Mr. —— EVANS, a man of no great note, but abundantly qualified to make merchandize of the people of God; for being master or commander of a ship wherein 190 of Christ's prisoners were put to be banished 1685, to the West-Indies, during their voyage of three months space, he made them endure the most excruciating hardships. They were crammed in so close night and day, that they could have no air, and so tormented with hunger and thirst, that they were obliged to drink their own urine: Whereby 32 of them died. After their arrival in Jamaica, they were imprisoned and sold for slaves. But Evans fell sick, and his body rotted away piece-meal while alive, so that none could come near him for stink. This wrought horror of conscience in him; whereupon he called for some of the prisoners, and begged forgiveness, and desired them to pray for him, which they did; so he died. Howard's case who got the price was still less hopeful; for he fell down betwixt two ships, and perished in the Thames. Nor were the ship's crew who assisted them much better; for 40 of them took a pestilent fever, and turned mad and leapt over board and perished.—Wodrow.
Sir ROBERT LAURIE of Maxwelton, was another enemy to the poor people of God. When Cornet Baillie had met with W. Smith in Glencairn parish, 1684, his Father being one of Sir Robert's tenants, went to beg favour for his son. But Sir Robert presently sentenced him to present death. Bailie refused to execute it, because illegal. But the cruel monster threatened him to do it without delay; and being shot, Maxwelton refused him burial in the church-yard: The same day being the day of his daughter's marriage, his steward declared, that a cup of wine that day being put into his master's hand, turned into congealed blood. However, in a short time, he fell from his horse, and was killed dead—Wodrow, Appendix to the Cloud, &c.
—— WHITEFORD, son to Whiteford, pretended bishop of Brichen, (who was excommunicated by the Assembly 1638) went first to England; thence to Holland, where he killed Dorislaus, and being turned papist, to be out of Cromwel's reach, he went over to the duke of Savoy's service, and was there when the terrible massacre was committed upon the poor Vandois (probably about 1655) where he committed many barbarous murders upon them with his own hands. He returned home, and it appears, he was made a captain of the guard, and had a share in the persecuting work. However, he had a small pension given him for such service. But he sickened before York's parliament sat down, 1686, and being haunted with an intolerable horror of conscience of the execrable murders he had committed, called for some ministers, and told them his abhorrence of popery: "For (said he) I went to priests of all sorts; they all justified me in what I had done, and gave me absolution. But now I am persuaded by an awakened conscience." And so he died as one in despair, roaring out against that bloody religion that had undone him.—Burnet's history, &c.
PHILIP STANDFIELD, son to Sir James Standfield of New-milns, was a mocker of God and all things religious. While student at the university of St. Andrew's, he came to a meeting where Mr. John Welch was preaching in Kinkell Closs: in the time of the sermon, out of malice and mockery, he cast somewhat that hit the minister, who stopped and said, He knew not who it was, that had put that public affront upon a servant of Christ; but be who it would, he was persuaded that there would be more present at the death of him who did it, than were hearing him that day; and the multitude was not small. However, this profligate went home and continued his wicked courses, till the year 1688, that he murdered his own father; for which he was taken to Edinburgh, and executed. In time of his imprisonment, he told some, he was confident that God was now about to accomplish what he had been before by his servant forewarned of.—Wodrow.
JOHN ALLISON, sometime chamberlain to the duke of Queensberry, to please his master, became a most violent persecutor of God's people. It were needless to condescend upon particular instances: the way and manner of his death plainly shews what his conduct had been, and from what principle he had acted: for being seized with a terrible distemper wherein he had the foretaste of hell both in body and soul; in body he was so inflamed, that it is said, he was put in a large pipe of water, and the water to shift successively as it warmed. But the horrors of his awakened conscience they could by no means cool, but still he cried out in despair, that he had damned his soul for the duke his master, till he died.—M. S. and Appendix to the Cloud, &c.
