Declaration Concerning the Late Tumults in Scotland, Letter 12 – Letter 13
My very good Lord,
I Have received from your Lordsh: and other Noblemen a Letter, containing a complaint against the violence offered to divers of his Majesties subjects, by States-men, Councellours, and others; and that complaint aggravated by your promising and undertaking, for your selfe and all your adherents, that no man should be troubled till the Generall Assembly; and your just expectation that the same course should have beene held on the other side by us.
For the former, I know not what States-men, Noblemen or Barons, your Lordsh: meanes▪ for naming none, I know not to whom I shall take my selfe; nor doe I know what violence and threatnings you mean: If you meane his Majesties Commissioners appointed by the King, they requiring his subjects to subscribe the old Confession and Covenant, by his authoritie now renewed, and remonstrating unto them the danger they incurre by law in not obeying his Majesties commandement, I hope that cannot bee called violence but duty, the omission whereof, must needs bee a violation of, and violence offered to his Majesties sacred authority: If other violences and threatnings they have used, as your Lordsh: seemeth to intimate (for their obedience to his Majesties just authority, I am sure, your Lordsh: will not call violence) they must answer for it, and shall whensoever your Lordsh: shall make known the delinquents. But alas my Lords, Tell me now in good earnest whether you have heard they have used such violence in perswading this Covenant, as hath beene used by your adherents in inforcing of yours? hath the bloud of Gods servants, his holy Ministers, been shed, which bloud I am affraid keepeth the vengeance of God still hanging over this Land? have men beene beaten, turned out of their livings and maintenance, reviled and excommunicated in the Pulpits, and a thousand more outrages acted upon them, for not subscribing this Covenant? have none who have subscribed your Covenant, done it with blind and doubting minds? If they have, I beseech your Lordsh: not to call his Majesties Councellours legall proceedings, irreligious and unjust, untill you have proved the piety and justice of the proceedings of your owne adherents.
For the other, of your undertaking and promising for your parts, that no man should be troubled till the Assembly, and expecting the like from us, truly I am glad I have it under your Lordsh: hands; for I think there are few houres of any one day, since the indicting of the Assemblie, that from all parts of this Kingdome, I am not vexed with complaints of new processing of Ministers, new with-holding of Ministers stipends unprocessed, heavie complaints of Ministers of your owne Covenant, that they are threatned, and that sharply and bitterly, for their declaring of their griefe, in being barred of their freedome in the election of their owne Commissioners to the Generall Assembly, and being borne down by the multitude of Lay voyces, and menaced because of their protesting against the same.
The complaints of Ministers Non-Covenanters and Lay-Elders Non-Covenanters, chosen by their Sessions to assist at the election of the Commissioners from the Presbyteries, but turned backe, for not having subscribed your Covenant, and reviled with bitter words, for being so pert as to come thither; is this the performance of promising, that no man shall bee troubled till the Assembly? These are, indeed, preparations verie unfit to precede this Assembly, they being so unpeaceable and like to take up much time, in discussing at that great Meeting the illegality of these elections. My Lord, the truth is, I shall be as carefull to see any wrong offered by his Majesties Commissioners (in urging his Majesties authority) punished, when I shall know the offences and the offenders, as I am heartily grieved at the proceedings of your Associats: Here I am sure, his Majesties Commissioners have been rather backward then forward, but so have not your Lordsh: adherents been; for they have in verie many places proclaimed your Protestation, where his Majesties Declaration hath not been proclaimed. I hope your Lordsh: will pardon my unusuall prolixitie; for I confesse I am much troubled to see his Majesties good subjects led into such misconstructions of his pious and religious intentions towards them. This my Letter, I pray your Lordsh: to communicate to the other Noble Lords, who subscribed that to me. To your selfe and them, I pray your Lordsh: commend the true respects of
Your Lordsh. For the Earle of Cassills.
THis Letter it seemes gave them no satisfaction, for they still continued their reports: Besides, they had the boldnesse by another Letter from the same Table, sent likewise to Our Commissioner, being then at Hammilton, to expostulate with him, that one of Our Ships at sea had searched a Scottish Merchants Ship for Ammunition, when as they themselves before had searched a Merchants Ship for some Ammunition, which We had sent for Scotland, and would have seized upon it, if they had not been prevented; and immediately after, a little English Vessell carrying Beere to some part of that Kingdome, was likewise stayed and searched by them. In the same Letter they quarrell with Our Commissioner, for hindering the bringing of Horses from England thither, which is unlawfull for any one to doe, without a speciall licence from the Master of Our Horse: The copie of their Letter, filled with their ordinarie pretences of Religion, and Our Commissioners Answer unto it, be these.
Please your Grace,
AFter your parting from us, we had knowledge from John Wilson Skipper, and sundry of his Passengers newly arrived, That being at Sea on his way from Holland hither, one of his Majesties small ships of eight Peeces, came aboard and searched him for Armes and Ammunition, declaring they did the same by his Majesties Warrant. We doe not so much value the hazzard of any prejudice, as we are heartily grieved to find any such note of his Majesties displeasure, differencing us from his other subjects, when our own hearts and the Lord that searcheth them doth heare witnesse of our loyaltie and affection to his Majestie, especially to have found it now when we are made so secure, both by the hopes of obteyning from his Majesties favour, by your mediation, these ordinary and publike remedies that can fully settle this Church and State, and by assurance from your Grace we should finde no such hard dealing, during the time of your imployment amongst the subjects here, who trust in your care to prevent speedily the inconvenience of this, as you did in that other late particular anent the arrest of our horses in England. We thinke this advertisment sufficient to your Grace, who is wounded through our sides if wee suffer any thing in this time, being so farre interessed to vindicate us from such prejudice, who doe acknowledge our selves to be
Edinb. the 28. Septemb. 1638. Your Graces humble servants, Rothees, Montrose, Home, Weymse, Lindesay, Boyd, Londone, Balmerino, Dalhousie, Forrester, Elcho, Craustoune, Baltarres, Burghly, Lothiane.