[172] Probably this was Mr. Henry Erskine, the late Mr. Erskine's grandfather.
[173] King James II. never took the coronation oath of Scotland.
[174] Another account bears, that his last sermon was preached at the water of Renan in Galloway, and that it was a very prophetical one. But though he might have preached there, yet, according to the order of time and place as above specified, it does not appear to have been the last sermon that he preached.
[175] It was said, Earshall got 500 l. and Ochiltree 10,000 merks. However some time after, one morning about break of day, a fiery pillar of a bloody colour seemingly about two yards long, was seen hanging above that house. The same day about two o'clock after noon the castle took fire, and was with charters, plate and all, burnt down to the ground. The son said to the father while it was burning, "This is the vengeance of Cameron's blood." That house was never built. For the new house, estate and all, they are gone from that race to others.
[176] See Wilson's impartial relation of Bothwel-bridge, p. 67.
[177] Some of these bloody enemies said, That that handful were men of the greatest courage that ever they set their faces to fight against, although they had been at battles abroad; and that if they had been as well trained, horsed and armed as they were, they would surely have been put to flight. And few of them escaped, for their shots and strokes were deadly, of which few recovered; for though there were but nine of the covenanters killed, yet there were twenty-eight of the enemy killed or died of their wounds in a few days.
Walker's memoirs, p. 56.
[178] See his letters and answers in the cloud of witnesses.
[179] See more of this laird of Blackstoun, in the appendix.
[180] For a particular account of this gift, see Samson's Riddle, &c. page 139, 144.