idle in so stirring Times and therefore His Majesty would consider how to make use of them lest otherwise they may be engaged and with them the Kingdom Shew that it will be impossible longer to delay the Meeting of the Commissioners for Conserving of the Peace and what my Part hath been therein and therefore to Consider if it were not fit they were called by His Majesties Warrant Shew that I could not think of a better way to serve Her Majesty for the present than by procuring an Invitation from the whole Kingdom for Her return which Proposition if His Majesty conceive fit for His Service and be acceptable to Her Majesty I doubt not of the effectuating it otherwise it shall here end Shew that though I can be of no great use to His Majesty any where yet I conceive more here than at York for albeit I still say I can undertake for nothing yet I may possibly be able to prevent Evil if I can do no Good Shew the miserable Condition of my Fortune which occasioneth the not sending as yet the Moneys for entertaining the Horse which if the sale of Land can procure shall be quickly remedied In August following there was an Assembly to which the King sent the Earl of Dunfermline Commissioner Dunfermline Commissioner to the General Assembly with full Assurances of His Majesties Resolution to adhere to what was now settled by Law and to encourage all good Motions for advancing of Piety and Learning and it was also recommended to him as his chief Work to keep the Assembly within their own bounds that they might not meddle with England nor interpose in the Differences betwixt the King and the Two Houses But this was not to be done except by Authority backed with Force for there came a Declaration from the Parliament of England which was very welcome to them and had such a Return as they of England desired For the Assembly declared Prelacy to be the great Mountain that lay in the way of the advancement of Religion The Assembly declares against Episcopacy in England which must first be removed before the Church and Work of God could be established and nothing the Kings Commissioner said was able to divert them from this so irresistible was their Zeal They also sent a Petition to the Council desiring them to second their Address to the King for an Uniformity in Church-Government in all his Dominions and likewise desired that by reason of the Commotions were in England the Council would call together the Conservatours of the Peace this was a Court established by the late Parliament to see to the Preservation of the Articles of the late Treaty with England The Council upon this recommended Uniformity in Church-Government by a Letter to the King wherein they desired also Warrant to convene the Conservatours of the Peace the Assembly wrote also to the King to the same purpose The Marquis represented to His Majesty that their Zeal for this Uniformity was so great that no Art could hinder them from Petitioning for it but if they could be preserved from Deeds Many desire Uniformity in Church-Government and that the Conservators of Peace might meet their big words were to be answered with smooth Language But as for the Meeting of the Conservatours of the Peace he laid out the hazard of it to the King for if he refused to convene them it would raise Jealousies in the Peoples minds and there was ground to fear they would meet of their own accord if they were not called which would be an affront to the Kings Authority and might precipitate a Rupture But on the other hand there was no small danger in their Sitting for of that number some were likelier to disturb than conserve the Peace To the Letters from the Assembly and Council the King wrote the following Answer CHARLES R. BY your Letter to Vs of the 19th of this Instant August We find you concur with Our late General Assembly The Kings Letter about Uniformity of Church-Government in their Desire to Vs about Vnity of Religion and Vniformity of Church-Government in all Our three Kingdoms which cannot be more earnestly desired by you than shall be really endeavoured by Vs in such a way as We in Our Conscience conceive to be best for the flourishing Estate of the true Protestant Religion But as for Ioyning with Our Houses of Parliament here in this Work it were improper for Vs at this time to give any Answer for since their Meeting they have never made any Proposition to Vs concerning Vnity of Religion or Vniformity of Church-Government so far are they from desiring any such thing as we are confident the most considerable Persons and those who make fairest Pretences to you of this kind will no sooner embrace a Presbyterial than you an Episcopal And truely it seems notwithstanding whatsoever Profession they have made to the contrary that nothing hath been less in their minds than Settling of the true Religion and Reforming such Abuses in the Church-Government as possibly have crept in contrary to the establish't Law of the Land to which we have been so far from being averse that We have by divers Declarations and Messages pressed them to it though hitherto it hath been to small purpose But when-ever any Proposition shall be made to Vs by them which We shall conceive may any way advance the Vnity of the true Protestant Religion according to the Word of God or establish the Church-Government according to the known Laws of this Kingdom We shall by Our chearful Ioyning with them let the World see that nothing can be more acceptable unto Vs than the furthering and advancing of so good a Work So we bid you Farewell From Nottingham the 26th of August 1642. All in Scotland called for the Conservatours Sitting and said that they must be on their guard The Chancellor calls a Meeting of the Conservators of the Peace when War was like to be on their Borders whereupon the Council ordered the Chancellour to convene them At this time all the Scotish Commissioners returned from London every thing that concerned the Treaty being expeded but the Council thought it necessary to send the Earl of Lindsay and Sir Iohn Smith to lie there for Correspondence of which they gave the King notice With this His Majesty was highly displeased for he said they were either sent to Treat by vertue of the Commission from the Parliament in which case they were not a Quorum or by the Councils Authority if so then he asked who warranted them to do that without his Order yet to take away any ground of Heats or Jealousies he impowered them to go that they might see to the preserving the Articles of the Treaty As for the Conservators of the Peace he gave the Earl of Lowdon Warrant to convene them against the 22th of September and sent Mr. Murray of the Bed-Chamber afterwards Earl of Dysert with Instructions Mr. Murray
more Messages as may be most for His Majesties Honour and Peace of His Kingdoms which if they shall refuse or despise I hope we will not then forget that it is our King that is reduced to this necessity and that we will never look on unconcerned where he is so deeply engaged I hope you will pardon the Trouble I give you in reading this long ill-written Letter for had I not been Commanded to it by a Power which God willing I shall never disobey it had not been hazarded on by Your most humble Servant LANERICK Nottingham the last of August 1642. The Marquis took all the pains imaginable on Argyle and Lowdon to perswade them to a cordial owning of the Kings Service Much pains taken to engage Scotland to the Kings Service as the only way to give Scotland a lasting Interest in the Kings Affection which also would make them famous all the World over And since the Scotish Troubles had involved the King in all His difficulties it was just they should study to extricate him and for the pretence of Religion with which the English were cajoling our Scotish Clergy he said he was to be pardoned if he presumed to know them better than they could assuring them that Religion was only pretended by them He took also a great deal of pains in many others to prepare them against the day in which the Conservatours were to meet to which Lanerick came with the following Letter from His Majesty Right trusty c. The Kings Letter to the Conservatours of the Peace HAving been informed that upon Petition of the Commissioners from Our late General Assembly Our Council thought fit that you should meet for discharging of that Trust imposed on you by Vs and Our Parliament whereby all fair means may be used to prevent such Troubles and Divisions as may interrupt or endanger the common Peace of Our Kingdom And as it ought to be the continual study of all Good and Pious Princes to preserve their People so certainly it is the Duty of all Loyal and Faithful Subjects to maintain the Greatness and Iust Authority of their Princes so that without this reciprocal Endeavour there can be no Happiness for the Prince nor Security for the People We are sure Our late Actions in Scotland will to all posterity be an acceptable witness of Our Care in preserving the Liberty of those Our Subjects and Our Desire to settle perfect Peace in that Our Kingdom And We are also confident that the many good Acts We have past here since the Sitting of this Parliament indeed denying none but such as denyed Vs any Power at all and were never so much as demanded from any of Our Predecessors will bear the like Testimony of Our Affection to the Good and Peace of this Kingdom though the success hath not been alike For though We have used Our best Endeavours to prevent the present Distractions and threatning Dangers yet so prevalent have been the opposers of Vs and the Peace of Our Kingdoms that not so much as a Treaty can be obtained though by Our several Messages We have descended to demand and press it unless upon such Conditions as would either by taking all Power of Government from Vs make Vs as nothing or by forcing Vs to quit the Protection of such as for obeying Vs according to Law and their Oath of Allegiance they would have Traytors and so make Vs do an Act unworthy of a King Yet so desirous We are to save Our Subjects Blood which cannot but be prodigally spent if We be necessitated by force of Arms to decide these unhappy Differences that no sooner any such Treaty shall be offered unto Vs by them which with Honour and Safety We can receive but We shall chearfully embrace it This We have thought fit to acquaint you with that from Our Selves you may know Our love to Peace and We doubt not but your Meeting at this time will produce something which will witness your tender respect to Our Honour and Safety and so much We do confide in your Affections as We shall absolutely leave the ways and means of expressing it to your selves So We bid you heartily farewell From Our Court at Stafford the 18th of September This so far prevailed with them at their first Meeting The Conservatours incline to serve the King that all things went very fairly so that they sent a Return to the Kings Letters without making any Judgement on the Differences betwixt Him and the Parliament They also resolved to Mediate betwixt the King and the Two Houses and for that end designed to send the Marquis to Holland with an Invitation from Scotland to Her Majesty for her Return to mediate a Peace betwixt the King and Parliament and to invite the Queen And the Marquis got a Paper signed by almost all the Lords not only those who were the best-affected but by Lowdon Argâ—le Waristoun Mr. Alexander Henderson and the other Leaders of the Party containing an Invitation for Her Majesty to come to Scotland with assurance of Security for Her Person and the free exercise of Her Religion for Her Self and Family so that no others were admitted to share in it and that they should concur with Her Majesty in mediating a Peace betwixt the King and the Two Houses which if it were rejected by the Two Houses they obliged themselves to engage for the King against them This was carried with great Address and managed so prudently that wise men called it the Master-peece of the Marquis his Life Lanerick carried it to the King to receive His Pleasure about it a Note whereof follows written by Lanerick in general Terms DIvers of the most considerable of the Nobility of Scotland and send Lanâ—rick to the King have by the Earl of Lanerick humbly offered unto His Majesty their sense of the present Differences betwixt Him and His Parliament of England which they conceive will hardly be reconciled so long as Her Majesty is at so great a distance and therefore are perswaded it would conduce much for Settling these Distractions if Her Majesty might be moved to return and mediate in so good a Work for which end the Marquis of Hamilton if His Majesty think fit and conceive it may be acceptable to Her Majesty will be ready to go to Holland humbly to invite Her Majesty hereunto in Name of this whole Kingdom of Scotland who will as dutiful and faithful Subjects humbly joyn their Endeavours and Mediation with Her Majesty that His Majesty may have Honour and Contentment and His People Happiness and Security under His Royal Government But the King was jealous of them The King at first welcomed this Proposition with a great deal of Joy but upon other grounds he thought not fit to listen to it for his Affection to the Queen made him fear the hazard of Her Person so much that this Proposition was not entertained which the Marquis often regrated as a Loss
time than Mr. Henderson did his They were given by His Majesty to Sir Robert Murray to transcribe the Copies under Sir Robert Murray's hand were by him delivered to Mr. Henderson and Mr. Henderson's hand not being so legible as his he by the Kings Appointment transcribed them for His Majesty and by His Majesties permission kept Mr. Henderson's Papers and the Copies of the Kings as was signified to the Writer by himself a few days before His much-lamented Death All this while they were consulting at Westminster They consult at VVestminster about Propositions to be made to the King about the Propositions to be sent to His Majesty for now the Independent Party begun to prevail and as they were certainly the strongest in the English Army so they had a great Party in the House of Commons Their Design was to perpetuate a Military Power in their own hands and to set up a Toleration of all Sects and so the Propositions at Vxbridge were much altered The Scotish Commissioners The Scotish Commissioners are for making them easie to the King in the Papers they gave in concerning the Propositions first complained That the Settling of Religion was conceived in general Terms and that no particulars about Vniformity of Religion were laid down next they opposed much the Propositions about the Militia desiring that no new ones differing from what had been offered at Uxbridge might be made that so it might appear they were not taking advantages from the Straits His Majesty was in to diminish His Iust Power and Greatness to which they were bound both by Covenant and Treaties and which had been often repeated in all their Declarations adding that they could not consent to any Proposition that should take from their Soveraign the Power of Protecting and Defending His Subjects which necessarily followed were the Militia put into the hands of the Parliament wherefore they pressed that the Militia might not be settled in the hands of the Parliament but of the King and Parliament jointly and so consigned to such Commissioners of both Kingdoms as should be chosen by the King and them together This they backed with a Paper Many Papers past betwixt them and the Two Houses containing the Extracts and Citations of the former Declarations and Papers emitted by Both Houses to the same purpose both about Uniformity of Religion and the Maintaining the Kings Authority even in the matter of the Militia which was a long and smart Paper They also in another Paper appealed to all the Treaties that had been betwixt the Kingdoms since the beginning of that War wherein the Maintenance of the Kings Just Power had still been laid down as a ground on which they were to proceed in order to a Peace But upon this the Independent Party begun to say that the Agreement made with Scotland An. 1643. was no Treaty and that the Parliament was not bound to make good what was agreed to in it And this drew from the Scotish Commissioners another large Paper proving That to be a Treaty wherein they did shew How that the Kingdom of Scotland had engaged both in the Irish and English War upon the invitation the Two Houses sent them by Commiâ—sioners impowered with ample Credentials Signed by the two Speakers which gave them power to Treat and conclude both about the Scotish Army then in Ireland and the Army they invited to come to their Assistance in England upon which an Agreement was treated and concluded betwixt the Committee of Estates in Scotland and the Commissioners from England and Signed by them and so transmitted to the Two Houses who by frequent Letters to Scotland expressed their Ratification of that Agreement and whereas in some of the Articles then Agreed to there was an Alternative concerning the Scotish Army then in Ireland their Stay there or their Transportation upon which the Independents founded their Allegation that matters were not finally concluded they did shew how false that was since that Alternative was emitted in their Agreement then made to the Determination of the Two Houses who thereupon declared by repeated Letters to what branch of it they agreed So they made it appear that no obligation could be brought on any State by any Treaty that was wanting in that But at length the Propositions were all agreed on The Propositions are agreed on and the Scotish Commissioners though they opposed that Article of the Militia yet gave way to it rather than hazard on a Rupture The Propositions being so oft in Print need not be at length set down only the Heads of them follow taken from the Original that was delivered to the King which he gave to the Earl of Lanerick and is among his Papers FIrst The annulling of all Oaths The Heads of them and Declarations against the Parliaments and Kingdoms was desired The next five Propositions were about establishing the Covenant the Abolition of Episcopacy and Liturgy and the Kings taking and authorizing the Covenant The next five were against Popery and Papists The 12th was for the observation of the Lords Day and against Pluralities and Nonresidences and about Vniversities 13 That the Militia should be in the hands of the Parliament for 20 years who should also have a power to raise Money and that after those years the Two Houses might raise what Forces they pleased by their Bills though His Majesty gave not his assent to them and that the Rights of the City of London should be confirmed 14 That all Honours and other Writs passed under the great Seal since it was taken away from Westminster should be annulled 15 That the Treaties betwixt England and Scotland should be ratified 16 Delinquents were to be excepted from the general Oblivion and those were put in several Classes and accordingly several Punishments designed against them 17 The late Cessation granted by the King in Ireland to be annulled and the management of that War to be remitted to the Two Houses The 18 was about the City of London 19 That all Writs passed under the Parliaments Great Seal should be in force In Iuly the Duke came to Newcastle to wait on His Majesty The Duke waits on the King and is well received by him and and when he first kissed the Kings Hand His Majesty and he blushed at once and as the Duke was retiring back with a little Confusion into the croud that was in the Room the King asked if he was afraid to come near him upon which he came to the King and they entred into a large Conversation together wherein His Majesty expressed the sense he had of his long Sufferings in terms so full of affection that he not only brake through all of his Resentments but set a new edge again upon his old Affection and Duty He told him He ever had Iudged him Innocent as to the bulk of things though he confessed there were some particulars he was not so well satisfied with but that his Restrain was extorted from
presently but four hundred thousand were Voted to them and only one hundred thousand presently and upon this they stood long The Two Houses having on the 24th of September Voted that the Kings Person should be demanded from the Scotish Army their Commissioners at London gave in long Papers against that The Scotish Commissioners at London complain of the Kings ill Usage and the harsh Votes of the Two Houses which were Printed and so need not be here inserted In them they shewed That the King being Soveraign of both Kingdoms was not to be disposed by the Parliament of one Kingdom That this was destructive to the Relation and Interest the Scotish Nation had in Him and contrary to the nature of Soveraignty and to the Covenant and Treaties of both Kingdoms by which it was agreed That His Majesties just Power and Greatness should not be diminished which by such a Demand of His Person was very signally done It was also agreed that all things in order to Peace to which the Disposal of the Kings Person did relate in a signal manner should be done by the Ioynt Councils of both Kingdoms After this in the Month of October begun the Treaty betwixt the Scotish Commissioners and the Committee appointed for that end by the Two Houses of Parliament Many Conferences are betwixt the Two Houses and them which was managed in the Painted Chamber in the presence of all the Members of the Two Houses The Scotish Commissioners who were the Earls of Lowdon and Lauderdale and the Lord Wariston declared in all their Papers and Speeches that they were not to Treat about His Majesties Person nor the Disposing of it but only about the Removal of the Army the Delivery of those Garrisons that their Army had in England and the Payment of Arrears due for their Armies both in England and Ireland and they continued to press that whereas the Two Houses had in all their former Declarations laid the blame of the Breach betwixt the King and them on His Majesties Withdrawing from His Parliament that therefore they would invite His Majesty to come with Honour Freedom and Safety to some of His Houses in or about London in which they still insisted to the last And so far were they from Treating about the Disposing of His Majesties Person that in the end of their Treaty when they had finally agreed on all things it was expresly declared in the first Article of the Treaty that pass'd under the Great Seal that nothing relating to the Kings Person was concluded on by it so that after that was ended the Scotish Parliament might have still preserved the King and brought him with their Army to Scotland But the Houses turned the Propositions to Bills The Houses press a speedy Answer to their Propositions and passed a Vote that new Commissionerâ— should be sent to the King with the concurrence of those of Scotland to press a satisfactory Answer with this Sanction that if it were not granted they should be forced to look to the Security of His Person And the English Army fell upon a most destructive Resolution of adjourning the Parliament neither were they over-awed by any thing so much as the fear of the Scotish Army The great point now debated in the Councils of Scotland was whether a final Settlement with the King should be the Condition of the Armies Retiring or not The Duke with all his Friends pressed this vigorously as that which was agreed on by their Covenant and Treaties But the Church-men still influenced all Counsels and finding the King irreconcileable to their Way were still full of their Jealousies of Him and it was said down-right that they ought not to meddle betwixt the King and the Parliament of England but leave Him and them to their own Counsels so strangely did their Language vary from what it was Anno 1643. At this time the King sent Mr. Murray of the Bed-Chamber to London Mr. Murray is sent by the King to London who carried another Message but it was so displeasing that it served only to put his Neck to a new hazard for the Kings Service and he durst scarce stir out of doors all the while he was there In the beginning of November a new Session of the Triennial Parliament of Scotland did hold The Parliament of Scotland meets but little was done for some Weeks save that there came to them a Remonstrance from the Assembly wherein in the first place Complaints were made of the Committee of Estates for their Agreement with Montrose and his Followers which was represented as a great Crime especially they being excommunicated Next they complained of His Majesties constant adherence to Prelacy and of the danger Religion was in by the Malignants for so was the Kings Party then called who were beginning to set up their Heads again wherefore they recommended to their Care both the Preservation of Religion and of the Treaties with England Upon this the Transaction of the Committee of Estates in the Agreement with Montrose was examined and it was put to the Vote Approve or Exoner them only the former was carried by twenty Votes but all the Pulpits thundered against it wherefore to stop the mouths of the Ministries it was enacted That in any Treaty that should be thereafter with those who were in Arms the Commission of the Kirk should be consulted about the Lawfulness of the Conditions For at this time both the Marquis of Huntley was in Arms in the North and Antrim was also come over to Kintyre in Iuly the former year and continued still there His Majesty sent Mr. Robert Lesley with Orders to my Lord Huntley for laying down of Arms with whom he wrote the following Letters to the two Brothers Hamilton A Trusty Messenger requires but a short Letter and brevity is the more convenient for Me who have much to do and but few helpers wherefore I shall say no more but hear and trust Robin Lesly for he is come from Your most assured real faithful constant Friend CHARLES R. Newcastle Nov. 12th 1646. Lanerick HEaring that Marquis Huntley expects My Commands for his laying down of Arms I have thought fit to send this Trusty Bearer Robin Lesly to him but thought it necessary to address him first to you that you in My Name might acquaint the Parliament with this My Intention which if they approve of he may go on accordingly if not there is no hurt done Yet howsoever I have expressed My Desire for the Peace of the Country but in case they shall permit Robin to obey My Commands then I expect that they give him Power to assure Huntley of the same Conditions that he might have had before All which I command you to represent to My Parliament in My Name leaving the particular expressions to you having only set down the sense Other things I have intrusted little Nobs to tell you too long for a Letter but of no small Consequence by which at
