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verses of ane psalm sung, and ane short prayer, some portion of
Scripture was read and spoke upon, only so long as ane half hour
glass ran, and then closed with prayer. The whole paroch was
within the bounds of the litle toune, the people was1
very tractable and respectfull, and no doubt, had I taken pains, and behaved
as I ought to have done, more fruit would have followed among
them. I was sometimes well satisfied and refreshed, being with
some of them on their death-bed.
I was sent out by the Presbytery in the year 1640, to goe with
the Earle of Cassills' regiment, when our army went to Newcastle.
The army lay some weeks at Chouslywood, a myle or two from
Dunce, till the rest of the army came up. I had there ane little
trench tent and ane bed lying2
between two leaguer chists, and
having lyen severall nights with my cloathes on, and being wearied
with want of sleep, I did one night ly with my cloathes off. That
night was very cold, and while I sleeped, all the cloathes went off
me, so that in the morning I was not able to stirr any part of my
body, and I had much adoe, with the help of my man and my
baggadge man, to get on my cloathes. I caused them to put me
on my horse, and went to Dunce, and lay doun on ane bed, and
caused them to give me [in]to the bed ane big tinn stoup full of
hot water, whereby ane sweat was procured, so that before night
I was able to rise and put on my own cloathes.
When the whole army was come up, it was found that there
was want of pouder and of bread, the bisket being spoiled, and of
cloath to be tents3
to the souldiers. This produced some fears
that the expedition might be delayed for that year. One day
when the Committee of Estates, generall officers, and some ministers,
were met in the Castle of Dunce, and were at prayer, and
consulting what to doe, ane officer of the guard came and knocks
rudely at the door of the room where we were, and told there was
treachery discovered; for he going to ane big cellar at the bottom
of the house seeking for some other thing, had found ane great
**************
1
"Were."
2
"Hung."
3
"Huts."
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many barrells of pouder, which he apprehended was intended to
blow us all up. After search, it was found that that pouder had
been laid in there the year before when the army departed from
Dunce Law, after the pacification, and had been forgotten. Therefore,
having found pouder, the Earle of Rothes, the Lord Loudon,
Mr Alexander Hendersone, and Mr Archibald Johnstone, were sent
to Edinburgh, and in ane few dayes brought us as much meal and
cloath for tents to the souldiers, by the gift of well-affected people
there, as sufficed for the whole army.
The 20 of August 1640, the army marched [in]to England, and
eight dayes thereafter, after some little opposition made by the English
army, passed Tyn at Newburn, and had Newcastle rendered to
them, and after new petitions to the king, followed the treaty at
Rippon, and thereafter the calling of the Parliament of England
in November following, where the large treatie was concluded. It
was laid upon me by the Presbytery of the army, to draw up ane
narrative of what had happened in that skirmish when we passed
at Newburn, which I did in a paper out of what I saw or heard
from others, by the help of the Lieutenant-Generall. It was very
refreshfull to remark, that after we came to ane quarter at night,
there was nothing almost to be heard throughout the whole army
but singing of psalms, prayer, and reading of Scripture, by the
souldiers in their severall hutts, and as I was informed there was
large more of that sort the year before when the army lay at
Dunce Law. And, indeed, in all our meetings and consultings,
both within doors and in the fields, alwayes the nearer the beginning,
there was more dependence on God, and more tenderness in
worship and in walking, but through proces of time we still
declined more and more. That day we came to Newburn, the
Generall and some others stepped aside to Haddon on the Wall,
where old Mrs Fenwick came out and met us, and burst out,
saying, And is it so that Jesus Christ will not come to England
for reforming of abuses, but with ane army of 22,000 men at his
back?
In November 1640, I returned back to Stranrawer. All the
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