Upone the 5 of August, 1650, about midnight, the enymie did lift all thair forces lying in and about Mussilburgh, and marched bak towardis Dumbar, quhair thair schips being than rydand, they resavit from thame fresche viveris and amunitioun in abundance; and immediatlie thaireftir, within twa or thrie dayis, marched bak to Mussilburgh, and fra thence to Dudingstoun, and alongis to Colingtoun and about, quhair they did ly sum certane dayis thaireftir....
Sum of our prissoneris takin by the Englische wer miserablie used, tirred naked, and fettirred in yrone cheynes, as wes reportit.
During the lying of thir twa airmeys in the feildis, all the cornes betuix Berwik, and twa or thrie myles be west Edinburgh, on both sydes, wer destroyed and eaten up. Lykewyse, thair wes such great skairshetie in Edinburgh, that all soirt of viveris, meit and drink, could hardlie be haid for money, and such as wes gottin wes fuisted, and sauld at a double pryce. The haill inhabitantes, lykewyse, of Edinburgh wer forced to contribute and provyde fuid for the airmy, notwithstanding of this skairshitie; and also to furneis fedder beddis, bousteris, coadis, blankettis, scheittis for the airmy, and for the hurt sodgeris to ly upone, with pattis and pannis for making reddie thair meat; and to collect money for providing honest intertenment to the hurt sodgeris that lay in the Hospitall and Paullis Wark.
Upone the 11 day of August, 1650, being ane Saboth day, and a solempne day of fasting and prayer, evin upone that day (according to the Sectarians wonted custome,) the enymie cumed bak fra Braides Crages, quhair he wes than lying, and returned to Mussilburgh, and set doun his Leagure thair till Tysday thaireftir, and then removed from Mussilburgh and returned bak to Braides Craiges, bringing with him great quantateis of victuell, quhilk he haid takin out of the mylnes, killis, and bernis of Mussilburgh, and uther pairtes thairabout.
The 15 of August, 1650, to the quhilk the Parliament of Scotland wes adjorned, fur the Kinges coronatioun, wes of new prorogat and adjorned to the [10] day of September thaireftir, be ressoun of the twa great airmeyis on both sydes, both of thame lying about Edinburgh; and thairfoir the Parliament wes forced to adjorne.
At this tyme, the Commissioneris of the Kirk presentit sum Propositiounes to the King to be subscryvit, quhilk for a tyme was refused; yit in end condiscendit unto, and subscryvit be his Majestie. And, thairfoir, upone his refuisall at the first, the Commissioneris of the Kirk wer pleased to emit this Declaratioun following, quhilk wes sent into the Englische Airmy, with the Approbatioun thairof following, subscryvit be the Committee of Estait. Westkirk, the 13 of August 1650....[435]
The enymie being now lying neir to the toun of Edinburgh, and the Toun fearing thair invasioun and assalt, they usit all meanis for thair awin defence; and, for this end, erectit scaffoldis within the haill wallis of the toun, set up thair ensignes thairon, extending to xxxij culloris, mannit the wallis with numberis of men, planted ordinance thairon, demolisched the haill houssis in St Marie Wynd, that the enymie sould haif no schelter thair, bot that thai mycht haif frie pas to thair cannoun, quhilk thai haid montit upone the Neddir Bow. The Toun also wes forcit to demolische and tak doun the four prickes bigged on the Neddir Bow, quhilk wes ane verry great ornament thairto, and placed cannoun thairon. The Committee also causit demolische sindrie houssis at the Patterraw Poirt and West Poirt, that the Castell of Edinburgh, and uther pairtes quhair thair cannoun wes stellit, mycht haif sicht of the enymie in cais he sould assalt, and greater fredome to assalt him, be taking doun of the houssis that wer impedimentis to the sicht of the enymie and force of the cannoun.
Upone Settirday, the 24 of August, 1650, our airmy resavit a great disgrace in this manner; to wit, Generall Cromwell and his airmy haifing past throw this kingdome fra Berwik to the place of Colingtoun, without ony oppositioun maid be ony of the gentillmenis houssis by the way quhair they past, untill they come to the hous of Reidhall, within thrie myles be west Edinburgh; in the quhilk hous of Reidhall, the Laird of Reidhall, with thriescoir sodgeris, lay with provisioun, and keipit and defendit the hous aganes the Englisches, and gallit his sodgeris, and pat thame bak severall tymes with the los of sindry sodgeris. The Englische Generall taking this very grevouslie, that such a waik hous sould hald out aganes him and be ane impediment in his way, he and his airmy lying so neir unto it; thairfoir he causit draw his cannoun to the hous, and thair, fra four houris in the morning till ten in the foirnune that day, he causit the cannoun to play on this hous, encampit a great number of his sodgeris about it, with pik and musket, bot all to lytill purpos; for the Laird and the pepill in the hous defendit valiantlie evir till thair powder failled; and eftir it failled they did not give over, evir luiking for help fra owr awin airmy, quha wes then lying at Corstorphyn, within thrie quarteris of ane myle to the hous, of quhais help thai war disapoynted. Generall Cromwell perceaving thair powder to be gone, and that no assistance wes gevin thame, he causit pittardis to be brocht to the hous, quhairwith he blew up the dures, enterit the hous at dures and windois, and eftir slaughter on both sydes, (bot much moir to the Englisches then the Scottis,) tuik all that wer in the hous prissoneris, tirred thame naked, seased on all the money and guidis that wer thairin, quhilk wes much, be ressoun that sindry gentillmen about haid put thair guidis thair for saiftie. So this hous and pepill thairin wer takin in the sicht and face of our airmy, quha thocht it dangerous to hazard thameselffis in such ane expeditioun, the enymie haiffing the advantage of the ground and hillis about him for his defence.
Albeit the Covenant, the Kirk, and Kingdome aucht to be deir and precious in the eyis of all trew Scottismen, yet such wes the dispositioun of sum of thame, that thai wer corruptit with Englische gold, and gaif intelligence of all the proceidingis of our airmy to Generall Cromwell, quhairby much of our intentiounes wer surprised. Sum of thir intelligenceris wer takin and committed to prisoun, and becaus no probatioun could be haid aganes thame, they war liberat upone cautioun. Bot ane of thame being conscious of his awin giltines, strangled himselff in the tolbuith of Edinburgh, being wardit thairin; and thaireftir takin out and publictlie exposit to the view of all the pepill at the Trone of Edinburgh and Mercat Croce of the Cannogait, and thairfra transportit and hung up on the gallous betuix Leith and Edinburgh, quhair he yit hinges, to the terrour of utheris.
27 August, 1650. The twa airmeyis, both Scottis and Englisches, lyand about Corstorphyn, Gogar, and neir to Mortoun and thairabout, began to play with thair cannoun this day, quhilk indured fra thrie houris in the eftirnune till sex at nycht, at the quhilk xij of our airmy wer hurt, ane killed and twa horses. Sindrie men wer killed to the enymie also.