gone to some Place where you might be safe and free from Your Enemies and where Your Majesties Friends might have access to You. But as the Place to which You are gone so Your Majesties Message of the 16th hath infinitely disabled us to serve You for what You offer in matter of Religion comes far short of Your Majesties Message of the 12th of May besides it grants a full Toleration of Heresy and Schism for ever And as for Your Concessions in things Civil more is granted than was expected by some or wished by others and although we know not how effectual Your Majesties Message may prove for a Personal Treaty yet our Endeavours shall be really contributed for that end as we have done in part already If this Message be rejected a Personal Treaty denied the new Propositions pressed by the Two Houses and Your Majesty in no better Security than formerly You would advise us in time what to do and wherein we can be useful to Your Majesty who are resolved to serve You as becomes Your Majesties most humble most faithful most loyal Subjects and Servants LOWDON LAVDERDALE LANERICK 22th Novemb. 1647. Next day His Majesty wrote what follows to my Lord Lanerick Lanerick His Majesties Answer to Lanerick I Wonder to hear if that be true that some of My Friends should say that My Going to Jersey had much more furthered My Personal Treaty than My Coming hithâ—r for wâ—ich as I see no colour of Reason so I had not been here if I had thought that Fancy true or had not been secured of a Personal Treaty of which I neither do nor I hope shall repent for I am daily more and more satisfied with this Governour and find these Islanders very goâ—d peaceable and quiet People This Encouragement I have thought not unfit for you to receive hoping at least it may do good upon others though needless to you from Your most assured real faithful constant Friend CHARLES R. Carisbrook 23th Nov. 1647. But in the end of November the Two Houses passed the four Bills without the consent of the Scotish Commissioners which was a manifest Breach of Treaty The Two Houses pass the four Bills In them the Covenant was not so much as mentioned for they related wholly to Civil matters as the perpetual Power of the Militia the unlimited Authority of Parliament and in effect the Giving up at once the Kings Authority But the Scotish Commissioners complained and Remonstrated against this with open mouth and gave in a large Remonstrance against the four Bills Declaring The Scotish Commissionerâ— protest against them that contrary to all the former Treaties and Declarations the Propositions made to His Majesty were still altered the Propositions sent to Newcastle to which notwithstanding their dislike of them yet for Peace sake they had yielded were now quite changed They also protested first against the sending of Propositions without a previous Treaty which they earnestly pressed as the likeliest Course for removing all Mistakes and bringing things to a Final Settlement and therefore they insisted on their former Desires for a Personal Treaty in or about London Next they excepted against the Bills both because the Covenant was quite omitted and the Settling of the Uniformity of Religion was turned to a Desire for a vast Toleration The Treaties with Scotland were not desired to be confirmed but only the making of them to be approved which was rather an Indemnity for making them than a Confirmation of them Next they remonstrated that the Kings Legislative Power was quite taken away by an unlimited Power they desired to be put in the Hands of the Two Houses and that their Demand about the Militia did put the King out of a capacity of Protecting His Subjects In fine they complained of the making Propositions without the concurrence of the Scotish Commissioners wherefore they remonstrated against the Bills and resolved to follow the Commissioners whom the Two Houses were to send to Wight and protest against these Bills upon which divers Papers passed betwixt the Two Houses and them The Earls of Lowdon Lauderdale and Lanerick wrote their sense of these Bills to His Majesty thus May it please Your Majesty and write to the King concerning them IT is of no advantage to expostulate about what is past either the carrying Your Majesty into that sad Place or the Prejudice Your Service and we suffer by Your Majesties Message for while You study to satisfie all You satisfie no Interest We shall insist on the grounds we went on at Hampton-Court and shall constantly press a Personal Treaty at London but not as the new Propositions do hold forth which if Your Majesty agrees to You divest Your Self and Your Posterity of the Militia for ever You settle this Army and Entertainment for it over Your Self and Your Majesties People perpetually and by giving leave to Adjournment You and Your Parliament shall be carried about at the Armies Pleasure as their Sub-Committee If Your Majesty will further enable us we shall by our Actions give more real testimonies how intirely we are Your Majesties most humble most faithful and most loyal Subjects and Servants LOWDON LAVDERDALE LANERICK 25th November 1647. With this Lanerick sent to His Majesty the Papers they gave in against the Bills and the other late Votes upon which the King wrote the following Letter Lanerick ALbeit that Letters can ill dispute at this distance yet I cannot but tell you His Majesty is well satisfied with their Papers that many things may be fitly offered to obtain a Treaty that may be altered when one comes to Treat and there is a great difference betwixt what I will insist on and what I will permit for the obtaining of a Peace Likewise it is neceâ—sary in many respects that I should seek to satisfie as far as I can with Conscience and Honour all chief Interests All these things impartially and duly considered I will boldly say My Message will not be found much amiss which recommending to Yâ—ur better consideration I must now desire You to give hearty thanks in My Name to your fellow-Commissioners of which though you take a large share to your self they will not want for their Paper of the 17th of this Month which was sent to the Two Houses for seriously it is as full to My sense as if I had penned it My Self And let me tell you that it will turn to the greatest Honour I say no more that ever befell you wherefore I conjure you by all that is dear to wise or honest men that you adhere close and constantly to it and as the Song sayes I ask no more So I rest Your most assured faithful real Friend CHARLES R. Carisbrook 29th November 1647. To which with another of that Date which His Majesty wrote to the three Lords which is not in the Writers hands they wrote the following Answers Sir They write again to the King IN answer to Your Majesties of
raised Regiments of five or six Troops on their own expences And though it is not to be imagined that the publick Expence of so great a Design was not likewise great yet there was a sad want of Money which the Duke and his Brother did all they could to supply as far as their Credit could go and raised above two and twenty thousand pounds sterling for prosecuting of the Engagement and were on all publick occasions so liberal of their own Money as if some Bank had been put into their hands The Curses the Ministers thundred against all who joyned in this Engagement made the Souldiers very heartless being threatned with no less than Damnation This obliged the Lords to use Force in some places for carrying on their Levies and indeed the Ministers counter-acting the State was such that it is hard to judge whether their Boldness or the Parliaments Patience was most to be wondred at The Lords resolved to chastise them to purpose in due time but judged the present time improper for it and to carry on the Levies the better the Parliament adjourned for three weeks So the Lords went to the several places of their Interests leaving a Committee behind them at Edinburgh but before their Adjournment they wrote the following Letter to the Presbyteries The Parliaments Letter to the Presbyteries THe many Scandals that are tâ—rown on our Actions by the favourers of Sectaries and haters of the Person of our King and Monarchical Government invite us to this extraordinary Address to you conjuring you as you will answer the Great God whose Servants you are not to suffer your selves to be possest with unjust and undeserved Prejudices against us and our Proceedings who have since our late Meeting in Parliament preferred no earthly thing to Religion and the promoving all the ends of our Covenant and have constantly used all real Endeavours to have carried on these Duties to the satisfaction of the most tender Consciences and especially by our great Compliance with the many Desires from the Commissioners of the General Assembly we have proceeded to greater discoveries of our Resolutions in the ways and means of managing of this present Service than possibly in prudence we ought to have done having so near and active Enemies to oppose us neither can it with any Truth or Iustice in any sort be alledged that we have in the least measure wronged or violated the least Priviledges and Liberties of the Church or taken upon us the determination or decision of any matters of Faith or Church-discipline though we be unjustly charged with making an Antecedent Iudgment in matters of Religion under pretence whereof great Encroachments are made on our unquestioned Rights for what can be more Civil than to determine what Civil Duties we ought to pay to our King or what Civil Power he ought to be possessed of and if we meet with obstructions and opposition in carrying on these Duties are not we the only Iudges thereof is there any other Authority in this Kingdom but that of King and Parliament and what flows from them that can pretend any Authoritative Power in the choice of the Instruments and Managers of our Publick Resolutions is it a Subject for the Dispute of Church-Iudicatories whether His Majesty have a Negative Voice or not These things certainly cannot be pretended to by any Kirk-man without a great Vsurpation over the Civil Magistrate whereof we are confident the Church of Scotland or any Iudicatory thereof will never be guilty nor fall into the Episcopal disease of meddling in Civil Affairs and if any have already in these Particulars exceeded their bounds we expect the ensuing General Assembly will censure it accordingly and prevent the vilifying and contemning the Authority of Parliament by any of their Ministers either in or out of their Pulpits who shall offer to stir up the Subjects of this Kingdom to disobey or deny to give Civil Obedience to their Laws it being expresly prohibited by the 2 and 5 Acts of King James the sixth his eighth Parliament Anno 1584. That none of His Majesties Subjects under pain of Treason impugne the Authority of Parliament And therefore seeing the Cause is the same for which this Kingdom hath done and suffered so much and that we are resolved to proceed for the Preservation and Defence of Religion before all wordly Interest whatsoever and to carry on sincerely really and constantly the Covenant and all the Ends of it as you will find by our Declaration herewith sent to you we do confidently expect that as the Ministers of this Kingdom have hitherto been most active and exemplary in furthering the former Expeditions so now you will continue in the same Zeal to stir up the People by your Preaching and Prayers and all other ways in your Calling to a chearful Obedience to our Orders and Engageing in the business that you will not give so great advantage to the Enemies of Presbyterial Government and bring so great a Scandal on this Church as to oppose the Authority of Parliament or obstruct their Proceedings in their necessary Duties for the good of Religion Honour and Happiness of the King and his Royal Posterity and the true Peace of His Dominions Signed by Order of Parliament Alex. Gibsone Clerk Regist. Edinburgh May 11 1648. The Parliament having resolved to raise an Army for the Kings Relief The Parliament sends for the Scotish Army in Ireland found it expedient for encreasing the number and strength of their Forces to send to Ireland for a part of their Scotish Army there which as was told An. 1642 had been sent from Scotland thither by Commission from the King under the Great Seal and upon a Treaty and Establishment betwixt the two Nations for suppressing the Irish Rebellion and for perswading them to desert for so Noble an Undertaking their Interest in Ireland which was very considerable for there was above seven hundred and seventy thousand pound sterling of Arrear resting to them upon a stated Accompt fitted by Persons intrusted by the Parliament of England and Commissioners from them preceding the 16th of Iune 1647 besides a year more until Iune 1648 not at all reckoned they sent over three of their number two Knights Sir Iames Macdougal and Sir William Cocheran now Earl of Dundonald and Mr. Crawford Burgess of Linlithgow with Letters and Instructions to that purpose They were kindly received by such of the Officers as had chief Power there but most unwelcome to a contrary Party who had notice how averse the Kirk to which they were addicted had declared themselves from the Designs of that Parliament nevertheless it was quickly agreed to that about twelve hundred Horse and two thousand and one hundred Foot should be provided and regimented and transported to Scotland to be conducted by Sir George Monro in the quality of a Major-General and to be joyned with the Dukes Armie At Westminster they were in great Confusion fearing that the General
both that they should have some honest Noblemen Commissioners here to reside at Edinburgh and that we shall have some at London that by Commutation of Counsels our Common Peace may be the better settled and continued You shall try if the Treaty betwixt the Kings Majesty and the Two Houses of Parliament be like to take effect and shall study to preserve the Interest of this Kingdom in the matter of the settling of the Peace of these Kingdoms and if you shall find there are real Grounds to hope an Agreement betwixt the King and the Two Houses in respect both Kingdomes are engaged in the same Cause and Covenant and have been and still are under the same Dangers and to the end our Peace may be more durable you shall endeavour that before any Agreement of Peace be made we may be first acquainted therewith An. 1649. that we may send up Commissions in relation to the Treaty with the King upon the Propositions and in relation to mutual Advice for the settling of the Peace of these Kingdomes and accordingly as you find the Two Houses inclined therein you shall give us Advertisement You shall according as upon the place it shall be found expedient present the same Desires to the Two Houses of Parliament in name of this Kingdome touching the Work of Reformation as shall be presented to them from this Kirk You shall assist Mr. Blair in this Imployment and take his advice and assistance in yours and give us Advertisement weekly how all matters goe You shall publish all Papers either concerning the Proceedings of the Church or of the Protesters which are necessary to be known You shall endeavour to keep a good Vnderstanding betwixt us and the City and the Assembly of Divines and strive to remove all Iealousies betwixt us and them or betwixt honest men amongst themselves You shall endeavour that honest men who have suffered for opposing the Engagement be not prejudiced but furthered in payment of the Sumes assigned unto them before the Engagement out of the two hundred thousand pound Sterling and Brotherly Assistance for publick Debts or Losses You shall acquaint the Speakers of both Houses with his Majesties Letter to this Committee and our Answer sent to Him You shall desire that the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Quality and considerable Officers of the Army that went into England under the Duke of Hamilton and which are now there Prisoners may be kept as Pledges of the Peace of the Kingdomes especially to prevent a new Disturbance in this Kingdome or Trouble from this Kingdome to England until the Peace of both be settled You shall acquaint the Two Houses with our Answer to that of L. General Cromwell 's of the sixth of this Instant and make use of the Grounds therein mentioned as you shall find occasion Their next Care was to look well to Lanerick Lanerick appointed to be secured but escapes to Holland and the other Engagers lest they should attempt somewhat against them the account of which shall be set down in a Letter Lanerick wrote to the Lord Chancellour when he left Scotland For in the end of Ianuary the Earl of Lauderdale came from Holland being commanded by the Prince to see what might be done there but he found all so discouraged and overpowered that no good was to be expected and he got advertisement from the Lord Balmerino that they designed to secure both Lanerick and himselfe and as he believed would deliver them up to the Parliament of England as Incendiaries whereupon they both resolved to go beyond Sea in the same Ship in which Lauderdale came and to offer their Service to the Prince The Letter follows My Lord ALbeit the Proceedings of the late Committee constituted of Dissenters against me was without president in Confining me a free Subject who was neither Guilty nor so much as accused of any Guilt or Breach of the Laws of the Kingdome for declining to sign a Declaration and Bond which even they themselves conceived in Iustice they could not enjoyn me to sign yet I did submit and went not without the Bounds limited for my Confinement until I was certainly informed that upon Wednesday last at a private and select Committee it was resolved I should instantly be Committed and the little Liberty left me taken from me for it seems that these private persons I speak not of Iudicatories who procured the severe Instructions given those employed to London against my Brother the Duke of Hamilton and the many Noble and Gallant Persons who are now in Bonds with him for their Loyal Endeavours to have rescued His Majesty from being murthered are not satisfied or think themselves secure while any enjoy their Liberties who would have been Instruments in that pious Duty to our Sovereign therefore I am forced to seek shelter and protection abroad since Innocency and Law and even Treaties and Publick Engagements prove now too weak Grounds for securing me at home And though this rigid and unparalellâ—d Procedure against me might have tempted the dullest and calmest nature to some Desperation yet I have still preferred the Peace and Quiet of Scotland to all my own Interests and I do ingeniously declare upon my Honour unto your Lordship that I neither have had neither do I know of any Design from abroad or at home of interrupting the same and now in whatsoever corner of the World it shall please the Lord to throw me as I shall endeavour by his assistance to maintain my Loyalty to my Prince untainted so I shall still preserve a perfect affection to the Peace and Happiness of my Country My prayers to God shall be that it may yet be instrumental of advancing the Work of Reformation and so fixing the Crowns of these Kingdomes upon the Head of our Soveraign Lord the King and of His Royal Progeny after Him that Faction and Rebellion may never be able to shake or interrupt their Government that Loyalty may lose the name of Malignancy and a good Christian may with Safety and without Scandal be and profess to be a good Subject that the Acts of unquestionable Parliaments and the Decrees of other Sovereign Iudicatories of this Kingdom may be Security sufficient to the Subjects to govern their Civil Actions by that they may be free of arbitrary Exactions and Impositions and may enjoy with Truth and Peace their Estates and Liberties without the tyrannous Encroachments of great men and other impowered persons and I am confident that the God of Heaven who will Iudge all the Iudges on earth will avenge the wrongs of the oppressed and in his own time restore me again to my Country who am now forced by unjust Persecution to flee from it This I shall patiently wait for and give your Lordship no more Trouble but desire you to make what use of this you think fit from My Lord Your Lordships most humble Servant LANERICK Dirleton 25th January 1649. But now I return to prosecute what remains to
is not yet settled is The King writes to him that this long time I have attended the coming of him your self thought fittest to be trusted in it he is now on the way and shall no sooner be arrived but the direction shall be given as I have already promised you I doubt not but your want forced you to leave me but mine shall not hinder me to help yours and I am sure likewise that as you see I do not forget your Turns you will at this occasion of the late Commission I have sent down shew your self forward in mine So farewel Your constant loving Friend CHARLES R. New-Market 4. March 1627 In another he writes James HAving as I hope dispatched your Business and invites him to Court I must tell you it was ill luck and not ill will that made it so long adoing and likewise of the importunity of a House of Women for calling you hither but it may be the company of some where you are will make you give a negligent Ear to those that are here yet I doubt not but when you know as these lines do assure you that you cannot come before you shall be welcome to your best Friends here that your stay will not be long where you are So referring you for other business to the Bearer your man I rest Your loving constant Friend CHARLES R. The first day of the Year 1628. But the Marquis excused himself upon the great Encumbrances were on his fortune But he prefers a Country retir'd life to the Court. which made it impossible for him to live at Court in the rank that became his quality he seemed also at that time to be in love with a retired life and spent much of his time in the Isle of Arran It cannot be denied to be without example to see a King entreating his Subject to accept of the Favours and Honours he designed for him when he was with much humble modesty declining these Royal Offers But as the King pressed his return to Court very earnestly he was likewise solicited to it by a great many of chief rank there and by none more warmly than by the Duke of Buckingham with the greatest and heartiest offers of all the friendship and service he could do him yet he continued in Scotland till the end of the year 1628. and all the while kept himself at a distance from publick Affairs not medling in any thing beyond his private concernment An. 1628. but his sweet and obliging temper took exceedingly with all people In the end of the year 1628. his Father-in-law Earl Denbigh came down to press his return to Court Earl Denbigh comes for him with a new and kind invitation from the King expressed in the following Letter Hamilton I Have taken this occasion by Denbigh's going to affirm to you under my own hand the Message Traquair brought to you from me I need say little more at this time because according to your Letter I look that you should be quickly here which again I assure you will be well done So referring you to your Father Denbigh I rest Your assured constant Friend CHARLES R. Hampton-Court 25 Sept. 1628. The Earl of Denbigh brought also with him from his Majesty the offer of the Master of the Horse his place He goes to Court and is made Master of the Horse which was fallen by the murther of the Duke of Buckingham This earnest and noble Message brought and enforced by such a Bearer could be no longer refused therefore in the end of the year he went to Court where he was presently made Master of the Horse and Gentleman of the Kings Bed-chamber and Privy Counsellour in both Kingdomes and the King used him with so much tender kindness that his carriage to him spoke more of the affection of a Friend than of the power of a Master he called him always Iames both when he spoke to him and of him His usage at Court as an expression of his familiarity with him and it was presently observed by all that none had more of the Kings heart than he posâ—essed But as high favour with a Prince is ever attended with envy and jealousie and behaviour there so he missed not his share of it from those who were looking on him as the rising Favourite though as he bore that Character worthily he managed it prudently for he neither studied to engross things to himself nor his kindred he grew not insolent upon favour nor impatient of Competitours neither did he obtrude himself upon the management of particular Affairs but did rest satisfied with the Royal marks of his Masters favour which upon all occasions were poured on him liberally The great Design which at this time possest the King wholly was about the affairs of Germany The Affairs of Germany and the recovery of the Palatinat with the rescue of his Sister and her Posterity from the ruine which was not only hanging over them but had already overwhelmed them I need not here resume the too-well-known occasions of these Troubles nor tell how the Wars of Boheme first began nor how the Prince Elector Palatine being chosen their King did by accepting that Crown involve himself and all Germany in a tract of the most lasting and bloody Wars that have been heard of The new-elected King was scarce well-settled on his Throne when it was not only shaken but overturned and the Emperour An. 1629. with the assistance of Spain and the Duke of Bavaria who was thirsting after his Cousins Dignities and Dominions was not content with the recovery of his own Dominions but carried his conquering Eagles into the Palatinat which not being able to resist so powerful an Invasion was forced under his obedience and the Electoral Dignity was by the Emperour afterwards translated to the Duke of Bavaria King Iames was very much displeased with his Son-in-law for engaging in the affair of Boheme but could not be unconcerned when he saw the ruine of his Family following upon it yet his inclinations to Peace overruled his other resentments and his hopes to prevail by Treaties made him still delay entring into Action for at that time the Treaty of the match with Spain was on foot and the King was abused by the Spaniards and made believe the Palatinat should be again restored but his slowness in that missed not the severe censures of all Europe King Iames left his Crowns and Designs to his Son who judged himself bound by all Ties divine and humane to see to the recovery of the Palatinat and the stopping of the Imperial success which by a great Torrent of victories was become formidable and burthensome to all the Princes of Germany yet the opposition the King met in some Parliaments which were dissolved soon after their meeting made his Designs go on slowly But to ravel no further into matters without the lines of this Narration The Marquis was no sooner at Court but the Queen
beyond the diligence and industry of a fee'd Lawyer So referring my self for what else I have to say at this time to him I rest Your constant loving Friend and Cousin CHARLES R. London the last of April 1632. POSTSCRIPT I hope shortly you will be in a possibility to perform your promise concerning Pictures and Statues at Muneken therefore now in earnest do not forget it All this Summer the Marquis followed the King of Sweden in the quality of a Volunteer The King of Sweden refuseth to give a new Commission of which he was sufficiently weary but he found that King was so jealous of him that he was not to expect any Trust near or in the Palatinat where he desired most earnestly to be imployed and that he did put him daily off in which the King of Sweden's design was that by his Impatience he might be quickned to carry on the Treaty with England on any terms But no consideration of his own could make him betray his Masters Service or drive on Propositions which he judged so dishonourable for him as were those he offered about the Palatinat wherefore he wrote to His Majesty to receive his positive Commands what to do His Majesties Answer follows James I Have received three Letters from you by James Lesley about the 25th of July all which I assure you have given me very good satisfaction as well for your right understanding of Affairs in general as to give me a light how to direct yours in particular which at this time is tâ—e onely subject of mine One of two you must chuse either to stay or come away For the first it were very Honourable to doe in the timis of Action if you had an Employment but neither having nor likely to have any hereafter it were dulness not patience to stay any longer yet it is fit to come off handsomly neither shewing impatience nor discontentment if may be although I think you have cause for both therefore I have commanded Henry Vane to propose a new Employment fâ—r you which though I think it will not take effect yet it will shew there is no way unsought for to find you out an Employment with the King of Sweden It is that you may be sent into the Palatinat to assist the French with so many men as my Contribution will maintain which if it may be done they promise me to put the lower Palatinat in my hands This though I do not hold as Gospel yet if this design might be put in practice it might certainly prove useful to my Affairs this being denied as I think it will you have no more to doe but to seek a fair excuse to come home which will be best in my opinion upon the conclusion of the Treaty between Sweden and Me or if any rubs arise that you might be sent to clear it with me So that upon the whole matter my Iudgment is that if you cannot serve me in the Palatinat as I have already said the best way is that you take the first civil excuse to come home to Your loving Cousin and faithful Friend CHARLES R. Oatland 1 Aug. 1632. POSTSCRIPT David Ramsay will as I imagine meet with you before you come hither which if he doe I hope you will remember what I have said concerning him already But at this time Oxenstern demanded a League Offensive and Defensive between the Crowns of Britain and Sweden and that the making of Peace in Germany should be onely in the King of Swedens hands This varying wholly from the former Treaty wherein they had onely treated about the Affairs of Germany and whereby no Peace could be without the Kings consent the Ambassadour and he broke up in very ill terms and on the back of this the Marquis pressing the King of Sweden to assign him a Country for levying a new Army The Treaty breaks up His Majesty answered him with a new delay but he told that King that he had been now fifteen moneths from his own Country and though he had been at a vast expence he had received nothing in that Service and that his Heart was too great to be a perpetual Volunteer as he had been these divers moneths past wherefore he pressed for a present Answer The King of Sweden confessed he had reason to be weary and he acknowledged the great obligation he had to him and that he would always look upon him as one of his best Friends but said the blame of all the delays he met with fell on the English Ambassadour on whom he fell a-railing with the greatest passion that the Marquis had ever seen him in The King of Sweden in â—reat passion and in a huffing way pulled the Marquis his Hat out of his hand and clapped it on his own head and went stamping up and down the room in great rage The Marquis shunned the Discourse since as he could not condemn the Ambassadour so he would not irritat the King of Sweden by an ill-timed Justification of him but the chief reason of his passion was that many of the Princes of Germany were beginning to talk that their Deliverer was like to prove a greater Tyrant than the Emperour had ever been and he suspected the Ambassadour was Caballing with them But the Marquis seeing nothing but delays desired liberty to return to England that he might levy a new Army and remove any Misunderstandings were betwixt his Master and the King of Sweden This Proposition was so fair that it could not be refused so on the 8th of September the King signed a Commission to him for bringing over a new Army The Marquis returns to England and gave him Instructions for ending the Treaty with the King and a little after that he took leave of him and was dismissed by the King of Sweden and all about him with very high expressions of Friendship that King telling him that in whatsoever place of the World he were he would ever look upon him as one of his own As he was returning home he received the following Letter from the King James I Wrote to you in my last to find a pretext to come home but now I must tell you it is not fit to stay any longer where you are for the impossibility of your Employment there and the necessity of your business here requires your return so that at this time I 'le say no more but Nil mihi rescribas attamen ipse veni for you shall be no sooner come than welcome to Your faithful Friend and Cousin CHARLES R. Hampton-Court 24 Sept. 1632. And thus ended the Marquis his Expedition into Germany wherein if he missed that Success which himself or others had expected it was no miscarriage nor neglect of his own nor could it be said that he had failed in a jot of what he undertook though almost in every particular the King of Sweden failed to him neither was any thing so much the occasion of these neglects he met
