• just Vindication of this Kingdom and his Ma• jesty's dutiful and loyal Subjects, who otherwise

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may feem to be comprehended and conclud' ed in it. They do therefore from their certain • Knowledge declare, that even in that Parlia

ment, (from which many of his Majesty's good • Subjects were debarred for their Affection and • Adherence to his Majesty's Service and Com› mands) there was a confiderable Number of ' worthy Patriots of all Estates who at the paffing ' of that base Act, gave a publick Testimony and • Difaffent from it. Which is here recorded for • their due Honour, and for which their Memory will in all Ages receive a famous Celebration : ' and that there were divers others who upon the • Pretexts of Reformation, and Affurances of the • Safety of his Majesty's Perfon, being inveigled, ⚫ were in the Simplicity of their Hearts drawn • along for the Time. But shortly hereafter be• ing convinc'd of their Error, did embrace the * first Opportunity to expiate the fame, by freely hazarding their Lives and Fortunes in the Year 1648, to redeem his Majesty from these Re• straints and Dangers, which by that impious Act he was drawn into. And therefore his • Majesty, with Advice and Confent aforesaid, doth • declare, that the Act of Parliament aforesaid of

the 16th of January 1647, is not to be looked upon as the Deed of the Kingdom, but is the • Act of a few difsloyal and feditious Perfons, • who having upon fpecious but false Pretences, • screw'd themselves into the Government, did by

force of Arms keep the fame, and from the Con• science of their own Guiltiness, being afraid of the Justice of his Majesty's Government, did › violently carry on that Act: and in further • owning thereof, did in the same Year 1648, * rise in Arms in Opposition to those who en• deavoured to restore his Majesty to his Govern

,

* ment, and to relieve him from the Imprisonment • and Hazard he was then lying under, as the unnatural Effects of that unworthy Transaction so justly hereby condemn'd.

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• And for the further clearing of the Senfe of ' this Kingdom, as to that base and treacherous • Act, and the Aspersions which have been thereupon raised, as if there had been previous Tranf• actions and Bargains of Money for the carrying on of the fame, the Estates of Parliament declare, they do abominate the Thoughts of any • such Thing, and that if at any time hereafter ⚫ there shall be Discovery of any fuch Wicked• ness, (which they are confident God Almighty • will in his Justice bring to Light (if it be time) ' and wherein they earnestly intreat the Concur• rence of his Majesty's dutiful and loyal Sub• jects) the Persons guilty thereof shall without Mercy be pursued as the vildest of Traitors, • and shall be incapable of the Benefit of any • Act of Pardon, Oblivion, or Indempnity for

N. Ibid. The Marquis appeared openly for the King, in the Year 1643, and having routed a small Party of Covenanters in Perthshire; got a great deal of Reputation: but his little Successes were very mischievous to the King's Affairs, being always magnified beyond what they really were.

I am perfuaded, that the like Success of any English Rebel in the wickedest of Causes, would have been magnified with the highest Strains of Panegyric, and he would have been styled a Hero, that had gained more Laurels, and done more Wonders for the Time, than any Age or History can parallel. But the brave Montrose must be robb'd of that Glory which all impartial Historians allow him. The noble Historian tells us, (b) That the

(b) Hiftory of the Rebellion, Vol. 3. P. 275.

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• gallant

• gallant Marquis of Montrose perform'd as won• derful Actions in several Battles, upon as great • Inequality of Numbers, and as great Disad

vantages in respect of Arms, and other Pre• parations for War, as had been performed in • that Age. And in another Place, he informs us, (c) That with a Handful of Men (a Regiment of 1500 Men sent over by the Marquis of Antrim, and headed by Alexander Macdonnel, a stout and active Officer), he brought in so many of his • Countrymen to join with him, as were strong • enough to arm themselves at the Charge of their • Enemies whom they first defeated; and every • Day encreased in Power, till he fought, and • prevailed in so many several Battles, that he • made himself, upon the Matter, Master of the • Kingdom; and did all those stupendous Acts, • which deservedly are the Subject of a History • by itself, excellently well written in Latin by

a (d) Prelate of that Nation.

But to instance in Particulars. In a Battle near Perth some time in August 1644, he obtained a very great Victory. (e) Most of the Horse • made

(c) Hiftory of the Rebellion, Vol. 2. p. 475, Mr. Perrival in his History of this iron Age, 2 Edit. Part 2. p 255, reflecting upon Montrose's Death, This (fays he) was the End of the best and noblest Servant his Master had in Scotland, and had he lived, 'tis very likely, that the Scots would not have fallen into fo many Calamities, nor his faid Master have been so • easily overthrown in the middle of England.

(d) Bishop Wifebart, Mr. Heath, (Chronicle p. 255) Calls him one of • the noblest gallantest Persons that Age saw amongst all the Wars and Broyls • in Cbriftendome: A Captain, whose unexampled Atchievments have framed a History, and were its Volume ten times bigger, it would yet be disproportionate to the Praises of this matchless Hero. And Bishop Wifebart fays (the History of the King's Majesty's Affairs in Scotland under the Coduct of James Marquis of Montrose 1649, p. 31. penes me) he performed • fuch Adventures without Men, without Money, without Arms, as were • not only to the Astonishment of us that were present, and were Eye and • Ear Witnesses to them, but also the Example and Envy of all great Commanders hereafter.

