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PAGE 164

rest of the paroches of the countrey had before that contributed money to send to buy cloathes to their souldiers whom they had sent out. This was not yet done in Stranrawer by reason of my absence. We had sent out our fouth fensible man, to witt, fifteen men. The toun was but little and poor; all the yearly rent had been estimat but to 2000 merks Scots money, out of which ane part of the ministers' stipends was to be payed, but the Earle of Cassills payed ane great part of it. On the Saturnday morning after I came home, one came to me to enquire if I had any word to the army, he being to goe the Munday or Tuesday following. Therefore at our meeting in the church on that Saturnday, I proponed to them the condition of the army, and desyred they would prepare their contribution to be given to-morrow after the afternoon's sermon; at which time we got L.45 sterling, whereof we sent L.15 to our own souldiers, and L.15 to Captain Elies' company, who were all Ireland men, and so had no paroch in Scotland to provide them; and L.15 to the Commissar-Generall to be distributed by publick order. The reason that we got so much was, that there were sundry families of Ireland people dwelling in the toun. One woman, Margarit Jamie, the wife of William Scott, ane maltman, who had fled out of Ireland, and were but in a mean condition, she gave seven twenty-two shilling sterling pieces, and ane elevin shillings piece of gold. When the day after, when I enquired at her how she came to give so much, she answered, I was gathering, and had laid up this to be an part of portion to ane young daughter I had; and whereas the Lord lately hath pleased by death to take the daughter I had to himself,1 I thought I would give [him] her portion also.

In summer 1641, the Generall Assembly was keeped at Edinburgh, and after that the parliament, where the king was present, and ratified all the preceding work of reformation. When I was coming home from that Assembly I stayed with my father at Lanerk, till it pleased the Lord to call him home to himself. He



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1    "Take away my daughter."

PAGE 165

was worn with sore pains of the gravell, but he had great peace in minde. He dyed on the Saturnday morning, and was to be buried on the Munday following. All the night before the buriall I had an sore fitt of the gravell, which now and then for some five years before had taken me, and continued, but with long intermissions, for eight or nine years thereafter. This put me in fear that it might continue the time of the buriall; therefore I besought the Lord, if he so pleased, to free me of the pains1 till I might perform that duty to my father to see him buried, although it should come the sorer on me thereafter. About eight a clock I was fully freed of the pain, and so continued till all was done, and was making account it would not return at that time; but within an hour, when2 I was come into the house, my pain came again, and continued a day or two.

In October 1641, the Rebellion breake out in Ireland. Many of the religious people in the North of Ireland had left it in the year 1637, when the deposed ministers were forced out of it by pursevents sent out to apprehend them. Others left it in the year 1639, when the deputy urged upon all the Scots in Ireland an oath abjuring the Nationall Covenant of Scotland, and so they were free of that stroak of the rebellion. Many of those that took the oath were murthered by the rebells. Such as lived nearest the coast over against Scotland for most part escaped, and sundry fled from other parts of the countrey to them. It is observable, that the stroak upon the people in the North of Ireland increased by degrees. At first they thought it an hard case they wei'e not sure to enjoy their ministers; but thereafter their ministers were deposed. When that was found yet harder to be born, the ministers were forced to flee the countrey, and hyrelings thrust upon them. When that had continued sometime, and they thought hardly ane worse condition would3 come, the abjuring oath was urged upon them, and after all comes the bloody sword of the rebells. And I have heard some of them that escaped the sword of the rebells



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1    "Pain."

2    "After."

3    "Could."






        
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