Breach might follow betwixt him and his Native Kingdom but on the other hand he could not permit them to go both because of the Reasons he had alledged and the Fears he had of their engaging with the Parliament and chiefly that all his Councellours and Officers at Oxford were so far against it that he heard it was whispered amongst them that they would all forsake him if he gave them leave since they held themselves assured that the Design of their going was to bring an Army from Scotland wherefore he intreated Lindsay would serve him in that Particular which he undertook frankly though he added he had small hopes since he had already attempted as much as he could with no Success But as he left His Majesty he made a Visit in his way to his Lodgings where he met the Earl of Crawford who told him plainly That though the King should consent to their going to London thither should they never get for a great many were resolved to lie in their way and cut them all to pieces ere they were many miles from Oxford This he confirmed to him with many Oaths adding that as the King knew nothing of it so it would not be in his power to hinder it and out of kindness to my Lord Lindsay he advised him not to go though the Chancellour went With this Lindsay came to his Lodgings and shewed the Lord Chancellour the hazard not only their Lives would be in but of the irreparable Breach would follow upon it which being considered by them it was resolved they should pass from their Desires and crave the Kings Commands for Scotland since they would not offend him by the importunity of an unacceptable Mediation which they accordingly did to His Majesties great satisfaction And so they took leave the Chancellour with the other Commissioners going for Scotland only Lindsay returned to London Upon this His Majesty sent all the Scotish Lords then at Court to Scotland to serve him there who were the Earls of Morton Roxburgh Kinnoul Annandale Lanerick and Carnwath but before they could be dispatched he sent Mr. Murray to Scotland with an account of his opinion about the Services his Friends might do him there who came by York and brought from the Queen the following Letter to the Marquis in answer to what he had written to Her Majesty which though written in French as all Her private Letters were yet I shall set down translated in English that all may run more smoothly Cousin I Received your Letter with the assurances of the Continuance of your Aâ—fection of which I hold my self secure and make no doubt to see both the effects of it and of that which you promised me at your parting concerning my Lord of Argyle Will. Murray came yesterday from Oxford as for News from hence I refer you to Henry Jermine who will give you an account of them I shall only tell you that the Scotish Lords who were with the King are on their way for Scotland so likewise are the Commissioners that were with the King You will know from Will. Murray the Kings Answers to the Propositions which you made me at York I am very glad to know by Your Letter as likewise by what my Lord Montgomery hath told me the Protestations General Lesly makes concerning the Armies in Ireland and now when all the Kings Servants shall be together you must think of the means for preserving that Army for my part I know not what to say farther about it I am now upon my going to the King and hope to part hence within ten dayes If there be any thing that hath occurred of late I shall be glad to know it and that you will believe how much I am Your affectionate Cousin and Friend HENRIETA MARIA R. About the beginning of May Lowdon and the other Commissioners came down and a day after them came the Earl of Morton who told the Marquis They proceed to final Resolutions in Scotland that in a few days he should see the Earls of Roxburgh Kinnoul and Lanerick with the Kings Instructions but by reason of Kinnoul's Infirmity and Roxburgh's Age they moved slowly On the 21th of May the Iunto of the Church-party moved that there might be a Joynt-meeting of the Council and Conservatours of the Peace and Commissioners for Publick Burdens to consider of the present State of Affairs The Marquis and Morton resisted this all they could but they were over-ruled and so these Judicatories met to them it was proposed that considering the hazard the Nation was in by reason of Armies which were now levying in the North of England there was a necessity of putting the Kingdom in a posture of Defence which could not be done without a Convention of Estates or a Parliament wherefore it was moved that a Convention of Estates should be presently called The Marquis argued much against it shewing that this was to encroach upon the Kings Prerogative in the highest degree and so would be a direct Breach of the Peace with the King and against the Laws of the Land adding Was this all the Acknowledgment they gave the King for his late Gracious Concessions for this struck at the root of his Power In this he was seconded by my Lord Morton but most vigorously by Sir Thomas Hope the Kings Advocate who debated against it so fully from all the Laws and constant Practice of Scotland that no Answer could be alledged and indeed discharged his Duty so faithfully that the Marquis forgave him all former errors for that dayes Service But it was in vain to argue where the Resolution was taken on Interest more than Reason so it was carried that the Lord Chancellour should summon a Convention of Estates against the 22th of Iune A Convention of Estates is called This Resolution being taken they gave Advertisement of it to the King in the following Letter which all who Voted against it refused to sign Most Dread Sovereign THe extreme necessity of the Army sent from this Kingdom by Order from Your Majesty and the Parliament here against the Rebellion in Ireland the want of means for their necessary Supply through the not payment of the Arrears and Maintenance due to them by the Parliament of England the delay of the Payment of the Brotherly Assistance so necessary for the relief of the Common Burdens of this Kingdom by reason of the unhappy Distractions in England and the sense of the danger of Religion of Your Majesties Royal Person and of the Common Peace of Your Kingdoms have moved Your Majesties Privy Council the Commissioners for conserving the Peace and Common Burdens to joyn together in a Common Meeting for acquitting our selves in the Trust committed to us by Your Majesty and the Estates of Parliament and having found after long Debate and mature Deliberation that the Matters before-mentioned are of so Publick Concernment of so deep Importance and so great Weight that they cannot be determined by us in such a
he had a Commission for it under the Great Seal of England it being contrary to the Articles of the late Treaty of the two Kingdoms which was ratified in Parliament At this time the Treaty betwixt the Two Houses in England The Treaty betwixt Scotland and England is concluded and the Convention in Scotland was closed Against the 5th of October a hundred thousand pounds Sterling was to be paid in Scotland and against the Twentieth of that Month an Army of Twenty thousand Horse and Foot was to be on the Borders from Scotland who were to have thirty thousand pounds Sterling a Month for Pay only the hundred thousand pounds Sterling was to serve for the first three Months The General was to be chosen by the Scots the Army was to receive Orders from a Commitee of both Kingdoms no Peace should be treated or concluded without the Scots and the Publick Faith was given by the Convention of Estates in Scotland that their Army should return out of England when a Peace was concluded by both Kingdoms And so the Convention Adjourned till Ianuary having chosen a Committee of Estates to whom they gave full Power in all matters Civil and Military About the middle of September the fairest opportunity of all was lost for the Parliament of England apprehending the hazard of the loss of Berwick sent down some Ships by which Berwick seized on by the Parliament with the Concurrence of the Scots it was presently Garrisoned and the Committee of Estates issued out toward the middle of September Commissions for making of Levies â—hrough the Kingdom so that nothing kept them from Marching but that they heard not of Money from England The Kings Friends were now in the greatest perplexities imaginable they saw his Affairs in a ruining Condition and themselves able to do nothing but regrate it All September passed over ere they had a return from Oxford and since the hope of Berwick was irrecoverably lost nothing remained but Despair The Church-party became daily more resolute and the Kings-party became fainter At length in the beginning of October Mr. Mungo Murray came from Court but brought no present Relief only large hopes of Assistance to follow quickly He also brought Letters from the King both to the Council and the Conservatours of the Peace that to the Conservatours of the Peace follows CHARLES R. RIght Trusty and Right well-beloved Cousins and Councellours Right Trusty and well-beloved Councellours and Trusty and well-beloved The Kings Letters to the Conservatours of the Treaty We greet you well No Industry hitherto could have so far prevailed with Vs as to gain any belief that Our Scotish Subjects would countenance much less assist this bloody Rebellion in England yet We know not how to understand the Levying of Forces both Foot and Horse within Our Native Kingdom and their entring Our Town of Berwick in an hostile manner You are particularly trusted by Vs and Our Parliament and solemnly sworn to be faithful in the discharge of that Trust of seeing the Articles of the late Treaty observed which here is most grosly violated therefore We require you as you will be answerable to God to Vs and Our Parliament to take speedy and present Order for recalling and suppressing those Forces Our most malicious Enemies must bear Vs witness how religiously We have observed these Articles on Our part whereof if We had not been more tender than the advisers of the Breach have been of the Publick Faith it is obvious to any how easily We could have secured that Town from all Rebels We have likewise thought fit to take notice of the private Preparations in that Our Kingdom of Raising an Army by a new Authority to come into Our Kingdom of England under the pretence of securing themselves from a Popish and Prelatical Army falsly alledged to be upon the Borders such Forces as We have there being only for Protecting of Our distressed Subjects from the Incursion of Rebels from their Ships at Berwick and Holy-Island and for no other end Such then as shelter themselves under that Pretext will find from thence but a slender Warrant before God who knows the integrity of Our Heart and how inviolably We intend to preserve all that We have granted to that Kingdom so long as they suffer themselves to be capable of Our Protection and those Favours We do require you not only to oppose and suppress all such unwarrantable Levies but by your Publick Declaration to disabuse those Rebels in England who endeavour to engage you in their Rebellion and expect Assistance from you in all which We look for ready Obedience and expect a present account thereof We bid you heartily farewell Given at Our Court at Oxford the 26th day of September in the 19th Year of Our Reign 1643. The Letter to the Council follows CHARLES R. The Kings Letter to the Council RIght Trusty and Right well-beloved Cousins and Councellours and Trusty and well-beloved Councellours We greet you well Whereas Our desire of preserving Peace within Our Native Kingdom and preventing such Disputes which malicious Instruments might so heighten as to divide Vs and any of Our Scotish Subjects moved Vs by Our Letter of the tenth of June to dispense with the unwarrantable Calling together of the Nobility Commissioners of Shires and Burroughs at Edinburgh the twenty second of June 1643 and so far to give way to the Meeting as to allow them to take into Consideration the best ways of Maintaining Our Scotish Army in Ireland for Suppressing of that bloody Rebellion there since Our Two Houses of Parliament here had failed in the performance of the Treaty concluded upon betwixt the Two Nations for that effect and likewise for such other Particulars as Our said Letter doth more fully contain expecting they would have limited their Resolutions thereunto and paid an equal Gratitude of Duty and Obedience to Vs and Our Iust Commands as We have so lately and so many ways expressed Our Affection to that Our Kingdom in General and so many Members of that Meeting in their own particulars all which notwithstanding they have proceeded to Resolutions as unjustifiable as their Meeting and would engage Our Subjects to an Obedience of their Arbitrary Commands beyond the Power of any of the most Free and Lawful Conventions of the Estates Our Authority and Consent being so absolutely contemned that they have exâ—eeded the Bounds We have prescribed and proceeded to Conclusions of the highest nature without so much as acquainting Vs therewith Such high Indignities to Vs and Our Authority make Vs believe they have forgot they have a King and their Oaths in preserving Vs in Our Iust Power as their King but God will discover and punish such undutiful Thoughts how closely soever they be clouded with pretences of Safety to Religion and Liberty which they know will ever be dearer to Vs than Our Own Preservation Our good Subjects will likewise suffer with Vs by their heavy Taxes upon
that he might make trial of all those large professions of Affection and Duty they had alwayes made This Design was communicated to the Earl of Lauderdale then at London but he as he informed the Writer studied to disswade His Majesty from it assuring him that he knew the Army and the Church-party whiâ—h then prevailed in Scotland would not be firm to him unless he yielded to their Demands about Religion but notwithstanding that upon some slender Assurances got from Mons. de Montrevil Agent from the French King His Majesty went to the Scotish Army the particulars whereof and of the subsequent as well as fore-going Publick Affairs not being the chief business of these Memoires little more is any-where toucht of them than what is necessary for making out the thread of the Dukes Concerns so as it may set them in their true light The Commissioners are sent to him from Scotland Assoon as this was known at Edinburgh the Committee of Estates which was then sitting sent the Earl of Lanerick and some others to wait on His Majesty with great expressions of their Duty and good Intentions protesting how dear the Preservation of His Sacred Person and His Just Power and Greatness should ever be to them wherefore they expected His Majesty would give full satisfaction to the Just Desires of His Subjects and as a preparation to this that He would recall any Commissions He had given against the Kingdom of Scotland But these Commissioners were ordered to do nothing that might raise Jealousies betwixt the Kingdoms and therefore were to Treat joyntly with such Commissioners as should be sent from the Two Houses And as they of Scotland sent their Commissioners with these Instructions yet extant so they emitted a Proclamation forbidding any to go out of the Kingdom without Publick Permission which was done to hinder those of the Kings Party from coming to him What Reception my Lord Lanerick had from His Majesty doth not appear to me but I find he was very quickly as well seated in the King's Affection and Confidence as ever On the 13th of May the Scotish Commissioners presented their first Paper which went not beyond general things containing a Welcome with an offer of their Service according to the Covenant But in their next Paper they pressed the King to send a Message to his Two Houses for a Happy Peace who press the King to settle matters not being satisfied with that Letter he had formerly written to the Speaker of the House of Peers since no grounds were laid down for a Pacification a Treaty being only in general terms desired Of all these Papers that passed the Originals do yet remain Next day the King called both for the chief Officers of the Army The King complains of the ill usage he met with and the Commissioners sent to him out of Scotland and in presence of Mons. de Montrevil did expostulate That whereas He had come to their Army upon the Assurances Mons. de Montrevil had given him that He should be safe in His Person Honour and Conscience the two last were not kept for he was pressed to settle Religion as they desired wherewith his Conscience was not satisfied next His Subjects had not free access to Him but Proclamations were issued out forbidding them to come to Him neither was the Ceremony due to Him as King suffered to be paid Him at His entry to Newcastle and lastly His Servants were not suffered to wait on Him And His Majesty attested Montrevil if those conditions were not made to Him who confidently affirmed it in all their presence and that he had the authentick Assurances in French The Commissioners retired to think of an answer but when they returned they desired His Majesty would put Montrevil to it to declare what those Assurances were and who gave them but this was not done Next they said they would not Treat with the King in his Presence nor admit of the interposition of any Foreign Agents betwixt them and their Native Prince And the Commissioners of the Army resolved that no suspected Person should be suffered to wait on the King with which His Majesty was highly displeased and for some days would not eat in publick but only in his Chamber But because there were many in the Army who would have engaged cordially for the King on any terms to lesâ—en the apprehension of this they got a Petition to be signed by almost all the Considerable Officers of the Army yet extant that His Majesty would settle Religion according to the Covenant and that He would enter into it Himself and authorize it by His Command On the 18th of May His Majesty wrote another Letter to the Two Houses desiring them to send Propositions for Peace and in order to that The King moves for a Treaty He again offered to put the Militia into their hands for 7 years as had been offered at Vxbridge He demanded also a Safe-conduct for sending Orders to stop all further Proceedings in Ireland since He was resolved to leave the management of that War wholly to the Two Houses He shewed His Letter to the Scotish Commissioners but because it contained no Offer about Religion they were not satisfied with it yet it was sent The next thing the Commissioners from Scotland moved was that His Majesty would recall the Commissions He had given out against the Scotish Nation for the clearing whereof somewhat must be resumed that passed in those years which I have run over so hastily In the beginning of the year 1644. the King gave a Commission to the Marquis of Montrose A short Account of Montrose's Affairs to see what could be done in Scotland by Force for diverting the Army that was then entring into England He had great hopes of making a strong Party in Scotland and doubted not but he should be able with the Assistance Antrim undertook to send him out of Ireland to give the Scotish Army work enough at home but his hopes failed him for all were so over-awed by the Power of the Covenanters that none would stir till about the end of the year Some came out of Ireland but far short of the number that was promised and with these and a few of the Scotish Nation he adventured to disturb the Covenanters the particular Narration of whose Enterprizes is not to be here prosecuted This was judged by all a bold and desperate Attempt for as his Force was small so they wanted Arms and every thing necessary Some of the Wisest of the Covenanters advised them not to engage with him in any Action except on terms full of advantage but to follow him up and down whither he went securing the Country from Spoil and Plunder for they judged that his Men being so unprovided as they understood they were would not hold out long in the Hills but be forced either to lay down their Arms or break out in Mutinies among themselves whereby they should have been starved with
to come and wait on Him And for the Militia the Scots had declared themselves satisfied with the Kings Concessions about it wherefore He desired they would stick to Him according to their Promises As for Religion He desired they would represent to those who were best-affected how dangerous it would be to insist too much on that at this time when the greatest hazard was from the Sectaries and that His Majesties consenting to a temporary Establishment of what they craved did put them in a fair way to their Desires And beside all this it was recommended to them to procure a delay of the Desire for an answer to the Propositions till the 16th of September When these Instructions were given them the King desired their promise first of Secrecy next of Fidelity in discharging what was intrusted to them for the second they undertook it but refused the first except the King also promised Secrecy His Majesty presently apprehended their Design was that the Duke and his Brother might understand nothing of their Imployment and finding it was a thing wherein neither of them was concerned He thought it unfit to disoblige Argyle by that Refusal since he was so able to serve him if he should be Cordial in it and He was secure of the two Brothers that if they mistook His Reservedness it would be easie for Him to clear Himself afterwards Yet this Secret was ill-kept among them for the Earl of Lauderdale had notice of it as he told the Author before they came to London but opposed much the seeking a Delay to a prefixed day since he knew that could not be granted without adding a dreadful Sanction of Deposing the King in case a favourable Answer came not against the day appointed and found it would be easier to procure a Delay by other Methods than by asking it The Duke and his Brother were much troubled with the Kings Reservedness in that Affair but assoon as they understood the ground of it they were satisfied But what success that Negotiation had or how it was managed doth not appear to me from any of the Duke's Papers In the beginning of August the Duke went to Scotland where his greatest Care was to see what could be done to get the Committee of Estates to be satisfied with the Kings Concessions The Duke deals with the Committee of Estates to get them to acquiesce in His Majesties Concessions representing to them how they did at once put England in the possession of the desired Church-Government and set the other out of the way which was a great stop to their full satisfaction He desired they would consider how inhumane and unchristian it was to force the Kings Conscience and how much it favoured of the Violence they had lately condemned in the Bishops It was visible that nothing but Conscience could be imagined to lye in the way of the Kings Accepting the Propositions and were His Majesty like many Princes to swallow down all things and belch them up at their Pleasure there would be less ado made but the Kings sticking at what He could not yield did abundantly secure them of His making good to them all that was promised On the other hand they were to consider that if they should now desert the King and bring their Army out of England it would make them odious through the whole World and the payment of the Arrears of their Army would pass under a far worse Character Besides England was divided and the Party that was most prevalent among them waâ— the Independent with the other Sectaries who would never carry on the Settlement of Religion and by their present carriage at London it appeared what Friendship they had for Scotland wherefore he moved earnestly that their Army should not be brought out of England till a firm Peace should be established according to the first Treaty Anno 1643. but was opposed by the Ministers This did shake many but some of the Leading Church-men were not satisfied with this and represented to their Party that all this was said smoothly to engage them to the Kings Quarrel which they were resolved never to do till the Covenant were taken by Him Neither were they well-satisfied with the Duke for his being instrumental in the Agreement with Montrose and his Party and it was preached to his face that all the Bloud that was lately shed would lye on them and their Posterity who for the pleasing of men had procured such Favour to the Enemies of God and of his Cause and People In the end of August they sent the Duke with the Earls of Crawford and Casilis and some others to deal with His Majesty for a speedy granting of the Propositions The Duke is sent to the King to obtain from him the granting the Propositions and to represent to him all the inconveniences that followed even upon a Delay much more upon a Denial The Duke had no willingness to the Employment misdoubting the Success and knowing his engaging avowedly in such a Message would be misrepresented but there was no avoiding of it for had he declined it he would have been suspected of being an ill Instrument and of Aversion from the thing which would have disabled him much from going on with the Kings Service They came to Newcastle in the beginning of September where they discharged themselves of their Commission to the full But the King answered them in the following Paper yet extant under His Majesties Hand My Lords I Shall begin by answering what you have now said for I assure you I had not thus long delayed My Answer The Kings Answer to their Desires but to weigh fully those Reasons and Arguments which you have laid before Me whereby to use the uttermost of My Endeavours to give you all poâ—sible Satisfaction for you having told Me nothing but what I have heard before the change of Answer could hardly be expected And now I do earnestly desire you to consider what it is that I desire which is To be heard which if a King should refuse to any of His Subjects He would for that be thought a Tyrant For this if I had but slight Reasons it were the less to be regarded but they are such upon which such a Peace as we all desire doth depend for albeit it is possible that if I should grant all you desire a Peace might be slubbered up yet it is impossible that it should be durable unless there should be a right Vnderstanding betwixt Me and My People which cannot be without granting of what I desire Yet I desire to be rightly understood for though many like to Esops Fable will call Ears Hornes yet let men say what they will I am far from giving you a Negative nay I Protest against it My only Desire being to be heard for I am confident that upon Debate I shall so satisfie them in some things as likewise I believe they may satisfie me in many things that we shall come to
