It will be very necessary, to encourage victuallers to come to us, that you take off customs and excise from all things brought hither for the use of the army. I beg your prayers, and rest, Your humble servant, OLIVER CROMWELL.* This then is the end of Ker's fighting project; a very mad one, at this state of the business. The Remonstrance continued long to be the symbol of the Extreme-Covenant or Whiggamore Party among the Scots; but its practical operation ceased here. Ker lies lamed, dangerously wounded; and, I think, will fight no more.1 Strahan and some others, voted traitorous by the native Authorities, went openly over to Cromwell;-Strahan soon after died. As for the Western Army, it straightway dispersed itself; part towards Stirling and the Authorities; the much greater part to their civil callings again, wishing they had never quitted them. 'The miscarriage of affairs in the West by a few unhappy men,' says Baillie, 'put us all under the foot of the Enemy. They 'presently ran over all the country without any stop destroying 'cattle and corns; putting Glasgow and all others under grievous 'contributions. This makes me,' for my part, 'yet to stick at 'Perth; not daring to go where the Enemy is master, as now he 'is of all Scotland beyond Forth.' 2 It only remains to be added, that the two Extreme Parties being broken, the Middle or Official one rose supreme, and widened its borders by the admission, as Oliver anticipated, 'of the Malignants almost all;' a set of 'Public Resolutions' so-called being passed in the Scotch Parliament to that end, and ultimately got carried through the Kirk Assembly too. Official majority of Resolutioners,' with a zealous party of 'Remonstrants,' who are also called 'Protesters :' in Kirk and State, these long continue to afflict and worry one another, sad fruit of a Covenanted Charles Stuart; but shall not farther concern us here. It is a great comfort to the Lord General that he has now mainly real Malignants for enemies in this country; and so can smite without reluctance. Unhappy Resolutioners,' if they could subdue Crom * Newspapers (in Cromwelliana, pp. 94, 5). 1 Other notice of him, and of his unsubduable stiffness of neck, in Thurloe, iv. 480 (Dec. 1655), &c. 2 Letters and Journals, iii. 125 (date, 2d January 1650-1). well, what would become of them at the hands of their own Malignants! They have admitted the Chief Malignant, in whom all Malignity does centre,' into their bosom; and have an Incarnate Solecism presiding over them. Satisfactorily descended from Elizabeth Muir of Caldwell, but in all other respects most unsatisfactory! The 'Lord of the Session,' who felt startled at this condition of things, and withdrew from it, I take to have been Sir James Hope of Craighall, of whom, and whose scruples, and the censures they got, there is frequent mention in these months. But the Laird of Swinton, another of the same, went still further in the same course; and indeed, soon after this defeat of Ker, went openly over to Cromwell. There is very great distraction, there 'are mighty workings upon the hearts of divers.' 'Mr. James 'Livingstone,' the Minister of Ancrum, has left a curious Life of himself: he is still represented by a distinguished family in America. LETTER CLIV THE next affair is that of Edinburgh Castle. Our Derbyshire miners found the rock very hard, and made small way in it: but now the Lord General has got his batteries ready; and, on Thursday 12th December, after three months blockade, salutes the place with his 'guns and mortars,' and the following set of Summonses; which prove effectual. SIR, For the Governor of Edinburgh Castle: These Edinburgh, 12th December 1650. We are now resolved (by God's assistance) to make use of such means as He hath put into our hands towards the reducing of Edinburgh Castle, I thought fit to send you this summons. What [are] the grounds of our relation to the glory of God and the common interest of His people, we have often expressed in our papers tendered to public view, to which though credit hath not been given by men, yet the Lord hath been pleased to bear 1 Balfour, iv, 173, 235. a gracious and favourable testimony; and hath not only kept us constant to our professions, and in our affections to such as fear the Lord in this nation, but hath unmasked others of their pretences, as appears by the present transactions at St. Johnstons.1 Let the Lord dispose your resolutions as seemeth good to Him: my sense of duty presseth me, for the ends aforesaid, and to avoid the effusion of more blood, to demand the rendering of this place to me upon fit