GEORGE LORD JEFFERIES, an Englishman, was born in Wales about 1648. He first studied the law, then he became serjeant of the city of London; he next stepped to the recordership of the city; from thence he became chief justice of the city of Chester; and in 1683, was made lord chief justice of the king's bench. In this, as in all his other offices, he behaved most indecently; for besides his being scandalously vitious, he was almost every day drunk, besides a drunkenness of fury in his temper by which he brought the lord Russel, and the famous Alg. Sidney unto their ends. He also handled Mr. Baxter and others severely. But the most tragical story of his life fell out 1685. After Monmouth was defeated and himself and many of his little army taken, Jefferies was sent by his master king James to the West as ordinary executioner to try the prisoners; and here his behaviour was beyond any thing ever heard of, I believe, in a Christian nation. He was perpetually after drink or in rage, liker a fury than a judge: where no proof could be had, he commanded the pannels to plead guilty, if they desired mercy; and then, if they confest any thing, they were immediately hung up. In a few towns in the west of England, he pronounced sentence of death on some 500 or 600 persons, 292 of them received this sentence in an hours space; and of these 600 250 were executed; others had the benefit of his avarice; for pardons were by him sold from 10 pound to 14000 guineas. He sentenced the lady Lesly for harbouring a stranger one night. Miss Gaunt was burnt. A poor man was hanged for selling three-pence worth of hay to Monmouth's horse. Some were hanged at the stanchions of windows, others had their bowels burnt and their bodies boiled in pitch, and hung round the town. Bloody Kirk put in for part of the honour. At Taunton he hanged nine without suffering them to take leave of their wives and children. At some places they cast off so many with a health to the King, and a number more with a health to the Queen, drinking it at every turn, and perceiving the shaking of their legs in the agonies of death, they said, they were dancing, and called for music, and to every one cast over a spring was played on pipes, hautboys, drums and trumpets, with a huzza and a glass of wine. Jefferies sentenced one Tutchin for changing his name to seven years imprisonment, and whipping through all the market towns in the shire, which was once a fortnight during that time; which made Mr. Tutchin petition the king for death. Many other cruelties were then committed, but the foregoing swatch may suffice. Jefferies returned to London, where his master James, for his good services, made him lord chancellor. Being now above the reach or envy of the people, he set himself to assist his master in bringing in popery; but their mad hasty zeal spoiled the project, and so his master having to flee his dominions, Jefferies, disguised in a seaman's dress in a collier, essayed to escape after and in imitation of his master, but was taken and severely drubbed by the populace, and then brought to the lord mayor. Jefferies to be freed of the people, desired to be sent to the Tower; because they were waiting with clubs upon him. The mayor seeing this, and the chancellor in such a gloomy appearance, was so struck that he fell into fits and soon died. Jefferies, being sent to the Tower, continued with few either to pity or supply him. At last a barrel of oysters being sent him, he thanked God he had yet some friends left: but when tumbled out with or without oysters, a strong cord halter fell out, which made him change countenance on the prospect of his future distiny. A distemper with the gravel seized him, contracted through his former intemperate wicked bloody life, and the horrors of an awakened conscience; and at last, whether nature wrought out itself, or, if he himself helped the fatal stroke, (as is most likely) is uncertain; 1689.—Vide his life, and the Western Martyrology or Bloody Assizes, &c.
JOHN GRAHAM of Claverhouse in Angus, a branch of the house of Montrose, another champion for the prince of the kingdom of darkness. To improve the cruelty of his nature, he was sometime in the French service. He returned to Scotland 1677. The vivacity of his genius soon recommended him to Charles and James, who bestowed upon him the command of a troop of horse: and then he began the spoiling and killing the people of God; wherein he was alway successful, except at Drumclog. One of his exploits was at Bewly-bog, where the writer of his memoirs says, he killed 75 and took many prisoners. After Bothwel, had Monmouth granted it, he would have killed the prisoners, burnt Glasgow, Hamilton and Strathaven, and plundered the western shires. To enumerate all the cruelties, bloodshed and oppression committed by him, while he ranged up and down the country for ten years space, were a talk here too tedious: in which time it is said, he killed near 100 persons in cold blood. In Galloway, he and his party ravished a woman before her husband's eyes, took a young boy, tied his two thumbs with a cord, and hung him to the balk or roof of the house. Another they took and twisted a small cord about his head with their pistols to the scull. In 1682, he pursued and shot one W. Graham when escaping from his mother's house. In 1683, he shot four men on the water of Dee, and carried two to Dumfries, and hanged them there. In 1685, he caused shoot one in Carrick, and in the same year most cruelly shot John Brown at his own door in Moor-kirk, and a little after shot A. Hyslop in Annandale. These and such services procured him a higher title of honour: he was created Viscount Dundee, and made privy counsellor. In York's reign, his conduct was much of a piece, running up and down the country, making people swear they would never lift arms against king James. He was alway staunch to popery, and when the convention met at Edinburgh, he went off with some horse to the north, and raised the clanships for James's interest; where he shifted from place to place till June 13, 1689, that he came to a pitched engagement with Gen. Mackay on the braes of Gillicrankie on the water of Trumble. The battle was very bloody, and by Mackey's third fire Claverhouse fell, of whom historians give little account; but it has been said for certain, that his own waiting man taking a resolution to rid this world of this truculent bloody monster; and knowing he had proof of lead[281], shot him with a silver button he had before taken off his own coat for that purpose. However he fell, and with him popery and king James's interest in Scotland. Behold thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man—Claverhouse's memoirs, History of the Sufferers, Defoe's memoirs, &c.