least you will find that according to My Professions I am Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. His Majesty also expressed His Concerns for Traquair in the following Letter Lanerick ALbeit I am confident that you will further all My Friends Affairs yet I must not be so negligent in Traquair's behalf as not to name his business to you for admittance to his Place in Parliament of which I will say no more but you know his Sufferings for Me and this is particularly recommended to you by Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. Newcastle 17th November 1646. POSTSCRIPT I account writing to you or your Brother all one They consult in Scotland how to dispose of their Armies But the main Business was what to do with their Armies that were in England The Kingdom was groaning under a heavy and unsupportable Burden for their Maintenance so disbanding was a very plausible Motion and all desired that only such Forces should be kept up as were necessary for the Preservation and Security of Scotland The Duke and his Brother regrated much that so many Gallant Men should be disbanded who might be very useful for the Kings Service therefore they opposed all these Propositions arguing that till a final Peace were settlâ—d in England they might look for no Security to Scotland And in their Letters to His Majesty they continued to represent the desperate estate of Affairs if he did not quickly satisfie them in the business of Religion and that the Money for the Pay of the Army was now coming in daily at London and would be quickly ready and after that was sent down they could not keep the Army any longer in England without a present Breach to which they found no inclinations in the Scotish Parliament as long as they were not satisfied in what was so earnestly desired But the King was firm to his first Resolution Master Lesley at his return to the King brought him such assurances of the Affection and Duty of both the Brothers that the next Dispatch carried the following Letters to them Hamilton I Remember yet so much Latine as an old Proverb comes to which is quod valde volumus id sacile credimus This I apply to Robin Lesley's report of your Carriage in My present Service concerning which I will only say that you shall not more certainly make good what he hath promised Me in your Name than I will to you what he hath said in Mine and even in something by way of speaking beyond My Power I doubt not but to make it good as concerning your French particular But I shall leave all things not only of this nature to this honest Bearers relation but likewise whatsoever else may concern the Service of Your most assured real faithful constant Friend CHARLES R. Newcastle 24th Nov. 1646. Lanerick I Have according to your Advice given a quick Return to this Trusty Bearer having instructed him fully in what I conceive necessary to My Affairs wherein in many things I have given him a Latitude to govern them according to your Directions wherefore I will say no more because if I should enter into Particulars I would not know how to end but that with Contentment I find daily more and more cause to be Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. Newcastle 24th November 1646. POSTSCRIPT I recommend particularly the Earl of Morton's Affairs Matters were now ripening unto much Confusion and Mischief which made His Majesty think of a full Answer to the Propositions but before He sent it to London He communicated it to my Lord Lanerick in the following Letter Newcastle 4th Decemb. 1646. Lanerick The Kings Letter about His Answer to the Propositions ACcording to My Promise by little Nobs I send you here inclosed the Answer which I have resolved to send to London wherein you will find a Clause in favour of the Independents to wit the Forbearance I give to those who have Scruples of Conscience and indeed I did it purposely to make what I send relish the better with that kind of People But if My Native Subjects will so countenance this Answer that I may be sure they will stick to Me in what concerns My Temporal Power I will not only expunge that Clause but likewise make what Declarations I shall be desired against the Independents and that really without any reserve or equivocation yet know that no Perswasion or Threatning whatsoever shall make Me alter a tittle of any thing else in it nor that neither but upon these Assurances The end therefore why I send you this before it go to the English Parliament is to try before-hand how I can procure it to be countenanced by My Scotish Friends for which you are to use all possible industry not seeking a full Approbation but taking what you can get absolutely commanding you not to hazard it in a Publick Way unless you be sure that I shall receive no rub in it For this I conceive it were a wrong to you to use any Arguments to make you do your best but to tell you this is Coup de partie assuring you that I shall not judge you by the Event but by your Endeavours which I am confident will be according to your Professions and for Gods sake do not so much as expect much less linger after any other or further matter from Me whereby to serve Me in this great Business for upon the Faith of a Christian you shall have no more than what is now laid before you And know that I rather expect the worse than the better Event of things being resolved by the Grace of God and without the least repining at him to suffer any thing that Injury can put upon Me rather than sin against My Conscience of which upon My credit you see the furthest Extent in relation to the present Affairs I say no more but difficilia quae pulchra and so God bless your Endeavours Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. POSTSCRIPT In order to that I have written and sent you herein I have commanded this Trusty Bearer Sir James Hamilton to tell you as many things as I can remember whom I desire you to return to Me or some other Trusty Messenger assoon as you may with what I am to expect from thence The inclosed Paper is marked on the back by the Kings Hand thus The Answer to the Propositions which I have resolved to send to London which I insert because it is not among His Majesties Printed Messages His Majesties Answer to the Propositions tendered to Him by the Commissioners from the Lords and Commons in the Parliament of England at Westminster and the Commissioners of the Parliament of Scotland CHARLES R. AS it is His Majesties chief desire to make such a Return to the Propositions The Kings Answer to the Propositions as may speedily produce a blessed firm and lasting Peace in all His Dominions so He hath employed His uttermost endeavours
to give a full and particular Answer to every Branch of them But the more He considers the nature of them together with the high Importance and variety contained therein not without some ambiguity as well in the several Propositions as also in comparing the one with the other so much the more He finds it necessary to desire the help of Explanation Debate and Conference concerning some of them as he touched in His Paper whereby His Vnderstanding may be informed in those things which as yet are not clear to Him His Reason may be more fully convinced and His Conscience so satisfied that without offence to either of them He may make such a particular distinct Answer as may best attain His Desires of satisfying them and though for the present His Majesty at this distance from His Two Houses wants the view of many necessary Papers and other Assistances yet at what disadvantage soever He will apply Himself to give all the satisfaction that is in His power desiring He may not be mis-interpreted in any thing He shall say or omit His Majesties Answer to the first Proposition is That upon His Majesties coming to London He will heartily joyn in all that shall concern the Honour of His two Kingdoms or the Assembly of Estates of Scotland or of the Commissioners or Deputies of either of them and particularly in those things which are desired in that Proposition upon confidence that all of them respectively with the same tenderness will look upon those things which concern His Majesties Honour Concerning all the Propositions touching Religion His Majesty says that He has often and solemnly professed His Opinion concerning Episcopacy to which He refers Himself yet considering the present Distractions about Religion which are so great and of that nature that Perswasion as well as Power must be used to restore that happy Tranquillity which the Church of England hath lately and miserably lost for certainly Violence and Persecution never was nor will be found a right way to settle mens Consciences His Majesty proposes that He will confirm the Presbyterian Government for Three Years being the time set down by the Two Houses that is to say that during the said time the Church be governed by Classical and Congregational Elderships National and Provincial Assemblies with their respective Subordinations with such Forbearance to those who through scruple of Conscience cannot in every thing practise according to the said Rules as may consist with the Rule of the Word of God and the Peace of the Kingdom and that the Office of Ruling-Elders the Power of Elderships to suspend from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ignorant and scandalous Persons be all settled by Act of Parliament for the aforesaid Term as also that the Directory be by the same way authorized for the same time so that His Majesty and His Houshold be not hindred from using that Form of Gods Service which they have formerly done and also that in the mean time and with all convenient speed a Committee be chosen of Both Houses to have a free Consultation and Debate with the Assembly â—f Divines being also willing the said Assembly shall be authorized to sit for the space of the said Three Years twenty more being added of His Majesties Nomination how the Church shall be settled and governed at the end of Three Years or sooner if Differences may be agreed Also it is to be understood that those Committees shall have no Power but of hearing debating and reporting the better to prepare all these Differences for the Determination of His Majesty and the Two Houses To the Seventh and Eighth Propositions His Majesty will consent To the Ninth Proposition His Majesty doubts not but to give good satisfaction when He shall be particularly informed how the said Penalties shall be levyed and disposed To the Tenth His Majesties Answer is That He is and hath been always willing to prevent the Practices of Papists and therefore is content to pass an Act of Parliament for that purpose as also that the Laws against them may be duely executed His Majesty will give His consent to the Act for the strict Observance of the Lords Day for the suppressing of Innovations and those concerning the Preaching of Gods Word and touching Non-residencies and Pluralities And His Majesty will be willing to pass such an Act or Acts as shall be requisite to raise Moneys for the payment and satisfaction of all Publick and past Debts expecting that His also will be therein included As to the Proposition concerning the Militia though His Majesty cannot consent to it in terminis as it is proposed because thereby as He conceives He wholly devests Himself of the Power of the Sword intrusted to Him by God and the Laws of the Land for the Protection and Government of His People and placeth the same in effect for ever in the Two Houses of Parliament thereby at once disinheriting His Posterity of that Right and Prerogative of the Crown which is absolutely necessary to the Kingly Office and so weakening Monarchy in this Kingdom that little more than the Name and Shadow of it will remain yet if it be only Security for the preservation of the Peace of this Kingdom after these unhappy Troubles and the due performance of all the Agreements that now are to be concluded which is desired which His Majesty always understood to be the case and hopes that â—erein He is not mistaken His Majesty will give abundant Satisfaction to which end He will consent by Act of Parliament That the whole Power of the Militia both by Sea and Land be in the Two Houses for the space of Ten Years and afterwards to return to its proper channel again as it was in the time of Queen Elizabeth and King James of blessed Memory And now His Majesty conjures His Two Houses of Parliament as they are English-men Christians and Lovers of Peace by the Duty which they owe to Him their King and by the bowels of Compassion which they have to their Fellow-Subjects that they will accept of these His Majesties Ofâ—ers whereby the joyful News of Peace may be again restored to this languishing Kingdom His Majesty will grant the same to the Kingdom of Scotland if it be desired touching the conservation of the Peace betwixt His two Kingdoms Touching Ireland His Majesty will give full satisfaction as to the managing of War and for Religion as in England Touching the mutual Declaration proposed to be established in both Kingdoms by Act of Parliament and the Qualifications Mollifications and Branches which follow in the Propositions His Majesty truly professes that He does not sufficiently understand divers things contained therein but this He sufficiently knows that a General Act of Oblivion is the best Bond of Peace and that after intestine Troubles the Wisdom of this and other Kingdoms hath usually and happily in all Ages granted general Pardons with none or very few Exceptions whereby the numerous Discontentments of
the 29th of November we shall first humbly acknowledge Your Favour by conferring so great a Trust on us and do engage our selves to the exactest Secrecy As for a Personal Treaty we are resolved still to insist on it and that London may be the Place but as to Your coming hither in Person Your Majesty not having signified to us Your Resolution of declaring or concealing Your being here or upon what assurance of Safety you can do either as Affairs now stand we dare not presume to giâ—e a positive Advice herein but leave it to Gods Direction and Your Wisdom though we wish from our Souls You were out of those hands you are now again in And albeit we can no ways joyn with Your Majesties Message yet whatever Success our Endeavours for a Personal Treaty shall have or what Place soever Your Majesty puts Your Self into You may be confident that you shall still have the reallest Assurance and faithfullest Services of Your Majesties most humble most faithful and most loyal Subjects and Servants LOWDON LAVDERDALE LANERICK 1st Dec. 1647. Sir JVst now we received Your last of the 29th of November The first of that Date we answered by James Cunningham and can now say no more as to Your coming to London than we did by him for though nothing is so much wished by us as Your being out of their Power in whose hands You have put Your Self yet we know not in what Safety Your Person could be here at London considering the present Temper of the Two Houses the Distempers of the Army and the irresolution of the City But not knowing what grounds Your Majesty goes upon we cannot judge of that Design yet since You are pleased to command us to offer our sense of a better if we approve not of this we shall presume to propose to Your Majesty Your Town of Berwick as a Place both of Safety to Your Person and of advantage for prosecuting Your ends of Peace whether by a Treaty or otherwise of restoring Your Self to Your Power and Your People to their former Happiness The Prejudice of abandoning Your Kingdom of England while Your Parliament is Sitting will thereby be evited Your Friends whether at home or abroad will have free access unto You and if You shall think fit to make use of the Affections of Your Scotish Subjects You already know upon what terms You can engage them either to restore You or fall with You. And as to the Safety of Your Person besides the Affection of these Northern Places which is very great and the Strength of the Place it self which upon Your Arrival with a few of Your English Friends may be possessed by You Scotland hath not only 1200 Horse now together upon the Borders but will be ready to imploy their whole Power for Your Personal Preservation in case of danger If Your Majesty approves of this Motion You will think upon the best speediest and safest way of executing it and either in this or what else You command we will constantly shew our selves Your Majesties most humble most faithful and most loyal Subjects and Servants LOWDON LAVDERDALE LANERICK Dec. 4. 1647. On the 6th of December His Majesty sent a new Message to the Two Houses with which he wrote to the Scotish Commissioners AS I heartily thank you for your Freedom The King sends a Copy of His Message to the Scotish Commissionerâ— thereby perceiving your hearty endeavours for My Recovery so there are so many Particulars that I cannot at this time give you a positive Answer but shall within few days In the mean time I earnestly desire you to use your uttermost Endeavours for procuring a Personal Treaty which for the present will be the most acceptable Service you can do to Your most assured real constant Friend CHARLES R. POSTSCRIPT I have sent you a Copy of a new Message here inclosed to the Two Houses not doubting but you will second it also desiring you speedily to advertise Me of any Resolution that shall be taken to My disadvantage by the Houses and of this I pray you be very watchfull The Message being among the Printed Messages is not inserted here the Reader being referred to that Collection The substance of it was An Expostulating that no return had been made to his last Message notwithstanding which His Majesties constant tenderness to the Wellfare of His Subjects and the sad condition they were now driven to did so far prevail upon Him that he vehemâ—ntly pressed a Personal Treaty as the best means of Peace so that the blame of retarding so great a Work must fall somewhere else than on His Majesty who as He had already offered to devest Himself of much of His Authority so He did not doubt but if they met Him with the same Resolutions with which He would meet them the Kingdom should at last enjoy the Blessings of a long-wished Peace At this time the Two Houses were designing to make His Majestie a close Prisoner of which the Scotish Lords gave the King notice in the following Letter Sir They discover to him Designs against Hiâ— Person WE are this day certainly informed that the Committee appointed for Your Majesties Papers whereof Mr. Lyle of the Isle of Wight hath the Charge and whereof Mr. Martin Scot and that Cabal are Members have resolved that present Order should be given for making Your Majesty a close Prisoner and to remove Ashburnham Berkeley and Leg from You and commit them to close Prison with Resolutions to proceed to Extremities against Your Majesties Person The knowledg of this came to us from Jack Denham besides a Member of that Committee this day assured My Lady Carlisle that within 24 hours Your Majesty would be a close Prisoner And to our certain knowledg there are Debates amongst the eminent Persons by one mean or other to destroy Your Majesties Person and Consultations have been here and in the Armies for this effect Our information comes from some who were present at both we could not be at quiet till we had advertised Your Majesty of this nor can we propose any better Remedy than we did express by Andrew Cole If Your Majesty does not resolve and act speedily we fear our Endeavours to serve You will be too late which would be the greatest Affliction could come to Your Majesties most humble most faithful and most loyal Subjects and Servants LOWDON LAVDERDALE LANERICK 8th Decemb. 1647. POSTSCRIPT Jack Denham's Intelligence is from the Clerk of the Committee At this time the Earl of Traquair came to wait on the King Traquair waits on the King and gave Him great hopes of the Fidelity of some of the most rigid of the Church-party in Scotland He was sent by His Majesty to the Scotish Commissioners with the following Letters THe coming of Traquair hath much eased the pains which otherwise I must have taken in performance of that Promise I made you iâ— My last Letter by And. Cole but I care not
and Argyle as also to fix themselves at Sterlin as a secure place and convenient for maintaining their Army and for raising the whole Country on the north of Forth or fighting if occasion should offer At Linlithgow the Earl of Cassilis with about four or five hundred Horse was almost surprized but by the darkness of the night he escaped towards Burroughstownness and the Queens-ferry and so to Edinburgh Lieutenant-General Lesley with his new Army followed upon the others Rear near Linlithgow but was loth to engage having little Confidence in his Men although he was hard pressed to it for preventing the danger Argyle might fall into at Sterlin and Sir George Monro would willingly have turned upon him but that he was earnest once to be at Sterlin where he hoped to fall upon Argyle and his Party and therefore hasted forward At Larbour he was assured that Argyle with about sixty Horse and a thousand Foot all Highlanders was in the Town of Sterlin and fell on Argyle at Sterline keeping a Committee and treating with the Castle wherein was the Kings Garrison commanded by Norman Levingstoun for a Surrender upon that Sir George hasted on with the Cavalry commanding the Foot to follow in order as fast as they could which they did at a good pace A Gentleman coming from Sterlin met Sir George about St. Ninians and told him that the Barras-port was shut and manned and that he must pass through the Park round about the Castle to gain the Bridge and prevent Argyle's Flight and as he came near the Castle the Governour displayed the Kings Colours upon the Walls and caused the Cannon to play upon the Bridge where he perceived some of Argyle's People withdrawing The difficulties Sir George met with in opening the Park-Gate and breaking down some Stone-walls to make a passage for the Horse gave time to the Marquis of Argyle to get himself and his Troopers mounted They pass'd the Bridge in haste a very little before Sir George who with five Horsemen pursued them a good way the Highlanders marching close together to pass after their Lord were assaulted by the first Troop that came up after Sir George they made some sort of confused resistance but were instantly trod down and scattered and forced to call for Quarter about a hundred were killed and drowned attempting to swim the River the rest taken Prisoners being betwixt eight or nine hundred Upon this Orders were dispatched from the Committee of Estates for raising all the sensible men in the Northern Shires to joyn with those at Sterlin and Lanerick went to Perthshire to invite the Nobility to joyn Upon which the Lord Ogilvy and the Lord Drummond came with some Propositions to the Committee of Estates yet all means were essayed to bring the Matter to a Treaty The Earls of Crawford and Glencairn had drawn the Earl of Buckleugh and Mr. Robert Douglas and Mr. Robert Blair two leading Ministers from Edinburgh to a private Conference with them where Crawford and Glencairn moved that the Committee sitting at Edinburgh might come and reside there for perfecting of the Treaty whilst their Forces should continue at Sterlin A Treaty is pursued which was flatly denied them Here the Ministers were very earnest with these Lords that matters might be accomodated The Lords moved That nothing might be done to derogate from the Authority of Parliament and Committee of Estates That the Officers and Souldiers then in Arms by their Authority might be provided for and entertained That at least if there was no further use for their Service the Articles agreed to by the Parliament for these Forces that came from Ireland might be duly kept to them and that some consideration might be given to the rest of the Forces that were to be disbanded That none who had entred into that Engagement might be questioned for it but enjoy still their Offices Honours and Fortunes and other Civil Places That an effectual Course might be agreed on for the Relief of their Friends detained Prisoners in England and finally That the Committee might sit with Freedom in the ordinary Place and by advice of the Church consider of the dangers of Religion of his Majesty and his Posterity and and of the Peace and Safety of his Kingdomes that so by joynt advice such ways might be taken as would best secure Religion preserve his Majesty and his Posterity and quiet the Distempers of the Kingdom The Ministers on the other hand proposed That all Armies whether in the Fields or in the Garrisons of Berwick or Carlisle should be presently disbanded That the securing the Interest of Religion might be referred to the General Assembly or their Commissioners and all Civil Differences to the Determination of a Parliament to be speedily called That in the mean time there should be a Committee of Estates in which none should be admitted that had concurred in the late Engagement but withall they gave them good assurances both for the Prisoners in England and for themselves that no Prejudice should follow on any for their accession to the Engagement and when the Earl of Glencairn said perhaps nothing would be kept of all that should be agreed to Mr. Douglas answered that if but a tittle of the Agreement were broken all the Pulpits in Scotland should declare against it But now Argyle having escaped from these who pursued him was joyned to the Western Forces commonly called Whiggamores and he being irritated with what befell him at Sterlin was for severer Methods They resolved to invite the English Army to their Assistance to which Cromwel was not backward both that he might recover Berwick and Carlisle and destroy all the Kings Friends The Whiggamores did also know well how averse the Committee of Estates were from Engaging into Action and that they intended to make Peace on any terms therefore they grew high in their Propositions and at Sterlin the other Party was much divided for most of the Committee of Estates were for a Treaty and most of the Officers of the Scotish Forces were Capitulating for themselves The chief Arguments proposed to perswade the necessity of this Agreement were the improbability if not impossibility of resistance if Cromwel should joyn the Enemy who had already invited him to Edinburgh by a Message sent him to Berwick by Argyle Elcho and other two Commissioners which they doubted not but he would accept The fear this Conjunction would beget in the Country would hinder their Rising and drive their Army either to a want of Subsistence or to destroy their Friends and turn them Malecontents first and then Enemies but above all some pretended the fitness of preserving the Kings Friends and Favourers to a better opportunity for his Service which they hoped would quickly offer it self It was objected against the Treaty That the Relief of their Prince from such a cruel Captivity was a just cause That they had Law and Authority upon their side and so ought not to be
