recommendation they were also upon all Affairs nine of them were Privy Counsellours divers of them were of the Exchequer Spottiswood Archbishop of S. Andrews was made Chancellour and Maxwell Bishop of Ross was fair for the Treasury and engaged in a high rivalry with the Earl of Traquair then Treasurer which tended not a little to help forward their Ruine And besides this they began to pretend highly to the Tithes and Impropriations and had gotten one Learmonth a Minister presented Abbot of Lindoris and seemed confident to get that State of Abbots with all the Revenue and Power belonging to it again restored into the hands of Churchmen designing also that according to the first Institution of the Colledge of Justice the half of them should be Churchmen This could not but touch many of the Nobility in the quick who were too large sharers in the Patrimony of the Church not to be very sensible of it They were no less hateful to the Ministry because of their Pride which was cried out upon as unsupportable Their Presbyters dislike them Great complaints were also generally made of Simoniacal pactions with their Servants which was imputed to the Masters as if it had been for their advantage at least by their allowance They also exacted a new Oath of Intrants besides what was in the Act of Parliament for obedience to their Ordinary in which they were obliged to obey the Articles of Perth and submit to the Liturgy and Canons They were also making daily Inroads upon their Jurisdiction of which the Ministers were very sensible and universally their great rigour against any that favoured of Puritanism together with their medling in all Secular Affairs and relinquishing their Dioceses to wait on the Court and Council made them the object of all mens fury The Liturgy is appointed for Scotland But that which heightned all to a Crisis was their advising the King to introduce some Innovations in the Church by his own Authority things had prospered so ill in General Assemblies that they thought of these no more And in the Parliament 1633. that small addition to the Prerogative that the King might appoint what Habits he pleased to the Clergy met vigorous opposition notwithstanding the King seemed much concerned for it those who opposed it being sharply taken up and much neglected by His Majesty which stuck deep in their hearts the Bishops bearing all the blame of it At this time a Liturgy was drawn for Scotland or rather the English reprinted with that Title save that it had some Alterations which rendred it more invidious and less satisfactory and after long consulting about it and another Book of Canons they were at length agreed to that the one should be the form of the Scotsh Worship and the other the Model of their Government which did totally vary from their former Practices and Constitutions and as if all things had conspired to carry on their Ruine the Bishops not satisfied with the general High Commission Court produced Warrants from the King for setting up such Commissions in their several Dioceses in which with other Assessors Ministers and Gentlemen all of their own nomination they might punish offenders That was put in practice onely by the Bishop of Galloway who though he was a pious and learned man yet was fiery and passionate and went so roundly to work that it was cried out upon as a yoke and bondage which the Nation was not able to bear And after all this the King advised by the Bishops commanded the service-Service-book to be received through Scotland and to be read according to the new book at Edinburgh on Easter-day in the year 1637. yet by the Council it was delayed till the 23th of Iuly A Tumult at reading Divine Service but then it met with a tumult from Women and the meaner sort of people whom though none owned in that Attempt yet there wanted not enough who suspected them to have been set on by others However certain it was that the constant Discourse of the discontented Ministers and Noblemen was that Popery was to be introduced and Liberties like to be destroyed and the Bishops to blame for all By such Insinuations it was that the People were animated unto an unparallelled Fury so that they threw Stools at the Dean of Edinburgh when he begun to read the Service and interrupted it often notwithstanding all the means used by the Lords of Council and Magistrates of Edinburgh to hinder it The Lords of Council as they complained to the King of this Disorder so they spared not to lay the greatest blame of it upon the Bishops which appears from the following Letter written by the Earl of Traquair to the Marquis My Noble Lord AT the meeting of the Council here at Edinburgh the 23th of this instant Traquair 's Letter about the occasion of the Troubles we found so much appearance of Trouble and Stir like to be amongst people of all qualities and degrees upon the urging of this new Service-book that we durst no longer forbear to acquaint His Majesty therewith and humbly to represent both our Fears and our opinions how to prevent the Danger at least our opinions of the way we would wish His Majesty should keep therein or before he determine what course to take for pacifying of the present Stir or establishing of the service-Service-book hereafter wherein all I will presume to adde to what the Council hath written is to intreat your Lordship to recommend to His Majesty that if he be pleased to call to himself any of the Clergie he would make choice of some of them of the wisest and most calm Dispositions for certainly some of the leading men amongst them are so violent and forward and many times without ground or true judgment that their want of right understanding how to compass business of this nature and weight does often breed us many difficulties and their rash and foolish Expressions and sometimes Attempts both in private and publick have bred such a Fear and Iealousie in the hearts of many that I am confident if His Majesty were rightly informed thereof he would blame them and justly think that from this and the like proceedings arises the ground of many Mistakes amongst us They complain that the former Ages have taken from them many of their Rents have robb'd them of their Power and Iurisdiction and even in the Church it self and Form of Gods Worship have brought in some things that require Reformation but as the deeds of these Times at least the beginnings thereof were full of notour and tumultuary disorder so shall I never think it will prove for the good either of Gods Service or the Kings by the same ways or manner of dealing to press to rectifie what was then done amiss We have a wise and judicious Master who will nor can urge nothing in this poor Kingdom which may not be brought to pass to his contentment and I am most confident if he shall
be graciously pleased to hear his faithful Servants inform him of the Truth he shall direct that which is just and right and with the same assurance I dare promise him Obedience The interest your Lordship has in this poor Kingdom but more particularly the Duty you owe to His Majesty and the true respect I know you have ever carried to His Majesties Honour and the good of his Service makes me thus bold to acquaint your Lordship with this business which in good faith is by the folly and misgovernment of some of our Clergie-men come to that height that the like has not been seen in this Kingdom of a long time But I hope your Lordship will take in good part my true meaning and ever construct favourably the actions of Your loving faithful Friend and humble Servant TRAQVAIR Edinburgh Aug. 27. After all inquiry was made it did not at all appear that any above the meaner sort were accessory to that Tumult the sequel whereof in the Afternoon had almost been Tragical not onely to the Bishop of Edinburgh but to the Earl of Roxburgh for having him in his Coach But His Majesty though he was willing to be gentle to the Transgressours yet continued firm to his former Resolutions of having the Liturgy and Book of Canons established In October thereafter a new Tumult fell out in Edinburgh against the Earl of Traquair and some of the Bishops whom the People in their fury went about to have killed upon which by Proclamation the Council and Session and other Courts were removed from Edinburgh Hereupon the Earl of Roxburgh who was then Lord Privy-Seal went to Court to give the King an account of Affairs for all this time divers had petitioned the Council against these Books complaining they were contrary to Religion in the matter of them and the Laws of the Land in the manner of bringing them in but all he could procure was a Pardon for what was past to such as should thenceforth live quietly and that was proclaimed in December but was far from giving satisfaction for by this time the Malecontents were become considerable and had formed themselves into a Body It was also studiously infused in the minds of all through Scotland that the Bishops were introducing Popery that many points of Popery were in these Books and that the whole of them was both superstitious and illegal This took mightily with the Vulgar and the malecontented Ministers began every-where to talk high in their Pulpits against the Bishops they also formed themselves into a Body called the Table where there were Deputies from the Shires and Burroughs and a great many Noblemen and Ministers That which they pretended was the Security of Religion They pretend the Security of Religion and swear the Covenant with the preserving the Fundamental Laws and Liberties of the Land the Honour of the King and the defence of his Authority and for this end it was judged fit and necessary to renew the Covenant made in King Iames his time against Popery and signed by that King with his Council and Family which according to the new draught was made up first of King Iames his Covenant next of a long Narrative of all Acts of Parliament whereby the Reformed Religion was ratified thirdly of an Addition wherein the late Innovations were sworn against till they were judged in a free General Assembly and declared also to be abjured in the old Covenant as formally as if they had been expresly named in it and all ended with a Bond of Defence for adhering to one another in pursuing the ends of the Covenant This was no sooner moved but the advice took as if it had been an Oracle so the Covenant was sworn first at Edinburgh in the moneth of February and then sent every-where through the Country to get the example of those in Edinburgh imitated which was accordingly done not without great appearances of Devotion among all sorts of People they pretending it was nothing but the preservation and purity of Religion they aimed at For the Covenant I judge it needless to insert it here both because of its length and that it is in the large Manifesto of the Affairs of this year published in His Majesties Name and therefore that Book being both common and of great Authority I do not insert Papers at their length that are to be found there and shall onely adde that the Originals and other authentick Justifications of that Declaration are in my hands The Session or Term was held that Winter at Sterlin but the Council sate often at Dalkeith within four miles of Edinburgh which being then so full of People it was not judged fit for the Council to withdraw too far from it Petitions were often offered to the Council encouraged from the Table full of Complaints against the Bishops and the late Innovations but they were as often rejected Upon this the Earl of Traquair went to Court and gave a full account both of the Petitions the Humours and the Strength of the Malecontents and that all was occasioned by the Bishops misgovernment and by the introducing the lately-authorized Books with which scarce a Member of the Council the Bishops onely excepted was well satisfied neither were all these cordially for them for the Archbishop of S. Andrews from the beginning had withstood these designs foreseeing how full of danger the executing of them might prove The Archbishop of Glasgow was worse pleased but the Bishops of Ross Dumblane Brechin and Galloway were the great Advancers of them Traquair represented also that the Body of all Scotland was staggering if not wholly alienated from their Duty to the King and that nothing could recover them out of this distemper but assurances of His Majesties affection to the Protestant Religion and of his aversion from Popery together with the laying aside of these Books at least till better Times At this time also the Covenanting Lords wrote to the Duke of Lenox the Marquis of Hamilton and the Earl of Morton who were then at Court representing their Grievances and desiring they would offer their Petition to His Majesty which was humble enough though full of Complaints against these Books desiring they might be heard to object against them offering under the highest pains to prove they contained things both contrary to Religion and the Laws of the Land But all the Earl of Traquair said was suspected his prejudices against the Bishops being known The opposition he had made the Bishops had rendered him hitherto very Popular in Scotland and there want not grounds to suspect him a secret worker in this opposition to these Books though he seems to have been far from cherishing any further designs All he could procure from the King was a Proclamation The King proclaims his firmness to the Protestant Re-Religion Giving assurance of His Majesties firmness to the Protestant Religion and that great care was used in drawing the Liturgie so that not onely it was not
