6. Account of the Duke of Hamiltons Expedition into England, being Excerpts from “Memoirs of his own Life and Times, by Sir James Turner.”—P. 49.
The Committee of Estates, and consequentlie the visible soveraigne pouer of Scotland at that time, is divided between the Duke Hammilton and the Marques of Argile. The last keepd stronglie by the church, and had it for him; and for feare that did not his turne, he keepd the armie, at least Leven and David Leslie for him, as knowing, omnia sunt gladii pidissequa. Yet the Hammiltons had gaind much on Middleton, who had a strong influence on the armie. Hammilton, to beate Argile out of his strongest fortresse, propons the disbanding the armie as very useles now, and which was worse, very burthensome, all the enemies of the state being rangd to their duetie. This was not onlie a plausible pretext, bot ane unansuerable argument; bot marke the reply of the other partie. “Never so great danger as now; the Kings person, which they were bound to defend by the oath of their Covenant (observe, there was no former ty on them,) being in the hands of the Independents, who were suorne enemies to his sacred person and to presbiterie, and carying now all things before them in the English Parliament, were become very formidable.” So impudentlie could these hipocrites make use of the safetie of the King, to support their power, by the usurpation wherof they had brought him to that low condition, and whose destruction they still designd. To this they adde a ridiculouslie palpable ly, that the Marques of Huntley was strong and marching southward, waxd numerous, and to use their oune words, grew great like a snow ball; that poore Marques, in the meane time, hideing himselfe in holes and caves, out of which he is about that same time draune and carried to Edenburgh and cast in the tollbooth, out of which he never came till he was brought to a scaffold. The matter of the armies disbanding is referd to the meeting of a great Committee, whose members are summond by Argile and the kirk to come from the remotest places of the kingdome, and when they meet, they vote the armie to stand.
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Bot before all this was done, E. Lainrick, brother to Duke Hamilton, is made one of these commissioners, which they called the Committee of both kingdomes. The Chanclor and he went to London, and from thence, by the Parliaments permission to the Ile of Wight, where they had severall conferences with his Majestie. Many concessions they obtaind from him against Poperie, Arminianisme, Socinianisme, Libertinisme, Erastianisme, and I know not what els, and many promises they made to him, and so returned to Scotland. A Parliament is calld, which either consisted of the Royal or purlie Hammiltonian partie; Argiles being the least of the three, the election of the members was so dexterouslie carried. Bot in the Commission of the Kirke, Argile carryd all before him. And now the scene is changd. The King is in no danger; the Parliament of England, thogh independent, and Scotland are good friends; they must not fall out; the union of the tuo kingdomes must be preserved; the King in his concessions, had not taken away Prelacie, and therfore all the rest of his grants were hipocriticall; neither were the Scots bound to defend his person by vertue of the Covenant, bot in the defence of the true religion, which, according to their glosse, is presbiteriall government; and therefor no armie must be raisd for his releasment or restoration, onlie the English Parliament wold be desird to suffer them to treate with the King, whose person, according to promise, sould be keepd in honor, freedome and safetie. Heere yow see ane armie necessare and not necessare, for one and the same cause. Yow will thinke that strange, bot I will unriddle yow. Necessare for the Kings defence, and to withstand the power of the Independents, so long as old Leven and David Leslie commanded it; not necessare for these or any other causes, if Duke Hamilton and Earle Calander had the conduct of it. Whether the great soumes of money the English Commissioners brought with them, had ane influence on the leading men of the state, the kirk and the armie, Sir James Stewart, once Provost of Edinburgh yet alive can well enough tell. This rent betueene the usurped state and the usurped kirk, was the first step to the mine of the whole designe of the yeare 1648; for in the time of this furious dis ... our levies were retarded, and time given to Fairfaxe and Cromwell to destroy all the Kings partie in England. At length the raising of ane armie is carried in spite of Argile and the kirk. Duke Hammilton is declard Generall; E. Calander, (who once more appeard to oune the Kings interest,) Lieutenant Generall of the armie; Mildletone, Lieutenant Generall of the horse, and Baillie of the foot.