conditions. To which expecting your answer this day, I rest, OLIVER CROMWELL. The Governor's Answer to my Lord General's Letter is this: "For his Excellency the General of the English Forces "Edinburgh Castle, 12th December 1650. "MY LORD, I am intrusted by the Estates of Scotland with "this place; and being sworn not to deliver it to any without "their warrant, I have no power to dispose thereof by myself. I "do therefore desire the space of ten days, wherein I may conven"iently acquaint the said Estates, and receive their answer. "And for this effect, your safe-conduct for them employed in the message. Upon the receipt of their answer, you shall have the "resolution of, my Lord, your most humble servant, It concerns not me to know your obligations to those that trust you. I make no question the apprehensions 1 Readmission of the Malignants almost all;' Earl of Calendar, Duke of Hamilton, &c. (Balfour, iv. 179-203); by the Parliament at Perth,-at 'St. Johnston,' as the old name is. [St. Johnston is of course correct, but it was much more commonly written St. Johnstons.] you have of your abilities to resist those impressions which shall be made upon you,1 are the natural and equitable rules of all men's judgments and consciences in your condition; except you had taken an oath beyond a possibility. I leave that to your consideration, and shall not seek to contest with your thoughts: only I think it may become me to let you know, You may have honourable terms for yourself and those with you, and both yourself and the soldiers have satisfaction to all your reasonable desires; and those that have other employments, liberty and protection in the exercise of them. But to deal plainly with you, I will not give liberty to you to consult your Committee of Estates, because I hear, those that are honest amongst them enjoy not satisfaction, and the rest are now discovered to seek another interest than they have formerly pretended to. And if you desire to be informed of this, you may, by them you dare trust, at a nearer distance than St. Johnstons. Expecting your present answer, I rest, Sir, your servant, OLIVER CROMWELL. The Governor's Reply, No. 2, arrives on the morrow, Friday: "For his Excellency the Lord General of the English Forces in " "Scotland 'Edinburgh Castle, 13th December 1650. "MY LORD, It much concerneth me to consider my obliga"tions to be found faithful in the trust committed to me. And 'therefore, in the fear of the living God, and of His great Name, 66 called upon in the accepting of my trust, I do again press the "liberty of acquainting the Estates. The time is but short; and "I do expect it as answerable to your profession of affection to "those that fear the Lord. In the mean time I am willing to "hear information of late proceedings from such as he dare "trust who is, my Lord, your humble servant, 1 By my cannons and mortars. "W. DUNDAS." The Lord General's Reply, No. 2. SIR, LETTER CLVI For the Governor of Edinburgh Castle: These Edinburgh, 13th December 1650. Because of your strict and solemn adjuration of me, in the fear and name of the living God, that I give you time to send to the Committee of Estates,1 to whom you undertook the keeping of this place under the obligation of an oath, as you affirm, I cannot but hope that it is your conscience, and not policy, carrying you to that desire, the granting of which, if it be prejudicial to our affairs, I am as much obliged in conscience not to do, as you can pretend cause for your conscience' sake to desire it. Now considering our merciful and wise God binds not His people to actions so cross one to another; but that our bands may be,2 as I am persuaded they are, through our mistakes and darkness, not only in the question about the surrendering this Castle, but also in all the present differences :-I have so much reason to believe that, by a Conference, you may be so well satisfied, in point of fact, of your estates' (to whom you say you are obliged) carrying on an interest destructive and contrary to what they professed when they committed that trust to you; having made to depart from them many honest men through fear of their own safety,3 and making way for the reception of professed malignants, both into their Parliament and Army; also 'that you' may have laid before you such grounds of our ends and aims to the preservation of the interest of honest men in Scotland as well as England, as will (if God vouchsafe to appear in them) give your conscience satisfaction,-which if you refuse, I hope you will not have cause to say that we are 1["States in orig.] 2 our perplexities are caused. |