ever.'
Prayer being ended, he spoke to the people, and whaft' was re
membered is as foUovys. —
SPECTATORS, (or,, If t6ere be any of you audittws,,^.!
^ must tell you I am come here this day to lay down my life
for adhering to the truths of Christ, for which I am neither
afraid nor ashamed to suffer ; nay, I bless the Lord that ever
counted me Worthy, or enabjed me to suffer any thing for
him ;' and I desire to praise his grace that he hatii not only
kepfme free frbm the gross ^dlutions of the time, but also
from the many ordinary pollutions bf children ; and for such
as I have been stained With, he'hi^- wa^ed and cleansed me
from tliein in his o*n blood- ' I am this day to lay down my
Ufe for these three things, ' 1. For disowning the usurpation
and tyranny of James dukeof ¥ork. 2. For preaching that
It was unlawfol to pay thf ce? s expressly exacted fra: bearing
down the gbspeh ' S. For teaching that it was lawful for peo
ple to carry arms for defending themselves in their meetings
* for the persecuted gospel^ordinances. I think a testimony
* for these is -worth many lives 5 and if I had ten thousand I
< Would think it littie enough to lay them aU dpwn for the same,
'''* Dear friends, spectators, if any of you be auditors, i must
« tfell you I die a presbyterian protestant. I own the word of
' God as the irule of faith and manners, I Own die Confession
'« of Faithi Larger ind Shorter Catechisms,. Sum of Saving
^Cnpwledge, Directory for Public and Family \yorship, Cove-

CHAP. XV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. S61
nants National and Solemn League, Acts of General Assem
blies, and all the faithful contendings that have been for the
covenanted reformation. I leave my testimony approving the
preaching in the fields, and the defending the same by arms,
I adjoin my testimony to all those truths that have been seal
ed by bloodshed, either on scaffolds, fields, or seas, for the
cause of Christ. I leave my testimony against popery, pre
lacy, erastianism, 5cc. against aU profanity, and every thing
contrary to sound doctrine and the power of godHriess ; par-
ticnlarly against aU usurpations and encroachments made upon
Christ's rights, the Prince of the kings of the earth, who
alone must bear the glory of ruUng his own kingdom the
church, and. In particular, against this absolute power, usurp
ed by this usurper, that belongs to no mortal, but is the In
communicable prerogative of Jehovah, and against his tolera
tion flowing from this absolute power,'
Here he was ordered to have done. He answered, I have
near done ; and then said, • Ye that are the people of God, do
not weary to maintain the testimony of the day in your sta
tions and places ; and, whatever ye do, make sure an interest,
in Christ ; for there Is a storm coming that shall try your
foundation. Scotland must be rid of Scotland before the
delivery come. And you that are strangers to God, break
off your sins by repentance, else I wiU be a sad Witness agairist
you in the day of the Lord.'
Here they stopt him, and made him go up the ladder, where
he prayed ; and this expression was distinctly heard, « Lord, I
' die in tbe faith that you wilt not leave Scotland, but that thou
' wilt make the blood of thy witnesses to be the seed of thy
' church, and return again and be glorious In our land. And
« now Lord, I am ready, the bride, the Laipb's wife, hath made
' herself ready,' ^ When the napkin was tying round his face,
he said to- -his attending friend, ' Farewell, be diligent in duty,'
* make your peace With God, through Christ ; there is a great
* trial coming. As to the remnant I leave, I have committed
« them to God, Tell them itom me not to vneary, nor be dis-
' couraged in maintaining the testimony. Let thein not quit
« or forego one of these despised truths. Keep your ground,
' and the Lord will provide you teachers and ministers. Arid
• when he comes he will make these despised truths glorious in ,
• the earth.' Then he Was turned over with these wbrds in his
' mouth, « Lord, into thy hands I commit my spirit ; for thou
« hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth.'
Thus died Mr James Renwick, the, last that sealed the tes
timony for religion and liberty, and the covenanted work of
reformation, against popery* prelacy, erastianism, and tyran
ny in this persecuting period, a young man and minister, bo-

362 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XV.
Tng just turned his 26th year, but a ripe Christian and martyr
of Christ.
After his death the Reverend Mr Alexander Shields suc
ceeded and preached in the fields, and in April had a very
iiiimerous field-meeting upon Distinkcorn-hill, which occasi
oned many searches to be made by the solfl.iers fbr those who
were present. &ut to return.
On the 13 th of February the Reverend Mr John Hardy,
minister, at Gordon, was tried before the justiciary for high
trea^son ; but the process, was dropt. Thegreat crime was his
preaching against popery, and warning his hearers of the dan
ger they and the whole nation were in. This was constructed
to be high treason.'
On the I7th Sir George Mackenzie was restored to his
place of being lord advpcatej'and Sir John Dalrymple was
made justice-clerk and a lord of session. In March some
country people were brought in prisoners, and examined by
Sir George about owning the king's authorityi but though
they owned it only with limitations, yet the nevv advocate was
more easy with theni than he had been witji otliers in fprmer
years. But f.o prpceed to things ofa more pubUc concern;
On the 27th of April Iting James issued out another declar
ation for liberty of conscience in En^and, which the reader
may see in the English historians. This declaration, saysDr
Welwood, was ofa much higher strain, than the former, and
in it the Roman CathoUc^ were chiefly included, and indeed
it vaS fbr their sake alone it vyas granted. However the king
not being satisfied with having this published jn thp usual me
thod, emitted an prdier of council, enjoining thb bishops to
cause It tp be sent and distributed throughout their several and
Respective diocesses, to beread at the usual time of divine ser
vice iri all churches and chapels. Though some of the bi
shops, says Burnet, * carried their compliance to a shameful
pitch,' the generality of the clergy refused to obey so unjust a
command, and seven of them, on account pf a petition they.
presented to his Majesty, praying that he woulfl not insist up
on their distributing and reading the said declaration, were
coniniitted to the Towjer, where vve mu$t leave them for some
time. Meanwhile, that matters might correspond in Scotland with
Ihose in England) on the 15tn of May a new proclamation
was published there. Called the 4th indulgence,, in which he
pleads several acts of parUament, especially the 2d act ofthis
parliament there for acting by vir-tue of absolute power ; so
that he pretended to law in .dispensing with the standing law^
of the nations. Then,? he repeats his former proplamations,
and signifies that he has dissolved aU judicatories apd magi^-

OHAP. XT, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 363
trates in royal burghs, and declares that he wUl maintain all
his fisrmer proclamations, and threatens those who would not
comply with his measures.
But, notwithstanding aU this pretended liberty of consci
ence, yet In many places all methods were taken to hinder
presbyterian ministers from reaping tbe benefit of it, as ap-
peaGE not only from some Instances already given, but^lso
from the case ofthe Reverend Mr Thomas Cobham, who was
born in Dundee, and came thither ou the 23d of May to see
his friends. He performed family -worship at his cousin's, for
jvhich he was brought before one of the magistrates, on pre
tence of his keeping a conventicle; but was presently bailed,
else he must have gone to prison. Next day; the Information
being found false, his bail-bond was given up, and he -gave in
his name to the magistrates, and preached the Sabbath followi
ing ; but the Saturday after he was caUed, at ten at night, be
fore some of the magistrates, and ordered to find bail, though
they had. nothing to lay to his charge ; and, because his friend
Mr Smith took upon hira to speak in his favour, and remon
strate against this iUegal proceeding, he was sent along with
him to prison. Though Mr Smith was let out, yet Mr Cob-,
, ham was kept a prisoner tiU July, when he was sent to Edin
burgh,' where, after some farther confinement, he was released
by the council, they finding nothing against him.
On the 10th of June, while the bishops were in the Tower,
and the princess Anne at the Bath, the queen was said to be
delivered of a prince of Wales; but there were so many cir
cumstances that rendered this birth suspicious, that the nation
in general looked upon it as an imposture, and as the last ef
fort of the papists to ruin the reformation in these lands. The
illustrious prince of Orange, in his declaration for Scotland,
Speaks of this in the foUowing terms : ^ But, to crown all, there
are great and violent presumptions Inducing us to believe
that those evd counsellors, in order to their carrying on of
their evU designs, and to the gaining to themselves more
time fdl- the effecting of them, for the encouraging of their
accomplices, and the discouraging of all good subjects, have
pubUshed that the queen hath brbvght forth a son, though
there have appeared, both during thp queen's prefended big-i
ness, and in the manner In which the birth was managed,
so many just and visible grounds of suspicion, tbat nqt only
we ourselves, but all the good subjects of those kingdoms,
do vehemently suspect that tiie pretended prince of Wales^
was not born by the queen. And It is nptoriously kno-wn
to aU the world, that many both doubted ofthe queen's big
ness, and of'the birth of the child, and yet there was not
one thing done to satisfy them, or put an end to their doubts,'

S64 THE HISTORY OF THB CHAP. XV.
On the 14th the cotincil of Scotland, considering that ' it
« living pleased the Almighty God, by whom kings reign, to
< bless his sacred Majesty our august and glorious monarch,
' and in him us, his dutiful and happy subject*, with the birth'
« of the most serene arid high-born prince, the prince and
« Stuart of Scotland, &c. by his royaj consort our gracious
* queen Mary,' — made an act appointing the 21st of June
for the diocese of Edinburgh, and the 1 Sth for the rest of the
kingdom to be observed as days of solemn thanksgiving, ihe
day was observed at Edinburgh with alt solemnity.
About the 20th of June they of the united societies, ha-ving
been informed that Mr David Houstoun, who had joined with
Mr Renwick, bad been apprehended, a good number of them
assembled in arms, attacked the soldiers who were carrying hiiaa "
to Edinburgh, and after killing some, and wounding others,
rescued the prisorier ; and, if they had not, it is very_.pr-bbable
he would have suffered as Mr Renwick had done. The socie
ties afterwards, ha-ving informations against him, turned hira
©ut firom amongst them.
The news of this rescue coming to Edinburgh, the councU
issued a proclatnatiori; on the "2 2d, ordering the nobility, free
holders, heritors,' and indulged minister-s, in the shires of Ayr,
Lanark, Renfrew, and -Nithsdale, to be assembled on the Ssth
instant, and those of Wigtoun on the 6th pf July, In order to
find out those concerned in the said rescue ; but, after all the
inquiry that could be made, few or none concerned were found
' oiit, though the country Wis brought to no smaU trouble on aci.
' Count of those meetings.
Some time in June, John Reid a trooper, once belonging to
Craigle's troop, finding one George Wood, a youth of about
sixteen years faf age, shot him on the place. When Reid was
challenged for this, he said^ he knew him to be a Whig, and
these pught to be shot wherever they were found.
In Jifne or July Claverhouse and Colonel Douglas made a
most violent search in Edinburgh. Every private soldier had
power to examine, u,pon oath, all siispected persons, Snd who
ever refused to renounce the covenants were forced to prison.
¦ The followers of the late Mr RenWick stUl kept up their
societies. Accordingly, at a general meetirig on the first ot
August, they coUected near 24Gl, sterling, in order to ransoin
several of their brethren who were sold for slaves to Barbadoes.
Accordingly James Douglas, Thomas Brovra, .John BuchanaUj
Alexander BaUy, George Paton, John White, Gilbert Pvlaccul-
loch, R, Mitchel, John White, Geoige Wtiite, Agnes Keii',
James Baxter, and another, were, in consequence of this, actuaUy
relieved. But it is proper tb take a short view of what was
transacting at this time in England.

