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A66737 The history of the Kings Majesties affairs in Scotland under the conduct of the most Honourable James Marques of Montrose, Earl of Kincardin, &c. and generall governour of that kingdome. In the years, 1644. 1645. & 1646.; De rebus auspiciis serenissimi, & potentissimi Caroli. English. Wishart, George, 1599-1671.; Matham, Adriaan, 1599?-1660, engraver. 1647 (1647) Wing W3120; ESTC R217175 112,902 212

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Colonell Gordon was a man worthy of everlasting memory Sir Robert Spotswood one rais'd by the favour of King Iames King Charles unto great honours as his singular vertues did merit King Iames made him a Knight a privy Counsellor King Charles advanced him to be Lord President of the Session and now but of late Principall Secretary of Scotland This excellent man although his very Enemies had nothing to lay to his charge through all his life they found guilty of high Treason which is yet the more to be lamented because he never bore armes against them for his eminency lay in the way of peace not knowing what belong'd to drawing of a Sword This was therefore the onely charge that they laid against him That by the Kings command he brought his letters Patēts unto Montrose whereby he was made Vice-roy of the Kingdome and General of the army Neverthelesse he proved at large that he had done nothing in that but according to the custom of their Ancestors the Lawes of the land And truly he seemed in his most elegant Defence to have given satisfaction to all men except his judges whom the Rebells had pick't out from amongst his most malicious enemies that sought his death so that questiōlesse they would never have pronounc'd that dolefull sentence if they had but the least tincture of Iustice or honesty But to speak the truth a more powerfull envy then his Innocency was able to struggle with undid the good man For the Earl of Lanerick having been heretofore Principal Secretary of the Kingdome of Scotland by his revolt unto the Rebells forced the most gracious and bountifull King to the whole family of the Hamiltons to take that Office frō so unthankfull a man bestow it on another nor was there any one found more worthy thē Spotswood to be advanced to so high an honour And hence happened that great weight of envy revenge to be thrown upon him which seeing he was not able to bear out he was forced to fall under And now Spotswood being about to die abating nothing of his wonted constancy and gravity according to the custome of the Country made a Speech unto the people But that Sacrilegious thief Blair who stood by him upon the Scaffold against his wil fearing the eloquence and undauntednesse of so gallant a man lest the mysteries of Rebellion should be discovered by one of his gravity and authority unto the people who use most attentively to hear and tenaciously to remember the words of dying men procured the Provost of the City who had been once a servant to Spotswoods Father to stop his mouth Which insolent and more then ordinary discourtesie he took no notice of but letting his Speech unto the people alone he wholly bestowed himself in devotions and prayers to Almighty God Being interrupted againe that very importunately by that busie and troublesom fellow Blair and asked Whether he would not have him and the people to pray for the salvation of his soule He made answer That he desired the Prayers of the people but for his impious Prayers which were abominable unto God he desir'd not to trouble him And added moreover That of all the plagues with which the offended Majesty of God had scourged that Nation this was much the greatest greater then the Sword or Fire or Pestilence that for the sins of the people God had sent a lying Spirit into the mouth of the Prophets With which free undeniable saying Blaire finding himself galled grew so extremely in passion that he could not hold from scurrilous contumelious language against his father who had beē long dead against himself who was now a dying aproving himself a fine Preacher of Christian patience Longanimity the while But all these things Spotswood having his minde fixed upon higher matters passed by with silence and unmoved At last being undaunted shewing no alteration neither in his voyce nor countenance when he laid down his neck to the fatal stroke these were his last words Mercifull Iesu gather my soule unto thy Saints and Martyrs who have run before me in this race And certainly seeing Martyrdome may be undergone not only for the Cōfession of our Faith but for any vertue by which holy men make their Faith manifest there is no doubt but he hath received that Crown And this was the end a dolefull end indeed in regard of us but a joyfull and honourable one in him of a man admirable for his knowledge of things Divine and Humane for his skill in the Tongues Hebrew Chaldee Syriack Arabick besides the Western Languages for his knowledge in History Law Politiques the Honour and Ornament of his Country and our Age for the integrity of his life for his Fdelity for his Iustice for his Constancy a man