PAGE 170
ACCOUNT OF THE TREATY WITH THE KING AT PREDA.
When it was first laid on me to goe, I was most averse therefrom.
My reasons were three. First, My own insufficiency, haveing
ane naturall antipathy from publick imployment and state
matters, and having some scruple that ministers medled but too
much therein, and knowing my own unacquaintednes and inability
in such things, and my softness of disposition, ready to condescend
too easily to anything having any shew of reason, not being able
to debate and1
dispute any business, so that I feared I should be
ane grief and shame to these that sent me, beside that I could not
promply speak the Latine tongue, which was requisite among forreign
divines. This first reason I expressed in the Commission of
the Kirk. The other two, which weighed as much with me, I suppressed.
The second was, when I considered the commissioners
sent by the State, I was not willing to embarque in any bussiness
with them: Cassills, Brodie, and Alexander Jaffray, I had no
exception against; the other three I suspected would be more
ready to condescend to ane agreement upon unsafe terms. Louthian
I had found two years before in harvest 1648, when the rest
rose against the engadgers returning home from England, that he
was very ill pleased with
their2
riseing, and he was many wayes
involved with the Marqueis of Argyle, who of ane long time had
been very intire with William Murray and Sir Robert Murray,
negotiators for the king, and who, it is thought, put him in hopes
that the king might3
marry his daughter. Libberton had been
long with the king at Jersay, and brought the
overture4
of the treaty, and in all his discourses gave evidence of ane earnest desyre
upon any terms to have the king brought home, wherin it is like
he thought he would have ane chief share of the thanks. Sir John
Smith had tampered with James Graham 1645, and was ane man
of no great abilitie, and what ability he had I suspected would not
**************
1
"Or."
2
"The."
3
"Would."
4
"Overtures."
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PAGE 171
be well employed. The third reason was, when I looked upon the
whole bussiness, and the terms wherupon the king was to be
admitted to his government, upon his bare subscriving or swearing
some words without any evidence that it was done from the heart,
I suspected it might prove ane designe for promoting ane malignant
interest to the prejudice of the work of God, and that our
nobles who had power in their hands, fearing, if matters went on
as formerly, that they might be levelled; and knowing that many
in the kingdome would be willing to receive the king upon any
terms, whom possibly the malignants might bring home without
them, and knowing that after so many backslidings the well-affected
were but few, and many of them simple, and all of them desyreous
to give the king all his due, religion and liberty being secured,
upon some such considerations thought it their safest [way] to
have the king: not looking much what might be the consequences.
For these reasons, I was fully resolved to have gone home, and
taken my hazard of any censure of the kirk for my disobedience,
especially when I perceived that
sundry1
well-affected, whose judgement I reverenced, had great fears of the
issue2
of the treaty. But according as my nature is blunt and ready to yield, chiefly to
those whom I knew both pious and wise, Mr David Dicksone, Mr
James Guthrie, Mr Patrick Gillespie, after some whiles dealing,
prevailed with me to goe. One word I foolishly spoke then to
them, which many a time thereafter met me. That ere I condescended
to goe, and to have an hand in the consequences that I
apprehended would follow, I would choose rather to condescend,
if it were the Lord's will, to be drouned in the waters by the way.
That very day3
we landed in Camphire,
Loudon4
and Liberton proponed that letters might be write to the Hague by the commissioners
to Duke Hamilton and the Earle of Lauderdale, and some
other malignants, to find themselves at Breda to help forward the
treatie. This was not agreed to; but the proponing of it was no
**************
1
"Observed that severall."
2
"Feared the issue."
3
"That."
4
"Lothian."
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