CHAP, XV. CHDRCH OS SCOTLAND. 3(55
The assurance of a popish successor filled the king with hopes
pf accomplishing his designs, and,, in order to get a parliament
to his mind, closetting was once more put in practice,, promises
and threatenings were made use of, some entire regiments were
ordered from Ireia.id, and many vacancies in the English regi
ments were filled up with Irish and popish officers ; and dur
ing the public rejoicings for the birth ofthe pretended prince of
Wales, the archbishop of Canterbury, the bishops of St Asaph,
Eiith and Wells, Ely, Chichester, Peterborough, and Bristol,
were brought to their trials at the King's Bench bar on the 15th
of June ; but, upon a motion for a delay, the matter was put
off tUl the 29th, and In the mean time they were set at liberty
upon their recognizance. On the said 29th, Westminster-hall
was crowded with great numbers of lords, gentlemen, and others.
The bishops were tried, and the trial lasted ten hours ; then
the jury withdrew, andj after sitting up all night, brought in
their verd'ict, next morning. Not guilty.
Upon this the Marquis of Halifax, waving his hat over his
head, cried. Huzza ! 1 he lords arid geritlemen took the shout
from him. It in an instant filled the whole hall with the loud
est acclamations of joy, which were immediately taken by the
crowds waiting in Palace yard and in Westminster, from
whence it was carried through the city of London and places
adjacent, and; as fast as it could fly, over the whole kingdom.
"Hie soldiers encamped on Hounslow-heath gave such an univer
sal shout, that It startled the king, then at an entertainment In
the Earl of Feversham's tent, whom he sent to know what was
the matter. Feversham coming back, told the kirig it was no
thing but the soldiers shouting upon the news of the bi
shops being acquitted. The king stamped with his foot, and
said, Do you call that nothing ? But so much the worse for
them. A protestant roar like this could not be agreeable to his
Majesty, AU true protestants, being now convinced that they were on
the very brink of ruin, had no other expedient but to apply to
the Prince of Orange. Accordingly several great men, upon
sundry pretences, both from England and Scotland, repaired to
,the. Hague to confer with his highness ; and, in July, one flight
brought over to England about eighty letters from persons of
<juality and credit, and carried back answers to the Hague.
Many of the bishops and clergy of England began. now to for
get the principles of passive obedience and non-resistance. The
prince readily embarked in the quarrel, and the States cheer
fully agreed to give their assistance ; for they were equally con
cerned in the aA'air with the English themselves, because the
ruin of Holland would doubtless have soon followed the sl:>very
iBf Great Britain.

3^6 THE histo&'y oi? thEe csir. XVI.
While matters were thus concerting for rescuing the natioii
from popery and slavery, the managers in Scotland did what
they could to oppose them. Accordingly, on the 15th of Au
gust, the council published a proclamation against the following
books and pamphlets, viz, aU translations of Buchanan de jure
regni. Lex Rex, Jus Populi, Naphtali, the Cup-of Cold Water,.
the Scots Mist, the Apologetical Relation, Mene Tekel, the Hind
let Loose, the treasonable proclamations issued out at Sanquhar,
and those issued out by the late Duke bf Monmouth- zad die
late Earl of Argyle, All were ordered to bring in these bdoks"
by a limited time, under severe penalties. At Edinburgh se
veral went in the council's name through the booksellers' shops;
and not only seized these, but alsb whatever books were wrote
against popery, alleging, that the vending of these tended to
alienate the people's minds from his majesty. Either the- ad
vocate, or some other of the counseUors, went to the shop of a
firm whig, and asked him if he had any prohibited books ? The
bookseller desired hini to search ; which having done, and
found nothing, he asked him if he had any books against po
pery ? he answered he had a great many. The counsellor told
him that was the king's reUgion, and that subjects ought not to
be alienated from him on that account, and desired to see them.
Upon which the bookseller directed him to the place where his
Bibles lay J and he, taking up one after , another, said. These
are Bibles, ' They are so, ' said the bookseUer, * and, from the
' one end to the other, are all, against popery.' Ihis was reck-i
oned such a high crime, that the bookseller, in the afternoon-,
was summoned before thejcouricll, and brought td some trouble.
The preparations making In Holland being by this time pret
ty much talked of, and the king-, receiving repeated advices of
them, he judged^it convenient tB^atter the people with the ex
pectation of a parliament. Accordingly, on the 24th of Aii-
gust, he declared in council his intention to call a parliament
for the 27th of November ; and the chancellor had orders to is
sue forth writs on the .^th of September. But that was not
done, ths king only designing to amuse the public. In the mean
time the Marquis of AlbeVille, at the king's comiiiand; presence
ed a membrial to the States, to demand what tbey meant by
their warlike preparations at this time; to which they gave such
an answer as made James begin to think of taking such mea
sures as were necessary fbr his own defence, /
The council in Scotland, being composed of men hearty in
his service, on the IStli of September, published a proclamation
for rendezvousing the mUitia in several shires, setting up of
beacons in several places, to give notice when any number of
ships were seen on the coasts, and for ordering the heritors.

eHAP. XVi CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. S67
liferenters, and others, to be ready, with their best -horses and
arms, to attend the king's host, when desired. »
Though the king had promised to Issue out writs fpr a new
parhament, yet he was not so good as his word ; however, he
StiU Continued to amuse the people with tbe hopes of it. Ac
cordingly, on the Slst of September, he emitted a proclamation,
wherein « he thought fit to declare, that it was his royal pur-
• pose to endeavour a legal establishment of an universal liberty
of conscience for all his subjects, as was also his resolutiou
inviolably to preserve the church of England, by such a con
firmation of the several acts of uniformity, that they should
never be altered any other ways, than by repealing the seve-.
ral clauses which inSict penalties upon persons not promoted,
or to be promoted, to any ecclesiastical benefices within the
meaning of the said acts.— And that, for the further securing
not only the church of England, but the protestant religion iji
general, he was willing the Roman Catholics should remain
Incapable to be members of the House of Commons,-^
But this proclamation was too obscure and ambiguous to pro
duce any great effe'ct ; for his repealing the penal laws, and at
the same time preserving the acts of uniformity, implied avcpn-
tradlction. Besides, the king only spoke of excluding papists
from the House of Commons, but not from the House of Lords.
At last the king had unquestionable assurances that the - pre
parations making in Holland were against him ; upon whichhe
turned pale, and for a while remained speechless ; and, says a
modern historian, may not one now Imagine the injured ghosts
of Russel, Sidney, Baily, Cornish, and the hecatombs in the
west, and in Scotland, haunted his dreams amidst the extremity
of his distress and despair, &g.
In this fright he applied to the bishops then In town for ad
vice. They, desired time to consult what was proper to be done -
in such circumstances. MeanwhUe, on the 28th, he issued a
proclamation, setting forth the advices he received of the prince's
intended invasion to conquer these kingdoms, and subdue them
to a sovereign power, which obliged him to recal his writs for
electing members of parliament. A most unaccountable step !
for, had he known his own mterest, he should ratlier have has
tened the meeting of his parliament.  •
About this time he published his indemnity, out of whicli
were excepted, Mr Andrew Fletcher, Colonel Rumsey, Titus
Oates, Dr GUbert Burnet, &c. This pardon, It is said, vvas
drawn up by Jeffries; and in the mean time, by several clauses,
it excepted the whole nation ; but none regarded it 5 for the
thunders of WhitehaU were no more minded how than thuse
«f the 'Vatican,

368 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP, XT.
.On the id oi October, the bishops advised the king ' to put
« the management of the government into' the hands of quali-
« fied persons, to annul the .ecclestetical commission, to set
' aside all faculties andlicences for papists to keep schools; to
< desist from his dispensing power, to inhibit the four pretend-
« ed vicars apostohcal invading the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, to
« fill up the vacant bishopricks, to restore the charters; to call a
« free and regular parliament; and, above aU, that his majesty
« would be pleased, to permit his bishops to offer such motives
« and arguments, as they trusted might, by God's grace, be ef-
, « fectual to persuade his majesty to return to the communion-
« of the church of England,'
The same day the bishops gave the king this good advice,
the Scots- council sent up an offer of their lives and fortunes,
and asked advice how to behave on this occasion ; for which they
had the royal thanks, and were desired to imprison all suspected
persons ; and, since he had ordered the regular forces there to
repair to En^and, he left it to them to raise such as they
should think fit, and to augment the garrisons, and to do all
other things, as they should judge convenient. The same day
the council ordered all the heritors to get ready their best horses
and men, and to assemble them at the time and in the places
appointed in the proclamation ; and on the 19th made an act
cbncerning the deserters from the militia, which I shall not
trouble the reader with.
About this tim.e the Rev. Mr Charles Gordon was brouht
to no small danger for, not owning the legitimacy of the pre
tended Prince of Wales, This Mr Gordon was then minister
at Campvere in Zealand, and after the Revolution minister first
at Dalmenie, and after that at Ashkirk, a gentleman of unaf
fected piety and solid learning. He came to Scotland in Au
gust to see his friends In the north. He repaired to Edinburgh;
in his way to Campvere, in September. Inthe beginning of
October, when there wasgreat noise aboutthe Prmce of Orange's ,
intended expedition, the council emitted a proclamation, dis
charging all ' subjects to leave the kingdom without a licence
from the council, or one of their number. Mr Gordon there
fore applied, by a friend, to the register for a pass. The regis
ter engaged to use his interest with Lord Perth the Chancellor,
and, on the 12th of October, dpsired Mr Gordon tb attend in
the parliament-close. When attending there, the register came
out, and told him that he had quite forgot his affair, but pro-:
mised to mind it when he met with die chancellor at three
o'clock iri the treasury. — Meanwhile Mr Gordon went to the
castle, and got the Duke of Gordon to use his interest likewise.
Both the duke and the register spoke to the chancellor, Mr
Gordon, all of a sudden, was caiUed in, and examined before the
3

