while further order. When his sentence was intimate to him, he told them, he was sorry they had condemned a person without hearing him, whom they could not charge with the breach of any law." September 30th, a petition is presented by Mr. Wood, showing, that in obedience to the council's act, he had remained those divers weeks at Edinburgh, and is content still to continue there; but by reason his father is extremely sick, and that he hath several necessary affairs to do at St. Andrews, humbly therefore desiring liberty and warrant for that effect. "Which petition being read, with a testificate of the petitioner his father's infirmity, the council grant license to the petitioner to go to St. Andrews to visit his said father, and performing his other necessary affairs, he always returning when he shall be called by the council." This is all I find about this worthy person: next year, we shall hear, he gets to the joy of his Lord, and some bustle is made about him after his death. That same day the council "ap 1663. point the lords archbishops of St. Andrews and Glasgow, the marquis of Montrose, the lord secretary, and register, to wait on the lord commissioner his grace, to think on a general course, what shall be done as well anent those ministers that were admitted before the (year) 1649, and carry themselves disobediently to the laws of the kingdom, as those who were admitted since; and to report their opinion."— Whether it was from this meeting that the following prosecution came, or not, I know not; but July 30th, "The lords of his majesty's privy council, being informed of the factious and seditious carriage of several ministers in the west, and particularly of Mr. Matthew Ramsay, late minister at Old Kirkpatrick, Mr. James Walkinshaw at Badernock, Mr. Hugh Smith at Eastwood, Mr. James Hamilton at Blantyre, or Eglisham, Mr. James Blair at Cathcart, who, in manifest and open contempt of the laws and acts of parliament and council, have At the same diet of the council, July taken upon them to convocate great multi14th, an attack is made, at the bishop of tudes of his majesty's subjects, for hearing Glasgow his instigation, against some worthy their factious and seditious sermons, to the presbyterian ministers in the west and south. great scandal of religion, and prejudice to “The lords of his majesty's privy council, the government of the church: wherefore being informed of the turbulent and sedi- they ordain a charge to be given them pertious carriage of the persons underwritten, sonally, and failing that, at the head burgh Messrs. Alexander Livingstone, late minister of the shire and its market-cross, where they at Biggar, Matthew M'Kail at Bothwell, live, and at their late manses and dwellingJohn Guthrie at Tarbolton, John Blair at houses, and at the market-cross of EdinMauchlin, John Schaw at Selkridge, George burgh, to answer for their contempt, under Johnston at Newbottle, John Hardy at pain of rebellion; with certification they Gordon, Archibald Hamilton at Wigton, shall be denounced rebels." Many of those George Wauch at Kirkinner, and Anthony ministers now cited, and Mr. M'Kail forMurray at Kirkbean; ordain macers, or merly cited, lay pretty near the city of Glasmessengers at arms, to charge the said per- gow, and the people flocked out to hear sons to appear before them the 23d instant, them, which grated the archbishop and those to answer to such things as shall be laid to he had put in under him, and so they retheir charge, under the pain of rebellion.”– solved to have them banished at some disJuly 23d, I find Messrs. Hardy, M'Kail tance from them. This was the case likeand Livingstone compear, and are con-wise of Mr. James Cuningham minister at tinued till next council day, and in the mean- Lasswade, a little from Edinburgh, who, I time ordained and commanded to confine find, was brought to trouble at this time, themselves within the city of Edinburgh, but I have not met with him in the council and not depart therefrom without license, books. and that they do not presume in the meantime to keep private meetings and conventicles." " July 30th," Mr. John Hardy, minister of Gordon, being cited to answer for his contempt of the law, in preaching after he was 1663. discharged" (this is a good commentary upon the factious and seditious carriage of the ministers now cited) “compeared, and having, in face of council, acknowledged that he had done so: the lords of council find, that he hath highly contemned his majesty's laws and authority; and therefore do declare his place vacant, and ordain him within fourteen days to remove himself and family twenty miles distant from the said parish of Gordon, and discharge him to reside within six miles of any cathedral church, or three miles of a royal burgh, in time coming. With certification if he fail, he shall be pursued and punished as a seditious person, and contemner of his majesty's authority." This is a prelude to the mile act we have formerly heard the council passed next council day, August 13th, which pretty much spared them the trouble of any more particular prosecutions. And that act would seem to be the issue of that meeting, just now narrated, of the two archbishops, secretary, and commissioner; however they go on with such as had been cited before them. August 18th, Mr. Matthew M'Kail and Mr. Alexander Livingstone, late ministers, confined within the city of Edinburgh, being called, compeared. The lords after hearing of them, ordain the said Mr. Matthew to wait on the lord commissioner's grace, and