THE MEMOIRES OF THE LIVES and ACTIONS OF Iames and William DUKES OF HAMILTON and CASTLEHERALD c. In which an Account is given of the Rise and Progress of the CIVIL WARS of SCOTLAND With other great Transactions both in England and Germany from the Year 1625 to the Year 1652. Together with many LETTERS INSTRUCTIONS and other PAPERS Written by King Charles the I. Never before Published All drawn out of or Copied from the Originals By GILBERT BVRNET In Seven Books LONDON Printed by I. Grover for R. Royston Bookseller to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty MDCLXXVII To the King May it please Your Sacred Majesty THE following History being a Relation of Your Royal Fathers Counsels and Affairs in Scotland I hope for an easy Pardon of my Presumption in offering it to Your Majesty Your Concern in a Work that relates so much to the King Your Blessed Father moved You to look on it and read some parts of it and after You had honoured it with a Character too advantageous for me to repeat You were Graciously pleased to allow me Your Royal Licence not only to Publish it but to Address it to Your Self and therefore I hope Your Majesty will favourably Accept this tribute of my Duty which with an humble Devotion I lay down at Your Feet My Zeal for Your Majesties Honour and Service engaged me first in this Work and the same Passion which I derived from my Education and still governs my Heart and Life makes me now Publish it For nothing does more clear the Prospect of what is before us than a strict Review of what is past which I have laboured to make with all possible Fidelity and Diligence I know I shall not escape Censures since few can bear a true and free History but as I have set down nothing for which I have not Authentick Vouchers so I have observed Your Majesties Acts of Oblivion and Indempnity as much as could consist with the Laws of History and have avoided the naming of Persons upon Ingrateful Occasions But no Precaution can secure one from severe Challenges that writes so near those Times while many Persons concerned are yet alive yet if Your Majesty continues to honour these Memoires with Your Royal Approbation I shall easily bear them SIR You have here a true Account of the Services and Sufferings of two of Your Subjects who dedicated themselves to Your Majesties Interests and became Sacrifices for them The Elder of these Brothers had not the honour of being known to Your Majesty yet he lost his life in Your Reign The Younger survived as long as he could serve Your Majesty but when he saw his Life like to be unprofitable to Your Service it became uneasy to himself which made him so prodigal of it in Your own sight And Your Majesty does his Memory the Honour of remembring him still with the highest expressions of Esteem and Acknowledgment which a King can bestow on a Subject They had that Unblemished Loyalty conveyed to them from their Ancestors as the Entail of their Family which has always payd an Uninterrupted Fidelity to the Crown and they have transmitted it as an Inheritance to those who have succeeded them who have already given great Demonstrations of most sincere and Loyal Duty to Your Majesty That God of his Infinite Mercy may preserve Your Majesty and bless you with Wise Counsels Obedient Subjects and Prosperous Undertakings and after a long and happy Reign on Earth may Crown You with an Incorruptible Crown of Glory is the daily Devotion of May it please your Sacred Majesty Your Majesties most faithful most humble and most loyal Subject and Servant Gilbert Burnet London the 21st of October 1673. CHARLES R. WHereas Gilbert Burnet one of Our Chaplains in Ordinary hath composed a Book entituled Memoires of the Lives and Actions of the Dukes of Hamilton which We have Seen and Approved and whereas he hath humbly desired Our Royal Licence for the Printing and Publishing of the samâ— We have thought fit to condescend unto that his Request and We do accordingly hereby Grant Our Royal Licence and Priviledg unto the said Gilbert Burnet his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns for the sole Printing and Publishing of the foresaid Book for the Term of fourteen Years to be computed from the day of its being first set forth And Our Will and Pleasure is and We do hereby Require and Command that during the said Term of Fourteen Years no Printer Publisher or other Person whatsoever Our Subjects do presume to Imprint or cause to be Imprinted without the knowledg and consent of him the said Gilbert Burnet his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns the foresaid Book in whole or in part or to Sell the same or to Import into Our Kingdom any Copies thereof Imprinted in Parts beyond the Seas upon pain of the Loss and Forfeiture of all Copies so Imprinted Sold or Imported contrary to the Tenour of this Our Royal Licence and of being further proceeded against as Offenders against the Act made in the Fourteenth Year of Our Reign entituled An Act for Regulating Printing and Printing-presses and suffering the Mulcts Penalties and Inflictions in the said Act particularly mentioned as the Cause shall require Given at Our Court at White-Hall the third day of November 1673. in the Five and Twentieth Year of Our Reign By His Majesties Command H. Coventry THE PREFACE HIstories are of all Books the most universally read the wiser find matter of great Speculation in them and improve their Knowledg by the Experience these give them and weaker Persons make them their Diversion and entertain Discourse with them But most Writers of History have been men that lived out of business who took many things upon trust and have committed many and palpable Errours in matters of Fact and either give no account at all of the secret Causes and Counsels of the greatest Transactions or when they do venture upon it it is all Romance and the effect of their Imagination or Interest And indeed the Authors of all the Histories that were written for near a thousand years together being for the most part Monks there is no great reason to think they were either well informed or ingenuous in what they delivered to Posterity though there is perhaps no Nation that is more beholding to their Labours than England is Of all men those who have been themselves engaged in Affairs are the fittest to write History as knowing best how matters were designed and carried on and being best able to judge what things are of that Importance to be made Publick and what were better suppressed And therefore Caesars Commentaries are the most Authentick and most generally valued pieces of History and in the next Form to these Philip de Comines Guicciardine Sleidan Thuanus and Davila are the best received and most read Histories only the last hath failed in some particulars for these men wrote of things in which they were considerable Actors and had
great Interest and good Information Next to these those that have had the perusal of the Cabinets of great Ministers and of Publick Records are the best qualified for giving the World a true Information of Affairs This makes the most celebrated History of the Council of Trent be received over all the World as a Pattern of History Strada and Grotius are also highly valued upon the same account But it has been commonly found that Historians being generally of a Party and having Ends to serve or being under the curb of procuring Licences have accommodated their Relation to the tast of those they intended to flatter and so have corrupted the Truth with the concealment of many things fit to be known and to make amends for that have added as many Sophisticating Colours to make the best things look ill and to give some fair appearances to the worst things And this has generally detracted so much from the value of History that most people begin to neglect such Books for they do not believe that they write Truth And it is no wonder many are full of such prejudices at Ancienter Histories for they reckon that men in all Ages were pretty near the same temper they find them to be of at this day and there is such foul dealing in the Histories of our own Time and things that are so eminently false are positively asserted that from thence many conclude all other Writings of that nature are likewise to be suspected only Forgery and Impudence has not now so much Art to conceal or disguise it with as it had in former Ages since most of our late Histories are written either in the style and strain of Panegyricks or Satyrs which of all things an Historian that would be believed ought to avoid most carefully for naturally all people are apt to suspect Interest or Malice when they find much Flattery or Passion in a History Too much Art does but disgrace it for though Father Paul has written his History of the Council of Trent in as flat and plain a style as was possible and Cardinal Pallavicini has adorned his with all the Beauty of Art and Wit yet there appears somewhat so native in the one and so laboured in the other that it does much prepossess the Reader with an inclination to believe the one and disbelieve the other A short and concise style though it succeeded wonderfully with Tacitus and not ill with Grotius yet by the common Verdict of all men is judged not so proper for a History which should open up things fully so as to be easily understood by every Reader These common failings of Historians have in this last Age made people desire to see Papers Records and Letters published at their full length Livy begun the making of Speeches in Councils and at the heads of Armies for States-men and Generals and was much followed till within this Age that these things became Vniversally distastful and instead of that which was but the issue of the Writers brain the World desires nothing so much as to see the Truth of things as they were really designed and acted rather from some Original Papers than from the Collections or Extracts of persons of whose Fidelity or Iudgment they are not well assured Of all Nations in the world the French have delighted most in these Writings so that the Memoires written in that Nation and Language since the days of Henry the 3d would almost make up a Library and every year we get over new Memoires of some one Great Person or another And though there are great Indiscretions committed in publishing many Secrets and Papers not fit for Publick View yet this way of Writing takes now more in the World than any sort of History ever did There is but one in this Island that hath hitherto written in that Method and his Collections are so well received that it gives great encouragement to any who will follow him in it And indeed it is a much easier thing to write in this way than any other for when a man undertakes a History he ought to be well informed of all that passed on both sides and is obliged to publish every thing that is of Importance for opening up the secretest Causes and Beginnings of great Changes or Revolutions this being the chief Instruction that men receive from History by which they are most enabled to provide against and prevent mischief for the future But he that writes Memoires from a Collection of Papers that are in his hands has no such ties on him being only obliged to give a faithful account of such things as are in his Papers and where these fail he is at no loss but may well pass over such Particulars as occur not to him For the Lives of Great Persons though it might have been expected that after the many excellent Patterns Plutarch had left the World those should have been generally well written yet there is no sort of History worse done they being so full of gross Partiality and Flattery and often swelled with trifling and impertinent things so that it is no great wonder if this kind of Writing be much decried and neglected I had all these Considerations before me when I designed and drew this Work and therefore will be more guilty if I transgress the Laws of Writing History without Partiality and Passion The late Civil Wars of this Island deserve a good and full History as much as any Transaction in any part of the World For it was a strange and unheard-of thing to see a Prince whose Title was unquestioned and who had great Virtues and eminent Piety and was of the same Religion with His Subjects and had never put any of them unjustly to Death so oppressed by a prevalent Faction and that a Party which was not headed by any new Pretender nor under the united Authority of any one Person but on the contrary was divided from the very beginning into two great Factions should become so successful as to defeat Him in the Field take all His Garrisons imprison His Person and in end put Him to Death openly with a Form and shew of His Iustice many thousands of His lamenting Subjects looking on and that all this was done near so great and populous a City which did universally pity His Condition and abhor the Crime and yet not so much as one Person made a Tumult to oppose it The Rise and Progress of such a War is a thing which every one desires to be particularly informed about for though many have published Relations of those times on both sides yet there is scarce any body satisfied either with the Truth of Matters of Fact or with their way of Writing But the first beginning and rise of the Civil Wars having been in Scotland from whence they moved Southwards there can be no clear Vnderstanding of what followed until these first Disorders be truly stated This made me oft wish that some Moderate Pen were employed in
