from his hiding-place; but, as Birrel says, the Earl kept only a Highlandman's promise, for he first marched out of Scotland with his guest as far as Berwick, and then, having satisfied himself that he had fulfilled the letter of his engagement, carried him back as prisoner to Edinburgh. They arrived there on the evening of the 18th January, and next day Macgregor made a confession, in whichmaking due allowance for the irritation he must have felt at being entrapped by Argyll-a fair account appears to be given of the affray at Glenfruin. The document itself is much too long for insertion here, but he specifically declared that since he was first His Majesty's man he had never been at ease on account of Argyll's falsehood and inventions-" He moveit my brother and some of my friendis to commit baith hership and slauchter upon the Laird of Luss; also, he persuadit myselfe with messages to weir agains the Laird of Boquhonene, quilk I did refuse, for the quilk I was contenowalie bostit that he sould be my unfriend; and quhen I did refuse his desyre upon that point, then he intysit me with uther messingeris, as be the Laird of M'Knachtane and utheris of my friendis, to weir and truble the Laird of Luss, quhilk I behuffit to do for his fals boutgattis." On the 20th January-two days after his arrival in Edinburgh-Allister Macgregor, along with four of his party, was brought to trial; and, as appears from the Books of Adjournal, they were all found guilty and executed the same day-the gibbet of Allister, it is said, being his own height above that of his friends. As the bodies. were at once dismembered, the inhabitants of Dumbarton now enjoyed a savage kind of revenge in ornamenting their Tolbooth with the heads of the Macgregors:--

1604.-13 Feb.-The Baillies and Counsall of Dumbarton "concludit and ordanit that the Laird of Macgregor's heid wt Patrick Auldochy his heid be put up in the tolbuith on the most convenient place the baillies and counsall thinkis guid." [From another entry it appears that a sum of 24 merks was paid as part of the expense incurred in carrying this order into effect.]

1604.-17 April.-" Feiring the creueltie of the tyrannous persons of the name of the Clangregor and fyring of the toune be thame Thairfore it is statut

and ordanit that the toun be devydit in aucht pairts and ilk aucht pairt to watche ane nycht. The watches to be armit and placit nytly by the quarter-master chosen by the baillies. And quha keipis nocht watche according to the Baillies ordinance gif he bes at hame himself and in his absence ane sufficient man, to paye ffourtie sh for his disobedyances and the samyn to be payit to the watchers and that the baillies cheis aucht quarter-masters. Item that na dwellers wtn this toun ressaif ony straingers puir or rich wtout making the baillies foreseen undir the paine of ffourtie sh toties quoties, the tua pts to the toun and the third to the baillies."

In April, 1605, the Privy Council urged on the pursuit of the Macgregors by ordaining that whoever should present any of that clan quick (alive), or failing that, the head of any of them, should have possession for nineteen years of all the lands and goods belonging to such Macgregor, or a money recompense, to be paid by the landlords of the district.

As it is not intended to detail at length the trials of the other Macgregors (seeing that nearly the same form was observed in each), it may be stated generally that from the number executed under form of law, and the still greater number slain as outlaws, the survivors in 1612 were described as "bot unworthie miserable bodyis." Indeed, the "Raid of Glenfruin" seems to have been a last desperate effort on the part of the clan, for very soon afterwards Lord Fyvie wrote to King James that if all the great Highland clans were reduced to a like point, he "wold think it ane grait ease to the commonn weill, and to his Majestie's guid subjects in Scotland;" while, about the same time, the Lords of Privy Council state that the Clangregor is so impoverished that it is impossible to extract from them what will pay for their removal to other countries. Still Luss seems to have had cause for anxiety, as he writes to the King in November, 1609, that his enemies had entered upon their former courses, and praying that "tymous remeid" might be provided. Next year, accordingly, in September, we find the Privy Council at the old work of extirpation, an enactment being then issued prohibiting owners of boats from transporting any of the "rebellious and barbarous thieves and lymmaris,"

or their "wives, bairns, or servands," across Lochlong, Lochgoil, or Loch

lomond.

In January, 1611, the Council eclipsed all its former encouragements to revenge by enacting that

