PAGE 184
kneeling at the communion, and of the paper which we had given
him theranent, and some of the rest of these things above mentioned.
But they desired us to forbear the mentioning at the
Assembly of that paper, or
any1
thing which might make the king
or his way odious in the entry of his government, and we at their
desire did forbear.
The while I was at Holland, my wife ryding by the milne of
Nether-Ancrum, through the unskillfulness of the servant that rode
before her, fell in the milne-dam, and was carried down the trough,
till with her body she stopped the outer wheell then fast going.
Providence so ordered that the wheell wanted one of the aus, (the
out-sticking pieces of timber that keeps the water;) and just over
against the wheel where it wanted that aw
(a piece of board2)
her body was drawn down, and so stopped the going of the
milne,3
and continued in that case, the water still falling on her, till an
gentleman that saw, and was about half a quarter of a myle distant,
came running, and caused the people go within the milne, and turn
the outter wheel back, and so got her out, and carried her home.
She was ill bruised, and in the third day had ane sore feaver; yet
it pleased the Lord she recovered, and wrote to me to Holland,
that she thought she was therin ane emblame of what our treaty
was like to bring on the land.
When I took my leave of the king at Dundee, and being alone
with him, I begged liberty to use some freedome which he granted.
After I had spoke some things anent his carriage, I proponed that
he saw the English army animated with many victories, was, for
his sake, coming in upon Scotland, which at present was in a very
low condition; and, therefore, that his Majestie, with his councill,
might advise some way to divert that present chock, by some
declaration, or some way wherin he needed not any way quite or
weaken his right to the crown of England, but only to shew that
for the present he was not to prosecute his title by the sword, but
wait till their confusions
were4
evanished, they were in better case
**************
1
"Other."
2
"That piece of board."
3
"The miln'rs going."
4
"Being."
|
PAGE 185
to be governed, and till he were called by the people there, which
I was confident a short whiles good government in Scotland would
easily produce. He was not pleased to relish the motion, but said
he hoped I would not wish him to sell his father's blood.
By that, and some other passages of my life, I gathered that
either I was not called to meddle in any publick state matters, or
that my meddling should have small success; for in the year 1654,
when I was in London, I proponed to the Protector that he would
take off the heavy fynes which he had laid on severalls in Scotland,
which neither they were able to pay, and the payment would
alienate their minds the more. He seemed to like the overture;
but when he had spoken with his councill, many wherof were to
have a share in these fynes, they went on in their purpose.
The Generall Assembly appointed some ministers, and among
them me also, to wait upon the army, and the Committee of Estates
that accompanyed the army. But the apprehension and fear of
what ensued, made that I had no freedom to goe thither, but
went home till we got the sad news of the defeat at Dumbar.
After that I got also letters from them that were at Dumfreis who
were upon the remonstrance, to come and joyn with them, but I
had no clearnes to goe.
But some while therafter I went to Stirling to the Commission
of the Kirk, and there, in ane great meeting, declared how sensible
I was that, being overruled by some others, I had not in the
Generall Assembly made ane perfect relation of the treaty. The winter
after the defeat at Dumbar I stayed at home, and so did most of
the ministers and gentry of the South, and so were in ane far better
condition than those in some other parts, where the ministers and
gentry went to the north side of Forth; for the English army
destroyed almost all that
they1
left. Sometime some of the English quartered at my house,
but neither many nor long; but while
they stayed, I neither eat nor drank with any of them, nor hardly
spoke with them, nor never went for any bussiness to any of their
**************
1
"Had."
|
