• and to be obedient in all things to his majesty's major-ge neral or commander in chief, authorised by his majesty for the time being, and will behave myself obediently to my superior officers in all that they shall command me for his majesty's service. And I do farther swear, that I will be a true faithful and obedient soldier, every way performing my best • endeavours for his majesty's service, obeying all orders, and submitting to all such rules and articles of war as are or • shall be established by his majesty. So help me God.'

To the transactions of this year I shall add a few things of which I have not the particular dates. Some time of it, when Colonel Struthers was pursuing all Scotsmen in the northern counties of England, Henry Hall of Haugh-head was engaged in a skirmish near Crokom, a village on the English border, where that gallant and religious gentleman Thomas Ker of Hayhope was killed. Mr Hall after this came down to Scotland, where we shall meet with him next year.· He had a religious education, and opposed the public resolutions. After the Restoration he was a great enemy to prelacy, and suffered many hardships; so that he was obliged to leave his estate, and retire into the north of England in 1665. In the year 1666, he was taken when coming from Pentland, and with some others imprisoned in Cesford castle; but was released by the favour of the Earl of Roxburgh who was his relation. Then he again retired to Northumberland, where he was very useful.

James Graham of Claverhouse, who will make a dismal figure in the next volume, came this year with a numerous party of soldiers, took free quarters for several days in the house of Gilbert Macmeihen in New Glenluce parish; and when they went off, though they had consumed ten times the value of the cess, they carried with them three horses worth 101. sterling. John Arrol, who commanded this party, was killed next year at Drumclog, and had his bowels trod out by a horse.

At another time this year an officer came with a company of wild Highlanders, and fired upon a number of people assembled for the worship of God at the hill of Coltenachar in Perthshire. By a kind providence one Andrew Breddy was the only person who was killed. He left behind him a wife and four children.

We have had frequent occasion to mention the Rev. Mr Blackadder, who, before the Restoration, was minister at Traquair near Dumfries. When the rest of his brethren were ejected, a party of the guards came to seize him, but he was out of the way. His wife and children, to whom the soldiers were very rude, were forced to retire to Barndennoch in the parish of Glencairn. In the year 1665, being

with his wife at Edinburgh, a party of Sir James Turner's men came at midnight, turned their children out of their beds, and obliged one of them, in his shirt, to hold the candle till they searched the house, and went through Mr Blackadder's books and papers, and took away what they pleased. The manner in which they threatened the poor children is so shocking, that I forbear to mention it. After this he was forced to leave that house and scatter his family. Mr Black

adder was one of those who preached in the fields, was against the indulgence, and continued in that practice till this year, when he went over to Holland, and was very useful in healing the breaches between Mr Macward and Mr Fleming. shall hear more of him next year.

We

It will now be proper to give some account of the sufferings of the Rev. Mr James Webster, who after the Revolution was minister in Edinburgh, and died 1720. This worthy person studied in the university of St. Andrews. About three or four days before the class was to receive their degrees, an order came from the archbishop to remove him from the class, because he had not regularly attended upon ordinances, neither durst his master give him a testimonial that he had studied under his inspection for four years, because he would not engage to attend upon ordinances as dispensed by episcopal ministers. He was this year apprehended in the town of Dundee on the Lord's day .afternoon, when at a private meeting for prayer, conference, and reading the scriptures. Next day the magistrates informed the council that they had seized a conventicle with Mr Webster the preacher. The persons taken with him were fined by order of the council; and he was kept eighteen months prisoner. With difficulty he was released upon urging the indemnity 1679, for he was as yet no preacher. About the year 1685 or 1686, when he was living peaceably in the house of Grier of Discanth, a party of Lord William Douglas's troop came on a sabbath morning, and carried him to Dumfries. He was examined on the ordinary questions and was put into the thieves-hole, along with John Clark a farmer, and John Haldane a weaver, who had for their companions three men who were in hold for robbery, murder, and bestiality. Mr Webster and his two friends were kept in this nasty place about three weeks, and after that removed to the Pledge-house, the usual prison for debtors. and was confined there four weeks, and then released by lieutenant-general Drummond. The gentleman' in whose house he was apprehended was likewise kept prisoner for some time. Soon after this Mr Webster was a third time taken prisoner when walking the streets of Edinburgh, but the Viscount of Strathallan quickly let him

go.

I shall conclude this chapter by just mentioning the sufferings of the Reverend Mr Alexander Wilson minister at Cameron, the presbytery of St Andrews, from which he was ejected with others. About the beginning of November this year an order was procured by Sharp by the council, requiring the magistrates of Coupar to banish Mr Wilson and his family from that town in forty-eight hours after they received the orders. The intimation of this came to their hands on Saturday, when at the preparation sermon before the sacrament to be dispensed by an episcopal minister next day, so that they had patience till Monday, when the magistrates came to Mr Wilson and intimated the orders to his wife, for he had thought proper to withdraw. They commanded her to leave the town in twenty-four hours. There was no withstanding. Six small children, with one of them sick, could procure no favour. She therefore removed to a neighbour's house that very night, and next day the doors of her own house were secured; so that with the utmost difficulty she could get as much of her own furniture as could serve her necessity; and, had it not been for the lady Preston-hall, Mr Wilson must have had no shelter. However, he survived his troubles, and returned to his flock at Cameron after the Revolution.