OHAP, XT, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 569
lords of the treasury, and among other things, he was interro
gated as follows. Chancellor. Db you own the king's authority?
Gsrdon. Yes, my lord. Ch. Have you preached since you came
to the country ? G, Yes, Ch. Do you pray for the Princt of
Wales ? G. No, Ch. Why not for the Prince of Wales ? G,
There is no particular order for praying for him, and I have not
u§ed to pray for all the particular hranches of tiie royal family
by form, Ch. It is no limiting the -Spirit to pray for all the
branches of the royal family by form. G. My lord, I have not
been .used tb pray by forms. Ch. Whom do ybu mean when you
pray for the royal famUy ? G. All the princes and princesses of
the family, Ch. Do you not Include and intend the Prince of
Wales? G, My lord, I do not exclude him, Ch. But dp yod
not include him ? Mr Gordon was sUent, and the chanceUor pro
ceeded, saying, There is the matter. Sir, I perceive i have not
been mistaken nor misinformed concerning you, what ^for a man
you are, G. I am sorry If your lordship apprehend ill concern
ing me, Ch. Do you not think that the king hath a son, or that
the Prince of Wales is heir to the crown ? Mr Gordon was si
lent, ' Ch. Why do you not answer? Do you doubt of such a
thing i" G. My lord -I do not meddle In these matters, nor am I
a competent judge of them. After a few more questions, Mr
Gordon was dismissed, and In an hour called In again, and re
quired :to sign the following paper, ' I, Mr Charles Gordon,
' minister. of the gospel at CJampvere, do own arid acknowledge
' the king's son, Prince of Scotland and Wales, as apparent heir
« of the crown, and promise to pray for hlai as such,' He re
fused to com.ply with this, saying, he could not ip conscience
" sign It. Ch. What, do you pretend conscience In refusing to
pwn the king's son as apparent heir ? G. I cannot help my \y,eak-
ness ; conscience cannot be cpnstraist-'d. Ch. Whether or not,
fading the Prince jof Wales, would you^ acknowledge the Prin
cess of Orange as appare'n.S heir of the crown _? , G. Yes, my lord,
Ch. And why not the Prince of Wales now ? Mr Gordon was
silent. In short, they were very pressing upon him to give his
reasons, but he stIU declined. He was then removed, and, in a
littie, ser^t up under a guard, and corpmitted prisoner to the cas
tle. HGW,ever, it was not thougjit proper to keep him confined,
and thej.?fore, uppn his begging to be' set at liberty, and declaring,
that i^f in any thing he was mistaken, gr had offended .his lord
ship, he was sorry for it, for he desired to giye no offence .to Je^v,
nor Gentile, nor to the church of God, he vyas released, andre-
tumpd to his charge the best way' he could, I shall only ob
serve "jiere, that had Mr Gordon been before the managers some,
time ago, he had iispt got so easUyoff; bu^ now thf ir power w«
near a period,
, VOL. II. 2 A

370 t^E HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XV-.
By this time every body almost beginning to bp, taken with
the proposals made by his highness the Prince of Orange, pub
lished in his exceUent declaration for England, the king found
it his interest to retract some of his arbitrary and despotic pro
ceedings. , Accordingly the bishop of London's suspensipn was
taken pff, the ecclesiastical cummission was dissolved, the city-
charter and the fellows of Magdalen-coUege were restored, and
other illegal practices renounced ; but, Aipon the news of the
Prince of Orange's flept being dispersed by a storm, his majesty
put a stop to all farther redrpss of grievances. »
But thc prince, having repaired his damages, putto sea a se
cond time, on the 1 st of November ; and after a remarkable pass
age, in which the wind almost miraculously favoured him, he
landed at Tbrbay on the 5th, with about 14,000 men, 'What
passed in England on this remarkable occasion is particularly
recorded by the English historians, and therefore I shall not in.
sert it here.
While these things were a-doing, the Scots bishops, on the
3d of November, sent a letter of a peculiar style to the. king,
f^rom whence the reader may see the difference between the
English and Scots bishops ; the substance of it Is as follows.
May it please your, most sacred majesty,
* '%/U'^ prostrate ourselves to pay our most devout thanks and
« V V adoration to the sovereign Majesty of heaven and earth,
' ior preserving your sacred life and person, so frequently expos-
« ed to the greatest hazards, and as often delivered, and you
« miraculously prdspered with glory" and victory, in defence of
« the rights and honour of your majesty's Sugust brother, and of
< these kingdoms ; and that, by his merciful goodness, the rag-
* ing of the sea, and the madness pf unreasonable men, have
< been stilled and calmed, and your majesty, as the darling of
« Heaven, peaceably seated on the throne of your royal ances-
* tors, whose long, Ulustrious, and unparalleled line, is the gr'eat-
* est glbry of this your ancient kingdom. We pay our most
« humble gratitude to your majesty for the repeated assurances
* of your royal protection to our national cliurch and religion,
< as the laws have established them.  We magnify the di-
« vine mercy inhlessing your majesty with a son, and us with
< a prince, wrhom we pray Heaven may bless and preserve tor
« sway your royal sceptres after you ; and that he may inherit,
' with your dominions, the Illustrious and heroic virtues of his
' august and most serene parents. We are amazed to hear of
« the danger of an Invasion from Holland, which excites our
' prayers fof an universal repentance from all orders of men,
'¦->' that God may yet spare his people^ preserve your royal person.

CHAP. XV. CHtJRCH OF SCOTLAND. 371
« and prevent the effusion of Christian blood, and to give such
« success to your majesty's arms that all, who invade yotir majes-
' ty's just and undoubted rights, may be disappointed and cloth-
' ed with shame ; sothat on your royal head the crown may stiU
« flourish.* They conclude with professions of unshaken loyalty,
and with wishing the king the hearts of his subjects, atid the
necks of his enemies ; and they received a proper answer, which
needs not be inserted.
In consequence of a letter from the king, dated November
Sth, the council issued a proclamation against spreading bf false
news, with a design to prevent the spreading of the pririce's
declarations ; but it had now but little weight, the people being
the more fond to see these exceUent papers.
The prince in his declaration for Scotiand, among other
things, says,  ' The lajnentable effects of 'an arbitrary power,
' and of evil councils, are so manifest, in the deplorable state of
* the kingdom of Scotland, that both bur reason and conscience
' do prompt us to an abhorrence of them. For when ' we con-
' slder the sad condition that nation, though always affectionate to
^' the royal family, and governed for many ages, by laws made
• by the authority of their kings and of the estaites of parlia-
' ment, and by common customs, is reduced to, by endeavours
'  ^to change the constitution of the monarchy regulated
' by laws into a despotic or arbitrary power, which doth evident-
' ly appear, not only by the actings of evil counseUors In power,
' but by  -public declarations, bearing that the king is an
' absolute monarch, to whom obedience ought to be gl-ven In
' all things without reserve, thereby to make way to introduce
' what religion they please.  WhUst we consider tliese
' things, as we cannot but be touched with a tender sense of
' these miseries, so the giving such a remedy to them, as may
*  answer the expectation of all good men and true protestants,
* is the great thing which we propose to ourselves in this under-
' taking.  _ ~ .
' It is weU known that the laws, privUeges, artd rights of
« the kingdom have been overturned,  -and — —what have
' been the arbitrary procedures of an encroaching privy council ;
* for  these evil counseUors have ordered or suffered young
' noblemen to be taken from their relations, and to be -sent
' abroad to be Instructed in Jesuits coUeges, and have likewise
' caused schools to be erected under the conduct of popish priests,
' and that in the capital city of the kingdom.
' In an open Contempt also of the known laws of the kingdcm
< the papists are put into places of highest trust, both civd,_ and
"military, and entirusted with all the foi-ts and magazines.
' The rights and privileges of royal.hurghs, the third estate of
' parliament, having -cs many deputies in it as all the shires rl