of an even temper and ever agreeing with himself whose Youth had no need to be ashamed of his Child-hood nor his riper years of his Youth a severe observer of the old● fashion'd pie●y with all his soule yet one that was no vain i●perstitious Profes●our of it before others a man easie to be made a friend very hard to be mad an Enemy and who being now dead was exceedingly lamented evē by many Covenanters His breath●esse body Hugh Scrimiger once his fathers se●vant took care to bring fo●th as the times would permit with a private funerall Nor was he long able to bear so great a sorrow losse for after a few dayes spying that bloudy Scaffold not yet removed out of the place immediately he fell into a svvoon and being carried home by his servants and neighbours died at his very door Lastly they give unto Spotswood another companion in death Andrew Gutherey son unto the most deserving Bishop of Murray and hated the more by the Rebe●s for that A youth as well valiant in battell as constant in suffering and contemning death He also vvas threatned rail'd at by the same Blaire but answered That no greater honour could have be done him then to be put to an honest death in the behalfe of so good a King and so just a Cause which those that were present should see he embraced without fear and perhaps another generation would not report without praise For his sins he humbly begged mercy a●d forgivenesse at the hands of his most gracious LordGod but for that for which he stood there condemned he was not much troubled After this manner died with constancy and courage a man who if Almighty God had so thought fit had beē worthy of a longer life And that now they might put the last Scene to a Tragedy of which most part was acted after two dayes breathing they brought forth William Murray brother to the Earl of Tullibardin a young Gentlemen to the same place And truly every man much admired that his brother being in great favour esteem amongst the Covenanters had not interceded for the life and safety of his own onely
an able man from a weake a valiant man from a coward If ye would assaile these timorous and brawnelesse shrimps with handy blowes they will never be● able to stand you Goe to therefore fall about them with your Swords and butt-end of your Muskets beat them downe drive them backe and make them pay what is justly due for their treason and rebellion It was not sooner said then they fall to worke breake in upon the Enemy defeate them rout them Their Horse who expected Foot to come and line them seeing them all run away ran faster then they whom the conquerours were not able to follow much lesse to overtake so they scap't scot-free but the Foot paid for all few of which escaped the Victors hands For having no other place to fly unto but into the City Montrose's mē came in thronging amongst them through the gates and posternes and laid them on heaps all over the streets They fought foure houres upon such equall termes that it was an even lay whether had the oddes At this Battell Montrose had some great Guns but they were unserviceable because all advantages of ground were possessed by the enemy but the enemies Guns made no small havock of his men Among others there was an Irishman that had his legge shot off with a Cannon bullet onely it hung by a little skin he seeing his fellow-souldiers something sad at his mischance with a loud and cheerfull voyce cryes out Come on my Camerades this is but the fortune of Warre and neither you nor I have reason to be sorry for it Doe you stand to it as becomes you and as for me I am sure my Lord Marquesse seeing I can no longer serve on foot will mount me on horsebacke So dravving out his knife being nothing altered nor troubled he cut asunder the skin with his owne hand and gave his legge to one of his fellow-souldiers to bury And truly when he was well againe and made a Trooper he often did very faithfull and gallant service This battell was fought at Aberdene on the twelfth day of September 1644. Then Montrose calling his souldiers back to their Colours entered the City and allowed them two dayes rest CHAP. VII IN the meane time newes is brought that Argyle was hard by with much greater forces then those they dealt with last the Earle of Lothion accōpanying him with fifteen hundred Horse Therefore Montrose removes from A●erdene to Kintor a Village ten miles off that he might make an easier accesse unto him for the Gordons the friends and dependants of the Marquesse of Huntley and others that were supposed much to favour the Kings cause From thence he sends Sir William Rollocke to Oxford to acquaint his Majesty with the good successe he had hitherto obtained and to desire supplies out of England or some place else That he had fought twice indeed very prosperously but it could not be expected that seeing he was so beset on all sides with great and numerous Armies he should be able to hold out alwayes without timely reliefe Still nothing troubled Montrose more then that none of the Gordons of whom he conceived great hopes came in unto him And there wanted not some of them who testified their great affection to the