Mr. Livingstone on the archbishop of Glasgow, for giving them satisfaction as to their behaviour and carriage. I am told the archbishop had vowed, Mr. M'Kail should never preach again in Bothwell, but it did not hold. I think the bishop himself scarce ever saw Glasgow again; for in a few days after his riding the parliament, at its rising, he died. * And Mr. M'Kail being remitted This was Fairfoul, "a very pleasant and facetious man, insinuating and crafty; but he was a better physician than a divine. His life was scarce free from scandal, and he was eminent in nothing that belonged to his own function. He had not only sworn the covenant, but had persuaded others to do it; and when one objected to him that it went against his conscience, he answered there were some very good medicines that could not be chewed, but were to be swallowed down without any further examination. Whatever the matter was, soon after the consecration his parts sunk so fast, that to the commissioner, he went up to London without doing any thing in his affair; and Mr. M'Kail ventured back to Bothwell, and escaped for some time. I hear, that Mr. Livingstone was confined to his parish till further orders. Mr. George Johnstoun and Mr. James Cuningham were reached by the act of Glasgow, yet connived at by the influence of persons of note; but now with Mr. Blair are confined to the north side of Tay. I have nothing further about them in the registers. That same day, "Mr. John Blair, late minister, compeared, and, being examined, acknowledged, that notwithstanding he had been admitted since the year 1649, he had, contrary to the law, exercised the ministerial function, by preaching, baptizing, and marrying. The lords do discharge him to exercise any part of the ministry in time coming, without warrant from his ordinary where he shall reside; and ordain and command him, within twenty days, to remove himself and his family from the new kirk of Mauchlin where he did last preach, and to remove himself beyond the river of Ness, betwixt and the first day of October next to come, and discharge him to transgress the bounds of his confinement, under the highest peril.-Messrs. Matthew Ramsay, Hugh Smith, and James Walkinshaw, compearing this day to answer for their contempt of authority, in preaching and keeping conventicles contrary to law, the council remit Mr. Ramsay to the archbishop of Glasgow, to give him satisfaction, and intimated the late act of council of the 13th of this month to Messrs. Smith and Walkinshaw, and ordain them to obey it at their peril." This is all I find about ministers this year, and we shall meet with few of them after this before the in a few months he who had passed his whole life long for one of the cunningest men in Scot land, became almost a changeling, upon which it may be easily collected what commentaries the presbyterians would make. Sharp lamented this to me as one of their great misfortunes: he said it began in less than a month after he came to London."-Burnet's History of his Own Times, 12mo. Ed. vol. i. p. 192. "The commissioners and all the estates rode from the palace of Holyrood-house to the parliament house, in triumph and grandeur; and among the rest the loathsome archbishop Fair 1663. council, the mile act this year, comprehend-south country, to quarter there, and ing them all, and the high commission next uplift the fines for not keeping the year take some of the council's work off parish churches, which was the beginning of their hand. much oppression to those shires for some majesty's privy council do hereby give order and warrant to George, earl of Linlithgow, with all conveniency to cause so many of the six foot companies under his command to march to Kirkcudbright, as with the foot there already may make up the number of eightscore footmen with their officers, and to quarter there till further order."-That same day, "The council give order and command to Sir Robert Fleming, with all conveniency, to march to the west two squades of his majesty's lifeguard, and to quarter one squade thereof at Kilmarnock, and another at Paisley, till further order." This year the laird of Earlstoun his trou-years.-October 13th, "The lords of his ble and oppression begins. He was a religious gentleman of good parts, and a great support to the presbyterians in that country, and we shall meet with him almost every year till the rising at Bothwell, when he got to heaven. July 30th, The lords of council order letters to be direct to charge William Gordon of Earlstoun to compear before them the day of next to come, to answer for his factious and seditious carriage, that is, his refusing to hear the curates, and hearing and favouring outed presbyterian ministers. And November 24th, the council being informed that the laird of Earlstoun keeps conventicles and private meetings in his house, notwithstand-mand of the forces in the south, and was ing the laws and acts of parliament and council made in the contrary, do ordain letters to be direct against him, to compear before the council the day of for his contempt, under the pain of rebellion. We shall meet with him next year. to answer I shall end this section with some account of the sending the forces to the west and foul finished his stinking office of bishop. He began it with stink, for he broke wind as he bowed to the altar when he was to be consecrate, and two days before this glorious day he hade taken physic, (as the report was,) which fell a working upon him as he was riding up the way that the bearer of his train, when he alighted from his horse, was almost choaked; no man could sit near him in the parliament house, so he was forced to rise and go home a footman, as he came a horseman, and so he made but the half of this miserable triumph; and after he was got home he never came abroad; and because he would never believe the physician, who assured him death was at hand, he died by surprisal and undesired, perishing like his own dung. He was so greedy he never reapt the profit of his benefice, for because he refused a reasonable composition to enter his vassals, therefore in his short time he had very little, and left the profits to his successor. His poor children were vagabonds and runagate, turning popish for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread; and such was the end of his tragedy."