contrary to but would prove a ready mean to preserve the true Religion already received and beat down all Superstition Withall the King considering the disorderly Conventions had been to form Petitions against these Books though they deserved a high Censure yet His Majesty willing to impute that rather to a preposterous Zeal than to any Disloyalty therefore dispensed with them to all such as should thence forth retire and return to their Obedience whereupon these Conventions were in all time coming discharged under pain of Treason The Tumults grow This was proclaimed at Sterlin the nineteenth of February but was so far from giving satisfaction that it proved a crisis to greater Confusion for it met with a Protestation as it was proclaimed sent from those of the Tables who notwithstanding continued to sit in that Iunto An Answer also came from the Duke of Lennox and the other Lords at Court directed only to three of the Lords of the Covenant in Scotland the Earls of Rothes Cassils and Montrose wherein they wrote that they had communicated their desires to His Majesty who answered that as hitherto he had received all the Petitions they had offered to the Council so he had considered them and would declare His Royal Intentions about them The Combustions continuing and growing the Council appointed a solemn Meeting to be the first of March at Sterlin for a full examining of things that they might send their joint Advices to Court This was likewise agreed to by the Lord Chancellour who was then at Edinburgh and undertook for himself and the rest of the Clergy that were of the Council to keep that Appointment The first of March came but none of the Clergy kept the day the Lord Bishop of Brechin only excepted an excuse came from the Lord Chancellour but the necessity of Affairs pressed the Lords of the Council to go on they continued four days consulting and debating about things but after the third day Bishop Brechin left them seeing in what Determinations they were likely to close The issue of their Consulting was to send Sir Iohn Hamilton the Justice-Clerk to the King with Instructions which follow as they are taken from the Original yet extant INSTRUCTIONS from His MAJESTIES Council to the Lord Iustice-Clerk whom they have ordained to go to Court for His MAJESTIES service Instructions to the Justice-Clerk concerning the rise and remedies of these Disorders IN the first place you are to receive from the Clerk of the Council all the Acts past since our meeting upon the first of March instant Item You have to represent to his Majesty That the Dyet of Council was appointed to be solemnly kept by the advice of the Lord Chancellour and remnant Lords of the Clergy being at Edinburgh for the time who assured us that they should keep the Dyet precisely but at our meeting at Sterlin we received a Letter of excuse from the Lord Chancellour which forced us to proceed without his Lordships presence or any others of the Lords of the Clergy except the Bishop of Brechin who attended us three days but removed before the closing of our Opinions anent the business Item That immediately after we had resolved to direct you with a Letter of Trust to His Majesty we did send our Letter to the Lord Chancellour acquainting him with our proceedings and desiring him to consider thereof and if he approved the same to sign them and to cause tâ—e remnant Lords of the Clergy nearest unto him and namely the Bishop of Brechin who was an ear and eye Witness to our Consultations to sign the same and by their Letter to His Majesty to signifie their approbation thereof or if his Lordship did find some other way more convenient for His Majesties Honour and the Peace of the Country that his Lordship by his Letter to the Lord Treasurer or Privie-Seal would acquaint them therewith to the effect they might convene the Council for consulting thereabout Item That you shew His Majesty that His Majesties Council all in one voice finds that the causes of the general Combustions in the Country are the Fears apprehended of Innovation of Religion and Discipline of the Kirk established by the Laws of the Kingdom by occasion of the Service-Book Book of Canons and High-Commission and from the Introduction thereof contrary to or without warrant of the Laws of the Kingdom Item You are to represent to His Majesty our humble opinion That seeing as we conceive the Service-Book Book of Canons and High-Commission as it is set down are the occasion of this Combustion and that the Subjects offer themselves upon peril of their Lives and Fortunes to clear that the said Service-Book and others foresaid contain divers Points contrary to the Religion presently professed and Laws of the Kingdom in matter and manner of Introduction That the Lords think it expedient that it be represented to His Majesties gracious Consideration if His Majesty may be pleased to declare as an act of his singular Iustice that he will take trial of His Subjects Grievances and the reasons thereof in His own time and in His own way according to the Laws of this Kingdom and that His Majesty may be pleased gâ—aciously to declare that in the mean time he will not press nor urge His Subjects therewith notwithstanding any Act or Warrant made in the contrary And in case His Majesty shall be graciously pleased to approve of our humble opinions you are thereafter to represent to His Majesties gracious and wise Consideration if it shall not be fitting to consult His Majesties Council or some such of them as He shall be pleased to call to Himself or allow to be sent from the Table both about the time and way of doing of it And if His Majesty as God forbid shall dislike of what we have conceived most conducing to His Majesties Service and Peace of the Kingdom you are to urge by all the arguments you can that His Majesty do not determine upon any other course until some at least of His Council from this be heard to give the reasons of their Opinions and in this case you are likewise to represent to His Majesties Consideration if it shall not be fitting and necessary to call for His Informers together with some of His Council that in His Own presence he may hear the Reasons of both Informations fully debated You shall likewise show His Majesty that His Council having taken to their Consideration what further was to be done for composing and settling of the present Combustion within the Kingdom and dissipating of the Convocations and Gatherings within the same seeing Proclamations are already made and published discharging all such Convocations and unlawful Meetings the Lords after debating find they can do no further than is already done herein until His Majesties pleasure be returned to this our humble Remonstrance Signed Traquair Roxburgh Winton Perth Wigton Kinghorn Lauderdale Southesk Angus Lorn Down Elphinston Napier J. Hay Tho. Hope
impropâ—r person to be imployed for drawing those sinistrous Jealousies out of the Subjects minds But His Majesty confiding as well in the Marquis his Abilities as trusting to his Fidelity was resolved on the Choice and did first communicate it to himself he told His Majesty That Life and Fortune and all he had he would never stick to hazard for his Service but this Imployment was full of danger the success of it was at least dubious and he was very much a stranger to Scotish Men and Affairs and he could not but foresee how it should endanger his losing what next his Salvation he valued most which was His Majesties Favour however he was absolutely at His Majesties disposal My Lord Lorn eldest Son to the Earl of Argyle and after him Earl Traquair and divers of the Nobility came to Court at this time who were also followed by some of the Clergy The Covenanters made likewise a new Address to the Scotish Lords at Court full of Complaints of the harsh usage they had met with from the Council together with their Grievances which Paper with their Letter dated the 28th of April is extant Signed Rothes Cassils and Montrose consisting of Eight Articles ARTICLES for the present Peace of the Kirk and and Kingdom of Scotland IF the Question were about such matters as did come within the compass of our own power we would be ashamed to be importunate and should be very easily satisfied without the smallest trouble to any but considering thaâ— they are the matters of Gods honour of the Kingdom of Christ and the peace of our Souls against the Mystery of Iniquity which we clearly perceive to have been uncessantly working in this Land since the Reformation to the ruine of true Religion in the end it cannot stand with our duty to God to our King to our Selves and Posterity to crave or be content with less than that which the Word of God and our Confession of Faith doth allow and which may against our Fears establish Religion afterwards The discharging of the service-Service-Book the Book of Canons and of the late High Commission may be a part of the satisfaction of our humble Supplications and just Complaints which therefore we still humbly desire but that can neither be a perfect Cure of our present Evils nor can it be a Preservative in time to come When it is considered what have been the Troubles and Fears of His Majesties most loyal Subjects from the High Commission what is the nature and constitution of that Iudicatory how prejudicial it proves to the lawful Iudicatories of the Kirk and Kingdom how far it endangers the Consciences Liberties Estates and Persons of all the Lieges and how easily and far more contentedly all the Subjects may be keeped in order and obedience to His Majesties just Laws without any terrour of that kind we look that His Majesties Subjects who have been used to obey according to the Laws shall be altogether delivered from the High Commission as from a yoke and burden which they feel and fear to be more heavy than they shall be ever able to bear Remembring by what wayes the Articles of Perth were introduced how strangely and with what opposition they were carried in the Assembly upon what Narrative they were concluded how the Ratification in Parliament was not desired by the Kirk but earnestly supplicated and protested against how they have been introductory of the Service-Book whereof now they are become Members and in their nature make way for Popery whatsoever hath been the intentions of the Vrgers and withall what Troubles and Divisions they have caused these twenty years in this Kirk and Kingdom and what Iealousies between the Kings Majesty and His Subjects without any Spiritual profit or edification at all as we can see no reason why they should be urged by Authority so can we not find but we shall be more unable to digest them than in the beginning when we had not as yet tasted and known how bitter and unwholsome they were The Iudgements of the best Divines of the Reformed Kirks and of the most Pious and Learned of this Kirk since the Reformation concerning the Civil Places and Offices of Kirkmen and concerning the Vote of Ministers in Parliament have been made known in divers general Assemblies which moved the Assemblies of this Kirk when they could not by their modest opposition prevail to limit the Ministers that were to Vote in Parliament by any particular Cautions agreed upon at first and ordained to be inserted in the Act of Parliament and by other Cautions to be made afterward as tâ—e Assembly should find meet and necessary and therefore if we will declare our minds after lamentable experiences of the Evils which were then foreseen feared and foretold we cannot see how Ministers voting in Parliament absolutely without the limitation of these Cautions can be thought fit to Vote in the name of the Kirk We have no Grievance more universal more ordinary and more pressing than that worthy men who have Testimonies of their Learning from Vniversities and are tried by the Presbyteries to be qualified for the Work of the Ministery and for their Life and Gifts earnestly desired by the whole People are notwithstanding rejected because tâ—ey cannot be perswaded to Subscribe and Swear such unlawful Articles and Oaths as have neither warrant of the Acts of the Kirk nor Laws of the Kingdom and others of less worth and ready to Swear for base respects unworthy to be mentioned are obtruded upon the People and admitted to the most eminent Places of the Kirk and Schools of Divinity which causes continual Complaints makes the People run from their own Kirks refuse to receive the Sacrament at the hands of the Ministers set over them against their hearts or to render them that Honour which is due from the People to their Pastors and is a mighty hindrance to the Gospel to the Souls of the People and to the Peace of the whole Kirk and Kingdom all which might be easily helped by giving place to the 114 Act of Parliament 1592. declaring That God hath given to the Spiritual Office-bearers of the Kirk Collation and Deprivation of Ministers and ordaining that all Presentations to Benefices be directed to particular Presbyteries in all time coming with full power to give Collation thereupon they being the lawful Office-bearers of the Kirk to whom God hath giâ—en that right which therefore never was nor can be taken from them and so conferred upon others at that they shall be quite secluded therefrom The lawful and free National Assemblies of this Kirk warranted by Divine Authority ratified by Acts of Parliament keeped in other Reformed Kirks and in this Kirk since the Reformation and acknowledged by King James to be the most necessary means for preservation of Piety and Vnion and for extermination of Heresie and Schism who willed therefore that the Act of Parliament for convening the General Assemblies once in the year should stand