service but that Huntley the Chief of the Family being a backe-Friend to Montrose had with held them all either by his owne example or private directions and that himselfe being forced to sculk in the utmost border of the Kingdom envied that honour to another of which he had missed himselfe and had forbidden even with threats all those with vvhom he had any power to have any thing to doe vvith Montrose or to assist him either vvith their power or counsell Which when he understood he resolved to withdraw his Forces into the Mountains Fastnesses vvhere he knew the enemies Horse wherein their great strength consisted could doe them little service and of their Foot if they were never so many relying upon the Iustice of his cause and the valour of his Souldiers he made but little reckoning Therefore he hid his Ordnance in a bogge and quitted all his troublesome and heavy carriages And coming to the side of the River of Spey not farre from an old Castle called Rothmurke he incamped there with an Army if one respected the number but very smal but it was an expert cheerful● one now also some thing acquainted with victory On the other side of the Spey he findes the men o● Cathnes and Suderland and Rosse and Murray and others to the number of five thousand up in Armes to hinder his passage over the swiftest River in all Scotland till such time as Argyle who marched after him was upon his backe Being oppressed and as it were besieged with so many enemies on every side that at least he might save himselfe from their Horse he turned into Badenoth a rocky and mountainous Countrey and scarce passable for Horse There for certaine dayes he was very sicke which occasioned so immoderate joy to the Covenanters that they doubted not to give out he was quite dead and to ordaine a day of publique Thankesgiving to Almighty God for that great deliverance Nor were their Levites you may be sure backward in that employment in their Pulpits for as if they had been of counsell at the Decree and stood by at the execution they assured the people that it was as true as Gospell that the Lord of Hostes had slaine Montrose with his owne hands But this joy did not last them long for he recovered in a short space and as if he had been risen from the dead he frighted his Enemies much more then he had done before For assoon as his disease would give him leave he returned into Athole and sent away Mac-donell with a party unto the Highlanders to invite them to take up Armes with him and if they would not be invited to force them He himselfe goes into Angus hoping it might happen that he should either force Argyle with his tyred Horse unto his Winter quarters or at least leave him farre enough behinde him For Argyle had pursued him so slowly and at such distance that it was appare●t he thought of nothing lesse then of giving him Battell Therefore going through Angus getting over the Grainsbaine which going along with a perpetual ridge from East to West divideth Scotland into two equall parts he returned into the North of the Kingdome And now that he had left Argyle so farre behinde him that he might safely take some time to recruit he went to Strathbogy that he might meet with the Gordons perswade them to engage with him But he lost his labour for they were forestalled by Huntley and after his example plaid least in sight For such as were generous daring spirits though they were loath to provoke the indignation of their Chief yet they could not but be ashamed that at a time when there might be so much use of them
men of Nobility and Eminency as long as they had an enemy in the Field and the victory was uncertaine And truly they being doubtfull and solicitous what might be the successe of so great warlike preparations they knew were in providing did deferre the execution of the prisoners Montrose upon his journey found the Lord Areskin very sick but his clients whose fidelity and valour hee had had sundry experiences of even in the absence of their Lord all in a readinesse if Aboine did but doe his part for they depended much upon his example and authority And now the Marquesse of Huntley after he had plaid least in sight for a year and some moneths it is hard to say whether awaken'd with the newes of so many victories obtain'd by Montrose and the reducing of the Kingdome or by the deceitfull influence of some bad starre was returned home An unfortunate man unadvised who howsoever hee would seem most affectionate unto the Kings Cause perhaps was so yet he endeavoured by a close and dishonourable envy rather to extenuate Montroses glory then to out-vie it Which seeing it was not for his credit openly to professe even before his own men who were sufficient witnesses of Montrose's admirable virtues lest by that he should discover some symptomes of a heart alienated from the King yet he gave out that for the time to come he would take upon himself the conduct of that War against the Rebells therefore he commanded his Tenants and advised his friends and neighbours scarce without threats to fight under no command but his own And when they replyed What shall wee then answer to the Commands