Covenanters were unopposed, the chiefs addressed a petition, with the sword in their hand, to the king, who in reply desired them to come to particulars, and state really what were the grievances to which they had only alluded in general terms. He at the same time informed them that he had summoned a meeting of the peers of England, on the 24th of September, by whose advice he should act. They returned a list of their demands, more in the style of independent powers than the petition of subjects, that he would confirm all the ordinances of their late parliament-deliver the fortresses of the kingdom into their hands-exempt their friends from all such oaths as were inconsistent with their covenant-that the common incendiaries, who have been the authors of this combustion, may receive their just censure—that the losses and charges of the Covenanters may be restored-that the declaration of traitors may be recalled, and all garrisons removed from the borders1. While they were thus insulting the king, they were not forgetful of their secret friends in London; they made a merit of allowing the free trade in coals to the metropolis, and they despatched an emissary with a letter to the lord mayor, on the 9th September, to solicit him to embarrass the king with an urgent petition for the meeting of parliament. This the lord mayor and aldermen immediately did; and at the same time, to add still more to the king's embarrassment, twelve peers sent forward a petition for the same object. His majesty was much affected at these unseasonable petitions, and their taking advantage of his distress to press their own desires, instead of enabling him to combat and beat back the invading enemy. The earl of Strafford alone gave the king the best counsel, of paying the rebels with steel, and prosecuting the war with vigour, taking the initiative, and not to stand on the defensive. He urged the king not to treat with rebels having arms in their hands, and neither to give nor accept terms from them in their present position. He intreated his majesty to give him leave to fight them, when he did not doubt of being able to drive them back, and to reduce them to obedience. This manly and loyal counsel was immediately communicated to the Covenanters at Newcastle, by their bed-chamber friends, and so enraged them, that they never ceased to pursue the earl of Strafford till their friends and allies in the English parliament brought him to the block. With the design of secretly favouring the invaders, the marquis of Hamilton earnestly ad vised the king to enter into a treaty with his rebels, and most of the peers were of the same opinion, and also advised the king to call a parliament in England, as most expedient in the present circumstances, and so to avert the danger with which they were threatened1. Charles agreed to the advice thus pressed upon him by the peers, and he nominated Rippon, and the 1st of October, as the time and place of meeting. In the meantime, Leslie had laid in provision and forage for his winter quarters at Newcastle, and had seized the rents of the bishop and the dean and chapter of Durham, and also of all the popish and loyal gentry of the northern counties. Great," says Nalson, 66 were the disorders and insolencies which these barbarous pretenders to religion and reformation committed; they treated the counties where they lay as a conquered people, and even when they pretended to fight for the security of laws, liberty, and religion, they trampled them all under their feet, and without sense of religion they made their will their law, and arbitrarily imposed taxes upon his majesty's subjects 2." Among the Scottish commissioners who met at Rippon, were Johnston of Warriston, and Alexander Henderson; the English commissioners were those noblemen who had petitioned in favour of the Scots and for the meeting of a parliament; so that the commissioners on both sides were of the same mind, and decided enemies of the king. The conclusions of the last parliament formed the basis of the terms to be insisted for by the Scots; and they were instructed to demand £40,000 per month for the pay and maintenance of their army. The English commissioners heard complacently all the complaints of the Covenanters, who cunningly mixed up some of the grievances of which the English puritans complained, which pleased the king's commissioners, who made no defence for their royal master, nor reduced the complaints of their antagonists. But the king being in no condition to comply with the extravagant demands of the Covenanters, the treaty was adjourned to London, whither the king also returned. During the interval, the Scotch commissioners tampered with the people, whilst Henderson and some other covenanting ministers inflamed them by seditious sermons in St. Antholine's church, which had been set apart for their use. "Our puritans," says a reverend author, "were but dull trumpeters of sedition; 1 Nalson's Collections, i. 438.-Balfour's Annals, ii. 394-407.-Guthry's Memoirs, 74. 2 Collections, i. 440. sion of Strathbogie. He plundered his lands of two thousand horses and cattle, and many thousands of sheep, which he sold back again to their owners, at 54s. Scotch each. From Strathbogie he marched to Banff, the 2d of August, "where he plays the devil, and demolishes the lord Banff's house. Here I leave him, plundering and destroying the policy of the land, and reducing all those that formerly danced after Huntly and Banff's fiddling (who called themselves the king's friends) to the obedience of the covenant1." On the 14th April, a provincial synod was held by the archbishop of Canterbury, which granted the king a subsidy for the public service. The king, by his letter of the 17th May, desired the synod to "conclude upon such a canon as may secure us and all our loving subjects against all growth and increase of popery in this our kingdom, as also of any heretical or schismatical opinions, to the prejudice of the doctrine or discipline of this church of England, established by law. . . And to agree upon some oath to be taken by yourselves and all the clergy respectively, and by all which shall hereafter take on them holy orders, that they shall adhere constantly to the doctrine and discipline here established, and never give way (...) to any innovation or alteration thereof 2." The synod sat till the 29th May, when