S72 THE HISTaRY OF THE CHAP. XV.
' the kingdbm, are taken away, and they hindered in the free
'election of their niagistrates,  to the manifest -violation of
'their charters, esfabhsbed by- law and immemorial possession ;
* and aU this dqneby mere arbitrary power, without any citation,
' trial, or sentence.
' And whereas no nation can subsist without the administra.-
' tion of good and impartial justice,— yet those e-vil counsellors
s' ha-ve subjected these to an absolute and despotic power, having.
'turned out judges, .who, by law, ought to continue during
' "life^ or their good behaviour,— —arid put others in their
place— ^—without any regard to their abUities. 
^ By the influence, of the same evil counseUors hath a m.ost
' exorbitant power been exercised, in imposing bonds and oaths,
' — ---in perrnitting free quarters to the soldiers,  in im-
' prisoning gentiemen without any so much as alleged reason,
^ forcing many to accuse and witness* against themselves, im-
f -posirig- arbitrary fines,- frighting and harrassing many parts of
'the country with intercommuning and justice-airs, making -
'some incur forfeiture of, life and fortune for the most general-
' and harmless converse, even with their nearest relations out-
' lawed,  impowerlng officers and soldiers to act upon the
' subjects' the greatest barbarities, in destroying' them, by -
'-hanging, shooting, and dro-wning them, without any form of
¦- law, br respect to age and sex, not giving some of them time -
' to pray to' God for mercy : and this for no other reason, but -
' because thej* would not answer or satisfy them- in such-
'questions as they proposed to them, without any warrant of -
'law, and against the common interest of mankind, which frees
' aU men from being obliged to discover^heir secret thoughts ;
' besides a great many other -violences and oppressions to which
,'that poor nation hath been exposed, without any hope of
' having an end' put to them, or to have relief from them.'
The rest of his higfinpss's declaration, which is no mean con-
firmation of the preceding part of this history, relates to their
design of abblishuig the pen^l laws, and then to take away the
toleration to , dissenters, to the iinposture of the pretender, and
his highness's intention to redress aU their grievances ; and
therefore it Is no wondar though it had a great Influence on the
most part of the nobility, gentry, and common people in
Scotiand, who very soon heartily declared themselves for the
prince. \
After this there is yery little concerning the proceedings of the
managers In Scotland. The bpdy of the nation hated them,
and the surprising progress of the prince In England threw them
into such a consterriation, that they began to think how to pro
vide, in the best manner, for their own safety. In several places
the Prince of Orange's declaration, was publicly proclaimed, as

CHAP. Xv. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 373
at Glasgow, Irwine, and Ayr, and most other burghs. The re
verend Mr Lining, m his preface to Mr Shield's tract on church-
communion, says, ' that the western people encouraged this
proclamation at Glasgow before it was pubUshed in any other
place in the kingdom, and that these people prayed publicly
for the success of his enterprize, even befbre he landed in Eng
land,' On the last of November, the Earl of Loudon, and' se
veral other young gentiemen, at that time students in the ui;ii-
versity of Glasgow, burnt the pope's effigy, together with thc
effigies of thp archbishops of St Andrews and Glasgbw, without
any opposition.
Inthe beginning of December, the- mob shewed a keenness
of resentment against popery at Edinburgh. When a popish
meeljng in the Canorigate was dismissing, some apprentices
and others affronted them ; information being given against
them on Monday, some soldiers were ordered to apprehend
them, and accordingly two servants of the bakers, vrith a wo
man, were t^ken up, and crueUy whipt from the tolbooth to
the Abbey, then remitted to prison, and afterwards banished.
While the soldiers apprehended the last mentlotied person,
a struggle was made by the apprentices, and one Alexander
Keith, a fencing-master, happened to cry out to the young men.
Lads, have ye no swords ? next night he was taken out of bed,
and for these or the like words, was a very few days after, hang
ed at the cross. This, and some other things, exasperated the
people in such a manner, that to prevent risings, guards were
kept in twenty or thirty places, of the town ; and, as there were
no regular forces, but an independent company under Capt,
Wallace at the Abbey, the reports of massacres and the like
were spreadj and the people greatly alarmed.
On Sabbath, December the 9th, some Idle persons, after
walking in the park and St Anthony's gardens, came to the
Abbey to pass that way as the nearest road, but found all the
avenues shut, and cannon placed at every gate, and were char
ged by the centinels not to come near. This; with the report
.that |he court was full of armed men, increased the jealousies
of the populace, and the fears of the more inconsiderate. In
.the evening some young men got together, and began to huzza ;
upon which the students and apprentices gathered at the col
lege,, The magistrates ordered all the gates of the city to be
shut; and the keys to be delivered to Provost. Prince. The
youths surrounded his house, and threatened to burn It if he re
fused the keys. Frpm thence they marched to the cross, broke
open the doors, and proclaimed an offer of L.400 sterling to
any who should bring Perth or Melford dead or alive.
1 Next day, In the forenoon, the magistrates issued a proclama
tion against tumults. It was no sooner read than the mob tore

,S74 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XT.
it in pieces. The chancellor and his family, seeing how mat
ters werelike to go, thought proper to retire. Matters continued
quiet till towards the evening, when the mob gathered at the
Cowgate, and marched down to the Netherbow ; arid finding
the Canongate guard friendly, they proceeded, and at the Ca
nongate cross, took down the Earl of Perth's pictuie, and car
ried it with them to the Abbey, Capt, Wallace advanced
with some soldiers. This made them halt: however, the^
sent to demand access to the court ; and, upon his refusing,
beat their drums, and with a cry, run in upon him. He order-i
ed his m.en to fire, by which some were killed,' and several
wounded, ' The apprentices, and the rest, after sustaining his
fire, rushed in upon him, killed two of the soldiers, and forced
the rest to flee to the Abbey ; the gates of which being present
ly shut, they could get no farther at that time.
Upon this they retired a little, and sent a detachment to take
care of the dead and wounded, and to require farther assistance.
Thiis party carried with them some of the arms and hands bf
the dead and wounded; and shewed them to some gentlemen,
then at a vintner's in the city, who immediately applied to the
, magistrates for help, but were refused. This so exasperated these
commissioners from the apprentices,' that they threatened to
burn the town At last, by the flitetest of the said gentlemen,
a quorum of the council ordered the magistrates to raise the
trained bands, and sent two heralds with them to require Capt.
Wallace to surrender, and to use-foi-ce-if he should refuse.
The Captain was summoned to surrender the Abbey in thfe
council's name ; but not thinking proper to yield, the town-
guard and trained bands, commanded by Captain' MacgUl and
Graham, at.tacked him ; and, after some firing on both sides>
Captain Graham broke in by a back passage, which being^ ob
served by those itt the Abbey, they fled, and thirty-six were
taken prisoners.
The youths, observing this, rushed In and kHled aU the sol
diers they met with, to the number of about fourteen. TheA
they rifled the chapel and schools, brought the timber work, lib
rary, and whatever they cbiild lay their hands on, and burnt
thein in the court. In like manner they served the images, afi-
ter carrying dliem in processipn through the streets. They raz
ed thc new work In the chiirch, turned up the marble pavement,
rifled the chancellor's, apartments, and committed every' thing,
to the flames. Next day, for there was no power to restraifa
them, tUfey went through all the bofises of papists they could
hear of, and required' their>bc»o"k9,beeds, crosses, and images,
which they solemnly burnt in the streets. Next day a mob of
comm.on tliieves got up and plundered several houses, but that
W"as soon over, ' •

CHAP. XV, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. ^75
On the 14th of December the couricil met, and made an act,'
ordering the sheriffs and other magistrates to search the houses
of papists within their jurisdictibns, and secure all arms and
ammunition they should find there ; recommending to them to
protect their persons and houses from public tumults and pri
vate insults. On the 24th they made their last act, ¦ wherein
they required all protestant subjects to put themselves In a pos-.
ture of defence, for securing their religion, lives, Uberties, and
properties, and all heritors to repair to the head burghs of theit"
respective shires and stewartrlps, to be rendezvouzed under pro
per persons mentioned in the act ; and now the reader cannot
but observe a great alteration. The council had been harrassing
and persecuting the subjects for 28 years past for that very thing
which now they call them to : but the truth i$, the managers
had now lost their power ; they had no army to support them,
and, to use the vVords of a noted enemy to the Revolution,
• (the Earl of Balcarras,) ' they were forced to overlook what
• they had not force to suppress ;' for, during the whole admini
stration of the party, things were carried on by force.
, The people in the western counties ran immediately to arms,
• They thought (says Bishop Burnet) that, the time has now
come, not only to procure themselves ease and liberty, but to
jevenge themselves upon others. They generally broke in upon
the episcopal clergy with great insolence and much cruelty.
They carried them about the parishes In mock procession, tore
their gowns, and drove them from their churches and houses ;
nor did they treat those of them who did appear zealously
against popery with any distinction.' These mobbing doings
beganbn Christmas-day 1688, and continued for several weeks ;
and It is certain the prelatlc' clergy suffered not a little. How
ever, they have aggravated the matter beyond ^U the bounds
of truth and modesty, by representing the outrages of those
western tumults as such, that even the French dragooning could
not equal them ; but the many lies and falsehoods they publish
ed upon this point have been sufficiently exposed by the reve
rend Doctor Rule, and others,
I shall not pretend to vindicate what was done by mobs and
tumults ; but then I cannot help offering these follovving things
to the consideration of the reader. ,1. The people, who did
these' things were under the highest provocations, considering
the sufferings they had endured. How many of them hadiost
fathers, mothers, children, husbands, and wives, during the
period of the late tyrannical adniinistrationf 2. I^'hose mini
sters, or curates, as they were called, who now felt a littie of
their resentment, had not only been Intruded' on tV people with
out their consent, but were, the chief Instrunients of the most
horrid persecutions and barbarities that people had efidured •,

376 THE HISTOR-if OF THE CHAP, XV,
And, as oppres/ion tfiakes a wise man mad, was it, any wonder
though it made a provoked mob rush into some practices that
are not to be justified in any .civilized phrlstlan nation ? It is
rather surprising that they did not carry their resentments much
higher, 3, These things were acted in an interregnum, when
there was neither civil nor ecclesiastical government. One king
had run away, another was not yet estabUshed, matters were
all in confusion ; and, the poor people being now able to shake
off the intolerable yoke they had long groaned under, can we
think it strange that they relieved themselves, vwten there was
none else that either coiild or woiild ? But suppose Injustifiable
violences were committed by these tumults, what is that to the
church ? It was done by no act either of church or state. But,
not to insist farther on this.
While these things were a-doing In Scotiand, the king with
drew to France ; the Prince ofOrange was jiut In possession of
the government of Ejigland ; the chancellor the Earl of Perth
had resigned ; several Scots noblemen and gentlemen, had, gone
to London to desire a free parUament. On/ the Xth of January ,
1689,, his highness assembled such of the Scots lords and
gentieiT-en as were there, and asked their advice what was fo be
done for the securing the protestant religion, and restoring
their laws and liberties according to his declaration. The
prince then retired, and they went to the council-chamber at
WhitehaU, and, having, chose the Duke of Hamilton'their presi
dent, agreed upon an address to his highness. As they were
going to break up at that time, the Earl qf Arran, son tp the
Diike of Hamilton, proposed that they should move tlie Prince
of Orange to desire the king to return and caU a free parliar
ment ; however it wa? unanimously rejected, and by none more
than by his own father. Next day they met in the same
place, and agreed upon an .addres^,,,thanking his highness, for
his pious and generous undertaking, 'and desiring him to take
upon him the administration of, the government of Scotland,
and summon a convention of estates to meet at Edinburgh on
the 14th of March next ; and thatthe electfors and members of
the said nieetliig be pirotestants, without any other exception
or limitation whatsoever. The address was subscrbed by
above 30 lords and about SO gentlemen. The Duke of -Ha
milton .presented it to the prince, who thanked them for It,
and,^on the 14th, signified his compliance with,It, assuring
them that they should always find him ready to concur in
every thing that may be foun:d necessary for securing the pro
testant religion^ and restoring the laws and liberties of the na
tion. The Earls of Crawford and Lothian, -"vho came to town
after the address was presented, waited on the prince, and de-