of the Marquesse of Montrose whom the King hath declared Generall Governour of the Kingdome and Generall of the Army He made ansvver That he himself would not be wanting to the Kings service but however it concerned much both his and their honour that the King and all men should knovv vvhat assistance they had given him which could not otherwise be done then by serving in a body by thē selves Moreover he fell to magnifie his own povver and to undervalue Montrose's to extoll unto the skies the noble Acts of his Ancestors men indeed vvorthy of all honour to tell them That the Gordons power had been formidable to their neighbours for many Ages by gone and was so yet That it was most unjust that the atchievements gotten with their bloud and prowesse should be accounted upon another mans meaning Montrose's score but for the future he would take a course that neither the King should be defrauded of the service of the Gordons nor the Gordons of their deserved honour favour and reward All these things the simpler sort tooke to bee spoken upon all the grounds of equity honour in the world but as many as were understanding men and knew better the disposition of the person saw through those expressions a minde too rancorous altogether indispos'd towards Montrose and that his aime was to fetch off as many as he could from him not only to the utter ruine of the King and Kingdome but even to his own destruction which God knowes the sad event made too manifest Nor were there wanting amongst them desperate men and of good fore-sight who condemned this counsell of his as unwise unseasonable and pernicious even to himself For they considered with themselves that he never had any designe that did not miscarry either by bad play or bad luck That businesses were better carried by Montrose and it was ill to make a faction● upon the poore pretence of his carrying away the honour of it For if Huntley joyned his Forces and communicated his counsels unto Montrose he should not be onely able to defend himself but subdue his enemies and gaine unto himself the everlasting honour of being one of the Kings Champions but if he should make a breach in that manner it would prove not onely dishonourable but destructive to him That Montrose it could not be denyed had got many and eminent victories with the assistance of the Huntleys but they had done nothing of note without him Therefore they earnestly desired him constantly to adhere unto the Kings Lieutenant which as it would be both acceptable and advantageous to the King so it would be well taken with good men and honourable to himself Nor did some of them fear to professe openly that they would yeeld their duty and service to Montrose if Huntley should stand out in his humour and they were as good as their words But he refusing the advice of his friends resolved what ever came on 't to run counter too Montrose nor did Montrose ever propose any thing though never so just or honourable or advantageous which he would not crosse or reject And if at any time Montrose condescended to his opinion which he did often of purpose he would presently change his minde seeming to comply with him sometimes before his face but alwayes averse unto him behinde his backe and indeed scarce wel agreeing with his own self For all this Aboine being at that time solicited by many expresses from Montrose and the importunity of his own friends that he might be some way as good as his word met him with a considerable party at Druminore a Castle of the Lord Forbeses He brought with him fifteen hundred Foot and three hundred Horse all chearfull and ready to undergoe any hazard under the command of Montrose And truly assoon as ever they met Aboine freely protested hee would carry those men that hee had whithersoever the Lord Governour should lead him but there were many more behinde which for his scantnesse of time he had not got together which his brother Lewis would bring after him Montrose extolling highly his fidelity and pains turned back again almost the same way he came that taking up the Lord Areskins and the Marre Forces by the way and climbing over Gransbaine hee might fall dovvn into Athole and Angus not doubting vvithin a fortnight to be able to passe over the Forth with a great Army The first dayes journey Aboine and his men marched with a good will but the next night his brother Lewis whom Montrose had placed under the command of the Earl of Crawford conveighed himself homewards with a strong party of Horse making as if he meant to encounter some Troops of the Enemy and carried along with him as many Souldiers as he could get upon pretence of a guard Crawford returning brought word that Lewis was gone home but would be back again next day for so he had made him beleeve though he intended nothing lesse then to come back A youth liable to sensure for more feats then that But when upon the third day they came to Alford it was observed that Aboines men were slow to stand to their colours that they loytered in their march that their ranks were thin and disorder'd and that they ran away by whole Companies almost every night and at last their