-Kirkton's History of the Church of Scotland, pp. 177, 178. Such was the character of this bishop drawn by a bishop and by a plain presbyter. Either of these sketches is sufficiently repulsive, and there cannot be a doubt, but like the greater part of his brethren, the Scotish bishops, he was not only unprincipled, but at the same time a most contemptible individual.-Ed. It seems Sir James Turner had the com very active in raising the fines for absence from the parish church, and I doubt not but the guards sent to Kilmarnock and Paisley were abundantly active this way however, Sir James gets the thanks of the council for his diligence. November 24th, "The lords of his majesty's privy council recommend it to the earl of Linlithgow to write a letter of thanks to Sir James Turner, for his care and pains taken in seeing the laws anent church government receive due obedience: and withal to acquaint him, that he advise with the bishop of Galloway, and send a note to the council of the names of such ministers as are come in from Ireland to that country, or others who transgress, by preaching or otherwise, the acts of parliament and council anent the government of the church; to the effect that the council may take such course therein as they shall think meet. And that also Sir James acquaint those ministers who are debarred from the possession of their churches and manses, that they make their address to the lords of privy council or session, who will grant them letters of horning, upon sight of their presentations and collations, against the possessors of the said manses. And withal my lord is to acquaint Sir James, that the council have directed letters to cite Earlstoun to compear before them. Sir George Mackenzie's vindication of all this is, p. 10. "that it is impossible to answer for all the extravagancies of soldiers, and Sir James Turner was laid aside, which was all the state could do." We shall afterwards hear the procedure of the council against Sir James, and find it was upon other grounds than his quartering his soldiers at this time: we shall just now find him put on the high commission, and sent once and again to harass the west and south; and he himself made it out to the west country men, who made him prisoner, that he was far from going the length of his commission, notwithstanding the heights we shall see he ran to. And we shall afterward find, that when, April 17th, 1683, John Wilson, writer in Lanark, was before the Sir James Turner we shall fre- In those quarterings the ruffian soldiers 1663. quently meet with in the progress were terribly insolent. Family worship was of this history. He had been in the late mocked at, and people disturbed when at it, times a great servant of the covenanters, as if it had been a conventicle and contrary and at the restoration found it convenient to law. Multitudes were cruelly beat, and to go over to the other side, with the same dragged to church or prison with equal zeal. He was a person of a forward active violence. By such methods hundreds of temper, and had somewhat of harshness poor religious families in the west and south mixed with it; but was endued with a con- were scattered, and reduced to extreme siderable stock of learning, and very bookish. necessity, and the masters of them were This person was abundantly ready to exe- obliged either to lurk or leave the country. cute the orders here given him with rigour; but was obliged to go even beyond his inclinations to satisfy the bishop of Galloway, who was severe and cruel, as all apostates use to be, and the rest of the prelates. The council finding the body of the west and south of Scotland most dissatisfied with the late change in the church, and having put the uplifting of the fines in the hands of the army, send west a good body of the forces, and with them the strictest orders, to oblige all persons to subjection to the bishops and their curates. By this a large foundation is laid for most grievous oppression and exactions, under colour of law. The process was very short in cases of nonconformity. The curate accused whom he pleased to Sir James, or any of the officers of the army, yea, many times to a private sentinel.council, and speaks of the council's conThe soldier is judge, no witnesses are led, no probation is sought, the sentence is summarily pronounced; and the soldier ex-tradicted it, that Sir James went not the ecutes his own sentence, and he would not see the less to this, that the money, generally speaking, came to his own pocket; and very frequently the fine upon some pretext or other, far exceeded the sum liquidate by law. Vast contributions were under this colour raised in the west and south: the soldiers really carried as if they had been in