for the curbing of disobedient and stubborn People Our Will therefore is and we charge you c. C. R. And by another Paper His Majesty left it to the Marquis his choice whether of the two he should make use of as he found it might tend to His Service but withall if he made use of the second and it gave no satisfaction so that within 6 Weeks most of the Bonds were not delivered up upon his desiring them to doe so then he should publish another Proclamation Declaring the Covenanters Traitors if within 5 days they came not to accept of Mercy and deliver up the Bonds if they were in their power And so a third Declaration penned by the Chancellour was laid aside onely it is extant marked by the Kings Hand on the back and therefore shall be set down here WHereas we were in hope by Our late Proclamations to have given satisfaction to Our People and to have removed their Mistakings of the Book of Common-prayer which We caused to be published having thereby declared that it never entred into Our thoughts to make any Innovation in Religion and Form of Gods Worship nay not to press the said Books upon any of Our Subjects till by a fair way they were induced to approve the same yet having understood that to the contrary by what means We know not occasions have been taken to confirm them in their former Mistakings and to bind them by the Oaths and Subscriptions against the Laws established by Our dear Father of blessed memory and ratified by Our Selves since Our coming to the Crown howsoever there is in that more than just cause offered to take punishment of such an open Contempt and Rebellion yet considering that this is not the fault of the simple sort and multitude of People who have been seduced through specious pretexts as if nothing were contained in the said Bond or Covenant as they call it but the promoting of Gods Glory the maintaining of Our Honour and Liberty of the Country with the preserving of Vnity among themselves We no way willing to use Our People with rigour or to enquire severely into their errors of that kind have thought meet to renew Our former Declaration by assuring them and every one of them that Our constant Resolution is and hath been to maintain the true Religion professed and established by the Laws of that Our Kingdom without any Change or Innovation at the hazard of Our Life and Crown and that We will not force on Our Subjects either the said Book of Common-prayer or Book of Canons till the same be duly examined and they in their Iudgments satisfied with the legality thereof nor will We permit the exercise of any Commission upon them for whatsoever cause which may give unto them any just cause of Grief and Complaint Willing therefore and requiring all Our People and Subjects to acquiesce to this Our Declaration and not suffer themselves to be misled by the private or publick Informations of turbulent spirits as if We did intend any thing contrary to this Our Profession having always esteemed it a special point of Royal Dignity to profess what We intend to doe and to perform what We do promise certifying all Our good Subjects who shall hereupon rest quiet in the obedience of God and Vs that We will faithfully perform whatsoever We have declared whether in this or in Our former Proclamations made to that purpose and be unto them a good and merciful King as on the other side if any shall hereafter make business and disturb the Peace of that Church and Kingdom by following their private Covenants and refusing to be ruled by the Laws established that We will use the Force and Power which God hath put into Our hands for compescing and subduing such mutinous and disobedient Rebels Given at Our Palace of This is marked by the Kings Hand Declaration made by the Chancellour Thus that wise Prelat foresaw well how it would be easier to effectuate all that had been designed than to get that alone of disclaiming the Covenant brought about and therefore left that out in his draught of the Declaration But the King was peremptory saying That as long as that Covenant was not passed from He had no more Power than the Duke of Venice For the Commissioners Instructions the Chancellour gave his Advice in writing which was very closely followed After that many particular Questions were given in by the Marquis in writing for Orders how to carry himself whatever might meet him in his Negotiation to which he got positive Answers in writing from the King which are extant and though the Material points in that Paper be to be found in the Instructions yet this seems too considerable to be suppressed and therefore it is set down in the very Form wherein it is in the Original the Queries being written by the Marquis and the Answers over against them by the King QUERIES whereunto Your MAJESTIES Direction and Resolution is humbly prayed that accordingly I may govern my self and be warranted for my Proceedings 1. IF before the publishing of the Declaration some of the chiefest of the Petitioners may not be prepared and laboured to conceive aright of the same and in general acquainted with Your Majesties gracious Intentions They may 2. Where the first meeting of the Council shall be Where you shall find most convenient the City of Edinburgh only excepted 3. If Your Majesty will not permit the Council to sit where and in such places as is conceived may tend most for the advancement of Your Service Yes 4. If the Declaration shall not be read to the Council and they required to sign the same By all means 5. If we shall not all swear to give our best assistance for the putting the same in due execution Yes 6. If any Councellour refuse to doe it what course shall be taken with him Dismiss him the Council 7. If Acts of Council are not to be made finding that this Declaration ought to free us of the fears of Innovations either of Religion or Laws Yes 8. If all Councellours are not to be warned to give their attendance till the business be settled Yes 9. If upon the publication of this Declaration there be Protestations made what course shall be taken The Protesters must be proclaimed Rebels 10. If no Protestations but Petitions of new be presented either demanding further satisfaction or adhering to their former what Answer shall be made or what course taken Vt supra 11. If they remain still in a Body at Edinburgh or elsewhere after the Declaration what course shall be taken You must raise what Force you may to treat them as Rebels 12. If they should petition against the High Commission itself as not to be introduced without an Act of Parliament what Answer shall be given That they muâ—t be content with My Declaration in that point 13. If against the matter contained therein it is then desired that those particulars may
not well but God forgive them with misconceits of His Intentions concerning the Religion professed in this Church and Kingdom But to rectifie all such Misconceptions of His Subjects His Majesties desire is that before this Assembly proceed to any thing else His Subjects may receive ample and clear satisfaction in these Points wherein His Majesties gracious Intentions have been misdoubted or glanced at by the malevolent Aspects of such as are afraid that His Majesties good Subjects should see His clear mind through any other Glasses or Spectacles than those they have tempered and fitted for them Those sinistrous Aspersions dispersed by surmizes have been especially two first as if there had been in His Majesty if not some Intention yet at least some inclination to give way if not to Alterations yet to some Innovations in the Religion professed in and established by the Laws of this Church and Kingdom I am confident that no man can harbour or retain any such thought in his breast any more when His Majesty hath commanded that Confession of Faith which you call the Negative to be subscribed by all His Subjects whatsoever and hath been Graciously pleased to put the Execution of this His Royal Command in your own hands The next false and indeed foul and devilish Surmize wherewith His good Subjects have been mis-led is that nothing promised in His Majesties last most Gracious Proclamation though most ungraciously received was ever intended to be performed nay not the Assembly it self but that only Time was to be gained till His Majesty by Arms might oppress this His Own Native Kingdom than which Report Hell it self could not have raised a blacker and falser For that part which concerneth the Report of the Intention of not holding the Assembly this Day and Place as was first promised and proclaimed thanks be to God confuteth that Calumny abundantly for the other of making good what His Majesty did promise in His last Gracious Proclamation His Majesty hath commanded me thus to express His Heart to all His good Subjects He hath seriously considered all the Grievances of His Subjects which have been presented to Him by all and several of their Petitions Remonstrances and Supplications exhibited unto Himself His Commissioner and Lords of His Secret Council and hath graciously granted them all and as He hath already granted as far as could be by Proclamation so he doth now desire that His Subjects may be assured of them by Acts of this General Assembly and afterwards by Acts of Parliament respectivé And therefore he not onely desires but commands that all the Particulars he hath promised be first gone in hand with in this Assembly and enacted and then afterwards what His Subjects shall desire being found reasonable may be next thought upon that so it may be known to God and the whole World and particularly to all His good Subjects how careful His Majesty is to discharge himself of all His Gracious Promises made to them hoping that when you shall see how Royally Graciously and Faithfully His Majesty hath dealt with you and all His Subjects you will likewise correspond in loyal and dutiful Obedience in chearful but calm and peaceable Proceeding in all other business to be treated of in this Assembly and because there shall be no mistake I shall now repeat the Particulars that you may see they are the same which were promised by His Majesties first Proclamation To this I shall adde the Paper of His Majesties Concessions taken from the Original wherein His Majesty had interlined and dashed out some things with his own Pen. CHARLES R. THe Kings Majesty being informed The Kings Oâ—fers to the Assembly that many of His good Subjects have apprehended that by the introduction of the service-Service-book and Book of Canons the in-bringing of Popery and Superstition hath been intended is Graciously pleased to discharge the said Books and to annul all Acts made for establishing thereof and for His good People their further satisfaction is Graciously pleased to declare by me that no other in that kind shall hereafter be introduced but in a fair and legal way of Assembly allowed by Act of Parliament and the Laws of this Kingdom The Kings Majesty as he conceived for the ease and benefit of the Subjects established the High Commission that thereby Iustice might be administred and the Faults and Errours of such persons as are made liable thereto taken order with and punished with the more convenience and less trouble to the People but finding His Gracious Intentions to be herein mistaken hath been pleased likeas he is Graciously content that the same be discharged with all Acts and Deeds made for the establishing thereof and is pleased to declare by me That that Court or Iudicatory nor no other of that nature shall be brought in hereafter but in that way allowed by the Laws of this Kingdom And the Kings Majesty being informed that the urging of the five Articles of Perth's Assembly hath bred Distraction in the Church and State hath been Graciously pleased to take the same into His consideration and for the quiet and peace of Church and State doth not onely dispense with the practice of the said Articles but also discharges and by these hath discharged all and whatsoever Persons from urging the practice thereof upon either Laick or Ecclesiastick person whatsoever and doth hereby free all His Subjects from all Censure and Pain whether Ecclesiastical or Secular for not urging practising or obeying them or any of them notwithstanding any thing contained in the Acts of Parliament or General Assembly to the contrary And because it is pretended that Oaths have been administred to Ministers at their entry contrary and differing from that which is set down in the Acts of Parliament His Majesty is pleased to declare and ordain that no other Oath shall be required of any Minister at his entry than that which is expresly set down in the Acts of Parliament and this He is content be considered of in the Assembly to be represented to the Estates of Parliament and enacted as they shall find expedient And that it may appear how careful His Majesty is that no Corruption or Innovation shall creep into this Church neither any scandal vice or fault of any person whatsoever censurable or punishable by the Assembly go unpunished it is His Majesties Pleasure likeas by these His Majesty does assure all His good People that hereafter General Assemblies shall be kept as oft as the Affairs of this Kirk shall require and to this purpose because it is probable that some things necessary for the present Estate and Good of this Church may be left unperfected at this present Assembly We do by these indict another Assembly to be holden at And that none of Our Subjects may have cause of Grievance against the Procedure of Prelats Our Pleasure is that all and every one of the present Bishops and their Successours shall be answerable and accordingly from time to