no Conjunction so it did not appear that they were his Letters only Peters asserted they were like his hand Then a Vote of the Two Houses was read repealing a former Vote of setting an hundred thousand pounds Sterling upon him for Ransome and proof was brought that notwithstanding Articles were given yet some had been forced to take the Negative Oath and thereby they studied to evince that the Parliament did not hold themselves bound to stand to Articles After this his Grace resumed the substance of all those Evidences and shewed that it was not proved he was a post-natus nor that he joyned with Sir Marmaduke Langdale who neither received Orders nor the Word from him but marched and quartered apart and that though he had done otherwise it could not be criminal in him since he had no Orders to the contrary from the Parliament of Scotland but was commanded by them to joyn with all who would concur with him for prosecuting the ends of the Engagement of which Sir Marmaduke approving he had no reason to refuse Concurrence with him neither could this be made Treason by the Law of England of all which it seemed the Parliament was once well-satisfied since by a Vote they had fined him in an hundred thousand pound Sterling as the price of his Liberty by which it appeared they look'd not on him as a Traytor but as an Enemy who had Life granted him by Articles Upon this the Court adjourned till Thursday the 22d and his Counsel were appointed to plead and he was to close his Evidence The Duke was brought to the Bar The eiâ—ht Appearance and by divers Witnesses it was proved that there was no Rendition made to the Lord Gray but a plain Refusal and that the Treaty was ended the Articles signed and Lambert come up before the Lord Gray came thither There was also produced an Order of Parliament made four years before that No Quarters should be given to any of the Irisâ— in Arms which inferred that others might have them and another Order was read of the 14th Iuly last declaring all the Scoâ—s who entred England Enemies and all the English and Irish who assisted them Trâ—ytors and with this he closed his Evidence and since he was not to be suffered to speak any more he enlarged on all the parts of his Plea and spake at length as follows That he was sent by the Kingdom of Scotland which was a free Kingdom The Duke pleads largely for himself and independent on England That he having had his Birth Honour and Fortune there was bound to give obedience to their Orders That for himself he had lived much out of business and was seldom in Publick Trust in that Kingdom nor very desirous of any but that being commanded to undertake the Charge of General for ends which he conceived lawful and no way contrary to the Peace or Interest of England he was obliged to follow their Orders and that by some Papers emitted by the Parliament of England against that Expedition they declared they looked on it as a National Breach whereby Scotland had violated their Leagues and Treaties with them so that it was no private Act of his That the entring of the Scotish Army into England Anno 1640 was accounted no Invasion nor Treason but on the contrary was acceptable to this Kingdom which gave a Brotherly Assistance for it and that the late unfortunate Army was designed fully for as good Ends and would have been so looked on had it prospered And for his joyning with Sir Marmaduke Langdale he answered it as was before set down Therefore he being taken Prisoner in such a War he conceived it without a Precedent that he should be Tried for his Life for serving his Native Kingdom in an open War As for his being an Alien he referred that to his Counsel but said it was undeniable he was born in Scotland nor was he proved a post-natus he was also born before his Father's Naturalization and so not included in it and his own Naturalization had been in agitation in the beginning of this Parliament That his sitting in Parliament did not conclude him an English Earl for if questioned he might probably have been expelled out of the House of Peers as his Countryman Mr. Walter Stuart was out of the House of Commons and that his being an Earl did not naturalize him that being the King 's single Act where as Naturalization was only by Act of Parliament As for the Articles it was clear that Lambert being a General Officer commissionated by Parliament was impowered to Capitulate both by the Parliament and by Cromwel the L. Gray having no Authority from the Parliament but only from Cromwel's Letter that he became the Lord Gray's Prisoner only by Lambert's Order and that he made no Surrender till the Articles were signed and delivered that though the Lord Gray had protested against it and yet only an intention to do it was proved he was not concerned in it nor bound to take notice of it Lambert being the Parliaments Officer and sent against him by them That Articles were to be expounded by their plain meaning and not by any mental reserves pretended by the Commissioners That by the first Article he was a Prisoner of War and that it was seldom known that the Life of any such was taken and that by the second Article Life and Safety of Person were expresly secured without any exception That if Articles were now violated it would make the sequel of the Wars if any more followed a down-right Butchery since none would any more trust to a Capitulation which Mischief he prayed God to avert That his Escape out of Prison was no Breach he being only bound by the Articles to deliver himself Prisoner which he did but not to continue so and he concluded that he was confident had he no better Plea his Articles were sufficient according to the Laws of all Nations to preserve his Life Then the President asked him if he had any thing to say as he was Earl of Cambridge whereupon he and his Counsel moved that if what he had said and proved was not satisfactory for the Averment of his Plea he might answer the Charge exhibited which he had not yet done But to this neither the Court nor their Counsel would yield though they gave no reason for it save only that it implyed a desire of Delay but the reason as was said was that they knew had they yielded to that the Charge had been overthrown since the Law of England does not admit that to be Treason which they charged on him that he had assisted the King against the Kingdom and People by levying War Then the Court told his Counsel that Saturday was the longest time they allowed them for performing their part but the Counsel answered that it was impossible for them to undertake it and discharge their Consciences to their Client having so short a time allowed them there
very necessary for him to speak much his Voice was so weak and low that few of the crowd that looked on could hear him nor was he ever so much in love with speaking or with any thing he had to say that he took much delight in it yet since this was his Last he being by the Divine Providence of Almighty God brought justly to that End for his Sins he would speak a little to the Sheriff for his Voice could not reach others He was now to suffer as a Traytor to the Kingdom of England a Country which he had ever loved equally with his own not having intended either any general Prejudice to it or to any particular Person in it his late Actings were the Commands of his own Country which he could not disobey It is true it had pleased God so to dispose of the Army under his Command that it was ruined and he for being cloathed with a Commission to be General stood now ready to dye He would not repeat what he had pleaded for his own Defence God was just nor would he say any thing of his Sentence but that he did willingly submit to Gods Providence acknowledging that on many accounts he deserved Punishment in this Life as well as in the next for he confessed himself a great Sinner yet for his Comfort he knew there was a God in Heaven who was very merciful and that his Redeemer did sit at his right Hand and he was confident that he was mediating for him at that very instant being hopeful through his All sufficient Merits to be pardoned all his Sins and to be received into his Mercy trusting only to the Free Grace of God through Jesus Christ. He declared he had never been tainted in the Religion professed and established in the Land in which he had been bred from his Infancy it was not this nor that mode or fancy of Religion that was to be built on but one that was right and sure and came from God Here he observed some taking Notes and upon that said he had not expected that else he had digested what he had said into a better Method but desired that what he had said might not be published to his disadvantage since he had not intended to speak any thing when he came to that place Then he went on and said Many dreadful Aspersions had been cast on him as if his Intentions had not been such as he pretended but he thanked God he was unjustly blamed That for the King he had ever loved him both as he was his King and his Master with whom he had been bred many years and had been his domestick Servant and that there was nothing the Parliament of Scotland declared for the King that was not really intended by himself and as he hazarded his Life for him one way so he now was to lose it another and that his Design of leading in the Army to England was really that which was published in the Declaration in so far as concerned the King he was not then to speak of the rest of the Declaration which had many other particulars in it And for what he said of his Duty to the King there was no reason to suspect him of Flattery or any other end in saying it God having now so disposed of His Majesty but though he could gain nothing by it yet he owed the freeing himself of that Calumny to Truth by which all men shall gain for ever There had been many Discourses founded on a part of the Scotish Declaration which mentioned an Invitation to come to England upon which he had been much laboured for discovering the Inviters but he had and did still remit himself to the Declaration without any other Answer He was ever willing to serve this Nation in any thing was in his Power which was known to many worthy Persons in it and he would still have continued in those Resolutions had those in whose hands the Power was then thought fit to have preserved his Life But since he was to be thence-forth of no more use all he could do was to wish the Kingdom Happiness and Peace and to pray that his Blood might be the last should be shed and though perhaps he had some reluctancy within himself at his Suffering for this Fact yet he freely forgave all men and carried no rancour with him to the Grave but did submit to the Will of him who created Heaven and Earth and himself a poor sinful Creature then speaking before him He conceived it could contribute to no end for him to speak of State-business of the Government of the Kingdom or things of that nature his own Inclinations had been still for Peace he was never an ill Instrument betwixt the King and his People nor had he acted to the prejudice of the Parliament And as he had not meddled much in those Wars so he was never wanting in his Prayers to Almighty God for his King's Happiness and he earnestly prayed God to direct his Majesty that now Reigns that he might do what should tend to his Glory and the Peace and Happiness of the Kingdoms He said he was of the Established Religion which he had professed in his own Country where he was born and bred but for particular opinions he was not rigid he knew many godly men had scruples about divers things wherein he had never concerned himself nor did Difference of opinion which was never more than at that time move him his own was clear He prayed the Lord to forgive him his Sins as he freely forgave even those against whom he had the greatest grounds of Animosity remembring that Prayer Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And to this purpose he spoke if the Writers did him right in what was published in his Name but how true the printed Papers were the Writer is not able to judge for he has three printed Relations of it before him all varying somewhat one from another As he expressed himself thus he discovered a great composure by his Looks and manner of Expression and when he was desired to change the Posture he stood in since the Sun shined full in his Face he answered pleasantly No it would not burn it and he hoped to see a brighter Sun than that very speedily After the Duke had done speaking he called for the Executioner and desired to know how he should fit his Body for the Blow and told him his Servants would give him satisfaction Then he called to his Servants and commanded them to remember him kindly to divers of his Friends in England particularly to his Mother-in-law the Countess of Denbigh to whom he had ever payed a Filial respect and to the old Countess of Devonshire who as the lived to a great Age and to the Honour of her Nation so was on all occasions a constant and true Friend to him He bade tell her she would no more question his Loyalty which she had done
needful in our present circumstances than to represent those things truly That Ministers on the one hand considering the ill effects that followed on a stretched Prerogative and the People on the other hand apprehending the dismal consequences of Tumults Iealousies and Civil War there may be such an Vniversal Harmony between the King and his Subjects as may rejoyce all good men and disappoint and confound all the Enemies of our Peace and Happiness But all those things not being yet so fully clear to me and not lying in the Papers that were in my hands I have given no account of them in this Work which I confined to the Negotiations of those two Brothers whose Papers I perâ—sed Nor have I written any thing of the Affairs of England further than was necessary by their Relation to and Intermixture with those of Scotland and though there are very considerable Papers in that Collection that were sent to Scotland both from the Committee of both Kingdoms and from some Eminent men of both Houses yet there is not a continued thread in them and therefore I have published none of them Nor have I drawn down my Relation farther than Worcester-Fight where the younger of these Brothers lost his Life for though I have been much pressed to write a full History of Scotland from K. James his Death where the most Reverend Dr. Spotswood ended his so much and so justly valued History and to bring it down to the present Time yet I will see how the World is satisfied with what I now publish before I give my self and others more trouble of this sort At first I wrote this Work Historically and only drew the most material heads and passages out of the Papers that lay before me but that Noble and Iudicious Gentleman Sir Robert Murray to whose Memory I owe the most Grateful Acknowledgments that can be payed by a Person infinitely obliged to him and that did highly value his extraordinary Parts and rare Virtues gave me such reasons to change the whole Work and to insert most of the Papers at their full length that prevailed on me to do it and when it was written over again as I now offer it to the World he was so much pleased with it that though I know the setting down his words would add a great value to it among all that knew him yet they are so high in the Commendation of it that I cannot but conceal them Some have wondered to find sewer of the Duke's Letters here than of other Persons but the truth is these are so full and so particular in the Advices and Advertisements he wrote to the King that it was by no means thought fit to publish too many of them though the Originals of them are yet extant being written on the back by the King's hand The Vouchers of this whole Work lie at Hamilton where Curious Persons may both be satisfied about the truth of what is now published and about many other very important things from which I drew these MEMOIRES only in a few particulars for supplying some defects I was forced to seek Informations from Persons of great Honour and Worth My writing from such Vouchers was the cause that sometimes the angry Language I found in Letters did slip into my pen. I know there is nothing that does more misbecome an Historian than to mix Passion with the Account he gives and so I studied to cleanse this Work from it all I could and read it over once or twice to throw out all those angry words which I had mixed in it carelesly having among other things Copied them from the Letters that were in my hands But upon a further Review I find that some of these Reflections do still remain for which I am very sorry but I can assure the Reader I had no design to leave needless Imputations on any Persons for I took great care to write with all possible Respect and Caution even of those who were the greatest Enemies that both these Dukes had and those that know the present circumstances of that Family and of the Writer himself will find that no Resentments for any hard Vsage they have met with has biassed him from what becomes an honest Man and a faithful Historian I thought it unworthy of my pains to set down and confute those base and malicious Calumnies which fill many Books that pass for the Histories of the late Times The Truth of this Work is a fuller Confutation than any other could be These Writings indeed made me examine all the Duke's Papers more carefully particularly the Copies of their Letters to their nearest and most assured Friends with the Letters they received from them most of these were written in Câ—pher and the decyphering of them was no small trouble yet I resolved to spare no pains that might give me a full satisfaction about their most secret Correspondencies But after all that search I was still more and more confirmed of the great Integrity of their Professions and of their constant Fidelity to the Crown I publish these MEMOIRES with the more confidence because they having been seen and perused by divers of the most Considerable and most Intelligent Persons of both Kingdoms either they went very far with their Civility and Complement or were well satisfied with them I shall enlarge this Preface no further but desire that all the faults in the Style or way of Writing may be charged only on my self and may leave no Imputation on those Worthy Persons whose Actions I relate nor on those wâ—o now represent them since they deserved a far better Pen to be employed in writing their History All that is good in this Work is only from them and all that is evil in it must fall entirely to my share and I alone must bear it They have suffered too much already from the Malice of their Enemies it will therefore be very unjust to make them suffer more for the Indiscretion or Weakness of an ill Writer I shall not stand longer on laboured and formal Apologies which are more used to shew the Wit of the Writer in making them gracefully than from any humble opinion they have of their own Performances who make them If I have not done this to the best advantage it is because I could do it no better for the Importance of these Transactions the Merit of the Persons and the great Honour I pay the Family and the Duke and Dutchess of Hamilton that now are made me judge it very well worth all the Application and Industry I could bestow upon it ERRATA THough a great deal of care was used to revise the sheets yet the following Errata must be corrected Literal Faults and some errours in the punctation are not marked which it is supposed the Reader will easily perceive Pâ—ge 11. Line 30. for Titles read Tithes p. 11. l. 44. for Cleazar r. Eleazar p. 13. l. 1. for seeming r. seemed p. 40. l. 28. for at r. as p.
what shall be agreed for me betwixt Your Majesty and these to whom this Affair is trusted by me I bind my self to ratifie To the fifth since the reasons of my Expedition to Germany are the same with Your Majesties I have firmly resolved to help and relieve the oppressed Princes and States of Germany with the ease of all these burdens with which they are now pressed and therefore shall do every thing in order and decently as becomes most friendly Auxiliaries and if any thing be taken by me from the common Enemy I shall desire nothing more than that the right of it be entirely and inviolably Your Majesties To the ninth since I have devoted my whole fortune with all my interests for promoting this our Design I promise that whatever any shall contribute for it shall all be laid out for this War which I shall with my whole Forces manage and carry on till either it please God that You obtain a desired Peace or that the Liberty of Germany which is now oppressed be restored To the tenth since by this Article Your Majesty requires and expects Fidelity from me and my Army I James Marquis of Hamilton by these presents give my Faith for my self and them and bind both my self and them and for the Confirmation of this I do subscribe this Article with all the preceding and put my Seal to it at London the first of March Anno Dom. 1631. Signed Hamilton Locus Sigilli Ramsay had in Commission to deal with any Scotish or English Officers who served beyond Sea to come and serve under the Marquis and finding Mackay the Lord Reay in good reputation Ramsay treats with the Lord Reay he dealt with him to engage in his Service who cordially undertook it and some moneths after that wrote to the Marquis which Letter is preserved That though the King of Sweden had given him the Command of three Regiments and made him Captain of his Guards yet he was so desirous to put life in his noble designs that he would serve him were it but to carry a Pike in his Army and thus Ramsay returned and Colonel Hamilton with him Whereupon the Marquis went about the executing of his designs and the levying of his men but all was according to the Kings Orders and Instructions yet His Majesty seemed onely a consenter to it The Levies went on all this Winter in which many were backward because the King owned them so little As for Money the King advanced a good summe though far short of what was necessary but he gave the Marquis a Lease of the Customs of the Wines in Scotland for 16 years upon which Security he and all his friends raised as much Money as the design required Many of the Marquis his friends did in the beginning dissuade him from the undertaking apprehending the hazards both of his person and fortune which were visible from an attempt that was full of dubious success but when they saw him engaged in it they did all very frankly concur mortgaging their Fortunes for raising such summes of Money as were necessary for the Expedition Next Spring the Marquis sent Ramsay to Holland to see what assistance he might expect from the States An. 1631. and in particular to deal with some British Officers who were then in their Service to come and take employment in his Army He likewise sent one Elphinston to the King of Sweden Ramsay is sent over to the States and Elphinston to the King of Sweden to shew him that he would be ready to land with his Army in Iune or Iuly and to press that the Forces he was to have from the Swede might be ready to meet him where ever he were appointed to land his men or if the King of Sweden could not spare so many men that he would order the money for their Levy and Pay to be sent to Hamburg or to any other Bank that so the Marquis might levy them himself Upon this the King of Sweden sent the Lord Reay first to Denmark and then to Holland for carrying on of those Levies and committed the levying of 3000 Foot and 1000 Horse to Colonel Farensback The King was betrayed by Farensback a Leeflander of good repute in the Wars who had served the Emperour but for I know not what crime had lost his favour and undertaken the Service of the Swede and seemed to be going on with his Levy till the time was past and then did basely run over to the Emperour shewing how great a Service he had done by his cousening the King of Sweden since he hoped the failing of the Swedish Auxiliaries would keep the Marquis of Hamilton's Army from coming over that Summer King Gustavus was now in Germany and by his frequent Letters pressed the Marquis his dispatch He pressed the Marquis to come in all haste for he was then in great straits the Princes of Germany begun to fear his success and were not so forward in joyning with him as he expected and by divers Letters both from himself and Camerarius his Ambassadour in Holland and Salvius his Agent in Hamburg it appears that the Princes of Germany took their measures chiefly from the Kings resolutions The King of Sweden also desired a League with the King and that the King should send over ten thousand men whom the King of Britain should maintain during the Wars and desires a League with the King and that Army with the other twelve thousand should be under the Marquis his Command as General upon which the King of Sweden should oblige himself never to make Peace with the Emperour till the Palatinat were restored To this the King gave a good hearing and promised to send over an Embassadour to finish the Agreement and in the mean time the Marquis his dispatch was hasted forward with all diligence His Army was partly Scots partly English and they were to be transported in the Kings Ships the Scotish Forces were to be shipped at Leith and the English at Yarmouth and Yarmouth-Road was to be their Rendezvous In the end of May both Reay and Ramsay came out of Holland to England Ramsay got nothing done with the States who would give no assistance to the Marquis till the King formally engaged himself yet he got some Officers to come over and in particular that gallant English Gentleman Sir Iacob Ashly who had acquired much reputation in the Dutch Wars but Ramsay drew much trouble on himself for being a man of an intemperate tongue he had talked loosly of the Court of England to the Lord Reay At this time the Marquis was in Scotland drawing the Souldiers together and having made all ready there he returned to Court having nothing more to doe but to kiss His Majesties Hand and receive his last Commands but there was then at Court the Lord Ochiltree Reay acccuseth Ramsay and Ochiltree the Marquis a man of a subtil spirit and good parts had not those endowments