an enemy's country, and the oppression of that part of the kingdom was inexpressible. If a tenant or master of a family was unwilling, or really unable to pay, the soldiers are sent to quarter upon him, till it may be, he pay ten times the value of the fine; and indeed many were totally eaten up. And, as if this was not enough, when poor families were no longer able to sustain the soldiers, their stuff and goods were distrained and sold for a trifle. demning Sir James for his cruelty, he is answered in face of council, and none con length of his commission. And as to the common extravagancies of soldiers, the reader will easily judge whether this be a defence for what now passed. Sir James understood the military law sufficiently, and had spirit enough to have limited his men; and I should not reckon Sir James worthy of the command he had, if he was not able to restrain his soldiers from going beyond his commission. And had he been guilty of this, as Sir George insinuates, his masters should have not only displaced, but punished him, at least they did so with far better men for less faults. Even Cromwell's officers were made to answer for the extravagancies of their soldiers, though foreigners, enemies, and conquerors; and it is strange if the like could not be done in time of peace, and under a just government, as Sir George calls that. But all this is an insufficient defence; only no better offered, the matter did not bear it. In order to facilitate the soldiers' work, the curates formed in most parishes a roll of their congregations, not for any ministerial work they gave themselves the trouble of, but to instruct their parishioners with briers and thorns by their army; and in order to the soldiers visiting their families, and examining their people's loyalty. Sermons were all the curates' work, and these short and dry enough. And after sermon the roll of the parish was called from pulpit, and all who were absent, except some favourites, were given up to the soldiers; and when once delated, no defences could be heard, their fine behoved either presently to be paid, or the houses quartered upon; and some who kept the church were some time quartered upon, because the persons who last term lived there, were in the curates' lists as deserters of the church. Another part of the severe oppression of the country, by the soldiers at this time sent west, was at the churches of the old presbyterian ministers. Such of those who continued either by connivance, or at their hazard, or by the interest of some considerable person in the parish, had very throng auditories, which grated the bishops and their underlings; so orders were sent to the soldiers, to go to their churches likewise. The method was, as a good many living witnesses can yet testify, the party of soldiers sat drinking, revelling, and carousing, in some public-house in the parish, till public worship was near over; and then came armed to the church door, or church-yard gates, and guarded those, caused the people pass out one by one, and interrogate them upon oath, if they were one of that congregation? If they could not say they were parishioners, though it may be the congregation they lived in was vacant, and no curate settled in it, the soldiers immediately fined them, and any money they had was taken from them. If they had no money, 1663, day, from one of these churches, laden with spoil, as if they had come from a battle where they had stripped the slain, or the sacking and plundering a city. In some places there was yet sadder work, though this was not so common as the former. The soldiers would come in companies in arms to the presbyterian ministers' churches, and without any ceremony, enter the same by force, and interrupt divine worship. One party would stand at the one door, and a second party at the other, and guard them so as let no body get out; and a third party would enter the church, and obliged the people to go out all by one door, and these that would not presently swear they belonged to that parish, they rifled them of all they had, and sometimes forced them to go with them to prison. Dreadful was the confusion and profanation of the Lord's day, and several were wounded, and others sorely beat. Many instances of those abuses, in this and the following years, might be given through the west and south, were there need; particularly at the churches of Eaglesham, Stewarton, Ochiltree, Irvine, Kilwinning, and other places, too long to be narrated here. And after all, the soldiers were so insolent and severe, as to force people, for fear of worse, to declare under their hand, that after all those and many other outrages, they were kindly dealt with and used, and engage to make no complaints; and when they had forced this from some people, they thought themselves secure. Indeed it is but a lame idea can be framed of the nature and severities of those quarterings, now at this distance: but from this short hint it is evident, the procedure of the managers this year, with that of the high commission next year, and the following severities in the year after, naturally paved the way for all confusions and extremities the country fell into afterwards, and may be reckoned the real causes of them. SECT. VI. or not so much as was required, then their Of several other occurrences this year, 1663. Bibles, the men's coats, and women's plaids were taken from them. You would have seen the soldiers returning on the Lord's As I have done upon the former years, so I shall end this, by taking notice of several |