time censurable according to their Merits by the Assembly which His Majesty is likewise pleased be enacted in this present Assembly and thereafter ratified in Parliament And to give all His Majesties good People good assurance that he never intended to admit any Alteration or Change in the true Religion professed within this Kingdom and that they may be truly and fully satisfied of the Reality of His Intentions towards the maintainance of the Truth and Integrity of the same His Majesty hath been pleased to require and command all His good Subjects to subscribe the Confession of Faith subscribed by His dear Father in Anno 1580. and for thaâ— effect hath ordained the Lords of His Privy Council to take some speedy course whereby the same may be done thorough the whole Kingdom which His Majesty requires likewise all those of this present Assembly to sign and all others His Subjects who have not done it already and it is His Majesties Will that this be inserted and registred in the Books of this Assembly as a Testimony to Posterity not onely of the sincerity of His Intentions to the said true Religion but also of His Resolution to maintain and defend the same and His Subjects in the professing thereof C. R. The Marquis consults the Bishops how to proceed The Marquis sent a Gentleman to ask the advice of the Bishops then in the Castle of Glasgow about the particular way of his Procedure in the Assembly from whom he had the following Letter My Lord may it please your Grace THis Worthy Gentleman hath desired my Iudgment concerning three things who write to him first concerning the production of a Letter from His Majesty to the Assembly directed to the Archbishops Bishops and Ministers whether or not this can be produced and any Note made upon it before there be a Moderator condescended upon My humble Opinion is which I humbly submit to your Graces better Iudgment that the Letter be presented given by your Grace to the Clerk and read by him Here it is most like your Grace will be pressed that the Letter is directed to an Assembly that cannot be without a Moderator and yet on purpose to get a Moderator by Election and an Assembly established to which in my Iudgment it may be replied that it may be that the Kings Letter containeth something to that purpose which therefore is to be read and noted by the Clerk as produced onely The second is concerning the Examination of the Commissions and Commissioners My Lord it is certain that both are most illegal and there is more than sufficient ground from this one if there were no more to void this Assembly and make it null But how to begin at this I see not so well for if the Commissions and Commissioners be rejected then how shall the Kings Real and Royal Intentions be manifest to the Subjects which is most necessary that the Factious may not have advantage to possess good and loyal Subjects that His Majesty is onely deluding them for other ends On the other part if your Grace approve the Commissions and Commissioners how far King and Church shall suffer your Grace is wiser to conceive than I am able to express The third is concerning the Declinator when it shall be proposed or presented to your Grace My Lords of Glasgow and Brechin are fully of that mind that at the very first it is to be used before the Assembly be established their Reasons seem very pregnant first because all Declinators are used so next if the Assembly be once established how can it be declined or your Grace admit our Declinator or Protestation My Lord seeing two things are mainly to be look'd to the one that His Majesties Pious Intentions be made known to this present Meeting the other that the Church suffer no prejudice my humble Opinion is that first the Kings Letter as I have said be read and marked Produced next immediately after our Declinator produced and presented to your Grace read in audience of all Instruments taken in the Clerk-Registers hands and it marked by the Clerk Produced Then your Grace may by your own Wisdom conceive a brief Speech excusing your self that you are not so well acquainted with the Formalities and Legalities of Church-meetings yet that seeing in such Distractions and Combustions all things cannot be done in that orderly way is requisite and that your Grace does know how that with a most earnest and Fatherly Care His Majesty endeavours the binding up of this Breach and the restoring of Church and State to Quiet and Peace and that your Grace for that Duty you owe to your Master and Love you have to your Native Country will leave nothing undone that is in your power and incumbent to a faithful Servant and kind Patriot and therefore will adventure to chuse rather to erre in formal Errours than to leave so material and necessary a Work at such an exigent of time and so seeing there is no Archbishop nor Bishop present your Grace by connivence will permit them for how your Grace can allow it I see not to chuse a Moderator and will not fall upon that shelve or rock of Examination of Commissions or Commissioners being confident that if matters go on in a moderate way what shall be agreed upon shall be liked by all even those that are taken to be their Party and what is amiss in Formality and Legality if no errour be in the matter of the Conclusions may most easily and speedily be helped After the Moderator is condescended upon the first thing your Grace would urge is the Registrating the Kings Letter in the Books of the Assembly then the Registrating of our Declinator After this your Grace will be careful that nothing be proposed till what is in His Majesties Declaration be enacted and if this being done they fall upon any extravagancy your Grace then may by advice of the Council declare that seeing they will not hold Moderation your Grace and the Council must examine their Commissions and Commissioners to which before you gave connivence and discuss the relevancy of our Declinator This Course keeped in my poor Iudgement will fully manifest to all His Majesties pious Intentions evidence your Graces sincere affection to Religion and the Kingdom preserve our Right make them unexcusable let the People see how unreasonable and immoderate they are and give to your Grace a fair way and ground to discontinue and discharge the Meeting under pain of Treason This my weak and poor opinion I have made bold to declare to your Grace not out of any confidence in my self but necessitated because of that Obedience I owe your Grace and true affection to the Peace of Church and State which with my self and all my endeavours I humbly prostrate to you and submit to your Graces better Iudgement I humbly beg of your Grace to let me know by this Gentleman what shall be done with our Declinator and let him come and
you are to warn and assist Ruthwen for the defence of the Castle of Edinburgh and to take in general the like care of all Our Houses and Forts in that Kingdom and likewise to advertise all such who are affected to Our Service that timously they may secure themselves And so We bid you heartily farewell The greatest Point gained in the Assembly was an Explication of the Bond of Defence which was conceived in these Words WE do swear not onely our mutual concurrence and assistance for the cause of Religion and to the uttermost of our power The Explication of the Covenant with our Means and Lives to stand to the Defence of our Dread Soveraign and His Authority in the preservation and defence of the said true Religion Liberties and Laws of this Kirk and Kingdom but also in every cause which may concern His Majesties Honour we shall according to the Laws of this Kingdom and Duties of good Subjects concur with our Friends and Followers in quiet manner or in Arms as we shall be required of His Majesties Council or any having His Authority The Clause about Episcopacy was worded That it was unlawful in this Church Episcopacy abjured in Scotland Upon this the Covenant was presented to the Commissioner and Council on the 30th of August with a desire that it might be signed and it was accordingly done which was received with great Joy witnessed by Bonfires and ringing of Bells and all the Pulpits and Streets were full of Traquair's Praises But His Majesty was no way satisfied with this as appears from the following Letter CHARLES R. Right Trusty c. The King displeased with Traquair YOur Letter of September the 27th to Hamilton We have seen and think fit to return Answer thereunto Our Self and the rather because We find by yours that some Points in the former Letter were not so fully expressed but that you desire more clear Answers First you say that in all your Directions it is condescended that by Act of Assembly Episcopacy should be declared unlawful in this Kirk and that by all the Capitulations of Agreement and Instructions given to you that same is allowed to be ratified in Parliament upon the foresaid terms agreed upon in the Assembly In this Point We must tell you that you are much mistaken for though you have Power for giving way to the Abolition of Episcopacy as contrary to the Constitutions of the Church of Scotland yet you will not find either in your Instructions or any other Direction since sent you that We have consented to declare the same Unlawful We making a great difference therein for many things may be contrary to the Constitutions of a Church which of thâ—mselves are not simply unlawful for whatsoever is absolutely unlawful in one Church cannot be lawful in the other of the same Profession of Religion but there may be many several Constitutions and yet they all lawful Therefore if I do acknowledge or consent That Episcopacy is unlawful in the Church of Scotland though as you have set it down in your consenting to the Act the word Unlawful may seem onely to have a relation to the Constitutions of that Kirk yet the Construction thereof doth run so doubtfully that it may be probably inferred That the same Function is acknowledged by Vs to be unlawful in any other Churches in Our Dominions Therefore as we totally disapprove of your consenting to the word Unlawful as well to the Function as Civil Places and Power of Church-men in the Act of the General Assembly so We absolutely command you not to ratifie the same in these terms in the Parliament but onely as contrary to the Constitutions of that Kirk and to declare that We ratifie this Act meerly for the Peace of the Land though otherwise in Our Own Iudgment We neither hold it convenient nor fitting which you are to declare at the Ratifying of the same And for the rest of your Declaration in the Assembly to be registred in the Books of Council for brevities sake We send you herewith a Copy of the same as likewise that of the Covenant interlined in those places which We disapprove of and conceive to be the contrary to your Instructions and some other Directions As We have formerly written to you We cannot consent to the rescinding any Acts of Parliament made in favour of Episcopacy nor do We conceive that Our refusal to abolish those Acts is contradictory to what We have consented to or to that we was obliged to there is less danger in discovering any future Intentions of Ours or at the best letting them guess at the same than if We should permit the rescinding those Acts of Parliament which Our Father with so much expence of Time and Industry established and which may hereafter be of so great use to Vs. And though it should perhaps cast all loose as you express yet We take God to witness We have permitted them to doe many things in this Assembly for establishing of Peace contrary to Our Own Iudgment And if on this point a Rupture happen We cannot help it the fault is on their own part which one day they may smart for So you have in this Point Our full Resolution We likewise wrote formerly to you that We thought it not fit at this time that the Power of the Lords of the Articles should be defined and that you are to avoid the same and to be sure not to consent thereunto Now your last Letter gives Vs ground to repeat the same again and to declare to you that We remain in Our former Opinion And whereas you say that it is to no purpose to vex Vs with all the indiscreet and mad Propositions that are made since they go about not onely to reform all pretended Abuses of what nature soever but to constitute and define the Power of all Iudicatories from the highest to the lowest and that you are like to agree in few or none of the General Acts If you find that what We have commanded you to doe is likely to cause a Rupture their impertinent Motions give you a fair occasion to make it appear to the World that We have condescended to all matters which can be pretended to concern Conscience and Religion and that now they aim at nothing but the Overthrow of Royal Authority contrary to all their Professions which We can neither with Honour nor Safety suffer And therefore We hope and expect that if a Rupture happen you will make this appear to be the cause thereof and not Religion which you know not onely to be true but must see it will be of great advantage to Vs and therefore must be seriously intended by you We have no Directions of new to give you concerning the Marquis of Huntley Sir Donald Mack-donald or any others to whom Malice is carried for their Zeal for Our Service but again recommend them to your care What hath past betwixt your self and the Earl of Argyle We