ALEX. GORDON of Kilstuers in Galloway set out amongst the suffering remnant, joined the united societies who followed faithful Mr. Renwick, and was for some time most zealous for that cause; for which he was apprehended, but rescued at Enterkine-path, August 1684, when going to Edinburgh; at which some of the sufferers were not a little (if not too much) elated. But never being right principled, as Mr. Peden perceived, when he refused to sail the sea with him from Ireland before this. He first fell in with Langlands and Barclay in favour of Argyle's attempt, 1685, and from that time he became a most violent traducer and reproacher of Mr. Renwick and the faithful party both by tongue and pen to render them odious: then he fell into a kind of profligate life, (as Mr. Renwick often said, that these who fell from strictness in principle would not long retain strictness of practice) at last being at Edinburgh, he got drunk, and then must needs fight, as is usual with such miscreants; and, having in the squabble lost much blood, his head became light, so that when going up stairs, he lost his feet and falling down brained himself, and so expired.—Faithful Contendings, Walkers Remarks.
Sir GEORGE M'KENZIE of Rosehaugh, was another notorious apostate; for after he had made no small profession of presbyterian principles and holiness of life, he after the restoration, not only apostatized from that profession, but fell into a most wicked and flagitious life and conversation; which were qualifications good enough then to gain him the post of an advocate. Sometime after Pentland, he pleaded the sufferers part; but afterwards shifted sides (being advanced to be king's advocate) and pleaded most strenuously against them, and even with such a degree of fury that neither prelate nor bloody manager could ever charge him with the least thing that looked like moderation. It were needless to relate what hand he had in the bloody work at that time, seeing he pleaded away almost the lives of all that were executed from 1677 to 1688. Nay, such was his rage at the cause of Christ and his people, that before they escaped his hands, he would charge them with what in his conscience he knew was false: and, if they would not answer questions to his mind, he would threaten to pull out their tongues with pincers. At the same time pleaded that murderers, sorcerers, &c. might go free. In one of his distracted fits, he took the Bible in his hand and wickedly said, it would never be well with the land till that book was destroyed. These and the like procured him a place in that black list excommunicated at Torwood. After the persecuting work was over, he went up to London, where he died with all the passages of his body running blood (like Charles IX. of France author of the Paris massacre.) Physicians being brought could give no natural cause for it, but that it was the hand of God on him for the blood he had shed in his own land.—Vid. West's memoirs, and History of the sufferings of the church of Scotland.
Sir JAMES JOHNSTON of Westerraw (alias Westerhall) another of the same kidney was an egregious apostate. He was such a zealous professor, that when the test was first framed, he could boast that he was an actual covenanter, and so scorned it. But, on the first trial, he not only took it, but furiously pressed it on others; and, having gathered the parish for that purpose, 1683, he in one of his rages said, "The devil damn his soul; but before to-morrow's night they should all be damned by taking it as well as he." And for persecuting work, he exacted 11,000l. in Galloway by oppression, digged a man's body out of the grave, plundered the poor widow woman's house where he died, because he was one of the sufferers, and caused Claverhouse, somewhat contrary to his mind to shoot An. Hyslop because taken on his ground. He lived till or after the revolution, that he died in great torture of body and grievous torment and horror of conscience, insomuch that his cries were heard at a great distance from the house, as a warning to all apostates.—Wodrow, Appendix to the Cloud &c.