it was dissolved. The General Assembly met at Aberdeen on the 28th of July; but there was no peer to represent the king. On the second session, Andrew Ramsay, one of the ministers whom they had elected moderator, "asked, in the face of the Assembly, if there was any commissioner come from his majesty; and finding there was none, the Assembly proceeded according to their liberties." Acts were made for the demolition of idolatrous monuments, and against witches and charmers. In the fifth session, "the Assembly ordains, that such as have subscribed the covenant, and speak against the same, if he be a minister, shall be deprived; and if he continue so, being deprived, shall be excommunicated; and if he be any other man, shall be dealt with as perjured, and satisfy publicly for his perjury." The last act was against the expectants who refused to subscribe the covenant, and who were declared "incapable of a pedagogic teaching of a school, reading at a kirk, preaching within a presbytery, and shall not have liberty of residing within a burgh, university, or college: and if they continue obstinate, to be processed 3." The Assembly then 1 Balfour's Annals, ii. 380-82. 2 Nalson's Collections, i. 351-73. 3 Johnston's Acts of Assembly, p. 91-94. dissolved itself, and appointed the next meeting to be at St. Andrews, on the third Tuesday of July, 1641. The moderator was instructed, "in a convenient way, by the secret council or otherwise, as may best serve, to request the king's majesty to send his commissioner to the said Assembly; and if any exigent fall out, that the presbytery of Edinburgh give advertisement for an Assembly pro re nata1." Balfour observes, very justly, that there" was no business of any consequence handled, but only a persecution against all such ministers as did not relish the covenant well, was raised; and the execution thereof remitted to a committee of ministers and ruling elders 2." The Covenanter chiefs sent a peremptory order to the several counties, to collect their men, and send them forward without delay towards the capital, where they would be placed under the command of general officers. At the same time, the committee of the covenanting ministers who sat at Edinburgh wrote pressing letters to the presbyteries to preach up the covenant, and inflame the public mind with those imaginary dangers of the king's attempting to bring in popery, and its usually arbitrary government, and in all other ways to accelerate the enrolment and despatch of troops. The rich burgesses ill relished the melting down of their plate, and becaine very slack in offering it; but the ministers beset their wives and daughters, who persuaded them to comply, and the royalists gave the covenant the name of the Golden Calf. It was observed that the chiefs of this rebellion were the most backward in contributing either money or plate; and Argyle, who had reached the summit of authority among them, made no advance whatever3. The spirits of the rebels were greatly cheered by the arrival of lord Loudon from his imprisonment for high treason in the Tower. The Covenanters had so far fraternised with their natural friends, the papists, that they had written the following letter to the king of France, soliciting his assistance in money and arms, to prosecute the war against their sovereign. It appears exceedingly inconsistent in the Covenanters, who had bound themselves under an oath and covenant to extirpate popery and superstition, to fraternise with papists, and the upholders of idolatry; and, accordingly, some of the more fanatical of the Covenanters objected to the solicitation of military assistance from the French, not on the grounds of its Johnston's Collections, 91-94. VOL. II. 2 Balfour's Annals, ü. 382-3. being unpatriotic, or of dangerous consequences to political liberty, but because "a confederacy with Lutherans, but much more with papists, was a leaning to the rotten reed of Egypt." The letter was addressed au roi," as if the French king had been their natural sovereign : 66 "SIRE,-Your majesty being the asylum and sanctuary of afflicted princes and states, we have found it necessary to send this gentleman, the Sieur Colville, to represent to your majesty the candour and openness not only of our actions and proceedings, but also of our intentions, which we wish to be engraven and displayed to the whole world, and also to your majesty, as if by a sun-beam. We therefore very humbly beg of you, Sire, to grant your faith and credence to him and to all he shall say on our part touching our affairs; being well assured, Sire, of an assistance equal to the former accustomed clemency which you have so often shewn to this nation, which will never cede to any other the glory of being, Sire, for ever, your very humble, obedient, and very affectionate servants, (signed,) Rothes, Montrose, Leslie, Mar, Montgomery, Loudon, Forrester." This most treasonable letter was intercepted, and delivered to the king, who mentioned it in his speech from the throne at the opening of his English parliament, and which letter was read to the members1. It was signed by several noblemen; but of these Loudon was the only one who was then in London, and he was accordingly arrested, and sent to the Tower. He came up as one of the deputation sent by the Tables; and they carried themselves with as much dignity and authority as if they had been ambassadors of some foreign and independent power, who were treating with the king on a footing of equality; "but then," says Clarendon," they polished this sturdy behaviour with all the professions of submission and duty which their language could comprehend 2." On perusing this treasonable letter the privy council were of opinion that it ought not to be overlooked; and Loudon having been brought before them, refused to give any other answer than "that it was written before the agreement [at Birks], and thereupon was reserved, and never sent; that if he had committed any offence, he ought to be questioned for it in Scotland, and not in England; he, therefore, insisted upon his safe conduct, and demanded liberty to return." He was committed to the Tower, where he remained for some time. The marquis of Hamilton visited him there; and, through his influence with the king, procured the enlargement of his liberty 1 Nalson's Collection, i. 311. 2 History of the Rebellion, i. 211. |