"Whatsomevir person or persones of the name of McGregour who sall slay ony persone of the same name being of als good ranke and qualitie as him self and sall prove the same slaughter befoir the saidis Lordis That everie suche persone slayar of ane McGregour of the rank and qualitie forsaid sall hai ane free pardoun and remissioun for all his bygane faultis, he finding suirtie to be ansuerable and obedient to the Lawis in tyme comeing; And siclike that whatsomever uther persone or personis will slay ony of the particular personis underwritten Thay are to say Duncan McEwne McGregour now callit the Laird, Robert abroch McGregour, Johne Dowe McAllister McGregour, Callum McGregour of Coull, Duelchay McGregour and McRobert McGregour his bruther or ony utheris of the rest of that race, That everie suche persone slayar of ony of the personis particularlie abone-written or ony utheris of that race sall haif ane reward in money presentlie payit and delyverit unto thame according to the qualitie of the persone to be slayde, and the least soume salbe ane hundreth merkis, and for the chiftanes and ringleidaris of thir M'gregouris ane thousand pundes apiece." Proclamation of this to be made at the Market Crosses of Dumbarton, Stirling, Doune in Monteith, Glasgow, and Auchterarder. All the inhabitants of the three first-mentioned places between the ages of sixteen and sixty were thereupon summoned:-"That thay and euery one of thame weele bodin in feir of weir for thair awne defence and suirtie convene and mete at the heid of Lochlowmond vpoun the xij day of Februair now approaching and to transport and carye fra the said yle, the haill boitis and birlingis being upoun the same to the said loche of Lochketterine, wherby his Majesties forceis appointed for persute and hunting of the saidis woulffs and thevis may be transportit into the yle within the saide loiche vnder the pane of tinsall of lyffe landis and goodis." On the 23rd May, 1611, the Lords of Council ordained that "The haill bairns that are past xij yearis

auld to be sent to Ireland be your lordships warrant to sic Scotchmen as your lordships thinks metest that dwells thair, be whose advyce thair name be changit and maid hindes, and thair to remain under pain of dede.

"As anent those that ar wythin xij yearis auld that they be your lordships warrant be transplanted besouth the waters of Forth and Clyde, conform to his Majesties will to Justices of Peace of these boundis at thair next general meeting whilk is the fyrst Tyesday of Feb.; and be thair advyce to be placed and assigned in tounes and parochinis and thair name changit, and thair to remain vnder pain of dede; with power to the said Justices of Peace to give and allow ane fyne to everi ilk ane of these for the help of thair sustenance; and when they come to xij yearis, that they be transplanted to Ireland."

Two years later the Chancellor (Alexander Fyvie, Earl of Dunfermline) requires the presence of the Laird of Luss on the occasion of a report being presented as to the proceedings against the Clangregor. About this time several of the unhappy fugitives seem to have fallen into the toils prepared for them by the Council. In a document among the Luss papers, bearing to be "The namis of the Clangregours that ar outlawis, and hes nocht fund cautioun," there is marked against four of them the expressive memorandum, "hangit the xxij. of June, 1613." Their names were Eune Cowbroche, Allister (bastard son to John Grahame), Duncan M'Phatrick, and John Dow M'Condochie. On the last day of November, 1613, the Council arranged that the landlords should not be called upon to pay any contribution, provided they took the Clangregor bairns according to the proportion of their lands, and made them forthcoming when called for until eighteen years of age, when they were to be exhibited to the Privy Council, and their subsequent fate decided upon. If any of these unfortunate captives happened to escape from his keeper and be recaptured, the child so escaping, if under fourteen, was to be scourged and burnt on the cheek for the first attempt, and hanged for the second. If above fourteen, they were to be hanged at once without further ceremony. Seven years later-after Shakespeare, during the life of Lord Bacon, in the country of Buchanan-the Lords of His Majesty's Council

are again engaged in the barbarous work of exterminating the hapless children

Clan Alpin :

"Quhairas (it is recorded, August 29, 1621) thair is a new broode and generatioun of this clan rissin up quhilk daylie incressis in nomber and force and ar begun to haif thair meitingis and gois in troupis athorte the cuntrey armed with all offensive weaponis, and some of the ringleaderis of thame who anes gave thair obedyence and fund cautioun ar brokin louse and hes committit sundrie disordouris in the cuntrey, as namelie upoun the Duke of Lennox and Laird of Craigcrosten, That thairfoir the former Act maid aganis suche of the Clangregour as wer at Glenfroone and at the hershippis and burning of the landis pertening to the Lairdis of Glenurquhy and Luss and Coline Campbell of Abirurquhill, That they sould weare no armoure but a pointles knyffe to cutt thair meate, be renewit, with this addition, THAT THE SAID ACT BE EXTENDIT AGANIS THE WHOLE NAME."

With enactments of this kind in even partial operation, the existence not of one "Rob Roy," but of scores, was less a wonder to our ancestors than to us. Such legislation continued to disgrace constitutional law till the reign of Charles II., when, in consequence of the uniform attachment the Macgregors had exhibited to the cause of a misguided father, his first Parliament passed an Act restoring to them the full use of their family name and all the other privileges of liege subjects. In 1693, however a year after Glencoe, and a part of the same policy it was thought-the penal Acts against the Macgregors were renewed, without any special reason being assigned; and though put into execution only on rare occasions, they were not finally swept from the statute book till a British Parliament interfered in the reign of George III., 1784.