Bot before this was dune, a petition is draune up by Argile and his friends, (the Chancellor playing fast and loose with both parties,) which is calld the petition of the armie, which was to secure religion (for these were the kirks words) and the kingdome of Christ, before any forces were raised for the Kings releasment. It is signd privatlie by Leven, Da. Leslie, Major Generall Holburne, Sir Johne Broun, Colonell Scot, and some others, and then presented publiklie to the rest of us, thinking we could not, being sojors, refuse to follow our leaders. Bot they found themselves mistaken; for Major Generall Middletone, and the honnest part of the officers of the armie told them, that such a petition, which lookd so like mutinie, could not be presented to the Parliament without incurring the dishonour which Fairfaxe his armie had draune upon itselfe, to impose on the Parliament of England. To oppose this petition, Middletone was pleasd to make use of me; neither was I, indeed, unwilling to contribute all my endeavors for the destruction of a paper which, if it had beene red, wold have spoke with so loud a voyce, that many of the members who were bot indifferent, wold have spoke Argiles language very plainlie. The busienes was so handled that it was never presented.
Innumerable allmost were the petitions that came from all places of the kingdome, against the raising of forces for his Majesties releasment. Glasgow being a considerable toune, was most refractorie to this Parliament; for Mr Dick, whom they lookd upon as a patriarch, Mr Baillie, Mr Gillespie and Mr Durhame, all mightie members of the kirk of Scotland, had preachd them to a perfite disobedience of all civill power, except such as was authorisd by the Generall Assemblie and Commission of the Kirke; and so indeed was the whole west of Scotland, who cryd up King Christ, and the kingdome of Jesus Christ, therby meaning the uncontroullable and unlimited dominion of the then kirk of Scotland, to whom they thought our Saviour had delivered over his scepter, to governe his militant church as they thought fit. For this reason, I am sent to Glasgow to reduce it to obedience, with three troops of horse, and Holburns regiment of foot, which a litle before that had mutind in the Links of Lieth; (their colonell, lieutenant colonell, and all their captains, haveing deserted them,) bot the mutinie was with some difficultie compesed by myselfe, and that regiment brought by me the length of Cramond, in its march to Glasgow. In Glasgow were many honnest and loyall men, the prime wherof wer the Cambells and the Bells; and indeed I had good helpe of Coline Cambell, James Bell, and Bayliffe James Hamilton. At my comeing there I found my worke not very difficill; for I shortlie learnd to know, that the quartering tuo or three troopers, and halfe a dozen musketeers, was ane argument strong enough, in two or three nights time, to make the hardest headed Covenanter in the toune to forsake the kirk and side with the Parliament. I came on the friday, and nixt day sent to Mr Dick, and desird him and his brethren to say nothing nixt day in their pullpits that might give me just reason to disturbe the peace of the church. In the forenoone he spoke us very faire, and gave us no occasion of offence; but in the afternoone he transgresd all limits of modestie, and raild malitieouslie against both King and Parliament. This obligd me to command all my officers and sojors to goe presentlie out of the church, because I neither could nor would suffer any under my command to be witnesses of a misdemeanor of that nature. At the first Dick was timorous, and promisd, if I wold stay, he wold give me satisfaction; bot I told him I wold trust him no more, since he had broke his promise made in the forenoone. Seeing I intended no worse but to remove, he continued his sermon, and nixt day went to Edenburgh to complaine; bot sent one that same night to make his greeveance to the Duke, who was comd the day before to his palace of Hammilton. Thither I went nixt morning. His Grace approvd of all I had done; and there was reason for it; because I had done nothing bot by his oune order, and his brother E. Lainricks advice. This was that great and well neere inexpiable sinne which I committed against the sacred soveraigntie of the kirk; for which all members were so implacable and irreconcileable enemies to me afterward.