in force if they were revived and by His Majesties Authority appointed to be keeped at the ordinary times and if one at His Majesties first opportunity and so soon as may be conveniently should be indicted Kirkmen might be tried in their Life Office or Benefice and keeped in order without trouble to His Majesty and without offence to the People the present Evils might be speedily helped to His Majesties great honour and content and to the preservation of the Peace of the Kirk and these courses might be stopped afterwards and on the contrary while Kirkmen escape their due Censure and matters of the Worship of God are imposed without the consent of the free Assemblies of the Kirk they will ever be suspected to be unsound and corrupt as shunning to be tried by the Light to the continual entertaining of heart-burnings amongst the People and to the hindrance of that chearfulness of obedience which is due and from our Hearts we wish may be rendred to the Kings Majesty If according to the Law of Nature and Nations to the Custom of all other Kingdoms and the laudable example of His Majesties worthy Progenitors in the like cases of National Grievances or of Commotions and Fears of a whole body of a Kingdom His Majesty should be graciously pleased to call a Parliament for the timeous hearing and redressing of the just Grievances of the Subjects for removing of their common Fears and for renewing and establishing such Laws as in time coming may prevent the one and the other and may serve to the good of the Kirk and the Kingdom that the Peace of both might be firmly settled and mens minds now so awakened might be easily pacified and all our Tongues and Pens are not able to represent what would be the joyful Acclamations and hearty Wishes of so loyal and loving a People for His Majesties Happiness and how heartily bent all sorts would be found to bestow their Fortunes and Lives in His Majesties Service The more particular Notes of all things expedient for the well of the Kirk and Kingdom for His Majesties honour and satisfaction and for extinguishing of the present Combustion may be given in to be considered in the Assembly and Parliament Those Bishops who stayed in Scotland sent up also one Learmonth to the Archbishop of Saint Andrews then at London with their Complaints and Grievances which are also set down according to the Original ARTICLES of Information to Mr. Andrew Learmonth for my Lord Archbishop of Saint Andrews the Bishop of Ross c. and in their absence for my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Grace YOu shall show their Lordships How they have changed the Moderator of the Presbytery of Edinburgh The Complaints of the Clergy and are going on in changing all the Moderators in the Kingdom How they have abused Doctor Ogstone the ninth of May in Edinburgh Mr. George Hannay at Torphichen the sixth of May Doctor Lamond at Markinch the ninth of May Mr. Robert Edward at Kirkmichael whom Kilkerrin is forced to entertain at his own House That the Presbytery of Hadingtown have given Imposition of Hands to Mr. John Ker's Son to be his Collegue without the knowledge of the Bishop and likewise the Presbytery of Kircaldy to Mr. John Gillespy's Son to the Church of the Weemes and the Presbytery of Dumfrice to one Mr. John Wier to the Church of Morton within two miles of Drumlanerick and that they of Dumfermline have admitted Mr. Samuel Row a Minister banished from Ireland to be helper to Mr. Henry Mackgill and they of Air Mr. Robert Blair to be helper to Mr. William Annand and that the Town of Dumfrice have made choice of Mr. James Hamilton to be their Minister and the Town of Kirkudbright one Mr. John Macklennan all of them banished from Ireland and Mr. Samuel Rutherford is returned and settled in his Place and they intend to depose Mr. John Trotter Minister at Dirleuton and how they intended to use the Regents That the Council of Edinburgh have made choice of Mr. Alexander Henderson to be helper to Mr. Andrew Ramsay and intend to admit him without advice or consent of the Bishop That the Ministers of Edinburgh who have not subscribed the Covenant are daily reviled and cursed to their Faces and their Stipends are withheld and not payed and that all Ministers who have not subscribed are in the same case and condition with them That they hound out rascally Commons on men who have not subscribed the Covenant as Mr. Samuel Cockburn did one John Shaw at Leith That His Majesty would be pleased by his Letters to discharge the Bishop of Edinburgh to pay any Prebend-fee to those who have subscribed the Covenant as also by His Royal Letters to discharge the Lords of Session to grant any Process against the Bishop for their Fees That His Majesty would be pleased in the Articles of Agreement with the Nobility to see honest men who shall happen in this tumultuous time to be deposed from their Places restored and settled in them and others that are violently thrust in removed and that the wrongs done to them be repaired That if it shall happen His Majesty to take any violent course for repressing these Tumults and Disorders which God forbid that in that case their Lordships would be pleased to supplicate His Majesty that some speedy course may be taken for securing of the persons of these honest men who stand for God and His Majesty Signed Da. Edin Ja. Dumblanen Ja. Lismoren Ja. Hannay Da. Michell Da. Fletcher The King resolves to gain his Subjects by redressing their Grievances All these matters being considered though there were grounds enough to have provoked a less Gracious Prince to have proceeded against the Covenanters by the extreme course of Rigour and Authority and there were some who advised him to it yet such was his innate love to that His Ancient and Native Kingdom that he resolved to leave no mean unessayed before he should proceed to a Rupture with them He also well foresaw that it would not prove so easie a Work as some would have perswaded him the greatest part on the South of Tay being confederate and resolved to stand to their Defence at all hazards neither was England too well fixed in their obedience as the following Wars did sadly prove and so there were small grounds to expect any heartiness from them for such a Work and calls the Bishops to his Closet All this being weighed His Majesty called to His Closet the Archbishops of Canterbury and St. Andrews and the Bishops of Galloway Brechin and Ross the Marquis being there before they came and to all these the King declared the choice he had made and that he intended to send the Marquis to Scotland with the Character of High Commissioner for establishing the Peace of the Country and the good of the Church St. Andrews said he approved the Choice and hoped for good success My Lord of Canterbury
asked why His Majesty had called him the King said to be a Witness of what was done and because he had been before acquainted with the proceedings of that business he was also to be informed of what passed thereafter Then the Marquis desired to know what the Bishops expected he could doe they answered nothing but procure the Peace of the Country and good of the Church he desired they would contribute their assistance for reclaiming the Ministery who were once conformable and for the Ministers that were censured but were now stirring he should deal with them They answered their power was small at that time and their danger great and so inclined to stay still at London but that was overruled the Marquis undertaking that so far as in him lay he should stand betwixt them and danger The Archbishop of Canterbury said much and well on this head so it was agreed that they should go home Next the King expressed how necessary he conceived it was that every one of them should live in their own Diocese Canterbury seconded this and the Bishops acknowledged it was the best way Much was said concerning General Assemblies and that Ecclesiastical matters ought to have been introduced by them and the Marquis was ordered to give assurance that in all time coming nothing substantial should be introduced in the Church but by them Much debate passed about the Oath of admission of Ministers and it was concluded it should be no other than what was warranted by the Law and the Bishops were required to be sparing and moderate for the present both in urging that and the Ceremonies All this His Majesty concluded with his wishes for good success adding that the Marquis had been so far from seeking this Imployment that he had commanded him much against his will to undertakâ— the journey This was in the beginning of May and upon the 7th of May Letters were directed to Scotland giving notice of the Resolutions taken to the Nobility the Marquis wrote also to all his Friends and Dependers to meet him at Hadington the 5th of Iune The next thing that was taken into consideration was the drawing up of his Instructions A Commission in the ordinary form being first drawn there were two Proclamations signed by the King both which are extant the one written with the Earl of Traquair's hand the other by the Marquis the first whereof follows CHARLES R. CHARLES by the Grace of God King of Scotland England The Proclamation sent by the Marquis France and Ireland Defender of the Faith to our Lovits our Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and severally specially constitute Greeting Forsamiekle as We are not ignorant of the great Disorders which have happened of late within this Our ancient Kingdom of Scotland occasioned as is pretended upon the introduction of the Service-book Book of Canons and High Commission thereby fearing Innovations of Religion and Laws for satisfaction of which Fears We well hoped that the two Proclamations of the eleventh of December and nineteenth of February had been abundantly sufficient nevertheless finding that Disorders have daily so increased that a powerful rather than a persuasive way might have been justly expected from Vs yet We out of Our innate Indulgence to Our People grieving to see them run themselves so headlong into Ruine are graciously pleased to try if by a fair way We can reclaim them from their faults rather than let them perish in the same And therefore once for all We have thought fit to declare and hereby to assure all Our good People that We neither are were nor by the Grace of God ever shall be stained with Popish Superstition but by the contrary are resolved to maintain the true Protestant Christian Religion already professed within this Our ancient Kingdom And for further clearing of Scruples We do hereby assure all men that We will neither now nor hereafter press the practice of the aforesaid Canons and Service-book or any thing of that nature but in such a fair and legal way as shall satisfie all Our loving Subjects that We neither intend Innovation in Religion or Laws and for the High Commission We shall so rectifie it with the help of advice of Our Privy Council that it shall never impugn the Laws nor be a just Grievance to Our Loyal Subjects And as hereby it may appear how careful We are to satisfie the foresaid Fears how needless soever of Our good Subjects * So We do hold Our Selves obliged both in Conscience and Honour to hinder the course of that which may prejudge that Royal Authority which God has endued Vs with wherefore understanding that many of Our Subjects have run themselves into seditious and undutiful courses and willing to reduce them rather by a benign than forcible mean because We hope that most of them are drawn thereto blindly out of fear of Innovations are content hereby to declare and promise upon the Word of a King to pardon what is past and not to take notice of the by-gone faults no not so much as of those factious and seditious Bonds upon condition that they seek to Our Mercy by disclaiming the same and in testification of the true sense of their Misdemeanors that they deliver up or continuâ— with their best endeavours to procure the delivering up of the said Bonds into the hands of Our Council or such as Our Council shall appoint Declaring always likeas We by these presents do declare all these to be esteemed and reputed as Traitors in all time coming that shall not renounce and disclaim the said Bond or Bonds within after the publication hereof that is to say Whosoever will from henceforth be thought a good Subject and capable of Our Mercy must either deliver up the same in case he have it or concur with his best endeavours to the delâ—vering up thereof or at least must come to some of Our Privy Council or chief Officers in Burgh or Land and testifie to him that he renounces and disclaims the said Bonds Our Will is therefore and We charge you straitly and command that incontinent this Our Letteâ— seen c. C. R. The other Proclamation penned by the Marquis agrees with the former to the place that is marked * after which it follows thus Another Proclamation So We expect that their behaviour will be such as may give testimony of their Obedience and how sensible they are of Our Grace and Favour that thus pass over their Misdemeanours and by their future carriage make appear it was onely the fear of Innovations that caused those Disorders that have happened of late in this Our Kingdom which now cannot but by this Our Declaration be removed from the hearts of Our loving Subjects but on the contrary if we find not this performed with that chearfulness and alacrity that becomes good and obedient Subjects We declare and hold Our Self obliged in Honour and Conscience to make use of those forcible means which God hath armed Royal Authority with
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
they may be aâ—sured as well as I that your up-coming is neither to desert them nor it And thus certainly if as you write you get the mutinous Multitude once dispersed you will have done me very good Service for I am confident that my Declaration published before your coming away according to the Alterations that I have given you leave to make will give some stop to their Madnesses however your endeavours have been such that you shall be welcom to Your assurâ—d constant Friend CHARLES R. Greenwich 29 June 1638. The King did also signifie to him by my Lord of Canterbury that he appointed him to adde to the Declaration some general words giving hopes of an Assembly and Parliament by whom also he gave him Warrant for calling the Session to Edinburgh To this I shall adde a Letter of the Bishop of Ross to the Marquis which will shew what sense the Bishops had of his Proceedings all this while My Lord may it please your Grace Letter from the Bishop of Ross to the Marquis WE are exceeding sorry to hear that the success of your Lordships Travels in this difficult Business is otherwayes than good Christians and Subjects do wish and heartily pray for but on the other part are glad to hear from our Friends there that whereof we were ever confident that nothing is omitted by your Lordship to effectuate what is necessary for His Majesties Honour and expedient for the good and quiet of that poor distracted and distempered Kingdom For my own part give me leave without either flattery or presumption to say ingenuously that the Course your Lordship keeps seemeth to be such as all good and wise men must approve your Lordships wisdom and Loyalty Infallibly the fruit will be besides the Warrant your Lordship hath in your own Conscience by this Noble and Wise carriage your Lordship must be more if any accrewment can be to former Deserts beloved of your Master it will indear your Lordship more to all good wise and well-affected Patriots and oblige all especially honest Church-men to be your Servants It cannot seem strange to any wise heart who looks on the Distemper of that Kingdom wherein is the concourse of so many different and divers Distempers where so many of all sorts of different Iudgements and no less variety of Affections are so strongly engaged and where many have their own private ends that the best wisest and most powerful Agents are not able on a sudden to rectifie their Iudgements cure their Affections and by disappointing the private intentions of some to reduce all to Order Peace and Quiet In any great Work of this strain we must all rely somewhat more on the wise and gracious Providence of God than in other ordinary accidents He is able to work good out of ill light out of darkness and order out of confusion which I pray God heartily we may see to His Glory the Kings Honour and Peace of the Church and State without any other effect upon any author or abetter of these Disorders but of Gods Mercy and His Majesties Royal Clemency In this I fear I have exceeded more possibly than becomes me with your Grace but as I humbly beg pardon so I trust your Lordships Goodness will easily pardon the expressions of a poor Heart surcharged with grief not so much flowing from or following the fear of any Personal or Private evil can befall it as fearing the danger the Publick is in because of our Sins which are calling for Vengeance God of his Mercy give us Repentance and be merciful to that Church and State We can return nothing for your Lordships care and kindness to us but humble and hearty thanks and earnestly pray God Almighty for all Honour Wealth and Happiness to your Lordship here and hence As your Lordship hath commanded us we shall go from hence and where we pitch our abode with the first opportunity shall acquaint your Lordship We were adâ—ised by our best friends to doe so before we received your Lordships but that Obedience we owe and promised to His Majesty and your Lordship made us that we would not stir for any Advertisement or Advice how necessary or affectionate soever till we had your Lordships Warrant All that kind respect which is above our desert and condition and tender care your Lordship hath expressed to us for our safety and that which your Lordship hath superadded out of your noble Bounty desiring us to be so bold as to shew your Lordship what Money or any thing else necessary we stand in need of that your Lordship may supply our necessity in this hath so perplexed us for a time that we knew not what to choose on the one part being ashamed to doe it both because it seemeth impertinent and incongruous to trouble one of your Lordships Honour Place and Imployment with matters of this kind and especially so unreasonably at such a time when your Lordship is at such charge for the Honour of His Majesties Service as also that we are unprofitable and cannot be useful to your Lordship in any kind and so how should we to other troubles we make your Lordship adde this to be chargeable yet your Lordships noble and generous offer and the necessity we are cast into at this present that what is our own or due to us we cannot command and know as little who will do us the favour at this time to trust us hath made us seeing Obedience is better than Sacrifice to cast our selves upon your Lordships Bounty and Favour fearing on the one part your Lordship may be offended if we doe it not and on the other that otherwise we cannot be provided Therefore I humbly intreat your Lordship to let me have with the Bearer a hundred and fifty Pieces payable at Whitsunday next with the Interest or Martinmass as your Lordship pleases for which your Lordship shall receive from the Bearer my own personal Bond. Here and at this time I cannot give better Security but by Gods Grace your Lordship shall be in no danger come the world as it will I have more than need to beg humble pardon for my unmannerly and impertinent importunities in troubling your Lordship at this time taken up with weighty Affairs if it were but to read this long Paper and that I offend no more in this kind I shut up all with my hearty Prayers to God Almighty for all Honour and Happiness to your Lordship and an effectual blessing upon your Travels So wisheth he who shall be whilest he lives Your Graces most humble and bounden Servant IO. ROSSEN Berwick 29 June 1638. The Marquis had Orders from His Majesty to see the Bishops or other Churchmen who suffered for their Duty relieved out of the Treasury but that was exhausted yet the Marquis was careful that none of them should want and therefore supplied them liberally out of his own Money even without taking from them any Legal Security for repayment as appears by
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-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
Petitions and true Informations of my Innocency and Loyalty but doth notwithstanding thereof harbour any opinion of my Disloyalty or casting off my dutiful Obedience and Subjection to His Majesty or offering Subjection to any other King or Potentate in the World I am content to undergo the most exact Trial which is agreeable to the Laws of that Kingdom by which onely I ought to be judged rather than lie under such a heavy Imputation which to me who am conscious of my own Innocency and of my most tender and humble Duty towards His Majesty is more grievous than my Sufferings which can onely prejudice and hurt me and my private Estate but can no ways conduce for advancing of His Majesties Service but rather be a hinderance to the Accommodation of Affairs whereas my Liberty or lawful Trial will serve for the Illustration of His Majesties Iustice to the World and will make His Subjects without fear of danger to tender their humble Suits and Remonstrances at the Throne of His Royal Iustice. An. 1639. Upon this the Marquis pressed the King much for my Lord Lowdon's Enlargement since the Covenanters made great noise with it in all their Complaints The Marquis treats with him by the Kings Order and pretended that they durst send up no more Commissioners and therefore they sent their Acts in the Packet He did also shew His Majesty that he knew by the Lieutenant of the Tower that Lowdon was very fearful wherefore he desired permission from the King to try what this Fear could draw from him and to see if his Enlargement with the hopes of a Noble Reward could engage him to the Kings Service which if obtained might prove of great advantage since the Irritations he had received would make his Advices less suspected in Scotland His Majesty approving this he treated with Lowdon and found him abundantly pliant and so on the 26th of Iune he agreed with him on these Terms which he got under Lowdon's Hand in two Papers yet extant THE Lord Lowdon doth promise to contribute his faithful and uttermost Endeavours for His Majesties Service and furthering of a happy Peace and shall with all possible diligence and care go about the same and shall labour that His Majesties Subjects of Scotland may in all humility petition that His Majesty may be Graciously pleased to authorize a Commissioner with full Power from His Majesty to establish the Religion and Liberty of that His Majesties Native and Ancient Kingdom according to the Articles of Pacification and that by a new Convening or Session of the Parliament without cohesion or dependence on what hath been done by themselves without His Majesties Presence or of a Commissioner to represent His Majesties Royal Person and Power That if there be not an Army already convened in Scotland in a Body he shall endeavour that they shall not convene nor come together during the time of Treaty in hope of Accommodation and if they be already convened in a Body before his return he will labour that they may dissolve and return to their several Shires or dispose so of them that they remain not in one Body as may best evince that they intend not to come into England but may carry themselves in that respective way as may best testifie their Duty to His Majesty and their Desires of Peace That if General Ruthwen shall happen to become their Prisoner they may as a testimony of their desire to shun every thing which may provoke His Majesties displeasure preserve him and that the Lord Lowdon will shew how far he is engaged for his Safety That when Affairs shall be brought to a Treaty in Parliament and that His Majesty shall be Graciously pleased to settle the Religion and Liberties of the Kingdom according to the Articles of Pacification he will endeavour that the Kings Authority shall not be entrenched upon nor diminished that they may give a real demonstration to the World how tender and careful they are that His Majesties Royal Power may be preserved both in Church and State That what is done or imparted to the Lord Lowdon concerning His Majesties Pleasure shall be kept secret and not revealed to any here further than His Majesty shall think expedient That the Lord Lowdon shall as soon as conveniently he can return an account of his Diligence There was given with this another Paper which follows An. 1640 Memorandum of what passed betwixt the Marquis of Hamilton and me 26 Iune 1640. BEcause no great matters can be well effectuated without Trust Fidelity and Secrecy therefore it is fit that we swear Fidelity and Secrecy to others and that I shall faithfully contribute my best Endeavours for performance of what I undertake and that my Lord Marquis doe the like to me Our desires and designs do tend mainly for Preservation of Religion Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom the Kings Honour and of His Royal Authority and for establishing of a happy Peace and preventing of Wars and we are to advise and resolve upon such ways and means as may best conduce for these ends If after using of our utmost Endeavours it be not Gods will that we may be so happy as to obtain such a Peace in haste as may content the King and satisfie his Subjects till differences draw to a greater height and beginning of Wars to resolve what is fit to be done in case of such an Extremity for attaining a wished Peace and to condescend what course we shall take for keeping of Correspondence If my Endeavours and Service which doubtless will put me to a great deal of expence and pains shall prove useful for His Majesties Service and Honour and the Good of the Kingdom which are inseparable the Marquis will intercede really and imploy his best Endeavours with the King to acknowledge and recompence the Lord Lowdon 's Travels and Service in such manner as a Gracious King and Master should doe to a diligent and faithful Servant Upon this Lowdon was enlarged next day Lowdon is enlarged and permitted to go down to Scotland but those who did not know the Secret of this thought the King had weakened himself much by letting go an Hostage of such importance and this gave new Suspicions of the Marquis his Tamperings with the Covenanters His Majesty commanded the Earl of Lanerick to write by the Lord Lowdon the following Answer to the Letter sent up by the Lords of Scotland with the Acts they had lately passed My Lords BY my former of the Date the 23th of June Lanerick 's Answer to the Committee in Scotland His Majesty was pleased to promise by me to let you know within few days His further Pleasure concerning those Proceedings and Desires of the Noblemen and Barons and Burgesses which you sent me to be presented to His Majesty whereupon he hath now commanded me to tell you that the not proroguing of the Parliament in a Legal and Formal way was not for want of clear
Instructions and of full and ample Power from His Majesty He having fully signified His Pleasure to those whom He did entrust with the executing thereof not thinking it fit to imploy other Servants of greater Eminence by reason of the disorders and iniquities of the Times and as forced by the importance of his other great and weighty Affairs He was necessitated to prorogue the Parliament for some few days so did He most really intend to perform at the time prefixed whatsoever He had promised by the Act of Pacification But neither can the neglect of His Servants if any be nor those other Reasons alledged by the foresaid Noblemen Barons and Burgesses in their Declaration for their Sitting satisfie His Majesty for their proceeding in a Parliamentary way since by the Duty and Allegeance of Subjects they are bound to acknowledge in a most special manner His Transcendent Power in Parliaments and if Subjects there do assume the Power of Making Laws and of Rescinding those already made what Act can be done more derogatory to that Regal Power and Authority we are all sworn to maintain Therefore His Majesty conceives they cannot in reason expect He can interpose His Royal Authority to these or any other Acts whatsoever whereto neither He in His own Royal Person nor by His Commissioner did assist Yet such is His Majesties Clemency that when they shall take such an Humble and Dutiful way as may witness that they are as careful and tender of His Majesties Royal Power as they are desirous of His Approbation then shall it be time for them to expect such a Gracious and Iust Answer as may testifie His Majesties Fatherly Compassion of that His Native Kingdom and his Pious and Princely care of performing whatsoever is necessary for establishing their Religion and Laws So thus having imparted unto you all that was enjoyned me by His Majesty I shall say no more from my self but I am Your Lordships humble Servant LANERICK Whitehall 27th of June 1640. My Lord Lowdon found matters at so great a height that he was able to do little more than give intelligence that he delivered the Letter to the Lords at Edinburgh who returned to it the following Answer My Lord The Reply of the Committee WE received your Lordships Letter of the 27th of June from the Lord Lowdon whose relief out of Prison gives us occasion before we answer your Lordships Letter to acknowledge the same as an act of His Majesties Royal Iustice and Goodness although the pretended cause of his Imprisonment was but a malicious Calumny of the Enemies of the Kings Honour and our Peace forged to engage both His Majesties Kingdoms in a National War As we cannot but regrate that any neglect of His Majesties Officers or absence of His Commissioner whose presence we did both desire and expect should hinder the interposing of His Royal Authority to these Acts of Parliament which were found most necessary for establishing Religion and the Peace of this Kingdom and which according to the Acts of Pacification His Majesty was graciously pleased to promise so we have and shall still endeavour to give demonstration of that tender Respect we have of His Majesties Honour and Royal Power And whereas your Lordships Letter doth imply that we should take some other way for the more easie obtaining His Majesties Approbation which also by several reasons hath been most instantly pressed by the Lord Lowdon yet we conceive that Parliamentary way which was taken by the Estates convened by His Majesties Special Warrant to have been most Legal and necessary and no ways derogatory to His Majesties Power in Parliament nor contrary to the Duty of good Subjects who are warranted by the Articles of Pacification under His Majesties Hand to determine all Civil questions ratifie the Conclusions of the Assembly and remove the present Distractions of this Kingdom as is more abundantly demonstrated by their Declaration in Parliament thereabout So that we dare not take any other Course which may entrench upon their Parliamentary Power or Proceedings nor will we being so few in number appointed by them to stay here presume of our selves in a matter of so great moment to return a more full and particular Answer till there be a more frequent Meeting of those appointed by Parliament which will be shortly and then your Lordship shall be acquainted that you may shew His Majesty their Resolutions and humble Desires and we shall remain Your Lordships affectionate Friends and Servants Signed Lindsay Balmerino Burghly Napier J. Murray G. Dundas Ja. Sword J. Forbes Ed. Eggar Edinburgh 7th of July 1640. They went on with their Preparations The Preparations are great in Scotland and caused all to bring in the tenth Peny of their Rents to make this War look like a Sacred one since carried on by the Tithes and ordered their Forces to be drawn together Mean while the King went on at as good a pace as he could and went from London in the end of Iuly to make his Rendezvous at York The Earl of Strafford staid some time behind partly for Sickness partly to see what Money could be borrowed from London and at this time there were great and high Misunderstandings between him and Sir Henry Vane both making their Complaints to the Marquis by their Letters Strafford was also to bring an Army out of Ireland upon the West of Scotland whereupon they in Scotland drew their Forces together in the end of August and resolved to march into England and make that the Seat of the War pretending as by their Declaration then emitted doth appear that their Trade was block't up by English Ships that in England and Ireland Scotishmen were proceeded against for taking the Covenant and the English Council had voted a War with them wherefore they said they were constrained to go into England with their Petitions declaring they came not to invade England but to avert the Invasion of their Country that was designed adding that they should be so far from doing prejudice to any in England that severe Justice should be executed upon those who took any thing in England without payment And about this time Ruthwen being for many months block't up in the Castle of Edinburgh so that Victuals and Ammunition were spent his Water also failed and most of his Souldiers died was forced to Capitulate and render up the Castle of the Covenanters But not to stand too long on matters universally known as soon as they entred England The Scotish Army enters England the King by Proclamation declared them Traytors on the 22th of August yet they went on and when they came to the Ford of Tine at Newburn some miles above Newcastle they found it guarded by a Body of Foot who had raised a Brest-work near the River and lay there to obstruct their passage Yet no sooner did the Scottish Cannon begin to play but they struck with Fear threw down their Arms and run away whereupon the General
