advance into Scotland with the Army. And we trust, by the blessing of God, the common Enemy will thereby the sooner be brought to a submission to you: and we thereby shall do what becomes us in order to the obtaining of our Garrisons; engaging ourselves that, so soon as we shall know from you that the Enemy will yield to the things you have proposed to them, and we have our Garrisons delivered to us, we shall forthwith depart out of your Kingdom; and in the meantime be 'even' more tender towards the Kingdom of Scotland, in the point of charge, than if we were in our own Kingdom. If we shall receive from you any desire of a more speedy advance, we shall readily yield compliance therewith;-desiring also to hear from you how affairs stand. This being the result of a Council of War, I present it to you as the expression of their affections and of my own; who am, My Lords, Your most humble servant, OLIVER CROMWELL.* Cheswick, where Oliver now has his head-quarter, lies, as we said, some three or four miles south of Berwick, on the English side of Tweed. Part of his forces crossed the River, I find, next day; a stray regiment had without order gone across, the day before.-The 'Laird of Greenhead,' Sir Andrew Ker, is known in the old Scotch Books; still better, Major Strahan, who makes a figure on his own footing by and by. The Anti-Hamilton or Whiggamore Party are all in 1 Neither does the sentence end even here! It is dreadfully bad composition; yet contains a vigorous clear sense in it. Thurloe, i. 101. clined to Cromwell; inclined, and yet averse; wishing to say "Yes and No:" if that were possible!— The answer to this Letter immediately follows in Thurloe; but it is not worth giving. The intricate longwindedness of mere Loudons, Argyles and the like, on such subjects at this time of day, is not tolerable to either gods or men. "We, Loudon, Argyle, and Company, are very sensible how righteously 'God who judgeth the Earth' has dealt with Hamilton and his followers; an intolerable, unconscionable race of men, tending towards mere ruin of religion, and 'grievously oppressive' to us. We hope all things from you, respectable Lieutenant-General. We have sent influential persons to order the giving up of Berwick and Carlisle instantly; and hope these Garrisons will obey them. We rest,-Humbly devoted, -Argyle, Loudon, and Company." Influential Persons: Friday last, the 22d September, the Marquis of Argyle, the Lord Elcho, Sir John Scot and others came as Commissioners from the Honest Party in Scotland to the Laird of Mordington's House at Mordington, to the 'Lieutenant-General's quarters, two miles within Scotland. That night the Marquis of Argyle sent a trumpet to Ber'wick,'-Berwick made delays, needed to send to the Earl of Lanark first. Lanark, it is to be hoped, will consent. Meanwhile the Lieutenant-General opens his parallels, diligently prepares to besiege, if necessary. Among these influential Persons, a quick reader notices Sir John Scot,'-and rejoices to recognise him, in that dim transient way, for the 'Director of the Chancery,' and Laird of Scotstarvet in Fife, himself in rather a staggering state? at present, worthy old gentleman! 1 Rushworth, vii. 1282. 2 Scott of Scotstarvet's Staggering State of Scots Statesmen is the strange Title of his strange little Book: not a Satire at all, but a Homily on PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS we are marching with the Parliament's Army into the Kingdom of Scotland, in pursuance of the remaining part of the Enemy who lately invaded the Kingdom of England, and for the recovery of the Garrisons of Berwick and Carlisle : These are to declare, That if any Officer or Soldier under my command shall take or demand any money; or shall violently take any horses, goods or victual, without order; or shall abuse the people in any sort,—he shall be tried by a Council of War: and the said person so offending shall be punished, according to the Articles of War made for the government of the Army in the Kingdom of England, which punishment is death. Each Colonel, or other chief Officer in every regiment, is to transcribe a copy of this; and to cause the same to be delivered to each Captain in his regiment: and every said Captain of each respective troop and company is to publish the same to his troop or company; and to take a strict course that nothing be done contrary hereunto. Given under my hand, this 20th September, 1648. Life's Nothingness, enforced by examples; gives in brief compass, not without a rude Laconic geniality, the cream of Scotch Biographic History in that age, and unconsciously a curious self-portrait of the Writer withal. * Newspapers in Cromwelliana, p. 46. LETTER LXXIV. For the Right Honourable the Committee of Estates of the Kingdom of Scotland, at Edinburgh: These. RIGHT HONOURABLE, Norham, 21st Sept. 1648. We perceive that there was, upon our advance to the Borders, the last Lord's Day,1 a very disorderly carriage by some horse; who, without order, did steal over the Tweed, and plundered some places in the Kingdom of Scotland: and since that, some stragglers have been alike faulty; to the wrong of the inhabitants, and to our very great grief of heart. I have been as diligent as I can to find out the men that have done the wrong, and I am still in the discovery thereof; and I trust there shall be nothing wanting on my part that may testify how much we abhor such things: and to the best of my information I cannot find the least guilt of the fact2 to lie upon the regiments of this Army, but upon some of the Northern horse, who have not been under our discipline and government, until just that we came into these parts. I have commanded those forces away back again into England; and I hope the exemplarity of justice will testify for us our great detestation of the fact.2 For the remaining regiments, which are of our old forces, we may engage for them their officers will keep them from doing any such things: and we are confident that, saving victual, they shall not take anything from the inhabitants; and in that also they shall be so far from being 121 Sept. 1648, is Thursday; last Sunday is 17th. 2' fait.' their own carvers, as that they shall submit to have provisions ordered and proportioned by the consent, and with the direction, of the Committees and Gentlemen of the Country, and not otherwise, if they please to be assisting to us therein. I thought fit, for the preventing of misunderstanding, to give your Lordships this account; and rest, My Lords, Your most humble servant, OLIVER CROMWELL.* Upon our entrance into Scotland, a Regiment lately raised in the Bishopric of Durham, under Colonel Wren, behaved 'themselves rudely; which as soon as the Lieutenant-General ' of this Army' Cromwell had notice of, he caused it to rendezvous on Tweed banks; and the Scottish people having challenged several horses taken from them by that Regiment, 'the Lieutenant-General caused the said horses to be restored back, and the plunderers to be cashiered. A Lieutenant that ' countenanced such deeds was delivered into the Marshal's hands; and the Colonel himself, conniving at them, and not doing justice upon the offenders when complaints were brought in to him, was taken from the head of his Regiment, and suspended from executing his place, until he had an ́swered at a Council of War for his negligence in the performance of his duty. This notable and impartial piece of 'justice did take very much with the people; and the Regi ́ment is ordered back into Northumberland,"2. -as we see. 1 These Committees. * Thurloe, i. 103 (From the Public Records of Scotland, in the Laigh Parliament-House at Edinburgh). 2 Perfect Diurnal, October 2 to 9 (in Cromwelliana, p. 47). |