CHAP. xy. CHURCH OF SCOTLAKD. 877
sired that tRey might be allowed to subscribe it, which wa^
granted. ' " ,-
In the meantime the lord's and commons pf England, having
finislied their debates as to the vacancy of the throne, declaring-
'the Prince and Princess of Orange king and Queen of England,
France, and Ireland ; and they were accordingly proclaimed on
the' ikhof February, to the universal joy of all true and hearty
protestants. ,
6n the 3d of March the people of the western shires had a
large meeting at lesmahago, where they renewed the national
coveiiaht, slnid, in a solemn manner, svvore to stand to the de
fence of his highness the, Princg of Orange, his person and
authority, when lawfully chosen and established as, king; or
supreme iriaglsfrate over them ; so that however they were
enemies to. tyranny, yet they were hearty friends to legal go
vernment. On the 14th o^ March the convention of estates sat down at
Edinburgh ; and it is. well known that the members of it were
_ of the best families and fortunes in the kingdom,- and generally
of as great piety aAd virtue as could be reasonably expected
after siich a debauched period. In the author quoted in the
rnargin* the reader may see a list pf them. There vvas a very
small, party among them that adhered to tl^e interest of King
James, as will preseritiy appear. The Bishop of Edinburgh
said prayers, and, being of the Tory stamp, he prayed fpr the
safety and restoration of King Jaines. The house then pro
ceeded to chuse a president ; the Tory party were for the
Marquis of Athole, the Protestant party for the Duke pf
Hamilton, who carried it by 40 votes ; so that the'WhIgs had
a great majority befbre the bishops and malcontents left the
house. As the Duke of Gordon, a papist, was In possession of tha
castle of Edinburgh, the convention gave a warrant to the Earls
^ of Lothian and T-^Veeddale" to summon the Duke to surrei^der<
All the bishops and discontented Iprds concurred In this vote,
as they did in another next day, "that he should be proclaimed
- traitor, arid the castle blocked up. And now, as the Duke
had king Jarnes's commission in his pocket, the reader is tO
judge, whether these passive-pbpdience gentlemen did not act
inconsistent with their principles, and the Interest of their abdi
cated master; however, this is, and has always been the way
of Jacobites, But I must lias'teh to 3 conclusion.
' The meeting had a letter from kijpg James delivered to them
tviro days after they met ; and the Earl of Leve'n brought them
another letter from king William, Then It was debated whicb
shbuld be read fiust ; but king WUliam's parried It by a great
majority ; and, before, the other letter was read. It was ^actcd,
* Meit!,oir,s of Neith Britaiy, p. 29, 37.

378 THE HISTORY OF THE CHAp. XV;
That notwithstanding any thing contained in it, they should
proceed, tiU they had settled the protestant religion, .the go
vernment, laws, and liberties of the kingdom. This was sign
ed by seven or eight of the bishops, and all the Jacobite
and Tory members, six or seven only excepted. How incon
sistent this was with the Scots bishops' letter to king James,
must be left with the reader. Not a member of the house mov
ed for an answer to king James's letfer, so littie did they regard
his threatenings, of whidi it was full ; but, on the 23d, they
returned a dutiful answer to that of king WiUiam, in which
'they congratulated his majesty for the success of his undertak
ings, thanked him for taking upon him the administration of
public affairs, and assured him that they would come speedily
to proper resolutions for establishing the government, laws, and
liberties, upon solid foundations, and agreeable to the general
good and inclinations of the people.
On the 26th of March, a committee was named for setding
the governmerit, consisting of nine lords, nine knights, arid nine
gentlemen. The bishops were excluded ; for the house was
so jedous of them, that they ordered them not to insinuate In
their prayers any thing against their acts and proceedings; for
they had justly offended the generality of the state by their
former compliance with king James's arbitrary government, by
their pi'ayers at the beginning of the session, and other things
that discovered their dissatisfaction to king WiUiam, and the
settlement now to be made.
During the consultations of this committee, some Scots re-
f^iments, under the command of Gen. Mackay, came from Eng-
and ; whereupon the convention, on the 28th of March, agreed
that the Earl of Leven, who was one of those noblemen that
came over with the Prince of Orange, should return their
thanks to the people, who came upon their own charges from
ihe west to gtiard the convention, and to dismiss them, and sufi,
fer them to retiirn to their respective habitations with their arms.
It appears, from the act of the convention, that these people,
after they came to Edinburgh, Were under the command of the
aaid Lord Leven.
As these people, however reproached ty their enemies, as '
,, the wild, antimonarchical, enthusiastic, lunatic Cameronians-j
• were among the first in Scotland who took up arms for the
IPrince of Orange, so they were the, first men in Scodand that
addressed or petitioned the convention of estates to place, the
crowrt of'Scotli^nd on the head of their deUvererking William ;
ftfom which it appears, that, though they were enemies tq ty-,
tony and arbitrary povi^er, yet they were not eneinies' to legal
jfovernment, or the constitution of their country. The tenor
(rf their petition is aa fbllbws.

CHAP. XV. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. S7»
Iff the meeting ofthe estates ofthe kingdom ef Scotland, viz. the no.
blrmen, barons, and burgesses, lawfully called and chosen, now
assembled at Edinburgh for establishing the government, restor
ing and securing the true religion, laws and liberties of the said
kingdom, The humble petition of the poor people who have suffered griev
ous persecution for their religion, and fer their revolt from
and disowning the authority of king James VII. pleading
for devolving the government upon the Prince of Orange^
now king ef England,
Sheweth, isfe.
Here they rehearse the sufferings of Scotiand undetthe tyranny
of king James VII, and proceed thus :
'\JiU E prostrate ourselves, yet tinder the sorrowing smart of
" * our still bleeding wounds, at your honours' feet, who
have a call, a capacity, and, we hope, a heart to heal us ; and
we offer this our petition enforced, and conjuring your honours
to hearken to us.
By all the formerly felt, presently seen, and, for the futute,
feared effects and efforts of popery and tyranny, by the cry
of the blood of our murdered brethren, by the sufferings
of the banished free-born subjects of this realm now groaning
in servitude, being sold into slavery In the English plantations
of America ; by the miseries that many thousands forfeited,
disinherited, harrassed and wasted houses have been reduced to j
by all the sufferings of a faithful people, for ^^dhering tp the
ancient covenanted establishment pf religion and liberty ; an4
by all the arguments of justice, necessity, and mercv, that ever
could join together, to begin communication amcmg men of
wisdom, piety, and virttie.
Humbly beseeching, requesting, and craving of yourhonbt^rSi,
nbw, when God hath given you this opportunity to act for 1^'H;
glbry, the good of the church, of the nation, your own honour^
and the happiness of- posterity ; now, when this kingdo|n^ t^«
neighbouring, and all the nations of Europe have t|iei^ ejrei
upon you, excepting you wiU acquit yourselves lijce the i^^r&>
sentatives of d free nation, in redeeming it froli^ slavery other*
wise inevitable, foUowing the example pf your renowned an-r
cestors, and the pattern bf the present convention and parlia
ment in England ; that you will proceed, without any delay, to
declare the wicked government dissolved, the crown andthrono
vacant, and James VII, whom we never have owned, and re-
solved. In conjunction with many thousand.') of our countrymen,

3S0 THE HISTORY OF THE CSAP. SV.
never again to own, to have /eally forfeited,, and" rightiy 'to be
deprived bf all right and title he ever had, or could ever pre
tend to have hitherto, and to provide that it may never be in the
power of any succeeding ruler, to aspire unto, or arise to such
a capacity of tyrannizing. Moreover, since anarchy and tyranny
- are equally to be detested, and the nation cannot subsist without
a righteous goverriori as also that none can have a nearer right,
or fitter qualifications, than his illustrious highness tbe Prince of
Orange, whom the, Most High has singulariy owned, and he-
noured tb be our , deliverer from popery and slavery ; we cry
therefore to your honours, and crave that king William, now
proclaimed king of England, maybe chosen and proclaimed also
king of Scotland ; and that the legal authority may be devolved
upon him, with such necessary provisions and limitations as
may give just and legal securities for the peace and purity, of
religion, the stability of pur laws, privileges of parliament, arid
liberties of the people, civil and ecclesiastic, and may thereby
make our subjection both a clear duty and a comfortable happi
ness. [Here they enlarge upon the king's being obliged to pro-
fess and preserve the pure religion and the Work of reformation,
and cortclude thus :} Upon such terma as these we render our
allegiance to king William, and hope/ to give -more pregriant
proofs of our loyalty to his majesty, in adverse, as well as in
prosperous providences, than they have done, or can do, who
profess implicit subjection to absolute authority, so long onjy as
, Providence p-t-eservea its grandeur. =-
Here the re<1der may see how. wiUing these people were to
submit to legal government, in opposition to tyranny and arbi
trary power ; arid though they were accused of going heights
a!nd lengths, In disowning the tyranny of the. royal brothers, yet
now the whole nation concur with them : nay, so hearty were
these people, that,- in one day, without the beat of drum, or
expence of levy-money, they raised the Earl of Angiis's regi-
ment of 800 men, and offered to complete two or three -regi
ments: more, if his majesty should haye occasion for them. The
itsVerend Mr Linning says, that they mustered in one day 1140
men-; and it -is- wsU known what service this regiment did
bcith in Scotl-andiiindin Flanders. But I now return to the
convention.¦ -The -.committee above mentioned havlngcome tb a resolution
among themselves; after a few days sitting, reported it to, the
house. , After the debate was over, the question was put, wbe^
iher the house agreed with the committee, . It was carried in
the atermative by' a great m-ajority,; there being only eight or
nine negative voices, of whom sevenwere bishops, and, thirteen
« fourtefin mn liquets, oi whom two lords, one knight of the