CHAP. XIV.

Of the prosecution for conventicles, and other branches of nonconformity, together with the violent death of the Archbishop of St Andrews, till the rising at Bothwell.

ON

N the second of January 1679, the council wrote to the Archbishop of St Andrews, and the bishops of Edinburgh and Aberdeen, enjoining them to call the masters of the universities, and other schoolmasters, before them, and oblige them to take the oaths appointed by law, and to deprive the recusants; for they were resolved that none should be intrusted with the education of youth but those of their own principles. We shall afterwards hear what was the effect of this.

On the 4th Mr T. Warner, who had been indulged to the parish of Balmaclellan, was summoned before the council for not keeping his confinement, conversing with intercommuned persons, and preaching at conventicles, and not appearing was outlawed. However, he survived this tragical period, and continued at Balmaclellan till the day of his death 1716.

On the 9th Mrs Margaret Barclay, neice of Sir David

Barclay of Collernie, who had for some time been in prison at Edinburgh for being at private meetings, was set at liberty for the recovery of her health, upon giving security for 500 merks to return to jail by the 20th, if called, or when called, and meanwhile to confine herself to her room under the same penalty.

After many consultations held about the end of the last year, for suppressing the presbyterians, regulating the forces, collecting the cess, and other things of the like nature, at last, on the Sih of January, the committee of the council for public affairs agreed to send the following overtures to his majesty for his approbation. 1. That the council appoint sheriffdeputes, and other officers to put the laws in execution, only against such as withdraw from public ordinances, keep conventicles, are guilty of disorderly baptisms and marriages, harbour or converse with fugitives and intercommuned persons or vagrant preachers, and may renew the commissions given to noblemen, &c in August 1677, and give them such other instructions as they shall think proper. 2. That the soldiers have orders to disperse conventicles by force of arms, and be indemnified for killing or wounding, in case of any of these meetings make resistance when commanded to dismiss in the king's name. 3 That the soldiers have power to seize and imprison the preacher, and as many others as they can conveniently carry with them, until they find bail to answer for their crimes, &c. And, says the overture, in regard the multitudes, who frequent those rendezvouzes of rebellion, are such as they cannot all be seized, nor probation easily led against them, the soldiers be impowered to take from the rest of the persons found thereat (whom they cannot conveniently carry to prison) their upper garments, that the same may be a means of conviction, and an evidence against them; that the soldiers be empowered to take all the arms that any persons shall be found to have at these seditious meetings, and the horses of any that shall have arms' 4 That none be allowed to enter into the second class in colleges, nor received apprentices, till they oblige themselves to keep the church. 5. That his majesty would be pleased to order the council to see, that act 5. sess. 2. and act. 2. sess. 3 of his first parl. appointing magistrates and councils of burghs, and others in public trust, to take the declaration, and all the acts concerning pedagogues, chaplains, and schoolmasters, discharging. them to officiate without licence from their respective ordinaries, and the acts and proclamations of council published thereupon, he put in due execution 6. That the king would order the lords of the treasury to pay 5001. sterling, to any who should apprehend Mr John Welsh; 3000 merks for ap

prehending of any of their preachers who are declared traitors; 2000 merks for each of those preachers who are declared fugitives or are intercommuned, and 900 merks for every other field-preacher. And, 7, That the council proceed against all the indulged ministers who do not observe their orders; and that upon the decease of any of them, the vacancy be supplied by the orthodox ministers.

These overtures for suppressing schism, &c. were all approved of by the council, and sent to his majesty, who ordered the council to put them in execution, which they did accordingly.—Whence we may see the spirit of the then prevailing party, and that the execution of these things could not fail of exasperating people to the highest degree. Such powers given to the military were not only unprecedented, but entirely subversive of the liberties of the subject.

While these things were in agitation, the council on the 16th of January, wrote to Lauderdale, desiring him to interpose with the king to allow one of his frigates to transport_those under sentence of banishment to the plantations. Mr Peden and others, who had been sent off last year, having been set at liberty, as has been related, the granting this would for the future prevent the like; whether this was complied with I know not; however, it is easy to see with what rigour they were willing to proceed against those whom they called disorderly persons,

On the 19th Mr William Veitch (after the Revolution minister at Dumfries) returning in the night-time to his own house to see his sick child, was apprehended by Major Oglethorp, carried to Morpeth jail, and notice sent to the court. He had been obliged to retire into the north of England, where he preached with great success, and met with many remarkable escapes since the year 1671.

On the 23d, James Lawson, a boy of fourteen years of age, who had been imprisoned for being at conventicles (for under this administration no age was thought. too young to be attacked) was, after some weeks confinement, set at liberty, the counsellors being justly ashamed of such severity to a child.

The same day the council published a large proclamation against papists, but like all others of this nature, no care was taken by the bishops or judges to prosecute them; only G. Young, a popish priest, was, by order of the council, this day sent to the Bass. At the same sederunt the bishop of Galloway obtained the king's dispensation for non-residence.

On the 31st the king's letter of the 25th was read council, ordering them to receive upon the borders Mr Veitch, then prisoner at Morpeth, and confine him to the tolbooth of