wherein it is represented that your Lordships late Warrant for Printing His Majesties Letter hath occasioned great Grief and heavy Regrate of all who tender the Glory of God His Majesties Honour and procuring Vnity of Religion and Vniformity in Church-Government the continuance of Peace and Vnion betwixt the two Kingdoms and fearing if at this time we should be silent your Lordships should conceive us and the rest of the Kingdom to be involved with them in the like Desires Iudgements and Opinions and lest by our silence our Gracious Soveraign the Kings Majesty should believe us wanting in the Duty and Allegiance which by so many Tyes and Obligations we owe to Him our Native King or that our Brethren of England should apprehend the least Intention â—r Desire in us to infringe or any ways to encroach upon the Brotherly Vnion of the two Kingdoms so happily united under one Head We presume in all Humility to clear our selves and our Intentions to your Lordships and to all the World and therewith to represent our humble Wishes and Desires for Establishing His Majesties Royal Authority and continuing that happy Vnion betwixt the two Kingdoms which can never truely be conceived to be intended to weaken the Head whereby it is knit together and without which it can have no subsistence The happy Vnion of the two Kingdoms under one Head our King doth so much add to His Majesties Greatness and Strength of both Kingdoms that we British Subjects cannot choose but wish that the said Brotherly Vnion be heartily entertained and cherished by all fair and reasonable means to which we conceive no one thing will so much conduce as that the late Articles of the Treaty of Peace and Conclusions taken thereupon about Vnity of Religion may be carefully and timeously prosecuted wherein as our Commissioners then so we now without presuming or usurping to prescribe Rules or Laws of Reformation to our Neighbour-kingdom Civil Liberty and Conscience being so tender that it cannot endure to be touched but by such as they are wedded to and have lawful Authority over them notwithstanding seeing the duty of Charity doth oblige all Christians to pray and profess their Desires that all were of the same Religion with themselves and since we all acknowledge that Religion is the base and foundation of Kingdoms and the strongest Bond to knit the Subjects to their Princes in true Loyalty and to knit their Hearts one to another in true Vnity we cannot but heartily wish that this work of Vnion so happily begun may be crowned and strengthened by the Vnity of Church-Government and that your Lordships with us may be pleased to represent it to His Majesty and Both Houses of Parliament as an expression and Testimony of our Affections to the good of our Brethren in England and of our Desires to make firm and stable our Brotherly Vnion by the strong chain and Bulwark of Religion but as we have said no ways intending thereby to pass our bounds in prescribing and setting down Rules and Limits to His Majesty and the Two Houses of Parliament their Wisdom and Authority in the way of prosecution thereof The sense we have of the great Calamities and irreparable Evils which upon occasion of these unhappy Distractions and Mistakes betwixt the Kings Majesty and the Two Houses of England which if not speedily removed cannot but produce the fearful and prodigious effects of a bloody and Civil War obligeth us in the duty of Christians and as feeling members of what may concern our Common Head the Kings Majesty and the Good and Happiness of our Brethren of England humbly to represent to your Lordships That as we will not be wanting with our Prayers and our faithful and best Endeavours to assist in the removing of these unhappy Mistakes and Misunderstandings so we heartily wish and humbly Petition your Lordships that from the deepness of your Wisdom such happy Motions may flow as upon that tender care of our Soveraigns Person and Authority Peace and Truth may be settled in all His Majesties Dominions Although we will not presume nor take upon us to prescribe Laws and Rules to your Lordships yet in all Humility we intreat your permission to represent such Particulars as we conceive and are very confident will conduce much to the removing of all â—hese Mistakes betwixt His Majesty and His Two Houses of Parliament and be a ready mean to facilitate a happy and wished Peace and continue the Brotherly Vnion between the Two Kingdoms And first that in answering the foresaid Petition your Lordships may be pleased to do no Act which may give His Majesty just occasion to repent him of what Trust he so Graciously expressed in his Letter of the Date the fifth of December He reposes in us His Subjects of His Ancient and Native Kingdom for we cannot think that our Brethren in England or any other can believe that the ground of this Mutual Vnion of the two Kingdoms by the several and respective Vnions to our Prince and Head should weaken the strong Bond whereby it is knit and by which we are so firmly tied by so many Ages and unparalelled lineal descents of an hundred and seven Kings Neither can we suppose that any good Protestant or true member of our Church can imagine far less seduce others to believe that by the late Treaty of Peace or Act of Vnion we as Scotish Subjects are in any sort liberated from the Dutiful Obedience which as Scotishmen we owe to our Scotish King or from that due Loyalty which as Scotish Subjects we owe to our Native Soveraign for Maintenance of His Person Greatness and Authority or that thereby we are in any other Condition in these necessary Duties to our Soveraign than we and our Ancestors were and have been these many Ages and Descents before the making of the said Act or before the Swearing and Subscribing of our late Covenant by which we have solemnly sworn and do swear not only our mutual Concurrence and Assistance for the cause of Religion and to the utmost of our power with our Means and Lives to stand to the Defence of our Dread Soveraign His Person and Authority in the preservation of Religion Liberty and Laws of this Church and Kingdom but also in every Cause which may concern His Majesties Honour we shall according to the Laws of this Kingdom and Duty of Subjects concur with our Friends and Followers in quiet manner or in Arms as we shall be required of His Majesty or His Councel or any having His Authority Secondly That if your Lordships think it fitting to make any answer to the Parliament of England their Declaration your Lordships may be pleased not to declare enact or promise any thing which may trouble or molest the Peace of this Kirk and Kingdom which by God's special Grace and His Majesties Favour and Goodness we enjoy and have established unto us according to our Hearts desire by the Laws Ecclesiastical or Civil of
Lurking-holes and desert those who had trusted to them And after all this there was a Scotish Army in Ireland which was now well trained and disciplined consisting of ten thousand men who were for the most part at the Covenanters devotion and these would be instantly brought over there being no way to stop their Passage and it was not to be imagined that any Body of an Army could be raised in Scotland able to resist that Force Upon these Reasons it was that he not only disswaded the Queen from consenting to a present Breach but resisted it as long as was possible yet he undertook for none but himself of which he put the Queen frequently in mind and the utmost of his expectation was to drive off Matters for that Year And in this both my Lord Traquair and Mr. Murray concurred with him and desired the whole Matter might be laid before His Majesty that his Pleasure might be made known about it but after a few days waiting on the Queen the Marquis returned back to Scotland The Scotish Commissioners continued all this while at Oxford The Commissioners at Oxford get their last Answer giving in Papers and receiving Answers but advancing nothing and the last Answer they got from His Majesty the 19th of April containing both the Substance of their Papers and of His Majesties former Answers will give a clear account of the Grounds on which His Majesty went The Paper follows IT is acknowledged by His Majesty that if any one of the Articles of Treaty had been broken or violated as His Majesty doth not so much as see pretended or any Debate or Difference had risen thereupon about which there is now no Dispute the Commissioners had then been not only warranted but obliged to have laboured to prevent all Troubles and Divisions which might arise by such a Breach to the disturbance of tâ—e Common Peace and to remove and compose all such Differences according to such Power as was granted to them but till His Majesty be satisfied that Authority by some Law is given to the Commissioners for Conserving the Articles of Treaty to represent His Majesties Native Kingdom of Scotland in this Offer of Mediating for a desired and blessed Pacification here His Majesty cannot see how the pious dutiful provident or charitable Concernment of that Kingdom in the Calamities of this or their Sympathy and sense of the Troubles of their Head and fellow-Subjects can interess the Commissioners any more than any other of His good Subjects of that Kingdom to bestir themselves in Matters of that kind or why any such Endeavours should be by any much less universally expected from them so far is he from seeing that any undeclinable Necessity constrained them to it And since the express words of the Act of Pacification it self are that the Power of the Commission shall be restrained to the Articles of Peace concluded in the Treaty His Majesty cannot but wonder whence they can pretend any Obligation or Authority to meddle with or press him concerning any such Articles as are not included but still left dependent how important soever they suppose them to be even to the Common Peace And it giving them only liberty to convene to that effect among themselves or with the Commissioners chosen by His Majesty with consent of the Parliament of England and restraining them in all their Proceedings to the Power granted to them in manner aforesaid and no otherwise as clearly intending to restrain all Power that might be pretended to by any Inserences Analogies or Consequences how manifest soever they might appear and requiring them to consist of the number of Twelve and not giving them Power to delegate a smaller number His Majesty cannot consent That that number the Laws allow not that is Three should address themselves to those the Law hath not appointed them this is Both Housâ—s not only concerning that which the Law intrusted not to them as a Pacification here but even concerning that from which the Law expresly restrains them that is one of the Articles of the Treaty no way concluded or agreed on but expresly reserved by the Parliament to be considered in due time that is in their own time concerning Church-Government the intermixture of which with the Civil State as His Majesty still conceives to be very great and of very high Concernment and not to be understood by the Commissioners who have not the knowledge of the Laws and Policy of this Kingdom so His Majesty is confident notwithstanding the Declaration and Bill abolishing the Order of Bishops that if they well knew how generally any thing of that kind was opposed whilst the Houses continued full and how the Major part of Both Houses were absent at the passing of that Declaration and Bill in so much that His Majesty is credibly informed that there were not above five Lords present when the Bill past and what violent and tumultuous Assemblies had occasioned so great and unusual Absence they would be confident as he is that in a full and peaceable Convention of Parliament Both Houses will appear to be of the same opinion with His Majesty in this Particular and to have in that the same thoughts of the Law and Policy of this Kingdom His Majesties care that the deluge of the Troubles of this Kingdom affect not that with the danger of the like is very visible to all the World His Majesty out of His great desire of continuing tâ—em in Peace and Tranquillity not desiring any assistance from them even for His Own Preservation And whoever doth desire any Commotion there to assist their Rebellious and Invasive Armes here will He hopes be lookt upon as the Troublers of Peace and as Incendiaries labouring to lay foundations of perpetual Hostility betwixt the Two Kingdoms And then for ought His Majesty can see there will be no cause to expect any Commotions there and such Dangers will rather prove imaginary than real though the Conservatours of the Treaty contain themselves within their legal and proper Bounds His Majesty wonders that since His approbation of their Mediation was desired when His Safe-conduct was asked and the first was not given when the latter was that it should not have been easily seen by these Proceedings of His Majesties that as He never granted the first as seeing no Authority they had for such a Mediation so He only at last granted the other as being contented to hear what they could say to Him upon that Point either as private persons or to give Him better satisfaction than He could give Himself what Right they could pretend to any Publick Capacity of that kind but having heard all they have offered and not finding any thing that warrants them in this in any special manner above His Majesties other Subjects His Majesty cannot with reason admit of any private Persons whatsoever into such a Publick Capacity nor with His Own Dignity and that of this Nation can allow His Subjects of another
marks of His Majesties Favour and Confidence in the disposal of all Offices and Places at Court that every third time they should be filled with Scotish men together with other particulars not needful to be mentioned But against all this it was objected that those who had the Ascendant in the Councils at Oxford were either Papists or men of Arbitrary Principles and the Clamours that always follow Generals and Armies where there is no certain Pay were carried to Scotland not without great additions against the Kings Forces to possess people with a deep alienation from them It was likewise said that since the King notwithstanding the Declining of his Affairs in England would not grant what was desired there about Episcopacy it might be from thence gathered what he would do if his Arms were successful and therefore all People were possessed with the jealousies of his subverting the whole Settlement with Scotland assoon as he had put the War in England to a happy Conclusion And though it was answered to this that the Kings putting things to hazard rather than sin against his Conscience was the greatest assurance possible that he would faithfully observe what He had granted to this Malicious people said that it would be easie to find distinctions to escape from all Engagements and if the putting down of Episcopacy was simply sinful according to the Kings Conscience then that alone would furnish Him with a very good reason to overturn all since no Men are bound to observe the promises they make when they are sinful upon the Matter And these Reasons did generally prevail with the Covenanters to refuse to joyn with the Kings Party in England therefore they concluded it necessary to Engage with the Two Houses both because the Cause was dear to them it being a pretence for Religion and Liberty It was also said often that they owed their Settlement partly to the backwardness of the Armies the King had raised against them in England and partly to the Council of the Peers who had advised the King to grant a Treaty and afterwards a full Settlement to them And that Paper which was sent down in the Year 1640 as the Engagement of 28 of the Peers of England for their Concurrence with the Scotish Army that year was shown to divers to engage them unto a Grateful return to those to whom it was pretended they were so highly obliged For though the Earl of Rothes and a few more were well satisfied about the Forgery of that Paper yet they thought that a Secret of too great Importance to be generally known therefore it was still kept up from the Body of that Nation And upon these Pretences and Inducements it was that it came to be generally agreed to to enter into a Confederacy with the Two Houses So Fatal did the Breach between the King and his People prove that even when it seemed to be well made up by a full Agreement there was still an after-game of Jealousies and Fears which did again widen it by a new Rupture which to these men seemed at this time unavoidable otherwise they found the ease of a Neutrality to be such that the Men of the greatest Interest in those Councils have often told the Writer they had never engaged again had it not been for those Jealousies with which they were possessed to a high degree There was a Committee of Nine appointed to Treat with the Commissioners the English pressed chiefly a Civil League and the Scots a Religious one but though the English yielded to this yet they were careful to leave a door open for Independency Thus the Treaty with the English Commissioners went on notwithstanding a Letter the King wrote to the Chancellour to be communicated to the Council requiring them not to Treat with them since they came without His Majesties Order but they who had leaped over all other matters could not stand at this And now came to light that which had been a hatching these many Months among the Iunto's which was the Solemn League and Covenant which follows The Solemn League and Covenant of the three Kingdoms WE Noblemen Barons Knights Gentlemen Citizens and Burgesses The Solemn League and Covenant Ministers of the Gospel and Commons of all sorts in the Kingdoms of Scotland England and Ireland by the Providence of God living under one King and being of one Reformed Religion having before our eyes the glory of GOD and the advancement of the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ the Honour and Happiness of the Kings Majesty and His Posterity and the true publick Liberty Safety and Peace of the Kingdom wherein every ones private condition is included And calling to mind the treacherous and bloody Plots Conspiracies Attempts and Practices of the Enemies of GOD against the true Religion and Professors thereof in all places especially in these three Kingdoms ever since the Reformation of Religion and how much their Rage Power and Presumption are of late and at this time encreased and exercised whereof the deplorable estate of the Church and Kingdom of Ireland the distressed estate of the Church and Kingdom of England and the dangerous estate of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland are present and publick testimonies We have now at last after other means of Supplication Remonstrance Protestations and Sufferings for the preservation of our selves and our Religion from utter ruine and destruction according to the commendable practice of these Kingdoms in former times and the example of Gods People in other Nations after mature deliberation resolved and determined to enter into a mutual and Solemn League and Covenant Wherein we all subscribe and each one of us for himself with our hands lifted up to the most high GOD do Swear THat we shall sincerely really and constantly through the grace of GOD endeavour in our several Places and Callings the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government against our common Enemies the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of England Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of GOD and the example of the best Reformed Churches And shall endeavour to bring the Churches of GOD in the three Kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and Vniformity in Religion Confession of Faith Form of Church-Government Directory for Worship and Catechising that we and our Posterity after us may as Brethren live in Faith and Love and the Lord may delight to dwell in the midst of us That we shall in like manner without respect of persons endeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy that is Church-Government by Arch-bishops Bishops their Chancellours and Commissaries Deans Deans and Chapters Arch-deacons and all other Ecclesiastical Officers depending on that Hierarchy Superstition Heresie Schism Prophaneness and whatsoever shall be found to be contrary to sound Doctrine and the Power of Godliness lest we partake in other mens sins and thereby be in danger to
Defendant says The Answer to the sixth Article that he sees there is nothing so false but his Enemies have the impudence to fasten it on him since he was one of the chief Contrivers and Promoters of that Petition as he can prove by hundreds of Witnesses nor did he dash See p. 211. or cause to be dasht out any Clause that was conceived in His Majesties favours which his Enemies with their usual falshood say was too great an eye-sore It is true he saw divers Draughts of a Petition against the Annuities and some of them had expressions in them which the Judicatories of that time would have declared contrary to Acts of Parliament which by the advice of good Lawyers all that were well-affected to His Majesties Service rejected and yet the Draught agreed to will be found to contain very plainly the Assurances of their Fidelity to His Majesty and that Draught being agreed on the Defendant sent it to all the Places where he had Interest and procured very many Subscriptions to it so unjustly is the Defendant charged in this Article But as these Subscriptions were thus procured the Council stopped all further Proceedings in that Business by a Declaration forbidding any to subscribe it nor did His Majesty send any Answer to those Petitions to the Defendant It is true by his Instructions he did empower them to discharge the Annuities to such as had petitioned about them See p. 220. if this was not done it was not only the Defendants deed but was the concurring Opinion of the others joyned with him in Trust by His Majesty who he doubts not shall be able to give a very good account of that See p. 223. as of all the other particulars committed to their Trust when-ever His Majesty shall call them to it and shall shew him very good reasons why they did not proceed any further in that Affair Charge That since he left His Majesty at York Article 7. he hath been still labouring to frustrate the good Intentions of His Majesties faithful Subjects of Scotland and to bring Matters to the Pass they are now at which may be clearly evinced by the particulars which follow First when some Noblemen of that Kingdom well-affected to His Majesties Service perceiving the Intentions of some there to engage that Nation in Rebellion with the Malignant Party here made offer of all their best Services and ready endeavours to prevent the same for themselves and in the name of all the Kings greatest and best-affected Party there he to disappoint those promising and evident Courses thrust himself into the Business and in a very seeming plausible way undertook to keep that Kingdom in Peace and Quiet and from attempting any thing upon this Nation or against His Majesties Service now depending here and to make it appear the more specious without making use of any Force or putting His Majesty to any Trouble or Charges and withall solemnly engaged to break off all his Alliance Ties and Friendship with the Marquis of Argyle who doth make himself so much the Head of that Rebellion against His Majesty or otherwise perswade him to acknowledg himself and become a good Subject and that betwixt and three Months thereafter at farthest the effect of all which undertaking had this result First that immediately upon his return to Scotland a Convention of tâ—e Estates was indicted without the King's knowledg or consent a Precedent whereof can never be shown in any Records which coming to His Majesties knowledg He did immediately direct a Letter under His own Hand willing that Hamilton and some other of his Complices who had His Majesties Trust for the time should declare the said Meeting Illegal and disapprove it in His Majesties Name About the time of the Receipt of which Letter the said Hamilton and some of his Cabal did employ the Earl of Calander from them to speak with a great many Noblemen of the Kings Party and take their Advices in what was to be done and they who understood nothing of His Majesties Letter it being altogether kept up from them declared all in one voice their Iudgments were that His Majesty should disclaim the Convention and declare it Illegal and that they would all be willing to joyn with Hamilton and his Party and take their Lives in their hands to maintain His Majesties Honour and Authority and free themselves from the Slavery of those rebellious Tyrants It was answered them again by the said Earl of Calander His Majesties Letter being still supprest That the King would needs approve of the Convention with Limitations To which it was replied That they behooved either to be very ignorant or unfaithful who had given His Majesty such Advice seeing those People would never confine themselves within Limits or take a part if it should be left them in their power to extend themselves and over-reach all and that they would on no terms assent to any such Course as being intended for nothing else but a hollow undermining of His Majesty and all His faithful Subjects So they parted with little satisfaction on either hand and some days thereafter the said Earl of Calander was again directed to the same Parties to perswade them still to the former Overture but to no effect yet in end lest the Service might seem to suffer by so much difference in Opinion they desired Calander to shew Hamilton and those of his Party that since he was only trusted and employed by His Majesty in the Business their Affection and Tenderness to the Service should make them very unwilling to differ with him in the way and however in their own Iudgments they did no way approve that the King should so far wrong His Authority as to allow of any such Illegal Proceedings which did portend from bad Causes worse Effects yet since His Majesty would do it and they needs have it so they should go along but with one Caveat which was That if the Convention did not observe these Limitations prescribed by His Majesty in that case that they should protest and withdraw presently from the House and that then all who were for His Majesties Service should immediately joyn themselves together and take the Field This being solemnly concluded and with much attestation it was resolved that all who did affect the Kings Service and had Vote in the Convention should be present there upon certain hopes that they should be able to ballance either by Voices all violent Courses or at least to protest against them and adhere to His Majesties Service and Authority in a vigorous way But all their great Promises and fair Assurances were either not intended or very soon forgotten for whilst it was the first Act of the Convention after His Majesties Letter was read to Voice themselves a Free Assembly as any had ever been kept in that Kingdom notwithstanding of the Restraints in His Majesties Letter and that in that case Protests and Declarations and every thing