(e) Bishop Wifebart's History of the King's Affairs under Montrofe, &c. P. 44. the Bishop informs us, (p. 42.) that before this Battle was fought, Montrofe had fent unto the Commanders of the Enemy, Drummond, Sox • and Heir to the Lord Maderty, a noble Gentleman, and accomplished * with all kind of Virtues, who declared in his Name, " That Montrofe,

• made so good Speed as to save themselves; but ⚫ there was a great Slaughter of the Foot whom • they pursued for seven Miles. There were con

ceived to be 2000 of the Covenanters flain, and • more were taken Prisoners: of whom some • taking a Military Oath, took up Arms again • with the Conqueror, but perfidiously almost all • forsook him afterwards. The rest taking a • folemn Protestation, that they would never after • bear Arms against the King, he fet at Liberty. • Whether the Battle of Tipperary mentioned by • Bishop Guthry, be the fame I cannot tell, that • he says (f) was fought upon the first of September; where Montrose obtained an absolute Victory, notwithstanding the great Odds of Num• bers. The Covenanters were reckoned fix thou• sand Foot, and fix hundred Horse, whereas • Montrose's Foot exceeded not 1300 (befides (g) • Kilpont's

"as well as the King's Majesty from whom he had received his Commission, was most tender of shedding his Country's Blood, and had nothing more "in his Devotions than that his Victories might be written without a Red "Letter. And such a Victory they might obtain as well as he, if they "should please but to have the Honour to conquer them selves, and before

a Stroke were struck to return to their Allegiance. That for his part, " he was covetous of no Man's Wealth, ambitious of no Man's Honour, " envious at no Man's Preferment, thirsty after no Man's Blood. All that "he defired was, that in the Name of God, they would at length give "ear to found Counsel, and submit themselves and what belong'd unto "them unto the Grace and Protection of so good a King: Who as he "had, hitherto condescended unto all Things (either for Matter of Religion " or any thing else) which they thought good to afk, though to the ex"ceeding great Prejudice of his Prerogative; so still they might find him " like an indulgent Father, ready to embrace his penitent Children in his

Arms, although he had been provoked with unspeakable Injuries. But " if they should continue still obstinate in their Rebellion, he called God to witness that it was their own Stubbornness that forced him to the present Encounter." The Commanders of the Enemies answered nothing at all to this, but against the Law of Nations sent the Messenger (who out of meer Love to his Country had undertaken the Employment) • Prifoner with a Company of rude Soldiers unto Perth, vowing that as foon as they had got the Victory, to cut off his Head. But God was more • merciful to him, and provided otherwise than they intended for the Safety of that gallant Man.

(f) Bishop Gutbry's Memoirs, p. 143.

(g) The Lord Kilpont was basely and treacherously murdered by one Stuart, because he would not join with him in the Murder of Montrose; • wherefore for fear of a Discovery, he affaulted him unawares, when he

• little 1

• Kilpont's Men, in whom he did not confide, in • that they had been brought in against their Will) • and of Horse he had only (b) three, whereof two • were for his own Saddle, and the third for Sir ' William Rollock's, who being fomewhat lame • from his Childhood, could not well march on Foot. By this Victory, as Montrose's Irish came

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to be provided both of Clothes and Arms, • (whereof they had neither before) so the Com• mittee of Estates were startled to that degree, ⚫ that they refolv'd to fend up the Lord Chan• cellor to London. He obtained a great Victory over the Rebels at Aberdeen, September 12, 1644, where his Men behaved with great Bravery (i). Among others, there was an Irishman who had • his Leg shot off by a Cannon Bullet, only it hung by a little Skin; he seeing his fellow Sol• diers something sad at this Mischance, with a • loud and chearful Voice cries out "Come on,

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my Comrades, this is but the Fortune of War, " and neither you nor I have reason to be forry " for it. Do you stand to it as becomes you, " and as for me, I am sure my Lord Marqueffe, " seeing I can no longer serve on Foot, will mount

66

me on Horseback;" so drawing out his Knife, • being nothing altered or troubled, he cut asun• der the Skin with his own Hand, and gave his Leg to one of his fellow Soldiers to bury; and

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• little suspected any Harm from one whom he took to be his Friend, and stabbed him with many Wounds. Bishop Wifebart fays (History of Montrose, p. 46) That Lord Kilpont was a Nobleman who had deserved < well both from the King and Montrose, being a Man famous for Arts and • Arms and Honesty; being a good Philosopher, a good Divine, a good Lawyer, a good Soldier, a good Subject and a good Man.

(b) See Bishop Burnet's History of his own Time, Vol. 1. p. 37.

(1) History of Montrofe, &c. p. 51. Mr. Whitelock (Memorials p.459.) mentions an Account from Edinburgh June 14, 1650, 'That one Dalgely, one of Montrofe's Party, being fentenc'd to be beheaded, and • being brought to the Scaffold, ran and kissed the Scaffold, and without any Speech or Ceremony, laid down his Head on the Block and was presently beheaded.