them and possibly by their desperate Resolutions of their Engaging them in a bloody and unnatural War Those Injuries to Vs and Oppreâ—sions upon them We expect you whom We have with Advice of Our Parliament entrusted with managing the greatest Affairs of that Our Kingdom will particularly resent and therefore We have thought fit to require you immediately after the receipt hereof to publish in Our Name a Proclamation to all Our loving Subjects of that Our Native Kingdom prohibiting them under all highest pains to give Obedience to any Act or Ordinance of that pretended Convention or of any Committee pretending a Power or Authority from them but to oppose by Armes or otherways all such Persons as shall endeavour to put in execution any Acts of theirs but such as We expressed in Our Letter We mentioned of the tenth of June which was so much slighted as it was refused to be Recorded for the Raising of Forces or Recalling Our Scotish Army in Ireland or any part thereof without Our Knowledge and Consent and We do likewise require that no Taxes imposed upon Our Subjects by that pretended Authority be paid assuring all Our Loving Subjects of Our Protection in the Obedience of these Our Commands for which these shall be your Warrant which We require you to Record Given at Our Court at Oxford the 26th of September in the 19th Year of Our Reign 1643. With these His Majesty wrote to my Lord Lanerick CHARLES R. RIght Trusty and Right well-beloved Cousin and Councellour The Kings Letter to Lanerick We Greet you well We have sent to Our Privy-Council of Scotland Our Letters of Direction what they shall do now that the General Meeting there hath proceeded to such strange and undutiful Resolutions beyond the Matter We prefixed them to treat upon by Our former Letter Of those Our Letters We have sent you an exact Copy and particular Directions to your self what you shall do in order thereunto when you shall think fit for Our Service to make use of the same But We leave it now to your Discretion and the Iudgment of the rest whom We have entrusted with the Affairs of that Our Kingdom to deliver these Our Letters to Our said Privy-Council at that time and no sooner than you shall conceive to be most conducible to Our Service and the Good of that Kingdom for if you shall find that no Obedience is likely to be given to those Our Commands you are to consider how far you who are Our faithful Servants there will be able to withstand those Insolences which of necessity must follow upon such Disobedience and what the Consequence will be to anger before We be able to punish such Offenders But Our Will is that you forthwith publish the other anent the Proclamation Precept or Warrant falsly published in Our Name and We further require you to do whatsoever else you with the rest whom We have trusted with the Affairs of that Our Kingdom shall conceive most to conduce to Our Service as you will answer to Vs at your peril and for so doing this shall be a sufficient Warrant to you and those others entrusted by Vs as aforesaid Given at Our Court at Oxford 26th of September 1643. The Lords whom His Majesty trusted judged it not fitting to present the Letter written to the Council and suppressed it But His Majesty wrote another Letter to the Council about the Proclamation which was issued forth in his Name by the Convention of Estates which follows CHARLES R. The Kings Letter about the Proclamation to the Council RIght Trusty and Right well-beloved Cousin and Councellours and Trusty and well-beloved Councellours We greet you well Whereas We were graciously pleased to condescend that this present Meeting in Our Kingdom of Scotland of Our Nobility there and the Commissioners for Shires and Burroughs should resolve and conclude of such particular Affairs as We specified and allowed to them for the Security and Good of that Our Kingdom in Our late Letters to them dated the 10th of June last and for as much as we have to Our great amazement newly seen a Paper in form of a Proclamation Precept or Warrant in Our Royal Name dated at Edinburgh the 18th of August subscribed Per Actum Dominorum Conventionis Arch. Primrose Cler. Conven Being a Paper most impudently set forth without Our Privity or any Authority from Vs and tending to cast Our beloved People of that Our Native Kingdom into the like and more bloody Combustions and Rebellions Violation of their Religion and Allegeance to Vs and Laws of that Our hitherto peaceful Native Kingdom as hath been here practised by the malicious enemies of Peace and Government We have therefore upon good Deliberation and out of Our Princely and Gracious Care of Our People and of the Tranquility of that Our Native Kingdom as it was so lately and well setled by Our Self thought fit to Declare and we do hereby Declare unto you that We utterly dislike and disallow it forbidding all Our Subjects to obey the same and all other Papers published in Our Name which shall not immediately be warranted by Vs and We do hereby will and command you forthwith openly to publish these Our Letters to let all Our People understand Our Pleasure herein And lastly Our Pleasure and Command is that you cause these Our Letters to be forthwith recorded in the Books of Our Privy Council of that Our Native Kingdom for all which these Our said Letters shall be your sufficient Warrants Given at our Court at Oxford the 26th day of September in the 19th Year of Our Reign 1643. He wrote also to the same purpose to the Earl of Lanerick CHARLES R. His Majesties Letter to Lanerick to the same purpose RIght Trusty and Right well-beloved Cousins and Councellour We Greet you well Whereas We have thought fit for the Good of Our Service and Safety of Our People to require Our Council to publish a Proclamation in Our Name to all Our loving Subjects in Scotland discharging them to give Obedience to any Act or Ordinance of the Pretended Convention of the Estates at Edinburgh the 22d of June or of any Commitee pretending Authority from them but to oppose with Arms or otherways all such Persons as shall endeavour to put in execution any Act of theirs but if Our Privy Council shall not give present Obedience to Our Commands and publish this Our Pleasure these are to require you to take what Course you shall think most fit to make this Known to all Our loving Subjects either by giving Warrant in Our Name to Print Our Letter to Our Council or by sending attested Copies thereof to all the Nobility Sheriffs of Counties and Majors of Towns within Our Kingdom of Scotland a Duplicate whereof you will herewith receive under Our Own Royal Hand and We further require you to do whatsoever else you with the rest whom We have trusted with the Affairs of that Our Kingdom shall conceive
been conceived of more use to Your Majesties Service Your condition is so variously represented here that Your faithfullest Servants know not how to carry themselves therefore the intimation of Your Majesties Own Pleasure would be of great use No sooner shall the temper of People here which for the present is strangely inflamed be any thing allayed than one or both of us You commanded shall attend You according to the Duty of Your Majesties most humble most faithful most obedient Subject and Servant LANERICK His Majesty upon that wrote what follows Lanerick The Kings account of the usage he had in the Army IT is impossible for Me at present to give a Categorical Answer to your I confess necessary Question all I can say is that I am now at much more Freedom than I was at Holmby for My Friends have free access to Me My Chaplains wait upon Me according to their Vocation and I have free Intelligence with My Wife and any Body else whom I please all which was flatly denied me before besides the Professions are much more frank and satisfactory to what I desire of this Army than ever was offered by the Presbyterians And truly if these People rightly understood their own Condition and Interests they must do what they profess which is that King Parliament and People may each have respectively what is their own and yet it must be their Actions not Words alone which shall make Me put Confidence in them Hitherto they have made Me no particular Offers though daily pressed by Me but assoon as I can clearly see through their Intentions one way or other I will not fail to advertise you with My Commands thereupon In the mean time having truly though shortly set you down the true estate of My present Condition I leave you to judge and do what you shall find best for My Service So I rest Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. Casam 12th July 1647. POSTSCRIPT I have intrusted this trusty Bearer with several Particulars which I thought too long for a Letter And the day after that he wrote again Lanerick THis is first to recommend this honest Bearer to your Care to further him in passing of those small Favours I have bestowed upon him next that you would do your best for the relief of those Gordons who were lately taken both which as to you were needless but that I know it is fit for Me at all occasions to express the Care I have of those that wish Me well So farewell Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. Casam 13th July 1647. POSTSCRIPT Send me word if you have yet remembred your Promise to Me concerning the late Archbishop of St. Andrews his Book To which my Lord Lanerick wrote this Answer May it please Your Majesty YOurs of the 12th I received yesterday Lanerick's Answer We are joyed for what you write of the Civilities you met with but are full of doubts and fears of their Continuance especially since we are informed that notwithstanding all Publick Professions strange Demands are preparing to be offered to Your Majesty I ever hated thralling of Consciences yet I shall be sorry there were no other price of Spiritual Freedom than Your Majesties loss of all Temporal Power This Kingdom will be easily induced to venture their Lives for the last but none will hazard the first since they will not declare for Your Majesty but clogged with the Covenant It was thought fit to delay all Resolutions untill the 5th of August next expecting against that time either from the nature of the Demands we hear are now to be made to Your Majesty or from the carriage of the Army to Your Sacred Person grounds will be given either to rest satisfied or to resent it as becomes Loyal Subjects It is wished Your Majesties true Condition and positive Pleasure may be made known from Your Self if possible against that time when certainly the sense both of this Church seeing the General Assembly will be then sitting and State upon the present Differences in England as they have relation to or can have influence upon Scotland will be made known It is wished Your Majesties Prudence may prevent further Prejudice by going at first the full length You intend in granting what Conditions shall be demanded or if You find them absolutely destructive to You to put Your Self in that Condition that our Persons and Lives may be of use to Your Majesty which shall be the constant care of Your Majesties most faithful most loyal most obedient Subject and Servant LANERICK Edinburgh 21th July 1647. POSTSCRIPT I have not as yet been able to put Your Commands in execution concerning the Bishop of St. Andrew's Book in regard the Copy I have is both uncorrect and wanting in many essential things but I have already taken a Course to have that supplyed from a true Copy of the Original now in the possession of our Commissioners at London His Majesties Answer follows Lanerick YOurs of the 21th Instant I received yesterday having before resolved to have written to you though I had received none from you to shew you from time to time what My Condition is And yet for easing My pains I have thought fit to refer you to the Bearer John Chisley to tell you the true State of Affairs with My Opinion thereupon to whom I have largely and fully spoken My Mind wherefore I will only say this one word that whatsoever you resolve on you must not think to mention as to England either Covenant or Presbyterial Government for it will ruin you and do Me no good experience of which was clearly seen at Newcastle So desiring you to trust this Bearer I rest Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. Wooburn 27th July 1647. The Army forces the Parliament The Army drew nearer London declaring they came to restore the King and to reform the Parliament This was Popular and took with many wherefore the Parliament to undeceive both King and People Voted His Majesties coming to Richmond for a Personal Treaty and that the Army should not come within thirty miles of London But the Army refused obedience and carried the King with them and sent threatning Messages for Recalling of those Votes and they designed next to model the Two Houses whereupon a frivolous general Charge was drawn against 11 of the most considerable Members who withstood their Designs and they pressed their Suspension from the House But it was Voted in Parliament to be against Law to suspend any Member upon a general Charge without bringing in and proving special matter And the Two Houses did choose a Committee of Safety to Treat with the City of London for Raising a new Militia for their own Security and some of the Trained Bands were drawn together under Presbyterian Officers Upon this the Army came to London forced the Houses to recall their Votes and disband their Forces and drove away the eleven Members And thus having
