Disputes lost yet they still called on him to fall on. Many have thought that all this was treachery, done on 55 design to deliver up our army to Cromwell; some laying it upon Lesley, and others upon my uncle. I am persuaded there was no treachery in it: only Waristoun was too hot, and Lesley was too cold, and yielded too easily to their humours, which he ought not to have done. They were all the night employed in coming down the hill: and in the morning, before they were put in order, Cromwell fell upon them. Two regiments stood their ground, and were almost all killed in their ranks: the rest did run in a most shameful manner: so that both their artillery and baggage were lost, and with these a great many prisoners were taken, some thousands in all. Cromwell upon this advanced to Edenburgh, where he was received without any opposition; and the castle, that might have made a long resistance, did capitulate. So all the southern part of Scotland came under contribution to Cromwell. Stirling was the advanced garrison on the king's side. He himself retired to St. Johnstoun. A parliament was called that sat for some time at Stirling, and for some time at St. Johnstoun, in which a full indemnity was passed, not in the language of a pardon, but of an act of approbation: only all that joined with Cromwell were declared traitors. But now the way of raising a new army was to be thought on. about the admitting of all per A question had been proposed both to the committee of states and to the commissioners of the kirk, whether in this extremity those who had made serve their defection, or had been hitherto too backward in the work, might not upon the profession of their re sons to country. pentance be received into public trust, and admitted to serve in the defence of their country. To this, answers were distinctly given by two resolutions: the one was, that they ought to be admitted to make profession of their repentance: and the other was, that after such professions made they might be received to defend and serve their country. Upon this, a great division followed in the kirk: those who adhered to these resolutions were called the public resolutioners: but against these some of those bodies protested, and they, together with those who adhered to them, were called the protestors. On the one hand it was said, that every government might call out all that were under its protection to its defence: this seemed founded on the law of nature and of nations: and if men had been misled, it was a strange cruelty to deny room for repentance : this was contrary to the nature of God, and to the gospel, and was a likely mean to drive them to despair: therefore, after two years' time, it seemed reasonable to allow them to serve according to their birthright in parliament, or in other hereditary offices, or in the army; from all which they had been 56 excluded by an act made in the year 1649, which ranged them in different classes, and was from thence called the act of classes. But the protestors objected against all this, that to take in men of known enmity to the cause was a sort of betraying it, because it was the putting it in their power to betray it; that to admit them into a profession of repentance was a profanation, and a mocking of God: it was visible, they were willing to comply with these terms, though against their conscience, only to get into the army: nor could they expect a blessing from God on an army so constituted. And as to this particular, they had great advantage; for this mock penitence was indeed a matter of great scandal. When these resolutions were passed with this protestation, a great many of the five western counties, Cliddisdale, Renfrew, Air, Galloway, and Nithisdale, met, and formed an association apart, both against the army of sectaries, and against this new defection in the kirk party. They drew a remonstrance against all the proceedings in the treaty with the king, when, as they said, it was visible by the commission he granted to Montrose that his heart was not sincere: and they were also against the tendering him the covenant, when they had reason to believe he took it not with a resolution to maintain it, since his whole deportment and private conversation shewed a secret enmity to the work of God: and, after an invidious enumeration of many particulars, they imputed the shameful defeat at Dunbar to their prevaricating in these things; and concluded with a desire, that the king might be excluded from any share in the administration of the government, and that his cause might be put out of the state of the quarrel with the army of the sectaries. This was brought to the committee of the states at St. Johnstoun, and was severely inveighed against by sir Thomas Nicholson, the king's advocate or attorney general there, who had been till then a zealous man of their party: but he had lately married my sister, and my father had great influence on him. He prevailed so, that the remonstrance was condemned as divisive, factious, and scandalous but that the people might not be too much moved with these things, a declaration was prepared to be set out by the king for the satisfying ships put on of them. In it there were many hard things. The Great hardking owned the sin of his father in marrying into the king. an idolatrous family: he acknowledged the bloodshed in the late wars lay at his father's door: he expressed a deep sense of his own ill education, and the prejudices he had drunk in against the cause of God, of which he was now very sensible: he confessed all the former parts of his life to have been a 57 course of enmity to. the work of God: he repented of his commission to Montrose, and of every thing he had done that gave offence: and with solemn protestations he affirmed, that he was now sincere in his declaration, and that he would adhere to it to the end of his life in Scotland, England, and Ireland. The king was very uneasy when this was brought to him. He said, he could never look his mother in the face if he passed it. But when he was told it was necessary for his affairs, he resolved to swallow the pill without farther chewing it. So it was published, but had no good effect; for neither side believed him sincere in it. It was thought a strange imposition, to make him load his father's memory in such a manner. But, while the king was thus beset with the high and more moderate kirk parties, the old cavaliers sent to him, offering that if he would cast himself into their hands they would meet him near Dundee with a great body. Upon this the king, growing weary of the sad life he led, made his escape in the night, and came to the place appointed: but it was a vain undertaking; for he was met by a very inconsiderable body at Clova, the place of rendezvous. Those at St. Johnstoun being troubled at this, sent colonel Montgomery after him, who came up, and pressed him to return very rudely: : so the king came back. But this had a very good effect. The government saw now the danger of using him ill, which might provoke him to desperate courses after that, he was used as well as that kingdom, in so ill a state, was capable of. He saw the necessity of courting the marquis of Argile, and therefore made him great offers: at last he talked of marrying his daughter. Lord Argile was cold and backward: he saw the king's heart lay not to him so he looked on all offers but as so many snares. His son, the lord Lorn, was captain of the guards: and he made his court more dexterously; for he brought all persons that the king had a b When the king came to Scotland, the marquis of Argile made great professions of duty to him, but said he could not serve him as he desired, unless he gave some undeniable proof of a fixed resolution to support the presbyterian party, which he thought would be best done by marrying into some family of quality, that was known to be entirely attached to that interest; which would in great measure take off the prejudice both kingdoms had to him upon his mother's account, who was extremely odious to all good protestants; and thought his own daughter would be the properest match for him, not without some threats, if he did not accept the offer; which the king told colonel Legge, who was the only person about him that he could trust with the secret. The colonel said it was plain the marquis looked upon : his majesty to be absolutely in his power, or he durst not have made such a proposal; therefore it would be necessary to gain time, till he could get out of his hands, by telling him, in common decency he could come to no conclusion in an affair of that nature before he had acquainted the queen his mother, who was always known to have a very particular esteem for the marquis and his family, but would never forgive such an omission. But that was an answer far from satisfying the marquis, who suspected colonel Legge had been the adviser, and committed him next day to the castle of Edinburgh, where he continued till the king made his escape from St. Johnstoun, upon which he was released, the marquis finding it necessary to give the king more satisfaction than he had done before that time. D. |