Eftir this, the Inglische airmy marched throw Lynlithgow and Falkirk, and went in full body to Sterling, upone Tysday, the 17 of September 1650; quhair thai, not being able to assalt the toun for feir of the Castell, and of moir nor thrie thowsand fute lying within the toun, quhilk wes stronglie fortifeyed and deiply trinsched, they, eftir two dayis lying about the toun, returned bak agane to Lynlithgow, and from thence to Edinburgh, quhair they establisched ordouris, and set doun actis and ordinances at thair plesour....
Quhill these thinges war in doing by the Englische airmy, thair wes lytill cair tane to oppose thame: bot faith and curage failled the Scottis universalie throw the land; divisiounes, haitrent, and malice still increst throw the Kingdome. Collonellis Ker and Strachane withdrew thameselffis fra the Scotis generall, Generall Leslie, and David Leslie his lievtenant; left thair ordouris, refuised to serve under thair command; and not thairwith content, went to the west cuntrie, sik as Glasgow, Paislay, Ranfrew, Irwing, Air, Lanerk, Hammiltoun, quhair thair wes ane Associatioun concludit and drawn up among the Westland schyres, and quhair thai and thair followeris keipit thair randevous, quarterit thair men and hors upone the west pairtes of the land, compellit the gentell men, burgesses and yeemenis to furneis and rander thair horsses for thair service, exacted great soumes of money for thair outreikis; and yit thai did lytill or no service, bot trouping up and down throw the cuntrie a lang space, even fra the feght at Dumbar to the end of November or thairby.
In the meantyme, Generall Oliver Cromwell, cheiff commander of the Inglische airmy, come from Edinburgh to Lynlithgow, Falkirk, and Kilsyth, and thairefter come with his haill airmy to Glasgow, upone Fryday, the xi day of October, 1650; at quhais incuming the maist pairt of the inhabitantes left the toun, and fled to sindry pairtes of the cuntrie for scheltering thameselfis, not so much for feir of the enymie, for thair cariage wes indifferentlie guid, bot becaus thai feared to be brandit with the name of complyeris with sectarianes, as befoir thai wer censured and puneist for remayning in the toun the tyme of James Grahame his incuming, and brocht upone thameselfis the name and style of Malignantes, devysit aganes thame be thair awn nychtboures, quha haitted thame, and socht thair places and offices....
At this tyme, Godis anger wes manifest, and his hett displesour aganes the inhabitantes of this land, for the cornes of the feild war not onlie destroyed by this forrane enymie, and by the Scottis airmyes at home, quha rampit and raged throw the land, eitting and destroying quhairever they went, bot also the Lord from the hevines destroyed much of the rest be stormes and tempestis of weit and wind....
Divisiounes still increst in Kirk and Kingdome, for the Ministrie gave out thair Declaratiounes both aganes the King and the Commissioneris sent to him to Gairsey and Holland.... By thir Declaratiounes of the Ministrie the subjectis of the land wer moved to ceass, and not to lift up airmes and go aganes the commoun enymie, and nane declared capable to persew that enymie bot onlie Colonellis Strachane and Ker, quho wer estemed to be for the Kirk and the Kirkis airmy; albeit it did not prove so succesfull in the end as heireftir it fell out.
The Kingdome being thus in a moist pitifull and deplorabill conditioun and sad estait, nane to ryse aganes the enymie, nor to defend the Kingdome, severall meetingis wer appoynted by the Estait to meet and to consult on the effaires of the land; sum tymes at Sterling, uther tymes at Peerth, quhair dyveris dyettis of Parliament, Committee and Commissioneris for the Kirk met and wer holdin, and for crowning of the King; bot all wes to small purpos, the divisiounes both of Stait and Kirk incresing, to the great advantage of the enymie, quha estemed these inward divisiounes of this land to be worth to him and moir profitable then twenty thowsand men.
I thoght guid to remember heir how that the names of Protestant and Papist wer not now in use, nor hes bene thir sindrie yeiris past, bot supprest: and, in place thairof, rais up the name of Covenanteris, Anti-Covenanteris, Croce-Covenanteris, Puritanes, Babarteres, Roun-heidis, Auld-hornes, New-hornes, Croce-Petitioneris, Brownistes, Separistes, Malignantis, Sectareis, Royalistes, Quakeris, Anabaptistes....
Lykewyse the Commissioun of the Kirk, beiring a great splene aganes all these quha war of the Malignant factioun, (as they did call it), they, be thair Declaratiounes and Commissioneris at Committee and Parliament, maid these forces under the charge and command of David Leslie to ryse aganes these under the charge and command of Lievtenant Major Middletoun, to subdew thame, and croce thair rysing for the King....
So, to end this yeir of God, 1650, this Kingdome wes for the moist pairt spoyled and overrun with the enymie, evin from Berwik to the toun of Air, thair being Inglische garisounes in all quarteris of these boundis; the land murning, languisching and fading, and left desolat, every pairt thairof schut up, and no saif going out nor cuming in, and many treacherous dealeris did deale verie treacherouslie, the Lord hyding his face all this tyme for the synnes of Scotland.