CHAP. XV, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 881
shire, and the rest burgesses ; so that the hbuse .came to the
following resolution :
« The estates of the kingdom of Scotiand find and declare,
« that king James VII, being a professed papist, did assume the
' royal power, and acted as king, without ever taking the oath,
« required by law, and hath, by the advice of wicked and evil
'counseUors, invaded the fundamental constitutions of this
«,liingdom, and altered it from a legal limited monarchy, to an
' absolute and despotic power, and hath exercised the same to
' the subversion of the protestant religion, and the violation of .
' the laws and liberties of the nation, inverting all the ends of
' government, whereby he hath forefaulted the crown, and (he
• throne is become vacant.' The reasons for declaring the
throne vacant, containing fifteen articles, were read and debated
article by article, and were explaine'd-by Sir John Dalrymple and
Sir James Montgomery, with so much learning, that they gave
almost general satisfaction, none speaking against them but the-
Archblshop of Glasgow, and Mr James Ogilvie, afterwards
Earl of Findlater,
The convention having thus far proceeded. Immediately or-
• dered a bill to be brought in, ' to settle the crown on king
« William and queen Mary, and to consider the terms of the
' destination of the heirs pf the crpwn, and to prepare an Instru-'
' ment of government fpr securing the people from their grie-
' vances.' When this vote was past, and the bill ordered to be'
drawn, the bishop of Dundee offered to say prayers, , Uppn
this a member moved, that king James being no more their king,
^ he must pray for hitji at bis peiril. The cautious prelate thought
proper to say only the Lord's prayer. Their majesties were
accordingly proclaimed king and queen of Scotland, on the 1 1th
of AprU, the same day they were crowned in England.
.The instrument of government, or claim of right, the read-
ermay see among the, acts xif that convention, and in my au
thor's appendijc, No, 154, in which, among other things, it is
declared, ' Ihat, by the laws of this kingdom, no papist can
• be king or cjueen of this realm, nor bear any office wh^tso-
« ever tlierein ; nor can any pfotest^int successor exercise the
' regal power until he or she swear the coronation oath->—
* That prelacy, apd the superiority of any office in the church
* above presbyters; is, an.d^-hatii been, a great and insupport-
• able grievance and trouble' tb thjs nation, and contrary to the
* inclinations of the generality of the people, ever since the
• Reformation, they having reformed, from popery by presby-
' ters,'-and therefore ought to bp 3bQJishe4-''r— ^ _ ¦
The act of settiement being thus passed, the conveption
ordered a dutiful letter to be drawn up, and sent with it, ' in
it'hich a'clause was put, at the motion of tJie Earl of Crawr

382 THE HISTORT 0> THE eHiP. XT.
&lrd, of ari humble request tb the king to turn that meeting
ofthe estates into a pariiament. In consequence ofthis the
Duke of Hamilton acquainted the convention, that his ma
jesty had been pleased to appoint him his commissioner, and
that he was impowered to give his consent to an act for turn
ing the meeting of the estates into a parliament, and that tbe
Earl of Crawford was to preside. This act was accordingly
passed the same day, and the parliament was prorogued to
the 17th
lhe parliament sat down on the 17th, and in July passed
an act abolishing prelacy, which is as foUows : 
* Whereas the estates of this kingdom, in their claim of
' right of the llth of April last, declared that prelacy, &c.
* Our sQverlgn lord and lady, the king and queen's majesties,
• do hereby abolish prelacy, and all superiority of any office
* in the church above presbyters in this kingdom ; and here-
* by rescind, cass, and annul the lat act of the 2d session of
* the ] st parliament of Kjng Charles II. and the 2d act ofthe
« 3d session of the 2d parliament of King Charies II and the
' 4th act of the 3d- pariiament of King Charles II, and all
< other acts, statutes, and constitutions, in so far only as they
* £ire inconsistent with this act, and do establish prelacy, or
* the superiority of church-officers above presbyters. And
* the king and queen's majesties do declare, that they, with
' the advice and consent of the estates of parliament, will
f settie, by law, that church government in this kingdoni
' which is most agreeable to the inclinations of the people.'
And thus the great grievance of the nation was removed.
The next session of parliament, to which the Earl of Melvil
was his majesty's high commissioner, carried this farther : For,
by their first act, they rescinded act 1. pari. 2. Charles II. viz.
the act asserting his majesty's supremacy, as inconsistent with
presbyterian government, and what ought to be abrogated. By
their 2d act, they restored presbyterian ministers thrust from
their charges since 1661, By their fifth act, they ratified the
Confession of Faith, and settled presbyterian government By
their 23d act, they abolished patronages. By their 27th and
28th, they repealed the laws for conformity, and several other
unjust acts during the two last reigns : .And, in one word, they
reversed all the acts by which so many had been forfeited. And
thus an end was put to a most cruel and bloody persecution,
and the church of Scotland restored to the freedom of her go
vernment, by general assemblies, synods, presbyteries, and
church-sessions, as she was settled by the 114th act, Ja, VI,
pari,- 12. 1592.
From the whole, It appears, that all the true- members ofthe
church of Scotlandj nay, and aU trye hearty protestants, have

CHAP. XV. CHURcp OF SCOTLAND. 38»
unspeakable reason to bless God for the remarkable Interposition
of his providence at this revolution. Must not the hand of God
be owned iri preserving a people even in the furnace, to be in
strumental in bringing about such a glorious event ? By this an
end was put to persecution on the one hand, and slavery on the
other } by this the religious and tlvil rights of the people were
restored, nay, and the protestant succession estabUshed for
transmitting these thipgs to posterity. But then it is but too
evident that due care was not then, nor has to this day been
taken to improve ^hose invaluable blessings then bestowed upon
us. May a good and gracious God give all ranks and degrees
of persons a sense of their departures from him, revive a work ^
ef reformation, and appear glorious in the$e islands.

APPENDIX.

finHE Reverend Mr 'W^illiain Crookshank, having;, in his pre..
-^ face to the former edition of this history, signified that he
' would take it "very kind in his friends, if they fouiid ariy thing
therein, cither mistaken, or throughiinadvertfricy misrepresent--
ed, toTet him know it, that if ever he had an opportunity he
niight rectify the same ; and the publisher of the Second edition,
having, in the most public maimef, desired every one who hadany
profitable remarks, to offer them ; and promised, the facts being
well attested, to make a faithful use thereof ; it was therefore
feasonably expected that the friends of the undertaking .would
Have with all readiness offered what occurred to them : But,,not-
withstandlng of sach invitation, Uttie^hath been done tliat wayj
^ that if the public suffer by that omissibri, neither the author '
nor publisher are to be blamed for it." However, to the praise
of somie, Sevesal profitable amendinents -were proposed, -which,
after being' commijnicated to, and examined by the author, are
,n interspersed where they fall most natively in through the hisr
.^ tory; and, after the printing was alinost finished, there was sent
by a good fi-iehd to. the publisher, an account of the affair of
Bothwell, bearing to have beeh written by Mr Daniel Cargill,
whose praise as a Christian, a minister, and a martyr, is well
known In the churches, which contains several -\5pry suitable and
religious reflexions not to be found In this ; but, when compar
ed with the first chapter ofthis volume, falls much shprt of', it
as to a particular relation of facts and circiimstances, -which is
the principal design bf "any history ; nor Is it obserVabJe that
tliere is any contradiction betvrixt these relations, ijnless it be in
two instan9es, which, though seertiingly not material, shaU be set
dowrn in that wrjter'j own words,"thiis ; ' Whereas Mr Crook-
' shank, p. 4. reckons the riumber of the soldier's killed at Drum-
' clog, oidy above twenty, the manuscript says, That the coun-
' try-rnen, with the loss of but one man of their own, put all
' the other to flight, arid killed tiiirty-six or forty men, and
' many of their hbrSes.' And, instead df the relation which Mr
Crookshank gives of the attempt upon Glasgow, at the head of
page 5th, the other complains of the country-men for pm-sulng
the soldiers so.' short way, ' else (says he) if they had pursued
' to Glasgow that night, being so resolute and ovroed of God,
? they had, in all probability, broken the whole TOO foot and
* four troops of horse at Glasgow ; but they stopped by the way,
' to the other work of that day, being the Lord's dtiy, and next

