PAGE 178
such as were honest, and how it was against that which he had
granted in his concessions, and [would] confirm some to think he
were1
but dallying with God and with us. We left him to think
upon it till after supper; but when we went to him, we found him
tenaciously resolute to continue his purpose. He said his father
used allwayes to communicat at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday,
and that he behooved to doe soe likewise, and that people
would think strange of him if, having resolved to communicat, he
should forbear it, and that he did it to procure ane blessing from
God upon his intended voyage. We shewed him that indeed we
feared the Lord should declare whether he approved that his way
or not, and earnestly pressed he would forbear, seeing although
the action were
never2
so lawfull, he might upon some considerations forbear it.
But we could not prevaill; he did communicat
kneeling, and beside some disorder committed by the chaplain,
Bramble, who was once pretended Bishop of Doun, did give the
blessing after the action. It was abundantly known to all the
commissioners that most of all the malignants, and ill instruments
about the Court, were intending for Scotland with the king; yet
no effectual course was taken to debarr them, although it was one
of the instructions to urge the same.
On the Saturnday therafter, when all the commissioners were
abroad3
except Cassills and Lothian, who were with the king at
Unslodyke, the new letters and instructions from the Parliament
and Commission of the Kirk [came,] wherin they declared their
dissatisfaction with the treaty, and such other things to be obtained,
and declared otherwayes the treaty to be void, and the persons'
names set doun who should
be4
left in Holland. These came to
the two Lords, and being read by them, and as some say, shown to
Hamilton and Lauderdale, who were expressly by these instructions
forbidden to come to Scotland, were sent aboard to us. How
welcome these were to some of us is not easie to express; others,
as Liberton, were not so well satisfied with them; but presently
**************
1
"Was."
2
"Ever."
3
"Aboard."
4
"Were to be."
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PAGE 179
we took boat to goe ashoare, with resolution not to come aboard till
we had obtained satisfaction to the Parliament. The wind did not
suffer us to go ashoare at Tarhay, which was the nearest way to
Unslodyke, but put us to Shaveling, where landing about midnight,
and not being able to go in wagon to Tarhay, the sea being full,
we sent two a foot to Tarhay to meet the Lords if they should
come hither before we came at them, and to desyre them not to
goe aboard till we came to them; for we were afraid that after
these letters (although the winds were contrary) both the king
and the Lords, and the malignants who should have stayed behind,
would make haste to goe aboard before any more treaty should be.
We ourselves behooved to goe about by the Hague, and rode all
night, and coming to Unslodyke about break of day, or a little
after, found that the king and all were gone. We followed so fast
as we could dryve to Tarhay; but all were gone aboard. The two
that we had sent mett the Lords, and spoke as we had desyred
them, but they said Lothian would needs goe aboard with the
king, and drew Cassills along with him. When we were standing
amazed on the shoare, one Mr Webster of Amsterdam comes to go
aboard, and warn the king that the Parliament of England had
some twenty-two ships at sea to wait for him. He going aboard
in a boat, Liberton, without more adoe, runs to the boat to goe
aboard to the rest, and after him Sir John Smith upon his call in
the same boat. Brodie, Alexander Jaffray, and we three ministers,
stayed. Some of us may say we never had ane heavier day than
that Sabbath was. After prayer together and apart, when we
were consulting what to doe, Mr James Wood his opinion was to
go aboard, saying,1
it was a pity that the king and my Lord Cassills
should be there and none to preach to them. Brodie and Alexander
Jaffray said, it was
to be2
wished that they had stayed ashoare,
but now as matters stood, it was best to goe aboard and discharge
their duty in the last instructions from the Parliament. Mr George
Hucheson inclined to the same. For my part, I told I had no
**************
1
"That."
2
"To have been."
|