Lanerick Cousin YOu will perceive by this that you cannot make more haste in obliging Me A Letter from the Queen to Lanerick than I shall on My part in witnessing My Acknowledgements of it I ascribe a great deal of the good Inclinations your Commissioners do now express to the good Offices you do of which I intreat the Continuance The testimonies of Friendship which I receive from those of your Family surprize Me less than what I met with from other Hands and I promise My Self to see further effects of it And as I have all the esteem of you that you can expect so you owe Me the Iustice of believing that I shall give evidence of it upon every occasion that shall be offered to Me nor shall I rest satisfied with that but shall diligently search out every opportunity of expressing it Therefore I entreat you to believe that I am Cousin Your very good and very affectionate Friend and Cousin HENRIETA MARIA R. Towards the end of December the Earls of Lowdon Lauderdale and Lanerick The Scotish Commissioners go to His Majesty followed the English Commissioners to the Isle of Wight and after they had protested against the Bills they concluded their Treaty with His Majesty to engage for his Rescue and Re-establishment on his Throne and to bring in an Army into England assoon as it were possible for that effect An Agreement with the King to bring an Army for His Service The King on the other hand engaged to them for all the Assistance they could demand from the Queen or Prince or any other who would obey His Authority and that the Prince should come to Scotland assoon as they found it convenient to invite him and that His Majesty should grant all the Desires of Scotland which with a good Conscience he could grant And the Commissioners having advised and agreed with His Majesty both about the Methods of carrying on their Designs and the ways of keeping Correspondence with him they resolved to return home to Scotland and so they left His Majesty at Wight in the end of the Year But upon the Kings refusing to pass the Bills he was made close Prisoner and a Vote passed in both Houses against all further Addresses to him MEMOIRES OF THE LIFE and ACTIONS OF James Duke of Hamilton c. LIB VI. Of the Dukes Engagement for the Kings Preservation and what followed till His Death Anno 1648. An. 1648. THe former Book has given the Reader a just and full Representation of His Majesties Imprisonment and the Danger his Person was in of the Force put on the Two Houses by the Army and of the breach of former Treaties with the Scotish Nation and now it cannot but be imagined that such Illegal and Unjust Proceedings must have inflamed the Resentments of all good Subjects and more signally of such who had formerly been carried away in the crowd to act against the Kings Interests but now seeing how fatal the Breach between the King and his People was likely to prove to both were much concerned to correct all former Errours and expiate all past Faults by a vigorous appearance for the Kings Rescue out of his Imprisonment In order to this Design the Duke was not idle in Scotland The Dukes endeavours in Scotland but by all the Art and Diligence he was Master of did study to rouse up and work upon the Fidelity and Loyalty of that Nation representing that now an Occasion was in their Hands to witness to the World the sincerity of their Intentions for their King when he was under so base a Restraint and Designs were hatching against his Life Would they now look on and see the King murdered the Parliament of England over-awed the City of London oppressed the whole English Nation enslaved the Treaties with Scotland so unworthily violated the Covenant and Religion so neglected and swarms of Sectaries over-run all Now or never was the time for declaring themselves and if Duty did not move them yet the apprehension of their own Danger might provoke them to look to themselves for did they think to escape the fury of the Sectaries if they were so tame as to suffer them to prevail in England therefore all Laws Divine and Humane did oblige them to look to themselves and to those Enemies of theirs And there was good reason to hope for success since besides the Blessing of God which might be expected upon so just and Noble Enterprizes the People of England were groaning under this Usurpation and would be ready to assist them and they had reason to expect a welcome from the City of London and the better part of the Two Houses These things did prevail much on the most of the Nobility and Gentry Three Parties in Scotland But at this time Three Parties begun to appear in Scotland The one was of those who would hear of no Proposition for the Kings Delivery unless he first gave satisfaction in matters of Religion and this was made up of the Preachers and a few of the Nobility and the Western Counties Others were for a direct Owning of the Kings Quarrel without any restrictions and for taking all Persons who had been in Arms for the Kings Service within it The Earls of Traquair and Calendar were the chief of these and many Noblemen were of it who called themselves the Kings Party but their Power in the Country was not great The Duke was as much for that in his thoughts as any of them but saw it impossible to effectuate the Kings business at that rate and therefore judged it best to go on in so great a Design by degrees The present Strait was that he first looked to which was the Rescue of the Kings Person and he doubted not if they once got a good Army engaged upon that account though all were at first clogged with many severe Restrictions yet it would be easy afterwards to carry things that were not to be then spoken of and this way took with almost the whole Gentry of Scotland The Scotish Commissioners spent much of the month of Ianuary at London The Commissioners return to Scotland establishing a good Correspondence with the Kings Friends in England and they had Letters from St. Germans in France in which the Queen and Prince undertook to make good to them all that had been promised by the King in their Name And in the Commissions the Prince gave to Sir Marmaduke Langdale and others for Levying of Forces in the North of England he commanded them to receive their Orders from the Earls of Lauderdale and Lanerick and follow their Commands Thus having laid down the best Methods they could think of with their Friends in England they set out for Scotland about the end of Ianuary At their coming to Scotland they found a general dissatisfaction with the Kings Message in November about Religion And though all the Duke's Friends were ready to have hazarded their Lives for His
urge more out of my Duty to Him than kindness to our selves The next was of the 24th of April 1648. SInce my last to you I have received yours of the 18th and 22th of the last Moneth We have made an indifferent good progress in our Parliament here for we have stated all the Breaches of Covenant and Treaties we have resolved upon some Demands to be sent to the Houses of Parliament for Religion for His Majesty and for Disbanding of the present Army of Sectaries and we have pressed a Declaration containing the Grounds of our Resolutions In order to all these we likewise Voted the present putting of this Kingdom into a posture of War and this Week we are to nominate and make choice of all the Officers of our Army The Church doth still violently oppose us and threatens us with cross Declarations if not the extremity of Church-Censures Argyle and his Party maintain them in their Obstinacy or rather they do him in his Disloyalty but neither the fear of their Curses nor want of their Prayers can fright us from our Duty so soon as we are ready to act which possibly may be sooner than you imagine The next was of the 28th of April to His Majesty MY last to you was of the 13th of this Moneth by the Conveyance of Doctor Frazer Since that time we have perfected what was then designed for we have made choice of all the Officers of our Forces wherein we have been forced to spend much time and the next Week we intend to model our Army for England which we hope shall be upon the Borders against the 21th of the next Moneth which is the time limited for the Return of our Messenger from London who this day parts from hence with the three Demands to the Houses of Parliament wherof my last made mention and with a positive Command to stay only 15 days for his Answer We intend likewise in the beginning of the next Week to dispatch Sir William Fleming to the Queen and Prince to give them an account of our Proceedings and to know his Highness's Resolution concerning his coming hither and to desire the present sending of Arms and Ammunition to us whereof we are absolutely unprovided so that if the Queen or Prince of Orange to whom we beg Your Majesty would write do not supply us it will infinitely retard the Service We have passed a Declaration which is full of many rude Restrictions both in order to Your Majesty and Your faithful Servants But we are forced to them for the satisfaction of the Nice Consciences of the Clergy and their Proselytes whom we find still so inflexible that nothing can perswade them to a Conjunction with us in the Work on the contrary we meet with all imaginable Opposition from them yet as we have carried the Declaration and all that is yet done against their strongest Endeavours so we hope in despight of them to be Instruments in accomplishing the chief end it drives at which is Your Majesties Rest and Restauration Our next will certainly bring you the Knowledg of some Acting in order to that which we dare not hazard to this Cypher lest there may be more Copies of it than what we have with Your Majesty The slowness of their Motions in Scotland begun to give great Jealousies of their Proceedings every-where Jealousies of the Scotish Proceedings At Paris the Prince was much courted to go to Ireland but he resolved rather to go to Scotland and designed to go first to Holland Yet there were some about him who studied to give him ill Impressions of all that passed in Scotland grounding them on the old Calumnies that had been cast on the Duke and on the slowness of their Procedure at that time in Scotland together with the extraordinary Cajolery they gave the Church-party all which were made use of for alienating his Highness from that Resolution But he resolved to obey the Kings Commands and sent them new Assurances of that by Sir William Fleming and to oblige the Duke the more a Book being dedicated to his Highness containing some passages much to the Dukes dishonour he refused to accept of it and ordered it to be called in While things were thus preparing in Scotland His Majesty in the Isle of Wight was contriving an Escape being resolved if it succeeded to have come to Scotland but the means failed oftener than once which being discovered made his Prison the straiter He was also courted under hand with new Propositions from the Parliament of England but refused to enter into any Treaty without the Concurrence of the Scotish Nation Yet it troubled him much to hear no more of the progress of their Designs on which all his Hopes were then set for in that disorderly time it was not easy to transmit frequent and clear accounts of all that passed At length having understood from Scotland what advance was made in that Affair he was satisfied with the Fidelity of those he had imployed there At London there went various Constructions on the Scotish Actions The Commissioners of the Two Houses that were at Edinburgh wrote up that the Church-party would undoubtedly keep the Duke and his Party in play at least that Year and that the zeal of the Ministers would make the Levies go slowly on they either believing this themselves or at least designing that others should do so At this time there was a great Inclination all over England to shake off the Armies Arbitrary Yoke Great Disorders in England Stirs were rising in every place The Duke with his other Friends in Scotland dealt earnestly with their Correspondents in England to get all kept quiet till they were ready to march that so there might be an universal Rising at once which would have undoubtedly divided the Army that was against them into so many Fractions as might make way for their easier Overthrow This Design was zealously promoted by many who saw the great advantage it might produce but many were too jealous of the Scotish Designs and so did precipitate their own Ruin Others apprehended from their Declarations that the Bondage would be the same only the Masters changed if they prevailed and this made the Kings Party resolve rather to perish than receive any help from the Scots on these terms Their slowness made others despair of their Sincerity and the reports of the Power of the Church-party made all suspect their Strength so the untimely Rising in England was the Ruin of this Years Design for they rose only to be destroyed and to animate the Army with those many Victories they obtained over them And as these Defeats did much discourage the Scotish Army so it forced them to march into England before they were ready and e're they had looked well to the Security of Affairs behind them The first Rising was by Poyer in Wales to whom Langhorn came within a little and Commanded most of the Country At Westminster as they understood the state