him much against his Heart for he had stood out against all the Importunities of his Enemies till the very morning he came to Oxford in which most of the whole Court came about him and said they would all desert him if He yielded not to their Desires The Duke professed he was fully satisfied that His Majesty judged him Innocent and that his Heart was still what it had ever been to His Service but he saw himself in no capacity of being further useful to His Majesty since these Iealousies would be ever hanging over his Head though His Majesty were free of them Things were now brought to great extremities so that the success of any Service might be laid on him seemed not only doubtful but desperate Besides he had no reason to think that cloud of Misfortunes which did hitherto hang over all his Actions was yet broken or dissipated and therefore he had particular reason to apprehend cross Events would yet follow his Attempts but he knew the World would be so unjust as to impute them to his Resentments and count them not casual but designed Miscarriages wherefore he desired permission to go abroad into some corner of the World where he might enjoy a private Retirement But the Kings Answer to this was that he looked on it as a well-couched Resentment adding he did not expect he would now leave him when he needed his Assistance most and this overcame his Resolution for that time therefore he frankly desired His Majesty would lay his Commands on him And the first of them gave occasion to a very unexampled and sublime exercise of his Vertue for at this time the King was in great perplexity about Montrose his Affairs The King orders the Duke to do what he could for rescuing Montrose since to leave him to the fury of his Enemies for having served him faithfully was so contrary to his Honour and Conscience that the King abhorred the thought of it on the other hand he could not preserve him for having recalled his Commission his further Actings were legally Treasonable and there was no way remaining to get him out of their hands since the King had no Ships for his Transportation and the fury against him was so great that they would hear of no Conditions unless he rendered himself to their Discretion wherefore the King proposed it to the Duke to do what in him lay to extricate him out of this Strait for the known enmity that was betwixt the Duke and Montrose would make his Advices in that particular less suspected An ordinary Vertue would have judged it sufficient not to have revenged Injuries and to have dispensed with the remembrance of them but it must be confessed to be a high Instance of Christianity to repay Injuries while the smart and sense of them was yet so fresh with so great Generosity He recommended the care of this to that Noble Gentleman Collonel Lockhart who was in Command under Middleton that led the Forces which were sent against him and had much power over him being his intimate Friend and did then begin to shew those eminent Qualities which made him afterwards be so much esteemed over Europe and his death be so Universally lamented Middleton treated with Montrose and took Lockhart with him to the Interview who told Montrose what Commands were laid on him by the Duke to serve him Montrose seeing his danger was willing to Capitulate with Middleton that they should lay down their Armes and retire to their Houses those only excepted who were attainted by the Acts of their Pretended Parliament who should be suffered to go beyond Sea within a few days after the Agreement This being done the Kirk-Party made great opposition to the Ratification of it in the Committee of Estates nor could it have been carried but by the Interest the Duke and his Brother had there who pressed it with much zeal This hath been often owned by Midleton and was avouched to the Writer by Sir William Lockhart who added That never did the Duke or his Brother lay their Commands on him in more pressing terms than in this particular about Montrose's Preservation The King being freed from this troublesom Intrigue The King is earnestly pressed to yield to the Propositions the next care was what Answer should be given to the Propositions for Peace that were every day expected The Duke prest him most earnestly to yield to them how unreasonable soever they might seem and particularly in the point of Religion for without full satisfaction in that nothing would please the Scotish Nation nor the City of London by whom only His Majesty could now hope to be preserved and they would hear of nothing short of the Abolition of Episcopacy and the Kings Taking the Covenant But were those granted he found a willingness in them to interpose for Moderating the other Propositions particularly those of the Militia and about the Delinquents he therefore intreated His Majesty to consider the Danger He was now in Foreign Aid was not to be looked for and he could not apprehend that Scotland would engage for him if the case varied nothing by His â—oncessions since they could not heretofore be kept in a Neutrality would His Majesty therefore for a Form of Government hazard the loss of his Crowns or if He was so Noble as to despise any Prejudice Himself might feel yet he besought Him to consider His Royal Posterity who by His stiffness would be ruined and to have pity on His Dominions which lay bleeding in that long tract of Civil Wars And though His Majesty had not full clearness in His Conscience about it yet he was sure the matter seemed of small Importance in it self though it became very great by the effects it might produce and he was confident if it were a sin God would never lay it to His charge since His Inducements to it were so strong and unavoidable All this he did not say from his own sense of these Propositions since himself thought His Majesties Concessions were such as might give full satisfaction but that he saw things were in that state that nothing without satisfaction in the point of Religion could bring them to any Settlement This was often repeated to the King both by him and his Brother as well in their Letters as Discourses But His Majesty said His Conscience was dearer to Him than His Crown But the King resolves to adhere firmly to his Conscience and He would willingly run the hazard of all His Crowns below rather than endanger that above that hitherto He had received no satisfaction to His Conscience in these two Great Points at which He stuck and till that were done no Consideration whatsoever would prevail The Quiet of His Kingdoms and the Settlement of His Throne were indeed to be purchased at any rate yet the Peace of His Conscience must be preferred by Him to all things And on these grounds did His Majesty still continue unshaken notwithstanding all
hazards The Propositions were brought from the Two Houses about the middle of Iuly and a speedy answer was craved to them The Propositions are brought to the King But for an account of His Majesties Thoughts of them I cannot give it better than by setting down a written account of them in a Letter sent to the Earl of Lauderdale at His Majesties Command by Sir Robert Murray THe Duty which I conceive every good Subject owes His Majesties first Thoughts of them to use his utmost Endeavours how weak soever for the furtherance of the happy Peace of these afflicted Kingdoms hath made me take the boldness to talk with the King upon the Propositions to see how far he can be induced to yield to them And although to every particular I cannot promise you an exact account because there are divers things in them which neither He nor I understand yet to the main Points I shall and such as I hope may be a good ground-work for happy Conclusions First then for Religion I find His Majesty really Conscientious and not superstitiously Scrupulous wherefore until He be better satisfied the uttermost He can be brought to is that He will be content that Presbyterial Government be generally established within this Kingdom by Act of Parliament for three years provided that He and all those of His Opinion may freely enjoy their Consciences according to the practices in Queen Elizabeth 's and King James 's Times Now how to do this would be too long for a Letter but as there are Examples so I doubt not to shew you more than one way to do it so willing ears may be brought to such a Motion and I assure you His Majesty is most willing to hearken and seek after information to the end He may be satisfied how with a safe Conscience He may give you full satisfaction herein but this Proviso that His Majesty grants will probably be but temporary For the Militia I can neither see inclinations in His Majesty to relinquish nor can I find Arguments to perswade him to it nevertheless I perceive so great inclinations in Him to strain to the uttermost to give His Subjects all just Satisfaction especially in what concerns the securing of their Fears that He will be content for Ten years the Two Houses should dispose of the Militia by Act of Parliament in the hands of such and so many persons as they shall name as likewise to change them within the said time and appoint others in their Places as they shall think fit but after the expiration of the said Time to return to the Crown as Queen Elizabeth and King James enjoyed it Concerning Delinquents His Majesties Opinion is that a good Act of Oblivion is the best way to bind up a Peace after Intestine Troubles it having been the Wisdom of other Kingdoms most usually and with good success to grant general Pardons with very few or no Exceptions whereby the numerous Discontentments of all sorts of People which are the seeds and fuel to future Disorders might be totally extinguished and His Majesty further conceives that He cannot desert so many gallant Persons of Condition and Fortune who have engaged themselves with Him only out of a sense of Duty without a perpetual and irrecoverable Dishonour As for Offices though His Majesty judges that the Disposal of them is a necessary Flower of the Crown yet He is content for this time to accept of the Nomination of them from the Two Houses to be enjoyed by these persons quam diu se bene gesserint so that after Vacancies they return to be disposed of as before I unwillingly mention Ireland because His Majesties Publick Faith being engaged how dare I speak to Him to violate that which is and must be all our Security but even in this will I pawn my Life He will prove Himself a zealous Protector of Protestants and a constant Maintainer of Sovereign Power My Conclusion is that if upon these grounds a Conference may be had betwixt His Majesty and the Two Houses I will engage any thing that an Honest man can that these Kingdoms will be shortly happy in a firm Peace which if it should fail on our part for our not hearing of our Soveraign it would be an unparalelled Misfortune not without Infamy These were His Majesties private Thoughts but His publick Answer inclined more to a Denial which when it was brought to Westminster was entertained both with Joy and Sorrow The King does not yield to the Propositions according to the inclinations of the several Parties The Independents and those of the Army feared nothing so much as the Kings granting them for in that case they saw there could be no colour for keeping up an Army and in the House of Commons when Thanks were Voted to the Commissioners that had been with the King for their pains one Member whispered another in the ear that they owed more Thanks to the King than any body and in another corner an honest Member saying to another what shall become of us since the King refuseth these Propositions the other answered nay what had become of us if He had granted them The Independent Party upon this moved The Houses go on to high Resolutions but are stopped by the Scotish Commissioners that no more Addresses should be made and that His Majesties Person should be demanded and the Army commanded Northward to see it executed which had been infallibly done had not the Scotish Commissioners given them in some Papers complaining of many Violations of the Treaty and the Arrears due to the Army The King had also desired a Personal Treaty near London and the Scots seconded it but the obtaining it was impossible for all this time the Scotish Commissioners and the English whereof the greatest part were of the Independent Faction were in no good terms As for the Arrears of their Pay the Two Houses talked of offering five hundred thousand pounds Sterling whereof an hundred and fifty thousand should be paid presently that so they might be rid of their Army which they said was no more necessary in England and a Complaint being made against some who spoke and wrote in prejudice of the Scotish Nation an Ordinance was debated for punishing them The Independents Imployed all their Strength against it Cromwell spoke most vehemently that it was to discourage their Friends and to encourage their Enemies but Hollis took him up so sharply for calling base Libellers Friends that he was glad to recant When it went to the Vote it run near an equality for 102 were against it and 132 for it so quickly were the Services of their dear Brethren of Scotland forgotten At this time the King sent my Lords of Argyle The King employes Argyle at London for obtaining a Personal Treaty Lowdon and Dumfermline to London Their Instructions were to deal for a Personal Treaty near London to get some of the Kings faithfullest Servants to be suffered
the full as it is demanded neither will it be in the power of any in this Kingdom to prevent Affronts and Danger to Your Majesties Person if You should have any thoughts of coming hither Sir I take God to witness I write this with a sadder heart than I would receive a sentence of Death against my self and shall grieve more at the performance of that than I should at the execution of this upon Your Majesties most humble most faithful most obedient Subject and Servant LANERICK Edinburgh December 22th 1646. His Majesties last Message was presented to the Scotish Parliament His Majesties Message rejected in Scotland on the 23th of December by the Earl of Lanerick and backed by him with the warmest language that he could use but nothing that was new being offered by it a Compliance with it was not to be expected It was also sent to London and at London and first presented to the House of Peers whereat all even those who were best-affected hung their Heads and sent it down to the House of Commons without a word and there it met with the same Entertainment The next Debate was about the Kings Person and the mildest opinion was that He should be kept Prisoner some being for the excluding Him for ever from the Government And for the place of His Restraint some were for His stay at Newcastle but it was carried that He should go to Holmby And this passed without communicating it to the Scotish Commissioners But when He was ordained to be kept in Safety for His Person Henry Martin objected that the King had broken the Peace and why must the Parliament bind for His Safety Some moved to preserve His Person according to the Covenant and it was carried which was thought a great point For now it was esteemed that the Covenant was that which must preserve the King though His Ruine had been formerly imputed to it In the end of the year the Scotish Commissioners parted from London and it being moved in the House of Commons to send some with a Complement to them before they went with the Thanks of the House for their Civilities and good Offices those of the Independent Cabal argued much against that of good Offices done by them and reckoned many bad ones since the King went to Newcastle and it being put to the Vote it was carried by 24 Votes to dash out good Offices and only thank them for their Civilities And so all those Noble Characters they were wont to give of the Scotish Commissioners upon every occasion concluded now in this that they were well-bred Gentlemen Thus ended this present year but none saw an end of miseries like to come An. 1647. Anno 1647. IN the beginning of the next Year Commissioners were sent from the Parliament of Scotland Commissioners are sent to the King from Scotland to represent their late Resolutions to His Majesty On the 12th of Ianuary they presented their first Paper wherein they laid out all they could devise for the pressing a satisfactory Answer to the Propositions expressing with what earnestness all Men were waiting for it and that it would be received with more Ioy than had been ever seen at any Coronation in England But after they had delivered this Message and the 14th day was come wherein the King promised His Answer He told them He must be resolved of two things before He could give His Answer The first was if He was a Free-man or a Prisoner adding That if He were a Prisoner it was the opinion of many Divines that Promises made by a Prisoner did not oblige though He did not assert that to be His own sense the next was whether He might go to Scotland with Honour Freedom and Safety or not They declined long to give an Answer and in that Debate three hours were spent at length being put to it they delivered all their severe Message in the following Paper May it please Your Majesty And deliver the Votes of the Parliament WE are commanded by the Parliament of Scotland to represent to Your Majesty the many Inconveniencies will ensue upon Your Majesties Denial or Delay of Granting the Propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and not giving a satisfactory Answer to the remanent Propositions and particularly to represent the Prejudice will thereby arise to the true Reformed Protestant Religion abroad and to the Reformation of Religion in these Kingdoms the Danger of Your Majesties Person and to Your Own and Posterities Government If Your Majesty not granting the Propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and not giving satisfactory Answers to the other Propositions shall relinquish England we are commanded by the Parliament of Scotland to represent to Your Majesty That in that case they find it unlawful for them to assist Your Majesty for Recovery of the Government Your Majesty not granting the Covenant and Propositions as aforesaid We are commanded by the Parliament of Scotland to represent to Your Majesty That they find Your Majesties Coming to Scotland not granting the Propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and not giving a satisfactory Answer to the remanent Propositions dangerous to the Cause to Your Majesty to Your Native Kingdom and to the Vnion betwixt Scotland and England and that the Kingdom of Scotland will be necessitated to take Course to prevent Your Coming Both Kingdoms will take Course for disposal of Your Majesties Person until such time as Your Majesty grants the Propositions or otherwise agree with Your Majesties Parliaments We are commanded to make known to Your Majesty that until Your Majesty grant the Propositions in manner fore-said or that some Course be resolved by both Kingdoms concerning the disposal of Your Majesties Person Your Majesty cannot be admitted to come or remain in Scotland with Freedom And in case Your Majesty do come we are commanded to represent to Your Majesty That the Kingdom of Scotland will be necessitated to put such Attendants and Guards about Your Majesties Person as may preserve You in Safety and Your Kingdoms in Peace and may prevent all Tumults Insurrections and Gatherings of Malignants We are further warranted to represent to Your Majesty That if You do not grant the Propositions concerning Religion and the Covenant and give a satisfactory Answer about the remanent Propositions the Kingdom of Scotland will be necessitated to continue the Government without Your Majesty as hath been done these years by-past Newcastle 14th January 1647. But the Answer they got shewed The King stands firmly to His Conscience that the King could not be threatned to the Doing of any thing He judged contrary to His Honour or Conscience His Majesties Answer being returned back to Edinburgh on the 16th of Ianuary which was Saturday it was debated in Parliament what should be done with His Majesties Person It is resolved to deliver up the King which the Duke and â—anerick much oppose All inclined to deliver Him up immediately to
my Master to the Preservation of whose Person I was by Obligation and Natural Affections as passionately tied as I could be by Duty and Allegeance And now I confess I am void of all rancour or displeasure against any though I am within few hours to die adjudged by a lawless and arbitrary Court of purpose erected as is said to destroy my Master and some of his Servants and for a great paâ—t composed of men Mechanick and unfit to be Judges my Death being decree'd right or wrong as is reported before ever the Trial begun And though my Death is no less than Murder yet I forgive all and pray to God to do it and that my Blood be not laid to their Charge or to some powerful and eminent mens who as is thought upon some sinistrous Ends have many Months since contrived my Destruction which now is ready to take effect And though I have answered to that Couâ—t in regard of the Justness of my Defence which I thought would have weighed with them yet I never thought nor do I acknowledge any Jurisdiction or lawful Authority in the same notwithstanding I do with all Christian Humility submit to the Punishment which for my other Personal Sins the Lord hath justly brought upon me I should have spoken more yet would not have said so much but for fear lest either my Memory might slip it on the Scaffold or that the rudeness of some People by noise or otherwise might have interrupted me speaking on this Subject So I thank God I am well prepared God bless you remember me to all my Faiends I know I have been a great Sinner yet through Faith I have an assurance that God will forgive me and have Mercy upon me through the alone Suffering and Intercession of Jesus Christ my Saviour Amen About nine a clock the Officers called to them to prepare themselves to go they were to be carried in Sedans and great Guards of Horse and Foot to attend them to Sir Robert Cotton's House The Duke is led out to the Execution But after the Duke had gone through two Rooms he reflecting on the faithful Services of Mr. Cole and judging they deserved a more particular Resentment than was in the Letter he had written to his Brother the day before called for Pen Ink and Paper and wrote the following Note to his Brother Brother THere is nothing more certain than that a faithful Servant is an humble Friend this Bearer I have found such and therefore recommend him to you in that quality I need say no more for him nor can I of worldly business being so near parâ—ing out of it but as I have loved you all my life so I do now at the end of it The Lord of his mercy preserve you from dangers of Soul and Body Yours H. This will more clearly discover the serene and composed Temper he was then in than can be done by any Testimony of Spectators who could only see the out-side which as many of them have witnessed to the Writer was very calm and resolute When he came to Sir Robert Cotton's three or four Officers were sent from Cromwel to him desiring that he would discover what had been oft askt of him and he should not only be preserved but be made a Great man but he rejected their Offers with the same language he had formerly used on the like occasions and said if he had as many Lives as hairs in his Head he would lay them all down rather than redeem them by so base means which an Ear-witness vouched to the Writer Then all went to Prayers and they had some excellent good Preachers waiting on them and praying with them Some Wine was brought and they all drunk one to another and did embrace and kiss each other with much tenderness The Duke was first led away to the Scaffold on the way other Officers came from Cromwel Continued offers of Life if he would make Discoveries but they are rejected renewing the former Offers if he would make Discoveries but all to no purpose he rejecting them with scorn Those many Offers as they were great temptations which would have shaken any man whose Soul was not fully at Peace with God and well-prepared for Death so they discovered the baseness of those mens Designs But as malice did ever pursue the Duke with the unjustest Slanders so his Enemies hearing that Messengers came often to him did strangely misrepresent it as if he had been even then in some Treaty for his Life Being come to the Scaffold the Earl of Denbigh desired to speak with one of his Servants and Mr. Lewis was sent to him the Duke asked Mr. Cole what might the matter be who answered he judged it was to know what Order he had given about his Children the Duke answered he might satisfie him if that were the matter The Duke was during his stay at St. Iames's visited sometimes by Doctor Sibbald Doctor Sibbald encourages the Duke on the Scaffold Him he chose now to accompany him in his last minutes who encouraged him to look to that fountain of the Blood of Christ in which he must be purged from all his Iniquities the effusion whereof was for the Salvation of all who by a true and lively Faith rested on him he was the only Rock on which he was to build his Hopes and though the waters of Jordan did run an impetuous Current he was the Ark of the Covenant that was to lead him through them to that sure Refuge against which neither the Powers on Earth nor the Gates of Hell could prevail He desired him to lift up the eyes of firm Confidence to the Crucified Christ and with St. Stephen to behold him sitting at his Father's right hand ready to receive his Soul adding who would be in love with Life if they could but before-hand consider what it would prove all being a heap of Cares Anxieties and Miseries with which every rank of Men and state of Life was beset it was therefore a Happiness to be with much Ioy welcomed when we found a quick and easie Passage for escaping these swelling Billows and getting into that blessed harbour of eternal Happiness We must pass through a Sea but a Sea of our Saviour's Blood in which never any Shipwrackt and through which we are carried by the soft winds of the Divine Spirit which can scatter all contrary blasts When the Doctor had thus ended his Discourse the Duke perceiving a greater silence than he expected though he had resolved to make no Publick Speech and therefore had as was already told expressed himself in private yet being invited by the Attention he observed he spoke to the People but as he had not premeditated it so no Copy of it remains except what was printed from the Notes of the Hearers and therefore I shall only set down the Heads of it He addressed himself to the Sheriff The Duke's last Speech and told him he judged it not