APPENDIX. 38S
morning they, with some other of their denounced and inter
communed brethren who met with them at Hamilton, went tp
Glasgow resolute Uke lions, and entered the town at two places,
where, though the forces had barricaded the four streets near
-the cross, and made aU pr^arations for a Warm reception ; yet
the dissenters came so near, and played so hot upon them, as
many of the soldiers within thc barricadoes were killed^ and
others were flying in beneath the stairs ; but the, oountry-psen
lying naked and open to some that fired out at windows, with
other disadvantages, as the narrowness of the streets, whereby
their horses were rendered useless, and the like, thodght pro
per to retire with the loss of two men kiUed on the ,spot, and
four or five wounded of which they died soon thereafter ; yet
such a panic were the king's forces in, that they fled away
next day to Stirling,'^— —I shall follow^ the manuscript only
n this farther, ' That, untU tiiere came in amongst the countryr
men a party of 2 or 300 men, -with two ministers favourers of
the indulgence, they were all commanders, ministers and pep
ple, of one heart and one -way, so far as mortal men could be ;
that they had more than an ordinary spuit, resolute, succeed
ing in all things, and were a terror to their enemies on every
hand ; but, being stopped from confessing and acknowledging
theif own and their father? sins, a duty for the not right per
formance whereof the chddren of Israel fled twice before thp
Benjamites, Judges xx. and, being more set upon pleasing men,
and to get their concurrence, than to be tender of our Lord's
interest, and to please him, who ^aveth by many or by few,
2 Chron. xiv. ll. as he pleaseth, according to the sincere;,,
humble and ingenuous confession of their sins, and theu' cry
ing unto and trusting in him for help, counsel and conduct,
whose interest and -glory was concerned more thari their, Hves ;
I say, for this their omission, and juggling vrith God, many
of the more ingenuous arid sincere left them, and the rest could
not stand before their enenoies, &.C,',
Besides the above, there was afforded me by the Reverend
and worthy Mr James Ogilvie, one of the ministers of Ad?rdcen,
a relation of the case oi Mr AJigus Macbean, mentioned before,
which, as it eohtains the sufferinsg of one whp seems to have
been both pious and learned, andrais recantation of episcopacy,
•wiU, I doubt not, be acceptable to the reader ; and the more sp,
that the same having, at Mr Ogilvie's desire, been given to the
Reverend Mr Donald Eraser minister at Kilcarnan, who Ismar-
ried to Mr Macbean's only grandchild, was compared with and
amended by the records of the exercise, or presbytery and ses
sion of .Inverness, whence tb^ moat of it is ex,tracted and by him
sent unto me,
* Among the many witnesses who gave testimony to the truth
jn the reigns of the t-wp royal brothers, Mr Angu? M^acbe^H
yoL. II, 3 B

SS6 APPENDIX.
minister of Inverness was not the least remarkable.' When
a student qf Aberdeen, he distinguished himself no less for his
great regard to practical rehgion, than for his extraordinary parts
and abdities.
The bishops ha-ving found their error in sending men of littie
learriing and less religion to the sputh and west of Scotland,
where the people were most disaffected to them, applied to the
professors of di-viuity to name some of the greatest abUities to
be sent to these parts : Accordingly professor Menzies singled
out Mr Macbean from among aU his students to be sent to the
town of Ayr, but he .did not continue long there, having got a
call to be- minisfef of Inverness, where he was admitted, Decem
ber 29, 1683, and proved a very pathetick and zealous preach
er; and one of the most esteemed of that way. - He ususdly once
a- week lectured' on a large portion of scripture, which was not
the custom then.
But, notwithstanding, he was in the highest esteem among the
prevadlrig party. The constaqcy she-wn by the numerbus sut
ferers for the cause of truth, and the cruelty used towards them',
made such deep impressions pn his mind, as could' never after-^
w-ards be effaced. As the native consequence of the foleration
granted by king James, the mass was openly set up ia the cas
tle of Inverness, against which Mr Macbean preached pubHcly,
and warned the people of the imminent danger the nation was
then in ; At which the priest was so incensed, that he sent Mac
bean a letter, challenging him to a public dispute. This letter
he received in a throng bn the weekly market, w^here he usually
walked with some donstables to prevent common swearing ; he
went into a shop, and there wrote such an answer to the priest,
as determined himi to selid him no more , challenges. The re-^
port of this having spread, some officers of king James's army
entered into a resolutiori to go to church next Lord's day, and tb
take him out of the pulpit in case he uttered ought against that
way: He was Informed of this late, on Saturday, and- was imL'-
portuned by some bf his friends to abstain from saying any thing
that might exasperate them ; but he preached next day on Ccd.
-i. 18, and proved that Christ was the sole head of ihe- church,
in opposition to the usurp^ons of both popery and erastian
ism : Whereupon the officers got all on foot to execute their de-
'Sign,-^whlch the godd man did not observe, tUl turning about,
(for they sat in a loft oh the left side ofthe pulpit) he said, with
an authority that put them out of countenance, For these things
I am become the song of the drunkards ; bn which they all sat
do-wn, for it was when drinking that they had formed that wick
ed deiiign, — — From ,the popish controversy he was led to a
serious inquiry into the merits of what was then the controversy:;
and, after serious wrestling with God, and earnest prayer ' for
light and direction- from him, in which he spent some nights in his

APPENDIX. S8T
garden, he at length determined to declare for the truth, what
ever might be the consequence; and accordingly, in June 1687.
he decUned to sit in the presbytery, but continued to preach.
In August the presbytery were informed, not only that he ab
sented wilfuUy,but thathe disowned the governmentof the church
by archbishops, bishops, &c, appointed a committee to converse
with him, who having done so, they, at a subsequent diet, re
ported that Mr Macbean declared plainly to them, that he had"
no freedom to meet with them in tiieir judicatures any more ;
that it was over the belly of conviction that he entered into the
ministry under bishops; that his convictions were returning with
greater force upon his conscience, so that he could not overcome
them ; that he was con-vinced presbytery was the only government
that God owned in these nations ; that he was fully determined
to make all the satisfaction he could to the presbyterians, to
preach for them and In their favours ; and that, though he should
be dispensed with by bishop and presbytery from keeping! their
meetings, he could not promise, that, in his preaching, he would
not give ground of misconstruction to those that owned prelacy.
At the same time his colleague, Mr GUbert MarshaU, farther
reported that Mr Macbean, both in his public lectures and ser
mons, did so reflect on the govemment of the church, as was
like to make a great schism at Inverness ; and therefore that
he had caused cite him at that meeting to answer for his ab
sence, ^id his reproachfid doctrine that could not be endured.
Mr Macbean did not appear before th^m, nevertheless the
magistrates prevailed with, the presbytery to desist from pro
ceeding, against him then ; but shortiy thereafter the presby
tery referred him to the synod of Moray, ;who appointed a com
mittee to join with the presbytery of Inverness to deal .with him.
In the meantime, October 23, 1687, Mr Macbean went
to church -without his canonical habit, pubUcly renounced pre
lacy, declared himself a presbyterian, and, as he found not
necessary freedom in the exercise of his charge, he solemnly de-
mitted It. He preached his farewell sermon on Job xxxiv. 31,
32, the scriptures he advanced, and insisted on as warrants for
his conduct, were Isaiah viu. 11 — 14, Jer, xv, 18 — 21. 2 Cor.
vi. 17, 18. and to prove that Christ was sole head of the
church, Eph. v. 23. Col. i. 18. 1 Pet, il, 7, Next Lord's
day he went to Ross, and there,- in Mr Macglllgen's meeting
house, preached the truths wluch formerly he opposed, and
some times thereafter he preached at Inverness, till he was, by
order of the counell called to Edinburgh,
N On this surprising change a great opposition among the then
¦ prevailing party soon appeared against him, which was the less
to he wondepred at, as he embraced every opportunity of de
claring for the cause of truth, which they were violent against :
2 '

S8§' - APPENDIX.
and therefore.the exercise, or preSbyiery of Inverness^ setit ofla
of their number to infomi the Bishbp of Moray, then at Glas-
gov^, of this whole affair : but this bishop dying at that time,
the Archbishop of St Andrews took the affair under his cog"
hizance, and procured an order from the council to bring Mr
Macbean to Edinburgh : in consequence of this order he was
carried south in January 1688,, in very tempestuous weather,
and was called before the council, where he made a bold stand
for the truths he then professed. One of the questions asked
him was, Did he think the king's power was limited ? To which
he ansv(^ered, He knew no power but the Almighty's unlimited.
Though the coiinell could not find that he meddled with the
state, yet, to please the bishoj^s, he was imprisoned ; and.'upon
the 27tii Febniary thereafter, the Archbishop'of St Andrews
conveened him before him and the Bishop of Moray, and five
doctors and niinisters at Edinburgh, where (In the -virtue of his
metropolitanicajl capacity) he deposed Mr -Macbean from the
exercise of any part of his pastoral office, and deprived him of
all benefit that might accrue to him thereby since the time of
his wilful desertion; -with certification. That, if he should
transgress therein, the sentence of excommunication should
pass against him, iSc. He was thereupon temanded to prison ;
iand, though the to-wn oT Inverness -wrote earnestiy, soUciting
him to- make some CompUance, that they might be favoured
-with his return, he Withstood theif entreaties ; and, by his an
swer dated July 16S8, he dissuades them from insisting for his
return, as what he assured them would never happen ; and
condemns himself in the strongest manner for his adherence to
prelacy, declarihg, in the inost express Way, against it, as anti-
scripturalj' as" -WeU as tyrannical. — "^His confinement, and thc
fatigue of his journey, haying' given such a shock to his con
stitution, that his life' was In danger. Sir Robert Gordon of
Gordonstoun, and Dimcan Forbes bf CuUoden, offered a baU-
bond for 10,000 merks Scots to the Earl of Perth, then chan
cellor, that they would present him any time he was caUed for,
pro-viding he was set at liberty ; but the chanceUor absolutely
refused "to set him at liberty, though he was in a very languish
ing condition In the tolbooth', where he remained tiU Perth run
away, and that the Edinburgh mob set the sufferers at liberty.
 After this Mr Macbean continued in the suburbs of
Edinburgh, till he joyfuUy finished his course in the month of
February 1689, in the 33d year of his tige, soine days befpre
the news camp that the parliament of England had setteld that
crown pnKIng WUliam, -v^ho put an end to those bloody times
and that tyrannical government. Mr Macbean frequentiy coin-
jiared himself in that partitidar to Moses, whoi from mount Pis-
gath, saw the land of promise, but, for his-sin&il compUance, as
h,*^}ways called it,- would not be allowed to enter it ; for, some