that he might accordingly apply himself to his business but he found things in a greater disorder than he could have imagined He finds the Country in a very ill posture Almost the whole Council did favour the Covenant and the Bishops were hated by all so that there were few or none whom he durst trust the Earls of Traquair Roxburgh and Southesk were the men he found best affected yet even their Limitations vexed him My Lord Lorn who about the end of the year by his Fathers death was Earl of Argyle seemed to go on with the Kings Service but he was suspected both by the King and the Marquis to favour the Covenant In a word those of the Council who were best set were yet overawed by the fury and threats of the other Party The Marquis of Huntley was forward in His Majesties Service but the Marquis was obliged to send him North to keep that Country which was yet peaceable in order Many Lawyers were of the Covenanters side and chiefly the Kings Advocate Sir Tho. Hope which was one of the greatest troubles the Marquis met with for he being a stranger to the Scotish Law in which the other was skilled as much as ever any was was often at a great loss for he durst advise with him in nothing and often the Kings Advocate alledged Law at the Council-Board against what he was pressing Of this he complained frequently to the King and intended to have discharged him the Council but he durst scarce adventure on it lest others should have removed with him He tried what he could doe to get some Lawyers to declare the Covenant to be against Law but that was not to be done Sir Lewis Stewart promised private assistance but said that if he appeared in publick in that matter he was ruined Sir Thomas Nicolson who was the only man fit to be set up against the Kings Advocate though he had never all his life before pretended to a nicety in these matters yet begun now to alledge Scruples of Conscience Next to this the Marquis dealt with the Covenanters who were chiefly the Earls of Rothes Cassils Montrose Lowdon Lothian my Lords of Lindsay Yester Balmerino and Cranston these were the chief Contrivers and Actors though they had many followers and abettors of all Qualities With these he dealt by all means possible but neither could Reason convince them nor Assurance satisfie them nor Promises or Cajolery prevail with them nor Threats overrule them He quickly saw that nothing could be obtained from the Covenanters by way of Treaty and therefore before he left Berwick He puts the King on his guard to look for mischief from the Covenanters he advertised the King to prepare himself for teaching them their Duty by Authority since milder ways were like to prove ineffectual He also found the Country very destitute of Arms and that the Covenanters were beginning to give order for furnishing themselves from several places of which he also advertised the King desiring him to send in all haste Expresses to his Agents in Holland Hamburgh Denmark Sweden and Poland to stop any Arms might be bought up by Scotish men At first when the Marquis came to Dalkeith who fortifie themselves and are insolent he heard that 1500 men were set to guard the Ports of Edinburgh and that they of the Tables had taken the Keys of the City from the Magistrates and had some thoughts of securing the Castle of Edinburgh which had been easily done if attempted there being neither Arms nor Ammunition within it But the wiser of them thought it fitter onely to set Guards about it by which it was rendred useless rather than make so hasty a Rupture and the more violent threatned they would force both Commissioner Council and Session to take the Covenant All this the Marquis heard but he might well regrate it but had no power to curb it for they were resolved to hear of no Proclamation unless with the discharge of the Service-book and Book of Canons the Articles of Perth were also promised to be abrogated Episcopacy promised to be limited and an Assembly and Parliament presently called But his Instructions being so far short of this he durst not adventure on publishing His Majesties Declaration knowing it would meet with a Protestation and as for that part of it which concerned the Covenant my Lords of Traquair and Roxburgh told him he was the ruine of the Country if he did not divide the Declaration and wholly leave out what concerned the Covenant this he said he would yield to and put his Head in the Kings Mercy if they could assure him that thereby matters might be settled The Marquis gives a clear representation of the state of Affairs Of all this he advertised the King and told him he must resolve either to yield to all they demanded or haste down his Fleet quickly with 2000 Land-souldiers in it and send down Arms to the Northern Counties of England advising him also to send Souldiers for Garrisoning of Berwick and Carlisle 1500 for Berwick and 500 for Carlisle and that His Majesty would resolve to follow these Orders in Person with a Royal Army and there was no doubt of Victory if the matter were well managed but he represented withall that His Majesty would consider how far in His Wisdom He would connive at the madness of His own poor People or how far in His Justice He would punish their folly assuring Him their present madness was such that nothing but Force would make them quit their Covenant and that they would all lay down their Lives ere they would give it up But that which he applied himself first to was the dispersing of the Multitudes After he held a Council at Dalkeith where His Commission was onely read and registred he received Addresses from the Town of Edinburgh He goes to Edinburgh humbly inviting him to come to Holyroodhouse which he refused unless the extraordinary Guards about their Ports and the Castle were dismissed But this being done he went thither on the ninth of Iune they were guessed to be about 60000 that met him the greatest number that Nation had seen together of a great while among whom there were about 500 Ministers and four of the most zealous had resolved to entertain him with Speeches but this he shunned not without great difficulty so earnest were they to be disburdened of their Harangues but they came to him in private and with great vehemency not without tears in their eyes represented the danger Religion was in but kept themselves within bounds and mollifies some of the Covenanters And now he came to have access to their ears and this was followed by that which always attended the engaging sweetness of his Converse for he began to gain ground on their affections he shewed them how firm the King was to the Protestant Religion and how ready to hazard Life and Crown in the defence of it that if any error
had been committed in the way of introducing the late Books His Majesty did more than correct that by His gracious Condescensions that he was resolved as soon as the Country was settled to call both an Assembly and Parliament if they themselves obstructed it not but withall he represented to them the madness of hazarding on a Rupture with the King they knew it would not be uneasie to engage England against them the Kings Navy was in good case and it would be no trouble to the King to destroy their Trade which would quickly impoverish the Country therefore he desired they would follow such courses as might redeem themselves and their Country from Ruine and Infamy This prevailed with divers and all acknowledged there was that strength of reason in his Discourse that it was not easie to resist him long and see him much but there were rough and wild Spirits who could neither be tamed nor tuned right by it yet the Multitudes began to disperse but the Covenant was so dear to them that it was the endangering of all to speak of delivering it up On the 15th of Iune he received the following Answer from His Majesty to the Accounts he had sent him Hamilton THough I answered not yours of the fourth yet I assure you that I have not been idle so that I hope by the next week I shall send you some good assurance of the advancing of our Preparations This say not to make you precipitate any thing for I like of all you have hitherto done and even of that which I find you mind to doe but to shew you that I mean to stick to my Grounds and that I expect not any thing can reduce that People to their Obedience but onely Force I thank you for the clearness of your Advertisements of all which none troubles me so much as that in a manner they have possessed themselves of the Castle of Edinburgh and likewise I hold Sterlin as good as lost As for the dividing of my Declaration I find it most fit in that way you have resolved it to which I shall adde that I am content to forbear the latter part thereof until you hear my Fleet hath set sail for Scotland In the mean time your care must be how to dissolve the Multitude and if it be possible to possess your self of my Castles of Edinburgh and Sterlin which I do not expect And to this end I give you leave to flatter them with what hopes you please so you engage not me against my Grounds and in particular that you consent neither to the calling of Parliament nor General Assembly untill the Covenant be disavowed and given up your chief end being now to win time that they may not commit publick Follies untill I be ready to suppress them and since it is as you well observe my own People which by this means will be for a time ruined so that the loss must be inevitably mine and this if I could eschew were it not with a greater were well But when I consider that not onely now my Crown but my Reputation for ever lies at stake I must rather suffer the first that Time will help than this last which is irreparable This I have written to no other end than to shew you I will rather die than yield to those impertinent and damnable Demands as you rightly call them for it is all one as to yield to be no King in a very short time So wishing you better success than I can expect I rest Your assured constant Friend CHARLES R. Greenwich 11 June 1638. POSTSCRIPT As the Affairs are now I do not expect that you should declare the Adherers to the Covenant Traitors until as I have already said you have heard from me that my Fleet hath set Sail for Scotland though your six weeks should be elapsed In a word gain time by all the honest means you can without forsaking your Grounds But he had taken his Resolution about this set down in the Postscript before he got the Kings Answer He delays to publish the Proclamation to avoid an affront for he wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury that he was resolved on it finding the hazard on the one side was a present Rupture which would have been the ruine of the Kings Affairs and of all his Friends whereas the hazard of not doing it was onely the cutting off his Head for transgressing his Instructions which he was willing not onely to endanger but lose for the Kings Service But till the Multitudes were wholly dispersed he duâ—st not hazard on the the publishing of the Proclamation lest Authority might have met with an affront in it This was now doing apace Commissioners onely staying in name of the rest but all the Ministers hearing that the Covenant must be given up or no Treaty made their Pulpits ring with it and the Marquis was to purpose inveighed against some not sparing to say that the faggots in Hell were prepared for his reward but all declared they would never quit their Covenant but with their Lives A Protestation was also resolved on whenever the Declaration should be published which made it be delayed a little longer and it was told him by the Kings Advocate that a Protestation might be legally made and that it had been done so in the year 1621. But for all this things begun to promise some likelyhood ofSettlement which made him write to the King not to proceed in his warlike Preparations till things were more desperate to which he received the following Answer Hamilton THe dealing with Multitudes makes diversity of Advertisement no way strange and certainly the alteration from worse to less ill cannot be displeasing wherefore you may be confident I cannot but approve your Proceedings hitherto for certainly you have gained a very considerable point in making the heady Multitude begin to disperse without having engaged me in any unfitting thing I shall take your advice in staying the publick Preparations for Force but in a silent way by your leave I will not leave to prepare that I may be reaâ—y upon the least advertisement Now I hope there may be a possibility of securing my Castles but I confess it must be done closely and cunningly One of the chief things you are to labour now is to get a considerable number of Sessioners and Advocates to give their opiniâ—n that the Covenant is at least against Law if not treasonable Thus you have my Approbation in several shapes tâ—erefore you need not doubt but that I am Your assured constant Friend CHARLES R. Theobalds 13 Jun. 1638. At this time the Session sate not He advises the King to bring back the Session to Edinburgh for the Town and Country about Sterlin threatned them so that they could not return thither wherefore the Marquis desired a Warrant from the King to bring the Session back to Edinburgh both because it was not fit they should be too far from himself and the Council