Finding my Glasgow men groune prettie tame, I tenderd them a short paper, which whoever signed I promisd sould be presentlie easd of all quartering. It was nothing bot a submission to all orders of Parliament, agreeable to the Covenant. This paper was afterward by some merrie men christend Turners Covenant. It was quickly signd by all except some inconsiderable persons; and so soone as Duke Hammilton had causd read my letter in Parliament, and the signd papers sent to the Clearke Register, I was orderd to march to Renfrew, to reduce that shire to obedience. I left the Generall of the Artilleries regiment, which was not very strong, at Glasgow, and marchd with my oune (for the Parliament had given me that of Holburns, and my Lord Duke had placd me himselfe at Glasgow, and eleven troops of horse; for still as they were levied in the east, they were sent west to me. I lay at Paislay myselfe with my regiment, and quarterd my troopes round about. Bot the people from severall parishes came so fast to me, offering their obedience to the Parliament, that I knew not well how to quarter my present men, much lesse these troops, and Calanders regiment, which were on their march westward.
Meantime a pettie rebellion must be usherd in by religion, yea, by one of the sacredest misteries of it, even the celebration of our Lords supper; so finely could these pretended saints make that vinculum pacis, that band of peace, the commemoration of our Savieours sufferings and death, that peace so often inculcated, and left as a legacie by our blessed Lord to his whole Church; so handsomelie, I say, could these hipocrits make it the simbole of warre, and bloody broyles. While I lay at Paislay, a communion, as they call it, is to be given at Machlin church, to pertake wherof all good people are permitted to come; but because the times were, forsooth, dangerous, it was thought fit all the men sould come armed. Nixt Monday, which was their thanksgiveing day, there were few lesse to be seene about the church than tuo thousand armed men, horse and foot. I had got some intelligence of the designe before, and had acquainted the Duke with it; who ordered me expreslie not to stirre till Calander and Middletones coming; who accordinglie on the Saturday before the Communion came to Glasgow, where I met them, and then went straight forward to Paislay. A rendezvous is appointed by Calander to be of horse and foot at Steuarton till nixt Monday. From thence Lieut. General Middleton is sent with sixe troopes of horse to Machlin moore, where the armed communicants were said to be. I intreated my Lord Calander (bot to no purpose) not to divide, bot rather march with all his forces, then hazard the overthrow of a few, which might endanger the whole. We advanced with the rest as the foot could march; but it was not long before we heard that the communicants had refused to goe to their houses; and having ressaved a briske charge of Middletons forlorne hope, had worsted it; and that himselfe and Colonell Urrey comeing up to the rescue, were both wounded in the heade; which had so appalld their troopes, that if they lossd no ground, they were glad to keepe what they had, and looke upon the saincts. These unexpected news made Calander leave my regiment at Kilmarnock, and take his horse with him up to Middletone. I intreated him to march at least at a great trot, if not at a gallope; bot he would be more orderlie, and therefor marched more sloulie. We met numbers of boys and bedees, weeping and crying all was lost; bot at our appearance the slashing communicants left the field, the horse trulie untouchd, because not fiercelie pursued. About sixtie of their foot were taken, and five officers. The ministers that came in our power, who had occasiond the mischiefe, were nixt day dismisd. Nixt day we marchd into Aire, where a court of warre is appointed to be keepd about the prisoners. The country fellows of them are pardoned; the officers sentenced to be hanged or shot; bot therafter were pardond; to which I was very instrumentall, thogh I had bene president in the court of warre. Lieutenant Generall Middletons wound, and Colonel Urreys, sufferd them to ride abroad within foure or five days. We knew not well what to doe, for Lambert was on the Border with a strong part of the English armie, and in a manner keepd Sir Marmaduke Langdail blockd up at Carlile. Our west countrey was not at all setled, bot very readie for new commotions. Upon this E. Calander desires a conference with the Duke, who then was at Edinburgh, to be at his oune house of Hamilton, to which the Duke readilie assented.
I had left my wife at Glasgow, and, therfor, desird libertie to goe there, and bid her good night, and accordinglie went thither. Within two nights came E. Calander and Lieutenant Generall Middletone, and with them I went to Hammilton, takeing my leave of my deare wife, whom I did not see againe till she saw me prisoner at Hull.