APPENDIX. 3SS)
time before his death, he had a firm beUef of the amazing
deliverance vvhich this church and nation soon met with, and left
this mortal life rejoicing in hope of the glory of God,
The last-piece of information I shall troublethe reader with,
,and which is every way as shodcing as any that hath pre
ceded, I have from James Paton merchant m Kilmarnock, a
man whoie character stands in no need of a testimony among
those who know him. The story happened In his father's
house, who was a sufferer in that period, and particularly in the
instance I am now to relate, sd that my informer had the best
access to know the truth of it, and yet so suspicious was he of
his own memory, that he would not have me depend upon his
veracity, ufitll he had farther examined the matter, and coUat-
ed particulars with some judicious persons yetliving, whoconiirm-
ed the truth of his relation from their own proper knowledge.
In the beginning of May 1685, (a time when the persecutors,
being more than ordinarily enraged with the news of Argyle's
intended invasion, were every where making havoc of those
who conformed not to tiie then course of defection) twelve men,
being conveened in the night time in a meeting for prayer
and godly conference, as was their usual once a week, or the
like, In the house of James Paton wright, and tenant in Littie-
Blackwood, in the parish of Kilmarnock, were surprised by a party
under the command of Patrick Inglis, son to one Captalnlnglis, whe
then kept garrison at NewmiUs, within a few miles distance.
During the interval of duty, James Paton standirig behind
his brethren who were warming about a hearth fire, and hear
ing some noise, said to the rest, -Friends, I wish wc be not in
a snare ; whereupon they guessing Ids meaning started aU up,
and were scarce got to the trance, or passage bet-wixt the two
doors ofthe house, when the enemy broke in furiously at both
doors upon them, and James Whyte, the only person in the
house who had a gun, offering to fire, " but missing, some of the
soldiers percei-ving him by the light of his own priming, fired
at, and killed him upon the spot. James Paton got past them
into the byre, other two, endeavouring to make their escape,
were beat back ; but John Gemble In Blackbyxe, one of these,
got in upon the centinel, who, finding himself worsted in the
encounter, thought to have stabbed hirn with his bayonet ; but
Gemble, proving too hard for the centinel, wrested it from hiiri^
stabbed hom with it, and run off. Some of the party hearing
the struggle, came to the wounded man's relief; "but being too
late, they threw him into a bed above three young children
and went in quest of the other nine, who finding it impossible
to make their escape by the door, retired through the kitchen
to the Innermost apartment in the house caUed the spence, and
were breaking through the roof; but by the time two of, them
got out, the rest were stopped from without: "Whereupon

390 APPENDIX.
Janet Wylie, the wife of James Paton, havirig some aeqriaint-
ance of Inglis, called him by his name, intreatlng'that he Would,
for God's sake, give them quarters. < He cursed her, and asked
who for a b  h was she whb knew him. Arid Janet an-
sv/eririg, that she was the daughter of Thomas Wylie of Dam-'
holm, where he -with some others had been quartered for a
whole summer sorne years before that, he told her, tha*, upon
her request, he woidd give them quarters, on condition they
y/ould come aU out of the spfence into the kitchen one by one
npon their bare knees, which, as they stood riot upon an equal
footing, they consented to. The first who came out was an old
man, one Jatees Finlay in Dykes, whom they tied with yarn
which they found in the house, and set him down, and one of
the Soldiers coming in at the time with his bayonet screwed up
on his firelock, stabbed him below the belly, tiU the point
came out at the thick of his thigh behind : at which he cried he
-was murdered. Inglis challenged the fellow with a cur§e, how
came he tb stab a man after quarters given ; and this was all
the amends the poor man got. The test came out, and were
all in like manner tyed. After -which the party got candle and
searched the house, and finding James Paton in the byre, they
tyed and set him. with the rest ; and, when they could find , no
more persons, they feU' about spulying the- hpuse, and took,
every thing' which vvould either xarry or drive, among which
was a big ax for feUirig timber, vrith which they cut off thc
liead of James Whyte, whom they had shot at their first onset,
and next day played at the football vrith it at NewmiUs,
whether they barried their booty and the eight men, whom they
imprisoned in the porter's lodge, and next day Captain Inglk
ordered them aU to be brought out and shot, but, while they
were sitting tyed, -with napkins over their faCes, and a party
ready with charged firelocks to empty them into their hearts, a
person of better pense stepping up to" the captain, suggested to
him, that though he was safe enough at the hands of the present
government to do what he was about, yet, if there came any
'change he might be called in question for exeduting them,
after quarters given, without any shadow of law ; adding, that
if he sent an express to the pri-vy-coiincil, he needed be in no ,
difficulty to get an order for executing them ; whereupon the
'captain remanded them to prison, and quickly sent off his son
fbr the order, proposed, who succeeded to his wish. Meantime
the friends of the^ prisoners resolved upon attempting their
liberation ; and such was the kindness of providence towards
these sufferers, that their friends came to their relief the nigjit
beifcre the time concerted, under impressions, though they
pould give rip satisfying reason for it then, that it was a time of
great extremity to the prisoners, which truly proved the case :
For, that very night wherein they were released,, Patrick Inglis

A^ENDIX. 391
telumed with an order for executing them next day, which
was prevented by this mgrciful interposition of providence.
How this rescue was executed, my informer doth not dis
tinctly say,- nor what'number the garrison consisted of, only
the event shewed that it was conducted both with caution and
cpuirage, for they liberated every one of the prisoners In op
position both to the garrison and townsmen, and quickly went
off. Possibly this might have been a work of more difficulty,
but the attack ha-ring been made in the dark night, while the
garrison were in no, expectation of any such thing, Captain,
Inglis had the course to creep in below a bed until the ds^n-
ger past, and his son Patrick, who returned with the dead war
rant alt the very time the attack was made, thought it safest,
upon hearing the noise, to conceal himself behind a dyke at
the enfry to the to-wti, until it was over. So soon as the pri
soners, with their friends were gone off, the bailie of New
miUs, for eviting the suspicion of their accession to that rescue;,
raised the inhabitants by the firebcU and tuck of drmn, and
>came to the gate of the castle (for so the place wiiere J;he gar
rison lay Is called) and required Captain Inglis to purf.ue tl-ie
prisoners, or allow arms to the to-wnsmea that they might dp
it ; but this bold commander was not yet sp far recovered "frota
his fright as to listen tb these demands : however, against day
break, he sent but his men, and made all the search possible,
both in town and country, where they kUled two innocent men ,;
but by that time both prisoners and their rescuers had dis
persed, and so provided for their sziety, as none of them wers
ever found out.
CONCLUSION.
f BtHIS history might be finished, with reducing^ under dif^
-¦- ferent heads, the several kinds and degrees of dcfectips
therein narrated ; the particular grounds upon whjch -our fatheg^s
suffered : the se-vqral branches of their testimony ; the use we
ought to make of such a relation, aind the like '. But as thf
inteUigc-nt reader wdl be more cajiable to do this fpr himself
than I can, it shall only be observed at present, thai, if ths
blood of one righteous Abel procured a revenge upon the mnr,
derer, what a violent attack upon heaven must the cry of t-hg
Wood of the innocent multitudes, that hath been -shed in Scpt
land for tbe cause of truth, have, when all, with one assent,
loudly demanding,  ' How long O LoJRDj, holy and true,
dost thou not judge and avenge our blood, on th^m that d-weS
onthe earth t" And this being the case. It becomes infinitely
more our duty, than it was Moses's, with the eye of faii
fixed upon the blood which cleanseth from all sin, to put__ uf
the request recorded, Deut. xxl.'s. ' Be merciful, O Lord,
unto thy people Israel  and lay net innocent blopd unto ihjr
-¦people of Israel's charge,'

A,, -4

GLOSSARY,

OK,

EXPLICATION OF SCOTTICISMS
USED THROUGH THE FOREGOING HISTORY.

Adminiculate. Sapportii.
Advocate, (his Majefty's) Tlie same as
attorney-gsnerjil.
Albeit. Aitbotigb,
Allenarly. Only^ or wbolly and entirely.
,Anent. Concerning^ about.
Affize. Jury.
Ay. Vntil.
Bailies. AUtraen.
Caution. Surety.
' Cod and bobbins. Lace-cujhion:
Conform. According,
Contravene, Tranfgrefs.
Cottars. Cottagers.
Criminal court. For capital capes, or
matters of life and deatb. „
Dared, Tbreatened.
deborded. Departed.
Defalcations. Deductions.
Deigned. Condefiended.
Demit limpliciter. Atfolutely to refign.
Depone, Sivear.
Diets, Times of meeting.
Dittay, Indictment. ,
Fanatics. A name given in derijion to tbe
presbyterians.
Fenfible men. Men able to bear arms.
Forafmeikle. ; Forasmucb.
Gear. Goods.
Goes cleaqliefl:. Goes viitb tbe eltarefi
conf dence,.
Goodman. He that rents tbe farm.
Horning. A Und of outlawry.
Ilk, Each.
Indictment -was faifnd relevant. Was

Interlocutor, A judgment, so called quia
judex interim loquitur.
Intromit with. Jeiiu upon.
Juflice-airs; Circuit-courts.
Judiciary power. A po,U>er of judging
in matters oflifeanddeattf.
Kend. Knovin.
Kything. Shewing.
Libel. Indictment.
tiferenters, IVidoivt who have the r^lt

cf their husbands lanii.
Lug, Ear.
Maccr. Ufher, or, cryer.
Maiden, The injirument for iebeading,
Meflenger. Bailiff.
Moffes. Marjby grounds.
Moveables. Goods and cbattles. .
Netherbow. Chief gate of tlie city of
Edinburgh.
Obtened. Intreated.
Opponed. Brought ageanfi.
Overtures. Proposals. J^ >
Pafch. Eajier.
Pannel. frifoner at tbe bar.
Pannel me. Arraign me.
Perquire. Exactly.
Port. Gate.
Portioner, Parcener, or co^parcener.
Purge himfelf of malice. According tt
the law ofStotland^ in criminal cases., be
fore a viitnefs be admitted, he mustfwear
tbat he bfs no malice againfi the defen
dant.
Regality. 'A precinct viitbfome royal pre^ '
rogatives.
Relevant. Sufficient.
Reprival. Reprieve.
Relet. Receive, or harbour.
Rock Diftaff.
Rue, Repent.
Side gowns. Long gowne.
Slighting. Difmantling.
Strong waters. Spiritous liquors.
Tapk. Leafe.
Thir. Thofe.
Timeoufly. In due time.
Tranfported. ' Tran/hted.
Tryfted. Appointed.
.-yaik. Become vacant.
Vaiking. yacant.
'Wadfetters. Mortgages.
'Wave of. Slight view of.
'Weft port. Wefgate.
Wynd, Lane.
Yule, Cbr'tflmas.

Thomas Turnbull, Printer, Edinburgh,

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 03720 6639

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